Having a religious background is by no means a trump card in the debate over morals, but it also is not a liability or a mental defect. Of all the people I know who have been brought up in this tradition, not too many of them practice their faith anymore, yet they did not turn out to be rotten apples or people to be feared.

There are times when it is very hard for me to justify religious faith as a positive force in the world, because we see the signs all around us that it can be used as a tool for destruction. It is mystifying to me how one of the most effective methods of encouraging harmony, love and unity can also be one of the most destructive tools in our arsenal.

We are very good at creating tools of destruction and methods of segregation, but we are not very good at creating or sustaining social movements which encourage things like harmony, love, mutual respect or a sense of unity. Why does it have to be that way? Not to go all original sin on you, but I think it's because we are not built that way. We prove it all the time, religion or no religion.

So I think you fight bad ideas with good ideas. Hate with tolerance. Disrespect with respect. Follow the example of the best people we have known. Here, we fight the radical religious right with a better vision, provided by people motivated by justice, not by power. (e:Drew) and (e:Janelle) are very good examples of local people who seem to live this way.

If a child is curious and wants to learn more, I see no problem with satisfying her curiosity. I am by means no expert, but in my opinion Tony and Meg are doing this in a responsible way. Remember, she will eventually make her own mind about this stuff just like we did. It will either be very important to her, not very important to her, or used as a springboard for exploration.

Stifling the human mind, or putting a lock on it is probably the greatest sin I can think we can commit against each other. Let's not ever allow that to happen here, whether we are religious or not.

And you guys know me...I'm the last one to gratuitously bollock Christians or Christianity.......but there are some real winners over on the Evangelical right. I don't really talk about it, but I do a lot of debating with people from all over the political spectrum outside of this site.

Tell me this - when someone quotes the Book of Matthew to determine why he has the right to judge and condemn people:

Matthew 7 (King James Version)


15Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

28And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

29For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Why would that person then whine and complain about you being guilty of the sin of omission when you "only" quote parts of Matthew 7 that allude to the exact opposite conclusion?

It is called being a HYPOCRITE, and using the words of Jesus to justify hatred and condemnation of people you don't see eye to eye with. You people already know this, but their version of "faith" is poison.

You know what I think? I think Jesus would share a table with the gays, the junkies, the whores, and everyone else who these assholes condemn. I think Jesus would curse the small-minded fools who pretend to speak on his behalf in this way.

Frankly, I'm done trying to debate them. They are useless. I believe in Social Darwinism to an extent. The radicals on either side can piss off as far as I'm concerned and be relegated to nothing but sideline spectators.

At least for humor, we have the LOLcat Bible!



"At start, no has lyte. An Ceiling Cat sayz, i can haz lite? An lite wuz."

In case you did not see it, Jim Wallis made an appearance on The Daily Show. The interview is up on streaming video (look under "Coming Up Next").

I have a new one! Hallelujah!

Now I might take some of this Christmas money and buy some new pots and pans. Any recommendations?

(Also posted on another blog of mine, which I rarely use)

It's getting harder for me to not take it personally when someone's demons overcome them. I wonder what the hell went through Heath Ledger's mind in the last few weeks of his life.

I am not even the biggest fan of his in the world, but in a sense I have walked a mile in his shoes.

I know what it's like to be locked into depression, and to rely on drugs and booze to get you through the day, barely. No sleep, no rest, no relief. And it appears that you are so damned alone and isolated. Your mind is going a million miles an hour.

Why didn't he just get help for his problems? Well, it's not that easy, despite what you may think. Shit, even TALKING about it is difficult. You think about:

- What if people discriminate against me in employment?
- What if this means that girls aren't going to like me?
- What if this distances me from my friends?
- How are people going to view me from now on?

You formulate all of these things and more in your head, reasons to deny yourself the help you need. Getting help was one of the most terrifying and difficult steps for me to make in my life, and I bet it was just as hard for Heath to reach out to people and get over his demons. From what I've read he isolated himself, something I can relate to.

Eventually, you have to decide for yourself, you know, fuck the employers who might discriminate, fuck the women who might not like you for it, and the people who distance themselves from you for it are not your friends. The people who misunderstand are 100% ignorant and their opinions are worthless.

What's more important than any of that crap is for you to be happy and live a good, healthy life. You are who you are, pock marks and all, and that's okay. Maybe if Heath could have seen this in time he would still be with us.