April 06, 2006
Gospel of Judas
I found this extremely interesting.
An early Christian manuscript, including the only known text of what is known as the Gospel of Judas, has surfaced after 1,700 years. The text gives new insights into the relationship of Jesus and the disciple who betrayed him, scholars reported today. In this version, Jesus asked Judas, as a close friend, to sell him out to the authorities, telling Judas he will "exceed" the other disciples by doing so.I have always known there were other period text at the margins of the Bible but this one is particularly interesting.
As one commenter says it really doesn't contradict the bible in spite of what some would say when you consider human perception of these concepts within the context of predestination or Gods all knowing nature. In the bible it is very clear that both Jesus and Judas know who will betray him. Some passages almost seem to dare Judas to commit betrayal with the strength of their mutual knowledge.
Judas felt so "honored" he then committed suicide.
Posted by Sid at 12:59 AM | Comments (0) | Religion
February 24, 2006
Nobody fights for the flag of hedonism
Are we witnessing the death of western civilization? The recent trend of dressing up fear to make it look like tolerance is striking. Nations and news organizations across the globe are self-censoring, purging and jailing those that rock the Islam boat. Measures that are largely taken only against those that insult Islam because Christians as a rule don't try to kill you over small self delusional insults.
Europe’s current problems are entirely self-inflicted. This does not mean, however, that the result will be less catastrophic. By subverting the roots of its own Judeo-Christian culture – a process that started with the French Enlightenment (as opposed to the Scottish Enlightenment, which was not anti-religious) – a religious and cultural vacuum was created at the heart of European civilization. The collapse of faith in its own values has, not surprisingly, led to a demographic collapse because a civilization that no longer believes in its own future also rejects procreation. Today, a new religion and culture is supplanting the old one. There is little one can do about it, but hope for a miracle.
In Europe a secularized post-Christian culture is facing a Muslim one. The secularized culture is hedonist and values only its present life, because it does not believe in an afterlife. This is why it will surrender when threatened with death because life is the only thing it has to lose. This is why it will accept submission without fighting for its freedom. Nobody fights for the flag of hedonism, not even the hedonists themselves.We need to wake up and force Islam to take a long hard look at itself. Unless Islam learns to recognize it's destructive nature and change or the rest of us learn to fight back we really are destined for a return to the dark ages. It's not very long so be sure and read it all.
Posted by Sid at 12:47 AM | Comments (0) | Religion
February 20, 2006
Intelligent design is harmful
Evidently the supposed fact of evolution is so weak it cannot stand up to intelligent design and must be protected from competition in the marketplace of ideas.
"Such veiled attempts to wedge religion - actually just one kind of religion - into science classrooms is a disservice to students, parents, teachers and tax payers," said AAAS president Gilbert Omenn.If these "scientists" did not go out of their way to sell evolution as proof God does not exist I might agree. But they do not, evolution in the classroom is taught exclusively as proof that God does not exist, which it does not. The only thing keeping intelligent design from the classroom is the recent distortion of our constitution forcing religion out of the classroom, a distortion which has nothing at all to do with science or scientific debate."It's time to recognise that science and religion should never be pitted against each other.
"They can and do co-exist in the context of most people's lives. Just not in science classrooms, lest we confuse our children."
But Mr Omenn warned that teaching intelligent design will deprive students of a proper education, ultimately harming the US economy.When a "scientist" argues we lack the money and time to debate the facts, something has seriously gone wrong in the "scientific" community."At a time when fewer US students are heading into science, baby boomer scientists are retiring in growing numbers and international students are returning home to work, America can ill afford the time and tax-payer dollars debating the facts of evolution," he said.
Maybe if proponents were not so afraid of debate an equitable balance could be achieved allowing evolution and creation to thrive side by side. Currently there is not even a unified theory on evolution on which all agree even if you exclude intelligent design. Except for possibly intelligent design which these “scientist” wish to dismiss out of hand.
Posted by Sid at 12:34 AM | Comments (21) | Religion
February 19, 2006
Christians embrace slaughter as muslims embrace violence
Is it any wonder that many Christian organizations are loosing membership and Islam is growing when so called Christians embrace the rhetoric and goals of their own demise at the hands of those that despise them.
"Our country responded (to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks) by seeking to reclaim a privileged and secure place in the world, raining down terror on the truly vulnerable among our global neighbors ... entering into imperial projects that seek to dominate and control for the sake of national interests," said the statement. "Nations have been demonized and God has been enlisted in national agendas that are nothing short of idolatrous."As you may have guessed, this is the "progressive" side of Christianity that embraces many practices in violation of biblical teachings or even simple sanity.The Rev. Sharon Watkins, president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), worried that some may interpret the statement as undermining U.S. troops in Iraq.
