Wow.

I really haven't a whole lot to say about this video, mostly because i'm stunned it came out of the mouth of a fourteen year-old kid with a radio show. Just...watch this.

Yes, 14 year-old Caiden Cowger really just did say that President Obama was trying to turn kids gay.

I'll try and process this tomorrow.

More bullshit from Palin

From the Book of Matthew:

12And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

13And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

My utter disgust for religious fanaticism has been documented many times over on this blog, and over at Banned and Dangerous. I hate the ignorant pawns of blind faith - the kind that asks you to unwaveringly follow without questioning and having second thoughts about one's faith, the kind of people who have the nerve to judge me because my viewpoints on God and faith are not the same as his or hers. It is revolting to me how any one person can take an innocent life and then claim that they were carrying out God's righteous will, or how any individual can mask their intolerance of another person or group through their Holy Books.

What I hate even more than the pawns, are the snake-old salesmen, the charlatans, the money-lining shyster-scumbags who prey on the lesser angels of human nature in order to assume power or make a quick dollar. Enter former Governor of Alaska and Former Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, and her misguided belief that American law was based on Judo-Christian teaching.

According to Palin, the recent backlash against the National Day of Prayer is proof that some people are trying to enact a "fundamental transformation of America" and to "revisit and rewrite history" in order to shift the Christian nation away from its spiritual roots.

Palins's advice: "Go back to what our founders and our founding documents meant -- they're quite clear -- that we would create law based on the God of the bible and the ten commandments.

"What in the hell scares people about talking about America's foundation of faith?" Palin continued. "It is that world view that involves some people being afraid of being able to discuss our foundation, being able to discuss God in the public square, that's the only thing I can attribute it to."

Governor Palin, you're full of shit. The Founders created laws based on the ideas and beliefs that came from the Age of Enlightenment, where artists, thinkers, philosophers and the like began to strongly question the Church, the notion of a monarchy, and the idea of a select few ruling over the many. Laws like freedom of speech, the right to peacefully assemble, etc., did not come from the Bible.
And, as an FYI - If the Founders meant to build our Constitution and our laws around Christian teaching, wouldn't they have specifically announced in the Constitution that the United States subscribes to the Christian faith?

...huh?!

The news story that i'm still scratching my head over.

FINDLAY, Ohio - A student at a fundamentalist Baptist school that forbids dancing, rock music, hand-holding and kissing will be suspended if he takes his girlfriend to her public high school prom, his principal said.

Despite the warning, 17-year-old Tyler Frost, who has never been to a dance before, said he plans to attend Findlay High School's prom Saturday.

Frost, a senior at Heritage Christian School in northwest Ohio, agreed to the school's rules when he signed a statement of cooperation at the beginning of the year, principal Tim England said.

The teen, who is scheduled to receive his diploma May 24, would be suspended from classes and receive an "incomplete" on remaining assignments, England said. Frost also would not be permitted to attend graduation but would get a diploma once he completes final exams. If Frost is involved with alcohol or sex at the prom, he will be expelled, England said.

Ok, I get the sex and alcohol part, but the school suspended one of their own for simply taking his girlfriend to her prom?? But here's the kicker:

"In life, we constantly make decisions whether we are going to please self or please God. (Frost) chose one path, and the school committee chose the other," England said.

Jesus fucking Christ.....he's a hormonal, angst ridden male teenager who probably beats off to a friend's naughty movies, all while listening to AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" every time the 'rents are out of town (you know, like me almost a year ago); you're not training him to become a priest who tells the alter boys to come hither and drop the pants to receive the 'touch of God!'

He's a teenage boy...let him be just that.

God is strategically saying, $77.00!

That's what this televangelist, Steve Munsey 'claims' that God wants his Followers to do.

This huckster should be selling us some crappy used cars, not using God's Word and the teachings of Jesus Christ to pimp them out of money!?

At any rate, this is one hilarious video.

McCain might want to stay clear of this guy

Republican Senator and likely presidential nominee John McCain received an endorsement today from the people McCain once called "agents of intolerance".

