Mar
22
2008

Why is Barack Obama apologizing for his Pastor’s First Amendment rights?

Why does any politician need to apologize for the rantings of their religious (or any extra curricular) leader(s)? Especially when they are not a real part of their campaign!

Earlier last week Barack Obama had to condemn and leave behind the pastor of his church after his pastor made, what some would like argue, inflammatory statements against America – to which I disagree with those accusations. His assertions are real concerns of many Americans and he was executing his right to free speech.

I listened to Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.’s statement. I can assume there were probably members of his congregation who disagreed with some, if not all, of Reverend Wright’s sermon. Do people honestly think that Barack (or any candidate for that matter) is blindly following the reverend? When John F. Kennedy ran for President there was talk that he would follow the direction of the Pope because he was a Catholic. Mitt Romney was also in that bin because of his “Mormon ties.”

Does the average American really follow their priest/pastor/rabbi/shaman/whatever without question? If the answer is (and should damn well be) a resounding no, then why are the people running for President any different?

I take serious umbrage with Barack’s condemnation of his pastor. If he was truly not happy with the Reverend’s word, thats one thing…but to remove himself from the church and ostracize him is another thing.

This is the problem I see with this level of decisiveness. What else will he do for the sake of his presidency or worse…popularity?

As many of you know, my contention with President Clinton’s scandal wasn’t that he did it – it was the fact that he lied about it in a court of law!

Barack Obama had actually impressed me to this point. He was focused on unification rather than division. He wasn’t following the “fear train” to swing my vote as all the other front runners were doing in their respective campaigns. He didn’t stoop to the underhanded tactics of his piers, he rose above it. Others were (and still are) using underhanded techniques to try and shoot the man down using fear mongering.

Now, though he as joined the ranks of the shit politician.

Maybe I’m just old fashioned, but I would like the leader of my country to be a decisive individual…one who looks at all sides and makes a decision based upon what’s good for the people and is willing to take responsibility if he makes a wrong decision.

From a religious perspective, anyone who is willing to sacrifice their principals due to popularity are not worthy of my time. The simple reason is…if he is willing to sacrifice his spirituality and abandon his pastor and church of 2o years, what’s he willing to do to ME?!?!? It will certainly be interesting to see how far he goes for the sake of a vote.

From the Black perspective, white America has to realize that this is total BS. The fact that this can be seen as a problem shows that there is still racial hatred out there. When Michael Richards and Don Imus made disparaging remarks many people said that blacks were “too sensitive.”

So here we are with it on the other foot…now what?!?

  • Does the KKK still exist and commit crimes in America? Yes.
  • Is there racial hatred to Black Americans? Yes.
  • Do many believe that America responsible for 9/11? Yes.
  • Are there Americans who do not like America? Yes.

Do Americans have a right to show dissatisfaction to our government, country, flag, ideals? YES!

Just like the American Nazi party or the KKK have every right to exist and flourish, so do people who see different.

It is the “blessings of liberty” that our forefathers fought and died for.

The catch to all this is that American society forgets that Liberty is a double edged sword and that to have the liberty and freedoms we must accept that there are things that we will generally disagree with – however, those voices of disagreement have just as much a right to say it.

If you disagree with Reverend Wright’s sermon, fine. It is your right as an American…

As it is the Pastor’s to say those words.

Lastly, some of you may be interested in information on Reverend Wright: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_Wright

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Written by Karl in: America,Political Correctness,Religion |
Oct
12
2007

Ann Coulter – The Al Sharpton Of Christian Conservatives!

Holy ratshit Batman!

Ann Coulter really said that Jews need to be “perfected” into Christians (this site has the full transcript: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,301216,00.html).

I don’t know which is scarier…she said or she MEANT it!!!

This is more of her invade-and-Christianize-the-world mentality, that keeps me wondering if she has any real mediocrum of coherence in that mind of hers. I read all the time that she’s smart and intriguing, but then I watch her interview (they ran it on CNN) and I have to wonder if there is any thinking before she opens her mouth.

Worse than GW…she is in bad need of some serious editing and some self-censorship – or what I commonly refer to as “reasoning.”

This is all part of the sad truth of celebrity status today. Where would she be in the media pecking order if she didn’t say outrageous things like that. I believe it’s why people like Paris, Lindsey, and Brittney do the outrageous things they do. If they didn’t they’d drop off the celebrity radar.

For those who have known me for a long time I joke that I am “Catholic by birth.” The people of my homeland (Jamaica), the Carib Indians, were literally wiped to extinction by the Jesuit priests who came with Columbus and afterwards. You see, back then (around the time of the inquisition), it was OK to kill non-converts…even if they were supplying you with sugar and chocolate.

