It looks like Ben Carson’s popularity is fading away, according recent polls (Thank you baby Jesus!).

However, he was clearly the number two choice of Republicans from the end of August until early December, and for the first half of November, Carson was neck-and-neck with Trump, tied for first choice of Republicans.  Furthermore, the primary elections/caucuses have not yet occurred, so Carson still has a shot at becoming the Republican nominee for president.

In my first post on Carson, I argued that he was a religious nutcase because of his extreme views on abortion and his opposition to established science on evolution, the Big Bang, global warming, and homosexuality:

•  No woman (and no one who cares about women) should vote for Carson, because not only would he “love” to see Roe v. Wade overturned but he is opposed to abortion in cases of rape and incest.  In fact, Carson is unsure about whether abortion should be allowed even when the mother’s life is at risk.  Carson wants to lead the Republican war on women.
• No elderly person (and no one with elderly parents) should vote for Carson, because Carson wants to end both Medicare and Medicaid.
• No college-educated person should vote for Carson, because Carson rejects scientific thinking on evolution, the Big Bang, global warming, and homosexuality.

In my second post on Carson, I began to argue that he was a political nutcase as well.  I provided some evidence about Carson’s obsession with and admiration for W. Cleon Skousen, an anti-communist crackpot from the 1950s.

In the meantime, I have obtained a copy of the book that Ben Carson wants EVERYBODY to read:  The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen, and I have been viewing and transcribing various speeches and presentations by Ben Carson from 2014 and some from 2015 too, where Carson spews his crazy extremist political views.

I’m now fully convinced that Ben Carson is a political nutcase who should not be allowed to obtain ANY political office in ANY place at ANY time.   Carson is a delusional extremist who poses a great threat to our country if he were to become President of the United States of America.

I realize that The Secular Outpost is focused on Naturalism and Atheism, and not on American politics.  However, it is important for the sake of freedom of thought and freedom of religion and for the sake of liberty and justice for all that we atheists and naturalists who live in America do whatever we can to prevent religious and political nutcases, such as Ben Carson,  from obtaining powerful positions in our government, and there is no more powerful position than the presidency.

Ben Carson represents one of the ugliest and most obnoxious intrusions of religion into politics that I have ever witnessed; furthermore, there is a striking similarity between the irrationality of Carson’s religion and the irrationality of Carson’s political views.  So, although this post is primarily political, it also touches upon the problematic relationship between religion and politics in America.

Here is the striking similarity between Carson’s religion and his political views:  both arise out of foolish alarmist prophets.  Carson is a Seventh Day Adventist.  This protestant sect was founded by Ellen G. White, who had many “visions”, wrote many books of a religious nature, and who is considered to be a modern-day prophet by Seventh Day Adventists.  Ellen grew up in a family that was part of the Millerite movement:

 Millerite movement

In 1840, at age 12, her family became involved with the Millerite movement. As she attended William Miller’s lectures, Ellen felt guilty for her sins, and she was filled with terror about being eternally lost. She describes herself as spending nights in tears and prayer, and being in this condition for several months. On June 26, 1842, She was baptized by John Hobart in Casco Bay in Portland, Maine, and eagerly awaited Jesus to come again. In her later years, she referred to this as the happiest time of her life. Her family’s involvement with Millerism caused them to be disfellowshipped by the local Methodist church.

Marriage and family

Sometime in 1845 Ellen came into contact with her future husband James Springer White, a Millerite who became convinced that her visions were genuine. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_G._White

The Millerite movement was started by William Miller, and it is famous for it’s failed prediction of the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus, referred to as “The Great Disapointment”.  A brief account of this historical event is found in Bart Ehrman’s book Jesus, pages 12 to 14.

After fighting in the American War of 1812, Miller turned to the Bible to find “the Truth”.  His study of the Bible renewed his faith in God and Jesus and led to an obsession with biblical prophecy, which he studied in detail for two years. Based on his own interpretation of the book of Daniel, Miller concluded in 1818 that the end of the world would take place in 1843.  Miller did not initially try to spread the word and convince others that the end was at hand, but after five more years of study, “he began to tell neighbors and friends, and eventually ministers.” (Jesus, p.13).  A Christian movement began and blossomed , and “As the fated date approached, huge tent meetings and camps were arranged; thousands of people came to hear the good news, and many of them converted.”  (Jesus, p.13).

Many Millerites expected Jesus to return by the end of 1843.  But in January of that year, William Miller clarified his prediction to be that Christ would return between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844.  “Those who had expected Christ’s return by the last day of 1843 were disappointed when the new year appeared, but they placed their hopes on the revised terminus ante quem in the spring.  The movement continued to thrive, picking up thousands of converts, until that date, too, came and went.”  (Jesus, p.13)

You would think that the failure of the predicted date would have put an END to the Millerite movement, but the followers of Miller were too emotionally invested in their  religious beliefs to be put off by mere facts.  Some enthusiastic Millerites began promoting October 22, 1844 as the new and correct date for the end of the world, and Miller came to endorse this prediction early in October:

This time the failure of the end to appear created particular hardship.  Their fervent hopes completely dashed, Millerite believers were subject to abject ridicule and, in some cases, real physical hardship: some of the faithful had quit their jobs to devote themselves to the mission of spreading the word; some farmers had left their crops in the field unharvested; some people had given away all their possessions…. Some never recovered from the non-event that historians have come to call “The Great Disappointment.”  (Jesus, p.14)

Ellen White, the founder of Seventh Day Adventism, grew up as a Millerite.  She and her family embraced the foolish alarmist predictions of William Miller.