SAN ANTONIO — Senator John McCain got support on Wednesday from an important corner of evangelical Texas when the pastor of a San Antonio mega-church, Rev. John C. Hagee, endorsed Mr. McCain for president. Mr. Hagee, who argues that the United States must join Israel in a preemptive, biblically prophesized military strike against Iran that will lead to the second coming of Christ, praised Mr. McCain for his pro-Israel views.

“John McCain has publicly stated his support of the state of Israel, pledging that his administration will not permit Iran to have nuclear weapons to fulfill the evil dreams of President Ahmadinejad to wipe Israel off the map,'’ Mr. Hagee said at a news conference at the Omni Hotel in San Antonio.

Mr. Hagee also praised Mr. McCain for his “solid, pro-life voting record for the past 24 years.'’

Mr. McCain, who has been on a steady search for support among conservative and evangelical leaders who have long distrusted him, said he was “very honored'’ by Mr. Hagee’s endorsement. Asked about Mr. Hagee’s extensive writings on Armageddon and about what one questioner said was Mr. Hagee’s belief that the anti-Christ will be the head of the European Union, Mr. McCain responded that “all I can tell you is that I am very proud to have Pastor John Hagee’s support.'’

Looking at this move from a political perspective, this is a great endorsement to have for the Arizona Senator. It might ease some of the concerns of the evangelical Republican voters about McCain's stance on the issues, by watching one of their own side with McCain. He's going to need the votes of the evangelical crowd in order to win the White House.

My personal opinion is that I wouldn't want that fundamentalist kook even a few inches from me. Check out the history of Hagee, and you'll see what I mean.

He argues the land of Israel never belonged to the Arabs who now call themselves Palestinians[citation needed] because sovereignty went from the Ottoman Turks who controlled the land for centuries prior to World War I, to the British, to the United Nations which authorized the creation of the Jewish State of Israel. He emphasizes the land was first renamed Palestine after the extinct (and non-Semitic/non-Arab) Philistines to punish the Jews for their revolt against the Romans, that there is no Palestinian language and most of those who now call themselves Palestinians immigrated from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and other Arab nations shortly before 1948.

Hagee has said Iran is a threat to Western civilization and does not believe the "Islamofascist" mentality will ever respond favorably to diplomacy[citation needed]. He supports an American-Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran to eliminate its nuclear capability and supports the Neo-Conservative movement in the United States.

Think that's nuts? Check out what the Pastor foresees in the near future.

In his book Jerusalem Countdown: A Warning to the World, Hagee interprets the Bible to predict Russia and the Islamic states will invade Israel and be destroyed by God. This will cause the anti-Christ, the head of the European Union, to create a confrontation over Israel between China and the West. A final battle between East and West at Armageddon will then precipitate the Second Coming of Christ.[7] In a discussion concerning Muhammad, he claims Muhammad was a man of war and this influence on Islam is the cause of the troubles of Jerusalem[citation needed].

Theologically, Hagee believes in the "baptism of the Holy Spirit", the "absolute authority of the scripture", miraculous healing, anointing with oil, baptism by immersion, the importance of evangelism, and the "worship of the Lord through singing, clapping, and the lifting of hands."

As I said in my title, John McCain would be smart to stay clear of this Christian extremist, but with many conservatives not fully warming up to the prospect of McCain becoming the Republican nominee for President, he'll take whatever conservative/evangelical influence he can get.

I may have figured out the madness of Jeremiah

Here's a theory into why Jeremiah, the religious kook we've all come to know and love, is the way he is.

To understand the madness of Jeremiah, we must understand the roots of what a fundamentalist Protestant believes.

Firstly, fundamentalist Protestants take the Bible at face value, which is to say that every word of the Holy Book is the Absolute Truth, or shortly, the Will of the Almighty.
Secondly, fundamentalist Protestants believe that, morally, America has lost its way. In the eyes of a fundamentalist, the increases in drug abuse and death, crime, the murder rate, youth pregnancy, poverty, divorce, etc., are signs that the moral infrastructure of America is deteriorating.
Coupled with the belief that Christianity holds the Absolute Truth, that everything in the Bible is true, and that their religion will lead to peace of mind and the promise of eternal life in heaven, fundamentalist Protestants prey to the disillusioned and the simple-minded portion of citizens that America needs to return to the Bible before we all burn in hell; ergo, Jeremiah.

