Tag: religious-right-are-wrong

Observations on the News

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

I’m in a good mood (no headache today), so I’ll bring you another installment of (drumroll) “Observations on the News”:

  • From the “Just the Facts, Ma’am” Department: The Los Angeles Times is reporting how a conservative high-school teacher, upset when one of his students used B.C.E. instead of B.C., has created Conservapedia, subtitled “A conservative encyclopedia you can trust. The truth shall set you free.” Reminds one of Fox News, but I digress. Conservapedia gives conservative definitions — and I don’t mean “conservative” in the sense of minimal. Rather, the definitions are in line with the bible-belting, hard-line Republican philosphy. It is also small and loaded with spelling errors… but still, people believe what they read on the networks. Sigh. Of course, if someone were to (ahem) ensure the entries were “fair and balanced” (in the correct (I was going to say “right”) sense of the word….
  • From the “And you better give a ‘Hail Mary’ as you flip that guy off” Department: According to USA Today, ‘da Pope has issued 10 Commandments for Drivers, feeling it was necessary to address the pastoral needs of motorists because driving had become such a big part of contemporary life. The document, issued by Vatican’s Office for Migrants and Itinerant People, also warned that automobiles can be “an occasion of sin” — particularly when used to make a dangerous overtaking maneuver or when used by prostitutes and their clients. The document suggested prayer might come in handy — performing the sign of the cross before starting off and saying the Rosary along the way. The Rosary was particularly well-suited to recitation by all in the car since its “rhythm and gentle repetition does not distract the driver’s attention.”

    So what are these commandments?

    1. You shall not kill.
    2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
    3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
    4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.
    5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
    6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
    7. Support the families of accident victims.
    8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
    9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
    10. Feel responsible toward others.

    Alas, I’m not sure these will be of much help, although in Boston and Los Angeles, who knows?

  • From the “He Tossed a Coin” Department: The Los Angeles Times is reporting the death of Guy de Rothschild, the dynamic patriarch of one of the world’s dominant banking families, at the age of 98. Now, I have a soft spot for The Rotshchilds, as it was the musical story of their life (M/L: Bock/Harnick) that introduced me to the world of musical theatre. Who were the Rothschilds? For generations, the Rothschilds had been economic advisors to European royalty, heads of state and even popes. Rothschild’s ancestors settled in Paris and started a French banking branch in 1817 that financed wars and railroads, mining and archeology. The family became one of the richest and most powerful in the world.
  • From the “Feed the Drama Llama” Department: Livejournal has announced their perm account sale will start Thursday… with predictable drama from the Strikethrough 07 crowd, especially after barakb25’s post. Still, I’ll likely get one.
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In conclusion, evolution tested to be mathematically improbable.

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Writing about the Science Fair last week, I commented about one project that included the words, “In conclusion, evolution tested to be mathematically improbable.” Today, an article in USA Today takes that one better.

According to the article, a museum that tells the Bible’s version of creation opened in Petersberg KY over the weekend. The museum features high-tech exhibits designed by a theme-park artist, including animatronic dinosaurs and a wooden ark at least two stories tall, plus a special effects theater and planetarium. Some exhibits show dinosaurs aboard Noah’s Ark and assert that all animals were vegetarians until Adam committed the first sin in the Garden of Eden.

Some articles leave you speechless. Some leave you going “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”. This does both. Dinosaurs on Noah’s Ark?

Even more surprising, but then again, perhaps not so, is that the privately funded museum had more than 4,000 guests on opening day. I mean, I know it is possible to come up with a reconciliation of belief and science; Orthodox Jews do this quite well. But dinosaurs aboard Noah’s Ark? That’s as likely as dinosaurs swimming during the great flood.

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Noted In Passing

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Jerry Falwell has died. Of course, the blogosphere is filled with people who are happy the man is dead. Me? Although I disagreed with his views and how he promoted them, I never take joy at the death of another. He had a family who will miss him. He had the integrity to fight for what he thought was right, even though I disagreed with him. So I will observe his passing, express condolences for his family, and hope for more enlightened Christians to take his place.

Of course, I will note the moment with a song:

“Tinky-Winky must be gay,”
I heard Jerry Falwell say.
“He is purple, and — what’s worse —
Tinky-Winky has a purse.
That triangle on his head,
Is a symbol,” Jerry said.
But, for me, it’s just a sign
That Jerry has too much free time.

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Tidbits from the News

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Today’s news bring us some juicy morsels to chew on and digest, although sometimes you just want to spit them out. Just be careful not to get the juice on your shirt–it stains!

  • From the Reading Between The Lines Department: CNN is reporting that Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family (HQ: Colorado Springs, CO) has problems with potential Presidential candidate former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tennessee) (who plays DA Arthur Branch on NBC’s Law and Order). What problems, you ask? Well, according to Dobson, “I don’t think he’s a Christian.” After it was clarified that Thompson is a member of the Church of Christ. But that wasn’t good enough for Dobson. One of his spokescritters is quoted as saying, “We were pleased to learn from his spokesperson that Sen. Thompson professes to be a believer. Thompson hasn’t clearly communicated his religious faith, and many evangelical Christians might find this a barrier to supporting him.”

