This may have been posted before, but just appeared in the business section of my local newpaper. The ABA is taking their propaganda to our churches.

Below, is the full text of a suggested sermon that is being sent out to churches nationwide. It is not being well received in MY community.

Comments, please.

R.

Posted at 7:03 p.m. EDT Friday, August 13, 1999

Full text of the Y2K bank sermon

ABA has developed this generic ``Y2K sermon'' for bankers to share with members of the clergy as a way to calm peoples' concerns over the Jan. 1 date change. A sermon is a very personal means of communication. This one cannot possibly cover all religions or speaking styles, nor is it intended to. However, by sharing this sermon with a minister, priest or rabbi, you can generate interest in the Y2K topic and enlist their help in calming peoples' fears and concerns. Their own words on Y2K will carry much clout within their spiritual communities.

*********************************************************************************

Thinking about Y2K: Moses, Orson Welles and Bill Gates Most of us carry important dates around with us, dates that are indelibly written in our memories. Our own birthday, for example, and the birthdays of loved ones. And yes, even the death of a loved one.

There are other dates that many of us share in common. December 25. March 17, when everyone in the world is Irish. July 4th. December 7, 1941. And my personal favorite, April 15.

Then there is January 1, 2000. That date's been written and talked about a great deal, too. I'll get to that in a moment.

But first, let's go back to an earlier date, almost 61 years ago. October 30, 1938. It's Sunday evening, 8 p.m. in the East. The next day will be Halloween. The place is Grovers Mill, New Jersey. And there in Grovers Mill, as tens of thousands of radio listeners across the country tune in, a brave local militia is fighting a losing battle against invaders from outer space. Well, sort of.

Many of those listeners thought they were hearing an account of an actual alien invasion of the East Coast of the United States. They were listening, of course, to a radio play by Orson Welles and his Mercury Theater on the Air -- the ``War of the Worlds.'' Those who tuned in late didn't hear the opening announcement. They missed an important kernel of information -- this was a radio drama. A piece of fiction realistically and cleverly played out as though it were actually happening.

Orson Welles tricked a lot of people with his little Halloween treat that evening. In Indianapolis, a woman ran into a church and screamed ``New York is destroyed. It's the end of the world.''

In Brevard, North Carolina, five college students fainted. Scores of people in Providence, Rhode Island, frantically called the electric company and told them to shut off all the lights before they were discovered.

A woman in Boston told the Globe she could actually see the fire on the horizon. Which is a pretty good trick when you're in Boston and the fire is in New Jersey. A man in San Francisco volunteered to fight. A woman in Pittsburgh attempted suicide.

October 30, 1938. If you hadn't tuned in early enough, you didn't get the right story. Or as one East Coast newspaper (Washington Post) says in its advertising: ``If you don't get it, you don't get it.''

A lot of people didn't ``get it'' on October 30, 1938. And when I think of Orson Welles' famous radio broadcast, I think of January 1, 2000. Or as some people like to refer to it, Y2K.

And the question for each of us is: When Y2K arrives, will we have the full story? Or will we have tuned in too late to get that important kernel of information, as many did on the night of October 30, 1938?

Will we ``get it?''

Let's talk about Y2K for a moment. How did we get where we are today? What's ahead? And what does it really mean?

I doubt that even the wildly inventive mind of Orson Welles could have dreamed up a fantasy as improbable, yet as convincing, as Y2K. Who would have thought, after all, that America could be done in not by aliens from outer space, but by a bug in a computer?

How did it happen? Well, as many of us now know, those early computer programmers had to work with memory-challenged computers. The first IBM PC back in 1981 didn't even come with a hard drive, like today's PCs. In fact, today's PCs have two-thousand times the memory of the first IBM PC -- for a lot less money, I might add.

But the roots of the problem go back even further. Computer programmers in the 1950s and 1960s had to do with less, not more, memory. So they took a shortcut. They used a two-digit number for the year instead of a four-digit number. That sounded like a great idea back in, say, 1965. It doesn't sound so great in 1999. Actually, force of habit led many programmers to continue to use the two digits into the early 1990s, even though data storage was no longer a problem.

