The Soros slander machine

Imagine what it must feel like to be the only person in the world selectively excluded from participating in the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast, an event designed to pray for the nation's future.

That's what was reported about me by the George Soros slander machine Media Matters while I was out of the country last week.

It's a helpless feeling to fight such a false allegation when you have limited access to Internet and you are committed to travel and other obligations for over a week.

What's worse is when the lie is shamefully repeated, without any efforts to seek comment or clarification, by other news organizations, including the Christian Post. I would have thought this Christian news organization had heard of the sins of bearing false witness and spreading malicious gossip.

Fortunately, as I returned to the states yesterday, the organizers of the event issued a total repudiation of the article.

Media Matters had claimed in its story that it sought comment from me, which, like everything else in the story, was untrue. I got no email requests. My office got no calls. There were no voicemails left on my phones.

That's the way Media Matters, a group that describes itself as a press watchdog, operates – distortion, lies, misinformation, disinformation, reckless disregard for the truth, defamation, character assassination.

Amid last-minute preparations for the event taking place in Washington on the day of the inauguration, Merrie Turner, the organizer, issued a repudiation of the Media Matters libel: "Joseph Farah was asked for his help regarding the event. He graciously gave it. He never invited himself to the event. Nor did he ever ask or expect anything in return. We affirm that the event is to pray for America at a critical time and juncture, for the American presidency and government. We also want to clearly state and affirm that it would be an honor to have Joseph Farah be part. I am truly sorry for anything said or spoken, any confusion and miscommunication, and for any distress this may have caused Joseph Farah."

The event at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel featured as the keynote speaker my good friend Jonathan Cahn, the best-selling author of "The Harbinger," the No. 1 best-selling Christian book of 2012 whose message also inspired the No. 1 faith film of 2012, "The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment," which I had the privilege of producing for WND Films and which is back at No. 1 this week.

"Any event of this nature is going to cause a stir," said Cahn. "The Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast will see many leaders, both spiritual, cultural and political whose beliefs are passionately biblical, come together to pray at a time when America and its government appear to be in clear departure from those foundations. So it should not be a surprise that there is curiosity, confusion and even some controversy surrounding such an event."

No surprise, indeed – unless one is falsely accused of being excluded from the event after being asked to help promote it.

"Media Matters is apparently not a friend of such events and certainly not of Joseph Farah," said Cahn. "As they questioned Merrie Turner on why they would allow someone to attack the president, she sought to give assurance that this was not what the Inaugural Prayer Breakfast was all about and no one would be allowed to do that. Put together, the fluidity, the confusion, the desire to state the purpose of the event, and the stance of Media Matters against Joseph Farah and such events, and you have a story about Joseph Farah being booted out of the event."

All true.

But most distressing to me was the way the Media Matters story was picked up uncritically by news outlets, especially ones labeling themselves as "Christian."

Ironically, the theme of the presidential prayer event is to be 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Notice what that verse explicitly says: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (emphasis added)

In other words, God calls on believers to humble themselves, to turn away from sin and seek God's ways if they want their country to avoid harsh judgment.

I can understand why a socialist, godless group like Media Matters would be repulsed by such an event. But why would so-called "Christians" jump at the opportunity to affirm those lies without any evidence or efforts at verification?