Oh, yes, indeedy, he does:

Bruce Wilson at Talk2Action has come up with easily the most disturbing audio clip of a Rick Warren sermon I’ve heard yet — and that’s saying something:

On April 17, 2005, at the southern California Anaheim Angels sports stadium thirty thousand Saddleback Church members, more than ever gathered in one spot, assembled to celebrate Saddleback’s 25th anniversary and listened as Rick Warren announced his vision for the next 25 years of the church: the P.E.A.C.E. Plan.

Towards the close of his nearly one hour speech, Pastor Warren asked his followers to be as committed to Jesus as the young Nazi men and women who spelled out in mass formation with their bodies the words “Hitler, we are yours,” in 1939 at the Munich Stadium, were committed to the Führer of the Third Reich, a major instigator of a World War that claimed 55 million lives. Rick Warren has exhorted Christians towards Nazi-like dedication in at least several public speeches and also during a one hour video recording of a talk by Warren, explaining his P.E.A.C.E. Plan, that is currently hosted on the official P.E.A.C.E. Plan website. A version of the anecdote can also be found on page 357 of Rick Warren’s 1995 book The Purpose Driven Church, which sold over one million copies.

Exhibit A: Rick Warren’s own words:

“In 1939, in a stadium much like this, in Munich Germany, they packed it out with young men and women in brown shirts, for a fanatical man standing behind a podium named Adolf Hitler, the personification of evil.

And in that stadium, those in brown shirts formed with their bodies a sign that said, in the whole stadium, “Hitler, we are yours.”

And they nearly took the world.

Lenin once said, “give me 100 committed, totally committed men and I’ll change the world.” And, he nearly did.

A few years ago, they took the sayings of Chairman Mao, in China, put them in a little red book, and a group of young people committed them to memory and put it in their minds and they took that nation, the largest nation in the world by storm because they committed to memory the sayings of the Chairman Mao.

When I hear those kinds of stories, I think ‘what would happen if American Christians, if world Christians, if just the Christians in this stadium, followers of Christ, would say ‘Jesus, we are yours’ ?

What kind of spiritual awakening would we have ?

Um. Well, from the examples Warren cites, there would be a hell of a lot of dead people, to start. People would be forced to follow one rigid ideology or suffer the consequences. Democracy would die out in the flames of totalitarianism. Art, history and culture would be consigned to those flames.

Come to think of it, that’s what most evangelicals seem to want, innit?

No wonder Warren loves him some dictators. And he’s training his followers to become proper little brownshirts:

“Jesus said, ‘I want you to do this publicly.’ So what I want you to do is take the card, and in just a minute, and if you say ‘Rick, I am willing to serve God’s purposes in my generation.’

I want you to open up to the sign that says ‘Whatever it takes.’

Whatever it takes.

And I want you to just say, ‘This is my commitment, before God and in front of everybody else. I’m in.’ “

And I would invite you to just stand quietly and hold up ‘Whatever it takes’. . .

I’m looking at a stadium full of people who are saying ‘whatever it takes’.

[snip]

As Wilson points out in the piece, he doesn’t point to the methods of great spiritual leaders like Ghandi or Martin Luther King. He doesn’t even point to the positive ideals of political or revolutionary leaders like the founding fathers. He stands before a roaring crowd of 30,000 followers in a huge sports stadium and points to the 20th century’s worst genocidal madmen as inspiration! And from his work in Africa, it appears he practices what he preaches.

Some of you might get even more upset at Obama for allowing this Hitler-admiring, gay–bashing, African-dictator-enabling outrageous fucking freak to give the invocation. But I’ve now come around to thinking it’s a brilliant idea.

You see, before the spotlight got shone on him, all most people knew was that he wrote The Purpose-Driven Life, hosted a presidential debate, and seemed somewhat moderate to the casual observer.

Now look at all the info emerging that proves he’s a batshit-insane frothing fundie who’s learned to speak in a normal-person voice. That, my darlings, is priceless. So yes, let him get up there and babble a few faux-holy words. It gives us such a delightful opportunity to introduce the country to the real Rick Warren.

So. We’re about to swear in the first African-American President of the United States. This is history, my darlings, and it’s one of those things kids will remember for a lifetime.

If they’re allowed to watch it, that is. The frothing freaks are trying to mark the event as Not Suitable for Right-Wing Kiddies:

Students in the Federal Way, Washington school district must have parental permission slips to watch the Inauguration because, according the school district–which also put a moratorium on An Inconvenient Truth while the board investigated whether a screening adhered to district policies:

The concern is that the televised inauguration was not listed in syllabus handed out at the beginning of the term. The district considers the inauguration a full length documentary, unlike some newspaper or internet reference articles which do not require pre-approval.

Let’s look up “documentary” in an “internet reference article” which won’t require me to leave mom’s basement (aka Rapunzel’s ivory tower) to get a signed permission slip:

A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction.

Federal Way school district, you flunk! A news broadcast, in real time doesn’t actually equal “documentary.”

