Where The Hell Am I???

Ever feel like the curtains have been ripped back and you suddenly find yourself wondering where we are and how we got here?

My iGoogle has a CNN section. It only gives me three headlines. When I saw "Missouri Police Find Body of Missing Boy". I clicked it, thinking this was Baby Sky, little Jhessye Shockley, or Baby Kate. It wasn't. This is a wholly different missing child.

At the bottom of that article, I saw the link to "Body Found in Search for Missing Virginia Beach Baby".
which led to..
"Two Nebraska children found in kennel"
and on. Each horrible story leading to links for more horrible stories.

"Body found during search for missing 10-year-old in Texas"
"Body Found in Investigation of Utah Babysitter's Disappearance"
"Tennessee Woman Indicted in Deaths of Infant Twins"
"Man Allegedly Caught on Tape Swinging Baby By Neck With Blanket."

They go on and on and on... Stories of bodies found, children missing, children abused. Though I realize not all of these stories are from today, or even this week, I can't help but feel that things are out of control. What is going on? What is happening to us?

 "Parents arrested after giving away Toddler" This one, I have a problem with. I don't know the whole story, only what was written in this article, but it seems to me the parents did the right thing. It seems to me that the headline is misleading. The parents were junkies and gave a neighbor temporary custody of the child while supposedly getting clean. If this is true, and if the child hadn't been abused and in danger before the exchange of physical custody, then I actually commend these people for making a good choice. (Though they certainly should have given up the dog too.) I just can't help thinking about those commercials from when I was a kid.

Sure. They let themselves get to that point. They didn't choose to get help sooner. But, if this story is what really happened, then they finally made a good decision. They shouldn't be punished for that. If this had been a family member who took the child, there wouldn't be charges filed...... Not everyone has family that is in a better, more stable situation than they are. Sometimes, you take help from where ever it's offered.

For me, the next logical jump is to Mississippi. Last week, the world held it's breath as the citizens of Mississippi voted on the definition of "personhood".... a vote that on the surface just seems absurd, but hiding in the folds were the implied possibilities to disrupt a woman's right to choose whether or not to continue a pregnancy or possibly seek assistance with fertilization.

The bill didn't pass. *bitter laugh* Don't think that means the great people of Personhood USA are finished. No.......... They've only just begun. There are plans for 9 other states to have similar bills in the upcoming 2012 elections. 9.... so far. What are the odds that it won't pass in at least one of those states? I mean, who'd have thought Bush Jr would win a re-election?

I started a post about this bill shortly before the election, and didn't get it finished. I think this is a great time to discuss the issue.

First, how can we vote on a word that is already defined?

per·son·hood 

noun

1. the state or fact of being a person.

2. the state or fact of being an individual or having human characteristics and feelings: 

This law would define personhood as beginning at the moment of conception, forget that a fertilized egg takes about three days to implant and oh, about 23 week for any reasonable chance of viability. When you consider a fertilized egg, there is nothing about it that constitutes "being an individual" or "having human characteristics and feelings."

I get that some people hold that baby makin' is "a precious miracle" but, in truth, it's not.. It's fucking biology. Until that baby squirts out, it's a parasite. Some people claim that the fact that the fetus carries your DNA makes it some sort of symbiosis, but I find that a stretch and a fairly laughable argument. It is a parasite. And now, the highly educated Joe Blows of the US are going to vote (because they are soooo qualified) to decide what you can do with your parasites.

If your argument lies in the genes, all mammals have a genetic similarity of 92% or better. Chimps are 98% similar (imagine that... not that this gives any scientific credence to evolution or anything)... What if I decided to have a chimp embryo implanted so that I could give birth to my own chimp baby? The "genetic life code" between some apes and humans is 99.4%.. My son is 99.98% genetically similar to his father..  That's a difference of 0.58 %... if you have an 8 oz glass of water and pour 0.58% of straight ethanol alcohol into it... you're probably not going to taste or feel the difference. Mathematically insignificant.  0.0464 ounces. You'd ask the bartender for your money back.

So passing this fucked up law would not only negate the progress of Roe vs Wade, but also makes the use of some birth controls illegal, such as The Morning After pill or Plan B. Even for those against abortion, it brings up the question of what would happen to unused eggs left over from IVF treatments.

I just see how horribly out of control this whole thing could get. 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage. Approximately 75% of those happen in the first trimester. 
*Here are some  more miscarriage info.
*And still some other important pregnancy facts.

 So what happens when a totally normal and truly spontaneous miscarriage happens, and under this law someone is prosecuted because someone else thought they caused their own miscarriage? Fall down the stairs? Sure you didn't throw yourself? Forget your prenatals more often than not? Maybe you had too much sex..... This all seems absurd, yes.. but so does calling a bunch of unattached cells a "person".

And so you're wondering.. How did we get here from the horror of children disappearing, being found murdered, and suspicious stories from parents? 

Maybe it's better if some people don't procreate. Maybe some are smart enough to know they shouldn't. Don't take away their options. An actual child, who thinks and feels and dreams, could end up dead. 

Then what have you saved?

Talk Thursday: Frustration (Late.. I know)

Something is not right in The Land of Under-The-Hood..

And it's messing with my head.

We can't figure out what is wrong with my stupid POS Jeep. (Though I have learned that I HATE Jeeps and wish they'd all burn in Hades) (I don't mean that Jeep gods.. I'm sorry) The damn thing just spontaneously decides to not participate in life. It's like a stubborn child.. It will be on it's best behavior for weeks, even months... then one day.. nothing. 12 hours later, it will randomly start, just fine. I thought it was the starter. (Apparently) we know it's not the starter because we can hear the starter fuse clicking. We thought it was the battery (Even though it's only like 7 months old, "but even new batteries can go dead overnight" ) Well, it wasn't the battery (mutherfucker!) We thought "maybe the alternator". Not the alternator because we undid a battery cable and the fucker didn't die. Nothing makes sense... Nothing at all. (voodoo)

*Enter my neurotic, paranoid superstitious stupidity. *

I find that every time I go to my car, I'm holding my breath, praying for it to start.... Problem is, I don't fucking believe in prayer. This Christian, gone Pagan, gone Agnostic, now resides somewhere in the realm of WHOFUCKINGKNOWS, and most assuredly does not believe that God, or gods, or goddesses, or Flying Spaghetti Monsters, or Invisible Pink Unicorns or fucking Zarquon (which also translates to "fucking fuck") (which I have to say I love!) is going to tamper with the goings on of my engine workings based on whether or not I prayed for it not to... IN FACT, I find it more likely that a god-entity would be MORE LIKELY to fuck with the inner-workings of my vehicular nightmare simply because I had the gall to assume that It cared about it in the first place....

Yes, I think I've jinxed myself. (WHICH MAKES NO DAMN SENSE!!) (because I am a sensical person) (I AM! and Zarquon YOU Spell Check... 'sensical' is so a fucking word.. if not.. how can you be NONsensical..?) (Psam, ftw!) Then, I find myself evaluating my actions for any ridiculous faux pas I haven't yet eliminated... I started the car while the passenger door was still open... Did I wish it would start? Or did I just assume it would? If I hoped... then I was assuming the worse... and felt that a little wishing was needed.. If I just assumed it WOULD start.. then I was taking it for granted... and that is to be frowned upon.. THEN, I'm like "Whoa, Psam... this is silliness.. " and I'm like BLASPHEMOUS!!!! The god-things will hate you... Then rationale is like... The god-things don't give a crap about your thoughts.. they have god-thing things to worry about... Why do you think you're so damn special that you even appear on the god-thing's radar things??? BECAUSE MY CAR RANDOMLY WON'T START FOR NO FUCKING APPARENT REASON....Ergo.. god-things...

Then logic speaks up again. "Psam....... You are pathetically retarded!"

