Praying for Armageddon – Hot Docs 2023

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The religious right’s influence on U.S. politics and the country’s relations with Israel are explored in Praying for Armageddon. In the United States, fundamentalist evangelical Christian Zionists believe that every word of the bible is literally true and that the apocalypse would start with the second coming of Jesus Chris and true believers being raptured into heaven. Some of these Zionists, such as Gard Bard of the Mission M25 Missionary, are preparing to raise swords in the Holy War to come. Other groups, like Christians United for Israel led by John Hagee, contribute missions to ensure that Israel is in control of Jerusalem, as prophesized in the bible, despite such actions resulting in the displacement of the city’s Palestinian citizens.

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Praying for Armageddon Synopsis

Praying for Armageddon is a documentary from directors Tonje Hessen Schei and Michael Rowley, which acts as an expose of the rise of the religious right in the United States and how it is also based on fundamentalist evangelical Christian Zionists’ belief that the apocalypse is imminent. One of the core subjects of the film is journalist Lee Fang, who tries, often in vain, to interview Zionist religious leaders such as John Hagee of Christians United for Israel and Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, the latter considered the most powerful evangelical, who was the personal spiritual advisor to Donald Trump, and is also the only religious leader Lee Fang was able to interview successfully. The film also talks to many Palestinian citizens of Jeruselum, who speak of their opposition to Israel’s settler colonization of the city, supported by the religious right in the United States.

My Thoughts on Praying for Armageddon

Despite being considered a practicing Catholic, I found Praying for Armageddon to be a disturbing expose of fundamentalist Christian Zionists, who are arguably worse than the equally fundamentalist Islamic jihadists that have been villainized by the United States since 9/11. Equally disturbing is these evangelical Christians’ influence on the United States relations with Israel, including Donald Trump establishing a U.S. embassy and military base in Jerusalem, all to support the belief that Israel must be in control of the Holy Land when the end times come. Also, the less said about Gard Bard and his literal Holy Army, the better since he is the scariest person in this film.

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