FULL FILM: Praying for Armageddon. US foreign policy in Middle East is influenced by evangelicals

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: This post, along with yesterday's at Sudan Watch, is the most important one since the site began 21 years ago.

In 2003, I used blogging technology to investigate the root causes of poverty and extreme poverty in Sudan and the reasons for genocide and man’s inhumanity to man. The two posts now answer those questions for me.

The magnitude of those posts cannot be fully appreciated unless the email and the letter of 24 April 2024 featured in yesterday's post are seen together with the documentary film Praying for Armageddon.

As most readers of Sudan Watch are located across the world, I doubt many can access BBC iPlayer where one has to sign in as a BBC Licence fee payer, I am grateful to Al Jazeera English for posting the full film (see below) in two parts (totalling 88 mins) to YouTube for free viewing and comments.

More on this later when I've been able to identify more pieces of the puzzle. Meanwhile, with respect to American evangelical fundamentalists and the US Government their praying for Armageddon started many years ago.

Poster: Courtesy UpNorth Film

"The poster is a literal presentation of what some of the Evangelical fundamentalists believe, that Jesus will return as a warrior with an AR-15. As they interpret the Armageddon prophecy literally they believe Jesus will come down from the heavens on a white horse. This symbolizes the beginning of Armageddon." -Tonje Hessen Schei, the director of the film

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OFFICIAL TRAILER: Praying for Armageddon 
A documentary film by UpNorth Film
Posted to YouTube by UpNorth Film 
Premiered on 15 March 2023 

Description of Official Trailer posted by UpNorth Film at its website:

The Countdown to Armageddon has begun. As biblical prophecy fuels political power, American Evangelicals threaten U.S. democracy and push for the Apocalypse in the Middle East. Praying for Armageddon uncovers how politicians driven by faith embrace Israel as the key to their prophetic vision for the end of days – at any cost – ultimately escalating the spirals of violence in the Middle East.

Director Tonje Hessen Schei; Co-Director and DOP Michael Rowley; Producer Christian Aune Falch; Producer Torstein Parelius; Producer Ingrid Aune Falch; Editor Torkel Gjørv; Composer Lukas Berkemar, Uno Helmersson; Co-Producer Ove Rishøj Jensen; Co-Producer Magnus Gertten; Co-Producer Hans Robert Eisenhauer; Co-Producer Kaarle Aho.

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Credits posted at YouTube by Al Jazeera English:

World premiere at CPH:DOX 2023 in competition for the F:ACT Award.

www.prayingforarmageddon.com

www.facebook.com/prayingforarmageddon

www.upnorthfilm.no

SUPPORTED BY CREATIVE MEDIA EUROPE

Transcript

Follow along using the transcript at YouTube here: https://youtu.be/75ehG6utzBM

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FULL FILM: Praying for Armageddon (Part 1 of 2)

A documentary film by Tonje Hessen Schei UpNorth Film

Posted to YouTube by Al Jazeera English 1 month ago [April 2024] 

Description by Al Jazeera English posted beneath the film:

Why evangelicals influence US foreign policy in the Middle East | EP1 | Witness Documentary

The first episode of Praying for Armageddon goes inside the evangelical Christian movement to explore its influence on US democracy and foreign policy.

Preparing for the "end times", a grassroots pastor gathers an army of veterans in the heartland of the United States, and megachurch ministers provide spiritual advice to politicians in the nation’s capital.

They call for the "final battle" which they believe will trigger the second coming of Christ. Central to their apocalyptic prophecy is Israel. It is with their blessing that the Trump administration controversially recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moves the US embassy there in 2018.

“It feels like everyone has a say about the destiny and the future of Jerusalem except for the Palestinians living in it,” says Palestinian activist Fayrouz Sharqawi.

Transcript

Follow along using the transcript at YouTube here: https://youtu.be/IhT7oyDlBIk

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FULL FILM: Praying for Armageddon (Part 2 of 2)

A documentary film by Tonje Hessen Schei UpNorth Film

Posted to YouTube by Al Jazeera English 21 March 2024

Description by Al Jazeera English posted beneath the film:

How evangelicals influence US foreign policy in the Middle East | EP2 | Witness Documentary

The second episode of Praying for Armageddon examines the dangerous consequences of the fusion between evangelical Christians and US politics.

It shows not only how the very fabric of US democracy is weakened but also highlights the devastating impact religion wields on US foreign policy.

Expressing concerns about the influence of evangelical Christians in the US military, retired US Army Colonel Larry Wilkerson who was a former adviser to General Colin Powell, says: “The most vivid danger in all of this, I think, is the special relationship with Israel… They are looking for the US relationship with Israel, ultimately to bring about Armageddon and the rapture and Christ’s thousand-year reign.”

As evangelicals fuel the volatile situation in the Middle East, Israel launches a devastating 11-day military offensive on Gaza in May 2021.

