Christians and other Demons

End the Islam bashing! (Or, clean first thine own house)

2012-02-14T05:22:00.000-08:00

I think I have officially become sick of people saying negative and thinly-veiled racist attacks on Muslims. I think the worst part about it is that the people spouting off really should know better. Xians and Atheists both!

It's a bit more disappointing from atheists, because I would assume that if they feel so enlightened as to look beyond what man calls 'god' and look at what really is the inner truth, they would see why man is drawn to religion and why someone seeks to identify with what can't be understood through clinical observation. Believing someone is less intelligent because of their adherence to some deity is elitist. On the flip-side, believing that an atheist is being condescending (and thus insulting) because they do not believe in god is exclusionary. Not many xians seem to be willing to discuss their beliefs with someone who says they do not believe.

It seems I've strayed a bit from the point on attacking Muslims - but it is all related. In the West, Islam has always been considered alien. And as far as xians and atheists are concerned, there is an old saying that my History teacher in college (a Palestinian) shared with us -

I against my brother;
I and my brother against my cousin.

Seems to describe the situation perfectly!

"Christianophobia"

2011-11-17T06:50:00.000-08:00

BBC News - Jesus play Golgota Picnic angers Christians in France: "

Can someone remind me again why the Xian protests over this play are different than the Muslim protest over the Muhammad cartoons?

Pat Robertson's Greatest Hits

2011-09-16T06:15:00.000-07:00

This is an old article, but still worth a visit! Our old buddy Pat never ceases to entertain! This happens to be a Top Ten list of Robertson's greatest batshit crazy moments, as compiled by Time Magazine. Some are video clips, so you get to see the words fall out of his gob!

Wisdom for Today

2011-09-14T06:44:00.001-07:00

"People in general are equally horrified at hearing the Christian religion doubted, and at seeing it practised." ~ Samuel Butler

September's Mantra

2011-09-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

God exists only when you do not believe there is a God.
When you believe in God, that God no longer exists.

This is to say that God is to remain a completely abstract concept. As long as God remains a concept of consciousness, God can exist. At the point in time where God is personified and given identifiable human aspects, then that God has been given a corporeal existence. As such, this God can not possibly exist..

Teacher sued for disparaging creationism cleared on appeal

2011-08-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

Teacher sued for disparaging creationism cleared on appeal

This is a bittersweet victory. I'm not one for injecting the sciences into religious thought, mainly because we have to accept that the source is accurate and scientific in itself. Of course, that doesn't work, as anyone who was hiding under their desks on May 21st could tell you.

I have to side with the atheists on the area of creationism - it's bunk science. We are to assume that there may have been an 'intelligent designer' who was responsible for life on earth. That in itself is not a scientific question, but rather, a philosophical one. I can say that I believe in God because I do not take up the task of attempting to prove what god is or is not. It's not a scientific view by any means; but I feel that any discussion of God and science is pointless at best, and just plain batshit crazy at worst.

If the creationists are willing to accept any source of occurance (including a godless , random, chance occurance), then there may be room to talk. But as long as it remains an xian pseudo-scientific smoke-screen, then there's absolutely no reason to take this ideology seriously.

October 21, 2011 Judgment Day and End of the World! Tract - eBible Fellowship

2011-08-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

October 21, 2011 Judgment Day and End of the World! Tract - eBible Fellowship

If you have not been to this site and listened to this podcast, you are really doing yourself a great injustice. 2+2 really can equal 5 if you wish and pray hard enough! New to the site is an explanation as to why we're all not wailing and gnashing our teeth in the eternal flames. Essentially, the earthquakes were more figurative, though everything else related to the rapture is assured to be literal.

Please note that the 'final, official' rapture will occur on October 21, 2011 (rain or shine.)

I, for one, will be celebrating the second annual Judgement Days (May 21 and Oct 21) by renting some top quality apocalypse movies and a sumptuous Last Meal. All are invited!!

Arrogance and Belief

2011-08-16T04:25:00.001-07:00

Is the arrogance of an atheist any less great than that of an Xian?

What is the difference between an Xian trying to convert someone to Xianity and an atheist doing the same?

Both sides have both created a God in their own image, but for entirely different reasons.

Morning Rant

2011-08-15T04:36:00.001-07:00

I have been giving a lot of time and thought these days to my own ego and sense of worth. It seems that we all strive to strike a balance between who we think we are, who we project ourselves as, and who we actually are. The closer the first two are to the third idea, the centered our personality becomes.

I am, of course, assuming I know what I am talking about. But as I write this, I can sense the three aspects of my ego (read: personality) working their way into this post.

Now - on to religion. The proper belief and adherence to xianity hinges on the surrender of ego. This would mean dropping any assumption of what the individual thinks they know of their gtod and meditating on what they cannot comprehend. God is meant to be beyond good and evil - to assume that 'god is good' to to assume that one knows god, who is by definition unknowable. So I would assume that praying to god to win a contest or 'give me strength' is a rather heretic view of God.