Logic is a BITCH!

So, this is my one... and only.... or last ...Prayer to the (Car) god-things.

Dear (Car) god-things,

PLEASE quit messing with my car. Please let me have the confidence to go to work.. and know that I'll be able to get home in the morning. Please let me have the confidence to go to the store.. or take my son to his counselor... or to swim practice... without having to worry that I'm going to be stranded a half hour from home. Please quit making me retardedly neurotic. Because I don't believe that you, or any god-thing, fucks with people on whim.... Please quit making me crazy.

Much love,
Psam.
So Mote It Be. Hallelujah. Peace Be With You. Go Forth And Prosper. Amen. Praise be to Allah. Word to Your Mother. Namaste.

Judgment Day May 21st 2011

OMG... Too funny!








I have a feeling I'm going to be adding to this. It's just too good to leave alone.
What ever happened to, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." Mt 24:36 ?

God's Original Sin

The Original Sin

I have issue with the entire premise of this ideology. Christianity is based on the idea that God created a perfect world and placed a perfect man in it. Man screwed up, thus blemishing the existence of all men that came after and the only salvation was through the Messiah who was born of immaculate conception, was persecuted and killed for his teachings, and was resurrected and ascended into heaven to take on God-like status. Right? I think that we can agree that this is the Christian contention in a nutshell.

What follows is simply my rationalization of why this story appears to me to be flawed, why I don't believe the Bible to be factual, and why I can't believe in the Christian version of things. In properly examining the assertions of the Bible, I have to immerse myself in the ideology. This does not mean I hold it to be true, just that I can entertain a notion.

So God created the world and the heavens and everything in it and saw that it was good, often very good.

 -blah,blah-

Then we get to Day 6… Ignoring the fact that evolution proves that land animals came before birds… I don’t have much argument up to this point. But then, Day 6 begins at Ge 1:22, so there wasn’t a whole lot before that either.

Day 6

Ge 1:27 “And God proceeded to create the man in his image, in God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.” [28] Further, God blessed them and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.”

Then he tells them they can eat all the seed bearing vegetation and the beasts get all the green.

God looked and saw that it was all good, very good, and that was the end of Day 6….

Then God rested. This begins Ge chapter 2.

So Ge2:5 God made plant life on the earth……. Though he’d already given it to man and beast for food in 1:29.

Then, 2:7, “And Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul.”

Ok… First inconsistency. God had, on Day 5 created the living souls of all the creatures, would this not too include man? Would he create man and animal on the same day and only give animals a soul? If man was first created in God’s image, would this not indicate a “spirit being” of sorts.. a soul ?

Further, if God had given the instruction to “Be fruitful and become many”, how was this to be a followed command without a body?

Then, Ge2:8 “Further, Jehovah God planted a garden in Eden, toward the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. [9]Thus Jehovah God made to grow out of the ground every tree desirable to one’s sight and good for food and also the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.”

So, to summarize……… Two days later, God gave man a body… Built him a special sanctuary with lots of pretty and yummy plants…. And created the SIN TREE and put it in this near-perfect home. That’s right, he created Adam, then the garden, THEN the tree that ruined humanity. This is where, for lack of better reasoning, Christian theologists invent the concept of “testing” and “freewill”. Logic says that The Tree of Life and The Tree of Knowledge were after-thoughts and not necessary to the “life” of man.

Then God settles Adam in as caretaker of this garden and gives him a warning. Ge2:16 “…from every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. [17] But as for the tree of knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.”

One, notice the other special tree, The Tree of Life is not, apparently, currently off limits. I think this passage could very well be taken to mean that eating was not mandatory, but for pleasure. Eating for us is a matter of life and death, no food and you will eventually die. This passage introduces the first concept of death, so it begs the question, “Did death even exist before eating of The Tree of Knowledge?” Even if you cannot fathom that concept, you have to wonder, did Adam have any concept of what death is? There is no timeline, but I think it can easily be rationalized that this was Adam’s first day of life; he had no experience with anything. In my opinion, this is a meaningless threat.

Then God saw that Adam was lonely and he had him name all the animals… THEN he gave him Eve.

Ge2:24 “That is why man will leave his father and his mother and he must stick to his wife and they must become one flesh. [25] And both of them continued to be naked, the man and his wife, and yet they did not become ashamed.”No, shame happens in chapter 3 after they eat the fruit…

Ok….Father and mother are meaningless terms because nothing up to this point has procreated. “They must become one flesh.” This, I cannot seem to wrap my head around. If they were in fact naked, but didn’t realize it or didn’t care, how would this happen? One would rationalize that “being ashamed” comes from knowledge of the sexual nature of the exposed body parts. How can they go forth and populate without coitus? Did God intend man and woman to rut like animals strictly on a pheromone-induced whim like the majority of the animal kingdom? Of course, man was given the command to “be fruitful and become many” before he even had a body.. 2 days before he had a body and who knows how many days before Eve had a body. How was this to occur? One could say that God maybe meant in a spiritual, soul-type sense.. but then that would mean that man does, in fact, create man (and man’s soul) and thus negates God being “The Father”, instead… more like Grandfather….

Perhaps “become one flesh” doesn’t imply fornication at all. Perhaps this refers to the nature of a man and wife working as one, as a team, one being an extension of the other. If this is the case, this makes sense. However, it still causes me to question how man would procreate. Perhaps man was not intended to procreate at all.. Perhaps God’s initial intention was to continue creating man has he had Adam and Eve, and merely intended Adam and Eve to successfully raise them up and send them into the world… Hmmmm? 

Now we’re at Ge chapter 3.

The serpent questions Eve, “Did God really say you couldn’t eat from every tree in the garden?” Eve answers,[Ge3:2] “Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat. [3] But as for eating the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘YOU must not eat from it, no, YOU must not touch it that YOU do not die’.

[4]At this the serpent said to the woman; “YOU positively will not die. [5]For God knows that in the very day of YOUR eating from it YOUR eyes are bound to be opened and YOU are bound to be like God, KNOWING good and bad.”

The text does not tell who exactly told Eve this rule. Remember she was not present when God told Adam.

So Eve saw that the tree had fruit, and it looked good to eat. So she began picking it, then eating it… and she didn’t drop dead. She then offered the fruit to Adam.

[Ge3:6]”….. Afterward she gave some also to her husband when with her and he began eating it. [7] Then the eyes of both of them became opened and they began to realize that they were naked. Hence they sewed fig leaves together and made loin coverings for themselves.”

She gave it to her husband and he ate it. It doesn’t say that he saw her pick it, and it doesn’t say that he asked where she’d gotten it. It also doesn’t say that he was shocked by the change that came over him, nor in subsequent verses that he was shocked to find out that she was tricked by the serpent… BUT, in truth… was she tricked???? There eyes did open, and in fact, they didn’t die.

Now some would claim here that God was talking about their immortal soul, BUT if you believe the rest of the Bible, then the immortal soul is in jeopardy of eternal torment or sleep (or heaven), but never death. (Even the later passages that say "death", this is referred to as a resting period before the resurrection and it is implied that this "death" is not an end.)

So God comes and they hide and he exclaims, “HOW DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE NAKED, BUT BY EATING FROM THE TREE???” And Adam says, “She made me do it.” And Eve says, “The serpent deceived me.”  (Though again, I have to point out that he was more truthful than God in this situation.) So God punishes the serpent by …. making him be…. a serpent, and declaring that man and snake would forever be enemies.

Then God punishes Eve. “[Ge3:16] To the woman he said; “I shall greatly increase the pain of your pregnancy, in birth pangs you will bring forth children, and your cravings will be for your husband, and he will dominate you.”

Increase? How can you increase what never was? Because we know that, at this point, Eve had never “known a man” nor been pregnant or bore any children. So, again, how do you increase what never was?  By instigating any measure of it. That's right, now she must simply bear children.

