The God Makers (anatomy of a propagandist’s wildest fantasy)

One of my guilty pleasures is that I love conspiracy theories. There, I said. I love, love, love them. I don’t believe in 95% of the ones I happen to stumble upon, but there is something fascinating about the psychology behind conspiracy theories. What they bring out of people, the paranoia, the faith, the determination that they have grasped some certain truth that others are unaware of, and that the ‘most powerful’ people are withholding from the masses. This builds a compassion for those who don’t know on the conscience of those who do know, the sense of duty that they have to save their fellow man from the peril of the evil overlords who wish them nothing but harm and a terrifying future. It is the same as very religious people who believe all non-believers in their creed are destined to a terrifying hell-fire, and it is their duty to bring the others to the truth of their cause. What am I rambling about? There is this movie I saw over a year ago, entitled “The God Makers.” It was produced and released by Jeremiah Films, an extremist fundamentalist organization in California in the 1980’s. They made all kinds of films using propaganda techniques that would make Hitler blush. They made a sequel to this film some years later.

It is about the birth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Mormon faith. Now, I don’t know one way or another if the claims of this film are true as I have not studied the Mormon faith other than a few articles. But after watching some of the company’s other films, I realized that their purpose is to spread fear an distrust of all other religions, denominations, and beliefs other than their own. So, it is only natural that this film would be disturbing as well. My purpose for posting this is to expose viewers to propaganda techniques that are all around us, including in this film, and to ask us to consciously make an effort to research a topic beyond what some anti-film/book says about it.

As it turns out, I can not post the full movie here, but I will post the most “exciting” part of it.

Liberty Heights…

For some reason I was thinking of an old movie I saw when I was still in High-School, named ‘Liberty Heights.’ It was released in 1999. It starred Ben Foster, Adrien Brody, Orlando Jones, and Joe Mantegna. The film centers around the separate lives of two Jewish brothers living in Baltimore in the year 1954. Integration had just become legally binding for public schools in the state while prejudice, bigotry, and bitterness was still the norm. Ben (played by Ben Foster) is in his last year of High-School, while Van (Adrien Brody) is going to college at the University of Baltimore. Their father Nate (Joe Mantegna) runs a burlesque and is involved in the ‘numbers racket.’

Ben is intrigued by and becomes attracted to his fellow student Sylvia, a black girl who has been attending the school due to the recent integration law. He finds the courage to talk to her on the bus after school, and tells her that he is going downtown because he ‘always’ goes downtown (assuming she lived in that area because she was black.) Startled that she doesn’t live there, he follows her off the bus and asks her why she lives in a suburban neighborhood. She politely rebukes him for his assumptions, and offers to drive him home.

Van is into politics and is very skeptical about Judaism and religion as a whole. Unlike his friend Yussel, Van doesn’t harbor a persecution complex and bitterness against all things ‘gentile’ (although understandable during a time when public swimming pool signs would read ‘No coloreds, dogs, or jews.’) When the two of them go to a party in a suburban ‘gentile’ neighborhood, Van becomes enchanted with a blonde girl he sees in the basement. Plans to talk to her are foiled when he finds out a fight has broken out between Yussel and and a ‘gentile.’ The fight is broken up when a popular guy named Trey crashes his car in the field due to his drunkenness.

A lot more happens in the movie, but I don’t want to give away all the details

Amaar at the Bat (finality)

This is the final clip from the third season premiere of Little Mosque.

Amaar at the Bat (continued)

This is the second clip from the third season premiere of Little Mosque.

Amaar At The Bat

This is the first clip of third season premiere of Little Mosque.

Amaar at The Bat

The third season premiere of Little Mosque was really good. I’m not going to give away the details, but it’s about Amaar’s reaction to Rayyan’s decision in regards to J.J.’s marriage proposal. Meanwhile, J.J. needs a place to stay other than his motel which is giving him ‘fleas’, and ends up rooming with Amaar at the Mosque while turning out to be the perfect roommate anyone could ask for.

Little Mosque (zero more days)

The third season of Little Mosque starts in just a few minutes. I’ll post a follow up later to review it.

Little Mosque (One more day)

One more day until the third season of Little Mosque on the Prairie begins. The first episode better be good. If it sucks, I’m going to feel stupid for promoting it so much.

Little Mosque (two days left)

Two days until the third season of Little Mosque on the Prairie begins. I don’t have a cool picture for you to look at this time, sorry. But you can watch the previous clips I already posted.

Little Mosque (three days left)

Three more days until season three of Little Mosque begins. Here’s a clip. You’re cool.