"We honor their courage and sense of duty, but ... we, as people of faith, have to say to our brothers and sisters, `We are so profoundly sorry,'" Watkins said.
The message also accused U.S. officials of ignoring warnings about climate change and treating the world's "finite resources as if they are private possessions." It went on to criticize U.S. domestic policies for refusing to confront racism and poverty.
Posted by Sid at 10:33 AM | Comments (2) | Religion
January 31, 2006
Banning religious incitement in fear
When Christian are targeted with disgusting and hateful "freedom of speech" no one tries to pass laws making religious hatred illegal because Christians are generally peaceful in these modern days, that only started when Muslims began to threaten politicians lives. No one seriously believes Britons efforts to ban religious hatred are being proposed to protect Christians.
These are efforts to shut up critics of Islam to hopefully keep irrational Muslims from killing innocent men women and children. Much like disarming the general population making sure only the crooks have guns.
It will be up to the courts to interpret the law if it is passed, but we have a good idea what the Home Office wants the law to mean. Take these two theoretical statements:Does anyone realize that once you have to parse speech at this level to determine if a crime has been committed you have gone too far in restricting speech freedoms.Statement one: "I hate Buddhism/Christianity/Islam, it's a nonsense religion that serves no good."
Statement two: "I hate Buddhists/Christians/Muslims - their ideas are dangerous and we need to do something about them."
It is the second type of statement which ministers have indicated they want the law to target. The law's supporters say the first statement would not fall foul of the law because for a prosecution to go ahead the words need to be abusive and intended to stir up hatred. However, opponents say the legislation has been drawn wide enough to mean someone could be prosecuted whether or not they intended their words to be inciteful.
Posted by Sid at 12:38 AM | Comments (0) | Religion
January 23, 2006
Athiest sues for proof Christ existed
In Italy of all places, the center of the Catholic Church.
Father Enrico Righi was named in a complaint filed by life-long atheist Luigi Cascioli, after the priest wrote in a parish bulletin that Jesus existed and that he was born of a couple named Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem and lived in Nazareth.I expect to see more and more of this kind of Christian persecution in the future. In the past you could at least count on it being dismissed are the activities of a kook but today more and more of these kinds of kook are getting into positions of power where they can give it substance.Mr Cascioli claims this violated two Italian laws: so-called "abuse of popular belief", in which someone fraudulently deceives people, and "impersonation", in which someone gains by attributing a false name to someone.
Posted by Sid at 06:49 AM | Comments (1) | Religion
December 31, 2005
Anti Christian marketing goes mainstream
People are now cashing in on anti Christian themes by using them to market products mainstream.
A punk-rock style, trendy tight fit and affordable price have made Cheap Monday jeans a hot commodity among young Swedes, but what has people talking is the brand's ungodly logo: a skull with a cross turned upside down on its forehead.This not the old paranoia of playing rock songs backwards for hidden satanic messages. This is up front in your face antireligious hatred going mainstream.The jeans' makers say it's more of a joke, but the logo's designer said there's a deeper message.
"It is an active statement against Christianity," Bjorn Atldax said. "I'm not a Satanist myself, but I have a great dislike for organized religion."
Atldax insists he has a purpose beyond selling denim: to make young people question Christianity, which he called a "force of evil" that had sparked wars.
I suppose next we can expect new clothing lines marketed under a German swastika or possibly kitchen cooking appliances brand named Auschwitz. Maybe market a line of childrens clothing under the TTB (twin towers burning) brand name. After all, Sweden cherishes free speech.
Posted by Sid at 02:55 PM | Comments (2) | Religion
December 23, 2005
There is no separation of church and state
Pinch me I must be dreaming. After years of hearing the separation of church bilge the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals finally rejects it in the strongest of terms.
In an astounding return to judicial interpretation of the actual text of the United States Constitution, a unanimous panel of the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Tuesday issued an historic decision declaring that “the First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state.”Maybe now some sanity will finally be restored to this important debate. I could not think of a better Christmas present for me this time of year.In upholding a Kentucky county’s right to display the Ten Commandments, the panel called the American Civil Liberties Union’s repeated claims to the contrary “extra-constitutional” and “tiresome.”
