"How an apocalyptic cult invented baseball beard power; A century before the 2013 Red Sox, the House of David captivated the nation with the shaggiest team of all time" by Christopher Klein | Globe Correspondent, October 27, 2013
Do I even need to note the Jewcentric quality of my jewspaper anymore?
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When it was founded in 1903, the House of David wouldn’t have struck anyone as a future sports powerhouse. It was more of a minor apocalyptic cult.
A Christian commune founded in Michigan by Benjamin Franklin Purnell, a self-proclaimed messenger of God, the sect sought to reunite the 12 tribes of Israel in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ at the onset of the new millennium. Members gave all their worldly possessions to the commune and were required to refrain from sex, alcohol, tobacco, and meat.
Related: The Thirteenth Tribe
Bunch of Khazarian land-stealers and usurpers.
Also see: CUFI
The modern-day equivalent.
With nearly a century left before the second coming, members were left with plenty of time to kill.
That seems to be what Judeo-Christian countries do best.
By 1914, Purnell began to field a baseball team as a recreational outlet for his members—and, as a growth-minded religious leader, he realized that the team could be an effective vehicle for spreading the word to new recruits....
Related: Distractions
It's all in the protocols, folks. Timing of everything sure is interesting!
In 1927, however, the sect was rocked by a public scandal: Purnell stood trial for sexual assault against young girls in the commune, and for embezzlement. Five weeks after being convicted of fraud, the charismatic preacher died. The religious colony fell into receivership. It would never recover, splintering into factions and eventually ending recruitment of new members in 1947.
Remarkably, despite the negative publicity, the House of David continued to thrive as a baseball enterprise....
The House of David baseball brand flourished until World War II. Afterward, as television began to bring ballgames into fans’ living rooms, the barnstorming teams began to fold. By the 1950s, the lights went out on the House of David....
I'm turning them off, too.
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Related: New book honors Jewish baseball players
Also see:
Yes, we really are Boston Strong
Reinforcing Myths at the World Series
I was not aware how deeply baseball is entwined with such matters, although I should have been considering what I $ee in $ports.
Related: Slow Saturday Special: Intense Negotiations
Now I'm kinda glad they blew it last night.
Also see: Why I bought the Globe
Who cares?