“in birth pangs you will bring forth children”… Again, this strengthens my earlier assertion that man was never intended to procreate.

[Ge3:20] After this Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she had to become the mother of everyone living.

Then God turns to Adam and says that now he will have to work for and cultivate his own food, then adds, [Ge3:19] “In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return.”

Being that this is spoken during God’s punishment of Adam, I think that it can be reasonably interpreted to mean that NOW Adam has to face mortality. Therefore, this strengthens my claim that when being warned of the consequence of eating from The Tree of Knowledge, Adam would have had no concept of what death meant.

Then [Ge3:22] “And Jehovah God went on to say; “Here the man has become like on of us in knowing good and bad, and now in order that he may not put his hand out and actually take fruit also from the Tree of Life and eat and live to time indefinite, --“ [23] With that Jehovah God put him out of the garden of Eden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken. [24] And so he drove the man out and posted at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubs and the flaming blade of a sword that was turning itself continually to guard the way to the Tree of Life.”

So, first question…why does the Tree of Life matter now? Because man is no longer immortal.

Second, why does God now post a guard for the tree? Because God made a mistake thinking that his warning against the Tree of Knowledge would be enough to keep Adam away from it and he doesn’t want to make the same mistake twice…

That’s right, God made a mistake, meaning that God is fallible.

There is no logical argument against this.

God made angels. God made man. God made a garden for man to live in. God put the Tree of Knowledge in Man’s home. The Angel tempted Man to eat the fruit creating the Original Sin. God rectified this sin by creating the Christ solution.

Now, supposedly, the Messiah had to be born a man, lead a sinless life, and had to die to pay the ransom of our sins.

These are the conflicts I see:
1) We're supposedly all God's children, but for some reason God had to be explicitly involved in the Christ's conception. Therefore, he would not be the same as you and I.
2) There is some half-assed concept that this had to be a miracle birth in order to give the Christ some sort of authority as the "Son of God" to "die for our sins", yet this defies the premise that he was the perfect human sacrifice.
3) If you assume that the royal "we"s and "us"s throughout the Bible refer to the Holy Trinity crap, then the Christ was "part" of God before his conception, before his death, and before his resurrection. Therefore, his "divinity" shouldn't be in question.

The Christ, whether Jesus or not, would not -in theory- be human.

How can Jesus be called human if he was in fact a demigod?

Sure, human body, but half of his DNA was either Divine...

Or missing, but that it scientifically impossible because he was after all a viable being.

Or he was the product of asexual reproduction.. But that isn’t scientifically possible because asexual reproduction results in an offspring that is identical to the parent being, and Jesus was a man, not a woman.

So, if you go with the idea that Jesus was the Christ and Messiah... then he was anything but human. Therefore, his being perfect and sinless is meaningless because he was... already... Divine.

The whole premise of the Death and Resurrection of the Christ is that he was “the perfect human sacrifice…”

Without The Original Sin, there is no need for the Christ. And I contend that the life and death of the Christ does nothing to rectify The Original Sin. 

Zeitgeist Part I: The Greatest Story Ever Told (HQ) - Remastered version

Very, very interesting. Skip the first 5 minutes... it's the longest intro and waste of time ever.... But the rest is very interesting. Some I knew, some I did not. Food for thought!

The Extinction of Religion

So I read this article last week and hadn't gotten to commenting on it yet.

It reports on a study that finds that over the last 100 years, affiliation with an organized religion has decreased significantly, and the trends show that it will continue doing so. Trends show that for 9 western democratic nations, the numbers will dwindle until they near extinction. Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland and Switzerland are all seeing this decline. Where does the US fit in? Well, we don't know. The US does not include denominational questions in it's census, therefore this statistic can't be traced the same way. I have a guess though.

The big question is, what does this mean? Are people losing their faith in God, or just the churches? One fascinating aspect of this study is that it isn't affiliation with a single religion, it's spread pretty equally amongst all religions, Christian or otherwise.

Historically, we've seen religions decline or become extinct, same as language, BUT there has always been something that replaced it. WE AREN'T SEEING THAT THIS TIME! There is no great upsurge of membership to another religion. The numbers do not reflect that these people are going somewhere else.


A paper published by Walter Sundberg in 2000 stated that in the US the numbers are drastically declining as well.

The figures for the period from 1965 to 1994 are:
American Baptist Churches in the USA -3.3%
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) -51.1%
Episcopal Church -27.0%
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America -8.5%
Presbyterian Church (USA) -13.1%
Reformed Church in America -19.8%
United Church of Christ -27.5%
United Methodist Church -22.4%

Some of these numbers are quite dramatic, others less so. But it must be remembered that during this same period, the population of the United States grew by nearly thirty percent.

An interesting twist is that Evangelical churches have seen an increase in membership over that same time period. The chief examples of evangelical denominations that have enjoyed membership growth in the period from 1965 to 1994 are:

Assemblies of God +306%
Church of God (Cleveland, TN) +252%
Church of God in Christ +1,232%
Church of the Nazarene +74%
Southern Baptist Convention +45%

I think that the evangelical numbers can be deceiving. Notice one of those numbers are for a single city. I could start my own religion, convert my own family, and show the same numbers.

It would seem that world-wide, there is a slight increase in the number of people who consider themselves atheist, but these numbers still do not explain the decreases in organized religion. You also have to take into consideration that it is becoming more acceptable to "come out" as an atheist... Once upon a time, you were putting your life at risk.... and even more recently, faced social suicide if you admitted atheism.

So what does this mean? Do people still have their faith, but feel their government doesn't need to know about it? Do they still believe in God but, like me, feel that no single religion has the "whole picture"? Or are more people becoming atheist?
You also have to consider the rediscovery of "pagan-based" belief structures which were revived and thrived in secret since the Renaissance. Witchcraft had a "coming out" of sorts about 100 years ago or so, and neopaganism, in general, has gained acceptance and popularity since the 60's and 70's.

Perhaps, we are reaching a point where the majority of the world not only has freedom of religion, but truly trust in that freedom. Maybe the numbers should have always looked like this... I, of course, don't want to see the religions disappear. Though I don't personally believe in an organized religion, I do feel that they add wonderful aspects to our cultural individualities. Religion is our history, it's where we come from. Religion shaped this world for so long, and yes, often through ugly, brutal means.... but I am fearful that if we loose our religious identity, it will be "re-invented" somewhere down the road.... And then, will we repeat our prior atrocities?

I hope, pray, that this study only indicates a new open-mindedness.

End Of Days?

Japan, Churchchrist, Chile, Haiti, New Orleans. Earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, disaster. Unrest in the Middle East. The global financial crisis. The list goes on...

I have a friend who is certain this is the End of Days foretold in the Bible.

My view point differs... but how much?

I believe in global warming. I believe in the Gaia Principle. (Briefly stated, this is the theory that nature likes balance and finds a way to create and maintain a certain amount of homeostasis.)  I believe that while we tamper with the delicate balance of our ecosystem, Gaia finds a way to fight back.

Is this the End of Days? More properly asked, is God doing this?
............ I find that thought incredibly moronic.

The best way for me to explain my thought is with Jonah. I don't believe God made a bet with Lucifer and decided to torment the shit out of some poor guy just to prove that his love and faith were strong and pure. Once again, God is not a child on a bright summer day with a magnifying glass and an ant hill. Shitty stuff happens to good people. That's just life. How we persevere and deal with our problems??... THAT comes from within. Where do we get our strength, peace of mind, and the faith that gets us through??... well, I believe that those are the gifts that God gave us. Whether we choose to use them, that's up to us. It has nothing to do with whether you prayed enough, went to the right church often enough, tithed enough, or said enough Hail Mary's.