Now, I believe in God, but I am neither xian, Jew, Muslim, or any other believer type. I believe that God exists only because I recognize that I cannot possibly know everything (but I know what I know what I know.) I don't believe that God loves me or those things to which I prefer. Neither does God dislike those things I feel are to be disliked. God is, in effect, the unknowable. God is not knowledge per se - God is the act of learning and gaining knowledge. To that respect, there is no deity that need be acknowledged.

Okay - rant over!

The Problem with Hitchens

2011-08-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

On YouTube, I found an audio reading of Christopher Hitchen's 'God Is Not Great'. It was a reading of chapter two - 'Religion Kills.' I listened to the reading, and kept an open mind to his point of view, as I tend to disagree with atheists for the same reasons I disagree with xians on the role of religion.

Listening to the two of them debate is like listening to a political debate between Democrats and Republicans - pointless and needlessly cutthroat.

So, in listening to Hitchens rant on about religion being evil, I could imagine the xian responses to his arguments, and how unconvincing they would be to his. Hitchens uses religion as the backdrop to all the evils of the world, which isn't correct. Given the theme of his chapter, I would argue that God, to quote Concrete Blonde, is more like a bullet. And everyone knows that bullets don't kill people, people kill people! Just as basing murder on the teachings of the three plus monotheistic religions is self serving at its most basic, so too is blaming religion for all the ills of the world.

People are self serving - that is, there is no such thing as a purely selfless act. Whatever action a person takes, it is in that person's best interest. Otherwise, there would be no reason to take the action. In this sense, acts of violence, goodwill, malice, and charity are all equal. Religion isn't an evil - it's just a means to explore the subconscious self.

The problem isn't religion per se - of the major religions, none of them would condone the actions of their participants as they explain in their doctrines. Individuals, on the other hand, are self serving and often bend religion to their own interests. Religion is meant to be approached without ego. Of course, man is an animal that struggles with the boundaries of ego and the self. Of course, when the ego is used to project God onto others, the trouble really begins.

We can see the same issues with ego and atheism. Hitchens has described God (and as far as the book goes, religion in general) as 'the great wrong.' He doesn't separate the core religion from the worst aspects of its followers. And because of that, he comes off as hypocritical and self-righteous. As such, I doubt that I'll be reading this book.

The meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything

2011-08-02T03:40:00.000-07:00

I'm not a religious person, but I have an idea for the Xian concept of the Garden of Eden. Genesis (Book 3) states that Adam and Eve were cast from the garden of Eden after eating of the Tree of Knowledge. As most Christians, I was brought up to believe that this is the Original Sin, the core act of disobedience against the word of God that condemns man to death (and Hell, if you were fundamentalist Baptist.)

Now, suppose that the Tree of Knowledge has nothing to do with knowing what is good and what is evil. Rather, it is to know the true nature of God. Then the parable would make more sense:

To admit that God exists is to say that God is not real.
To say that God does not exist is to admit that God is real.

Simply, to say that there is knowledge of God is to confess no knowledge of God. To confess that there is no God is to acknowledge God. God cannot exist if we believe He is real, though if we believe He is real, He cannot exist.

It's too early in the morning to be challenging anyone's belief in God (and I'm truly not interested in doing so - it's a conversation that often goes nowhere on the best of days.) I do, however, feels this makes perfect sense in that the mythos of the Garden of Eden is like any other creation parable. The Tree of Knowledge is meant to be man's access to the Knowledge of God, rather than the 'good and evil'. Otherwise, the story becomes little more than a bedtime story, lacking the point of reflection that a creation myth is intended to provide.

BBC News - US pastor Terry Jones cancels Koran burning

2010-09-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

BBC News - US pastor Terry Jones cancels Koran burning

Finally, everyone can shut the fuck up about this!

Two things:

* Is it really the case that the whole world was up in arms about some idjits in some backwater church?

* What carries more weight? The message of the book or the physical pages?

The guy had every right to burn those books. They are just objects. Burning them would do no more harm than burning a pile of napkins. The real effect is in the worth everyone puts in the objects and not in the message within. No matter how many Korans this guy might burn, the message remains the same. In America, it (one's own) God given right to be a moron and express it freely.

I'm still blaming the press and it's 24 hour feeding frenzy for turning this non-story into a global sensation. No one seems to be calling tem out on that, though . . . .

Kids in the snow

2010-01-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, you just have to take the young ones out and let 'em play in the snow. Now, if they're out there playin' 'tragic crucifixion disasters' and the neighbors freak out, then, well . . . . .

It's been a while . . .

2009-10-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've been blogging in my own space. So this is my official re-'kick-off.'

