Sunday Afternoon Philosophia

I've found a couple of interesting questions / concepts in my spiritual readings. In The Evangelical Universalist by Gregory MacDonald, a cool concept is charted in favor of Restoration. This diagram shows the much-used pattern in the Bible; the major theme being that there is a point of contentment, an event of a fall and the eventual rise out of disgrace. Much like the mythical Phoenix that rises out of the ashes and much like the idea of reincarnation, the Bible, too, demonstrates in the above stories, as well as the story of the Prodigal Son, etc. A second chance (Restoration) is the result of grace and forgiveness.

I think that's pretty neat.

The second concept I came across in The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. A soul arrives in the afterlife and has an interesting conversation with his Spirit-Guide, who unsuccessfully attempts to get him to go to the mountains (Heaven). The following dialogue brings about the question: is Heaven customized to the individual's idea of Heaven?

Spirit Guide: Will you come with me to the mountains? It will hurt at first, until your feet are hardened. Reality is harsh to the feet of shadows. But will you come?

Soul: Well, that is a plan. I am perfectly ready to consider it. Of course, I should require some assurances...I should want a guarantee that you are taking me to a place where I shall find a wider sphere of usefulness - and scope for the talents that God has given me - an atmosphere of free inquiry --in short, all that one means by civilisation and - er- the spiritual life.

Spirit Guide: No, I can promise you none of these things. No sphere of usefulness: you are not needed there at all. No scope for your talents: only forgiveness for having perverted them. No atmosphere of inquiry, for I will bring you to the land not of questions, but of answers, and you shall see the face of God.

Soul: Ah, but we must all interpret those beautiful words in our own way! For me there is no such thing as a final answer. The free wind of inquiry must always continue to blow through the mind, must it not? 'Prove all things'... to travel hopefully is better than to arrive.

Unity

A picture is worth a thousand words. This photo, courtesy of MSNBC.com is an extraordinary example of this:

Holley Camp, left, holds hands with Lekeisha Chestnut, both from Birmingham, Ala., as Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama gives his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.

A Hero

My dad was drafted into the Army and served in the Vietnam war. His brigade had a Catholic priest chaplain named Fr. Angelo Liteky.

My dad said he held masses and was on hand for spiritual counseling. During an especially brutal cross-fire, Fr. Liteky risked his life over and over and saved 23 men, dragging them along the ground to the safety of an evacuation landing zone. He was the first and only priest ever awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award for bravery given.

After returning from the war he went through his own spiritual journey and epiphany, he left the priesthood and married an ex-nun, and went back to the name Charles Liteky. His views evolved and he became an activist, protesting flawed foreign policies, the corrupt business interests of the government and the government warquests. He actively protested the School of the Americas at Ft. Benning, Georgia, an institution known for churning out assassins and whose graduates, critics say, are responsible for the massacre of peasants and human rights workers in Central America.

On 29 July1986, Charles Angelo Liteky renounced his Medal of Honor in protest over U.S. policies in Central America. He left his medal in a bag next to the war memorial in Washington with a note to President Reagan.

He served a year in prison for demonstrating at Ft. Benning.

“Liteky's road from Army hero to lifelong protester is not as complicated as it might seem. Whatever drove him to drag 23 men to safety during a fierce firefight in Bien Hoa province, he says, is probably what makes him now crusade against the Army training school, whose graduates, critics say, are responsible for the massacre of peasants and human rights workers in Central America.”

READ HIS FULL STORY HERE

What I love about this hero, is that he continued to evolve and think and was not afraid to change his thinking. He was a voice on behalf of the voiceless as Martin Luther King, Jr. was. His renouncing of the highest honor the government could give is a huge statement and I have an immense amount of respect for his humanitarian efforts and activism.

Below is a fantastic speech he delivered to the U.S. forces in Iraq in 2003.

[PHOTO: Captain Charles Angelo J. Liteky, Chaplain, 199th Light Infantry Brigade. Republic of Vietnam, 1969.]

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By Charlie Liteky
May 7, 2003

By way of introduction, my name is Charlie Liteky, a U.S. citizen, a Vietnam Veteran, and a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. However, I renounced the Medal of Honor on July 29,1986 in opposition to U.S foreign policy in Central America. What the U.S. was supporting in El Salvador and Nicaragua, namely the savagery and domination of the poor, reminded me of what I was a part of in Vietnam 15 years earlier.

I placed the medal at the apex of the Vietnam Memorial Wall into which are etched the names of 58 thousand young American men. In depth study of the Vietnam War revealed political and military liars insensitive to the value of human life, inclusive of their own countrymen. The biggest liar was the Commander in Chief of U.S. armed forces, President Lyndon Johnson, who lied to Congress about the Gulf of Tonkin incident. It was this lie that motivated Congress to vote the money for the war. As a veteran of an ill-fated war, in the waning years of my life, I’d like to share some reflections on my country’s attack on Iraq.

Once again, I find myself in protest of a U.S. military action that no court in the world will declare legal. The U.S. attack on the sovereign country of Iraq fails to meet any of the necessary provisions of a just war. Iraq on the other hand, met the most fundamental condition for a country to use military force against an adversary, namely the defense of its homeland against an unjust aggressor. But, because of the incredible superiority of the U.S. military, there was no possibility of a successful defense.

In its attack on Iraq, the U.S. violated the UN Charter, international law and universal standards of morality. This is borne out by the worldwide condemnation of the U.S. attack by mainstream religious denominations and spiritual leaders.

Claiming liberation of the Iraqi people as a just cause for a war that kills thousands of innocents is hypocrisy at its worst. If liberation of an oppressed people were the real motive behind the invasion of Iraq - why did the U.S. wait 25 years to act? Why did the U.S. refrain from condemning Saddam Hussein’s use of chemical weapons in its war with Iran in the 80s? Why did the U.S. fail to prevent chemicals critical to the production of biological weapons from reaching Iraq? How is it that what we condemn today we approved yesterday?

Many Iraqi people rejoiced at the sight of their American/British liberators, but many more did not, because they had no legs to walk to the sites of celebration, no arms to wave in jubilation or they had no life left to celebrate. The sanitary military term for such people is “collateral damage.”

I first came to Iraq in November of 2002 in response to the bellicose words of war coming from the President of the U.S. and his staff. When I think of children, the most vulnerable of the innocents. In my imagination I could hear them crying, I could see the terror in their eyes and faces as they heard the planes overhead, followed by bombs exploding. I wanted to be with them to offer what small comfort I could.

This cartoon [of a sly, American eagle with its talons deeply planted in Iraqi earth] published in the Jordan Times on April 23, 2003 depicts what many Arab people believe is the U.S. motivation behind its attack on Iraq, namely, a deep-rooted, long-lasting presence. Recently, newspapers have reported that plans are underway to establish four military bases in Iraq.

What the cartoon does not include is the U.S. interest in and access to Iraq’s immense oil reserves. A two-time Medal of Honor recipient, General Smedley Butler, said that “War is a Racket” and that he spent his 33 year military career being a bodyguard for U.S. business interests. I submit that protecting U.S. business interests, sometimes referred to as “national interests” is still the primary mission of the U.S. military. Wartime profits go to a select few at the cost of many. Again to quote Gen. Smedley:

“War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small ‘inside’ group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.”

This letter containing some of my reflections is not meant to cast blame for an attack on Iraq on U.S. military personnel. I’m sure you believe that what you are a part of is right and just. I once believed the same of my participation in the Vietnam War. I share my thoughts and conclusions as gifts of truth revealed to me through years of studying U.S. foreign policy.


Sincerely,

Charlie Liteky
Vietnam Veteran

PS: God be with you in your search for truth, your quest for justice, and your efforts to help a beautiful people.

A Public Service Announcement About Hell

I wanted to post a thought to send you into the weekend:

The following was taken directly from the Merciful Truth website. Please visit this great site if you have a chance. I may have used this before, but its worth completely bears repeating:

Nevertheless, truth will always withstand scrutiny, and it reveals depraved perversions within church traditions, which run contrary to God's deep love and perfection in his workings. They do not know the power of God. Not only is the very concept of a demonic house of terror unscriptural, abhorrent and outright sadistic, it solicits the lie that justice cannibalizes love. How many times will someone say "God is love, but he is also just" as though the two must be mutually exclusive? This shows what a mess the hell doctrine is.