I've never understood how people can on one hand believe that God created man in 'Perfect Love', then on the other, placed them, with their 2-year-old's naivete, in their perfect home and said, "Oh, by the by, don't eat from THAT tree", thus setting up the 'Downfall Of Man' and necessitating the need for a 'Divine Son Of God' to live and die and live again to save us from 'Eternal Damnation'. There are only two possibilities: God had a 'Plan' (which seems a bit retarded) or God made one big forehead-slapping fuck up.... but this can't happen because God is 'Infallible'.

So, again the question, Is this the End of Days? ......... Do I believe that we've failed some crucial test of God's making and the result is the end of this existence? Not at all.

Do I believe that, within my lifetime, life as I know it will come to an end? Yes, I do.
We are running full-speed down a road of self-destruction, and I don't think that mankind as a whole has the wherewith-all to pull their collective head out of their collective ass in time to stop it. We pollute, over populate, and deplete natural resources. This isn't God's doing. This isn't any 'test' except in that in the area of "life in general", humanity is failing. F A I L I N G ! !

Look at the rest of the animal kingdom. When population threatens their resources, they quit breeding. They migrate. Disease and starvation regulate numbers.  They find a way to reconcile their place in the system. Humans just try to find a way around the system. We fight disease and starvation because the process is ugly and painful, both physically to the people affected and emotionally to those who witness it. But the truth is that these processes are Nature's Way. We have decreased infant mortality rates and increased average lifespans. Don't get me wrong. As a member of the human community, these are wonderful advancements. But the effect to our existence as a whole is devastating. However, to not attempt to preserve life has become an "inhuman" stance.

I'm not a tree-hugging hippy. I'm not an over-the-top environmentalist. I recycle. I try to buy "green" products when I can. But I believe in ecological homeostasis. I believe that nature tries to correct imbalances. And I do believe that humans are a parasitic plague to this planet. We are nutrient guzzling worms with the persistence of head lice. 

And Gaia, not God, will deal with us appropriately.

Opinions Are Like Assholes....

And I have lots.

What I have discovered about myself is that while I've very interested in debating and discussing some issues, others are absolutely non-negotiable.

RELIGION - Anyone who knows me at all knows that I love to discuss and debate religion. I have ideas, but I don't know it all, and I'm always looking for that bit of wisdom or understanding that will broaden or focus my thoughts. However, if you're using your faith to give foundation to intolerance of any sort, of any kind, you better know your literature, and you better be able to back up your beliefs with an explanation of WHY you believe the way you do. "Cuz that's how I was raised", or "The Bible says so",  just doesn't work with me.

ABORTION - Non-negotiable. I agree with abortion. I believe there is a medical purpose for it. I believe the alternative to legalization is scary. Finally, a woman should decide what to do with her body. That said, I don't like abortion. I think some people are irresponsible with it. Though I don't really view it as murder, I do still feel that it's killing a baby. (How is that different? I don't know, some sort of grey area.) I don't condemn people for it, but it makes me sad when it isn't a desperate last resort. Lastly, though a woman should get to choose what happens to her body, I can't help but feel that a man should have a say in what happens to his child. That said, wow... what a mess that would create if he did. So the bottom line is this : I agree with abortion and there's no debate in the issue.

GAY RIGHTS - Non-negotiable. I cannot debate this topic with any sort of reason or understanding for people who don't, in some way, believe as I do on this issue. I don't want to hear you spew your fucked-up God-shit. I don't want to hear you refer to mental illness. And if you think it's disgusting, quit being a pervert and mind your own damn bedroom! Oh? You don't want to offend me? Well, YOU DO! You're talking about my friends, my family, my coworkers. People I love, and every time you open your hateful, ignorant mouth on the subject I find myself fantasizing about ripping your fucking tongue out.

*breathe* (See, I'm fairly firm on that issue.)

EVOLUTION - Debatable. I believe in evolution, but I can learn more and I'm not opposed to hearing from both sides. I tend to stand on the side of science, so give me your science you op'posers'!! (Little hint... You can't use the Bible or religion as "proof" against evolution. 1. God made Adam from the mud, it doesn't say how long it took him, and 2. The Bible isn't science.)

CAPITOL PUNISHMENT - Kind of non-negotiable. I believe in the death penalty. I believe that some people can't be rehabilitated. I don't believe in Life Without Parole. If a dog is especially vicious and has killed someone, the dog gets put down. If it's repeatedly attacked people, it gets put down. I don't think people should be treated any differently. You don't put a dog in a little kennel and wait till it dies. You peacefully put it down. I don't believe in hanging, firing squads, electric chairs, or gas chambers. Just put the person down. I don't believe that the death penalty should be used as a deterrent or a punishment. I believe it's a solution to a problem. I think that keeping "Lifers" is a drain on finances and a risk to the staff that have to care for them.

MEDICINAL MARIJUANA - I can totally debate this one, though I'm pretty firm on my opinion. My argument against legalization isn't a moral, but an ethical issue with the way that it's happened. Being that we are a republic, our government is set up that supposedly the States get to make their own rules as long as they fall within the Federal government's guidelines. (In a nutshell..lol) But on the issue of marijuana, the States shouldn't be allowed to make these choices because the Federal government has decided that it's a Schedule 1 Drug. The Federal government has made it illegal and and deemed it to have no medicinal purpose.  I totally don't agree with this scheduling and most of the rational and informed people of this country probably wouldn't agree that pot is worse than heroin. I just disagree with the legality of the process with which it was made legal (here in Oregon and several other states).

(HOLY CRAP!!! Do you know Samoas have 70 calories EACH?)

I could go on. Gun laws, legalize prostitution, sex ed in schools, government-sanctioned breeding laws, career-welfare moochers..... some of those, I'm sure you can guess where I stand...

Anyway, it's late and I'm getting tired.
Yay, American Idol is back!! I like a few, but Casey Abrams stands out for me at the moment. (Ohhh and the Asperger's boy.)

Here are a couple of links to things that inspired this little rant. Mostly, it's not the pieces themselves, but the some of the comments people posted to them that got me all riled up.

http://nerdyapplebottom.com/2010/11/02/my-son-is-gay/

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/24/new.york.billboard.abortion/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn#

http://kezi.com/news/local/205484

Talk Thursday: Things That Make You Go "Hmmm?"

So I'm reading this book.. "This Will Change Everything" by John Brockman. In 1997 he started www.edge.org and invited the nation's top thinkers to join the group. He got together astrophysicists, molecular biologists, evolutionary biologists, computer scientists, neuroscientists, cognative scientists, mathematical physicists, quantum-mechanical engineers, scientists in fields I've never heard of, nor can I pronounce- and added a mix of M.D.s and psychologists, writer's and artists. His idea was to get these "thinkers" to ask each other the questions that they ask themselves.

Each year, on the anniversary of the formation of this group, he poses a question to them. They answer in a brief essay and he compiles those into a book. Last year's question was this:

WHAT WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING?

"What game-changing scientific ideas and 

developments do you expect to live to see?" 

 The replies have definitely offered some food for thought, some interesting... some just plain scary. Multiple entries talked about chips implanted in the brain for multiple purposes. One idea was that cell phones would become obsolete. Instead of dialing on a phone, we'll think of the person we want to call and "poof", we'll dial them up in our heads and think our conversations to them. Scary. How would you separate out what you want to say, and the random other thoughts you have? No more calling in sick when you aren't. The up side is that you'll never have to stay on the phone during a boring conversation anymore... of course, after a little while you won't have anymore friends. What about random sex thoughts? Trust me, you don't want to know the things that go on in my head.

 Speaking of which, another person suggested chip implants for telepathy. Every downfall I just mentioned, with no dialing. With that concept, it wouldn't just be the 50 friends, co-workers, and fellow Scout mom's in my address book that had access to my fucked up brain, but every random stranger too. On the flip-side, I don't want to be privy to the random thoughts of anyone else either. Well, I guess it could have a few benefits. Your kids would never be able to con you. You'd always know exactly where you stand in your personal relationships. Trust would become obsolete. Would lying become obsolete, as well? That would be an interesting development for humanity. What would that mean for us?

