Real Life Church Sign
"Part-time Christian? Backslider? There's a special hell 4 U."
Other side:
"The bottom line Jesus loves you"
Church of the Nazarene (Albion, MI)
Airline Security: Protecting Lives or Money
If Homosexuality is a Choice...
...shouldn't it still be a right?
Like the right to choose to bear arms? The right of an adult to choose to smoke or drink? The right of free speech? The right to choose to picket funerals to further a homophobic agenda? The right to choose your religion? Or non-religion? The right to choose between Samsung and Sony? The right to choose gasoline, hybrid or electric? The right to choose blue jeans or slacks? The right to choose Democrat, Republican or other? The right to send your kids to public or private schools?
Either way. It shouldn't matter whether homosexuality were a choice, environmental or genetic.
I suppose some of the above rights I've rattled off come with certain caveats. As pertaining to the right of free speech whereby it does not apply to the shouting of "fire" in a crowded theater. That the right to bear arms doesn't necessarily apply to concealed weapons.
Alas, homosexuality is not a choice. If it were, there shouldn't be any caveats like: you can be gay, but don't tell anybody; you can be with your partner but not in the same way that heterosexuals legally are; or as pertains to adoption, hospitalization or insurance benefits.
If we take religion out of the equation, what do we have? A non-issue! A big fat non-issue! Almost all the arguments against homosexuality and homosexual relationships hinge almost exclusively on religious scripture. Granted there are other reasons why someone may oppose homosexuality but I haven't explored that rationale and, besides, such opposition is probably so remote and minimal as to be a non-issue in itself.
This, I believe, is why many atheists have allied themselves with gay rights' causes and sentiment. It's discrimination based on a religious viewpoint.
Atheist Quote
"If your god has to make peace with me on my final secs when he has my whole lifetime to prove his existence to me.......
Do you think I should bother?"
- Beast
Christain Prayer Center to me
larro,
"FOR THE SON OF MAN SHALL COME IN THE GLORY OF HIS FATHER WITH HIS ANGELS; AND THEN SHALL HE REWARD EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS." Matt. 16:27Prayers are designed for humans on Earth to ask for riches, fortunes, and rewards above. These riches can come in the form of money, better paying jobs, better health, and happier relationships. According to a recent study, the main reason why some Christians have not achieved their financial goals is simply because they have never asked.
Anybody heard of such a "study"? I'd like to see it.
Christian Prayer Center to me
larro,
Sometimes in our lives, it seems like the Devil is paying attention to us but God isn't. You must not blame God, but instead show your faith to Him, so that he may come to your rescue.If you pray, pray more. If you haven't posted an urgent prayer request to the Christian Prayer Center yet, now is the time.Ask for God's protection right now so that he may be the enemy to your enemies.
Okay, why in the hell would I want a neglectful god to rescue me? And sorry, it doesn't "seem like the Devil is paying attention" either. I don't believe in God or the Devil.
I want God to be somebodies enemy? What if my enemy is under God's protection already? Besides, who's to say I have enemies anyway? If I did have enemies what is God going to do to them? Send a hurricane to devastate their city? Or an earthquake?
Romantization of War
I was listening to NPR today (on my drive to work in the morning) and there was a segment on Morning Edition concerning US soldiers stationed in Afghanistan.
What struck me was their ideas about war. Now, I absolutely can not speak from experience, but needless to say there was a gong-ho attitude regarding what war is about.
I must say, needlessly as well, that the United States is not officially at war at the moment (with the exception of North Korea) that has been declared by Congress.
Aside from some of the rhetoric in the piece on NPR, what got me thinking about the "Romantization of War" was how there is a dichotomy, or disconnect, involving our perception of what it means to "serve" our country in times of "war".
They only teach the "one-side" of science
Primarily I'm thinking of the teaching of the Theory of Evolution. What other side is there? Sure there are evolutionary biologists that differ in their opinions about the exactitudes of the Theory and have formed their own hypotheses (that they most often believe would build upon Darwin's Theory).
Now, there is the "other side" which pawns itself off as Creation "science". The proponents of which would very much like to see taught in public school systems. Creation "science" hinges on the premise that there is a Creator deity. A designer. That's fine and dandy if people want to believe that, but this type of "science" can not be taught in a secular public school system. Why? Because of it's religious bent. So, what exactly is this Creator? Who is he/she/it that created everything? These are philosophical questions best left out of science classes because with the teaching of Creation "science" will invariably lead to these questions and whoever is pushing a particular Creation "science" agenda would be displeased to learn that the Creator itself is being questioned (as should be) in a science classroom setting.
Yet, Creationists opine the secular godless "agenda" in the public school system. That there is a war on religion in the science classroom. Guess what Creationists (and especially those "patriots") we live in a secular society. Our Constitution prohibit the powers of the public sphere from endorsing any one religion over another.
The "agenda" lies not with the secular ideals that the United States was founded upon but with those who would seek to impose a narrow interpretation of our origins and our history. Does anybody truly think that if we lived in a Christian theocracy there would be any other alternative?
When I've watched videos and read blog posts from prominent Creation proponents I can take away nothing less than the fact that these people really want a Christian theocracy.
