28 March 2006

...a declared war?

There has been a lot as of late on the alleged war on Christianity. [see here, here, here, and here]

All of the rhetoric, if you look even at a glance, is coming from the Christianists on the right. The Left seems to keep the faith by acceptance of others religious beliefs and quietly trying to live the words of the gospels. The Right constantly is preaching their wisdom of exclusion and hatred. They refer continually to the United States as being founded as a Christian nation. Nothing seems to be further from the truth:

A few Christian fundamentalists attempt to convince us to return to the Christianity of early America, yet according to the historian, Robert T. Handy, "No more than 10 percent-- probably less-- of Americans in 1800 were members of congregations." Little-Known U.S. Document Signed by President Adams Proclaims America's Government Is Secular

They play the victim of persecution and apostasy. No one is giving them their due and everyone is attacking them for their beliefs. It seems to me that it's just the other way around. By their pronunciations of victimhood they are trying to put the blame on everyone else for what they perceive as the decline of the US. They don't see that their line of thinking and acting is what is putting the face of derision on what has been the dream of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, George Washington, et.al. These men meant for the US to be a haven for all beliefs, thoughts and religions for the greater good.

The title of the reference above refers to the Treaty of Tripoli, still in effect, that was approved during the final days of George Washington's presidency and into John Adam's. It was ratified by the Senate on June 7, 1797. John Adams viewed Christianity with a more constricted eye:

"I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved -- the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced!"

The acrimonius [or is it sanctimonius at this point in his situation] words of Tom Delay [DeLay Says Justices 'Don't Get' Criticism] ring soundly of this victimness.

"Our faith has always been in direct conflict with the values of the world," DeLay said. "We are, after all, a society that provides abortion on demand, has killed millions of innocent children, degrades the institution of marriage, and all but treats Christianity like some second-rate superstition." [March 28, 2006]

However, if you read carefully, you can see the solution to the problem in his own words.

"Our faith has always been in direct conflict with the values of the world...." Yes, and if this is true, what does it really tell you, Mr. Delay? Could there be something wrong if it is in conflict with the rest of the world? Is the rest of the world wrong? Are only you and your cohorts right? Does no one else have a chance? Do you doom everyone who doesn't think the way you do to the violence of "the cross?" It seems ironic that a religion whose messiah preached peace and acceptance began in such a violent way. And to say that it was his choice to die this way, as many Christians believe, makes no sense.

Christianists do not have a market on tolerance and acceptance. It is contrary to their very nature. According to religioustolerance.org they are unaccepting of any other belief.

Conservative Christians viewing non-Christian religions:

Their beliefs differ:

Many conservative Christians are exclusionists (i.e. they believe that their own denomination and those who agree with them are the only valid faith, while all other groups are in serious error).

Some are inclusionists (i.e. they believe that their group's beliefs are fully true, while all other groups only have part of the truth).

They see their own faith group, as based upon the Word of God as expressed in the Bible. Generally, they believe in the inerrancy of the Bible. Most believe in the traditional Christian belief that an individual will be sent to Hell when she/he dies if she/he has not first repented of their sins and then been "saved" by trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior, while still alive. This would include essentially all members of non-Christian faith groups and many members of Christian denominations.

They may view other world religions as one of the following:

only partially true, or
mostly worthless, or
influenced by Satan or
actually controlled by Satan, or
a variety of Satanism.

In addition, many conservative Christians do not recognize other Christian denominations as being truly Christian. This is seen in their local ministerial associations which are frequently separate from the mainline/liberal Christian ministerial group in the same city. It is also seen in their attacks on more liberal Christian denominations and on new religious movements which teach beliefs that are different from their own, and at variance from historical Christian beliefs.


By "non-Christian" they mean anyone not believing the way they do. Catholicism is Christian. United Church of Christ is Christian. Unitarian Universalist is Christian. Oh, and by the way, Catholicism is the largest and number one religion in the US at 62%! Does this make the US a Catholic nation like Italy, France, or Spain?

just asking...

23 March 2006

the naked truth...

Will Ferrell-Bush and Global Warming on Transbuddha

huh?

oh, now I understand...

I think...(?)

that's it, athiests should not be allowed to marry...

...AT ALL

andrewsullivan.com has a link to a study done at the University of Minnesota's American Mosaic Project that reports that Americans distrust athiests more than any other group. [Permalink above]

huh?

From a telephone sampling of more than 2,000 households, university researchers found that Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians and other minority groups in “sharing their vision of American society.” Atheists are also the minority group most Americans are least willing to allow their children to marry.

Then why not let gays and lesbians marry? Or at least those who belong to Dignity or Metropolitan Community Church?

...just asking.

how do i love thee...

Now, this should really be very simple. A man in Rhode Island, whose husband recently died, wants a memorial marker placed on his marker that tells the world that he loved someone.

"I just want this to be recognized," Paolino told WJAR in Providence. "In two or three hundred years when that name is there, I want someone to know that this person loved this person."