   On one hand, premeditated crimes would probably go down. Someone is sure to pick up on the thoughts of someone planning a crime, but then do we intervene and how do we do so? Do we punish people for thinking about committing a crime? No one would be able to lie to police or the courts anymore. What happens to pleading the 5th when our very thoughts can incriminate us? Forensic science would become an archaic practice. Would we need to prove guilt beyond the defendant's own thoughts of guilt or innocence?
  Potential child molesters and rapists could be found out before the crime was ever committed.
  Suicide rates would probably go down but our psych-ward populations would sky rocket. Mental illness wouldn't be able to hide any more. Would the ability to clearly read someone's thoughts help us diagnose and cure mental illness? Will we be able to deduct what makes a person tick and what is ticking off-kilter and will we develop the ability to "fix" it? If we can't cure them, will we just detect that someone isn't "right" and lock them away before they have the ability to act on their illness?
Interesting to contemplate.

Another idea presented several times is the great advancement in Artificial Intelligence and robotics... to a terrifying degree. It has been speculated that we will come so far in this advancement that the current debate of same-sex marriage will be a minor conflict of the past as people fall in love with, and petition for the right to marry their robotic companions.... What hope is there for human companionship when you can create a loved one, made to order, who is not just precisely to your specifications, but has the technology to grow with you? How many generations until humanity breeds itself out?
Follow me for a second. Initially, the people who don't create themselves a perfect spouse will have at least one of three reasons; financial, ethical, or moral. As the practice becomes more common, ethics and morals will change. I see that in a relatively short period of time the only people who wouldn't do this would be those who can't afford to, or those who don't for religious reasons. As time goes by, as with anything else, it will be less expensive to buy the technology. I hate to generalize here, but eventually it will get to the point that the people who can't afford to do so, will be the sub-par people. Meaning, those without the intellect or the drive to do well for themselves economically. Those will be our breeders. As time goes by, how long will it be before we as humans see that what we have created is better than what God did with us? How long until God becomes inferior and obsolete?
If you think the job market sucks now, think about what will happen when our "perfect" spouses assume a human life to enable a better, more authentic, connection with their spouse. Who would hire an inferior human when they have the ability to hire a "perfect" applicant?
 When we have the means to create ourselves the perfect spouse, what about then creating the perfect child? Would it be considered immoral to create a robot that is the perfect 7 year old, which can just be turned off when you have to go to work? or programmed to not need a babysitter? Could you keep it 7years old forever? When you no longer want to be a parent can you just recycle it? What if we develop the technology to allow these "children" to grow chronologically? How long would it be until we have a robot race and no more, or very few, humans?
Taking that prior thought a little further. If we grow "perfect" children chronologically, and develop them to leave the nest and strike out on their own, give them a synthetic love, will they be required to tell future companions that they are not human? I'm, in a way, drawing a comparison to those who go through gender-reassignment and the debate of moral obligation(?) in telling future companions. Some think that morally that information should be shared. Some strongly disagree. (I very much see both sides of that debate..)  But what if we're talking about not having to tell someone that you're a real person? Will we eventually get to the point when the concept of a "real person" is changed forever?

What happens when we become the endangered species? The Earth will become a happier, healthier place... I suppose it would be karma. With our technology, we have killed off so many species. It's a bitter funny, but our intellect might be the end of us.

The ENTIRE Pew Forum Religion Survey

Minus the demographic survey questions.
DON'T GOOGLE!!!!
The answers are in the "comments" section.

1. Who is the vice president of the United States?

2. Which political party has the majority in the US House of Representatives?
a. Republicans
b. Democrats

3. True of False? Lasers work by focusing sound waves?

4. True of False? Antibiotics will kill viruses as well as bacteria?

5. Which of the following was the name of a series of government programs passed while Franklin D Roosevelt was President?
a. The New Deal
b. The Square Deal
c. The Great Society

6. Which movement did Susan B. Anthony lead? The movement to...
a. Abolish slavery
b. Give women the right to vote
c. Prohibit alcohol

7. Who wrote Moby Dick?
a. Edith Wharton
b. Nathaniel Hawthorne
c. Herman Melville
d. Stephen King

8. What day does the Jewish Sabbath begin?
a. Friday
b. Saturday
c. Sunday

9. Is Ramadan.....
a. The Hindu festival of lights
b. The Jewish day of atonement
c. The Islamic holy month

10. Do you happen to know which of these is the king of gods in Greek mythology?
a. Mars
b. Zeus
c. Apollo

11. Do you happen to know the name of the holy book for Islam?

12. Which of these religions aims at nirvana, a state of being free from suffering?
a. Islam
b. Hinduism
c. Buddhism

13. Which religion are Vishnu and Shiva central figures?
a. Islam
b. Taoism
c. Hinduism
d. Buddhism

14. Is an atheist someone who BELIEVES in God, someone who DOES NOT believe in God, or someone who is UNSURE whether God exists?

15. Is an agnostic someone who BELIEVES in God, someone who DOES NOT believe in God, or someone who is UNSURE whether God exists?

16. What is the first book of the Bible?

17. What are the first four books of the New Testament of the Bible, that is the Four Gospels?

18. Where, according to the Bible, was Jesus born?
a. Jerusalem
b. Nazereth
c. Bethleham
d. Jericho

19. When was the Mormon religion founded?
a. Before the year 1200 AD
b. Between 1200 and 1800
c. Sometime after 1800

20. The Book of Mormon tells the story of Jesus Christ appearing to people in what area of the world?
a. The Middle East
b. The Americas
c. Asia

21. Which of the following best describes Cathoic teaching about the bread and wine used for communion?
a. The bread and wine are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
b. The bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

22. Which one of these religious groups traditionally teaches that salvation comes through faith alone?
a. Protestants
b. Catholics
c. Both
d. Neither

23. Which of these is NOT one of the Ten Commandments?
a. Keep the Sabbath Day holy.
b. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
c. Do not steal
d. Do not commit adultry

24. Which figure is most associated with remaining obedient to God despite suffering?
a. Moses
b. Elijah
c. Job
d. Abraham

Which figure is most associated with leading the exodus from Egypt?
a. Moses
b. Elijah
c. Job
d. Abraham

Which figure is most associated with willingness to sacrifice his son for God?
a. Moses
b. Elijah
c. Job
d. Abraham

25. Mother Theresa was...
a. Jewish
b. Catholic
c. Buddhist
d. Mormon
e. Hindu

The Dali Lama is....
a. Jewish
b. Catholic
c. Buddhist
d. Mormon
e. Hindu

Joseph Smith was....
a. Jewish
b. Catholic
c. Buddhist
d. Mormon
e. Hindu

Maimonides was....
a. Jewish
b. Catholic
c. Buddhist
d. Mormon
e. Hindu

26. Which of the following statements best describes what the US Constitution says about religion?
a. Christianity should be given special emphasis by government
b. The government shall neither establish a religion or interfere with the practice of religion
c.  The constitution doesn't say anything one way or the other about religion.

