Palin Attended Church Event With Samurai Sword Ceremony

On June 7th, 2008 Sarah Palin interrupted her schedule of state business and spent Alaska state taxpayer money to fly up from Juneau to the Mat-Su Valley where she attended on June 8th two religious events dominated by the Wasilla Assembly of God, which is demonstrably Palin's key Alaska church.

At the end of one those events, young adults in a church Palin had attended for over two decades were presented with Samurai swords. "Warriors of old were considered undressed if they were without their sword... Swords were worn in service to the lord of the realm. Some of the most renowned swordsmen were the Samurai," intoned a church member officiating the sword ceremony, who then quoted Psalms 149 verses 6-9:

"May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double edged sword in their hands to inflict vengeance on the nations, and punishment on the peoples, and to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, and to carry out the sentence written against them."

In the lead up to the November 4th, 2008 presidential election there was an almost total failure, of not only mainstream but also alternative media and even bloggers, to inform the American voting public about the very specific and militant nature of the Christian religious tendency Sarah Palin was demonstrably heavily linked to.

In one of the two ceremonies Palin attended on June 8, 2008, known as "One Lord Sunday," a Christian supremacist gathering of Mat-Su valley area Christian church members, Palin was blessed and anointed by Wasilla Assembly of God head pastor Ed Kalnins. A second ceremony Palin attended that day was nationally publicized for footage on the Wasilla church's website that showed Palin giving a speech in honor of students graduating from the Wasilla Assembly of God's Masters Commission program.

In the speech, governor Palin effused, "It was so cool growing up in this church!" and went on to suggest the US military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan was sanctioned by God, and the governor. And Palin was prayed and blessed over by Ed Kalnins and Wasilla Assembly of God Paul Riley. But media did not delve into the nature of the Masters Commission program, nor reporters and journalists, or bloggers for that matter, bother to watch the video segment of the June 8th, 2008 Wasilla AoG video segment in full.

Anyone who did so would have noticed, later on in the ceremony, 1) a speaker addressing Palin from the stage, indicating she was still in the audience and, 2) shortly after, a ceremony in which male 3-year Masters Commission students were presented with Samurai swords, in a ceremony which mentioned the Samurai code of honor. Special note was made of the specific uses of the Samurai swords gifted to the students, such as cutting down opponents from horseback, ground-level combat, and in very close combat -- as an auxiliary blade to be plucked out for a sudden, killing blow.

The one female 3-year graduate of the program present in the ceremony was presented with a western-style broadsword that also was larger than the Samurai swords presented to the male students.

[below: 3-year graduates of Masters Commission Wasilla Alaska program given swords]

Other video to be found on the Wasilla church's web site, from a September 7, 2007 Masters Commission event at the Wasilla Assembly God, shows a national Masters Commission speaker waving a sword about from the pulpit while addressing students in the program, then playing an excerpt from the Mel Gibson movie The Patriot and suggesting to the program students that there are times when it is necessary to fight.

[below: Masters Commission national speaker Jayme Montera waves sword about during sermon, plays clip from Mel Gibson war movie "The Patriot"]

From September through to November 4th, 2008, there was an almost uniform failure, by not only mainstream media and progressive media but also bloggers, to notice such unusual and highly distinctive characteristics of Palin's religious associations. It was more than a trivial oversight; following the election, a story printed in the February 2009 issue of Charisma Magazine confirmed Palin's continuing association with Alaska religious leader Mary Glazier.

Glazier is a high level leader in a religious movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). She and Sarah Palin prayed together, both over the phone and in person, the Charisma story revealed.

On June 13, 2008 Mary Glazier told attendees at the "Opening the Gate of Heaven on Earth" conference, who represented many of the New Apostolic Reformation's top leaders, that,

There is a tipping point, at which, at which time, because of the sin of the land, the people then have to be displaced.... God is preparing a people to displace the ones whose sin is rising so that then they tip over and the church goes in -- one is removed and the church moves in and takes the territory. Now, that does not mean that the people are removed, because God removes them from the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light. They are given an opportunity to change allegiances.

Later in the speech, Mary Glazier described how she had been present at the inception of Sarah Palin's political career and that Palin was in her personal prayer group :

There was a twenty-four year old woman that God began to speak to about entering into politics. She became a part of our prayer group out in Wasilla. Years later, became the mayor of Wasilla. And last year was elected Governor of the state of Alaska. Yes! Hallelujah! At her inauguration she dedicated the state to Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

On January 7, 2009, both Mary Glazier and another key Third Wave and New Apostolic leader, Dutch Sheets, appeared at the church most closely linked to Sarah Palin, the Wasilla Assembly of God, where Palin was re-baptized and attended for over two and a half decades. During the church service Sheets declared that Glazier "was the lady who brought us into the state [Alaska]." On June 7, 2009 another New Apostolic Reformation leader, International Coalition of Apostles member Lance Wallnau, gave a talk at the Wasilla church, in which he outlined the "Seven Mountains Mandate."

