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Rod of Iron-y

Scene from Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

Is that his real name? One online bio for Kent Christmas says, “Pastor Kent Christmas rose to fame after giving his prophetic word for 2020, ‘the Lord is opening heaven for his saints’ and ‘the Lord is going to release something so glorious, both Spiritually, and in the natural realm.’ He became famous for this prophecy after the coronavirus pandemic took the lives of many people in 2020.”

His definition of glorious and yours might differ. Audacious? Now, he’s got that down. He placed a curse on the whole non-Trumpist world.

But cursing every business on the planet not in line with Trumpism looks mild by comparison with people with whom Steve Bannon and Dana Loesch hang out. Jennifer Cohn posted a long tweet thread the other day reminding readers just how many nuts some of our reactionary-fringe Christian congregations are chock full o’.

Yes, this scene below does recall another from an old dystopian movie:

The Daily Beast reported recently on the Moonie-offshoot Rod of Iron Ministries’ guns-and-god festival in Pennsylvania:

Global takeover conspiracy theories. Christian pastors and local sheriffs still pissed that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. And the head of a group that even the reserved Facebook censors labeled a “violent social militia.”

Few Americans are even aware that the gun company Kahr and a rural Pennsylvania doomsday church—both run by the same ultra-rich Korean family—hold an annual “Freedom Festival” that attracts gun enthusiasts and the type of people who attach “Don’t Tread on Me” flags to the back of their trucks. But in the wake of the failed Jan. 6 insurrection, the event’s amalgamation of sovereign citizens and alt-truthers has taken on a new meaning. And now, it’s even got an all-star lineup.

This year’s top speakers include Steve Bannon, once the chief strategist for President TrumpDana Loesch, the former aggressively vocal National Rifle Association spokeswoman who made millions while achieving celebrity status in the gun industry, and a smattering of alt-right figures known for championing Trump and the Second Amendment.

Ryan Busse, a former gun industry executive turned self-described whistleblower, told The Daily Beast that the presence of such high-profile speakers lends a dangerous credibility to the armed American fringe that is increasingly angry, vocal, and demanding of government policies that cater to their politics.

Cohn provided additional photos to ensure jaws would hang slack:

All courtesy of Jesus Christ, who as Real Americans™ know, penned the Second Amendment Himself.

Insane? Yes, yes it is.

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