27. According to rulings by the US Supreme Court, does a teacher have the right to lead a class in prayer?  
Yes or No
Does a teacher have the right to read from the Bible as an example of literature?
Yes or No
Does a teacher have the right to offer a class teaching comparative world religions?  
Yes or No

28. Do you happen to know what religion most people in India consider themselves?
a. Christian
b. Muslim
c. Buddhist
d. Hindu

Do you happen to know what religion most people in Indonesia consider themselves?
a. Christian
b. Muslim
c. Buddhist
d. Hindu

Do you happen to know what religion most people in Pakistan consider themselves?
a. Christian
b. Muslim
c. Buddhist
d. Hindu

29. What was the name of the person whose writings and actions inspired the Protestant Reformation?
a. Thomas Aquinas
b. Martin Luther
c. John Wesley

30. Which of these people developed the theory of evolution by natural selection?
a. Sigmund Freud
b. Clarence Darrow
c. Charles Darwin

31. Which of these court trials focused on whether evolution could be taught in public schools?
a. The Salem witch trials
b. Brown vs The Board of Education
c. The Scopes Trial

32. Which of these preachers participated in the period of religious activity known as the First Great Awakening?
a. Jonathan Edwards
b. Charles Finney
c. Billy Graham


***This study was conducted by the Pew Forum. These questions were extracted from the actual phone script used in the study. I have extracted and eliminated only demographic-type questions and slightly reformatted the the script into a more readable layout. ***

I will post the answers to the "comments" section of this blog in the next few hours.

I think the most important information this study yields is that though we are a nation of many beliefs, very few of us have taken the time to learn what beliefs our neighbors and friends hold dear. I would hope that the outcome is that people are encouraged to learn more. In the (maybe not so) famous worlds of KRS-1...
Knowledge is King!

A Little Disappointed.......

I know I've stated before that I was a huge fan of President Clinton. A lot of people had a problem with him because he lied about his extramarital affair... I, personally had no problem with his lie, simply because I didn't think that The People, nor the government, had any right to question him about it.

Today, Obama disappointed me. As he addressed an audience in New Mexico, a woman asked him about his Christian faith. Apparently, though the President has stated many times that he his Christian, about a third of Americans think he is secretly Muslim. I find it insulting that he should have to attest to his faith at all. Whose business is it? This just infuriates me.

I hope in 20 years it comes out that he is Muslim. How many times should he feel obligated to answer this question? It's ridiculous and inconsequential.

Go Obama... Don't bend to the ignorance... I hope he is lying.. he would have every right!

EXTRA EXTRA.... READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!!

AMERICANS SUCK AT RELIGION....

A new study finds that Americans, from one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world, apparently don't know crap about religion...

I am thrilled to find that the people who scored the highest..... wanna guess??? Atheists and agnostics!!! Jews and Mormons followed closely...

"Only eight of the 3,412 survey respondents got all 32 questions right. Six got them all wrong."

 On CNN's 10 question segment... I got one question wrong.... it was a head slapper, "Duh"... how did you do??? Ohhhhh maybe I can find the actual 32 question quiz.....

The Pew Forum conducted this study, and you can go there to take a larger segment on the quiz. Unfortunately, when I tried, the site was having some technical difficulties...

Give it a try, let me know how you did and what you think about it.

Irony????

Just as I finished up my last post... I got a text.

Dear God,

This is my girl, my friend and sister, whom I love and this is my prayer for her. Help her live her life to the fullest. Please promote her and cause her to excel above her expectations. Help her to shine in the darkest places where it is impossible to love. Protect her at all times, lift her up when she needs you the most and let her know when she walks with you. She will always be safe.

I love you girl. Now you're on the clock. In nine minutes something will make you happy. But you have to tell nine sisters you love them, including me. Get going girl! Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move yours.

Truly Blessed.

......................... Have I ever mentioned that I'm superstitious? Not in the "I have to send this or my life will suck.." way, but in the "I can't send this or my life will suck" way. I KNOW!!! I probably don't make any sense.

I don't believe in tempting the Fates. I don't make wishes. I don't like to voice my hopes or fears - it might jinx the one and give life to the other. And I DON'T send on chain letters or texts. The odds are, something might make me happy anyway... in the next 9 minutes? who knows... but to ask for more than whatever might be planned for me seems like I'm pushing it. It's like praying that you get that job, or that he likes your new hair do, or that you get pregnant, or that you aced that test... If it's going to happen, it'll happen... not based on how much you wish, hope, or pray and to ask for more is selfish.

As far as this text goes. The message is nice and sweet and it would feel good to know that someone had that wish for me.... if there wasn't a "forward this now and your dreams will come true" attached to it.

So Laine, thank you for the texty hug.... but I'm going to ignore this... with all the rest that I get.. and know that if it's meant to be, it will be...

Blind faith, again.

Talk Thursday: Equinox

I thought I was pagan for awhile. I simply knew that I could no longer call myself Christian, and lacked a better term. I studied it a bit, but never considered myself a witch or a shaman, or any of the other things, but I believe in the power of the mind and meditation, herbal healing, and I've always felt God in nature... I thought I'd finally found my way.

At some point, I realized that though I no longer believed that The Bible was the Divine Word, it's impossible to shake off your roots. There was a major war going on in my soul. I still believed in God. I still believed that God is good. I just don't believe that Christianity has the whole and complete Truth. In my opinion, it offers several interpretations of a partial Truth.

I haven't had Eucharist in some 16 years, I sometimes have panic attacks about it- even though I really don't believe in it.

When my son was born, I had major anxiety about whether or not to have him Christened.

I believe that God knows what's in my heart; He knows my needs, my fears, my joys, and my dreams. I don't believe that prayer is necessary.... but it took me a long time to realize that this doesn't mean I can't talk to God. For a long time I felt like I was giving into the programing of my youth. I felt hypocritical. .. like if I don't believe in the tenants of the faith- I shouldn't uphold the practices. Then I realized, that's just retarded... I'm pretty certain anyone with faith talks to God.

I get upset when people accuse me of having abandoned God. I guess that I look at it as my faith in God is so strong, I don't need to have all the answers... I don't have to believe that the Bible is 100% actual and factual. I can believe in science and God at the same time. I can be wrong and know that my God will still love and forgive me. Some accuse me of having abandoned God, but don't know their religion well enough to debate the issue with me so I can explain the things in THEIR faith that cause me to believe the way that I do.... It's frustrating when they admit that they don't know the Bible as well as I do, so they can't have this conversation... But I've abandoned God.

Most people cannot grasp that instead of believing "because the Bible told me so", I believe because I feel the overwhelming love of God in my soul and I have blind faith in that love. I can believe in God with a logical mind and not be afraid to say, "That doesn't make sense, I don't believe it." That doesn't contradict my faith. That doesn't lessen my faith. In my mind, it means I'm secure in my faith, and, in fact, strengthens it. I have a broader acceptance of God... I don't limit myself to one flavor of God. I think all the religions offer something beautiful and insightful on their path to God.... (Ok... except Scientology... but in truth.... I really can't consider them a religion.. which I know isn't fair..."Judge not, least ye be judged.." but I still haven't wrapped my brain around those people.)

As God said to Moses, "Ehyeh asher ehyeh"

I am who I am.

And I know that He understands me.... after all, He made me this way.. Right?


I hear His voice on the wind.
I feel His touch in the rain.
I feel His caress as the sun warms my skin.

God is with me and I am His to judge. Not yours.

Talk Thursday: It's Not Rocket Science!!

So I've made reference to my Missionary Boys before.... I've got a new one that seems to love to challenge me... but I'm not sure how prepared he is to have me challenge him right back.

When discussing my NON belief in Hell or Satan or some such, he asked... "Don't you believe that everything has a counterpart? If you believe in Heaven, doesn't there have to be a Hell? And if you believe in God, doesn't there have to be a Satan?"

So I smiled sweetly and said, "Then you agree that there's a Goddess?"
His eyes bugged out a little and I continued, "Doesn't God make the rules? I don't think He's bound by the Marxist Law of Opposites."

Because no, the only Hel I believe in is the Norse goddess that was believed to protect and guide people to the realm of the afterlife, also called Hel. I KNOW!!!.... what are the odds that a Norse pagan mythology and Christianity would call it the same thing? Those pagans need to come up with their own ideas. Sheesh!