Quote of the Day

2009-05-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle.
Then I realised God doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness.
Emo Philips

Karen Armstrong: 2008 TED Prize wish: Charter for Compassion

2009-05-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

This is a speech from the author of History of God. She has a very insightful approach on how people of faith, those without, and everyone in between. As an atheist, she speaks very eloquently about faith and what it should mean.

Quote ofthe Day

2009-05-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"
I John 4:20

I would say that this verse applies to anyone of any faith.

Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it.

2009-03-25T09:51:00.000-07:00

So far, this article (Arlen Grossman: Obama's Special Olympics remark not hurtful) has been the 'vibe' I get when people explain why what Obama said during his Tonight Show appearance 'wasn't so bad.' I ws so insensed after reading it that I had t say something then and there!

After I posted, I thought that maybe I was baited for a comment (Limbaugh style.) After a bit of retrospect, I'm sure it was the autor's real feelings on the matter.

This was my response to the article. I thought it bore repeating:

"1. Developmentally disabled people were not offended by the joke. Hardly any of them would understand why they should be offended."

Wow! I heard that animals don't feel pain - guess it's okay to torture 'em!

"2. Let's consider who said it and what his intent was. "

The President of the United States of America should have known better than that; more so than anyone else.

"3. The truth is: Most Special Olympic athletes are not good at bowling."

What's your handicap?

Last thing: more often than not, when comments like yours are brandied about, 'honest and realistic' becomes code for 'insensitive, callous [and/or] bigoted.' I won't say that you are (I don't know you, so how can I?), but I will say that I completely disagree with your conclusion here.

I understand the context of what he meant. But that doesn't make it any less hurtful. And as president, it makes him look small-minded and cruel.

Obama and the Special Olympics gaffe

2009-03-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

I was deeply disppointed by this. Having read some of his campaign fodder on ASD, I was hoping to see more of an inclusionary attitude come from Washington this time around.

I found this video on YouTube of Obama, preaching the good word and wanting to get the message out on a united populace:

When president Obama made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno:

It was as quick as it was insensitive. And it passed through with very little acknowledgement from the press or the public.

So I decided to take a bit of stock in myself, did some research, and took the R-Word Pledge.

I hope the president decides to do the same.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Obama renews US sanctions on Iran

2009-03-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS Americas Obama renews US sanctions on Iran

Just met the new boss,
Same as the old boss . . .

How does that decision coincide with the fact that Iran doesn't have any weapons-grade uranium?

A bit of nonsense

2009-03-04T18:29:00.000-08:00

I'm not thrilled with the world today.
I wish I could bake some cookies and hide in a dark rom under an electric blanket.

Sometimes you feel like nothing you do is going the right way.
But you always cheer up a little when you realize that the feeling is only temporary.

I feel a little better already!

Now - where are those cookies?

Quote of the Day

2009-03-03T11:33:00.001-08:00

"Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There's a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning."

Bill Gates

BBC NEWS | Americas | US 'cell assault' video released

2009-03-03T11:15:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS | Americas | US 'cell assault' video released

This more than made me sick; this really broke my heart.

Having read some people defend the actions of the officer, I can only say this;
what will you say when it's your turn?

BBC NEWS | Africa | Jacksons star in Nigeria resort row

2009-02-16T12:45:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS | Africa | Jacksons star in Nigeria resort row

As I casually comb the BBC new site (as I often do), I ran across this article. When I read it, I actually made sure that the date was no April 1st.

Imagine a Theme park, a slavery memorial, a 5 star hotel, golf course, and Jacksons musuem in the same breath.

Can you imagine what they would name the hotel? The golf courses? The rollercoasters?!?

I am really curious as to the intended audiences. Something like this would (hopefully) come up as tackless in the United States.

Auchwitz is crumbling, and the dabate rages on about what should be done with it - will this business model prove its saviour?

Last question: is this really different from casinos on Native American land? I don't see it as being any less exploitative.

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Sussex | Church removes 'scary crucifix'

2009-01-08T04:45:00.000-08:00

The crucifixion is officially 'not PC' in Sussex.
I can understand the reasoning on this one - Christianity advertises itself (on a theoretical level, like all religions) as peaceful and inspiring. Then we have a sculpture that, as art, does an excellent job of sparking conversation of its subject matter.

I have to admit that it's a pretty powerful peace, and one could pull a lot of meaning from the expression on Jesus's face. Personally, I think it represents the conflicts between the establishment of religion and the philosophy of a man. (Would Gandhi be considered a religious symbol in 1000 years?)

Not as provocative as 'Chocolate Jesus', but it's up there!

BBC Video

Quote of the day

2008-04-18T05:01:00.000-07:00

"I do hate a lot of 'religion' but people like Christ - yeah they inspire me. I mean if you look at Christ, He was hanging around with the lowlifes, prostitutes and the losers you know, not going around with those high society motherfuckers you see trying to sell Jesus today!" - Max Cavalera (ex-Sepultura)

BBC NEWS | Business | Bush warns of economic challenges

2008-01-07T19:13:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS Business Bush warns of economic challenges

"We have a strong foundation in our economy, but we can't take economic growth for granted . . . Recent economic indications have become increasingly mixed . . ."

