Save Christian Values?

Alright, Enough!

For the sake of those who don't know, I am a life long Christian. I love Jesus. Really I do, and if you judge me for that - thats ok. I understand. Because despite all of the great thing that Christianity has done for our country, it has had some "minor flaws" in its overall history.

Unfortunately, one of those mistakes is being made this very moment with Representative Virgil Goode from Virginia openly denouncing newly elected Keith Ellison (D-MN) for using the Koran in a private ceremony after his official swearing in.

Rep. Goode says:

"If American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Quran."

This is intentionally inciteful. What he intends is for people to FEAR that more Muslims will be elected to Congress. He furthers this by saying:

Let us remember that we were not attacked by a nation on 9/11; we were attacked by extremists who acted in the name of the Islamic religion. I believe that if we do not stop illegal immigration totally, reduce legal immigration and end diversity visas, we are leaving ourselves vulnerable to infiltration by those who want to mold the United States into the image of their religion, rather than working within the Judeo-Christian principles that have made us a beacon for freedom-loving persons around the world.

Again the presupposition is that we need to fear Muslims because they act in the name of religion? Millions of religious people act faithfully in the name of religion every day. I do. Christian Evangelicals do. Muslims do. Jews do. Mormons do. Buhdist do. Keith Ellison is being faithful to the language of God that he understands. What makes this a horrible, horrible mistake is that Keith Ellison has nothing to do with this. Goode is clearly just using a duly elected officials' private ceremony to get himself press and to fear his contituancy into voting.

If he had been that concerned, he would have talked to him privately. Like a real man would. But instead, he loudly shouts out to the USA Today about how this is linked to immigration. It's not. Keith Ellison is an American Citizen, and an elected official. Is this what the Republican Party came to in 1994? Does he expect a Muslim to swear to the Bible? What meaning would that have exactly? About the same as if Goode swore to a Koran. It would be inappropriate.

The argument that Rep. Goode brings only feeds the fires of the folks who say that all the religious people are nuts. And frankly, I have one hell of a time disagreeing with them when they point out something like this - despite my love for Jesus.

It doesn't have to be this way. We can have (and do have) folks of different belief systems in the congress. Thats WHY AMERICA WAS FOUNDED. Compromise, civility, dissent, common good. All this seems lost on the poor Rep. from VA. And it rings more of "damn we lost, I'm getting in my punches" than anything real or significant. But it cant be unchecked lest it be left for truth.

America will see through this. Virginia will see through this. America was founded by people escaping religious oppression. That is what this is. There are millions of peace loving Muslims around the world. There are many in this country. They deserve our support, they deserve our respect. To initiate and incite such as this is to attempt to declare war on a religion. It is an attempt to oppress religious freedom in this country. And THAT, in and of itself, is a betrayal of the liberties that Rep. Goode swore (on the Bible) to protect.

Teenager stands up for Religious Freedom

I figured that one day, things would come to a head in the movement of the Christian Right to establish a Iranian type theocracy in this country.

Maybe today is not that day. But supporters for a Kearny, NJ teacher David Paszkiewicz stood up for his right to openly preach in a public school. An act that a young man, Matthew LaClair, who had quite different beliefs, objected.

Mr. Paszkiewicz told the familiar tale - one that Jesus was the only way to salvation, and that all these kids in his class needed to believe this to prevent their eternal Damnation. He was caught on tape.

Furthermore - supporters of the teacher are arguing that is it the teacher's first amendment right to openly proselytize his students using public money (the school).

What happens the the muslim in his class? Was she also expected to endure this indoctrination? SURE! that's ok I guess? What ever happened to respecting OTHER people's religious beliefs? Like Matthew's, or for that matter any of the millions of more moderate Christian traditions who believe that we come to God in a variety of ways.

We are so quick to condemn religious extremism in other countries and other religions, but here are his supporters, openly supporting a religious extremist position in the educational system of a state-run school.

Good for matthew for standing up against this. Join him, support him, write him a letter if you support being free to explore your own religious experience, instead of a teacher defining it for you.