The cemetery, St. Anne's in Cranston, Rhode Island, refused to allow it because of the Catholic church's beliefs on gays. What a bunch of horsepatootie. You can't even be dead without someone telling you what to do based on their mythological beliefs.

I was raised in the RC church. My mother was what most people would call "devout." She wasn't unrealistic though. One night at dinner a story came on the news [my father had this thing about watching the news during dinner.] about a lesbian couple being discriminated against in housing because of being lesbian. My mother's comment was pure and simple: "It's nobody's business who sleeps with who." My father, who was not RC, and I turned to her in unison and shock! We never really expected that out of her mouth.

My mother was always very accepting of people. She didn't like my being gay, but she accepted it quietly and with dignity. She supported me 150% at all times. When Ron died, she and my father were there for me. My father even came to the funeral, which was unheard of for my father!

I left the RC many years ago. The final straw for me had nothing to do with gayness. It had to do with money. I was fed up with the hypocrisy of the church always crying poor when it is richer than Queen Elizabeth and Bill Gates put together. If they were serious about following the words of Jesus they would pay heed to this verse: "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." Matthew 19:21.

It is their mythology not mine. Yet, they do not follow the teachings of the man they say is god.

love thy neighbor as thyself? horsepatootie

"love thy neighbor as I say" is more like it...

18 March 2006

...a new twist?

i've chosen lately to stay away from most serious things on the site lately. not that i'm still not outraged by a lot going on in the world. it's just that everyone else is saying it well, discussions are continuing, and arguments are still waging. sometimes between ideologues; sometimes between evil and good; sometimes between idiots and savants; sometimes between genius and fool; sometimes between pundit and pragmatist.

i've taken a lighter hand in what i'm including in the blog for a reason: cynicism.

i have always been intrigued by cynicism.

The Oxford English Dictionary describes a cynic as a person "disposed to rail or find fault" and as one who "shows a disposition to disbelieve in the sincerity or goodness of human motives and actions, and is wont to express this by sneers and sarcasm." In short, the cynic is "a sneering fault-finder."*

that about sums up the modern definition of cynicism...

The name Cynic actually comes from the Greek word kynikos, meaning "dog-like." Members of the school apparently hung out on the streets like a pack of dogs ridiculing the pretentious men and women who passed them by. The term may also have originated as an unflattering reference to the simplistic lifestyle practiced by many members of this school.*

it still kind of fits...

The ancient school of Cynicism was founded in the fourth century BC by Antisthenes. The role model of the Cynics was Socrates, whom they saw as the perfect illustration of self-sufficiency (autarkeia). Seeking to follow his example, the Cynics urged both men and women to follow a way of life in harmony with nature and to reject all unnecessary civilized luxuries. They also rejected all social conventions, customs and laws. The satirist, Lucian, for example, has a cynic in one of his dialogues give the following bit of advice, "Do not hesitate to perform the deeds of darkness in broad daylight. Select your love adventures with a view to public entertainment." Clearly, these were not men and women who cared very much what people thought about them.*

ah, wait a minute. this is really like a hippy commune, if you stop and think about it.

well, i took the test on the website. i admit it. i'm a cynic. but the new twist is that it's marked with sarcasm.

isn't it supposed to be impossible to be cynical and sarcastic at the same time?

just asking...

*Cynicism, Sophia On-line Philosophy Courses

16 March 2006

rotflmao...



i have watched this 7-8 times and i still can't stop laughing...

...don't you just hate it when that happens?

13 March 2006

gay is okay...

The APStylebook.com has now redone its references to LGBT word usages. It no longer identifies "homosexual" as an acceptable term in reporting except in clinical studies and considers its use perjorative even then.

Personally, I've never liked the work "homosexual." It has a demeaning connation because of its use by the ultra-conservative right and bigoted derogatories. It's much like the n-word for African-Americans, sp**k for Puerto Rican-Americans, w*tb***k for Mexican-Americans, w*p for Italian-Americans, m*c for Irish-Americans, and the litany goes on and on.... It's also a very cold word.

As far as the word "gay" goes, it was used in the 1938 film Bringing Up Baby with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. After Grant's clothes are soaked, Hepburn's character give him one of her satin/silk robes with ostrich feathers. When her aunt comes into the house, sees him, and gives him a look, he screams, "I've suddenly gone gay!" Did it get a laugh? Absolutely. And no one gave it a second thought. Of course, "gay" wasn't really a term that was frequently used in the 30's [It bacame more popular in the 70"s.] but it probably was the start.

Of course, we'll probably hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the right, but who cares?

...just asking!



link: glaad Media Releases

If you have never seen, Bringing Up Baby, it's a stitch and a classic Howard Hawks screw-ball comedy. Hepburn and Grant surpass themselves only in the Philadelphia Story.

Bringing Up Baby Poster

07 March 2006

another day older...

It's like the prostitute said.
"It's not the work. It's the stairs!."


Elaine Stritch at Liberty

at the new age i'm going to be tomorrow, i can identify with it...

everybody must be p.c....