Nothing lives so long as a bad idea.

I called it a ``shortcut.'' In fact, it was a multi-billion-dollar foul-up. Governments, businesses, airlines, banks, power companies and institutions around the globe have been spending billions and billions of dollars to upgrade their computer systems and make sure everything goes smoothly on Midnight, December 31.

Will things go smoothly?

You've heard the dire warnings, the off-the-wall forecasts and the downright silly predictions. Life insurance companies, they say, could bill us for coverage for the past 100 years. Airplanes won't get off the ground. And that could be the good news. Our bank accounts will show zero. Our mortgages will require another 100 years of payments. Hospital monitoring equipment will stop monitoring. The lights will go out. The phones will fail. We'll be plunged into a deep, cold winter without heat, electricity, money or -- worst of all, pizza delivery.

And yes, some of us will report actually seeing a fire on the horizon.

Grovers Mill all over again. Orson Welles would be pleased.

Quite a few jokes have been made about Y2K as well. Perhaps you've heard that Bill Gates has just announced the official release date for the new Windows 2000 software.

It's to be the second quarter of 1901.

Let me be clear: I don't believe any of the truly bad stuff is going to happen. Sure, there will be glitches. A financial record here and there will need to be updated. Some phone calls may not go through. The occasional traffic signal may not work. But will anyone seriously believe that he or she might have another 100 years left to pay on the mortgage? Lights may go out in a few places. I believe most of those problems will be isolated. Food shortages? Perhaps an item here or there will be in short supply temporarily. Especially if we all panic and run out to buy milk the week before.

But as one phone company likes to say: ``On Jan. 1, the sun will rise, you will continue to breathe and you will have a dial tone.''

I'm not worried about America's ability to solve the technical problems of Y2K. But there is something that does worry me: misinformation. The kind of misinformation that led some people on the night of October 30, 1938 to panic. The kind of panic that comes from not knowing. Not understanding. Not getting it.

I encourage you to understand Y2K. To understand what will happen. What can happen. And what probably won't happen on January 1st. Read about Y2K. Know what is expected. None of us can predict the future, but there are a lot of very well informed people saying that we will get through this.

It's especially important that we -- as members of our community, believers in God and members of the family of faith -- set the example. We want to go into the new Millennium with hope, eagerness and faith in this new Century of promise. We don't want to be crouched in our basements with candles, matches and guns.

There are, after all, two ways to cross the Red Sea. With Moses, who with God's help, led the children of Israel into a bright, hopeful future. Or with Pharaoh, who in trying to preserve the old, hurled his chariots, his officers and his army into the sea.

Think about the effects of our actions on those around us. Is it wise to have little extra food on hand? Sure. Some bottled water? Perhaps. Some cash? Well, it is a long holiday weekend. Most experts say there won't be food or water shortages on January 1, 2000. They suggest that families lay in a few days supply of food and water, just in case.

Things will work. Hospitals will be open. Police and fire departments will be prepared. Power companies will be fully staffed. Banks will keep your money safe. They're backed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the FDIC; and the federal banking regulators have examined every bank in the country for Y2K readiness. The airlines will be ready. And governments at every level will be prepared. Whatever you do, don't bury your money in the backyard. It's safest in a bank, where it is protected and insured by the federal government.

So in preparing for January 1, 2000, do what you can. Trust God. Trust those you love. Be informed. And take a few practical steps. Save copies of your financial records. Keep a few days' worth of cash on you. Have a little extra food and water around the house if that makes you feel better. Keep an adequate supply of medicines and over-the-counter drugs on hand. If it's a prescription medicine that you're required to take, put aside enough for a few weeks. Check out your personal computer to see if it's Y2K-ready. Make sure there are fresh batteries in your flashlights. Keep some candles on hand. If you have a fireplace, put some dry wood aside. If you have an outdoor grill, make sure you have some fuel on hand. But don't bring the grill in the house. Carbon-monoxide kills. Put some gas in the family car. In other words, do the same things you might do if you knew a storm was passing through the area. That's what the Red Cross advises.

