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Obama show’s them how a politician is supposed to roll. Coates was right.
Category: Religion
The Problem with Christianity: the Christians
Survey: Support for terror suspect torture differs among the faithful – CNN.com:
“White evangelical Protestants were the religious group most likely to say torture is often or sometimes justified — more than six in 10 supported it. People unaffiliated with any religious organization were least likely to back it. Only four in 10 of them did.”
(Via CNN.)
This is why people fear the religious. We don’t have the courage of our convictions.
“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for his he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
— Luke 6:35-36
My Pastor with the Mayor
Left to right, Msgr. John McIntryre, Mayor Michael Nutter, Father Chris Walsh, Father Kevin Gallagher, Msgr. Thomas Flanigan and Auxiliary Bishop Joseph P. McFadden enjoy the parade
(Via The Catholic Standard and Times.)
My pastor, Fr. Walsh, getting his Irish on with the cap and sash!
A Rose by Any Other Name
I took part in a discussion about divorce, abusive relationships, and how female submission plays a misogynous role in evangelical, and more widely Christian, circles. The book Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians in the Bible naturally surfaces, specifically the passage in Chapter 5 dealing with wives and husbands. It occurred to me how different the discussion might be if we stepped back and really took a look at Ephesians itself and the context it provides for its contents.
Virtually all scholars judge that it was not written by Paul himself but rather a disciple of his writing under Paul’s name. Such forgery was a common and accepted practice in the ancient world with the rationale that the student was merely building on the master’s ideas. It’s why the book is considered one of the Deutero-Pauline books.
I wonder if it were common knowledge that Paul didn’t write that epistle, would the drumbeat be so fierce on female submission? What would the justifications be?
And Forgive Us Our Debts
Saw a documentary today on Ted Haggard, the disgraced pastor. I thought I’d see Christian hypocrisy at its height, and I did. I just didn’t expect from whom. There’s a great quote from Haggard:
If they were playing chess instead of checkers they’d know the church’s business was me, the sinner.
Word. As self-serving as that statement might be, it’s spot on. These evangelical types really demonstrate the reality that our faith is almost defined by hypocrisy in our modern culture from their position on homosexuality to its treatment of the sinner. As a Christian, I was very angered by what I saw. It demonstrated, yet again, how we Christians fail God on the basics:
Jesus taught us to pray this way
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one.Matthew 6:9-13
He goes on to say, “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” That’s just basic to our faith: forgive the sinner. And yet so quickly forgotten.
Taking Their Kids
Op-Ed Contributor – Anti-Gay, Anti-Family – NYTimes.com:
“Most ominous, once ‘pro-family’ groups start arguing that gay couples are unfit to raise children we might adopt, how long before they argue that we’re unfit to raise those we’ve already adopted? If lesbian couples are unfit to care for foster children, are they fit to care for their own biological children?
The loss in California last week was heartbreaking. But what may be coming next is terrifying.”
(Via NY Times.)
Why the so-called “pro-family” agenda is all anti-gay and very little family.
Competing Tax Plans: Two Perspectives – Freakonomics – Opinion – New York Times Blog
Competing Tax Plans: Two Perspectives – Freakonomics – Opinion – New York Times Blog:
(Via Freakonomics – Opinion – New York Times Blog.)
I love freakonomics. Looking at the complete set of graphs breaks down each candidates’ tax plans. It clearly lays out the candidates’ priorities.
YouTube – CBS Sarah Palin interview
YouTube – CBS Sarah Palin interview:
““
(Via YouTube.)
Now I know why they ban reporters from questioning her. Embarrassment.
Community is the Opposite of Poverty
“Someone once said that the opposite of poverty is not property. Rather, the opposite of both poverty and property is community.”
(Via Catholic News Agency.)
At the recommendation of a friend, I read this homily. Pass it on to the hardhearted.
How the GOP Does Choice
Skip to Jon’s question on Bristol’s “decision” at 4:05. Outrageous.