I believe my generation was the impetus behind p.c. [political correctness] and certainly, with the furies over the Muhammed cartoons, it has become even more of an issue to some people. My friend, Floyd, sent this to me and I'm not sure where he found it, but it is a start.

Make sure you catch yourself if you start to use an inappropriate remark...

and have fun!

Due to the climate of political correctness now pervading America, Kentuckians, Tennesseans and West Virginians will no longer be referred to as "HILLBILLIES." You must now refer to us as APPALACHIAN-AMERICANS.

And furthermore ....

HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT WOMEN AND BE POLITICALLY CORRECT:

1. She is not a "BABE" or a "CHICK" - She is a "BREASTED AMERICAN."

2. She is not a "SCREAMER" or a "MOANER" - She is "VOCALLY APPRECIATIVE."

3. She is not "EASY" - She is "HORIZONTALLY ACCESSIBLE."

4. She is not a "DUMB BLONDE" - She is a "LIGHT-HAIRED DETOUR OFF THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY."

5. She has not "BEEN AROUND" - She is a "PREVIOUSLY-ENJOYED COMPANION."

6. She is not an "AIRHEAD" - She is "REALITY IMPAIRED."

7. She does not get "DRUNK" or "TIPSY" - She gets "CHEMICALLY INCONVENIENCED"

8. She does not have "BREAST IMPLANTS" - She is "MEDICALLY ENHANCED."

9. She does not "NAG" you - She becomes "VERBALLY REPETITIVE."

10. She is not a "TRAMP" - She is "SEXUALLY EXTROVERTED."

11. She does not have "MAJOR LEAGUE HOOTERS" - She is "PECTORALLY SUPERIOR."

12. She is not a "TWO-BIT HOOKER" - She is a "LOW COST PROVIDER."


HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT MEN AND BE POLITICALLY CORRECT:

1. He does not have a "BEER GUT" - He has developed a "LIQUID GRAIN STORAGE FACILITY."

2. He is not a "BAD DANCER" - He is "OVERLY CAUCASIAN."

3. He does not "GET LOST ALL THE TIME" - He "INVESTIGATES ALTERNATIVE DESTINATIONS."

4. He is not "BALDING" - He is in "FOLLICLE REGRESSION."

5. He is not a "CRADLE ROBBER" - He prefers "GENERATIONAL DIFFERENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS."

6. He does not get "FALLING-DOWN DRUNK" - He becomes "ACCIDENTALLY HORIZONTAL."

7. He does not act like a "TOTAL ASS" - He develops a case of RECTAL-CRANIAL INVERSION."

8. He is not a "MALE CHAUVINIST PIG" - He has "SWINE EMPATHY."

9. He is not afraid of "COMMITMENT" - He is "RELATIONSHIP CHALLENGED."

10. He is not "HORNY" - He is "SEXUALLY FOCUSED."


and my personal favorite...

11. It’s not his "CRACK" you see hanging out of his pants - It’s "REAR CLEAVAGE

but there is a solution to this last one...


plumbers butt caulk

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Needs no sanding. - It might be fun to try sanding
It will last for - well long enough
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Light weight - will not slow them down (they're already slow enough)
Can be painted or textured to match any surface - enough said about that

...And it makes a great gift for your favorite handyman! / handyperson!



you can purchase it here: ABACUSplans Inc

...offensive is as offensive does?

i love it!

04 March 2006

wwjd...

...just asking.

theocracy, anyone...?



State bill proposes Christianity be Missouri’s official religion

By John Mills, News 4, KMOV, St. Louis, MO

Missouri legislators in Jefferson City considered a bill that would name Christianity the state's official "majority" religion.

House Concurrent Resolution 13 has is pending in the state legislature.

Many Missouri residents had not heard about the bill until Thursday.

Karen Aroesty of the Anti-defamation league, along with other watch-groups, began a letter writing and email campaign to stop the resolution.

The resolution would recognize "a Christian god," and it would not protect minority religions, but "protect the majority's right to express their religious beliefs.

The resolution also recognizes that, "a greater power exists," and only Christianity receives what the resolution calls, "justified recognition."

State representative David Sater of Cassville in southwestern Missouri, sponsored the resolution, but he has refused to talk about it on camera or over the phone.

KMOV also contacted Gov. Matt Blunt's office to see where he stands on the resolution, but he has yet to respond.


Branson will be the site of the holy shrine to the Blessed Bronco...

Vroom, vroom Bronco...

Oh, wait, iT may be a Divine Dodge...

1967 Dodge Dart ad

No, I forgot the Holy Arch...

gateway arch 001.150

bow your heads...






[my answer to wwjd... shit his sandals!]

01 March 2006

blog colors...

Your Blog Should Be Purple

You're an expressive, offbeat blogger who tends to write about anything and everything.
You tend to set blogging trends, and you're the most likely to write your own meme or survey.
You are a bit distant though. Your blog is all about you - not what anyone else has to say.


It was my mother's favorite color - lilac actually. I don't think I'd ever choose purple though.

it's a little too lenten...