It might also be a good opportunity to get to know your neighbors a little better. Talk to them about what they're doing to get ready. Remake those acquaintances. Friends and family can help one another when problems occur.

And, of course, be prepared for con artists. They will most certainly be out in force between now and January 1. Watch out for telephone scams especially. Don't let someone tell you that your money will be safest in their ``offshore'' bank. Don't believe anyone who wants you to buy a $175.00 survival guide, or food and supplies for a family of four for two weeks -- for just $5,000.

In other words, prepare as best you can. Then trust God for the rest.

Most important, we should understand what Y2K really means. It's a computer headache that experts are working to fix right now, not an alien invasion of New Jersey. And not the end of the world. As members of God's community, we can and should play a leadership role in helping our own families, friends and community prepare for Y2K. By understanding it. And by not being afraid. We want to go into the next Century as God intended, with hope, knowledge and the promise of a bright future.

And the best way to do that is with the right information. Knowledge. And faith. So that when we wake up on January 1, we can be confident that our money will be safe, the lights will work and we'll still get a dial tone.

And I'll see you here on Sunday, January 2nd.

-- Roland (notelling@nowhere.com), August 17, 1999

Answers

"Trust God. Trust those you love. Be informed. And take a few practical steps." says the ABA sermon.

Well, since the electric company is not God or someone I love I certainly will not trust them. And were taking plenty of practical steps. Good thing I got to my pastor and congregation a year ago.

-- Kay (jkbrooks@bellsouth.net), August 17, 1999.

This is disgusting and manipulative. It shows how scared they must be, with their little dig about "don't crouch in the basement with candles, matches and guns." Plus their lame attempt at bonding through humor "No Pizza Delivery." Its like Psy-Ops for the masses! No, don't prepare, be an obediant sheep and keep the economy lurching along at any cost. Keep your fake play money in circulation! This more then anything creeps me out, I'm no church-goer, but hopefully the nation's clergy will be smart enough to avoid being used in this fashion and contributing to the flock of the unprepared. This may backfire big-time on the ABA. I for one had never seen this before, thanks for pointing it out.

-- (Creepy@creepy.com), August 17, 1999.

I've had my banker preach to me but never from the pulpit.

-- Johnny (JLJTM@BELLSOUTH.NET), August 17, 1999.

If a Pastor preaches a politically partisan message from his/her pulpit, his/her church can by law lose it's tax exempt status.

Yet this form of propaganda is legal?

sigh

-- Deborah (infowars@yahoo.com), August 17, 1999.

Sheer desperation and fear. Get your money now while you can.

-- Forrest Covington (theforrest@mindspring.com), August 17, 1999.

See:

Bankers asking preachers to say nice things about Y2K

Jerry

-- Jerry B (skeptic76@erols.com), August 17, 1999.

Local reaction from my newspaper:

Bankers group tries to soothe Y2K fears in online `sermon'

By AMBER VEVERKA Staff Writer

Here's a message from a major banking trade group about Y2K: God doesn't want you to bury your money in the back yard.

The American Bankers Association has written what it calls a ``generic Y2K sermon'' bankers can hand out to pastors, priests and rabbis to calm fears about the millennium computer bug.

The sermon comes complete with jokes, anecdotes and an illustration from the life of Moses.

``We want to go into the new millennium with hope, eagerness and faith in this new century of promise. We don't want to be crouched in our basements with candles, matches and guns,'' the trade group's sermon reads. ``Don't bury your money in the back yard. It's safest in a bank, where it is protected and insured by the federal government.''

``We realized that churches play an important role in most communities,'' said ABA spokesman John Hall. ``There are templates (religious leaders) use for sermons, and we felt that Y2K is certainly something everyone will need to address because their parishioners and congregations will want information on it.'' The ABA put the sermon on its Web site two weeks ago for members to download; it's not accessible to the public.

Churches and synagogues are just the latest place bankers have preached the gospel of banks' Y2K readiness. They've already taken that message to community groups, to investors, to customers via mailings. Some may be worried by some of the most conservative religious leaders, who are telling people widespread computer malfunctions after Jan. 1 will usher in Apocalypse-like conditions.