Posted by Sid at 12:28 PM | Comments (3) | Religion
November 03, 2005
Being Religious Makes You Unapproachable
Christian beliefs must be like repulsive body odor I guess.
The controversy began on July 26, when UWEC Associate Director for Housing and Residence Life Deborah Newman sent a letter saying RAs could not lead Bible studies in their dorms at any time. Her reason for this was that students might not think Bible study-leading RAs were sufficiently “approachable.” The letter was sent to RAs who were members of the Student Impact religious group and who had been leading Bible studies—not as official residence hall activities, but in their own dorm rooms and on their own time.From my reading Deborah Newman is the unapproachable one. I guess the poor secular students can't handle believers but belivers can handle secular RA's. What precious fragile darlings these athiests and agnostics must be.
Newman’s letter added that Koran and Torah studies would be similarly prohibited and that RAs who did conduct a Bible study in their dorms would face “disciplinary action.” Shocked by the ban, undergraduate RA Lance Steiger inquired further via e-mail. In a September 22 reply, Newman reiterated the ban and told him, “[a]s an RA you need to be available to your residents both in reality and from their perspective.”
Posted by Sid at 12:05 AM | Comments (5) | Religion
November 01, 2005
Christ with a Lower Case "c"
In the further effort to demean and denigrate all things Christian we get this.
It must be getting a little too close for Christmas for the chi-chi crystal palace of the pretentious European Union. Pooh-bahs in Brussels have come up with a new grammar rule for themselves and the Netherlands--making it official that the name "Christ" will soon be written with a lower-case "c". That was the stipulation in an orthography reform published earlier this month in Brussels.As they say, an attempt to force the spelling of Islam (the religion of peace) with a "i" or Muhammad wit a "m" would be met with riots and bomb threats.
Posted by Sid at 05:38 PM | Comments (0) | Religion
October 27, 2005
High School Principal Apologizes for Christian Speakers
The horror, the trauma how will they ever recover from being exposed to Christian principles.
In Delaware, Newark High School principal Emmanuel Caulk says he didn't know in advance that an assembly Tuesday that featured two pro-football players would include a Christian message.You would think the speakers had cut loose with an obscenity laced tirade full of racial slurs and referring to women as whores. Then again that might have been called a concert and they could have charged more for admission.In a letter that was sent home to parents yesterday, Caulk says the literature he saw before the assembly didn't say that the presentation was non-secular.
And Caulk is apologizing to students and parents.
Posted by Sid at 11:07 AM | Comments (0) | Religion
October 25, 2005
Witches Eye Taking Advantage of Hate Speech Laws
In Britain's headlong drive to make criticism of Islam hate speech it seems teaching Christianity may become grounds for prosecution, fines, deportation or imprisonment.
THE government faces new embarrassment over the religious hatred bill with a warning that witches and satanists could use it to trigger police investigations of their critics.Hate speech legislation is the most slippery of slopes imaginable as it literally turns debate into a crime. I am not saying speech should be consequence free, public pressure and shunning are powerful tools which should be used to drive bad ideas from society. Peer pressure of this kind is also more difficult to abuse as it requires a person to convince large numbers to support the actions. Hate speech legislation on the other hands almost always has serious unintended consequences which are easily abused by those with a grudge and no support for their baseless causes.
Posted by Sid at 12:57 AM | Comments (0) | Religion
October 24, 2005
The Devil is OK God is Not
Most of you have noted that I find the constant efforts to scour any references to the Christian faith from the public to be offensive. What makes matters even more difficult for me is having to tolerate promotion of other religions in the vacuum in a propaganda fashion completely misrepresenting the truth. It verges on teaching that oppression is freedom and that freedom is oppression.
I found this article that pretty much sums up my feelings.
Last year the ACLU demanded that Los Angeles County eliminate from its seal a microscopic cross representing the missions that settled the state of California. Under threat of expensive litigation, the county complied. The cross was about one-sixth the size of a not-very-big image of a cow tucked away on the lower right segment of the seal, and maybe a hundredth of the size of a pagan god (Pomona, goddess of fruit) who dominated the seal. Pomona survived the religious purge. She is not the sort of god that the ACLU worries about, whereas the flyspeck-sized cross was a threat to unravel separation of church and state, as we know it. What will happen if the ACLU learns that Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Sacramento, San Francisco, St. Louis and Corpus Christi actually have religious names? We shudder to think.