You better be really cautious when these guys project a less than rosy picture for the future.

2007-12-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

Just a bit of Xmas . . .

Thought for the Day

2007-06-01T10:43:00.001-07:00

Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity.
Unknown

Thought for the Day

2007-05-24T06:29:00.000-07:00

You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.
Anne Lamott

2007-05-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

Xian Witch-Doctor Falwell abandoned by Conservative politicians.

I'm sure there's a made-for-TV movie in the works for this bum (hell, Rev. Leroy Jenkins had one!!). Conservative politicians avoided the funeral like the plague; I'm guessing that the whippoorwills circling overhead made a few of them nervous.

More likely, the Neo-Cons had already sucked the well dry. You wouldn't shed a tear for a used tissue, would you? This bit was on the BBC News site:

"However, many leading Republicans decided not to attend the funeral service in a sign that the political influence of the religious right over the party was waning, correspondents say.
President George W Bush sent a mid-level aide to represent him."

The fact that Bush avoided the funeral was a bit surprising - I'm supposing that Falwell's 'homecoming' was to be the Evangelical event of the year.

According to Dave Zweifel of The Capital Times:

. . . if Jerry Falwell was the great Christian that some folks are claiming, then the pope's an atheist.

Falwell will go down as one of the greatest dividers in American history, a man who used a contorted religion to serve his political and economic ambitions. . . .

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., hit the nail on the head back in 2000 when Falwell and his cohort, Pat Robertson, helped George W. Bush spread malicious gossip about McCain. This is being Christian?

McCain then called Falwell and Robertson "agents of intolerance," a description he retracted this year when he cynically sought to score points with the religious right for the 2008 presidential campaign.

[This is why I would never vote for McCain - I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, but he's just like Howard Dean - an uninspiring party puppet.]

McCain then called Falwell and Robertson "agents of intolerance," a description he retracted this year when he cynically sought to score points with the religious right for the 2008 presidential campaign.

As Frank Rich said in the New York Times Sunday, "Mr. Falwell was always on the wrong, intolerant side of history.

He was a member of the old guard - a old American xian that gives real xians a bad rep when talking to the straight community. Every prejudice about how narrow-minded, hateful, and un-xian about xians was on polished display when it came to this man. I guess I have to give credit to Bush for distancing himself from that!

Remember this juicy bit? This was an article from CNN?

"I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'"
Falwell, pastor of the 22,000-member Thomas Road Baptist Church, viewed the attacks as God's judgment on America for "throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked." Falwell, pastor of the 22,000-member Thomas Road Baptist Church, viewed the attacks as God's judgment on America for "throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked."
[To his credit (?!), he later recanted the statements (kind of. . . ) ]
"I do believe, as a theologian, based upon many Scriptures and particularly Proverbs 14:23, which says 'living by God's principles promotes a nation to greatness, violating those principles brings a nation to shame,'" he said.
. . .
Falwell told CNN: "I would never blame any human being except the terrorists, and if I left that impression with gays or lesbians or anyone else, I apologize."

There was a bit of scary banter between this clown and Pat Robertson 2 days after the tower fell, still availabe for your reading enjoyment in an article found on beliefnet.com. YOu definitely want to check this out before you start shedding any tears!

One More Article - Authorities arrest Liberty student who they say planned to go to Falwell funeral with bombs:

LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) — A Liberty University student who told a family member he had made bombs and planned to attend the funeral of the Rev. Jerry Falwell was apparently upset about an anti-gay fringe group that protested at the funeral, authorities said.

Officials were still trying to figure out what Mark David Uhl planned to do with the bombs. Police do not believe he intended to disrupt the funeral Tuesday or harm the Falwell family, Campbell County Sheriff Terry Gaddy said.

Falwell frequently spoke against homosexuality, and gay rights advocates have consistently opposed him. A group of Liberty University students staged a counterprotest; it wasn’t clear whether Uhl was involved.
. . .
Jesse Benson, 19, of Zanesville, Ohio, said he lived with Uhl this year and that both shared the view that the Westboro group is a “sorry, disgraceful bunch of people,” but that he was certain Uhl would never have done anything to harm them.

“He had a very, very deep respect for Jerry Falwell, as do I,” Benson said in a telephone interview. “Jerry Falwell would not have approved him harming anybody for any reason. Out of respect for Jerry Falwell, he never would have done anything.”

You know, it's really saying something when even a vehemetly homophobic person such as Falwell is branded as 'soft on gays'. I can see it now - Hate-mongers Clash at Falwell funeral, ironically setting the casket ablaze.

Aww, Lardy, Lardy!!

GOD Called Falwell home!