“The countdown to Armageddon has begun,” says Pastor Robert Jeffress.

Transcript

Follow along using the transcript at YouTube here: https://youtu.be/_iQhbcOgfqw

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A letter from US Republican Senators directly threatening the ICC Prosecutor: “You have been warned” “Target Israel and we will target you”

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: Two posts at X copied here below shocked me to my core. I hope they are fake. If they are real, they show the mindset and arrogance of many US politicians and why America is so disliked.

On BBC FOUR iPlayer a documentary film series Storyville is introduced as “amazing, shocking, inspiring and award-winning - the best in international documentaries, shining a light on untold stories from across the globe.” 

One of the films in the series is called Praying for Armageddon. I watched it yesterday, all 88 minutes of it. A description posted beneath the film says:

“Praying for Armageddon is a political thriller that explores the power and influence of American Evangelical Christians as they aim to fulfil the Armageddon prophecy.

The film observes American believers as they prepare for what they call The Holy War and exposes the powerful megachurch pastors who call for the 'final battle' that they believe will trigger the Second Coming of Christ. 

Completed before the current crisis in Israel and Gaza, it also unveils how politicians driven by faith embrace the State of Israel as the key to their prophetic vision for the end of days.” 

I say, it is a must-see and an eye opener into the mentality and attitudes of many Americans including politicians in Washington and ex-POTUS Trump. 

After watching the film, I thought about the two posts mentioned above. Here are the copies. Hopefully, readers can magnify the text to read the content well enough and get a feel of the tone and its sense of entitlement. 

The posts and film are good examples of how the US even after 9/11 can't see itself the way the world sees it. I can't be the only person astonished at the high level of aggressiveness and superiority and the fact that the letter and email are in print for everyone to see. The USA is not even in the Bible.

Same mafia wrote this.#FreeAssange#NewChurchCommitteeOnAssangeCase #EndTheGenocide#SanctionUSA pic.twitter.com/nx7BFthsiY

— jenmarya55 now on Bluesky (@jenmarya55) May 6, 2024 

Source: Dr Lens Veritatis @LensVeritatis post at X 3:13 PM · May 6, 2024

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Unable to survive in Egypt, refugees return to Sudan. Egypt hosts nine million refugees and immigrants

THIS stomach churning report paints a picture of hopeless despair: unable to survive in Egypt, Sudanese refugees are returning to Sudan not knowing how or where to sleep safely. "We can't go back, we can't move anywhere else, and we can't stay here," Ali said from a Sudanese community centre in Cairo which is also under threat of eviction. Their priority, many told AFP, is finding anywhere safe to lay their heads, even if only on a cold tile floor. 

Read more in report from AFP via Yahoo.com
By Bahira Amin
Dated Tuesday, 13 February 2024, 1:55 AM GMT - here is a copy in full:

Unable to survive in Egypt, refugees return to war-torn Sudan

Sudanese drivers rest on May 14, 2023 after transporting evacuees from Sudan into Egypt, in Wadi Karkar village near Aswan (Khaled DESOUKI)

Ten months after Sudan's brutal war sent hundreds of thousands fleeing, many of those who sought refuge in neighbouring Egypt are caught between the grim choice of homelessness or returning at their own peril.

Single mother Rehab has been in Egypt for seven months, fighting to build a life for her children. "I have a daughter who was born here, and I can't work to provide for her," the 28-year-old told AFP.

Gathered in a small church in eastern Cairo, dozens of women like Rehab said their families -- cramped into overcrowded apartments -- have been sleeping on bare floors since they arrived.

"People came to Egypt thinking life will be better here," 28-year old Ibram Kiir, a Sunday school teacher from Sudan who has been in Egypt for five years and helps refugees through the church, told AFP.  "But then reality hits. They don't have any money, they can't get an apartment, it's cold and they can't get winter clothes. So they turn back," he said.

Since the fighting began in April between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, over 450,000 people have crossed the border into Egypt, according to official figures. Their priority, many told AFP, is finding anywhere safe to lay their heads, even if only on a cold tile floor.

But as the months stretch on, employment, proper housing and help become nearly impossible to find, with Egypt's two-year economic crisis rapidly worsening. Soaring inflation -- which registered a record high of 39.7 percent last year -- decimated livelihoods just as war-weary Sudanese began arriving.

Many turned up with just the clothes on their backs. They ended up staying in small apartments with two or three families at a time, many of them with only one breadwinner between them earning less than minimum wage.

Dan Mhik Akom, a 34-year-old who cleans houses part-time, tried to convince a friend things would get better. But after months watching his family "unable to even get to the kitchen to feed themselves" because of overcrowding, "he made up his mind and returned to Sudan," he told AFP.