The July 12-14, 2008 Opening the Gate of Heaven on Earth conference that featured a number of speeches and sermons -- on the plans of leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation to take control of society and government through their "Seven Mountains Strategy."

These efforts to take control of religion, family, education, arts and entertainment, media, government, and business are clearly defined in their publicity and in numerous conferences on their efforts. In an October 16, 2005 Wasilla Assembly of God church event, in a speech given shortly before he blessed and anointed Sarah Palin, Thomas Muthee quite plainly laid out the need to take over the seven "kingdoms" in the short sermon, or speech, Muthee gave before the anointing of Sarah Palin.

Loren Cunningham is credited as one of three evangelists who supposedly received the Seven Mountains idea as a vision from God. Cunningham is founder of the global evangelizing organization Youth With a Mission, which owns the increasingly notorious "C Street House" where GOP Senators John Ensign and Tom Coburn enjoy cut-rate rent and Bible classes, and swap personal secrets such as news of Ensign's recently disclosed extramarital affair.

For another informed take on Sarah Palin's religious and political leanings, see Alaska native Leah Burton's recent book Theo Palinism: The Face of Failed Extremism

For further reading, see:

Palin Ties To Militant Religious Movement Confirmed

Palin Pastors, Ensign C Street House Owner Promote Same Infiltration Plan

Fighting Demons, Raising the Dead, Taking Over the World

Prosperity, Spiritual Warfare, and the "On-Demand" God

The New Christianity: What the Mainstream Media Has Missed

and [website section with collection of stories]

Palin's Churches and the New Apostolic Reformation

Comments

[cariintexas]

Arlington Cemetery is the final resting place for our troops returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Now their graves are being pillaged. Cards, notes, flowers ,etc are being found in garbage dumps. Some of the markers have the wrong names on them, making it impossible for loved ones to know whose graves they are visiting. correct me if i'm wrong, but I have not seen one mention on this topic, however there's ALWAYS room for another Palin story. How sad. Huffpost I love you, but this is WRONG. Shame on you. If you have reported this and I missed it, shame on Me.

[psa613]

My dad is buried in a military cemetery. We can leave flowers and cards but they routinely pick them all up so the can maintain the property. The workers are all veterans and have the highest respect for the graves and the familes that visit.
My son miss the funeral ceremony but arrived as we were leaving. A worker there took us in the back where they took the casket and he gave us a few minutes of privacy. We personally walked us back to the car. after a private conversation, we embraced and suluted each other.
If an error was made on a gravesite I am sure they would make every attempt to fix the problem.
That would and should upset every family member but also every man and woman that wore the uniform. Semper Fi

[dutch163]

what alarmed me about Palin early on was the video of her in the Wasilla church being prayed over by the African minister to ward off "witchcraft" (see youtube)

and the subsequent learning of what that minister did to women in his town in Africa accused of said witchcraft!

now..what can we do.....??

[StayinCivil]

Stay informed about Palin's religious agenda, along with the religious agenda of "The Family" a group that owns the C Street house. "The Family" aka Christian Mafia has been operating for decades in Washington, with members from both political parties, to see that

God's sovereignty is extended to every aspect of governance­....AND
To get legislation passed to "deregulate the markets" so God can choose who is to be wealthy AND
To end all social program...­.

They are our version of the Taliban.

Google Jeff Sharlet who has written: "The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power" and listen to this NPR interview on July 1st "Fresh Air"

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106115324

TIME TO GET ALL THESE GROUPS INTO THE SUNSHINE..­..

[dutchman]

Continue to shine a glaring light on this dangerous woman.

[Trueheart]

Save energy.
Turn out the lights.

[demomntgirl]

Giving a teen a samari sword...
and touting "cutting down your opponents"
"in a sudden killing blow".
is kinda like...
handing a kid a gun and telling them to cut down their opponents.­..
for Allah!
These people are religious FANATICS!!

