When I wrote the diary concerning the uncanny resemblance between John McCain's Christmas story and the story of Alexander Solzhenitsyn in the Soviet gulags, I had no idea about the response it would really generate. I figured that people would see it as an interesting "gotcha" story, and that maybe people would be interested enough in it to place my diary on the rec list. Well, I can honestly say that I GREATLY underestimated the interest and I underestimated the feedback, both positive and negative, that it has generated.
I was watching the forum last night and decided that since I hadn't eaten yet, I would try to listen to John McCain speak. I was doing OK with the "my friends" and the evil chuckle when I heard him talk about his POW story of the cross in the dirt. That was when I couldn't take it anymore.
The intro to yesterday's "Civil Forum" featuring both major presidential candidates by the Reverend Rick Warren called on the "need to restore civility" and "stop demonizing" each other in America. That's one example of how the forum was supposedly on McCain's turf (an evangelical Christian church) but stylistically was on Obama's (a post-partisan end to boomer generation polarization). This forum simply would not have been possible four years ago... nor twenty years ago. And I doubt very much that any other prospective Democratic nominee would have attended it, nor have walked away unscathed as Obama did yesterday...
I think Obama did very very well. He was DEEP in the enemy camp, these people care about 2 things.... outlawing abortion and outlawing gay marriage.. Obama was gracious, smart and at times funny. He faced them down brilliantly... the BEST he could have expected was 1) NOT lose any support, 2) To show that he is not a Muslim and 3) To maybe have some less conservative Christians give him a serious look..... and I think he accomplished all three of those goals.
Over at my blog i made a post stating that this recent nonsense from Hal Lindsey about Obama "foreshadowing" the antichrist or whatever doesn't deserve serious consideration from anyone. A commenter justifiably took issue with my post because it was a pretty bare bones, off the cuff, gut reaction to seeing the Hal Lindsey commentary. I need to offer some data to support my assertion that Hal Lindsey isn't worthy of paying any attention to. I thought some here might be interested in this, so i'm crossposting.
Now I need to be honest here about a few things. I call myself a Jewish agnostic. I am culturally Jewish but I am a "strong agnostic" so I do not fit into the following article. Also I am a gay man. I know the gay/lesbian/Bi/transgender community all will be impacted by this potentially, however for sake of discussion and to save on time/fingers I will just use the word "gay" not to be exclusive but to be able to let my fingers have some rest. However I felt the need to bring it to the attention of everyone as I think it very much attacks the fundamentalist Christian position on gay "agenda" (snark).
For those of you that want to read the actual article, it is from an APA publication which is not in the free public domain so I cannot direct you to a copy of it to review and read. However the study was published in the June issue of the Journal of Family Psychology. Co-authors are Eric Clausell of the University of Illinois, Kate Kuvalanka of Miami University of Ohio, and Abbie Goldberg of Clark University. You can Google the name of the journal or just go to www.apa.org for more information on the APA or the journals.
Just when all of us went to sleep last week thinking the O-man had a pretty successful overseas trip – the counter viral email smear has started. First some personal background about me, in addition to being a person of color and a proud progressive, I am also a person of enormous faith in jesus christ. Over the past decade or so, sometimes it seemed as if the later two belief systems were in conflict with another. Much to my dismay, people of faith and progressives were told that their two belief systems were incompatible. But on that point I digress from the main reason I am writing this post.
Yesterday a hidden force that wishes to divide progressives and people of faith from common ground – and conversely assist McBush in November began the counter smear of the O-man’s trip.
MADRID (July 20, 2008) -- The two of us have just completed taking part in a three-day Global Interfaith Dialogue initiated by the King of Saudi Arabia and sponsored by the World Muslim League.
Far beyond the frou-frou of shaking hands with two kings in a Spanish royal palace – Abdullah of Arabia and Juan Carlos of Spain, who acted as host -- the gathering was itself an important breakthrough in this work, a clarification of how far there is yet to go, and a signal that even within the conference itself, the organizers were willing to begin correcting some shortcomings when the participants pointed them out.
Before the gathering, some skeptics wondered whether this would be all hype and PR, concocted to smooth over that aspect of Islam which has carried out terrorist violence against civilians.
They were wrong. Several aspects of the event make clear that indeed something real and important is happening -- especially important because it starts in Saudi Arabia, the spiritual heartland of Islam and till now (despite the Saudis' world economic contacts) in religious terms one of its most inward-turned, isolated communities.