Ah, but it does if you’re a right-winger looking for a way to wriggle out of letting the kiddies see a dirty Dem take power while treating gay people like actual human beings:

Never one to be outdone, Gary Cass of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission is telling parents not to let their children watch what will be the “most perverted [inauguration] in our nation’s history” and warns that God just might destroy the nation’s capital because of it:

The inauguration of Barack Obama as the President of the United States is going to be historic for many reasons, not all of them good. Obama’s inauguration may help move race relations forward in America, but Obama’s inaugural events are a major step backwards for historic Christian values. CADC must issue this WARNING message: Don’t let your children watch!

National events ought to unify and elevate the nation by celebrating what is virtuous, such as God and patriotism. Obama is making a terrible mistake by polluting his inaugural events with sexual sin. Some one ought to remind him that he wasn’t elected mayor of Sodom.

Barack Obama’s inauguration will have the dubious distinction of being the most perverted in our nation’s history … In order to be consistent in using this kind of reasoning, Obama ought to have a stripper lead off the inaugural parade followed by the Hell’s Angel’s Motorcycle Drill Team followed by the Crips Precision Handgun Corp. and the Transvestite Fashion Police. Just because something exists in society does not mean it is good and is to be paraded in front of everyone, especially children.

On this historic occasion of the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, I must unfortunately recommend that you keep the kids away from the TV and pray that God will not rain fire and brimstone down on Washington DC.

What’s got his panties in a bunch? Like you had to ask:

Flamboyant Homosexual Inaugural..Robinson will be appearing with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington D. C. which forces all Christians around the world to compromise their character if they want to watch the inauguration….To ensure no one misses the perversion, the Inaugural parade will include a homosexual marching band with their rainbow flags flying proud with millions of our nation’s children and Christians watching.

No wonder he thinks it’s the end of days. To him, a gay choir topped off with a gay pastor and a gay marching band must seem like Armageddon.

Obama. I’m still not giving you a pass on letting Warren give the invocation, but kudos for getting so very far up these fucktards’ noses.

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Pastor Rick Warren is the gift that keeps on giving if you need a truly odious Godbotherer to get your blood boiling. Gays despise him, of course, as do people who understand why gays might get upset at their same-sex marriages being equated with pedophilia and incest. Those of us who look askance at Christian fundamentalists in moderate’s clothing can’t stand the little shit. Atheists are taking matters to court:

The latest organized effort against Warren’s participation was launched by a group of atheists who have filed a lawsuit that contends prayer should not be allowed during the ceremony. One name stands out among the list of plaintiffs — Michael Newdow, the man who challenged the use of the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Those of us who are sharpening their knives for Warren may have to let another group borrow our whetstones. Are you ready for the latest folks hating on Warren? His very own evangelical Christian community:

Warren did not answer directly when asked whether he would dedicate his prayer to Jesus. In a statement Tuesday to The Associated Press, Warren would say only that, “I’m a Christian pastor so I will pray the only kind of prayer I know how to pray.”

“Prayers are not to be sermons, speeches, position statements nor political posturing. They are humble, personal appeals to God,” Warren wrote. His spokesman would not elaborate.

Evangelicals generally expect their clergymen to use Jesus’ name whenever and wherever they lead prayer. Many conservative Christians say cultural sensitivity goes way too far if it requires religious leaders to hide their beliefs.

“If Rick Warren does not pray in Jesus’ name, some folks are going to be very disappointed,” Caldwell said in a recent phone interview. “Since he’s evangelical, his own tribe, if you will, will have some angst if he does not do that.”

Considering the lawsuits will fly fast and furious if he offers up anything overtly Christian, there’s no way this can end well. Either he doesn’t give Jesus a shout-out and ends up with evangelicals gunning for him, or he “prays the only kind of prayer I know how to pray” and ends up in court. Either way, he’s fucked.

Have I mentioned I’m enjoying this immensely? I’d enjoy it even more if the insufferable ass got caught getting a blow job from a male prostitute a few days before the inauguration, but I’ll settle for watching him attempt to thread a needle that has no eye. Schadenfreude will come in time.

I don’t usually filch from PZ because I figure most of you have already been over to Pharyngula, but this little gem of a logical fallacy needs to be set like a solitaire. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Rep. Mark Souder:

I personally believe that there is no issue more important to our society than intelligent design. I believe that if there wasn’t a purpose in designing you — regardless of who you view the designer as being — then, from my perspective, you can’t be fallen from that design. If you can’t be fallen from that design, there’s no point to evangelism.

You know what? He’s absolutely right. Spot-on. I agree with his last two sentences without reservation.

Never mind that it’s a big ol’ logical fallacy (looks like the ol’ appeal to consequences to me). Let’s just take him at his word: if there’s no design, you can’t be fallen from that design, ergo evangelism has no point.

Hmm. Evolution has rather put paid to the whole design idea….

Huzzah! Fundamentalist religion is dead. No point in evangelism anymore – let’s drink to it’s demise!