I read and monitor a large number of Christian, Evangelical, right-wing, and bat-shit crazy blogs and news sites. Since the main focus of this blog is Evangelicalism, I do my best to be informed about what is happening in the world of God’s chosen people. Some days, it is isn’t easy and I find myself either wanting to take a long, hot mental shower or I find myself shaking my head or laughing hysterically.
This post is about a head shaking and laughing post written by Bible Believer, a fundamentalist Christian who blogs at the Galatians 4 website. He has written about me several times in the past, The IFB Pastor Turned Atheist: Those Who Fall Away and Ex-IFB Pastor Still Rejects the Word of God. While he refuses to mention me by name in his posts, he did let his readers know that he doesn’t “post there (this blog) anymore, there are biblical precepts about preaching the gospel and getting out of Dodge and leaving the dust of your sandals when someone refuses to hear.”
Yesterday, Bible Believer wrote a post titled Watch Out for Windows 10:
Windows 8 is bad enough, I have to search for everything even to shut the computer off. Whose brain works with this nonsense? If I had time I’d strip Windows 8 off this computer and go back to 7. I shut off updates too as much as is possible but it seems some sneaks in anyway. The trojans sent to my computer never end too. This one almost got destroyed by two last week. I actually have to strip my computer completely clean at least once a year. I agree with the blogger of the link below since this commercial gave me the creeps too.
My first thought was to let Bible Believer know that the best way to not have a problem with Trojans is to stop surfing porn sites. You know, the 40th page of Google search results for porn will most likely have a few sites that will infect a computer with a virus of some sort. To all those Evangelicals who wink-wink, God be their witness, never look an internet porn, I suggest sticking to safe, reputable porn sites like youporn.
I don’t know if Bible Believer is surfing porn sites in his spare time, that five minutes a day when he is not cooking up yet another conspiratorial story about Satan, false Christians, the New World Order, and atheists. Probably not, but what I want to focus on is the website Bible Believer mentioned in his post, Another Voice: Revelation 18:4. Like Bible Believer, the writer behind Another Voice is a fundamentalist Christian McCarthyite who see Satan and the New World Order under every bed.
In 2012, Another Voice featured an article that alerted readers to the evils of Window 8. Of particular worry was a Microsoft Windows 8 promotional video. While the video is no longer available, here’s a screen shot of what Another Voice was so concerned about:
Most of us likely see an 8, but not Another Voice:
…The message in this second image from the same video could not be any clearer either. It is a hand-formation of a figure ‘8’ – for Windows ‘8’ of course, with, it just so happens, the infamous all-seeing-eye peering through, aka the ‘eye of Horus’.
Understanding that such obvious occult symbolism is never random but always intentional, are the ‘hidden’ messages in this Windows 8 “The World Is Ready” promo video a statement that the world is considered now ready for Horus, i.e. the Antichrist – along with the global system to monitor and control everything and everybody that comes with him – and that Windows 8 (and beyond) is going to make it happen?…
…Windows 8 is going to be shifting the masses to the cloud, and putting control of the software into the hands of Big Brother, aka ‘Horus’. The world is ready they say. Do you want your life in the ‘hands of horus’?
Windows 8 has now been replaced by Windows 10, and like Bible Believer, Another Voice sees a mysterious, hidden Satanic agenda behind the latest incarnation of Microsoft’s operating system. This time, it’s the Windows 10 promotional video that’s the problem. (video removed from YouTube)
Are you scratching your head over this one, desperately trying to “see” the mysterious, hidden Satanic, New World Order agenda? Well, scratch no more. I’ll let Another Voice help you “see”. Look carefully at this screen shot from the video:
Still don’t see it? Come on, it is right in front of you! OK, take it away Another Voice:
“The future starts now…for all of us” say the would-be overlords of the would-be novus ordo seclorum (New order of the ages, often mistranslated New World Order by conspiracy theorists) …and sure enough there it is: the Phoenix – hidden-in-plain sight
For you who haven’t been part of Christian fundamentalism, I am sure the paranoia of Bible Believer and Another Voice is bewildering and hysterical. However, I understand exactly where they are coming from. When you grow up being taught that unseen forces are manipulating people and governments in order to usher in a New World Order and advance the kingdom of Satan, it’s easy to “see” conspiracies everywhere you look. Couple this with literalistic eschatological beliefs and it’s not hard to “see” Satan and evil everywhere.