As if to prove that church-state objections can be found on the right as well as on the left, the band director at C.D. Hylton High School in Virginia pulled the song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the Charlie Daniels Band after a conservative objected. He wondered why the school should be allowed to sing about the devil when they are not allowed to sing about God.The objection to the song was stupid just like all these other efforts to scrub religion from public but it makes the point in a way that even the eternally offended should understand. It is going to be real funny watching the ACLU eventually try to rename entire cities. Be sure to read it all.
Posted by Sid at 12:59 AM | Comments (2) | Religion
October 21, 2005
Islam Teaching in Public Schools
Could you imagine a school curriculum called "Christianity: A Simulation of Christian History and Culture" being allowed to be taught in schools? In California? No? Well it is taught in California but it is called "Islam: A Simulation of Islamic History and Culture". This from the center of the debate over "under God" exclusion from the pledge. It is a curriculum designed to familiarize students in Islamic customs. Oddly they do not acquaint them with burkas, polygamy, arranged marriages, female subservience, jihad and seventy-two virgins. Negative teachings on religion are obviously restricted to Christians from 300 years ago.
A federal appeals court here heard arguments yesterday that a public school's effort to acquaint students with Islam went too far by having the students don Islamic dress, recite phrases from the Koran, and mimic the fasting associated with the Muslim observance of Ramadan.I personally don't have a gripe with teaching about other cultures and religions and personally think these people are misguided in their lawsuit. What I do resent is the teaching of a sanitized propaganda version of Islam today while driving any references to Christianity from schools. They are not teaching Islam they are indoctrinating in Islam.
Judge Johnnie Rawlinson took issue with Mr. White's suggestion that the courts have discouraged role-playing in teaching about religion. She pointed to a 1994 case in which the 9th Circuit ruled that public schools could use readings about sorcery and witchcraft without running afoul of the Constitution.They prove they are not being exclusionary to Christian beliefs because they allow the teaching of sorcery and witchcraft.
What this all proves is that they are open to faith just not Christian faith. They are open to the beliefs of the world just not the beliefs of Americans. Why must everything great about America be treated as oppression.
Posted by Sid at 12:58 AM | Comments (2) | Religion
October 16, 2005
Atheist Upset That Narnia Teaches Wrong Christian Values
I am continually amused when atheist and agnostics explain to Christians which Christian teachings are and are not appropriate to teach. A favorite Christian teaching that these lost love is John 8:7 which teaches "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." The minute the bible advises that atheist and other sinners are going to hell Christians become the Taliban in their minds. The bible is not about acceptance of sin, it is about love and forgiveness when sin is atoned for and leaving punishments to God.
That brings us to the imminent release of the C.S.Lewis book gone to movie Narnia.
Pullman believes that Lewis's books portray a version of Christianity that relies on martial combat, outdated fears of sexuality and women, and also portrays a religion that looks a lot like Islam in unashamedly racist terms.This guy has obviously not read the book or reads it like most atheist read the bible. It's hard to understand what is being taught when you’re looking down your nose at the text as though it's a fairy tale. The entire book is packed with examples of sacrifice, love and forgiveness. Good heavens, Edward (one of 5 main characters) starts the Narnia adventure as evil and gets accepted back unconditionally after seeing the error of his ways not to mention the supreme sacrifice of Aslan.'It's not the presence of Christian doctrine I object to so much as the absence of Christian virtue. The highest virtue, we have on the authority of the New Testament itself, is love, and yet you find not a trace of that in the books,' he said.
Yes the books are religious in nature but then they were intended to be. Complaining about this is like complaining that the bible is a religious document. I expect the movie will have no nudity (no movie without nudes is appropriate it seems) so the claims about sexuality may be on target. I can only attribute the racism charge as a blanket attack on Christians.
Posted by Sid at 10:12 AM | Comments (2) | Religion
September 28, 2005
Belief in God Causes Murder, Abortion, Promiscuity and Suicide
The newest effort to bend statistics to a preferred conclusion now blames society’s ills on religious believers. Researchers have discovered that people commit murder, have abortions, sleep around and commit suicide because they believe all those things are sinful. I suppose next they will discover that women cause rapes, children cause pedophilia and money causes robberies.
“In general, higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy and abortion in the prosperous democracies.It is fascinating to see a study blame the religious segment of a society for the ills of the secular segment as though the two segments are the same. The study cherry picks statistics to generate a conclusion that America is more dysfunctional then other rich democracies. European societies mired in high employment, economic stagnation, growing fear of burgeoning Muslim populations who are unable to insure the long term viability of their own culture much less defend themselves are properly functioning and America is the one that is dysfunctional.