And Satan? No.... I can't believe in that theory either. Why would God, Jehovah, El-Elyon, Yeshua, Yahweh... the ever-perfect, Almighty Father, in His infinite wisdom create a being with enough strength to challenge him... then turn over so much power to him? Why would God, knowing us and our imperfections, knowing that we are born into this world as sinners, sanction us to an eternity of Hell for those sins? I ain't no rocket scientist... but don't tell me that a GOD, The God, can't have common sense...

And while we're on the subject.... tests? Why do people think that God has nothing better to do than sit on his throne and cast down trials and tribulations upon our heads? It's like some people really believe that God is a sadistic child with a magnifying glass on a hot day and we're nothing but His ants. This comes up because of my previous inquiry as to being punished for being sinners...... when we are born that way cuz God in His EVER-SO-INFINITE wisdom had the WHOLE freaking world to give to Adam and Eve... and put them right next to the tree that screwed us for eternity. A test? .... really? God's going to start it all by giving us a shot to fuck it ALL up? And I'm not sure when the war in Heaven started... but I know that angels came down and did a bit of frolicking with the dirty humanoids... so obviously post-Eden... My question here is.... God made man, put us in paradise, and Lucifer.. in the form of a snake, seduced Eve to the apple... and God punished her and her progeny till the end of time, and DIDN'T so much as give Lucifer a spanking.... ??? Who was REALLY God's favored child?

Why do Christians get so mad when you refer to the Bible as mythology? I certainly don't mean it as an insult. In fact, though I often point out that certain occurrences or ideas are not original to, nor isolated to Christianity- the fact that there are common themes and occurrences throughout most major religions is, to me, proof of some kind of Truth. In the same breath, the fact that so many, vastly different religions sprang from ideas based on the same Book, or parts of it, makes it impossible for me to say that any single one of them is The Right One.

One of my most favorite movies in the world is Dogma... I love this statement...
Rufus: He still digs humanity, but it bothers Him to see the shit that gets carried out in His name - wars, bigotry, televangelism. But especially the factioning of all the religions. He said humanity took a good idea and, like always, built a belief structure on it.
Bethany: Having beliefs isn't good?
Rufus: I think it's better to have ideas. You can change an idea. Changing a belief is trickier. Life should malleable and progressive; working from idea to idea permits that. Beliefs anchor you to certain points and limit growth; new ideas can't generate. Life becomes stagnant.

Thank you Kevin Smith! One more.....

Serendipity: When are you people going to learn? It's not about who's right or wrong. No denomination's nailed it yet, and they never will because they're all too self-righteous to realize that it doesn't matter what you have faith in, just that you have faith. Your hearts are in the right place, but your brains need to wake up.

Some people might have a problem seeing past Jay and Silent Bob to get the meaty messages of this movie... But Kevin is brilliant! and it just goes to show.... that It's Not Rocket Science!!!

Gotta Share This!!!! hehehehe

What Decade Is This???

Why can't people see that hate is hate?... It doesn't matter what side of the line you're on and it doesn't matter if you're answering hate with hate.
   Gainsville, Fl. REVERAND Terry Jones may, or may not, be planning to lead his congregation in a good 'ol book burning event. They might burn copies of the Quran to protest the building of the Islamic center planned to be built near Ground Zero.
As a "servant of Jesus Christ" instead of burning books, shouldn't he be encouraging people to follow his teachings?
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" Matthew 5:44

I feel sorry for the people who are insulted by the building of this CENTER OF FAITH. I'm going to call a spade a spade here, but are you so shallow minded that you can't possibly, for 2 seconds, look outside of yourself for just  a moment?

1. This country was founded on the belief of FREEDOM OF RELIGION! with FREEDOM to PRACTICE that religion.
2. 9-11 was not instigated with church authority. This was a group of radicals who just happened to be Muslim. If they'd been Catholic, no one would be questioning a new church.
3. For just a moment... Can we consider that the building of the Islamic Center might be an act of good faith? Perhaps this is their way of saying, "This won't happen again!"

I am so tired of ignorant, close-minded people.

While I'm on the subject of news headlines... I want to make a comment on another one currently in the news. A Federal Court has ruled that Clinton's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy is unconstitutional. Don't jump to conclusions. I think it's past time for this to no longer be an issue. Who you love should not be an issue for ANYTHING in this country. I am sorry for the 12,500 service men and women who've been kicked out of the military as a result of this policy. It isn't right, but I just feel that history is getting a bit blurred here. Can we remember what would have happened BEFORE Clinton instilled this policy if you were in the US Military and came out of the closet or got found out? Not good enough, but a compromise for it's time. And don't forget how outraged the haters were with even this little concession.

"Progressive success did the Gay Rights Movement gain during the last decades concerning the military issue. In 1942 the U.S. military took side in the controversial issue about homosexuality, as it banned all homosexuals and denied them the right to enter military service by arguing that their presence would make heterosexual soldiers feel "uncomfortable" and decrease their efficiency and productivity.
Although gays have been asking for equal rights since then, it was President Clinton who took the first pro-gay step. Being lobbied by successful gay rights activists, president Clinton introduced the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Although "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" does not remove the ban of homosexuals in the military (what president Clinton had promised the gay community during his political campaign), it legalizes the existence of gay soldiers in the military as long as they do not publicly reveal their sexual orientation ("don't tell"). Furthermore, military officials are not allowed to ask soldiers about their sexual orientation ("don't ask")."


And interesting bit. This decision was made in Riverside, Ca... at the same time in history as the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy came into being.... weren't the citizens of Riverside trying to make it illegal for homosexuals to even LIVE in their town? ~ unfortunately, I have spent an hour on google trying to confirm exactly what this initiative was, and can't find it... Maybe mom can help me out...

I Am SO Riled Up!!!!

So I was reading this CNN article on the practice of female circumcision in the US by some African and Muslim immigrants. I've long thought this practice is horrific. But I feel this way about male circumcision, as well.

When I was in high school I had an amazing biology teacher who really forced us to think outside of the box. When the class discussed abortion, you never knew really where he stood on the issue. He was great. One day the topic of male circumcision came up and he very scientifically informed us of the history of the practice and how it didn't become popular with the English speaking world until about 1900. At that point, it became a widespread practice because society determined that little boys couldn't be taught to keep themselves clean.  Studies also show that circumcision does cause decreased sensitivity to the head of the penis.

I do have to say that I feel most forms of "female circumcision" are less like circumcision and more like castration. While male circumcision does decrease sexual pleasure, there are some drastic differences in practices. Boys are generally done as infants, are usually not "maimed" for life (though it depends on your definition of maimed), local anesthesia is often used, and can generally be considered a minor procedure. Female circumcision is done any time from infancy to puberty (most commonly at puberty, it seems), usually means the labia are either cut off or sewn together and/or the clitoris is cut off or completely excised, and there is no anesthesia.

People argue that this is their religion and in the US you have the right to practice your religion. Well, I'm sorry. There are a few instances where I have to say "fuck your religion". If someone opts to have this done to themselves when they reach adulthood, go for it. But no way in hell a parent should be allowed to force this on their child.

When I was pregnant with Burp, I alarmed some guys I knew when I approached them to ask how they felt about male circumcision. I didn't ask if they were or weren't, I asked if they felt it should have been their choice. The resounding  reply was, "Yes, they wished they'd had a choice." That sealed the deal for me. My son is not circumcised. If he chooses to have it done when he's older, great... I'll even help pay for it. But it will be his choice.

Interestingly, Wikipedia cites the World Health Organization as concluding that 30% of the world's males are circumcised, 68% of those are Muslim. In the US, 85% of males born in the 60's were circumcised as opposed to 56% in 2005.

Among men (aged 15 years or older) who are neither Jews nor Muslims, the overall prevalence of circumcision in the UK is 6% according to the WHO's estimates.
The thing that really, really amazed me was the comments people made to this article. I was astounded by the misinformation and ignorance out there.