But it's just a theory, and like all theories, mine could be wrong, and that Jeremiah is just simply, out of his fucking mind.

Just in time for Black History Month....

I've read some vile tripe from the fringes of the right-wing, but this latest nugget is by far, the most insulting piece of garbage I've read. This comes from Jeremiah, the self-called "fundamentalist Evangelical" who believes the standard conservative Christian nonsense that gays are an abomination to the Almighty, Liberalism is evil, etc.

One of the most common arguments you hear coming from modern Secular skeptics these days is that, Christianity and the bible "support" slavery. What does the bible say? Were they treated like slaves were in the 1800s? Leviticus gives us some incite...

Leviticus 25:53 - He is to be treated as a man hired from year to year; you must see to it that his owner does not rule over him ruthlessly.

Hmmmm...Let's see, they got paid, were given plenty to eat, a place to sleep, they went to church (as was required by God), so forth and so on. Doesn't sound to me like cruelty or mis-treatment, but of servants of their own free will, willing to work, so they could survive

Yes, you heard right.

My black ancestors couldn't have possibly been cruelly mistreated because the Bible said so.

Let's take a look at how 'kind' the plantation owners were to my black ancestors.

According to both the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Brion Davis and the Marxist historian Eugene Genovese, treatment of slaves was both harsh and inhumane. Whether laboring or walking about in public, people living as slaves were regulated by legally authorized violence. Davis makes the point that, while some aspects of slavery took on a "welfare capitalist" look......

Was this the kind of humane treatment you spoke of, Jeremiah, or is this what you were talking about?

On large plantations, slave overseers were authorized to whip and brutalize non-compliant slaves. Slave codes authorized, indemnified or even required the use of violence, and were denounced by abolitionists for their brutality. Both slaves and free blacks were regulated by the Black Codes, and had their movements monitored by slave patrols conscripted from the white population which were allowed to use summary punishment against escapees, sometimes maiming or killing them. In addition to physical abuse and murder, slaves were at constant risk of losing members of their families if their owners decided to trade them for profit, punishment, or to pay debts. A few slaves retaliated by murdering owners and overseers, burning barns, killing horses, or staging work slowdowns. [30] Stampp, without contesting Genovese's assertions concerning the violence and sexual exploitation faced by slaves, does question the appropriateness of a Marxian approach in analyzing the owner-slave relationship.[31]

Or was it this random act of kindness you spoke of Jeremiah?

Genovese claims that because the slaves were the legal property of their owners, it was not unusual for enslaved black women to be raped by their owners, members of their owner's families, or their owner's friends. Children who resulted from such rapes were slaves as well, as they took the status of their mothers, unless freed by the slaveholder.

Jeremiah was right. Such loving kindness did the Southern slave owner showed toward my ancestors.

Here's how the slaves were treated in terms of living conditions:

According to Genovese, slaves were fed, clothed, housed and provided medical care in the most minimal manner. It was common to pay small bonuses during the Christmas season, and some slave owners permitted their slaves to keep earnings and gambling profits.

Hey, at least they were being housed, clothed, fed and during the holiday season, paid, isn't that right?

Jeremiah: your words were not only blatantly ignorant and false, they were also out-and-out insulting to the memory of our black ancestors who were robbed of their humanity because of their skin color and because of centuries of racial prejudice and the racist thinking that the white man was superior over all beings.

You ought to deeply ashamed of yourself.

The Religious Right and contraception/abortion: Ignorance is bliss

If you want to know just how stupid and ignorant the right-wing Christian zealots (and the Catholic Church) are, check out this discussion on abortion and contraception.

At any rate, we won't set our sights on contraception AFTER we get abortion banned because our sights are ALREADY set on contraception...though we have a lot of work to do among Catholics, first, because after Vatican II it was mistakenly assumed by most Catholics that contraception was no big deal. It is, of course, a big deal and now the Church is starting to re-emphasise that if you don't want children, don't have sex.