The thinking goes something like this…Jesus is coming soon, and before he comes again, the world is going to become as it was in the days of Noah and the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. Just look at the recent U.S. Supreme Court legalizing sodomite marriage and the recently released videos that clearly show the Planned Parenthood is selling baby parts. Look at all the lawsuits and court rulings, almost on a daily basis, that go against the Word of God and result in Christians being p-e-r-s-e-c-u-t-e-d. Everywhere sincere Christians like Bible Believer and Another Voice look they see the advancing kingdom of Satan and spiritual and moral darkness. Surely, it won’t be long before the trump of God sounds and Jesus splits the eastern sky!
While I think Microsoft and a host of other companies have taken over the world, I don’t see a nefarious plot to usher in some sort of New World Order that will enslave the masses and turn the book of Revelation into a play acted out on the world stage. What I see is the march of technology to beat of the drum of capitalism. Whether this is good or bad remains to be seen, but I do not fear Windows 10 or any other software program. They are just tools we use to work, play, and communicate.
All Windows operating systems are tools, not of Satan, but of Coyote the Trickster (or Loki, if you prefer your mythology with a Norse twist). Satan strikes me as the guy in charge of God’s Shitty Little Jobs Department: torturing Job, tempting Jesus in the desert, trying to organize a host of demons who are probably harder to herd than cats. He doesn’t have time to go around teasing people with computer frustrations. Coyote, though, is a persistent character, and doesn’t have another day job. So he’s free to help with OS design. 🙂
Hi Karen – love your image of Windows being of the Coyote and not an evil plot by Satan. So, it being very early here, I took it from Norse (Loki) to the Trickster (Raven or Coyote) to Acme…
😀
Wile E Coyote definitely stomped on my laptop because after the big upgrade I just installed nothing works correctly. I even lost my Spider Solitaire stats (grump grump grump). Biggest downside? My DVD player had to be tricked (tricked I tell you!) into playing Firefly!!!! The horror!!
Maybe it is Satan after all?
Anything that hinders the watching of Firefly is the agent of Satan. Nothing makes a day shiny like Mal and Jayne serving up some good one-liners.
I remember a youth group trip to the record store that was a reward for learning all the satanic symbols and secret occult messages. We weren’t there to purchase anything. It was like a scavenger hunt. I’m pretty competitive and got waaaaayyyyy too into that. Ugh.
They’re a bit late, as Micro$oft HAS pretty much taken over the world, lol!
(And Jerri: WOWW! Sounds like something I would’ve done at that age!)
It’s bizarre how these sorts of people really can’t see past their own lifetimes, and even that only about a month of it at best. You don’t have to go back too far to see thousands of years of way worse times and way more likely signs of The End. Here and now the world has never been more peaceful (which I know they also think of as a sign of the end ‘Too Peaceful!’ but anyway), yet still they live in fear and paranoia. It would be sad if they weren’t so bloody annoying about it.
Oh, and regarding Windows 10, I gave it a try but soon went back to 7. The endless rebooting of my computer was just too much. The Antichrist really should learn to be more subtle 😉
There is only one way to protect your computers and smart devices from evil: Speaking in tongues! hooba moncho lee dada be dundoo dee dee, hoo yah! Never never never (trinity key) use security updates designed to thwart the new hack attacks developed daily and sent out to harm your system. Leave the doors wide open….. whomunga beebaba do looloo de dingding! Do you actually believe that a God who has maintained the his holy word for thousands of years without allowing one jot of true change, is not able to protect a believer’s computer from attack? Hoo boo boo be dooma yah yabbo goo gunga ma!
I have also found that keeping a little troll doll next to my computer is a very effective way to drive evil spirits away….most of the time. Mr. Bible Believer would probably consider trolls to be a tool of Satan as well, however. (I haven’t tried to upgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 10 yet; I’m kind of afraid to, to be honest. Windows 8 has caused me enough grief already.)
As for Mr. Bible Believer and his trojan problems, in addition to Bruce’s advice on staying away from sketchy porn sites, I have 3 words: Anti. Virus. Software.