But Palin is one big walking contradiction.
Family values, abstinence, faith, faith and faith.
Her kid goes into the service to avoid prosecution.
her teen daughter gets PG (of course for her this is a blessing from God!)
Her 7 yr. old is walking around in designer clothes, and high heels, taken out of school, being drug from stage to stage.
As Palin herself walks around in designer clothes bought by someone else...
touting she is just a "hockey mom", conservative, christian maverick who "fights the system" and won't "play the same old game". uh huh.
and then she talks about her child that is disabled..­..that she never spends any time with...
and seems to only hold him when it is a photo op, then passes him off to someone else...
usually the 7 yr old in high heels!
She is as fake as her "sun"tan!

[WisconsinMom]

I agree with you completely. I think she would be the most dangerous president this country could ever have. I sure hope that her political career is over. But, she has her ways. If I prayed, I'd pray for her to go away.

[psa613]

Everything is about spiritual warfare, If you watched the video the sword represented the word of God. The word of God is like the sword that defeats the lies of the Evil one.
The evil one wants to separate you from God. so many people willingly let themselves be separated from God.
I know many will mock me now but before you do.... Know that God wins in the end,,,,,

[Hirnlego]

"The evil one wants to separate you from God. so many people willingly let themselves be separated from God. "

No need to. God doesn't even try to approach people..

[EspritDeVoltaire]

Seems diametrically opposed to "Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God".

[Mellenbal]

Cafeteria Christianity.

[helonias]

But god's kid told us

To beat them into plowshares and

he who lives by the sword dies by it.

Or perhaps you meant some other god?

[psa613]

Ephesians 6:17 (New International Version)
17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

[sheputstheLinPAIN]

If that's what you need to believe, fine... But keep it away from me and my democracy. There are theocracies in the world. Why not live in one of those?

[ProChoiceGrandma]

Were those people at Palin's rallies who were yelling "kill him" simply "spiritual warriors"? You are blinded by your "faith".

[Roci]

I cannot and will not speak for or against the religious beliefs of anyone, because they are Constitutional.
I shall, however, place tongue firmly in cheek, and remind everyone that their right to swing a sword ends where my nose (and a good many others, I expect) begins.

[hottingers]

It'sconsti­tutionally protected to be able to be practiced. Beliefs are not protected from the rightful criticism and ridicule. Why is it OK for someone to believe in id iotic things as long as it's religion.
If someone believed that they were abducted by aliens they would be laughed at. That is tame to some beliefs in every religion. If someone believes, for example, the earth is only 5000 years old they do not have the quality of mind to run a coffee shop let alone a country

[Vr6]

That happening in a church is really quite out of order. If that cannot be seen, why ! - then you have to be daft!

[From the Raft]

For me its OK whatever they want to do in their own church as long as it stays there. The problem with Palin and her church is that it doesn't.

They want to replace all the world's religions with Christianity which when attempted during the middle ages created an amount of death and destruction than has not been matched since.

[StayinCivil]

It's not just Palin and her "wacky" sword carrying church....

It is the decades worth of influence by the secret religious group called "The Family" aka "Christian Mafia". This group has had an agenda that includes complete "deregulation" of the markets so "God can choose who is to be wealthy" and to also end all "social programs'. They have been successful for decades because they are so 'secretive' and because they have political members from both parties.

Between Palin and The Family we have our own Christian Taliban...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106115324

[DiogenesOfAlaska]

that's an important point.

Of all people, maybe the pope should be most concerned about this.

The height of daftness is that they apparently have no historical knowledge at all: neither about crusades nor even about samurais.

For christ's sake: the metaphors of the book of revelations have been tried in the crusades and in the church schisms, and samurais have absolutely no connection or relation to the christian religious or spiritual traditions.

The level of ignorance of this church is such that it's not even tolerable for 12 year olds.

[PDinCA]

Which is why they're trying to rewrite the history textbooks. They'd prefer to adapt the 12-year-olds to the ignorance than the other way around.

[soundping]

I guessing Ron “Ronco” Popeil was out of knives.

[cliffhammond]

This is going to be one dangerous woman by next Thanksgiving.

[kareemachan]

I just hope these were replica swords, and not actual katana. Talk about adding insult to injury if so - the Japanese have been locating and buying back swords that have made their way into Western hands for years, and I don't think they'd appreciate them being used in a wacko Christian, um, ceremony.

[Leah Burton]

This is beyond the sword ceremony, which on it's on merits isn't what is frightening as a symbolic gesture. It is the call to vengeance that should jolt any of us into a "pay attention" to this mode. Anyone who dismisses this information is either justifying participation in a dominionist faith, or skipped some key parts of this article.