First Noonan, abortion is not - I repeat - is not going away for the following reasons:

1st reason: it's noting short of political suicide! Unless the GOP can manage to win an election (without resorting to the tricks they pulled in Ohio in 2004) without the majority of women who support abortion, there is no way you guys will overturn Roe vs. Wade.
2nd reason: God forebid this abortion is outlawed, it will only be a matter of time before the pressure of protesters force govt. to make it legal again.
3rd reason: you're only putting women in more risk to turn to the old days of getting an abortion..........and we really don't want to go down that road.

Second, just telling someone to not to have sex isn't the be-all-end-all treatment against unwanted pregnancy and preventing STD's. People (especially young people) need to be educated about the risks of having sex and they need to hear all the choices that are given to them, not just your own.
And third, Mark, ".......but contraception is wrong........." what bullshit, contraception's the thing that would prevent me from Jonathan Jr. or from having VD, and btw: who the fuck are you to shove your holier-than-thou views onto others, from a man who lives in...........Las Vegas, a place riddled with gambling, prostitution, and sex?
Noonan, just remember: "Judge not, least ye be judged."

The problem with Christianity

From the Book of Matthew, Chapter 5 (also known as the Sermon on the Mount)

1
1 When he saw the crowds, 2 he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
2
He began to teach them, saying:
3
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, 4 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4
5 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5
6 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
6
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 7 for they will be satisfied.
7
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8
8 Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, 9 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.
12
10 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13
11 12 "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14
You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
15
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.
16
Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
17
13 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
18
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.
19
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 14
20
I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
21
15 16 "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.'
22
17 But I say to you, whoever is angry 18 with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
23
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you,
24
leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.
26
Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.
27
19 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.'
28
But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29
20 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
30
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.
31
21 "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.'
32
But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
33
22 "Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.'
34
But I say to you, do not swear at all; 23 not by heaven, for it is God's throne;
35
nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
36
Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black.
37
24 Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one.
38
25 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'
39
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.
40
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well.
41
Should anyone press you into service for one mile, 26 go with him for two miles.
42
Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.
43
27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
44
But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,
45
that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
46
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors 28 do the same?
47
And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? 29
48
So be perfect, 30 just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

It's a true shame what has become of religion nowadays, especially Christianity. The teachings of love, peace towards your fellow man, and tolerance have taken a backside to pastors like a Jerry Falwell or a Pat Robertson who only care about scaring the followers into blindly following the Republican Party and their twisted version of the teachings of Christ (not to mention, to take their money). I have been searching the archives of religion at Blogs for Bush.com, and the posts and the bloggers over at that madhouse have convinced me the very spirit and the principles of of my faith is dying, and the followers of the Religious Right are merely contributing to it.

Take, for example the post on the same-sex marriage debate that brings out the flat intolerance in Christian followers.

First off, It is not, Gay, It is - SODOMITE.

Secondly, Aarontime, You say, and I quote -

"There are indeed lots of societal threats to marriage these days. Gays getting married isn't one of them."

Wrong, wrong, wrong..........Wrong!!

What you don't understand about the dangers of Sodomites being granted the same rights as all the other normal people of society, is the fact, that...Sodomites will continue their harmful influence upon the minds of the younger people in society...thus, Creating a poisoned society.

The objective of the Christian segment in society, Including myself, as many others here will agree, is to sever the onslaught of Sodomite influence upon society.

We want to keep the minds of our youth pure, and teach them to be God fearing, respectable, law-abiding citizens.

Jeremiah

Posted by: Jeremiah [TypeKey Profile Page] at June 18, 2007 11:17 PM

Comment: Correct me if i'm wrong, but didn't Christ preach to his Followers to love one another, and never hate? Add to that, don't we, as Americans, have freedom from being forced to worship anything you don't want to?

Another example is the fusion of political ideology and Christ's teachings.

Libertarian,

Well, being a libertarian is wrong - as is being a liberal or a leftist. The reason I'm a Catholic and a conservative is because I think that Catholicism and conservatism are correct.