Just an F.Y.I. a good “Satan repellent” is the free download program “Classic Shell” you can make the windows operating system look like anything you want, even go back to the good ol’ Windows 98. I assume the look and feel of the O.S. is what this guy isn’t liking (and if a pastor don’t like it, it must be of Satan!).
Yes, Microsoft is in on the New World Order and will eventually be part of the Antichrist’s tool to take over the world. At least, according to the fundies.
One thing I can’t get over (by sitting through many First Baptist Revelation sermons) is why God would do all this crazy stuff at the “end times”. What purpose does God have to cause 1/3 of the world’s boats to sink at sea, etc? Why “rapture” believers and then cause so much pain to unbelievers for 7 years? I mean, really? It sounds about as reasonable as the Old Testament “rules”. Makes you really wonder what kind of psychedelic drugs the Bible writers were on, especially regarding Revelation….
Its true all the Operating Systems are made by humans and controlled by the devils even Windows 7 watch this video we can’t stop it but with Jesus Christ’s Power we can and Windows 10 is full of demons and devil because it spies on you in all ways every single thing that you do even if you are offline internet cable is not inserted they can they are curses they devils of earth Lucifer has been ruling the world since 2000 years until now and he will still do it until Jesus Christ comes in the day of judgment he and all his power will be destroyed from demons,angels and devils of the earth by his name Amen everything around us is Illuminati controlled by Lucifer including our penises and vaginas except the faith of Jesus Christ and god this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvXEuiYTnNk and this Windows 10 Illuminati Prrof Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ22ipOx_Cs you can turn it off by changing privacy settings in Wndows 10 in Setings and there is in Windows 7 Network Icon on the taskbar on the right side left of the corner In the left side of Network Icon there is a fork sign which means the devil is holding a big fork on his hands for tormenting people’s souls in hell firein the pot of lava which is an illuminati symbol
You haven’t even scratched the surface to show how satanic Windows 10 is
I’m doing a video and should finish it in a week or two
this is our youtube channel link deleted.
It’s true that some go too far in conspiracy searching, and need to be more skeptical when comparing bible prophecy to modern events. However, how does one explain the Mark of the Beast in Revelation 13 with the rise of RFID implant technologies? A company in Sweden is offering exactly that:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/swedish-office-building-tests-implanted-rfid-microchips-in-workers-1.2975360
The process of past dictatorships has been (and we see it today in North America):
1. Introduce the idea 2. Make it optional 3. Make it mandatory
Without resorting to scoffing, mocking and other tactics meant to embarrass the opponent into compliance, can anyone please logically explain, without deliberate deviance and trolling, how a book written 1900 years ago so accurately reflects current technology trends?
Simple. The book of Revelation is fiction. Whatever you are “seeing” in the book is you reading your personal interpretations of the Bible into the text. You can do the same thing with any of the Harry Potter books. I suppose you think spitting in mud, mixing it up, and putting it in someone’s eyes to help them regain their sight was the precursor to modern eye surgery.
Have your personal disappointments overshadowed critical thinking?
I was approached by an Athiest a couple of weeks ago as he bombarded me with questions about the bible. Though intelligent and logical to a point, his emotional backfiring and one-sided conversation skills betrayed the true emotional and ironically illogical reasoning for his rejection of the truth.
He grew up in a religious home, but seemed to never have “tasted that the Lord is good.” Like reading, hearing and knowing about this great feast, but never having a taste.
Yet, there was one point where he said, “I want to believe.”
You are kidding right? I was part of the Christian church for 50 years. I was an Evangelical pastor for 25 years. I have a Bible college education and I have expositionally preached through many of the books of the Bible. If you want to talk about the Bible, by all means let’s do so. I am more than happy to play the Bible game. That said, your interpretations of various apocalyptic texts are little more than you taking news headlines and trying to make them fit your literalistic interpretation of the Bible. You are forcing the Bible to fit your eschatological belief system. You do know that some sects believe that Revelation is fictional, an allegory, little of which applies today. Reading Revelation this way makes a lot more sense that attempting to say RFID chips are the Mark of the Beast. In the 70s, Fundamentalists thought bar code scanners would be used as to some day “read” the Mark of the Beast. As technology advances, Evangelicals are forced to change their interpretations.