Maybe God speaks to all of us in a variety of ways, not *just* one way. If you think this could be the case - SPEAK UP NOW or lose your opportunity.

Gratz Matthew, you did what others have not done enough of! and thank you so much for that.


See the NYT article

You Cant be a Christian Progressive?

Intersting article, I think.

I personally have never heard of Doug Giles, but I think he's a little troubled. Apparently he thinks that all progressives are pretty wacked, but his language approaches some really inflamatory hate stuff. I am starting to feel like this conservative message of his is really just language to justify our extermination....

This is not to say that HE HIMSELF may condone such violence, but listen to this language:

Liberalism has been hijacked by bizarre special-interest thugs who defy the Word of God and believe that the Bible has no place in public life

If the Christophobic thugs had it their way, Christians would be relegated to a marginalized spiritual ghetto on the sidelines of life.

Thanks to the aggressive and ludicrous liberal lug nuts' anti-Christian agenda, your vote for a liberal Christian is a vote for:

1. Christianity to be scrubbed from government and whatever turf the government owns. Thanks to the liberals, the Ten Commandments have about as much acceptance in our government and their properties as Rush Limbaugh would at Al Franken's family reunion. The Judeo-Christian principles that formed the rock-solid foundation of this great American Experiment are now aggressively and consistently attacked by the lascivious left.

A vote for the secular left is a vote for Christianity to continue to be officially vilified on campus and for Christians to be ostracized in campus life.

Public officials, employees and appointees to be pressured to hide their faith in the closet and suppress their public displays of belief in God lest they be grouped with Hitler, Osama, or Mussolini and then fired. Not only will the liberals aggressively work to prohibit the State from green lighting and recognizing Christianity as a legitimate and positive force in our land, they will also attempt to stifle Christians from influencing the path of government.

the secular Mafioso's intent is to make your ministerial life difficult, your evangelistic work taxing and your voice minimized. And good luck, pastor and church committee, in trying to buy property and get zoning with the anti-Christian libs at the helm.

Modern liberalism tosses out the scripture on several different levels.

Secular liberalism's aggressive desire to eradicate Christians' rights should cause Christians to be concerned.

What is really clear to me is two things:

One. Doug does not understand his Bible, at all. He reads the bible in English, has probably never spent any time studying it in any way other than to say "Well it says that right here, so it must be true". Of course it says lots of things, like a ban on collecting interest on money, like forgiving all debt every year of Jubilee, like not wearing clothes of two fabrics, like not eating pork, like special rituals every time your wife menstruates, like not eating meat and veggies on the same plate, like women wearing their hair long, like inheritance ONLY going to the first born SON - no mom involved there dude, like not (ever) getting divorces, like fasting.

Thankfully, we progressives have over the years, managed to see these things for what they are: older laws that have slowly made their way out of public life. Not really relevant now. We dont really want to follow the scriptures literally. It wouldnt be much of a life.

But now comes Doug, all self righteaous that these more recent changes are REALLY the ones that are condemning us all to hell's damnation.

That brings me to point 2: That Doug forgets history. You see, the BIBLE, as it were has been used to continue slavery, and to fight against the civil rights movement, to start wars, holy wars, to torture people to death, and to witchunt pagans.

His language is reminicnt of that. Listen carefully to his language and read his full post please. I think it is very telling. To me it sound threatening. What he is saying is that if we dont agree with his beliefs then we are communists, we are traitors, we are crushing that which is most dear to so many people - their belief in God. It sounds to me like a violent insult. Enough about his language..

Doug is telling millions of Christians who BALANCE their civic beliefs with their Christian beliefs that they are horribly mistaken. That since their honest and faithful beliefs are in disagreement with his, that they are no longer faithful, cause he says so.

This all based on of course - the same old issues - that we cant have prayer in school, that we shouldn't have the ten commandments on the lawn of the courthouse, that we shouldn't in short, have a theocracy. I am a FIRM believer in Christ and in following the way of Jesus. But let not Doug define for you the way Christians ought to think. And to be sure, Doug's rant is extreme. Let your concience guide you.