Seriously…thousands upon thousands in the Carribean were crucified on the beaches of Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad, etc. using the “convert or DIE” scenario. If it weren’t for the English defeat of the Spanish Armada, my ancestors would have been wiped off the face of the earth!

Like todays, “White Collar” petophiles….the Catholic church murdered as many (I believe more but those records are sealed within the Vatican archives) people as Adolf Hitler during the 12th-16th centuries in the name of God to stop “heresy.”

I really have to wonder if Ann truly believes that if everyone was a Christian (which is also the “fast track” to God according to her) we’d have world peace. I guess like most Christians, she has not actually studied how bloody Christianity in it’s various forms have been – especially against itself (ala 30 years & Pesant’s wars).

Jesus gave us Christians one commandment “Love one another as I have loved you.” If only Ann & her fans truly followed that commandment….

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Written by Karl in: AAARRRGGGHHH!!!,Religion |
Aug
22
2007

The Church of Google

Most of us use Google. Many of us really like Google. There are even those who absolutely love Google!

Then there are the people who…well… just flat out worship the search engine:

http://www.thechurchofgoogle.org/

It’s a very funny site and I strongly suggest going and reading the hate mail section…

HILARIOUS!

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Written by Karl in: Religion |
Dec
31
2006

Why in the HELL don’t we just get rid of Texas?

I just finished reading an article that makes me sad to be associated with Texas AGAIN:

Mosque plans trigger neighbor’s pig races

Now before you jump to conclusions, I have lived in Texas. For a couple of decades I was married to (and had in-laws that are proud of the fact they are) a Texan. I have been around and lived in Texas…from Amarillo to San Antonio.

Like so many southern states, their inability to realize that a)They are NOT the biggest state [Alaska], b)The greatest state [Pennsylvania], c)The richest state [New Jersey], d)The state of the Cowboy [Wyoming], etc. requires them to have slogans like “Don’t Mess With Texas” (like their southern counterparts that relive a war they lost and have slogans like “The South Will Rise Again”).

It’s things like this that make me wonder how we can, as Americans, wonder why we are so hated?

We have a man who admits he made a mistake and continues to move forward with his laughable protest action because “I would be like a total idiot if I didn’t.”

My thinking is he is an idiot for doing it, especially when it’s nonsensical (this would be like selling bagels next to a Catholic church).

And to help me in my hypothesis….one of the other local residents says it’s not mean spirited but “Texas-spirited” as if that somehow justifies the action.

What ever happened to simply admitting that you were wrong and trying to be a good neighbor?

Oops…I guess I’d better stop messing with Texas before I have people with Hondas at my door in Alaska.

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Written by Karl in: AAARRRGGGHHH!!!,Religion |
Aug
01
2006

No man shall know the day or hour…and therein lies the problem.

With the recent conflict in the Middle East, talk of Armageddon/End times has started to surface amongst friends, family and co-workers. I’d like to preface with this passage from the Bible:

“But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only.” – Matthew 24:36

Of course, that doesn’t stop some folks from trying to guess whether the day and hour are coming closer.

From my way of thinking, time passes slowly from God the Father’s perspective (“But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” – 2 Peter 3:8). Only from this perspective should we think this period in history will pass in one day. Jesus’ point was this: No man, nor anyone measuring time from man’s perspective, should think that this period is 1 day long. Jesus’ isn’t just going to show up one day. This period is much, much longer (basically day-for-a-year repetition says this period is about 13,000 days long). That is the reason that no man knows the day or hour as we (mankind) can’t measure this period in history as one day.

In our own history we have had several false alerts to the end times as the Bible calls it (there is a list of course on the internet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfulfilled_historical_predictions_by_Christians). Did you know that in the early 1900s many believed that chain stores – specifically F.W. Woolworth & Co. – to be a
sign of the Beast and Armageddon?

Did you also know that there is a depiction of the Beast as well as the End Times in the Koran (Islam) and Talmud (Jewish)? Makes you wonder if the signs are the same since Christians/Jews/Islam actually worship the SAME GOD.

However, from a NON-RELIGIOUS perspective this site: Life After the Oil Crash dolls out the end of civilization (hence the end of the world as we know it) using economic factors and our dwindling oil supply worldwide.

So, if you’re interested in keeping up on the latest “Rapture Index” Tom Strandberg and Terry James have created a website to keep you informed.

The Rapture Index, which touts itself as “The prophetic speedometer of end-time activity” has two functions: one is to factor together a number of related end time components into a cohesive indicator, and the other is to standardize those components to eliminate the wide variance that currently exists with prophecy reporting.