The research into this movement has taken years, and it is a very difficult begin unfolding the tales in this sect without it seeming unbelievable, because that is exactly how it appears to all of us. That does not mean that we then sit back on our haunches and ignore it. Jeff Sharlet's book "The Family", Frank Schaeffer (a co-architect of the Religious Right) "Crazy for God", Mikey Weinstein's "With God on Our Side" are just a few of the books out there available on this serious topic.

This information is for the rest of us who are rationally concerned about how the GOP became a religious evangelical political Party.

And as far as sensationalism? I think Ms. Palin does a fine job of that all on her own. I would not pay attention to any of this if we could be ASSURED of separation of church & state. So for all of you who feel this is excited rhetoric? That's all I am asking - convince me that our government will be rid of religious extremists and revert back to a secular institution - in every department.

[smj32]

"I would not pay attention to any of this if we could be ASSURED of separation of church & state."
I am very concerned about this. I think about the women in Afghanistan and how they lived before and after the Taliban took over.

[StayinCivil]

"The Family" or "Christian Mafia" is our Taliban...

We must work to expose this twisted version of Christianity, who has been successful for decades in getting legislation passed to further their agenda....

For one, they want all "deregulation of markets" so God can choose who is to be wealthy..

And to end all social programs..­..

Trust me we all need to be telling everyone about this group and expose them for the Christian Taliban that they are.....

[psa613]

the separation of church and state is NOt in the constitution. read it

endment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791. Note

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

[rich misty]

Fanned and faved

[From the Raft]

Unfortunately I have a long personal acquaintance with a person of this movement. It is impossible have a rational conversation with this person because their entire world is viewed as one whole religious battlefield. Every opinion and action is based on their belief system and they are defiant of conventional wisdom and logic. I might add that they are anti-government to the point disobeying laws with which they do not agree.

I find it hard to conceive that, as an elected government official, such a person could separate their religion and politics.

[Willow712]

How things change, yet remain the same. Remember how the country was so concerned that JFK was a Catholic? And may answer to Rome, instead of our country? That's laughable now, when we see the radical Fundamentalists that we have in our country now. AND in positions of power.

[dutch163]

I think you are right on target...
and it is not just separation of church and state that is a concern
it is the misuse, the distortion of religion for one's own personal agenda
as in the case of C Street and the "Family" and Ensign, Sanford,etc

what is making it doubling alarming for me is I am currently reading about religious extremism in the 1800's, and the parallels are uncanny

fanned!!!!!

[nrgins]

Why is this news? I'm no fan of Palin; but who cares about this? So she attended this ceremony. Big deal. Is it a little quirky? Yeah, I guess. They gave a symbolic sword to graduates. Big whoop! And the sword the girl got was bigger than the sword the guys got. Even bigger whoop!

C'mon guys - aren't there enough important things to be reporting on, that you don't need to be dealing with nonsense like this? It's like you're scraping the bottom of the barrel to find dirt on Palin. "Wow, she ATTENDED a service where they gave SYMBOLIC SWORDS to graduates?? Are you kidding me??"

Seriously. Really.

[MisterHands]

"I'm no fan of Palin"

Funny- the majority of your 30 comments are in support of her and McCain.

[PDinCA]

They're going to have to amend the playbook. Be sure to create a new sock puppet before using the "I'm no fan of Palin" line!

[rich misty]

Bruce Wilson: In case you missed the second and third paragraph of my piece, here they are again:

"
At the end of one those events, young adults in a church Palin had attended for over two decades were presented with Samurai swords. "Warriors of old were considered undressed if they were without their sword... Swords were worn in service to the lord of the realm. Some of the most renounced swordsmen were the Samurai," intoned a church member officiating the sword ceremony, who then quoted Psalms 149 verses 6-9:

"May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double edged sword in their hands to inflict vengeance on the nations, and punishment on the peoples, and to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, and to carry out the sentence written against them."

[DiogenesOfAlaska]

If there were a chance that it could be of any use, I would recommend to you to read 'Elmer Gantry' or watch the movie.

Or try a little something about the crusades, would be even better.

To not see that this kind of abuse of religion (consider the second clip in particular) is a bottomless pit is pure ignorance. It is highly irresponsible. This applies even to you, and you are merely denying the fact. It certainly applies to those who follow this nonsense. It also applies to those who put people on the presidential ticket who follow this kind of 'army of God' myth.

Be a little bit more careful, please. And don't try to argue with the freedom of religion. Because this is not a religion that is even remotely aware of what that even means.

[dutchman]

If you're no fan of hers, why did you vote for her?