What good does it do to have prayer in school? School is already an indoctination process, we learn good manners, we learn how to get a job, we learn math, we read required books (once banned by guys like Doug, who deemed them evil and burned them - probably because they were liberal communist maifestos). Now we want to add a new layer - Christian fundamentalism - to the mix? I think not. WHO O WHO is going to be wanting to control what prayers get said? I bet that we don't pray to Allah! I bet we don't pray to the Bhudda. The reason that some people (who are very very Christian) oppose school prayer is because these zealots like Doug only EXCLUDE anyone who is not like them. They make students who are struggling with all issues, including faith, fell COMPELLED to follow a certain way. And that is GREAT for the zealots who think that they are saving souls! But for some of us Christians, we believe that people will find their way to God sooner or later, so let them find it, don't force it on them so they resent it or feel manipulated! And what of our public schools? Are not the student jehovah's witnesses, mormons, Bhuddists, aethiests, agnostics, and followers of the way of Islam? What are we supposed to do with them? Prayer in school is a STUPID idea, brought to you by the zealots, who really want to do you well by saving your soul. Bad Idea. Bad Idea.

So if that and other secularist thought is all of the hateful things that are said about we Christians who don't agree with Doug, well so be it.

I follow the compassionate way of Christ. That means having the Christ spirit known by my example of Love and Compassion. The greatest commandment is clearly one which Doug compeletely ignores: Love God with all your heart and mind and soul. And love thy neighbor as thyself. Tell me o tell me doug where that is in your post?

Foston
From the via media

Bush did it

And now, finally the truth that we all knew from BushCo. That it was president Bush himself that authorized that Libby talk to the times.

Its amazingly consistent. This president values "loyalty" and punsihes "disloyalty". Is there anyone who could have guessed that the president himself crushed his opponent by discrediting his wife for the sole act of dissenting to the oil war. The oil war which in turn has been producing record profits for all of the people who got him into office? Who created his enrgey policy? What do you want to bet that Cheney's yearlong sucessful fight to keep the public out of the loop on the energy task force was because a war was preplanned as the downing street memo and other subsequent documents have revealed?

Just a thought. and yes, I think he has the audacity to do it. He is not short on balls, just short on ethics.

The link

Foston

Redacted and Edited for your comfort

As is consistent with other reports, It appears that the administration is more "comfortable" editing the news about global warming. The fact that the administration is buried deep in an oil war, has consistently tried to solve energy problems by dumping money on oil companies (and their $40 Billion quarterly profits), has advocated heavily for supply side fixes, and that BushCo's money, family, friend, and influences ALL come from Texas and Oil have NOTHING to do with this...

Are there consequences for using this much oil? NO says BushCo! We will tell you, not those pesky, non-GOD fearing pagan scientists, what's up. The WORLD IS FINE. Global warming is a MYTH! You shouldn't believe them cause they don't believe in GOD...

Here it is
THE FULL STORY

The attack continues to mount on Clean air, sound science, and any sort of thoughtful planning around a sustainable environment. AT STAKE: your investment dollars. And BushCo's Empire America.

Foston

Evangelicals call for action in reduction of global warming

Well it appears that at least some Christian evangelicals have started to look at the big picture.

This BBC article details how some major evangelical churches are seeing that being good to God's creation is not limited to worrying about, or trying to control, who is sleeping with who. Instead (or most likely, in addition to) they are focusing on the fact that global warming is a stewardship issue.

We are called to be good stewards of the earth, plain and simple. We should not destroy God's creation, plain and simple. Allowing for unchecked personal satisfaction (think Hummer) at the expense of rising ocean levels and the millions is will kill or displace is not morally tenable. Plain and simple.

Looks like these folks, with all their power, are starting to look at using it responsibly.