"Hell" is neither a Hebrew or a Greek word (both Old and New Testaments were written in those languages), nor did it primarily indicate "a place of torment." Biblical translators actually derived it from a secular German word - spelled hel - meaning nothing more than concealed or covered. The concept of a demon regulated horror-house was indeed derived from that word, but it actually evolved from Teutonic mythology.

Not only is hell an ancient pagan tradition (not at all unique to Christianity), but the ancient Israelites did not understand death that way according to the Holy Scripture. This is why modern Bible translations are completely evicting that word from the Old Testament! Now, why would any Bible translation seek to remove a word unless it did not belong there in the first place? Because this disgusting fable, originated from a place other than God's Holy Word - yet was craftily slipped in by the dogma motivated church of ages past.

I would love to receive your comments about this topic. Have a great weekend!

Those Gleaming Moments

I found the article below and thought it would be a good way to end the week. I can clearly recall moments in my life that have been very spiritual, here is just one of them...

A year ago I had been in the midst of internal warfare as I was weighing the idea of leaving Catholicism after 30 years, based on the errors of the church - not accepting women as priests, women having no real role other than being a church layperson or being a breeder, the absolutist stances the church took which I disagreed with - on war, women's roles, gay rights, birth control, abortion, stem-cell research, etc. I had gone through the crying spells, sleepless nights, book after self-help book-reading and the doubts I had of breaking away from the church...and I prayed fervently for God to guide me.

I had found and downloaded some podcasts by Martin Zender, an outspoken bible scholar, and was listening to them on the 4:10 Metra train going home from work. I had heard many of these podcasts before this day, but that day as I "was seeking" something huge clicked.

The idea that God's unconditional love, by common sense definition, required nothing in return, not even belief - became clear. My wonderful epiphany also included the realization that God's love truly did mirror and exceed that of a loving parents' - that punishment would be temporary and rehabilitative, not eternal. That hell did not exist. That even the word 'hell' was not in the original bible manuscripts. I felt like my soul became lighter than air in that instant. I remember looking around at everyone and thinking how God loves them, too, and even if they do not believe, they are still His Children. It was like gaining new eyesight. I became humbled and understood the flaw Christians have of feeling elitist in the sense that "I believe, therefore I am saved". It dawned on me that no one can 'save themselves'. I really didn't have a right to judge anyone - because NOW I saw everyone as a family. Jesus already did that by dying on the cross. He didn't do it partially --he did it COMPLETELY. No one can take credit by any means for their own salvation. And even if one does not believe in this life - does not mean they will never believe. I felt so at peace by the end of that train ride that I knew it wasn't just certain hotbutton issues the church and I disagreed upon - I disgreed FUNDAMENTALLY and THEOLOGICALLY with their entire 'business model'. The decision was made. And even though I do not agree with Martin Zender's views in many respects and do not subscribe to many of his theories, he was the tool God used to pry the rusted lid off my soul. I've not been the same since...and I thank God for that gleaming spiritual moment.

[If any of you have any moments you would like to share - please post a comment.]

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Moments that define spirituality

(From "O, The Oprah Magazine," May 2008 - Oprah.com) -- A window opening. A glimpse of the ungraspable. A sudden surge of love ... or hope ... or awe. We asked artists, writers, thinkers, and doers to recall the flashes of understanding that took their breath away.

Elizabeth Lesser: Co-founder of the Omega Institute and author of "Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow"

I've been a spiritual seeker my whole life because I have been acutely aware of death my whole life. When I was a little kid, I lay in bed at night and wondered, 'Who will I be when I'm no longer me? Where will I go? Does it all just end?'

As I grew up, the fear of death was my closest companion. It encouraged me to find a spiritual teacher and help start Omega Institute 30 years ago; it made me become a midwife and had me sit with the ill and dying. It is with me still, as constant as my breath. Our friendship has given me an intense appreciation of life.

I've heard there is a Sufi tradition in which one bead is always missing from the prayer beads to signify the mystery of God's true name -- which is our true name, and the name we will discover, it is said, when we take our last breath.

When my friend Ellen took her last breath, a window opened in my mind for a brief moment. There, on the threshold of life and death, I thought I heard the Name, but before I could know for sure, the window closed, and I returned to the living. Every now and then, especially when I remember those last moments with Ellen, the window opens a crack again, and I hear the Name.

Elie Wiesel: President of the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity and author of "Night"

Is it at all possible to live without a spiritual quest? Of course it is -- theoretically. Under the two totalitarian dictatorships that plagued the 20th century, Fascism and Communism, politics replaced spirituality. But lest we forget: Both collapsed.

Can one be spiritual without religious faith? One can. All one needs is to be open to someone else's concerns, fears, and hopes, and to make him or her feel less alone, less abandoned. God alone is alone. Human beings are not, must not be. It is my caring for the otherness of the other that determines my humanity. And my spirituality.

Cornel West, Ph.D.: Professor in the Center of African-American Studies, Princeton University, and author of "Democracy Matters"

The surgeon was rolling me into the operating room for a seven-hour procedure on an aggressive form of cancer that was in the last stage. He said, "I don't understand; how is your blood pressure normal?" I said, "I've made my peace."

My response to the cancer was that I was full of gratitude that I had been invited to the banquet of life for 48 years and experienced an abundance of blessings, especially in the form of family and friends. It just turned out that I've been spared for a while.

Noah Levine: Author of "Against the Stream"

When I was 17 years old, I realized, after waking up in a cell in a juvenile detention center -- again -- that I was the one who had gotten myself into the mess I was in. At that point, in 1988, I'd been drinking and getting high since I was 12, and there I was, looking at my third felony arrest, resigned to a life of incarceration.

It was after a failed suicide attempt that the moment of clarity, that spiritual experience happened: the breaking of denial and blaming everyone else for my problems. I couldn't blame this ignorant, oppressive world; it was how I was relating to this world.

So much of the suffering I was experiencing was about the past and the future, but that moment brought me into the present and was the beginning of my spiritual practice: meditation, prayer, and addressing my addiction. I was responsible. I was not a victim. I had created the situation, and I had the power to get out of it. I had hope.

Tobias Wolff: Author of "This Boy's Life"

It's hard for me to imagine coming to an understanding of spirituality in a single moment. Does it mean a politician competing with other politicians over who is more born-again? A novice taking her final vows? A Buddhist monk setting himself on fire to protest government oppression? Or could it refer to the determination of an immigrant couple to sacrifice their lives in grinding, minimum-wage work so that their children might have something better?

Perhaps the greatest problem with this word is the line it seems to imply between spirit and flesh, between some exalted, superior state and the experience of everyday life, when in fact they are all mixed up together. We define ourselves and our deepest values by the choices we make, day by day, hour by hour, over a lifetime.

Rabbi Harold S. Kushner: Author of "Overcoming Life's Disappointments"

I have a vivid memory of being about 10 years old and doing something I knew was wrong. My parents confronted me about it, and I admitted it, certain that I had just permanently destroyed any image they might have had of me as their ideal son.

To my immense relief, they forgave me and assured me of their love. That was my first encounter with the mysterious Force in the universe that impels people to forgive wrongdoing and to love even imperfect people.

Francesco Clemente: Artist

When I paint, there is no thought of "I" and "mine." There is no thought of gain or loss. There is no hope for immortality, but rather hope to reach a timeless place. If I could live as I paint and keep a sense of humor too, only then could I claim to know what spirituality is.

Diversions

With the business of having a church comes the marketing ploys that are used to draw in the attendees.

And this church's schtick could not have more distractions that take away from the actual reason for being there (to worship God). They replaced modest personal spirituality with dress-up-cowboy-circus time. Horses? Chewing tobacco? Country music using backwoods dialect?