Dear Senator Obama, I met you at your talk with Philadelphia Jewish leaders in April. It was I who as you entered the room handed you a copy of the original Freedom Seder, which I wrote in 1969, and which wove together the freedom struggles of Blacks and Jews. And during Q & A, it was I who asked you how as President you would deal with the peace-obstructing settlement policy of this and many previous Israeli governments.
Though you avoided saying what you would do, I was satisfied with your answer -- then.
The evengelicals that are advertising against Obama are giving Christians a bad name and leaving an even worst taste in my mouth!! I had the misfortune of listening to a Christian station with relaxing music, when all of a sudden this Obama bashing ad came on. The commentators were telling the listeners that if Obama gets in the White House, their whole way of life will change for the worst. He will have gays in office and he supports abortions and the whold country will be destroyed!! I'm paraphrasing of course, but that was the gist of it. I was floored! I could not believe it. Hate and more hate, fear and more fear, coming from Christian organizations. Well I guess that's one way to win the lost, by bashing those with differing opinions huh? What happened to showing the love of Christ?
Yeehaw! Texas, bastion of freedom from them terr'ists 'n stuff has a Supreme Court that is owned by the GOP. Apparently, religious terrorism is OK with them, so long as it is of the cornpone variety.
It's very much an up-in-the-air thing right now between Obama and McCain for me. --Mike Butler, Southern Baptist Convention Delegate
The Southern Baptists held their annual convention in Indianapolis this week and some strange noises have been heard from that quarter. Some of the Republican base are actually considering voting for Obama this year.
Even the evangelicals who are sticking with McCain lack enthusiasm.
Barack Obama, meanwhile, is striking at the heart of the GOP by reaching out to people that past Democratic presidential candidates conceded without a second thought.
TAKING YOUR CALLING AS A FUTURE MOTHER, SERIOUSLY!!!
The Scriptures say, that in the beginning, God made them male and female (Genesis 1:27). And HIS Command to them was to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28)! Consequently, rather than following the wicked women of the world into secular careers, the true, believing woman ought to take her calling to motherhood from God seriously. And make that her A #1 Career Goal!
And this is exactly what the VIRGINITY VOW does: makes young girls (virgins) pledge their bodies to God's Service in building Families! And not to defilement and desecretation, as the wicked women (and pimps) would have them. So, consider it carefully for yourself:
FATHER GOD, I PLEDGE MYSELF, TO DO THE BEST I CAN, TO RETAIN MY VIRGINITY, FOR THE HUSBAND THAT YOU HAVE FOR ME!
Now, why don't you join the future brides (and eventually mothers) that have made this pledge?
More of the military carrying out the "crusades" and the muslim resentment of it. It is real and it is wrong. Yes there are Christian Iraqis and there are very few of them, but if they want to convert Muslims to Christianity then they should be the ones doing it, not military members of our Armed forces on security patrols or at check points anywhere in Iraq while on or off duty.
We supposedly took out the Saddam Hussein regime for WMDs which we now know did not exist, then it became to establish a democracy in the Middle East or more commoningly known as "nation building" exactly what we are not supposed to be doing at the point of a barrel of a gun.
Land 'O Lakes, Florida -- The stories in the news about inappropriate relationships between teachers and students have been overwhelming. There was even a substitute teacher in New Port Richey who got in trouble after investigators say she had a relationship with an underage student.
Well, another Pasco County substitute teacher's job is on the line, but this time it's because of a magic trick.
The charge from the school district — Wizardry!
Substitute teacher Jim Piculas does a 30-second magic trick where a toothpick disappears then reappears.
Catch Glenn Beck on CNN tonight? I don't know how to post a link, so hopefully somebody else can. He hosted Joel Rosenberg, an "evangelical Christian" author of an upcoming "novel" on end times visions,armageddon and ... apparently....1001 reasons we should expand our war in the Middle East to get the muslims before they get us.
The premise of his thesis? The Muslims are trying to fulfill a mirror "bizarro" image of Christian revelations, neatly juxtaposing the forces of good vs. evil. Both Rosenberg and Beck, a mormon, proceed on the fundamental assumption that we, the United States, will obviously and undoubtedly be on the side of right, immune to the wiles and aligned against the Roman born anti-christ. They proceed to discuss current events, struggling sometimes to make the discussion fit their assumption.
It was an interesting discussion and with McCain courting Huckabee, specifically to appease the "evangelical christian" wing of the GOP, I think it's a discussion worth pursuing. If they want to run a "war hero" and big supporter of the Iraq war together with an "evangelical christian" who thinks we should be positioning ourselves for Armageddon, then lets have that discussion.
