Catholic values – Include Discrimination
A Catholic school teacher lost her job because she is a lesbian. Not only lesbian, but she decided to have a baby. According to The Province she failed to respect Catholic values.
The Province asks,
“Did Lisa Reimer, think that being a lesbian with a partner having a baby was none of the school’s business?”
They conclude that it was their business. So, then what are Catholic values? To hate anyone who they deem ungodly?
I for one, think it was wrong to fire her. Yet, in this country religious institutions unlike private, have the right to discriminate based on race, religion or sexual orientation. These allowances put them in the position of being above the law.
It seems that Catholic values allow child abuse; yet maintains that homosexuals are dangerous.
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Ministers plan ‘Freedom Ride’ against abortion
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Why do they claim to march for freedom? This will be an anti-freedom march. Antiabortionist want to take away a woman’s right to choose. Period.
Let’s not confuse civil rights with loss of rights. These people are not in danger. What do they risk? They already have the right not to get an abortion. What “freedom” are they marching for?
The African American struggle for equality should not be marred by an underhanded attempt to infringe on individual freedoms.
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Do I have issues with abortion? Yes. But abstinence only education has failed. Why not let schools teach real sex education, which includes pregnancy, and disease prevention. We must provide condoms for teens and teach the importance of using them. These practices will lower the abortion rate. It’s not a Christian answer, but it’s the best one.
Unfortunately anti abortion laws will not stop abortions. It will just make them illegal, expensive and dangerous.
A freedom march is for providing freedoms and equality, not to take them away.
The Great Flood
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Arizona Immigration Law Sparks Controversy
They say they have waited too long. According to the governor, Jan Brewer, the federal government is to blame; specifically the White House. Let’s not forget that they are talking about decades of waiting, without acknowledging that their Bush was at the helm, as they waited. Now they’ve decided that the White House is the problem?
Obama has spoken against it. Now it needs to be declared unconstitutional and over turned by the Supreme Court.
While I do believe we need to do something about illegal aliens. I do not think targeted discrimination is the answer. It reeks of the Nazi Party.
Any minority is suspect. This is what makes the law so dangerous. Any police person can take out his angst against those he despises.
I’m out there protesting, downtown Tucson, what about you?
Will Abolishing Religion Solve the World’s Problems?
Many atheists, like Richard Dawkins, believes it would. Unfortunately it’s not that simple. While I support no god in government; I have no delusions when it comes to human nature. We are a tribal, hateful race. We don’t like diversity. It scares us. A little primal I think. Uniformity is one of the goals of religion. To have everyone think and behave in accordance with divine law.
I advocate science over religion; evolution over creationism. If everyone agreed, it would not rid us of the human condition. A condition, marred with violence, and human conflict. Slavery at its origin, even in this country, had no religious biases. Today we continue to struggle with child abuse, human trafficking, and other forms of subjugation, not driven by religious motives.
While I must acknowledge that god is often used as a basis for inhumane behavior; it is not likely that the absence of a belief in god will end it. In some regards it may increase the problem. As a person can easily rationalize that there is no consequence for their actions.
Our society must evolve. I hope that it includes movement away from dependence on religious ideology. Yet I’m still left with questions.
- What is the difference between patriotism and religious zeal?
- How does ideological absolutism differ from religious absolutism?
They don’t. But that is the atheist delusion. To believe that religion is the source of all problems.
With all my doubts, I continue to desire, not a world, but a government free of religion. People who keep their religions in their homes and out of politics. To have laws which are made for us, and not about us.
If we eliminate god as the scapegoat perhaps we could get there faster. I believe the sooner we attribute what’s wrong in the world to our unkindness, poor logic and stupidity we can get on with improving the human condition.
Are we the god’s and devils that create the heavens or hells people live in?
Sometimes Silence IS Golden
In my favorite park, there is a lake surrounded by evergreens. Several times a week, for many years, I went to the park for a morning walk.
As I entered the park, I’d pick up five black stones, put them into my pocket, and begin my first lap. Five laps, equaled five miles. That was always my minimum goal. After the fifth mile, I rested on a bench. During my break, I decided if I wanted to do another lap.
This routine often led to a ten-mile walk, abbreviated by meditative rest periods.
On one such day, a woman joined me. I acknowledged her, and went back to looking at the ducks.
“Do you know God?” her voice interrupted.
“Please don’t burden me with your god,” I replied.
“Oh, you don’t believe in God,” her surprise warned me that there was more to come.
“No, and right now, I’m enjoying myself in the park,” I stood and walked towards the parking lot, about a quarter mile away.
She followed, continuing to talk.
“If you don’t believe in God, then what keeps you from killing people, from stealing, what keeps you from evil,” she asked.
I hate to admit it, but this woman began to ruin my day. I stopped.