I would recommend clearing out the unnecessary costumes, themed gimmickry, and animal sideshows and get back to basics - keeping all external elements as simple as possible will allow one to focus on the internal spiritual connection with God more steadily. That way, Western Wear Willy can stop worrying if Billy Bob Buckshot's cowboy boots look more shitkickin' than his.

This farce is a silly diversion from the simplicity of God's message. I know that God doesn't care what one wears to worship in, but, come on...they are dressing up for EACH OTHER, not Him.

It's basically a Ren Faire without the turkey legs.

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Where prayers come with a twang

Cowboy churches, with a Western feel and a country-music sound, multiply as they draw flocks from farms and ranches in rural Illinois and across the country

ChicagoTribune.com By E.A. Torrierol Tribune reporter 12:42 AM CDT, August 4, 2008

MT. VERNON, Ill.—Wearing a white cowboy hat and preaching atop his horse, Coby, Rev. Steve Hamson gives a modern-day meaning to "sermon on the mount." With a Bible in one hand and the reins of the horse in the other, Hamson strikes the fear of God in his parishioners—more than a dozen of them listening on horseback in a humid riding arena. The cowboys put their hats over their hearts when Hamson prays for those who are missing because they "had to do hay." Some men had wads of chewing tobacco in their cheeks, digesting Hamson's words while their horses made "brrrr" sounds and kicked their hooves. No one minds the equestrian outbursts or the chewing. This, after all, is cowboy church. Across rural America, thousands of evangelical Protestant worshipers gather in barns, buildings and beneath the stars to worship Western-style. As the beach is to born-again surfers, and the road is to Holy Ghost bikers, the range is the mission field to Christian cowboys and ranchers. At least 600 cowboy churches are scattered across the U.S., according to leaders in the movement and published accounts. In central and southern Illinois, an estimated two dozen congregations meet in barns and arenas, on the dusty trails and in churches—some decorated with Western memorabilia. Some evangelical Christians have questioned whether the churches only offer gimmicks and fail to provide a meaningful spiritual experience. But pastors and churchgoers said their services are divinely inspired. Like the suburban megachurches that beckon teenagers with gospel-themed rap and rock music, cowboy sanctuaries promote country-western worship while seeking to attract those who find traditional rural church settings unattractive. In a cowboy church, the music has a twang, the lyrics beckon men to mosey on home to Jesus, and 10-gallon hats are passed around for offerings. Preachers tell corny jokes. Worshipers whoop, holler and clap. The bands jam with banjos, mandolins, guitars, drums and sometimes a worn washboard. It's not unusual to be baptized in a horse trough. And the sermons usually last just a few minutes so as not to make the audience restless. "You don't want to scare 'em off," said Pastor Susie Deeters, who along with her husband, John, runs the Ranch House Cowboy Church in a converted Baptist church about 120 miles north of Mt. Vernon in De Land, near Champaign. "You want to give 'em just enough to hook 'em." Far from the big cities and suburbs—inquiries found no cowboy congregations in Chicago or its suburbs—cowboy churches are apparently a uniquely modern American phenomenon. In the Wild West days, most cowboys were Catholics from Mexico and Baptists from the Confederacy, historians say, but there is little historical evidence of traditional church gatherings. Cowboys usually were not atheists; they saw God in nature. But they were indifferent when it came to evangelical Christianity. "They were less Christ-centric and more aware of God's providence in their surroundings," said Ferenc M. Szasz, author of "Religion in the Modern American West." The modern-day cowboy church movement seems rooted more in entertainment than cowboy lore. One group—Cowboy Church International—was spawned out of the country music entertainment hotbed of Nashville in the 1990s by the sister of Johnny Cash. Today, crowds flock to such tourist areas as Branson, Mo., for foot-stomping worship from cowboy bands. Many in the audience have never saddled up in their lives but love country gospel and wearing Western garb. Another movement, though, grew out of a Baptist outreach to ranchers in Texas that spread like a wildfire, spawned megachurches and now even sends cowboy missionaries to Africa. Texas cowboy Baptists claim some 7,000 converts to Christ this decade. In Illinois this summer, cowboy services are being held at rodeos and county fairs, bull-riding events and trail rides in forests. As the cowboy churches gain publicity, some wonder about their Christian authenticity. The evangelical magazine Christianity Today asked in a blog in May: "Clearly something is going on here, but what?" Blog moderator Derek Keefe questioned whether the movement expanded or collapsed the Christian gospel message. "I'm definitely nervous about what appear to be 'tribal' markers that bind the movement," he wrote. But 160 miles south of Chicago at the First Christian Church in Farmer City, the octogenarian crowd at a recent Sunday night cowboy service seemed anything but cultist. After a Midwestern potluck, they clapped to country gospel and praised the Lord. About 11 years ago, one of the congregants from the town of 2,000 went to a cowboy church in Nashville and came back hooked. He helped convince the elders it would work as a Sunday night outreach. Since then, nearly a dozen cowboy churches grew out of the ministry, including a Gospel Opry outside Bloomington. A few years back, service leaders John and Susie Deeters were so smitten with the cowboy ministry that they quit their work in real estate and fashion, and literally took up a giant wooden cross on the rodeo circuit. They knew the Lord had led them like a horse to water when at one road show, a cowboy answered the prayer call dead drunk and left stone sober, the couple said. In recent years, they left the road and took over a rundown Baptist church about 7 miles south of Farmer City and outfitted it with Western memorabilia. The lights are in the shape of wagon wheels. The walls are adorned with ropes, lassos, cowboy hats and curtains with pictures of horses. Some 140 miles to the south, outside Mt. Vernon, parishioners arrived at church on a recent Thursday night towing trailers for their horses. Before the service, men and children rode in a dust-bowl arena while women gathered in a side room for Bible study centered on a Christian nutrition program. Jonathan Schnautz, a farmer and horse rider who attends weekly, churned peach ice cream in a wooden bucket for an after-church dessert. "The cowboy church works because we are people who like to ride and also worship the Lord," he said. "So it fits who we are. But I'm sure people up in the city sure must think it's weird." As the service began, riders circled behind Hamson while other worshipers sat in front of him on bleachers. Hamson asked for prayer requests. Singers performed from the bleachers and on horseback. Hamson acknowledged that preaching from a horse is a learned art. "You have to pay attention to the horse, and you can't hold notes," he said. "So you have to memorize most of what you want to say." Luckily on this night, the horses were on their best behavior. There were none of the equine mishaps that have befallen some services. After a closing prayer from the saddle, the congregation was dismissed. Folks rode off to the old cowboy ditty made famous by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. "Happy trails to you. Until we meet again."

God's Reset Button

I haven't blogged in awhile. It has been a chaotic few weeks. For the past several months my husband and I have struggled to complete the sale of our house, jumping problematic survey hurdles among other things even going so far as to get on anti-anxiety meds for the stress. We lived so far from work that we were spending 20 hours a week commuting. It got to be too much even though we loved the house.

This past week we finally closed and moved and the relief was overwhelming. My walk to work now is less than 10 minutes.

Being attached to the house we were leaving, I did cry. And cry hard. For both the sadness of leaving a great house and the relief that comes with overcoming an almost impossible feat. And it is always after I cry that I feel so tired and need to nap. I know I am not the only one who experiences this. I feel like this is God's way of pushing the re-boot button on me. From babyhood on, the need to sleep after a meltdown and be re-set is like a merciful and genius progression of events. I thank God for this neat little programming feature. I always wake up feeling better. Clearer.

Rock On, Girls!

Excommunication schmexcommunication. This ridiculous threat of exclusion was contrived by men, not God. God would never sneer at a woman who is so passionate about serving Him.

Excommunication has nothing to do with God...and everything do to with disobeying the papacy.

The Catholic Church has always said women cannot be priests because Jesus did not have female Apostles. Well, He might not have had them back in the day...but by God He has them NOW! And those who say they are not "worthy" to conduct mass are committing the sin of judging.

Evolve already, Church! If you do what you always have done, you get what you always have got. There's no room for growth. No room for improvement. What doesn't bend --breaks.