By this method of analysis blame, for society’s ills are now the fault of those that denounce those ills. Environmentalists in the US are responsible for global pollution since we are supposed to be the biggest polluter. Europeans are responsible for terrorism since more terrorism occurs in Europe then in the US. Cops are responsible for crime. Abstinence is responsible for promiscuity and AIDS.
This study is so shallow it should have been an embarrassment even to publish it. A serious study would have compared actual religious believers with their behavior, something that would have taken authentic scientific study.
“The widely held fear that a Godless citizenry must experience societal disaster is therefore refuted.”Current European societies (except Britain and Sweden) have existed less then half as long as America. How does this make them shining examples of long term stable societies? Or better yet let’s see how their secular cultures hold out against Muslim population growth. I suppose Christian societies will get lumped in with Muslims next to prove religious beliefs promote terrorism and the destruction of European societies.
Posted by Sid at 12:34 AM | Comments (0) | Religion
September 06, 2005
Atheist Demand President Stop the Calls for Prayer
Calling for people to pray for the victims of hurricane Katrina is a violation of the constitution.
The American Atheists organization says President Bush should stop urging prayer for Hurricane Katrina victims because it violates the Constitution.These people have no soul, but I guess they already know that. There was a time this kind of sentiment would have been laughed at. Now it's considered serious news.Ellen Johnson, president of the group said Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Bush "should not be violating the Constitution by telling people to pray for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Posted by Sid at 12:59 AM | Comments (0) | Religion
August 24, 2005
Religion-phobia Gone Wild on the Left
We are called the American Taliban, those of us that actually take the teachings of the Christian Bible seriously. It is a new development over the last 5 years. At one time this kind of paranoia was reserved for Catholics because of the influence of a top down religious hierarchy. Some felt that the pope would be determining policy if a Catholic was elected. The left has this irrational fear that we of faith are determined to turn America into a theocratic state like Iran. I was amused at the reaction of KOS over at DailyKOS to this article.
Okay, so how is the Christian Right in this country different than Iran and the forthcoming Islamic Republic of Iraq?
Is there any doubt that the American Taliban has more in common with our Islamic fundamentalist enemies? They're cut from the same cloth -- the belief that a system of secular rules and laws must be replaced with "God's laws".What many fail to realize is that churches are almost always bottom up organizations usually arranged in an extremely loose alliance much like the Democratic Party itself. Why the left would fear organizations with less cohesion then the DNC is beyond me? Oddly KOS and Pat Robertson have a lot in common. They both have a large following some of which are more rabid then others. And both are prone to paranoia, political myopia, threats, delusional thinking and an inability to recognize when they have gone off the deep end.And while the religions may be different, the core of them is not -- opposition to rival faiths, hostility to science, interference in people's private lives, control over women's bodies, an irrational belief in the supremacy of the male over female, militancy, anti-intellectualism and a rejection of logic, an unassailable belief in their own righrousness, and the deifying of certain unelectable, unaccountable individuals as "spokesmen for god", be it Pat Robertson or the Ayatollahs.
The American Taliban wants for the U.S. no less than what Iran has, and Iraq will soon have.
This particular article shows a group of people supporting one another by educating believers on how to express what they know in their hearts to be true in the secular language of today. Today it is not enough to tell someone something is a sin or against the bible. It is now important to explain it in a meaningful way to an increasingly secular society. Ultimately this may be what scares the left most. As long as Christian spoke in the language of our beliefs we could be dismissed as ignorant.
Another thing this article demonstrates is conviction of beliefs and common cause. Something the left has been struggling to achieve on it's own with no real success. Truth be told, the left has been trying to force a monolithic thinking on its followers for years, a single mindedness that allows no dissent. We need look no further then Joe Lieberman or recent threats against the DLC to see just how little dissent is tolerated.
If you are a person of faith who votes democrat be sure to read both of the links (including the comments). Then think long and hard about your future. This kind of anti-religion attitude is not yet ascendant in the Democratic Party but it is on the rise. I suspect eventually people of faith will be driven from the Democratic Party completely, or learn to hide. Can believers really surround themselves with people that so despise Christian faith that they must hide it or abandon it?
Posted by Sid at 12:26 AM | Comments (0) | Religion
August 21, 2005
Atheism declared a religion
It's about time. Anyone who has seen atheist activist operate has known this for decades. Now if only we can get atheism banned from public schools and buildings.