2007-05-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS | Americas | US evangelist Jerry Falwell dies

Good luck! Too bad he waited so long to cash in your ticket, eh? That's OK - there'll be plenty of torment and anguish to spare when your boys Swaggart and Robertson join ya!

Hoped 'ya packed some marshmallows!

OH, My Sweet, 'Sweet Jesus"

2007-03-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS | Americas | Storm in US over chocolate Jesus

Chocolate Jeezus, Chocolate Jeezus, ridin' on the dashboard of mah car . . .

It's finally Happened! The ultimate and definitive connection between the pagan and xian holiday - Chocolate Jesus!!

I guess there's no suprise that the Catholics are up in arms about it. I'm sure a little bit of research would turn up an objection from our pal Pat Robertson, too; this crowd's all too predictable. I'm curious if the objection is to the material or the subject matter. Well, since the pope is a former hitler youth (remember the german sermon at the conentration camp!?) and the pedophelia scandals, the Catholics need something to feel righteously and morally superior.

The Catholic League, which describes itself as the nation's largest Catholic civil rights organisation, also criticised the timing of the exhibition.

"The fact that they chose Holy Week shows this is calculated, and the timing is deliberate," Mr Donohue said.

Suggestion: in order t give the sculpture more reverence, he should create stimata fom the hands with a carefully concealed bladder filled with Hershey's chocolate syrup. I'd suggest the strawberry syrup, but that would seem a little hack . . .

Preacher bites the dust!

2006-11-05T16:01:00.000-08:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6119226.stm

Ha!!!!!!

His response?
http://www.newlifechurch.org/TedHaggardStatement.pdf

THey don't crash and burn better than that!

Another night to write

2006-10-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

What do you say to someone who believes (or romanticizes) that their god has abandoned them?
WHat do you say when you have no personal relationship with god?
I don't spend my time bashing xians on a regular basis (their leaders, sure, but that's an easy target). But everyone who follows a faith is looking for a void they percieve exists in their lives. I think everyone fills a bit of emptiness, and we do what we can to fill it. Some people know what feeling is, and are blessed with the knowledge of how to fufill it. Everyone else feels the void, but they can'''t identify it.
They feel a longing.
So what happens when we feel the longing that we can't identify?
We try to fill the void.
We go shopping.
We eat.
We drink.
We pray.
We f**k.
We cry.
We lash out at our loved ones.
We dope up.
We fight.
We go on.
Or . . .
We just give in to the dispair.

I like to think that I'm lucky. I've been married for 12 years to my soulmate, so I completed my search for fufillment long ago. What I wanted was someone who would love me and let me love them in they way I always thought love should be. I wanted to be the kind of parent I wish I had, and teach my children in a way that builds them up instead of teraring them down; I found that in my wife and children. It probably sounds hokey, but it's really true. I know that people look for that fulfillment in god, but I could never get past the 'faith in the almighty' bit.

For me, it was the realization that I was looking for something that a belief in god (any god) could give me. But that didn't mean I wanted to fill the void by denouncing god and all who would believe the snake-oil salesmen. I think that there's a point that xians and some athiests never reach, and that is peace with their concept of god.

For xians (and all judeo-based god forms) its a idol mentality. Whether the symbol or the reference, the message is lost in the endless translations. When reading the new testament (in relation to Jesus of Nazarene), the words attributed to him can be quite moving and inspiring. Of course, since these faiths are more about a confucainist sect of fascist rules and idolatry (considering the 10 Commandments and the Diver's Laws). Ghandhi said it best when whe said that he really liked xianity until he met a xian.
FOr the athiests, its the constant hand-wringing about finding fault with the bible and xians in general. I remeber years ago watching an American Athiests show on public access channel, and the whole conversation was focused on biblical errors. I do understand the fun in such activities, but too often the conversation focuses on faith bashing, and the rhetoric sounds little different then fundementalist babtists.

The being of God (this evening)

2006-10-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

God is what you make of it. When I was young and impressionable, I chose to make much of god. When I was ~17, I chose to abandon god and all who would claim to know and walk with him. I have since learned to pity those who claim to be sheperds of men for any deity, and excuse the trespasses of those who would bother me with their beliefs. I felt that, for me, god had died a long time ago. Or, just to be pithy about it, god transended to a state where I no longer dwell on his existance, and he returns the favor.
I don't call myself an athiest because of the association; it's like calling yourself a trekkie. Some wear it as a badge of honor. I'm content to say that I enjoy watching Star Trek. Once a brotherhood of sorts has been established in a realm of belief, the members of the group can always find comfort in that brotherhood. My problem is that I reject the brotherhood out of hat - there's always an ideology to the group dynamic that always falls short of cold reality. Then the purists arive . . .