Traditional Catholics view the Bible as the end of the conversation...however, I truly believe it exists to promote the conversation. Mary Magdalene was a close follower of Jesus despite the fact that women were viewed as second-class back in the day. Women were not recognized as apostles due to social oppression over 2,000 years ago...and unbelievably this oppression STILL presents itself in the Church TODAY as it does not allow women to be priests. Pshaw!

I self-excommunicated and it was the best choice I have ever made in my spiritual life. And these headlines reinforce that decision.

As for these brave women priests (though our theological beliefs differ) - I say rock on, girls!

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Boston Archdiocese Says Trio Will Be Excommunicating Themselves

TheBostonChannel.com - BOSTON – July 18, 2008 - Three Catholic women will be ordained as priests in a Back Bay neighborhood church this weekend, despite the Vatican's admonition that the trio will be excommunicated if they do so. "Excommunication or not, I will still be a validly ordained priest and still will be able to serve the people of God," said Gabriella Velardi Ward, 61, a Staten Island architect and mother of two. Also a grandmother of three, Ward said she has wanted to be a priest ever since she was five years old and once considered becoming a nun, but felt the priesthood was her true calling because she wants to be able to celebrate the sacraments. She will be joined by Gloria Carpeneto, of Baltimore, and Judy Lee, of Florida. Mary Ann McCarthy Schoettly, of Newton, N.J., will be ordained as a deacon. The Vatican, however, said the ordinations would be illegal and the Boston Archdiocese sent out an e-mail to all priests saying that women who try to receive sacred orders and priests who try to confer them are automatically separating themselves from the church. The Catholic Church has always said women cannot be priests because Jesus did not have female Apostles. The ordination ceremony will take place Sunday at the Church of the Covenant on Newbury Street, which is affiliated with two Protestant denominations, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Church of Christ, the Boston Globe reported. The church, which has a female pastor, offered to let the ordination take place there as a way of supporting and encouraging the women's group. The trio will be ordained by Dana Reynolds, of California, a woman who was consecrated as a bishop in Germany in April. They are all part of an organization called Roman Catholic Womenpriests, which has been holding ordination ceremonies for women since 2002; the organization says there are now 28 women Catholic priests in the United States, according to the Globe. The group says its ordinations are valid because its first female priests were ordained by bishops who were in good standing with the Vatican. They won't reveal the names so those bishops can avoid sanctions. The Boston ordinations will coincide with the first Boston conference of four organizations that are pushing for the admission of married men, as well as of women, to the priesthood. Jean Marchant, who once worked for the Boston Archdiocese's healthcare ministry, has already been ordained and, together with her husband, serves a small Catholic congregation in Weston, Mass.

Do As I Say...Not As I Do

Jesus Christ lived in poverty. He was the evangelizer of the poor. Yes, He encouraged spirituality over possessions, having little or none Himself. What a shining example He set; the embodiment of humility, love and compassion. He got his hands dirty healing the sick and He dined with the lowly and sinner alike. A beautiful example of God's mercy.

So how in holy hell is this person setting an example for the masses?

The Pope stands in front of a crowd in golden silk robes, having arrived in a plush private jet from his palace afar that glistens with gilded marble halls adorned with priceless works of art and all the beautiful objects of a charmed life hypocrisy...his falsely conceived freedom...

Pot, meet kettle.

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Pope links prosperity with spreading 'spiritual desert'

July 20, 2008 - CBC News - As he wrapped up a visit to Australia on Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI warned a crowd of 400,000 young people that a feeling of spiritual emptiness often accompanies material wealth. He urged them to avoid the pitfalls of prosperity as he led an outdoor mass for pilgrims who had gathered for the Roman Catholic church's six-day World Youth Day festival in Sydney. "In so many of our societies, side by side with material prosperity, a spiritual desert is spreading: an interior emptiness, an unnamed fear, a quiet sense of despair," the pontiff said. The Pope referred to the modern world’s “hard crust of indifference” to God and said the world “wants to forget God, or even reject him in the name of a falsely conceived freedom.” He urged followers to throw off indifference and embrace a new age free from "shallowness, apathy and self-absorption," which he said "deadens our souls and poisons our relationships." “A new generation of Christians is being called to help build a world in which God’s gift of life is welcomed, respected and cherished — not rejected, feared as a threat and destroyed,” the Pope told the crowd. The pope, 81, also announced that Madrid, Spain, would host the next World Youth Day in 2011 and told the pilgrims that he looks forward to being there in three years. The mass came a day after the pope made an apology for the sexual abuse of children by Australia's Roman Catholic clergy, keeping up efforts begun in the United States to publicly atone for what he called "evil" acts by priests and a "grave betrayal of trust."

God Will F*** You Up!

So a "revival tent" went up along an intersection in a town my husband and I pass through daily. In the afternoons when we are driving home from the train, we can hear the booming LOUD preacher talking about the finer points of hellfire and brimstone to a few folding-chair sittin' folk who I imagine holler AMENs.

My husband said, "Hey, whatever keeps them on the straight and narrow."

The gist of the Old Testament [the section where people had a child-like newness to God] is God commanding people to BE GOOD. Like a child who does not listen, sometimes a parent will threaten: "Don't go by the river, there are MONSTERS in there"...this is more effective keeping children away from the river than saying "Don't go by the river, it's very dangerous."

The gist of the New Testament [the section where people have a more grown-up relationship with God] is God commanding people to DO GOOD. No more hellfire and brimstone, that was to get you to behave and get your attention but it was for teaching purposes only.

"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him." (Mt 17:5).

So, the threats of hellfire & brimstone at the revival, once studied within the context of the entire bible and using common sense, are nothing more than purposeful threats to keep childish people in line who cannot behave unless threatened.

The real spiritual grown-up knows that there are no monsters down at the river and that God is only looking out for them like a loving parent --using this tool before they are able to reason. When we grow up and have a mature relationship with God, we understand being good for goodness' sake.

And grown-ups in God know that He is Love. That God is our friend and Creator, not our destroyer. God is a loving judge who judges for our own benefit. Any atonement (temporary) is done for the rehabilitative purposes of the judged, not for the ridiculous eternal-damnation satisfaction to the Judge. God is not vengeance. God is just. There is a difference. And no act on this earth, in this lifetime warrants an eternal punishment, as that would be ridiculously vengeful, not just.

But, for those who hunger for senseless destruction "of Biblical proportion" I offer you the following comical jingle, courtesy of my husband who sent me the link:

God will f*@# you up!! - http://www.youmail.com/login/greetingView.do?id=5420

O Brother, Where Art Thou Brain?

For as long as women have fought for equality, there is NO EXCUSE for this. It is really easy for a white, upper-class male who has led a charmed life and married a wealthy woman to vote against this bill. Using the "too many lawsuits" pseudo-reasoning is unacceptable. The importance of equality for women far outweighs the possible (yet non-existent) litigation headaches that could result from this bill. Are the state and federal judges afraid to work or something?

[Lisa Workman, of Inez, Ky, greets Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, who fails miserably to maintain eye contact with her, after a news conference outside the Old Martin County Courthouse, Wednesday, April 23, 2008, in Inez, Kentucky.]

So, ladies, I guess we know who the evil of two lessers is.

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McCain Opposes Equal Pay Bill In Senate

Huffinton Post – July 11, 2008

NEW ORLEANS — Republican Sen. John McCain, campaigning through poverty-stricken cities and towns, said Wednesday he opposes a Senate bill that seeks equal pay for women because it would lead to more lawsuits. Senate Republicans killed the bill Wednesday night on a 56-42 vote that denied the measure the 60 votes needed to advance it to full debate and a vote. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., had delayed the vote to give McCain's Democratic rivals, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, time to return to Washington to support the measure, which would make it easier for women to sue their employers for pay discrimination. McCain skipped the vote to campaign in New Orleans.

"I am all in favor of pay equity for women, but this kind of legislation, as is typical of what's being proposed by my friends on the other side of the aisle, opens us up to lawsuits for all kinds of problems," the expected GOP presidential nominee told reporters. "This is government playing a much, much greater role in the business of a private enterprise system." The bill sought to counteract a Supreme Court decision limiting how long workers can wait before suing for pay discrimination.