    This really bothers me, perhaps because I’ve recently been listening to Parade about the lynching of Leo Frank. Dobson is subtly saying that only Christians, in particular, his form of Christians, are suitable to be President. Get a Jew in office — you’re in trouble. A non-believer — heaven forfend. I wonder what he makes of President Kennedy; we know he isn’t enamored of Giuliani (Catholic) or Romney (Mormon).

  • From the “I’m Just Running In Place” Department: This year’s Boston Marathon is going to have an entrant who won’t even be in Boston to run it. Instead, she’ll be teathered far above Boston, orbiting the Earth in the Space Station. CNN is reporting that Navy CDR Suni Williams will (on the day of the Boston Marathon) run the equivalent distance on a treadmill — 210 miles (338 kilometers) above Earth in the international space station, and tethered to her track by bungee cords so she does not float away. Williams qualified for the Boston race by finishing last January’s Houston Marathon in 3 hours, 29 minutes, 57 seconds. The BAA offered to send an official entrant’s bib and a special finisher’s medal — made without lead, per NASA orders — to the space station. But when this month’s launch of the shuttle Atlantis was postponed, Williams had to be e-mailed a bib that she can print out; the other souvenirs will have to wait.

    I think this is neat. I just hope they don’t send beans.

  • From the “I’m Sure It’s A Metaphor” Department: The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting how Jay Critchley, a Massachusetts artist best known for the national stir he caused in the early 1990s after he designed a logo of an American flag running along a condom, has created a 3-foot-tall model of the Transamerica tower from hundreds of individual condom boxes that all bear the logo of his company, Old Glory Condom Corp. Transamerica’s reaction: “Transamerica Corporation is not a sponsor of the exhibit, nor does it endorse the products or services of Old Glory Condom Corp. or any other vendor participating in the exhibit. Permission to use the Transamerica logo was never sought by or granted to Old Glory.”

    Personally, I think Transamerica is being a dick about this. But that may be stretching it.

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Aggressive Christianity at Public Schools in Delaware

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

countfroggy pointed this article out to me, about how a public school district in Delaware is promoting Christianity so aggressively that a Jewish family felt it necessary to move to Wilmington DE, two hours away. This, combined with the recent “Statue of Liberty for Christ”, is getting me increasingly worried about the separation of church and state in this country.

Has anyone heard about this?

[Crossposted to cahwyguy and weirdjews]

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It’s Not Just the Christian Right Who Are Idotic

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Recently, there have been a number of posts where Christians on LJ have indicated they’ve been embarrassed to be Christian because of the statements being made about the reasons for Katrina. A good example of this is klellingson‘s post where he talks about how the position of Repent America that Katrina was the result of Southern Decedance is distinctly non-Christian.

Alas, I regret to say I must join Kevin in his statement.

No, I haven’t become Christian. But a post on weirdjews about a recent article in the Jerusalem Post about the statements of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the leading spiritual mentor of Sephardi Jewry make me say: “This isn’t Judaism as I was taught”.

What did Rabbi Yosef say? Here are some quotes:

He [Bush] brought about the expulsion [from Gaza], now he has his own expulsion…

There was a tsunami and there were horrible natural disasters. It’s all a result of too little Torah study. Where there is Torah, the world has sustenance.

Over there [Louisiana] is where black people live. Do blacks learn Torah? ‘All right,’ said God, ‘let’s bring a tsunami and drown them.’ Hundreds of thousands are homeless, tens of thousands are dead. All that because there is no God there.”

I said it before, I’ll said it again: This is not Judaism.

Judaism teaches us that there are many ways to God. Christianity is just as valid a path as is Judaism; in fact, it is an easier path (for there are fewer obligations). The hurricane was a natural disaster.

Me thinks folks trying to rationalize the reason for the hurricane need to read the book When Bad Things Happen To Good People by Rabbi Harold Kusher. We need to speak out against such idocy whenever we see it.

P.S. To Rabbi Yosef: Blacks do indeed learn Torah. I know quite a few who are proud Jews (even some likely reading this article). I was very proud the day I was able to stand and be a witness at the conversion of my best friend, a black lady who died far too young, to Judaism.

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One Christian Nation, Under God…

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

I know this is preaching to the choir (so to speak), but…

A posting by insomnia on cellio‘s friends list brought this to my attention. Look at the picture, which is of the Governator at the podium at the Republican Convention. Remind you of anything? Do any symbols pop out to you?

Well, to me, I see crosses quite plainly, especially on the small podium.I’m not the only one. According to Yahoo News, a number of Jewish groups see them as well. The republican leadership, however, needs some serious transplants of clue (but I think they removed it from the Medicare formulary).  Karl Rove (President Bush’s chief political strategist), said: “My God, where do they come up with this stuff? Does it look to you like it’s a cross? I don’t think so.”

Sigh. Yet another sigh of how we are not getting freedom FROM religion. OK, I’m used to individual personal expression. I see WWJD and those silly fish on a regular basis. I know the Republican Party is courting the Christian right (and the Jewish right as well, by claiming support for Israel and implying the lack of the same from Kerry). Yet I don’t need to see this at a convention, folks.

Anyone up for organizing an airlift of clue to New York? Never mind, they probably would shoot us down over Madison Square Garden.

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