I'm writing today for no particular reason - I read some of the blogs my younger brother today wrote, and I wondered about what he felt when he wrote those words. They were words of encouragement and of the promise of god's love, but, as the chain of events played out, my brother was deaf to his own words. He took his life a month ago, and the act took everyone around him by surprise. He feigned an artistic interest in the darkness of man, while all the time feeding into and expressing his own. I'm not sure if he sought council with god, or whether or not the words of his blog were truly felt, or part of his shadow persona. I know that a little boy lost his mother when he was 10, and his life was turned upside down. Where he expressed joy, there was a hole that he was never able to fill. And as he gazed into the abyss, he turned his back on the world, and stepped within it.

------------

Little brother, I wish I had gotten to know you. We spent so many years on the wrong foot, and I judged you as an adult for transgressions of your youth. I can not help but to see you as the litte boy who'd lost his mother so many years ago, whose mother killed herself trying to fill her void with alcohol. As I look back at the part of your life that I nedver saw, I see a boy who grew into a man, but could not overcome the sadness of that little boy who lost his mother. She was my mother, too, but the bond was stronger with you. You were still her baby.

I'm sorry that I couldn't be there more for you as you grew into a man so long ago. At your funeral, I heard your dad cheer you on in a game. I knew he gave you a love that you was hard to interpret from mom, clouded by the alcohol. I wasn't able to care for you then - I could barely care for myself - but I wish I was stronger then you you when you needed it. The rift grew between me and mom to the point that I had to leave that house. Our sister was away at college, and you were alone to watch our mother kill herself ever so slowly. For her sake, I am sorry for the pain she caused you. She held her own lonliness in her heart, and tried to bury the pain with a bottle, leaving only hurt behind.

I'm sorry that twice you gave your heart away, and twice it was thrown aside. But you surrounded yourself with love and those who loved you. I am sorry that the love you sought was not what you could find. I saw that you gave comfort to others in the words of god, but found no real comfort in them for yourself.

In your last words, I felt a pain that I knew in my youth, when I had contemplated suicide myself. I could feel the blackness around me. I remember how I kept my secret desire from everyone close to me. I remember how I rationalized the pain I would leave behind, as I began to push the people I loved from my heart. It was easier for me, I think. I was always guarded, and I always felt alone in my heart.

You were always able to make friends easily, but I have seen that your heart was very lonely. And that pain is so great that you can physically feel it. I believe that you felt that void was filled long ago, only to find it opened again. You were desperate to make that pain go away, and took the only way you thought you had left.

If I believed that there was a god that watches over us, I would thank him for the night that I met my wife. I am glad you were able to meet her; I wish you were able to see how big her heart was, and that maybe all you needed was someone to share their whole heart with you, and love you the way you needed to be loved. I would tell you that it is worth waiting for, and once you know what your heart really wants, not to settle for anything less. I read your words, and I cried because of the complete waste of a life that felt so much, and lived his life that he felt others percieved him.

I read your last words, and I felt that I knew you better than anyone, even though I had not seen you in years. Your pain was real because you made it real. It was deep because you kept it hidden. I wished I could have told you something - anything - that would make the pain go away. I know that there was nothing that could be done. Your mind had been made up; you would sit on the edge of the void and allow yourself to be swallowed whole.

But we are here. Yuu have left us behind with pain of our own, and questions that will never be answered. We can only console ourselves; we embrace each other with a longing for answers and an appreciation for the love that surrounds us. We will spend our days appreciating the love we have, and making sure that those around us feel the love we hold.

I just wish we could have done the same for you.

Goodbye, little brother. I love you and will forever miss you.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Pope Mass ahead of Auschwitz trip

2006-05-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS Europe Pope Mass ahead of Auschwitz trip: "Some Jewish groups have said a German Pope speaking the language of the Nazis would insult the memory of the million Jews murdered there. "

Just two things . . .

"Some Jewish groups have said a German Pope speaking the language of the Nazis would insult the memory of the million Jews murdered there. "

That just sounds like bullshit. It's why liberalism fails - no one wants to even think that their feelings might get hurt. Kinda like getting thrown out of school for using the word 'gun' in a sentence due to 'Zero Tolerance.'

Second, no one addresses the irony of a former Hitler Youth being the pope, much less his visiting the world infamous death camp.
(The article said that the trip was added to his tour last minute - maybe he left his pocketwatch in a desk somewhere . . . )

BBC NEWS | Americas | US official in child abuse sting

2006-04-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS Americas US official in child abuse sting
ERP!!!
They're everywhere! The moral majority is looking a bit sticky these days!

In the article -
"According to a police statement during the course of the internet exchanges Mr Doyle revealed his name and job to the "girl" and even passed on the number of a mobile phone issued by the homeland security department and his office number. "

His mug shot appears on the Washington Post web site, and of course, there's a reference to terrorism in there (I love all of the what ifs - how about what if the undercover cop was really your kid instead?!?)

Maybe he'll pull a Jimmy Swaggart (I have sinned agianst you, oh LARD!) on camera, and apologize because he was caught.

Eeeeewwwww!