Like other Carolinas religious leaders contacted, South Tryon Presbyterian Church pastor James Logan Jr. hasn't been given a copy of the bank sermon. But he says groups often send him sermon suggestions or outlines -- though never a full-scale sermon. He doesn't think much of the idea.

``I really believe in . . . seeking what God would have me say to my congregation,'' he said. ``I don't really react all that well to that kind of approach.''

Temple Beth El Rabbi Judy Schindler said she may speak on Y2K later this year but said she would address ``the spiritual side of the turning of the millennium, not the material or technology side.''

``I think that's the clergy's role,'' she said. ``I don't think technology is our strength. I think there are more important issues -- what kind of society we're creating.''

U.S. bank, thrift and credit union regulators this month said 99 percent of federally insured financial institutions are Y2K-ready. A poll earlier this summer showed 25 percent of Americans plan to take extra cash out of the bank before Jan. 1, compared with 69 percent who said they won't.

Anne Martin, executive vice president of administration at High Street Banking Co. in Hickory, read the sermon and laughed a little.

``I was reading it and wondering, `OK, when are we going to get to the religious part?' '' she said. ``It's not based on theology.''

Still, Martin thinks the ABA sermon gives sound advice for bank customers and thinks it might be best used in a congregation's newsletter or discussion group. Martin's husband, Dan, is pastor of First United Methodist Church in Newton -- and, she said, she'll forward the sermon to him.

-- Roland (nottelling@nohwere.com), August 17, 1999.

Roland,

I am SOOOOoooo glad you posted this. Where did you find it? Is it on the Web somewhere?

Who do these people think they're kidding?

Coupla comments: It's not even a good analogy! I mean, tuning in late to a radio show, as compared to a problem that's been publicized for a couple of years now. Even if we assume that John Q. Public may have first heard about this last Thanksgiving on 60 minutes...

"I doubt that even the wildly inventive mind of Orson Welles could have dreamed up a fantasy as improbable, yet as convincing, as Y2K." I guess bankers don't read Science Fiction. Or even the Bible, for that matter! (not meant as a jab, folks. There is some pretty wild stuff in there. Noah's Ark for example?)

"There are, after all, two ways to cross the Red Sea. With Moses, who with God's help, led the children of Israel into a bright, hopeful future. Or with Pharaoh, who in trying to preserve the old, hurled his chariots, his officers and his army into the sea." Does anyone else see the irony in this?

"And, of course, be prepared for con artists. They will most certainly be out in force between now and January 1. Watch out for telephone scams especially. Don't let someone tell you that your money will be safest in their 'offshore' bank." Gotta give them that one...

"...So that when we wake up on January 1, we can be confident that our money will be safe..." The bottom line, is afterall, the bottom line.

To paraphrase that FBI guy, "This is what you might call, a clue..."

I certainly hope that no member of the clergy in this country falls for this claptrap!

An finally, from today's Wall Street journal, we have this quote: (regarding the ABA push to remove Polaroid and KIA commercials, etc.)

The ABA insists its fears are anything but overdrawn. "We're not trying to be rabid about this," spokeswoman Charlotte Ford Birch says. But "a bank run is not like a run on Beanie Babies or Tickle Me Elmo."

-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), August 17, 1999.

where leaders lack wisdom, the people suffer

-- King James (an.iceberg.is@straight.ahead), August 17, 1999.

Pshannon,

The Charlotte Observer has a link to it from their website.

www.charlotte.com/banking/docs/0816sermon.htm.

R.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), August 17, 1999.

ugha,ugha-barf. any preacher that buy,s into this jazz, doesn.t care about his flock.he is more concerned with-continuety of tithes & offerings, heck if the sheep start prepping, down goes the good-life for ole/ pastor fatcakes.---it,ll be interesting to see how many=wolves in sheep,s clothing+RUN when they see the=WOLF coming. y2k=the SEPARATOR.