- 'Rather die' -

Another Sunday school teacher, Randa Hussein, said her cousin left Cairo in October, heading back to her home on the war-ravaged outskirts of Khartoum. She said she "would rather die there than stay here," said Hussein, 33. Her family has not heard from her since.

Hussein is now hosting another refugee, a 20-year old mother of two who had been staying with her grandmother, until the landlord threatened the elderly woman with eviction if the newcomers did not leave. Unable to find a job or an apartment, "she's insisting on going back to Sudan," Hussein said. "She has a one-year-old she can't feed. She doesn't know what to do."

Yet back in Sudan, the situation is no better: her Khartoum neighbourhood has been shelled beyond recognition, and the homes that still stand are overrun with fighters. 

"People are being forced to choose between being homeless and being unsafe," said Sudanese political economist Raga Makawi. "Unable to afford even squalid conditions in Egypt, they choose to go back, preferring to negotiate their security with armed actors however they can," she told AFP.

The threat of homelessness is just around the corner for several Sudanese AFP interviewed.

Hawa Talfon, a preacher's wife, was kicked out with only two weeks' notice for hosting too many displaced family members. She had lived in her home in eastern Cairo for five years, before her brother's family joined her to flee the war. "What was I supposed to do? Kick them out?" she asked, after her landlord objected to her guests.

- 'Burden' -

AFP heard from dozens of Sudanese families across Cairo who faced the same fate, with landlords citing reasons such as "excess wear-and-tear" on their properties.

Under the shadow of the nationwide financial crisis, rights groups and Sudanese living in Egypt have warned of rising anti-refugee sentiment.

Yasser Ali, 40, who came to Cairo in 2002 to study law, told AFP that just in the past year, "everything has changed, people's attitudes have got a lot more aggressive."

According to Nour Khalil, founder of the advocacy organisation Refugees Platform in Egypt, there is "a concerted campaign, based purely on misinformation, to place the blame for the current economic crisis on society's most vulnerable."

Last month, the government said it would audit how much Egypt's "guests" -- as the administration calls nine million refugees and immigrants -- cost the country.

Almost in tandem, Khalil and other rights defenders tracked a rise in social media posts labelling refugees as a "burden", though most receive little to no assistance from either the United Nations or the government.

Cairo for its part holds that new arrivals are allowed to work and move "freely".

Rents have soared in Cairo as the economic crisis worsens, though rights groups and Sudanese told AFP landlords were specifically targeting Sudanese residents.

"You either pay up or they'll find someone who will," Kiir said, with some families like Talfon's given a different ultimatum: kick out "your own flesh and blood" or leave.

As the war rages, people have been left with no options.

"We can't go back, we can't move anywhere else, and we can't stay here," Ali said from a Sudanese community centre in Cairo -- which is also under threat of eviction.          

bha/sbh/dcp/jsa 

View original: https://news.yahoo.com/unable-survive-egypt-refugees-return-015555421.html

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South Sudan: Catholic Diocese of Yei launches 5-yr plan under theme “Let Down Your Nets for a Catch”

From Radio Tamazuj
Dated Friday, 15 December 2023 - here is a copy in full:

Catholic Diocese of Yei launches five-year strategic plan

Bishop Alex Lodiong Sakor Eyobo, Bishop of South Sudan's Yei Diocese. (Courtesy Photo) 

(JUBA CITY) - The Catholic Diocese of Yei in Central Equatoria State on Thursday launched its five-year strategic plan that will guide the operations of the church.

The 2024-2028 plan was launched under the theme “Let Down Your Nets for a Catch” and will focus on evangelism, social development, financial systems, monitoring, and evaluation.

The document will also guide the activities of all the parishes in the diocese as well as enhance the Church’s mission of providing for the spiritual and physical needs of the people.

Speaking during the launch in Juba on Thursday, Rt. Rev. Alex Lodiong Sakor, the Bishop of Yei Diocese, called on all stakeholders to own the document for easy implementation.

“This is a great event, a great event of faith first of all but a great event also for integrated development of the church as you have seen described in the strategic development. As we started today here in Juba, it is going to all our communities. We are not just launching a document; we are launching our commitment to make sure that what we have learned is realized,” declared Bishop Lodiong. “And I want to assure you from the very beginning when we were starting this process, I have been always optimistic and I am quite sure this strategy will succeed. I have said several times that the Diocese of Yei and many other places have been destroyed by bad will but goodwill will prevail.”

For her part, Jenifer Yobu, a parliamentarian and advisor on human rights in Central Equatoria State, hailed the church for reaching out to the people of God, saying it has boosted the spiritual morale of the people.

“The state government would like you to continue your pastoral work by reaching the people and by doing that you have raised the morale of the people spiritually,” she said. “As Christians, we also need to be filled by the word of God even if there is a struggle but with your presence in those areas, you have encouraged the people.”

View original: https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/catholic-diocese-of-yei-launches-five-year-strategic-plan

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