A federal court of appeals ruled yesterday Wisconsin prison officials violated an inmate's rights because they did not treat atheism as a religion.Courts have been using the establishment clause in the constitution designed to protect religion from government interference to drive religion from our nation. As misguided as the court decision is, it's nice to see the tables turned. Welcome to judicial activism 101. You just know atheists everywhere are screaming foul. There is no end to the hilarious mischief that can be caused with this ruling."Atheism is [the inmate's] religion, and the group that he wanted to start was religious in nature even though it expressly rejects a belief in a supreme being," the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals said.
Posted by Sid at 02:32 AM | Comments (1) | Religion
August 08, 2005
The Next Generation Attack on Religion
Just recently I had a discussion with a friend about how the church was being driven from the public square because of the "separation of church and state". I am always told that I don’t care what other people believe or how they exercise their faith as long as they leave me alone. Now the government wants to stick its nose into the financial business of religion. Where did the separation we hear so much about go all of a sudden.
Is there concern that all religious organizations are not doing it right? Are we now to have government auditors come in and tell us if we are a proper religion or not? We are told other non-profits are required to open their books why not religious organizations too. As I read it the constitution is silent on charitable organizations but specifically mentions religion.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;If government is prohibited from making laws interfering in the free exercise of religion why mettle in them in the first place?
The Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, still dealing with the fallout from the clergy abuse crisis and upheaval over church closings, faces a major battle on Beacon Hill this week as lawmakers push for an unprecedented measure to force the church to open its books to the public.Retaliation? Not only that Retaliation against all denominations and faiths for the sins of a few. Is this the new standard?
''It does appear that legislators, a majority of whom are Roman Catholics, are trying to deal with concerns that are about the internal workings of their church and using the power of government to deal with it," Kessler said.Or is it a war between Catholic rank and file and the leadership. Do we really want to see a denominational war waged in the Massachusetts legislature with the opportunistic participation of those that would like to see religious organizations destroyed egging it on.
''Elected officials are not quietly going along and doing what they are told do," McDermott said. ''In the end, it could hopefully be the cleansing process that is needed for the chaotic church administration in Boston."But at least it's for their own good.
There is no question that the sex abuse scandal was horrifying but that is no justification for government intrusion into day to day finances of churches. Trust me this is the first step down that road. Required financial reporting is always the first step towards further interference and regulation.
Jay Tea has it all wrong. But it is a common take from those with no real vested interest in freedom of religion. It's just another charitable organization run by kooks who need watching anyway.
The government (meaning, really, all of us citizens) subsidize churches to a degree by exempting them from income, sales, and property taxes that any other organization would be liable to pay. And that privilege should come with a price: they must demonstrate that they are not abusing and exploiting that benefit.Religious freedom is not a privilege. It is a right guaranteed by the constitution. Churches are not being subsidized, everyone else is being fleeced. Churches are exempt precisely to protect them from government interference. Imagine if churches fell from favor and were attacked with the equivalent of today’s sin taxes. It boils down to who gets to decide what "abusing and exploiting that benefit" means; a church governing board or a government committee hostile to people of faith.
They need to deal with the crime and refrain from attacking churches in general.
Posted by Sid at 07:05 PM | Comments (1) | Religion
July 29, 2005
Boy Scouts-98 ACLU-0
The ACLU has been trying for years to get the Boy Scouts of America kicked from government lands. The Boy Scouts refusal to allow homosexuals to be active participants in the leadership and their insistence on recognition of God make this organization unfit because of the so-called separation of church and state.
The Senate voted Tuesday to allow U.S. military bases to continue to host Boy Scout events, responding to lawsuits and a federal court ruling aimed at severing relationships between the government and the youth group.
In a 98-0 vote, the Senate approved the provision continuing the hosting of Boy Scout events as part of massive bill setting Defense Department policy for next year. After the vote, Senate leaders decided to put off further debate and votes on the overall bill, probably until fall when Congress returns from a monthlong break.This kind of insanity is why the Supreme Court is so important. Please remind me again how the ACLU is the protector of our civil rights. While at it try to explain how they can be considered anything but a radically insane left wing organization.
Posted by Sid at 12:02 AM | Comments (0) | Religion
May 25, 2005
Islamic pandering in America
If only Christians could get one of these. Maybe our religious symbols could be kept out of bowls of urine. Poor John Conyers Jr. (Democrat) is getting ripped. About the only thing that can get you in more trouble as a democrat then pandering to Christians is pandering to Muslims. Because then the atheist, agnostics, jews and Christians get on your case.