Ben Carson also embraces foolish alarmist prophecy that currently circulates in Seventh Day Adventist circles.  See, for example, his sermon at Avondale Memorial Church on July 12, 2014 ( Sermon begins at 17:05).  More importantly, Carson embraces the foolish alarmist political predictions of W. Cleon Skousen in The Naked Communist.  Not only does Carson personally embrace the alarmist predictions of Skousen, but Carson continually promotes the book The Naked Communist as well as some of Skousen’s key ideas from that book.

Carson spoke at the 108th Annual Meeting of The Manufacturers’ Association of South Central Pennsylvania on April 23rd, 2014, and he recommended this book:

It’s easy to find the literature on this: Marxist and neo-Marxist literature.  But it indicates that it is necessary in order to bring the United States under subjugation that you have to break its most powerful pillars.  And that is the family structure and their Judeo-Christian belief system.  And if you can bring those things under control, then you can definitely knock the people down, and if you can make the people dependent, then you can definitely bring the United States down.  And I encourage people to read those things, so they understand what’s going on. There is a book called The Naked Communist, written in 1958 by Leon [sic] Skousen, which outlines, back in 1958 it outlines everything that’s going on today, and the whole plan, and how it was to roll out. And I must give the secular progressives their due, because they have been very effective in bringing about the kind of change that they wanted to in this nation.  [53:33-55:24]

Carson spoke at the 2014 Annual Gala of the National Organization for Marriage on June 19th, 2014, and he recommended this book:

And there are so many forces that are there to try to destroy that unity–the only way to bring America down. If you look in a lot of the writings of the neo-Marxists, when they talk about the New World Order; they say there is only one stick in the mud: the United States. How do you get them out of the way? Or how do you change them? And they said there were two fundamental things: their Judeo-Christian faith and their strong families. Those were the things that had to be attacked, and those things have been systematically attacked over the last several decades. There is a book called The Naked Communist by Cleon Skousen, the same guy that wrote The 5,000 Year Leap, lays out the whole agenda of how to attack the family and the Judeo-Christian values to weaken the structure of America.  [18:19-20:02]

Carson was interviewed for WND TV by the founder and CEO of WND Joseph Farah on July 4th, 2014, and Carson recommended this book in the interview:

The mainstream media is never going to give you the right answers, because they’re part of the problem. There’s a book called The Naked Communist, it was written in 1958, uhh..Cleon Skousen, lays out the whole agenda, including the importance of getting people in important positions in the mainstream media so that they could help drive the agenda. Well, that’s what’s happening now. And, uh, we need to just move around them. [20:09-20:35]

Carson was interviewed on Fox News by Megyn Kelly on July 16, 2014, and he recommended this book during that interview:

That’s why I tell them to go read it for themselves: Vladimir Lenin, Saul Alinsky, Karl Marx. You know, uh, I mean these people, umm, just laid all this stuff out. And there was a guy who was a former CIA agent, by the name of Cleon Skousen, who wrote a book in 1958 called The Naked Communist, and it laid out the whole agenda. You would think by reading it, that it was written last year, showing what they’re trying to do to American families, what they’re trying to do to our Judeo-Christian faith, uh, what they’re doing to morality.  [5:05-6:45]

Carson was interviewed on Newsmax TV by J.D. Hayworth on September 9, 2014, and Carson recommended this book in the interview:

Well, I would say, uh, people should, uh, read a book called The Naked Communist. It was written in 1958 and it sorta shows the whole timeline of what would be necessary in terms of gaining control of school systems, of unions, and eventually being able to get a foothold in government, uh, the executive branch, uh, included, which includes the DOJ, and what could be done under those circumstances.  It was written in 1958. If you read it, you would think it was written last year.

Carson spoke at the  Iowa National Security Action Summit (hosted by The Center for Security Policy, in partnership with THE FAMILY LEADER Foundation and High Frontier) on May 16, 2015, and he recommended this book:

I think you’re absolutely right. This [anti-American agenda] has been going on long before this administration, though. This has been going on for thirty, forty, fifty years. It’s called “the progressive agenda”. And, uh, there’s a book, there’s a book called The Naked Communist by Cleon Skousen. It was written in 1958, and it goes through the agenda that they have here to fundamentally change our country. I recommend that book, because you would think it was written last year. But I, I believe that this is well orchestrated, and the thing that they need in order to finally achieve their goal is for people with common sense to keep their mouths shut. And that’s what we can’t do; we have to stand up for what we believe in.  [28:00-29:48]

Please don’t buy The Naked Communist.  Please don’t read The Naked Communist.  It is a big steaming pile of CRAP.  In the next post in this series, I will tell you all you need to know about this idiotic book and why Carson’s repeated recommendations of this book show that he is a political nutcase in addition to being a religious nutcase.