- Male circumcision is for cleanliness and if anything increases sexual pleasure.

- Male circumcision is right because it comes from Christianity and bilble(scientific) and lot of christian scientists supports it. Female circumcision is wrong because it doesn't come from Christianity and bible. If you have your removed/cut then you better supports it. (This one just makes me LMFAO)


- There is a health benefit for male circumcision, just ask people that haven't been and see if they ever had an infection. (Also ask them how thoroughly they clean themselves and how often!)

- What shame Islam has brought to us and to themselves.

- Uncircumcised men provide more pleasure for women in bed.

- Circumcising a male is nothing more than a cosmetic alteration. [Which is proven to lower bacteria population on the genitals] (So does regular cleansing)


- Male circumcision is certainly a Christian tradition, depending on the sect.

- It's time for people who immigrate to the US or Canada to start acting like Americans.  (hahaha can't Canadians act like Canadians??)


- Actually more and more people are not circumcising baby boys these days. The practice is become less common because frankly more people are Agnostic or Atheist. (Perhaps this is not due to a lack of religion but the increased scientific awareness I have noticed in the Agnostics and Atheists I know.)

People kill me!!

My Missionary Boys

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."
  --  Galileo Galilei

This is probably my most favorite quote of all time. I admire Galileo very much. Brilliant and progressive- yet devout, but ostracized and condemned by the church for challenging the conventional wisdoms of his time. Nobody likes a free thinker.

I know I've said this many times, but I appreciate that my mother raised me to find my own religious truths, to think for myself, and not to blindly follow whatever doctrine was put before me. I love that she taught me to investigate, keep an open mind, and make my own deductions. I remember one church teaching that to ask "Why?" was to question God, and therefore a sin. What a load of crap! 

I love that we watched shows like 'Hidden Mysteries of the Bible'. That show was so cool! I love that they looked at things from so many different perspectives. They had interviews with priests, rabbis, and a vast collection of theologians from different religions around the world. I was fascinated by how they could agree or disagree on ideas that all came from the same place.

For the majority of my adult life I have had Pioneers from the Jehovah's Witness church who've come on weekly visits to my home. I am so happy to finally not have roommates that will balk at this idea. I understand that a lot of people are irritated by proselytizers, but I admire anyone who upholds the tenants of their faith and I like the personal interaction and learning about a religion from actual members and not solely from a book. In truth, I wish members of other religions would come knock on my door. I'd love to sit and talk about Buddhism, Judaism, or the Muslim faith.

Sadly, my experience has usually been that J.W.'s are more willing than Mormons, to come in and have a discussion after hearing my "I'm not a Christian and don't see that changing, but I'd love to learn about your religion" speech. Usually Mormons say have a nice day, and leave. I have recently acquired two very nice missionary boys who seem to be just as eager to learn about me as I am to learn about them. Most of my friends think I'm weird, but I'm so excited by this.

 On their first visit, they were surprised to see that I had a Book of Mormon wedged between my Episcopal Book of Common Prayers and my J.W. New World Translation of the Bible. "Have you read it?" they asked eagerly. "Ummm, I've skimmed it." I didn't have the heart to tell them that I thought what I had read was bogus. I do try to be as respectful as possible. When they're here, I don't go stand at the back door and smoke... but I finally had to tell them that I like my coffee and am no longer going to let it go cold when they knock on my door. I did not know that it isn't the caffeine they have a problem with, but the tannin. Interesting.

On their second visit, they were shocked that not only had I read the little booklet they'd left me, but highlighted and cross-referenced with several different versions of the Bible. They'd apparently never had anyone do that. Hmmm? They'd also never had anyone point out the glaring contradiction of texts in that booklet. (OK, YES.... one of my favorite things EVER is to play stump the door knockers....if you're going to knock on my door to teach me about God, you better know your stuff!!)

When they left that day, they gave me another booklet about Christ being sinless and perfect and the Atonement. Being that I'm not a Christian, but an omnist, I believe that Jesus was a prophet like Moses, Aaron, Buddha, and Mohammad, not the Divine, incarnate Son of God- I set forth to find evidence that Jesus was a man, like any other, and had sinned. ..... That wasn't so easy. I even went so far as to search the internet for other skeptics and investigated their "proof". To be honest, I found it to be reaching and flimsy. 
1) Jesus was often disrespectful and rude to his mother when he spoke to her by addressing her as "Woman.." "Woman, what does your concern have to do with me?..." John 2:4. Flimsy.... you have to put it into context of the times. Perhaps that it just how people spoke back then. It's not like he called her a stupid bitch or something.
2) Supposedly Jesus conspired to steal a horse...
Luke 19:29-35

  When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.

Mark 11:1-7Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.

And again an account in Matt 21:1-7
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.

This doesn't sound like a horse thief to me.

I always thought that there was blatant proof that Jesus had doubted God's will as he hung on the cross.
Mark 15:34 & Matt 27:46
"And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

What I didn't realize (and neither did my missionary boys) is that this is the beginning of Psalm 22
 ¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
       Why are you so far from saving me,
       so far from the words of my groaning?  ² O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
       by night, and am not silent.
 ³ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
       you are the praise of Israel. 
 ⁴ In you our fathers put their trust;
       they trusted and you delivered them.
 ⁵ They cried to you and were saved;
       in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
 ⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,
       scorned by men and despised by the people.
 ⁷ All who see me mock me;
       they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
 ⁸ "He trusts in the LORD;
       let the LORD rescue him.
       Let him deliver him,
       since he delights in him."
 ⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb;
       you made me trust in you
       even at my mother's breast.
 ¹⁰ From birth I was cast upon you;
       from my mother's womb you have been my God.
 ¹¹ Do not be far from me,
       for trouble is near
       and there is no one to help.
 ¹² Many bulls surround me;
       strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
 ¹³ Roaring lions tearing their prey
       open their mouths wide against me.
 ¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
       and all my bones are out of joint.
       My heart has turned to wax;
       it has melted away within me.
 ¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
       and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
       you lay me in the dust of death.
 ¹⁶ Dogs have surrounded me;
       a band of evil men has encircled me,
       they have pierced my hands and my feet.
 ¹⁷ I can count all my bones;
       people stare and gloat over me.
 ¹⁸ They divide my garments among them
       and cast lots for my clothing.
 ¹⁹ But you, O LORD, be not far off;
       O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
 ²⁰ Deliver my life from the sword,
       my precious life from the power of the dogs.
 ²¹ Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
       save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
 ²² I will declare your name to my brothers;
       in the congregation I will praise you.
 ²³ You who fear the LORD, praise him!
       All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
       Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
 ²⁴ For he has not despised or disdained
       the suffering of the afflicted one;
       he has not hidden his face from him
       but has listened to his cry for help.
 ²⁵ From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
       before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
 ²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied;
       they who seek the LORD will praise him—
       may your hearts live forever!
 ²⁷ All the ends of the earth
       will remember and turn to the LORD,
       and all the families of the nations
       will bow down before him,
 ²⁸ for dominion belongs to the LORD
       and he rules over the nations.
 ²⁹ All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
       all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
       those who cannot keep themselves alive.
 ³⁰ Posterity will serve him;
       future generations will be told about the Lord.
 ³¹ They will proclaim his righteousness
       to a people yet unborn—
       for he has done it.


Psalm 22 is believed to have been a common part of prayer for Jews of that time. In addition, this was David's prophecy of Jesus' crucification as told in Acts 2:29-31. 
"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. ³⁰But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. ³¹Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.

Don't get me wrong. The Bible was written to support the theory of God and Jesus as the Son of God and only a small percentage of his life was actually written about, but I was kind of impressed to study deeper and discredit my own theory.
My Mormon boys were impressed as well.