Text of My Resolution Regarding Relgious Intolerance
I received a large number of comments, and quite a spirited debate, concerning my resolution opposing religious intolerance, including desecration of the Quran. I appreciate all of the comments, both those supporting and opposing my actions. I continue to believe that given recent events, it is worthwhile for the Congress to actually express its support for the freedom of religion. The resolution was drafted to oppose all religious intolerance. To the extent it mentions the Quran and Islam specifically, that is obviously to respond to those who believe our nation would tolerate disrespect of that religion or its holy book. Clearly we should not, at least in my opinion.Anyway, below in the extended entry is the full text of H. Res. 288. I hope you agree that read in its totality, it is a fair and appropriate resolution.
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives condemning bigotry and religious intolerance, and recognizing that holy books of every religion should be treated with dignity and respect.
Whereas believers of all religions, including the Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, should be treated with respect and dignity;
Whereas the word Islam comes from the Arabic root word meaning “peace” and “submission”;
Whereas there are an estimated 7,000,000 Muslims in America, from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, forming an integral part of the social fabric of America;
Whereas the Quran is the holy book for Muslims who recite passages from it in prayer and learn valuable lessons about peace, humanity and spirituality;
Whereas it should never be official policy of the United States Government to disparage the Quran, Islam, or any religion in any way, shape, or form;Whereas mistreatment of prisoners and disrespect toward the holy book of any religion is unacceptable and against civilized humanity;
Whereas the infringement of an individual’s right to freedom of religion violates the Constitution and laws of the United States: Now, therefore, be it
1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives–
(1) condemns bigotry, acts of violence, and intolerance against any religious group, including our friends, neighbors, and citizens of the Islamic faith;
(2) declares that the civil rights and civil liberties of all individuals, including those of the Islamic faith, should be protected;
(3) recognizes that the Quran, the holy book of Islam, as any other holy book of any religion, should be treated with dignity and respect; and
(4) calls upon local, State, and Federal authorities to work to prevent bias-motivated crimes and acts against all individuals, including those of the Islamic faith.
Posted by Sid at 12:02 AM | Comments (0) | Religion
May 18, 2005
Backing their way into a anti-religion litmus test.
Much is being made of a case where Rev. Chan Chandler (pastor of East Waynesville Baptist Church) used his influence to have nine church members removed due to their political beliefs (poor guy lost sight of his responsibility as a Christian to change hearts). This is cited as a reason why politics and religion don't mix. Do the critics not realize this goes on in news rooms and school campuses all across our nation every day? Does this mean politics does not mix with news reporting and education as well? for the entire article go here.
The latest example of why religion and politics don’t mix comes from the mountains of North Carolina, where a misguided pastor has used his influence to have nine church members removed due to their political beliefs.So what of placing a religious litmus test on a person's political beliefs? And before I have to hear about how college campuses are not leftwing strongholds, read here.The Rev. Chan Chandler seemed to be backpedaling somewhat Sunday when he said in a statement that a person’s political affiliation doesn’t affect their membership in East Waynesville Baptist Church. (Chandler announced his resignation at a church meeting Tuesday.)
About 40 members voted last week to oust the nine members, who included several deacons and longtime church members. The nine refused to support President Bush, Chandler’s candidate of choice for president.
The ouster illustrates the danger of trying to place a political litmus test on a person’s religious beliefs. ...
Posted by Sid at 06:15 AM | Comments (0) | Religion
May 14, 2005
I "consider" myself a Christian
Not much gets me more aggravated then pius, lukewarm, half baked, so-called Christians that demonstrate their enlightenment by vilifying other Christians doing the hard work while they undermine their own faith. This single statement is all you need to hear to know you have discovered someone who is allergic to their own faith. What do I mean by allergic? I mean someone that has so little "faith" that they will deny, ignore, and misrepresent their faith when adhering to it is hard or threatens their appearance of open-mindedness. They will also impugn and vilify other Christians for their faults to discredit their efforts to do good when that good makes their own faith look as shallow as it really is. First we get this
I consider myself a Christian and I, like other Christians, struggle daily to achieve the grace of God. I am a practicing Catholic and send my children to Catholic schools. However, I must have missed something in Sunday school because I do not remember being taught to witness by the practices that are now so prolific.You not only missed something, it looks like you missed just about everything. Followed by several attacks on flawed people of faith doing the heavy lifting. Then we get this.
I do not claim to know all the answers to solve the problems of this nation and its people. And I certainly do not believe myself to be a theological scholar. Religion is an incredibly personal matter open to many interpretations.
