“This audio clip incontrovertibly shows Invisible Children’s invisible agenda,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “It is not simply about Kony, but being phony and concealing the motivation behind its deceptive campaign.”
Truth Wins Out has obtained exclusive audiotape from a 2005 Christian conference in San Antonio where Invisible Children’s co-founder Jason Russell calls his organization a “Trojan Horse” to introduce the secular realm to his group’s version of Christian fundamentalism. The audiotape reveals that that his
organization is particularly focused on targeting youth in public high schools. According to Russell’s remarks (0:44):
“Coming in January we are trying to hit as many high schools, churches, and colleges as possible with this movie. We are able to be the Trojan Horse in a sense, going into a secular realm and saying, guess what life is about orphans, and it’s about the widow. It’s about the oppressed. That’s God’s heart. And to sit in a public high school and tell them about that has been life-changing. Because they get so excited. And it’s not driven by guilt, it’s driven by an adventure and the adventure is God’s.”
Invisible Children is the group that launched a viral video, KONY 2012, that reached millions of viewers worldwide and became an Internet sensation. The ostensible reason for the video was to highlight the brutality of Ugandan LRA leader Joseph Kony.
However, the group raised alarms after researcher Bruce Wilson showed the group was funded by the National Christian Foundation, a fundamentalist outfit that finances extremist right wing organizations and anti-gay groups.
Wilson also discovered that Invisible Children was intimately linked to The Family, the secretive and powerful American fundamentalist group widely considered responsible for Uganda’s draconian “Kill the Gays” bill.
Anthony Wing Kosner reported for Forbes that conservative strongholds such as Oklahoma City and Alabama were surprisingly the driving force behind making KONY2012 go viral.
This makes the second time — that we know of so far — that Russell said in front of a religious audience that the only way to promote his agenda is to lie to the unsuspecting.
It’s not only not a surprise that he had a psychotic break as soon as he was beginning to be unveiled for what he is, it’s a surprise he managed to stay as functional as he had for so long. Between the pressures of running a covert organization dedicated to fleecing the public and converting them through deceit and his being a gay man in denial, his sanity must be a fragile thing, indeed.
The reason that Oklahoma and Alabama were the original driving force behind the tweets was because they happened to be the first cities that Invisible Children’s tour groups stopped at to show the film, prior to March 5th.
Since hundreds of high school students in these cities saw the films at their schools prior to March 5th, they happened to be be the ones that first shared it.
Coincidentally, these random high school students also happened to be conservative and/or Christian, as it common in states like Alabama and Oklahoma.
Um, okay Bob, nice try. But those small cities would not drive something like this. It would generally come from the coasts. The fact that this, combined with the extensive fundamentalist funding, ties to the notorious Fellowship, and now audiotape suggest something far more organized and religiously oriented.
This whole thing had a stink to it from the very beginning. It never ceases to amaze me at how low so-called ‘Christians’ will stoop to spread their messages of hate in the name of their ‘Lord.’
I thought that lying was against the so-called “10 Commandments.”
Kony 2012 is a religious scam…
Naked alleged public masturbater (and closet case?) Jason Russell admitted Kony 2012 was a “Trojan horse” aimed at getting religion into public schools….
What is it about fundamentalist Christians and their need to keep lying? Isn’t that a sin in the Christian faith? It was when I was going to parochial school years ago.
I think Jason Russell is a clear example of the damage sexual repression can do.
Is everyone on this board an Atheist? How is that possible when 78% of American identify as Christian? (Pew Report, 2008). Look, you guys are missing a critical component to this whole Trojan horse analogy. For Christians, Christianity is their entire worldview; everything they do is in honor of God. So, if he starts and organization that brings justice to people, or course he’s going to bring justice in God’s honor. I mean, is he suppose to do it, as a Christian, in honor of secular humanism? Seriously? So what if his purpose is religious. Does that then negate the good he’s doing for humanity?
Maybe you should all stop eating at In N Out and Chick Fil A or shopping at Forever21; all those establishments are Christian owned and have scripture on their packaging. They’re hoping you’ll stumble across it and convert. A Trojan horse! The horror.
Gee, Chris, what ever happened to doing good unto others because it’s the right thing to do rather than because you want to get rewards from your god or because you want to win converts to your religion?
Actually Chris many of us are christian or another religion. We just value religious freedom; real religious freedom, no freedom to force our religions on others.
You’ve still completely missed my point. He isn’t forcing anyone to do or join anything. Rather, the impetus for this organization is justice. So what if biblical justice happens to bring social justice? The Christian worldview is what motivates him to do good and perform well, much like Tim Tebow. How does one free himself from a worldview in which he believes? Better yet, why would he want to?
And, according to Christian theology, no one is good. No one can do good things on his own. Thus the need for a Christ (Romans 3:10-12).
My partner and I have long supported Invisible Children. So what if they’re doing it in the name of Christ. They do more than I do in the name of Humanity.
So why does he need to lie?
It all goes together perfectly, mythology and b******t, it keeps them wealthy and in control of the mega-stupid! It’s simple really!