-- barf. (dogs@zianet.com), August 17, 1999.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." --- Matthew 19:23-26 (NIV)

And I won't annoy non-believers with more quotes from Scripture, but I do encourage anyone who's interested to read all of 1 Thessalonians 5. Excellent advice on how to deal with all this talk about "peace and safety" and on how to care for others in trying times...

Well, OK, one last quote, and not a bad approach for handling Y2K-related info:

Test everything. Hold onto the good. --- 1 Thess. 5:21

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.hid), August 17, 1999.

pshannon, I see another irony in this; ""And, of course, be prepared for con artists. They will most certainly be out in force between now and January 1. Watch out for telephone scams especially. Don't let someone tell you that your money will be safest in their 'offshore' bank.""

Kettle calling the pot black maybe?

-- Chris (%$^&^@pond.com), August 17, 1999.

I LIKE IT!!!

It has the ring of truth:

"And, of course, be prepared for con artists. They will most certainly be out in force between now and January 1."

Self-fulfilling prophecy

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), August 17, 1999.

Chris,

Of course!! (he says, slapping his forehead!)

-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), August 17, 1999.

When the S-h-t-f the congregations will remember what they were told by their pastors in regards for preparing for y2k. If they were told dont worry it's all about fixed and discouraged them from adequately preparing there families they will be rightously upset. It takes diligence to find the truth. As christians chosen by God we are suppose to go the extra mile and find out and report the facts truthfully base on what is found.. To date I have only found a hand full of churchs that are not spewing the bump in the road official administration party line. The truth is y2k is a major disaster coming with very harsh unpredictable consequences that will be global in scope. Any house of God that does not promote maximum preparedness,prayer,flexibility in respose to y2k to their congregations is doing them a terrible disservice. They will be held accoutable by God and their congregation members for their actions or failure to take actions. y2k is a people issue not a religion issue. We are given the blessing of knowing in advance that our society will have problems with this y2k bug, we should be using the time in advance ot the date to pre-position enough supplies and train enough people to weather the hardship until the infrastructure can be brought back up no matter how long it takes.

Banks should stop spewing that properganda crap-ola. They know y2k is a very serious technical problem to fix. they been working on it for ten years and are barely there. If they want to build our trust in them, let them disclose how the banks will operate if the power and phones are down for an extended period. Instead of all is well they should say we think ours is fixed and we are planning to operate in this manner with battery operated laptops, generators,reduced hours, and extra security if the infrastructure should go down. they need to be honest to prevent our economy from crashing latter on this year. They have to let people know that if the infrastructure crashes we can still do our banking. I dont want to see a banking crash, it serves no one. But if they are not up front about how serious y2k is there will be a total loss of confidence in the banking system very soon(next few weeks). People are not dumb they are figuring it out that y2k is very hard, costly,and time consuming to fix. Only honest disemination of the facts will restore public confidence. There is a lot at stake we need rightous leadership and management on y2k now so we dont compound a tough technial challenge into a human disater.

-- y2k aware mike (y2k aware mike @ conservation . com), August 17, 1999.

As a Christian, I find this to be one of the most spiritually filthy and disgusting blasphemies (using blasphemy in a precise and not a loose fasion) that I have ever seen. Ironically, if God judges this country over Y2K, it will be for the spirit of arrogance this expresses more than anything else. The ABA may not think so, but Christianity is not a game but a deadly serious as well as merciful reality -- as it was first for the Nazarene.

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), August 17, 1999.

BIG-DOG, you said a WORD BRO. how hypocrytical of the bank,s ,the y been pissed off for year,s at the no-tax status of churches.furthermore did they[the bank,s] consult there non-christian=customer,s?----it,s gettin wierd out there.if y2k is a non-event, will the bank,s give the=[bought] pastor,s a bonus? why would bank,s be suckin-up to churces? something under all this.

-- WHAT A WORD. (dogs@zianet.com), August 17, 1999.