It is of great danger to our community if we allow our leaders with obvious agendas to use our faith to achieve their often less-than-Christian goals. There will never be agreement among Christians, much less those of other faiths, on which scriptural teaching should prevail. And it is for this very reason that we must strive to permit our government to work objectively and fairly for all persons regardless of their faith.Yep, our teachings cannot be trusted so we need to look to our government. Finally, lets misapply a bit of scripture for good measure.
In my research, I arrived upon Thessalonians 4:11: Make it your aim to live a quiet life, to mind your own business. ... It is in this way that you will win the respect of those who are not believers. Yes, the Bible actually teaches us all to MYOB.You forget my dear lady, spreading the good word and fighting evil in all it's forms IS the business of Christian's.
May I suggest that you follow your own advice Jean until you can offer something besides hypocracy.
Posted by Sid at 09:00 AM | Comments (0) | Religion
May 12, 2005
Stamping out religion on the playground?
Ten-year-old student and friends told to put away their Bibles during recess
Ten-year-old student Luke Whitson used his regularly scheduled recess time to read the Bible with a few friends on his school’s playground. After receiving a complaint from a parent, the school’s principal reportedly ordered the students to stop their activity, put their Bibles away, and cease from bringing their Bibles to school.More
Posted by Sid at 11:03 AM | Comments (1) | Religion
May 09, 2005
Religion of peace?
I constantly hear how biased and closed minded I am as a Christian and how my views on the Muslim faith as practiced today are judgmental and unwarranted. While discussing this with an "openminded" aquaintance of mine, he was telling me that I should not be so judgemental since Christians were equally intolerant during the inquisition. I am always facinated when people have to go back almost a 1000 years to remind me how backwards Christians can be. Trust me when I say I would not want nuclear weapons in the hands of corrupt Christian leaders during this time either.
The report concludes that the Saudi government propaganda examined reflects a “totalitarian ideology of hatred that can incite to violence,” and the fact that it is “being mainstreamed within our borders through the efforts of a foreign government, namely Saudi Arabia, demands our urgent attention.” The report finds: “Not only does the government of Saudi Arabia not have a right – under the First Amendment or any other legal document – to spread hate ideology within U.S. borders, it is committing a human rights violation by doing so.”Read more
Posted by Sid at 11:26 AM | Comments (0) | Religion
May 06, 2005
Tin foil hat religious paranoid theories from the left.
Rather then open a new thread every time I find a new left leaning paranoid conspiracy theory about people of faith, I decided to open this permanent thread and will just add them here as I see them. I will add a link to the menu bar for easy future access so check often. If a link goes dead e-mail me and I will remove it. That does not mean thought that I will not select the occasional spectacular one for special comment.
Theory and assembly info on tin-foil hat making
Christian militancy corrodes American ideal
Why I'm Rooting Against the Religious Right
Posted by Sid at 12:55 PM | Comments (0) | Religion
If God loves the little children, then in todays press that means he is pedophile.
I am constantly amazed at the increasing hostility that is developing among the democratic left for people of faith. And that amazement is even further magnified by their total ignorance about what people of faith stand for and want. Two recent articles in the WSJ bring into sharp contrast the difference. That the WSJ seemed to need them both written but non-believers for "objectivity" shows even further just how bad it is getting.
First there is this piece by Christopher Hitchens. It is a wonderful collection of badly quoted scripture and tin foil cap paranoia. I particularly liked the willful ignorance behind this paragraph.
I have never understood why conservative entrepreneurs are so all-fired pious and Bible-thumping, let alone why so many of them claim Jesus as their best friend and personal savior. The Old Testament is bad enough: The commandments forbid us even to envy or covet our neighbor's goods, and thus condemn the very spirit of emulation and ambition that makes enterprise possible. But the New Testament is worse: It tells us to forget thrift and saving, to take no thought for the morrow, and to throw away our hard-earned wealth on the shiftless and the losers.Hey Christopher, we are not supposed to covet our neighbors possessions, we are supposed to go out and earn our own. That is the core of enterprise. Also, we are to give to the poor and needy. By my reading, the shiftless losers were the government of the day. And are you calling the poor and needy, shiftless losers? Where is your compassion? The only thing left out was an accusation that God was a pedophile because he loves children.
For at least some sense of sanity I recommend this piece by James Taranto which is an excellent read and a fair representation of reality.
Posted by Sid at 06:07 AM | Comments (0) | Religion