Of course, the Republican apologists don't agree with this group, they want to say that global warming is "unproven"...

yeah..

anyway, it looks like a great start that we find what we hold in common rather than soley concentrate on that which we disagree...

SO to Rick Warren and all signatory churches I say "KUDOS"

Foston

Missouri aims for more abortions

In a not so suprising development, the Missouri House voted to continue the ban on public funding of contraception:

An attempt to resume state spending on birth control got shot down Wednesday by House members who argued it would have amounted to an endorsement of promiscuous lifestyles.

Missouri stopped providing money for family planning and certain women's health services when Republicans gained control of both chambers of the Legislature in 2003.

What is most interesting and tragic about this is is that these so-called religious types want to stop abortion. STOP. No they want to end the RIGHT to abortion. If they wanted to stop abortion, then logically it would make sense to reduce unwanted pregnancies. But this continued (in)action will most likely result in, can you say it with me, "more unwanted pregnancies".

Also interesting to me were some of the statements that went along with this position:

Rep. Susan Phillip said, please have your children leave the room at this point please...

"If you hand out contraception to single women, we're saying promiscuity is OK as a state, and I am not in support of that," Phillips, R-Kansas City, said in an interview.

So Susan thinks that we should stop having sex, she thinks that as a legislator, she can support or not support my decision to have sex. MORE to the point, she thinks, soooo arrogantly, that by not providing contraception to us, that all of our human functions cease to exist, that really we should be following her ULTRA EXTREMIST view that no one should have sex except as sanctioned by JAYSUS himself.

Any libertarians having issues with the Republican party yet?

Republicans like Miss Susan Phillip want to eat their cake and have it too. They want to stop abortion by stopping people from having sex. This isn't going to work! The only real solution to unwanted pregnancies is to use every tool in the box to deal with them, including Sex education (proven method), contraception (proven method), and abstinence (proven method). By trying to impose her "Christian" views, she is only taking tools out of the box.

This illogical kind of thinking is exactly the kind of crap you get when you start thinking that the bible is a rulebook for living. Her brand of conservatism is exactly what independents should shudder at in the next election.

Foston

Political Dissidents being watched by FBI

In yet another example of "Bush for a Strong Democracy", the Bush administration, through the FBI, is illegally conducting surveillance on dissident groups.

This follows a pattern of behavior. You may remember the FBI's actions in regards to greenpeace and the ACLU. Of course, most of these documents are heavily redacted. The purpose, of course, for redacting these documents is "National Security"

In this case, is a Vegan who protests meat eating. I am sure that this is what we need for national security. We need an FBI who is concerned with what supermarkets are selling, what people are eating, and what some young woman is concerned about.

Now, as an avid meat eater myself, I do not agree with this young lady's assertion - that no one should ever eat meat.

But I think we all have cause for concern. Really, DOES THE FBI need to have arrested this woman for noticing that her group had been infiltrated by the FBI, and took action to make the government accountable for such an obvious example of attempting to block free expression?

What she did was write down the license plate on his unmarked car. For it she was arrested and jailed. Had she memorized the number, would she still have been jailed?

The fact of the matter is that the FBI shouldn't be concerned with this. This woman has a PERFECTLY GOOD RIGHT to protest this market for selling meat. Furthermore, the FBI has no right to arrest her for uncovering an illegal action by the FBI or to seek more information about that situation. She was doing nothing illegal.

Now all you conservatives out there might well try and defend the FBI. Let me ask you this. This might be all well and good that the president wants to find out more about these groups, infiltrate this group, and at an extreme, create infighting in these groups like in the days of J. Edgar Hoover. But, will you feel the same way when Hillary is in office?

Conservatives and Progressives alike need to stand up agaist this obvious and illegal action. America is based on free speech. But the power that the administrtation is taking is FAR to great, and fundamentally against the wishes of, and dreams of the framers of the constitution.

When coupled with no warrant spying on Americans, when coupled with unlimited detentions of American Citizens, when coupled with abuse and torture of detainees, then the whole picture starts to look a bit spooky.

Is this the America that we want?