Whew! This maneuver on the part of the ABA takes my breath away, and makes me full of righteous anger at the grossness of it! I am so indignant that I want to know where to write to them and tell them what Christians think of their most disgusting attempt of anything I have ever seen in this attempt to corrupt the clergy and dis-inform the congregations. These men are DANGEROUS, folks, and they scare me more than the computer glitches ahead that could bring such serious consequences to the world. They have tipped their own hand here, to their own destruction, I hope. Just imagine...if it is only a BITR, we nevertheless will have such rottenness among us. Time for a house cleaning, gentlemen!

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), August 17, 1999.

What would a Polly have to say about THIS? As far as I'm concerned, I'm with Big Dog. This is also an example of why I quit making Sunday visits to buildings they 'call' churches full of humans they 'call' Christains. I've never needed a map or a travel guide to find God....and my God can't be bought.

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), August 17, 1999.

If you think THESE guys are dangerous Elaine....just wait until your President strips you naked of your right to practice your religion.... and any other right you still *barely* have that gets in his way. I wonder if he held his Bible each time his pizza was delivered?

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), August 17, 1999.

"All national institutions of churches whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions setup to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit." Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason

-- money under the mattress (moneyunderthemattress@moneyunderthemattress.com), August 17, 1999.

WOW WILL, yous,e rite-on. the REAL=PASTOR,S WILL LAY DOWN THERE -LIVES FOR THE SHEEP. the HIRELINGS WILL SPLIT WHEN T.S.H.T.F. YOU KNOW WHAT I,M THINKING? the whore[church] in revelations will side with the system. man them hill,s far away are lookin=good from here. oh well, like the GOOD-LORD said= NO-PAIN---NO--GAIN....like the homeboy,s in da hood say=it ain,t nuthin 'but a chicken-wing.'

-- MAMA-MIA. (dogs@zianet.com), August 17, 1999.

This is really pathetic. I think it would be apropriate for each of us to let his banker and pastor/priest/rabbi know what we think about bankers writing sermons for the clergy.

Perhaps they wouldn't mind letting the clergy tell them to whom to grant loans. (LOL)

I visited the ABA webpage, but the sermon was not available to non- members. I can now see why.

still gagging,

Gene

-- gene (ekbaker@essex1.com), August 17, 1999.

That's "the good shepard will lay down his life for his sheep". I might be an atheist, but I know my bible.

-- Chris (%$^&^@pond.com), August 17, 1999.

This a parody, right?

-- A (A@AisA.com), August 17, 1999.

A - Unfortunately, this isn't a parody. It was reported in the Charlotte Observer Business section today and they provided the link to the sermon text. It appears that the ABA has yanked it from their website. My post above indicates that the article states that the text is "not available to the public". LOL. Contact the reporter who wrote the article for verification if you want.

R.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), August 17, 1999.

It all goes down together.

Thieves, of all types, on all sides. Back to the olden times, which we left only in our conceits of modernity.

(Or at least in the case of most bank employees, to paraphrase the answer to Dorothy: "I'm not a bad man. I'm just a very bad Wizard."

-- jor-el (jor-el@krypton.uni), August 17, 1999.

Jeez, I wish people who use acronyms such as ABA would write out what it stands for. I was reading along thinking they were talking about the American Booksellers Association, and then I wondered what that had to do with sermons. Then I thought it was the American Baptist Association, and finally the American Bankers Association. By then, I didn't give a damn.

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), August 17, 1999.

Dear CHRIS, if a pastor is REALLY=BORN-AGAIN. he has the SPIRIT of the good shepherd, living=within.[it,s-a-heart=thing] not a head thing. ah yes let=THE SHOWDOWN-BEGIN. EVER HEARD OF THE UPSIDE-DOWN=KINGDOM?

-- WHAT?KNOW YE NOT? (dogs@zianet.com), August 17, 1999.

Sorry, Gilda...you seem to be the only one who didn't "get it" :-)

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), August 17, 1999.

gilda,

I thought it was the American Bullsh!t Association. And I was RIGHT!

:

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), August 17, 1999.

And here I thought it was the "American Bend-over Association"...

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), August 17, 1999.