BBC NEWS | Americas | Top US evangelist targets Islam

2006-03-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS Americas Top US evangelist targets Islam

Oh, am I ever going to get back to this!!!!

"[This] just shows the kind of people we're dealing with. These people are crazed fanatics, and I want to say it now: I believe it's motivated by demonic power. It is satanic and it's time we recognize what we're dealing with . . . the goal of Islam, ladies and gentlemen whether you like it or not, is world domination."

Mayor of New Oleans Stricken with Robertson's Syndrome

2006-01-18T07:03:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS Americas US mayor regrets 'God comments'
I'm not even going to comment on the 'chocolate' remark - I'm pretty sure that the comment was made in the context of the audience. (Now, if was going to be fair, I would try to compare it in some sense to Trent Lott's comments a while a go, but I wouldn't believe the comparisons anyway.)

Said New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin -

"Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country . . . "

Well, we all know that 'for God so loved the world, he gave us a bunch of assholes to speak in his name with conflicting messages.' I'm sure that both Robertson Nagin believe themselves 'born again' xians, and on more than one occasion they felt that big G gave them words of encouragement; it's always the publisist that has to tell them that they have their heads in their ass.

Robertson Pisses Undies at Loss of $50 Million Deal - Apologizes

2006-01-16T06:26:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS Middle East US TV host sorry for Sharon slur

From BBC Article -

"My concern for the future safety of your nation led me to make remarks which I can now view in retrospect as inappropriate and insensitive in light of a national grief experienced because of your father's illness," said Mr Robertson's letter [to Sharon's Son Omri].

He kept flapping those jaws until God fined him $50 Million. Punishment for passing judgement, maybe? Offhand, I would think that taht would be the kind of thing you'd want to leave up to your God. Even the Pope doesn't have the cajones to say that kind of crap out loud in public, and he is 'officially [elected]' 'god's boy'.

It might be time to put ole Pat in a home, folks!

Pat Robertson shows true face of Xianity

2006-01-11T07:49:00.000-08:00

I read this article this morning - BBC NEWS Middle East Israel punishes US TV evangelist -and was surprised for all of 2 seconds. As Pat Roberson ages, that crusty facade of 'God's Love' flakes off in ever larer pieces.
It is refreshing, to some extent, to see that dignity won out over greed for once (sort of) -

"We were due to sign a contract in the near future with Mr Roberson for the construction of a new Christian heritage centre in the Galilee," [Tourism Ministry spokesman Ido Hartuv] told the AFP news agency.

"We, as the State of Israel, cannot accept what he said and we will not do any business with him or with anyone else who agrees with his view."

But Mr Hartuv insisted Israel had not rejected outright the idea of building the centre.

"The contract is still open - just not with Mr Robertson."

It's certianly no secret how evangelicals feel about Jews (they blame them for the death of Jesus X), it's just nice to see that Ayatollah Robertson is staying true to his core beliefs. With his recent blurbs about the wrath of God as it pretains to events he takes issue with, I wonder how he would rationalize 'God's will' as it pretains to the Holocaust.

Robertson's response is rather low key as well -
http://www.patrobertson.com/PressReleases/ArielSharonPR.asp
He's not about to apologize - rather, he (Robertson's publicist) plays down the comment, citing his friendship with Sharon and how he would, I guess, see the humor in it, so to speak. The publicist also noted that Robertson is the victim of a left-wing smear campaign.

Now, having heard the comments about Dover PA from the horse's mouth, I'm inclined to believe that he didn't need any smearing. Of course, the lefties are all over this, but the Democrats don't want to offend. And while His Majesty Robertson spouts quasi-religious political ideolog from the easy-chair pulpit, no one threatens to re-examine his tax exempt status.

Satanism in Africa

2005-11-30T06:03:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS | World | Africa | 'Satanic' church banned in Zambia

Is it Xianity gone wrong?
Is it a case of mass hysteria propogated by Evangelical Missionaries with an inconsistent message?

Or is it Memorex?

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Texas preacher killed by baptism

2005-10-31T17:05:00.000-08:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4394722.stm

I don't know -
A Xian Baptist preacher dies during a baptism on all Hallow's Eve?
Is there anything else that could be said?

Well -
WWPRS? (What would Pat Robertson Say?)

BBC NEWS | Africa | Pastor Hinn in Nigerian money row

2005-06-27T04:29:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS | Africa | Pastor Hinn in Nigerian money row

It is always good to see that the glory of God © can still move the masses and make the lame whole. I can see the image of God's © own Hinn - Arriving in a country of 128 Million poor xians looking for delivery from the evil around them, arriving in his glorious motorcade of Hummers.

I really wish I could have heard that last sermon on the third day. I bet back stage, he must have let the explitives fly! Maybe it's the evangelical equivelant to a traffic ticket - God © was punishing him for something that he's been getting away with for a while anyway.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iraqi 'justice' by television

2005-03-20T14:06:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iraqi 'justice' by television
1984, anyone?