I am more than willing — as others are — to discuss these matters with you. Per the commenting rules, you will have to use a real email address if you intend to do so. A name or pseudonym would be nice too.
And they took note that they were unschooled, ordinary men, only they had been with Jesus…
What I don’t know could fill a warehouse, but I do know that pivotal moment when the light broke through the darkness when I was a boy, and I tasted the love and presence of God himself.
“Subjective” the scientist would say. Yet I’m sure most scientists probably married in “love” as well. Subjective is itself subjective, hypocritically.
We can know everything about our spouse and write 100 books, but without love the relationship is dead and the knowledge is meaningless.
I have my share of disappointments too, but it’s part of the package in this world.
I respect that you’ve moved on from the faith and will leave you in peace.
Just so you know… we’ve had this conversation before. Here, on this blog, with a Christian with a real name. So if you think you’re presenting us with something new and irrefutable, you’re sadly mistaken.
The really short version? Revelation is addressed — specifically, emphatically — to a group of churches contemporary in the time that it was written. It is not a message to future generations, and it is not an outline of “future history”. Plus, because it uses coded language and some truly flamboyant imagery, it can be easily compared to any number of things — I’m old enough to remember when it was bar codes, myself. Plus, the sort of situation it describes doesn’t require any modern technological development to implement; you could set the same rules (“No man may buy or sell without the proper mark on his hand or forehead”) with nothing but tattoos and a decent saturation of trade inspectors. Plus, at the present time Verichip — the only FDA-approved human-implantable microchip — was discontinued back in 2010, and while a small group in Sweden may still be experimenting with the idea, it’s hardly in danger of going mainstream — which doesn’t say much for the uncanny veracity of Biblical prophecy. Plus, the very existence of such a prophecy is at least partly self-defeating, since every time something that might fit the bill comes along, a certain segment of Christians start screaming about how, clearly, this must be the mark of the beast — with the result that Wisconsin, North Dakota, California, Georgia, Virginia, and (in a more limited fashion) Washington State all have laws that forbid involuntary microchip implant in humans.
Really, though, you didn’t need to read past the first sentence of that last paragraph. The book of Revelation is explicitly addressed to contemporary churches, and its message is intended for them, and its concern is the relationship between the Church and the Roman authorities. Anything beyond that is nothing but fanfic.
That’s a thoughtful answer I can appreciate.
It’s true that the boy has cried, ‘Wolf!’ many times, watering down discerning prophecy, not to mention charlatans and disinformation.
However, while the first iteration of Verichip may have floundered, to cite that the all RFID is irrelevant simply contradicts current events. There are many recent stories, including a man who swiped his RFID hand implant in order to board a plane, a New York senator proposing to chip prison inmates, and as recently as this month, a CBS story of how people are embracing bio-implants to make life easier:
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/05/02/tim-shank-biohacking/
Digital currency and information is much easier to control and monitor than physical. No need for an Inspector – Big Brother flips a switch and you’re off the grid.
I respect your views and in-depth knowledge on the context of Revelation, yet from a purely “Spock” point of view, the overlay of Revelation 13 on the RFID model ought to be at least, compelling, as there hardly seems to be any more necessary evolution for the system, aside from global expansion.
I use fake names for a reason – so that people would focus on the words being written and not the person. Big Brother knows who I am anyhow and will come knocking on the final round up.
As I mentioned to Bruce, I respect your position and don’t wish to escalate the discussion. You have free will to choose. Thanks for taking the time to answer.
Fair enough.
Okay. “Christianity” recognized the truth about the universe that no one else could, 2000 years ago. What else did we think we true then? The earth is flat, everything revolves around the earth, biology is based on four “humors”, etc. You name it, we were wrong. Except for Jesus. They wait and wait and wait. That’s fine, until they try and push their lunacy on the rest of us.
im going to share something with people, that a lot of people don’t know. Microsoft has datacenter locations where servers/infrastructure sits and holds your data from Live account, Office 365, Dynamics CRM, Azure, Sharepoint, etc – everything. These datacenters are on US Gov’t Military bases. The addresses are not disclosed. You cannot go on a tour. It is a lie that people think “Microsoft doesn’t sell customers data to the Gov’t.” Its a pure lie.