“If believing in a god, keeps you from killing, and stealing and all sorts of evil, then by all means, you must never stop believing in god,” I walked back to my bench, and sat down.
I can’t tell you what she said next. I refused to acknowledge her and finally she walked away.
Sometimes, it’s necessary to ignore the negative, toxic evangelicals. They stir the emotions and prevent clear, level headed thinking. Their negative words, work to get reactions; to push your buttons. Don’t let them drain your energy.
I limit my time with negative button pushers, as they have nothing to offer.
Racial Policy Comes to Arizona
Is the current Arizona immigration law, the beginning of America’s Nuremberg Laws? Take a look at the Republican’s illegal immigrant/Mexican 15 point “crack down list”. Now, compare them to the The Nuremberg Laws. Is this where we’re headed?
What kind of person will exist in the republican utopia? Will it look like Nazi Germany? Seems to me it will.
The new Republican Party is a Christian-hate party. It will exclude and vanquish Americans who do not conform to its ideology. The goal is not unity but uniformity. Is it only me, or does everyone see how close the new Republicans resemble the Nazi Party?
The new Republican America will be free of ethnic minorities, non-Christians, gays, and all non-conformist. How many will they murder to get their twisted utopia? Will we allow the Republican Party to lead us into the next holocaust?
It takes all Americans to question the government, to ensure that our laws are humane. We don’t want laws that reflect the religious ideology of the few.
New Republican laws will have a clear message. Be like us, or be subjugated by us.
Is God a Mathematician?
Let’s resist the desire to formulate such questions? When atheists do it, it’s misleading, and when believers do it, it implies that there is, without doubt, a god. I urge scientists not to use god or biblical language to explain natural phenomena.
Evolution speaks for itself. For me, it is the absence of certain patterns; the depth of diversity. Such that creatures may have no eyes, half an eye, one eye, two eyes, or antenna eyes. Where is the formula? By design, one would expect regularity, yet we don’t find it. Seems any creature is possible, and several are known to have odd genetic dispositions.
Without absolute faith in god or religion I am free to care about others, the environment, and most of all personal freedoms. This life is all there is, at the end no heaven waits. This view makes me responsible. The quality of human life is defined by society, economics, religion, politics, and to some degree geographical location. I do not attribute suffering to the ill effects of unseen forces. When you take god out, you begin to reason, and then you know that your actions may serve evil people. That you and you alone are in control of how you must live your life. There is no divine calculator, you must do the math.
Evil men pray to their gods, and then through politics, government, subjugation, or any other means set out to destroy lives. Today we attribute to god’s revenge natural disasters that destroy communities and kill thousands. This too is a fairy tale. We test nuclear weapons, and then, cry god, when that energy disperses itself in the form of an earthquake or tsunami. As the climate changes we refuse to resound, “It is I’ I am responsible.”
I often remind myself that some fish can fly and some humans can reason.
Limbaugh: Volcanic ash cloud is God’s punishment for health care
Seems not only is god a jackass but also geographically challenged. What does an Icelandic volcano eruption have to do with health care in America? One would think that if god could punish, us mere humans, it would at least be specific. After all, Obama was going that way, god could have waited a few days.
When will this awesome god stop hurting little people to make its political, social or moral republican statements? Oh, yeah I forgot there is no god, just people pretending there is one. Apparently in America that god is 100% republican, and politically aligned with the rightwing evangelicals.
Too bad god uses people like Rush to reveal his vengeance. It seems a poor choice in light of all the powers attributed to god.
Seriously though, America is filled with vulnerable people, people who cling to his words. Rush, the tea party, Fox news, and the Sarah Palin clan are hate mongers. Unfortunately people are listening.
Is it too much to ask god to target them?
Birth of the One (Episode 1)
Ampiodus, the god of knowledge, willed himself deep into the universe. Once there, he summoned Piquant.
Piquant, god of energy, appeared and spat blasts of fire toward Ampiodus.
“Enough,” Ampiodus called, as he set the space around him in motion.
As the space folded around Piquant, he lunged, parted space, and settled himself.
“We’ve decided to make new worlds, a series of planets, your services are needed,” Ampiodus grew fuller and his force radiated.
“It is of no interest to me,” Piquant pushed himself into the cosmos.
Ampiodus followed and used a whirl wind to create a chamber that held Piquant.
“We need your energy to create the globes.”
“You come to me, the outcast, to force me?”
“You’re no outcast, and it’s a request,” Ampiodus reduced the force.
For several moments, perhaps a millennium, neither spoke.
Piquant paced the chamber. Why did the Septemvir need him?
“I’ll give my answer when the Septemvirate meets next,” He considered the powers of the Septemvirate and refused to answer for fear of trickery.