It is named for Lilly Ledbetter, a supervisor at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'s plant in Gadsden, Ala., who sued for pay discrimination just before retiring after a 19-year career there. By the time she retired, Ledbetter made $6,500 less than the lowest-paid male supervisor and claimed earlier decisions by supervisors kept her from making more. The Supreme Court voted 5-4 last year to throw out her complaint, saying she had waited too long to sue. Democrats criticized McCain for opposing the bill.

"Senator McCain has yet again fallen in line with President Bush while middle-class families are falling by the wayside," Clinton said in a statement following the vote. "Women are earning less, but Senator McCain is offering more of the same." Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Karen Finney said: "At a time when American families are struggling to keep their homes and jobs while paying more for everything from gasoline to groceries, how on Earth would anyone who thinks they can lead our country also think it's acceptable to oppose equal pay for America's mothers, wives and daughters?"

McCain stated his opposition to the bill as he campaigned in rural eastern Kentucky, where poverty is worse among women than men. The Arizona senator said he was familiar with the disparity but that there are better ways to help women find better paying jobs. "They need the education and training, particularly since more and more women are heads of their households, as much or more than anybody else," McCain said. "And it's hard for them to leave their families when they don't have somebody to take care of them.

"It's a vicious cycle that's affecting women, particularly in a part of the country like this, where mining is the mainstay; traditionally, women have not gone into that line of work, to say the least," he said. McCain chose to visit the tiny hamlet of Inez, Ky., because it is where President Lyndon B. Johnson declared war on poverty. But McCain said Johnson's poverty programs had failed. "I wouldn't be back here today if government had fulfilled the promise that Lyndon Johnson made 44 years ago," he said. In recent weeks, McCain has proposed a series of tax breaks for corporations, doubling the dependent child tax exemption, government-backed refinancing for struggling homeowners and a summer holiday from gas taxes. He proposed another new program Wednesday: a tax write-off for companies that provide high-speed Internet access for underserved, low-income communities.

The Tramp Trap

I think people are more motivated and more prone to be educated by love than by fear. There needs to be, I think, an evident lack of danger in order for one to feel at ease. Then one is able to feel love to its full extent. That's why having a gun pointed at your head might make you more nervous than loving.

I don't know that to reprimand people for obeying their instinct of self preservation is a good or effective teaching tool. I think the minister in this article has set his congregation up for failure and pulled the guilt card on them. I'm not saying that the congregation walking past the "tramp" was an overly exemplary human action, but in the described case, if I were there, I would have walked past him, too.

The minister-in-disguise had put SYRINGES around him. Now, I think if anyone sees that a "tramp" has dangerous needles around him they will avoid him and perhaps call the authorities to incarcerate or lead the "tramp" to a help shelter or free rehab clinic. Just a thought.

Living in Chicago, I come across many a homeless person. Often they are hostile or high. As a female I am interested in not getting harmed. So I typically walk past them and ignore them if they are not doing something constructive like selling Streetwise newspapers to help themselves. Most instinctively view these people as one would a stray animal that may or may not bite. And those who take them in or take care of them should be, in fact, trained professionals (I presume there are professionals such as these in Denbigshire, England).

I send money regularly to a local men's shelter that helps those who are homeless and addicted. I don't feel it is my direct place to come into contact with these men, so I trust trained professionals to do this on my behalf. That is how I choose to help them.

As in the article, I don't think offering the "tramp" a cup of coffee is the solution. And I don't think railing on people for walking past a potential threat is a rational method in which to teach Jesus' love.

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Flock shocked by 'tramp' minister

A minister posed as a tramp and gatecrashed his own service to teach churchgoers about "acceptance".

BBC News – July 9, 2008 - The Reverend Derek Rigby donned a wig and some torn clothes and surrounded himself with lager cans and syringes in the church doorway on Sunday morning. Most of the congregation at the Trinity Methodist Church in Prestatyn, Denbighshire, ignored the intruder. The vicar said most were "embarrassed" by their behaviour when he finally revealed himself during the service. The former police officer had told the congregation he would be late for Sunday's service, and only informed one church member of his true plans, in case anyone decided to dial 999.

The vicar said he did not shave for three days and drew on tattooes to make his appearance more convincing. He said: "I couldn't take the car in case anyone spotted it, so I walked from my home to the church. That was interesting, because my neighbours avoided me. "I had bought clothes from a charity shop - which were immaculate - so I had to dirty them up a bit and I poured a bit of lager on them. "When I got to the church I arranged a couple of cans and some plastic syringes, without needles, which I have at home for the dog. It gave the impression of a real down and out."

He added: "None of them spoke to me, apart from a few who told me off and told me to get away from their cars, which they kept checking. "They all ignored me." He waited until the children had left the church to join their Sunday School before walking to the front of the building and revealing his identity to the congregation. He said: "Some were very embarrassed. Nobody was angry with me but they were shocked they had ignored me in the way they had. "They could have given me a cup of coffee”. "I was surprised rather than disappointed. Some people said they wished I had been there because I would have known how to deal with the situation."

Mr Rigby said he had intended to communicate a "serious message of acceptance in an emotive way", and used the example of the Disciples not recognising Jesus on the road to Emmaus after his resurrection. He said he had tried a similar stunt twice before in Newport and London - where the congregations had been more generous. He added: "I told them they were stingy because I had been given as much as £4.50, a packet of biscuits and a blanket in the other places, but in Prestatyn I got nothing. "Although, I'm sure that wouldn't happen again."

Nut Up

Oh hello, here it is again... Vatican, Inc. Boys Club upset that the girls are sneaking into the treehouse to be bishops. They stomp their feet, get huffy, and throw around the unfounded and completely ridiculous notion that Jesus only wanted men to preach.

Again, one has to wonder why God would have sent His son to bring His message of love to the world in the form of a man. Perhaps because, at the time, men were more likely to be heard. If it had been the other way around, God would have sent His only daughter. Who is to refute this idea?

What these guys are trying to say is this: Men serve God, women serve men.

Women-hating takes various forms. This is one of them. And to tell someone they cannot perform for the glory of God is telling God that He is essentially not worthy of the praise and reverence practiced by ALL SEXES. As all are created in His image, no? As ALL knees shall bow, it makes no difference what sex organ those knees are attached to. And if we're gonna get specific, Vatican Council, then you may as well ban white caucasians from being bishops, too, as if I recall correctly, Jesus was a darker-skinned Jew. Oh, and also anyone wearing full fancy gowns and expensive Italian leather shoes, as I also recall that Jesus was poor. Yes, no one who has money can be a true preaching servant of God. If you go with one assumption, you have to go with all, right?

UM, GUYS, YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG!

Where, in your whole hierarchical mess, Vatican, did the actual worship of God take a backseat to who is leading the worshipping?

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Vatican 'regrets' female bishops decision

July 8, 2008 - (CNN) -- The Vatican said Tuesday it regrets the decision by the Church of England's governing body to allow the ordination of women as bishops. The move by the Anglican Church's General Synod "is a rift to the apostolic tradition" of ordaining only men as bishops, the Vatican said in a statement, and is another obstacle to reconciliation between Anglicans and Roman Catholics. "This decision will have consequences on the dialogue which had brought good fruits," the Vatican statement said. The General Synod passed a resolution Monday night that allows women to become bishops, acting over the objections of traditionalists who argued that Jesus only wanted men in leadership positions. Some traditionalists have threatened to abandon the Anglican Church for the Roman Catholic Church if women become bishops. Several hundred Anglican priests made that move when women were first ordained 16 years ago. The synod narrowly rejected a proposal for "super bishops," which would have allowed parishes opposed to women bishops to opt out. Opponents argued the plan would be insulting to women bishops. The Church of England has about 114 bishops. They supervise parishes in Britain. The final hurdle for the consecration of women bishop is expected next February with a vote on a "code of practice" intended to protect people who as a matter of theological conviction will not be able to receive the ministry of women as bishops or priests." The first consecration of a woman bishop could potentially happen in 2015. The theological debate over women bishops has centered over the question "What would Jesus do?" The traditionalists argued that bishops must be men, as were Jesus and his apostles. Retired Canon Alan Duke, a longtime supporter of women in church leadership posts, said those arguments "simply do not stack up." Duke said that while Jesus named no female disciples, he used and valued woman in radical and different ways for his time. "He was hardly going to choose women and send them into a situation where they might have been in grave risk," Duke said. Christina Rees, with the pro-women lobby Women and the Church, described what was at stake as "an acceptance by the Church of England of women on equal terms as men in the ordained ministries." David Holding, a traditionalist church member, said he does not object to women bishops, but "there must be a proper provision made for those who can't go along with it." The lack of a provision to allow traditionalist choose to be under a "super bishop" instead of a woman raises concern that a schism could develop in the Church of England. Duke described "an awful lot of bluster" but doubted there "will be a mass exodus."