The Rapture Index is by no means meant to predict the rapture (thank goodness), however, the index is designed to measure the type of activity that could act as a precursor to the rapture.

You could say the Rapture index is the NASDAQ of end time activity. The higher the number, the faster we�re moving towards the occurrence of pre-tribulation rapture.

Or, maybe not. Given the inordinate present predictions and indications of the End Times for the past, oh, two thousand years or so this sits slightly more towards the “Tin Foil Hat” section. Okay…maybe more than a slightly�.

For what it�s worth, though we�re in the highest �Fasten your seat belts� level right now (though I�d think folks wanting to be in the Rapture wouldn�t want their seat belts holding them down), we�re better off at 157 than we were in 2001 (even at its low point), though not as unrapturous as in 1993 (when the index was at 53).

So what is my point to all this?

Simple….

We have had doomsday prophets before and AFTER Jesus.

Am I worried? Sure. To the point of getting ready for something that, according to the Bible, only God the Father knows? No. As Charles Schultz (creator of the Peanuts) would say: “Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.”

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Written by Admin in: Religion |
May
16
2006

The MIRACLE of the Da Vinci Code!

CAUTION - Tin Foil Hat Area!I intend to see the Da Vinci Code at my Cineplex, though not on opening
weekend <smile>.  I have read the book (actually I’ve read much of Dan
Brown’s work on the crapper as his childishly simple plots makes for quick
reading making these books really easy to put down), and my faith is not shaken.  I have
not become scared of the Priory of Sion, the Knights Templar, or Opus Dei.

As a educated Christian, I am not frightened that people believe my beliefs are
a fallacy.  So many have come and gone before me that I simply pray for
their ultimate salvation.  I actually enjoy dialoging with them, as I have
found their conversations interesting and challenging and I hope I have done the
same for them as well.

Maybe it’s because of the people I used to work with in my government days, but
has no one thought that the Da Vinci Code itself may be a conspiracy?

Walk with me slowly on this one….and witness the miracle of the
Da Vinci Code.

Imagine a church facing oblivion (n. the state of being
disregarded or forgotten) in western culture.  Partially because of it’s
own shortcomings (priests abusing children, inability to follow the social
changes of the current culture) it’s become "counter-culture."  People are
not coming to church, even on the two holidays it could count on for
participation.

Men and women are not following or ignoring the calling to serve the church.

Even it’s primary leader is not being regarded with the power and respect he once
commanded.  He is not welcomed by other world leaders, nor his own parishioners as before.

How do you fix this problem?

Have a man write a novel…have him use well known "conspiracy" theories about
said church.  Using real locations and supposition, vilify yourself to
become a victim rather than a villain.  Help the author tie it together so
convincingly that it causes a stirring within the religious community at
large.  Those who are "straddling the fence" are energized to return to
their church.  Those who never left are now energized to fight, helping to
recruit those who were leaving.

Pass this information to the very people who oppose you!  Have them take
the information presented and run with it.  Have them write additional
"companion" books, do TV specials, even watch it become a highly anticipated
blockbuster movie.

Spend countless hours and $$$ to counter theses assertions (making it seem VERY
convincing since you have no knowledge of the book’s content before
opposing it).

Since the Da Vinci Code became a best seller, the Westminster Abbey, Vatican
City, Master of Temple (resting place of the Order of the Knights Templar),
Rosslyn Chapel, and Lincoln Cathedral (where they now sell the books in their
gift shop) have all seen a veritable tourist boom increasing these Church’s
coffers as the dedicated  Da Vinci fans pop in and pay CASH to glimpse
the locations that the book describes in such detail.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm…maybe I need to reread the book to see if I might be
right!  After all, we KNOW the church is EVIL (sorry Mom).
(more…)

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Written by Admin in: Religion |
Apr
11
2006

Praise God for this article!


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/09/opinion/09wills.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5087&en=0aa355a687f70653&ex=1144728000

Wow!

Another Christian who also feels as I do about the overuse of "God’s plan"
(or the “What would Jesus do [WWJD]?” rhetoric), in politics makes me realize I’m not so
alone after all. Jesus brought with him a radical vision of the reign of heaven
that did not subscribe to any political platform
then or now. This article makes the good point that we, unlike
Jesus, are not God and therefore we, in our humanity, cannot and should not
emulate some of the thing he did. Not even the Gospels do justice to the divine-human fullness of Jesus.
But in their symbols and language, they capture the faith Jesus hoped humanity
would live by.

I see I will be buying his books.
(more…)

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Written by Admin in: Religion |
Mar
27
2005

Happy Easter!