And being a classic liberal just means you haven't trudged down that inevitible liberal road to statism. God - the most important thing, and the only foundation of any political rationality.
Posted by: Mark Noonan [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 14, 2007 09:16 PM

Comment: I thought Christ told his followers: "Judge not, less ye be judged"?

Once you've grasped that, you'll really be on the path to understanding conservative Christianity. The whole purpose of conservatism is not individual liberty, per se, but the ability of groups and interests to pursue their own affairs with minimal interference from the State. Christians are both individuals and part of a group (we call it the Body of Christ) - but we are not, and cannot be, either individualists or totalitarians. Individuals are vitally important, but also important is how we deal with our fellows - strive, indeed, for a better life...but don't forget your brother who has less, even if the reason he has less is because of his own foolishness.

In service of this, we conservatives are always looking after what Burke (the original conservative) called the "little platoons" of society....the family, the Church, social clubs, the business, the trade organization...it is these groups which are the defense of the individual against society and the State...the individual, armed with all the rights of a Constitution, has no rights at all if there isn't a group to spring to his defense when he comes under oppression. The problem with liberalism is that it seeks to undermine all groups and leave the individual naked in the public square to government scrutiny...the problem with libertarianism is that it does it from the opposite position of demanding that no group have a say in what an individual does (libertarianism is saved from utter worthlessness by the fact that it is, at least, also determined to free a person from any domination by the State...what libertarianism fails to understand is that without being subordinated to a group, there is no way for the individual to maintain his liberty). Its a balancing act, as you can see.
Posted by: Mark Noonan [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 15, 2007 02:15 AM

Comment: "Render unto Caesar, that which is into Caesar, and render unto God, that which is into God." (I think that this is what Jesus preached, right?)

Lastly, not one single Christian could justify more killing as an end to justify the means, as Mark does here.

Kill them all and let God sort them out.

These are harsh words but, an effective military strategy. Our enemy must be defeated. The leaders of Islamic lands understand that their people must be brought to their knees and forced to capitulate hence, the despot. We're dealing with people that are wiling to strap bombs on their bodies to kill a few noncombatants to grab a headline.

They hide behind their children in the schools, behind God in their houses of worship, and behind their women in the civilian population to creep out and strike whom, those who cannot strike back in the vast majority of cases.

Moreover, the moderates are surprisingly quiet in condemnation of the radicals’ tactics. (Comment: maybe it's because they'll end up dead if the moderates condemn the radicals?) In fact, in the company of their own, most sing praises to them. Hate is taught is their schools and there is little or no effort by the moderates to change this. The blatant surreal hatred of the Jew is held not only by the radical but by the moderate also and passed on generation after generation to what end?

So, who is the guilty party or parties? Is the man or men whom could have stopped it but, who instead stand by and watches one atrocity after another committed against the helpless innocent? No, he or they are responsible and should be held to accounts.

Total war is the only answer and is coming sooner or later. The body count will be lower the sooner it comes so, isn't that the human course of action? Yes, if we wait our enemy will grow stronger. What of the fate of our own? Limited war expose our fighting forces to acts of terroristic actions they would not subjected to in a total war effort and extends their exposure to the enemy. Are we not collectively responsible for them as well? Absolutely, and this is where our allegiance must lie. Why should we put the welfare of the enemies’ families before our own son and daughter fighting in the armed services? We shouldn't!

Comment: True, Jesus did advocate turning the other cheek, but He would never advocate your disgusting comments. Neither would God. And word to Mark and the rest of the fanatical ideologues that follow him: Jesus was not a pot-smoking liberal. Neither was he card-carrying member of the GOP. He was merely a man who taught his followers to love instead of hate, preach tolerance and love, not hatred and exclusiveness, not to mention, to give to the least of our society that we still ignore today.

I fear that if we continue to let a minority of intolerant, bigoted and hateful bunch of religious fanatics speak for the majority of Christians in America, that we will lose Christ's message forever. We as the majority of moderate Christians, must drown out the voices of condemnation and separation heard from the Religious Right and do a better job of making our voices heard (this goes for all religions as well).