@Merlyn
It’s a kind of mental illness. Many of them have traits of sociopathic and narcissistic personality disorders. Especially the preachers/pastors
Also Chris, many people all over the world manage to be Christians without thinking about it 24/7. They were raised Christians, believe in most of the stuff, but they don’t let it influence every thought and action they have. It’s possible to keep religion in the background of life and society. What you describe is mostly American-style Christianity, which is a sick and twisted perversion
Steve, that’s precisely the hateful and intolerant language we don’t want to hear from the conservative Christian community. Perhaps you, then, should curb your commentary. Anyway, back to Russell, I would consider him a liar or unauthentic if he didn’t approach life through a Christian perspective. If he was able to separate life and religion into two dichotomies, that isn’t quite so genuine, that’s not authentic faith.
We don’t have to tolerate the intolerant. That’s just absurd.
Look up the symptoms. The parallels are striking. Especially the lack of empathy, the disregard for other people, the disregard for social norms, the aggression, the constant lying, and how they blame everyone but themselves.
Read something by Mark Driscoll for example and then tell me that he isn’t a narcissist. Even when he tries to talk about other people it somehow always keeps coming back to “me, me, me”. It’s why all these megachurches are really just cults of personality
>”If he was able to separate life and religion into two dichotomies, that isn’t quite so genuine, that’s not authentic faith.”
b******t. Nothing but b******t. There are different ways to practice religion. Not allowing it to take over one’s life completely is the sign of a healthy person.
The reason many churches want you to filter everything through the religion lense is because they want to control you and determine everything you do and even think. That’s NOT a good thing
All 78% of Americans are part of a cult? Wow. That’s a historically successful brainwash. Again, back to Russell… This blog and these comments say more about the junk and hate in our own hearts than his. I’d expect more compassion from my community.
“All 78% of Americans are part of a cult?”.
Yes. Why is that hard to believe? Once virtually everyone believed in fairies and leprechauns.
“Wow. That’s a historically successful brainwash.”.
Yes, it certainly has been. The reason it was so successful is that prior to science answering so many questions it seemed like a reasonable explanation. Now people are indoctrinated into it when they are children and too young to think objectively and rationally. Most people accept religion at face value and never think more deeply about it. Those that are confronted with its inconsistencies and irrationalities compartmentalize their thoughts to avoid considering the cognitive dissonance or they become very angry at any questioning and thus shut off any discussion about the reasonability of their beliefs.
Chris:
I’ll answer your questions more later. But our evidence is pretty straight forward. If you want to defend a non-profit that cavorts with the theocratic and violent dictator of Uganda, yet calls itself humanitarian, it’s your business.
The religion of IC and The Family is a perversion of Christianity. Instead of insulting our readers, take your homosexul male partner to Uganda and report back to us how IC and The Family’s mitant form of Christianity is working out for you and your family.
But certainly don’t ask for our help if you are detained and persecuted.
I’ve been to Gulu, Uganda– twice. I worked with the UN for three years after grad school. Thank you, Wayne.
Glad to know you have visited Chris. So, are you suggesting that you and your partner are above or immune to the homophobic laws and attitudes enacted and exacerbated in
Uganda by The Family? Does your presence there suggest you are somehow above the persecution?
Chris, please enlighten us with your secret for gay acceptance in this culture. All this time we were concerned about the persecution of LGBT people here, but now you suggest that your special brand of homosexuality makes you immune and above the religion-based persecution and violence.
Once we know your secret, we will pay for you to go to Jamaica and Russia, so you can teach the average gays how to make the locals embrace their gay families. Clearly, you know something we all don’t from your time in Uganda.
Next, you may tell us that the Anti-Homosexuality bill is harmless, as are the religious fanatics pushing it (that are working with IC). The things we have to learn from you on this site! Thanks for the education.
Reading this thread has made me really, really sad. Love, peace, and respect for everyone.
I’m very interested in this topic, and am leading a 3-week study of Kony 2012 at my church soon. This clip certainly establishes that he is motivated by his faith, but it doesn’t provide evidence that he fits the stereotype of Christian fundamentalism. As Marcia Pally documents in the New Evangelicals and Nicholas Kristof has written on in numerous op-eds, that old stereotype is being challenged by younger generations of Christians who are deeply concerned about social issues. Thus far, I’m far more concerned about militarization of Central Africa, the loss of land for the Acholi people, and Noddings Disease than about Russell’s faith motivations.
Then perhaps you should be concerned that IC is shilling for Museveni, the Ugandan dictator. And the totality of the evidence we have put forth establishes IC firmly in the company of The Family. One would have to be blind not to see these troubling links.
Yes, I am interested to learn more about these alleged connections between IC and Museveni. But as researcher Adam Branch has argued, the bigger concern is IC advocating a militant solution of US intervention, which plays to Museveni’s hand and to others that have the means to intensify armed conflict.
THIS WEB SITE IS LIKE FOX NEWS, COMEDY, NOT NEWS. LOL AT THEIR FAILED LOGICS!