Educate Thyself - Part II

Why should the "state" should be educated in the "church"....perhaps to know thy 'enemy'.

As an American I am embarrassed by this obscene lack of education by someone whose job it is to know.

It should be essential that the religions of these sects be known and understood as they directly affect the governing bodies in conflict. Life is not a cake to separate here. And if one's ideals can be understood, no matter how foreign, it may help create channels for better communication and diplomacy. If a Sunni is aware that a U.S. soldier is taking a course to understand their beliefs, I think that would create an element of respect by the Sunni because hey, "they're trying to understand me". It would also lay the basis for Americans knowing what cultural faux pas they can avoid, i.e. mistaking a Sunni for a Shiite or the like, as well as asking questions or drawing comparative problems in their own religions in the states.

I rest my case. Education in religion is ESSENTIAL.

Democrat flunks his first intelligence test

By Toby Harnden in Washington
Last updated: 1:55 AM GMT 14/12/2006
Telegraph.co.uk

Representative Silvestre Reyes was flummoxed when a journalist rounded off a 40-minute interview by asking him two basic questions about the Islamic groups that are the principal targets of America's intelligence agencies. "Al-Qa'eda is what – Sunni or Shia?" Jeff Stein, the Congressional Quarterly magazine's national security editor, asked Mr Reyes. "Al-Qa'eda, they have both," came the reply. "You're talking about predominately?" the congressman then asked, before venturing: "Predominantly – probably Shi'ite." As Mr Stein noted in his subsequent column: "He couldn't have been more wrong. Al-Qa'eda is profoundly Sunni. If a Shi'ite showed up at an al-Qa'eda club house, they'd slice off his head and use it for a soccer ball." He then asked the congressman about the terrorist group Hizbollah. "Hizbollah. Uh, Hizbollah..." he said, laughing. "Why do you ask me these questions at five o'clock? Can I answer in Spanish? Do you speak Spanish?" The holes in his knowledge are a fresh embarrassment to Nancy Pelosi, the incoming Speaker of the House of Representatives, whose leadership was undermined when her chosen deputy was rejected by Democrats. She selected Mr Reyes to chair the House intelligence committee over the head of Jane Harman, who is widely respected as having a firm grasp of the nuances of the Middle East. Miss Pelosi is said to harbour a long-time personal grudge against Miss Harman. Mr Stein has been quizzing senior intelligence officials and politicians with similar questions for the past 18 months. In a similar gaffe-laden session, Willie Hulon, chief of the FBI's national security branch, did not know the difference between Sunnis and Shia either. "The basics goes back to their beliefs and who they were following," he said. "And the conflicts between the Sunnis and the Shia and the difference between who they were following." So which were Iran and Hizbollah? With a 50 per cent chance of getting it right, Mr Hulon flunked by plumping for Sunni. Congressman Terry Everett, a Republican and vice-chairman of the House intelligence sub-committee on technical and tactical intelligence, chuckled when he was asked the same question. "One's in one location, another's in another location," he said. "No, to be honest with you, I don't know. I thought it was differences in their religion, different families or something." When Mr Stein outlined the difference, which dates back to the death of the Prophet Mohammed in AD632, Mr Everett said: "Now that you've explained it to me, what occurs to me is that it makes what we're doing over there extremely difficult, not only in Iraq but that whole area." Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis, a Republican who oversees the CIA's recruiting of Islamic spies, was also stumped when asked if she knew the difference between Sunnis and Shia. "Do I? You know, I should. It's a difference in their fundamental religious beliefs. The Sunni are more radical than the Shia. Or vice versa. But I think it's the Sunnis who're more radical than the Shia." Mr Stein said: "This is basic stuff. We are not talking branches of Sunni. Congress's role is to oversee the intelligence agencies and make sure taxpayers' dollars are well spent but they don't know how to ask the right questions." Islam split into Shia and Sunni sects after the death of the Prophet in AD632. What became the Sunni sect supported Mohammed's most trusted lieutenants as his successors, while the Shia believed that only his direct descendents should rule the Islamic world. Over the centuries the sects have divided further in areas such as prayer and Koranic interpretation, and who is the true leader of Muslims.

Educate Thyself

At least two thirds of our miseries spring from human stupidity, human malice and those great motivators and justifiers of malice and stupidity, idealism, dogmatism and proselytizing zeal on behalf of religious or political idols.

-- Aldous Huxley


I would like to take a moment to brag about my parents.

They are extensive world travelers who continue to explore and shake hands with the world and cultures around them. They've been to so many places and have been spending a month at a time abroad for the past few years. They are also devout Catholics.

On Father's Day I had a chance to commend them and tell them how proud I am of them for expanding their horizons in getting to know other cultures and religions. That only a decade ago they may have held a somewhat unfavorable view of non-Christian foreigners who harbor different beliefs, customs, tastes, traditions, etc.

Buddhists, for example, may have been viewed with a twinge of judgment. But in Thailand they took a class on Buddhism, spent time with monks, toured temples and participated in the parade of a young man becoming a monk. They educated themselves, got to know and speak with the people and through this education came a new respect and connection with those in the world who are different from themselves.

This morning my husband and I were listening to the radio and the following (article) came on:

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Group Sues Over Christian License Plates
Lawsuit Claims "I Believe" Plates In South Carolina Advocate Christianity

The Associated Press - June 19, 2008

COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- A group that advocates separation of church and state filed a federal lawsuit Thursday to prevent South Carolina from becoming the first state to create "I Believe" license plates. The group contends that South Carolina's government is endorsing Christianity by allowing the plates, which would include a cross superimposed on a stained glass window. Washington-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed the lawsuit on behalf of two Christian pastors, a humanist pastor and a rabbi in South Carolina, along with the Hindu American Foundation. "I do believe these 'I Believe' plates will not see the light of day because the courts, I'm confident, will see through this," said the Rev. Barry Lynn, the group's executive director. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for South Carolina, asks a judge to stop South Carolina from making the plates and rule that the law allowing them violates the First Amendment. The bill sailed through the Legislature with little discussion earlier this year. Gov. Mark Sanford let it become law without his signature because the state already allows private groups to create license plates for any cause. Republican House Speaker Bobby Harrell said residents asked for a way to express their beliefs, and legislators responded. He disputed Lynn's accusation that they were pandering to constituents in an election year. "That's what critics always say when they see something they don't like," Harrell said. "I think this has less to do with the First Amendment and more to do with their disdain for religion generally." Lynn said his group would not have opposed the "I Believe" plates had they been advocted by private groups. State law allows private groups to create specialty plates as long as they first collect either a $4,000 deposit or 400 prepaid orders. Lt. Gov. AndrDe Bauer said last week that he is willing to put up the money, then get reimbursed. Bauer said the idea came from Florida, where a proposal for an "I Believe" tag failed. He called it a freedom-of-speech issue. But a Methodist pastor who joined the lawsuit, the retired Rev. Thomas Summers of Columbia, said the plate provokes discrimination. "I think this license plate really is divisive and creates the type of religious discord I've devoted my life to healing," he said. Another of the ministers, the Rev. Robert Knight of Charleston, said the plates cheapen the Christian message. "As an evangelical Christian, I don't think civil religion enhances the Christian religion. It compromises it," Knight said. "That's the fundamental irony. It's very shallow from a Christian standpoint."