Roland: Sometimes it's hard to tell parody from reality when in reality nowadays there are so many stupid/strange happenings that seem more likely the fiction of an imaginative mind. So, it was real? Can you imagine what was going through the PR flak's mind as he was writing that? ROTFL(His)AO.

-- A (A@AisA.com), August 17, 1999.

Now, there's one of them coincidences for you, Roland. My banker's name is Mr. Benjamin Dover. He said he would always stand behind me, and sure enough, I've felt his presence there many times.

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), August 17, 1999.

Gilda, there's the American Bar Association, too.

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), August 17, 1999.

Well, there you have it, straight from the banker/preacher's mouth. If, after a couple years' indpenedent research, you believe Y2k is most likely to fall anywhere 2+ or so on the 10 point scale:

You've "missed an important kernel of information"

You've been subjected to a "piece of fiction realistically and cleverly played out as though it were actually happening"

You've been "tricked"

You "hadn't tuned in early enough, you didn't get the right story"

You've been had by "a fantasy as improbable, yet as convincing, as Y2K"

You've "heard the dire warnings, the off-the-wall forecasts and the downright silly predictions" (yet you've managed to ignore the reasonable warnings, the probable forecasts, and the downright serious predictions)

You're "Not getting it"

You're "Pharaoh, who in trying to preserve the old, hurled his chariots, his officers and his army into the sea"

This would be downright insulting if it weren't so comical.

-- Nathan (nospam@all.com), August 17, 1999.

Or the Al-d. Bullpoo Antediluvianism.

Thinking only with the heart does that to people.

-- Chris (%$^&^@pond.com), August 17, 1999.

Since it struck out with the preachers, the ABA has apparently found more success as the ghostwriter for the CBS Evening News. Witness tonight's propaganda.

These acts of desparation are becoming more disconcerting.

Jor-el's Wizard comparison is apt. Can you imagine what it must really look like behind the curtain?

-- Puddintame (achillesg@hotmail.com), August 17, 1999.

This is very funny.

The money changers enter the temple to straighten everyone out.

That's funny enough, but then the punchline: "a bank run is not like a run on Beanie Babies or Tickle Me Elmo."

Oh, really?

How's that? Let's see... elmo and beaney run = a lot of people trampling each other for a *few* available items. Bank run = a lot of people trampling each other for a *few* available items.

What's the diff?

-- Ron Schwarz (rs@clubvb.com.delete.this), August 18, 1999.

This "sermon" shows such arrogance and what a massive disconnect exists between the ABA and the consumer. It really is sad but it's also very frightening.

I think the true tragedy, however, would be if preachers and ministers and other religious leaders were to use this sermon. Would they foresake their followers health and well being because of the fear and panic of the ABA.

If anyone does hear this or a similar theme in a sermon can they please post it here?

The ABA obviously has power as demonstrated by how they've been able to manipulate communication in the media. Now we can see that they also operate under the principles of fear and greed. An irony is that they also seem to be preaching about a panic that doesn't even exist at this time within the general population. The only panic I see is their own.

Mike

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-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), August 18, 1999.

People who sit in the pews every Saturday and Sunday are sheeples. They need to have their ears tickled then they run with the herd. In my experience, when I was once a sheeple, I started to raise some questions about doctrine and policy. I was quickly labeled a trouble maker and was excommunicated. It was the best thing that ever happpened to me, I am free from the shackles of mind control. And the best part of it all, I have more money in my pocket instead of in theirs!

-- Willy (Willy@granggg.com), August 18, 1999.

I think it's awfully amusing that the ABA is "reaching"out to the Churches.They go out of their way normally to avoid GOD in all their actions and deeds.Maybe they just think congregations are lead all the time so we are prime subjects for the garbage they are spilling.Hopefully they now know the error of this thinking,or will know soon.What part of "Tell the Truth" don't they understand?

-- Barbara Smith (tantes@btc-bci.com), August 18, 1999.

Am really rushed today and as I scanned down the forums titles this one caught my eye. Haven't had time to read it but am wondering what the American Basketball Association has to do with Y2K and Sunday sermons. This world is sure getting weird. Hope to read this article later tonight.

