Kerfuffle involving our Holy Men

In 2006, the Ethiopian army took the Islamic Courts Union out of power in Somalia.  That was a group trying to exert strict Sharia law in Somalia (and into neighboring countries).  An remnant called Al Shabaab (The Youth) survived and now has control of parts of Somalia, imposing a Taliban-like society.   They have declared war on the UN, relief workers, other African governments and anybody not sufficiently Islamic to their standard, and are not above using Al-Qaeda-like tactics.  The US State Department designates Al Shabaab as a terrorist organization and therefore illegal to support.  A seemingly distant situation from America's Finest City, but there is a connection.
This week, the redundantly named Mohamed Mohamed Mohamud appeared in court to face charges of collecting and sending $9,000 to Al Shabaab.  Imam of a local Masjid (near El Cajon Blvd a little east of the 15), Mohamud is a leading figure in the local Somali community.  Two other local Somali immigrants were also charged.  They pleaded not guilty, and what happens with the case remains to be seen.  But Al Shabaab does offer an interesting example of the conflagration that religious fervor can inspire.

A winnowing of Southern California's holy men

While the Saddleback Church is reaching new heights of prosperity, others in the area are not on an upward trend.  Earlier we found faith healer Benny Hinn asking for two million dollars in donations to keep his operations running.  Now the OC's original megachurch, the Crystal Cathedral, has filed for bankruptcy, declaring a $36 million mortgage and at least $7 million in other debt.  Some are blaming the turn in fortunes on an inability to move with the times, which is ironic considering this church's innovative origins. 

The story begins in 1955, when Robert Schuller, a 34 year-old midwestern minister living in Orange County, opened a church in a former drive-in theater.  Rather than preach about sin and condemnation, he stressed a positive message, meant to inspire and give hope.  While not at the level as the prosperity churches of decades later (prayer will help you win the lottery), Schuller did present an attitude that anything is possible (prayer will help you work to achieve your goals).  The positivity, and the recognition of the emerging car culture, propelled the church's expansion.  The message went even further with the "Hour of Power", a weekly television sermon that began in 1970.  The result was the Crystal Cathedral, built from 1977 to 1980. The 1980's and 1990's were the good years for the church, but then things began to slide, with a lot of the blame going to the aging look of the service and the television show:

Schuller and family "stayed with the organ when everyone had gone to the rock 'n' roll band. He stayed with the robes when everyone else was reinventing themselves as bishops. In a time when most megachurces are going multisite and to smaller venues, he kept building bigger buildings," Thumma said.  [Scott Thumma, a sociologist of religion at the Hartford Institute of Religion Research]

The rise and fall of these churches further underscores the message that religion is a human, and not a divine, enterprise.  Whether Rick Warren is more correct than Robert Schuller concerning the divine is irrelevant, what is important is their ability to market.  These churches are commercial feel-good enterprises, and the recognition of this would clear up a lot of problems (i.e., people under the impression they have the real truth).

Wealthy holy man needs our help

Southern California's own Benny Hinn...

Oops ...

Benny Hinn was one of the most celebrated faith healers of the past twenty years.  His specialty has been mass faith healing rallies where through a mixture of sensory overload and hypnosis he can make entire rows of people fall over.   Expect to see the stage area filled with people twitching on the ground at one of his shows.  He's also part of the prosperity gospel trend, so besides bringing sudden unexplained healing power, his followers can also depend on unexpected financial windfalls (but not really, of course).   Hinn's conducted charity and missions all over the world.  But he hasn't been living the life of a pauper, and that doesn't come cheap.  Hinn's ministry has taken in $200 million per year at its height. The private Gulfstream jet (dubbed "Dove One") isn't going to pay for itself.

But despite his claims to having been chosen by the Divine, Hinn's galloping success has slowed to a crawl.  Earlier this year his wife of thirty years filed for divorce.  Now the IRS is investigating him (along with several other televangelists) to determine his ministries' non-profit status.  Offerings are down, and so Hinn has made an appeal for two million in donation to cover expenses.

From a humanist perspective, Hinn offers two basic services.  First there is the psychological boost given by his preaching, which offers hope and some life lessons in the sermons.  And then there is the charitable work that Hinn performs around the world.  But the followers could buy a lottery ticket and some self-help books, and donate to established charities.  They could achieve the same effects more efficiently and with less overhead.

You can't keep San Diego's Holy Men down

San Diego's own Anwar Al-Awlaki has written a glossy call for religious-based violence called "Inspire".  Styling itself as the Summer 2010 newsletter of a group calling itself Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the issue contains a hefty dose of current American culture and of revolution.  There are lists of recommended assassination targets (still those cartoonists), praise for bombers such as Umar al-Faruq (the underwear bomber), and bomb-making instructions (removed from the linked PDF).  And overhanging everything is unquestioning and exclusive religious truth.  There may be some political arguments, but the quickest of perusals shows that religious truth is the main justification and the primary motivator.  The goal is to rid the area (Yemen?  The Arabian Peninsula?  The Middle East?  The world?) of fitnah, disbelief, and establish strict Islamic law as they interpret it.  Pity those who find themselves under such a rule, as even Saudi Arabia is too Westernized for them.  And putting it all together is one of San Diego's holy men.

Born in New Mexico while his parents were here from Yemen, Awlaki obtained a Master's degree in education from SDSU and served as the Imam at a La Mesa mosque from 1996 to 2000.  During that time he had contact with Omar Abdel Rahman, now in prison for the World Trade Center attack of 1993, and was investigated by the FBI who did not turn up enough evidence for an arrest.  After 9/11, authorities began looking at Awlaki again since he had close contact with two of the hijackers at the La Mesa mosque.  An arrest warrant was issued, but the US Attorney's Office in Denver rescinded the warrant, for reasons that are unclear.  The story sounds like a bureaucratic mess-up.  The result is that Awlaki was able to leave the country and now lives in Yemen.

From his base in Yemen, Anwar al-Awlaki continues to advocate for his revealed truth as another San Diegan driven to change the world by, and for, religion.

A local pastor ventures forth

Newt Gingrich, who has been building a campaign against the secular, socialist machine, has named Jim Garlow to be head of Renewing American Leadership.  Jim Garlow is the pastor at Skyline Wesleyan Church in La Mesa, located about five miles east of downtown San Diego.  Renewing American Leadership is part of a trend in political evangelicalism to link the success of the USA in an idealized past with religion:

"I believe Speaker Gingrich has created an essential vehicle for educating our nation about its profound and unique Judeo-Christian heritage, the foundation upon which our liberties are based and upon which they depend," Garlow said.  "I am truly honored to be partnering with Speaker Gingrich and his team and look forward to what we will accomplish.

Leading up to this appointment Garlow has been active with the Family Research Council, another organization trying to impose religious thinking into politics.  Garlow and the Family Research Council, for example, opposed the health care overhaul bill as anti-biblical.  This is despite the Skyline Wesleyan Church's website, which assures us that nearly all Jim Garlow cares about is charity and helping others. 

Whether good or ill, the evangelical political trend marches onward, obliging humanists to at least remain conscious and aware.