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I am a Universalist Christian and I acknowledge that not everyone in the U.S. is a Christian. And that's 100% cool with me. I am an advocate of the separation of Church and State and I believe legislation needs to be divorced from any form of religion as issues regarding “State” can be applied to ALL peoples, whereas issues regarding “church” cannot.

When I pay for my license plates there is a tax. When I pay for the renewal stickers on my plates there is a tax. A taxing, legislative body that is the Secretary of State (any state) should not have a lick of jurisdiction to entertain religious incorporations / messages into a license plate.

Bumper stickers and Jesus fish should suffice in telling the world through the wonder of adhesive and plastic knick-knacks just how you and your car worship.

Actually, to let the world know you and your car are at peace with other religions, check out this cool bumper sticker and where you can order it:

http://www.carryabigsticker.com/peace_religious_symbols.htm

Separation of church and state is a political and legal doctrine that government and religious institutions are to be kept separate and independent from each other. The term most often refers to the combination of two principles: secularity of government and freedom of religious exercise.

The phrase separation of church and state is generally traced to a letter written by Thomas Jefferson in 1802 to the Danbury Baptists, in which he referred to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution as creating a "wall of separation" between church and state.

The phrase was then quoted by the United States Supreme Court first in 1878, and then in a series of cases starting in 1947. This led to increased popular and political discussion of the concept. (Source: Wikipedia)

My husband feels that Comparative Religion should be a mandatory class in all grade, middle and high schools and I completely agree. If children are being taught about the world around them, they need to know the facts about how life is organized within one of its most enduring machinations: religion. It has been said that religion is the opiate of the masses. Well, if the masses do not have the facts about said religion(s) and make false assumptions regarding other masses and religions...you have chaos...and often, war.

Comparative Religion is often an elective offered in college but to educate the young will help dispel many myths and stereotypes of such things as what Muslims truly believe...or where Mormons came from...or why Jews have the holidays they have, or what exactly Purgatory, Nirvana, Valhala, Heaven or re-incarnation is. Many people haven't got a clue as to what a Wiccan is or what Santeria is or what Last Rites are or the difference between dharma and karma. And on and on the ignorance goes.

Not a religion class that sways or converts...but a class that will simply EDUCATE CHILDREN IN PRESENTING THE FACTS ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ACTUALLY BELIEVE THE WAY THEY DO AND WHY.

I think this type of education would help disintegrate the divisive judgement on others and bring about a sense of unity and peace this nation has embarrassingly lacked for ages.

In a sense to know is to love. And everybody needs to know.

Kiss My Naked Ass, Robert Hurt!

I am an artist. I am a woman. I am a feminist. I am a Democrat. I am a Liberal. I am a believer in God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the message He proclaimed to Love One Another. I believe war embodies the qualities of the antichrist. I am a believer in freedom of religion and living peacefully with those I disagree with. I believe in separation of Church and State.

And I vote.

So, naturally the following article really makes me laugh, shake my head and look around in incredulity saying "Does anyone else see what's wrong here?"

Firstly, ancient art revered women and saw their bodies as works of art in themselves. Stories of gods and goddesses remain in our history and gorgeous painting and sculptures by genius artists have graced the ages. These historic and lovely works of art are not to be censored.

So, now, in the year 2008, you decide your delicate sensibilities are suddenly offended, you republican Nazi? What's next, book burning? Maybe retract the 19th ammendment?

Absolutist men in power with their anti-understanding, anti-culture, anti-gay, anti-mercy, anti-women, anti-anything-but-white-male-WASP visions are terrifying. Those bodies governing this great country must learn from the trees: be flexible because what doesn't bend, breaks. This article shows the regression that is not only terrifying, but possible with the Conservative Christian Republican Right-Wing Wackos who are ready to burn witches again should they take over the White House. I think the debacle of this past administration should serve as a huge warning.

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Work on Texas GOP's platform stirs passions

By WAYNE SLATER / The Dallas Morning News - 09:02 AM CDT on Friday, June 13, 2008

HOUSTON – Robert Hurt went to Washington and didn't like what he saw – nudity in the nation's capital. "Nude women, sculptured women," he told the state Republican platform committee, which sat in rapt attention. Of all the evils in Washington that the Texas GOP took aim at this week, removing art with naked people from public view was high on the list for Mr. Hurt, a delegate from Kerrville. "You don't have nude art on your front porch," he explained. "You possibly don't have nude art in your living rooms. So why is it important to have that in the common places of Washington, D.C.?" Mr. Hurt offered statistics: He'd heard that 20 percent of the art in the National Gallery of Art is of nudes. He offered detail: On Arlington Memorial Bridge overlooking the famed national cemetery, "there are two Lady Godivas, two women on horses with no shirt on and long hair." Actually, they are classical sculptures about war – one called Valor, depicting a male equestrian and a female with a shield, and Sacrifice, a female accompanying the rider Mars. The GOP platform will be presented today to the full convention. Like all platforms, it's a statement of principle and a political document to rally the troops. In this, a presidential year, it advocates prayer in school, getting out of the United Nations, teaching intelligent design with evolution in science classes, repealing of the minimum wage, declaring illegal immigrants criminals and outlawing abortion with no exceptions. "Hallelujah!" said a delegate who had urged strong anti-abortion language. The platform calls homosexuality contrary to "the unchanging truths" ordained by God. It opposes gay marriage, civil unions and the custody of children by gays. The party's own leaders aren't spared. There's a call to repeal the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, sponsored by the party's presidential nominee, and to oppose the Trans-Texas Corridor, the brainchild of Gov. Rick Perry. Ridding Washington of naked art didn't make it. Neither did a complaint by a Kerr County delegate that her daughter was having trouble getting college scholarships. "There are so many scholarships, if you are the right color," she said. "But for a white girl, who has good grades, you really have to look." Glenn Sheblaton of Coppell, whose family fled communism, called for language to withdraw American troops from Iraq, saying, "You can't impose democracy from the barrel of a gun." The committee disagreed. "There is no substitute for victory!" the platform says in supporting the Bush administration's war on "radical Islamist terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries around the world." Last week, the Texas Democratic Party decided not to call for a federal Department of Peace and Nonviolence in its platform for fear Republicans would use it against the party in the fall campaign. In much the same way, Republican Bill Calhoun of Houston cautioned against calling affirmative action "simply racism disguised as social value." He said such language discourages blacks from joining the GOP. The issue was debated in committee, principle vs. politics. In the end, strong language prevailed. "That may not always be the best political strategy," platform committee chairman Kirk Overbey said Thursday. "But we're here to say we're sticking by our principles."

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And by the way, I do display nude art in my living room. I have a sculpture of a naked woman's body, actually. Some of the most moving pieces of art in the Louvre are naked women. Only small men with a small minds focus on small and petty things like doing away with these treasures to society and culture.

Here is a wonderful montage collectively summing up where this country is going should we elect another Good Ol' Boy:



And here is another site where Obama's camp puts to rest those silly rumors started by the GOP regime: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/fightthesmearshome/

Politics And Religion

This past week controversy has surrounded a charismatic Catholic priest named Fr. Michael Pfleger whose parish is St. Sabina's, a predominantly black Catholic church on the southside of Chicago. I watched the rant in question by Fr. Pfleger on YouTube as he mocked Hilary Clinton .

As a feminist I find his mocking tirade offensive even though I support Obama. And though I believe in freedom of speech I believe in separation of Church and State. I know that the Catholic Church is a tax-exempt institution and clergy is not generally permitted to outwardly attempt to sway the congregation through their opinions on politics and candidates one way or another. Which is exactly what is happening here. And it is done so blatantly and divisively. Instead of promoting unity among parties, classes, gender and races, Fr. Pfleger performs a huge disservice to all in a very obnoxious way. I think the way he feeds off the attention and encouragement of the crowd falls in line with the shady televangelists of olde. A fine line exists between positive spiritual charisma and loud narcissistic propaganda.