-- thinkIcan (thinkIcan@make.it), August 18, 1999.

OK. One more time with feeling.

ABA = "American Bankers Association".

Sbeesh.

R.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), August 18, 1999.

OK. One more time with feeling.

ABA = "American Bankers Association".

Sheesh.

R.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), August 18, 1999.

"Power companies will be fully staffed."

This is not to say power will be generated. But make no mistake about it, power companies will be fully staffed even if they are sitting in the dark.

-- Norm (Prez22@aol.com), August 18, 1999.

This story was just another example of how crazy the world (basically PR people spinning their webs) is becomming over the "Y2K Bug". It makes me wonder how many companies and/or governments these bankers are overshadowing. This whole situation paints a wicked portrait of men in power (the people with money, people at the top of the food chain, big buisiness) pulling the strings of the men with influence (media) to get the desired results. They are trying to direct the flock away from disaster, and i hope they realize they may be directing them into a much larger disaster, by only being concerned with their own well-being and the bottom line.

I also find it very dis-heartening to see the number of un-concerned citizens and the number of citizens who have been swayed by "Sunny crap" being displayed by the PR Departments.

-- Dave (RazTekX@aol.com), August 18, 1999.

Rubbish, so if our pastor does present this sermon, and things are worse than the ABA suggests, does that mean we can sue the ABA?

-- Bob Houston (bobh@firstnethou.com), August 19, 1999.

Hmmmmmmmm - seems to me the same one who wrote this for the ABA might have assisted our senator's and their little ditty in Ann Landers published August 11, 1999......Read Psalms 91 - gives me great peace knowing I'll be cared for and not by something as unstable as our banking system.....

-- OneSmartCookie (prepared@y2kreadiness.com), August 19, 1999.

Thank you, ABA. That was very reassuring. Now I can put all my fears behind me. I can also forget about apocalyptic references from the Word of God, the transitoriness of this life, sincere warnings from Y2K-informed Christians, and common sense -- I'll trust that you know what is best for me.

Perhaps you can arrange to write other sermons as well. Perhaps you could regularly feed your thoughts into our churches. Then , in turn, we can send you our thoughts about greed, usury, or the hollow "fractional reserve" banking system that has nothing behind it but -- nothing, i.e., the "dishonest weights and measures" that God warns about in the book.

Fair exchange.

-- JohnBoy (jcalhoun@frii.com), August 19, 1999.

-------------------Please read the "Ask your pastor" thread-----------

& email if you want to get this story on the news-- lets actually make a difference, and not just type a little paragraph talking about how arrogant or whatever this is. lets get the word out about this, so the ABA has to answer for it

i received a response to an email i sent to nbc-- now i need to know who's pastors received this, & if they're willing to talk to the news about this.

my email is real:

-- Super (slfsl@yahoo.com), August 19, 1999.

Well. This just gets odder and odder doesn't it?

First we have bankers planning to rent SUV's to go to the local federal reserve bank and loading it up with cash to bring to their banks. Then we have bankers calling people "neurotic" for wanting to have their own property in their own hands because they really, really aren't entirely sure that it may be safe in a bank. And now we have the makings of a new 11th Commandment. I guess those first 10 just weren't cutting it.

This gives me the creeps.

God really, really, really wants you to keep your money in the bank. It's safer there. No risk from "Robbers" or someone discovering the "Hole-In-Your-Yard." He told the head of the ABA directly. The Message must have come from a burning ATM.

Oh my.

-- chimpy (fsboreal@iname.com), August 19, 1999.

"a burning ATM". I LOVE it!

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), August 19, 1999.

I gotta tell you that this sermon is one of the dumbest and most offensive things I've ever heard. No, maybe just pathetic. The slimy, wormy, weakness of the ABA is transparently evident from the text. If there is a just God out there, I'm not surprised if some of these guys already have lightning bolts with their names on 'em.

No one would stoop to such a pathetic, grovelling level if they weren't about to s*** in their pants in fear of their flimsy Financial House of Cards blowing over by so much as a whisper!

-- coprolith (coprolith@rocketship.com), August 19, 1999.