As we all visit church, attend brunches, and hold egg hunts I just wanted to remind everyone of the “why” that we are celebrating today. Easter celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead after his death by crucifixion on Good Friday. If you’re catholic, Easter also refers to Eastertide, the season of the church year that last for nearly two months which follows Easter and ends around Pentecost.

This isn’t to take away the easter bunny, but Easter has been secularized and commercialized to the point that (like Christmas), we seem to forget the point that this actually IS a religious holiday.
(more…)

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Written by Admin in: Religion |
Mar
19
2004

Please…stop the MADNESS!!!!

I recieved a disturbing email from some friends this week containing an IMPORTANT powerpoint presentation (download this powerpoint slide presentation).

Did it FRIGHTEN you?
Good. That’s what it was designed to do.

I have a problem with this, not because it doesn’t have some truth to it (http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,55999,00.html) or anything like that, but because people are again jumping to conclusions regarding the bible.

Before the "chips" it was the barcode (anyone remember that one?) that was going to be ‘The Mark of the Beast’:

http://www.av1611.org/666.html.

Guess the Beast in the 21st Century is
more "techno savvy."

Reading the bible as I have (and am in the process of doing again), you find LOTS of references to things that could be construed, based upon interpretation, as "signs."

Stop for a minute and look at the simple logistics of something like this:

  1. More than 6 billion people and over 100 nations would have to willingly succumb to this.
  2. If you believe the eco-nazis the earth will expire in 2050 (http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,750783,00.html).
  3. Whom (as in what government(s)/agency) would be able to mobilize enough resources to pull this off?  In a simple time frame it would take decades to perform as people are being born every second!

The smart thing would be to start with children being born and make it work from there.  Ask a youngster what an "album" or "45" is.  Be impressed if the young person knows since they have been out of circulation for more than 20 years. 
In time, these children wouldn’t know any better about having a chip in their
body as it would become part of "normal" society.

<sigh>

I get tired of Christians using fear as the basis to get you to become a Christian and keep you Christian. 
My ancestry teaches me that Jamaicans were slaughtered if they did not convert to Catholicism.

The Bible tells us a great man tried to teach people that if you love one another unconditionally,
so you won’t need "commandments" or live in fear (from even death itself).

What did we do this great man?  Tortured him and nailed him to a tree!

What has his followers done ever since?  Killed and instilled fear to get people to believe his teachings.

It’s why I discount people who quote the old testament to promote their stand in
arguments. The old testament is a tool to guide towards a better understanding of Christ and his teachings (the new testament).  That is, we do not "read into" the Old Testament meanings that are not there (although, of course, this is done quite regularly). Rather we "read out" of it its full meaning as revealed by Christ in the New Testament.

St. Augustine said it best: "The New Testament is latent in the Old; the Old Testament becomes patent in the New."

So have I too scared (or more likely offended) you?

I will never discount the Bible, but I will discount a select group of people who use it to instill fear.

Always remember Chick publications and how they promote the "Love and
Wonder" of Christ’s majesty.
(more…)

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Written by Admin in: Religion |
Nov
30
2003

Laughs (at the expense of Christianity)

When I was growing up I remember people leaving horrible little comics from Chick Publications (if you’re so inclined, read the latest from Jack T. Chick: http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1011/1011_01.asp) in our mailbox in NYC. 
These "little gems" are designed to let you know if you don’t repent and follow Christ RIGHT NOW, you’re gonna burn…..

Burn for eternity.

So….if you subscribe to this thinking, you probably shouldn’t go to this site:  XXX Bible:
http://www.postfun.com/pfp/NC-17Bible.html#FO. 
It takes actual quotes from the bible and categorizes them into various "adult" categories.

Don’t get me wrong, some of them are an interpretational STRETCH, but aren’t many of the varied Bible interpretations that are out there as well (For example the predicted times of Christ’s return in January 1, 1000, 1190, 1205, 1260, 1533, 1669, 1690, 1830, March 21, 1843 and when that failed, prophesied that Christ would come in late October, 1844, 1899, March 12, 1903 between 2:30 and 3:00 AM – no one was sure if he was referring to GMT, 1914, 1925, 1975, 1981, and 1988. 1988 was a very good year, many predicted this year — the book
"88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Occur in 1988" came out (paperback only)  to prove this fact. 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and of course 2000 even though the bible itself say we will not know — "For in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh," Matthew 24:44.)?

Some christians just take things way too seriously.

The site a great read and if you think about it you could have fun at your next church gathering!

Of course there are other more SERIOUS ways to bring you back to salvation (besides Chick scaring you into submission). 
Buy your Christian panties here: http://www.cafeshops.com/jesus21.

Enjoy!

(more…)

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Written by Admin in: Religion |
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