Where is his focus on God and our relationship to Him in all of this?

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St. Sabina Parish leaders to meet with Cardinal George over reinstatement of Rev. Michael Pfleger
By Manya A. Brachear – Chicago Tribune reporter - 11:20 PM CDT, June 4, 2008

A couple scheduled to be married Saturday at St. Sabina Catholic Church and the 51 graduating kindergartners at St. Sabina Academy called on Cardinal Francis George Wednesday to "reinstate" Rev. Michael Pfleger in time for the celebrations this weekend. Church leaders said they would meet with the cardinal to discuss the hiatus he forced on their pastor. "I do not believe Cardinal George fully considered the impact of his decision," said Amanda Breedlove, a prospective bride who for months has envisioned Pfleger presiding at her wedding. "It's a feeling of being robbed. One day your family member is there. One day he's not. A temporary administrator is not our pastor." On Tuesday, George told Pfleger to take a sabbatical "for a couple of weeks" to reconsider his mocking remarks about U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton during a recent sermon. Asked to vacate the church rectory within 24 hours, Pfleger had several places to stay in the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood, church leaders said. They said he had no plans to rent an apartment. Leaders also assured the temporary administrator for St. Sabina appointed by George, Rev. William Vanecko, pastor of St. Kilian's Catholic Church, 8725 S. May St., that they would work with him and that any sharp words were not directed toward him but at decision-makers. "We're encouraging the faith community not to point their fingers at him because he's not the culprit," said Randall Blakey, director of ministry at St. Sabina. Pfleger, a longtime priest and activist on the city's South Side, made headlines with a May 25 guest sermon at Trinity United Church of Christ in which he mocked Clinton and suggested that she is a white elitist who felt entitled to the Democratic nomination for president. As a video of the sermon circulated, Pfleger promised the cardinal that he would not publicly mention any candidate by name this summer and fall and that he would abide by the "discipline common to all Catholic priests." U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, who already had taken hits for controversial statements made by Trinity's now-retired pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., terminated his membership at the South Side church a day later. Pfleger issued a statement Monday seeking to clarify another controversial snippet from that sermon. He said he erred in saying, "America is the greatest sin against God," when he meant "racism." The cardinal repeatedly has allowed Pfleger to stay as pastor of St. Sabina, where he's served for more than 30 years, long beyond church policies that limit pastors to two 6-year terms in a parish. Deacon Michael Threet said Wednesday that his No. 1 concern is Pfleger's absence from the building and fear that he will not return. "There will no future as we know it at St. Sabina," Threet said. "We believe God called Michael Pfleger to this church to be an earthly shepherd at this time. . . . Whether it was appropriate or not, the punishment was extreme and [George is] hurting the faith community."

God Grant Us A Price Break?

When it comes to prayer, there are things that are God-worthy to be prayed for - like strength in a tough situation, faith when in doubt, wisdom in a confusing predicament, endurance for the long haul, even for more love when one is having a hard time loving. Characteristics that are essential to the spirit which will nurture a closer relationship with the Holy Spirit. Yes, rock on.

Then there are people like these who I feel are mis-using their time and prayers. They are praying for gas prices to drop. GA$ PRICES. Now, don't get me wrong, prayer in all things is fine, however, there is a line to be drawn when it comes to praying for material goods (and this is classified as such) - and publicly at that. God helps those who help themselves - these people need to address their lobbyists, their Congress and stop taking God for a pushover economist fool.

In this the richest nation on earth, the so-called-faithful are praying for money savings? Does this seem wrong to anyone else? What about the starving children, the hurricane, tornado, flood and earthquake victims and the modern-day holocausts occurring in the world? Is their world simply contained within the walls of these United States? The true injustices get overlooked to be prayed for so fervently so they can save 75 cents a gallon? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

It is like a child asking their parents to instantly grant them knowledge of the world's cultures as they stand in a room stacked full of National Geographics. Sometimes, people, you have to work to get your prayers answered.

Perhaps in a strange way, higher gas prices are God's way of saying "Hey, get off your obese American asses and walk to work, bike to work, use the limbs and instruments I have given you and get active." Or, it may be God's way of saying, "Hey, people, time to focus on alternative fuels. The world is suffering and polluted, this is a wakeup call for all of you to work together to come up with new and creative resources to keep the world greener. There is a reason for this jackup in prices! I had to get your attention somehow and since money is so important to you, this is my way of tapping you on the shoulder."

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Activists Keep the Faith, if Not Their Money

By Jonathan MummoloWashington Post Staff WriterSaturday, May 31, 2008; B05

The price of regular at a Shell gas station in Petworth gleamed defiantly in the midday sun: $3.91 a gallon. But unlike the customers rolling up to the station's pumps this week, resigned to the fact that their wallets were about to take a beating, Rocky Twyman and company had a plan to bring that number tumbling down. They would ask God to do it. "Our pockets are empty, but we're going to hold on to God!" Twyman, a community organizer from Rockville, said as he and seven other people formed a semicircle, held hands and sang, pleading for divine intervention to lower fuel prices. It was the latest demonstration by Twyman's movement, Pray at the Pump, which began in April. Since then, he has held group prayers at gas stations as far away as San Francisco, garnering international media attention and even claiming success in at least a couple of cases. Some would say the proof of whether Twyman has the ear of the Almighty is in the result. On the first day of the movement, April 23, the national average price of a gallon of unleaded was $3.53, according to AAA. As of yesterday, it was $3.96. But Twyman said true faith does not demand instant gratification, and he plans to keep his pump-side prayers going "until God tells us to stop." "This whole thing is a wake-up call from God to Americans, because we idolize men so much," said Twyman, 59, a public relations consultant and Seventh-day Adventist who believes that high gas prices are a sign of the apocalypse drawing nigh. "I think through this crisis, God is trying to call us back to depend on Him more." For the past several weeks, Twyman has assembled a group at a soup kitchen in the Petworth neighborhood of Northwest Washington where he volunteers. They have driven to a gas station, locked hands, said a prayer, purchased gas and sung the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome," with an added verse: "We'll have lower gas prices." Reactions, and results, have been mixed. After he gave an interview to a Tampa radio station, the station received calls from listeners saying the price at their pumps had dropped. (According to AAA's Fuel Price Finder, regular gas at Tampa area stations averaged $3.89 a gallon yesterday, up from $3.59 a month ago). Last week, as one of the demonstrations was winding down, an angry gas station manager in Petworth chased them from the property, Twyman said, annoyed that the activists were hampering business. On Thursday, onlookers included the puzzled, the amused, the inspired and the skeptical. Sylvester Shorter, 61, of Southeast Washington was pumping $20 worth of regular as the group sang. "They're praying," he said dismissively. "Do I still have to pay $20?" A public relations consultant, Twyman is experienced at garnering publicity and has staged campaigns over the years for various causes, from tsunami relief to bone marrow donations for minorities. In 2005, he began a movement to get Oprah Winfrey the Nobel Peace Prize. (She did not win.) Last year, he led prayers for rain in drought-afflicted Georgia. (Rain did eventually fall.) To some observers, the idea of praying in public for cheaper gas is "uniquely American." Johannes Wiebus, an independent producer who recently filmed one of Twyman's demonstrations for a German TV network, said: "You've got this issue -- high gas prices -- which is an economic issue, a political issue, but no one in their wildest dreams would make it a religious issue in Germany." But to some local drivers feeling the pinch, frustrated at the inability of politicians to solve the problem, the question isn't, "Why pray for cheap gas?" It's, "Why not?" "I think it's a wonderful thing," said Mirrine Thorne of Northwest Washington, who pulled in to gas up her Chevy Impala as Twyman's group prayed. Thorne, a mother of four, said gas prices have limited the activities she can do with her kids on the weekends. "Nobody else is doing anything," she said. "God is going to do something." After a few minutes of song and appeals to customers to join the movement, Twyman and his group began their departure, their hope and faith replenished. The price of regular? $3.91.