[bmccarthy17]

It's fly up from Juneau. sheeeeez! Know your geography. How can I take any thing else seriously after that.

[LostRiverLedger]

I feel the same way about people who say, "sheeeeez!" and don't capitalize it before an exclamatory statement! However, had you something more productive to say beyond that, I might have considered it in its totality and not dismissed you out of hand.

[Bruce Wilson - Huffpost Blogger]

The videos, which I suppose you haven't watched, tell a compelling tale which most people seem to recognize as quite noteworthy.

[Michele Himmel]

Oh just knock it off with the sensationalism already! I`m no fan of Palin, but the only militancy is spiritual! ( If you had read/looked up the scripture quoted at the ceremony..­..........­..) Geez.

[Bruce Wilson - Huffpost Blogger]

The second video in my story refutes the "spiritual militancy" claim quite dramatically.

[StayinCivil]

I think you need to "watch and learn" from videos that are provided before you make such a statement.

These religious zealots...­and I am not just talking about Palin and her group, are part of a huge movement..­..

For instance, the "C Street" house owned by the secret religious group known as "The Family" has been exerting its influence in our politics for decades. Many politicians from both parties belong and have been successful in passing legislation that,

Promotes "deregulation of the markets" so that "God can choose who is to be wealthy...­.
Works to see that "God's sovereignty is extended to every aspect of governance­....
And work to end all "social programs".­...

Jeff Sharlet author of "The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power"
NPR interview on July 1st....

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106115324

If you care about our democracy NOT becoming a theocracy I urge you to do the research on these Christian Taliban...­...

[Opygollopy]

Okay, let me get this right - S. P. is part of the the New Apostolic Reformation Church. They own the house at C Street where Ensign & 7 other Congressmen live. They are planning the overthrow of the Government and intend to force Christianity in a country that has the most religious diversity in the world. They have been planning this for 30 years and are Religious Warriors. Bush, Rumsfeld, et. al. were part of this. They are teaching new recruits that violence is o.k. against anyone who is not in the church.

This is scary stuff. Where is the FBI and the CIA, NIC, and the Secret Service on this. Why is this allowed to go on??? The new order are implanted in every known government office. Who is checking on these guys??
Now that Palin has resigned, what happens now. Huckabee is still viable. This is scaring the bejeebers outa me. John McCain should be ostracized for causing all this or maybe he is part of it. This isnt going to go away in a hurry. Religion and Government cannot be combined, it has destroyed nations and it will destroy the U. S.

[fedupinfla]

I think McCain is only religious around election time...

[From the Raft]

Yeah. Its Kyl you have to worry about.

[rich misty]

Red State history. Take control of the state government first, and advance to the federal level:

http://franklincase.org/silencewinmedia.htm

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5333564964072795934

Both videos appear identical, the top link is higher quality, however it requires the installation of a Microsoft ActiveX control. The link is clean however. The bottom link comes directly from the google video server, but the sound quality is poor.

http://api.ning.com/files/lIHqj*OJfTb9AceuR9a069ZQStsknrj7hgnKdN-2fZBqASwcXaFK3p*-hyeFX*U5FxDkrMuminX0q3kaaQemMyjsYiv9qCLY/franklincoverup.jpg

Washington Times front page, legible scan ^^^ copy and paste the entire string to open.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54861

And of course, our friend Alberto Gonzales ^^^

[in4success]

right on -- i've been trying to get this out there forever. seems as if people find it too disturbing to deal with as i get very little feedback.

what i was grateful for was hearing the story on maddow about the C-Street pastor saying to one of it's members: "suppose you ra ped three little girls what would i think of you?" them members response was what most people would presume: "you'd think i was a terrible person." the pastor answered back (and this is the part that should be front page news and america should be outraged!): "no, i would not think bad of you because chosen by go d. you are not held to the same laws as normal people." (forgive the paraphrasi­ng.)

and to think that the C-Street gang believe that G od came to the founder IN THE FORM OF THE PRESIDENT OF US STEEL telling him that chrisitianity had been misinterpreted is stunning! these are ADULT MEN AND WOMEN! (yes, there are women members also).

i am simply amazed that americans are OK with their elected officials belonging to cults that consider them "chosen" and above the laws THEY write for the rest of us. it's friggin' INSANITY!

the fact that faux news avoids reporting on this SHOULD BE A WAKE-UP CALL to even nutjobs.

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

These people are nuts,why not pass out Uzi's,much more effective.­Is it just me or does it seem strange hearing a church service where they explain how these weapons they're handing out were used to off people?