2005-03-18T19:38:00.000-08:00

If ye loveth Jesus, ye should KILL A KITTEN!!!

BBC NEWS | Europe | Pope has surgery to aid breathing

2005-02-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS | Europe | Pope has surgery to aid breathing

Look's like it's about time to put the current puppet of god in the box. I guess even god's chosen mets the same fate as the pagan.

The SERMONS OF SATAN!!!!!

2005-01-31T23:08:00.000-08:00

The Sermons of SATAN

It is as it says my brethren. And lo on high, the Lord spoke unto me and said 'Dude!' The site is either by an honesyt to 'god' satanist or a Straussian trained xian looking to further the cause on banning the internet. In either case, it's a fun read!

Breakthrough! (Not the religious program . . .)

2005-01-27T08:47:00.000-08:00

The similarities in the histories of Xianity and the ideologic policies of Straussians in the current administration.
If you know what I'm talking about, then WOW! If not, then I will finish this thought a little later!

The Crusades 2005 - It's Not about the Oil. Honestly!

2005-01-21T09:37:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iran tops US 'trouble-spots' list

I'm sure that Bush and Co. see themselves as fulfilling the Manifest Destiny of the United States in liberating the infidel hordes from the dictators of the Arab world. Never mind that they spent most of the time Hussein was in power praising and propping him up - he was a secular force stemming the tide of communism - er, Islam. He was useful only insofar as he fought against Iran. His reward was our looking the other way on VX gas attacks and general dictatorshit fate.

Good thing the Arab community and countries see us as liberators and champions of democracy, peace and freedom. Just imagine if they thought of us as 'Crusaders', forcing Xianity at gunpoint when its interests are compromised.

Jesus Can Save You From Hell

2005-01-20T08:53:00.000-08:00

Jesus Can Save You From Hell

I really think I found my most favorite site on the web EVER!!
You just can't get any better than the real thing. When you have SERIOUS discussions with titles such as 'The FALSE GOSPEL of ISLAM' and '48 Hours In HELL!', you know your soul is in jeopardy!

Spongebob Gaypants II

2005-01-20T08:36:00.000-08:00

WorldNetDaily: SpongeBob, Barney promote 'gay' tolerance

Here it is again! This article drags Dora the Explorer, Jojo the Clown, and Bob the Builder into the 'gay fray' (I've always had my doubts about Big Bird . . .)

The sad truth to this is that it sounds like a little misinformation is used to prop up a mean spirited attack on homosexuality.
The AFA researcher Ed Vitagliano happens to be a pointman for the religious right. Though I may be just too cynical - The American Family Association, I'm sure, is really just a moderate, progressive think tank of neoconservative Xians.

BBC NEWS | Americas | US right attacks SpongeBob video

2005-01-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS | Americas | US right attacks SpongeBob video:

We see the video as an insidious means by which the organisation is manipulating and potentially brainwashing kids.

Paul Batura
Focus on the Family

I am just not giving this Xian group enough credit! There are some untapped potentials for fun here. I'll have to research to see if this group was responsible for getting Mighty Mouse off the air. But this isn't the first time Spongebob has been 'outed' . . .

Camp cartoon star 'is not gay'

2005-01-17T08:10:00.000-08:00

May the love of your god follow you all your days.

2005-01-16T10:48:00.000-08:00

Picasa and Hello are going to spoil me! This is Jesus Cookie at the crucifixion.

Reasoning behind the lack of material penned by Jesus of Nazarene

2005-01-06T20:19:00.000-08:00

Louisiana Quaker eLetter vol.1, no. 11
I will give the author credit for spinning a tale that sounds so plausible that someone looking for a reason for it to be true. The main problem here is that it relies on articles of faith to excuse the fact that Jesus was a Jew, and any writings would have hsve been articles in propogation of his own Judaism. Note that neither Jesus or his original 12 Apostles were xian. When Paul sold his refined version of Judaism, he parted ways with the xians that believed the divinity of Jesus within the confines of Judaism.

Here's a quote to prove my point exactly:

Like the Torah in the hands of first-century Pharisees, the written words become more important than the one who delivered them. Jesus came to liberate us, not to bind us to new idols.

The problem faced in the invention of Xianity is that it has become bound to a new idol - that of the Jesus Christ. There is no way to seperate the paganistic binding of the Trinity or the imagry of the cross. And xians have struggled for years to explain how Jesus and God are the same person, yet Jesus is God's son. And that in the Trinity, we really have three dieties (not including Lucifer) in a monotheistic package.

Believe it or not, I'm not an athiest. I'm not agnostic either. I can no more disprove the existence of (anyone;s) God than someone could convince me of their existence. I'm not an intellectal that believes that the mind is God, or that faith in the unexplained can be a powerful force in the life of a believer. I just don't believe that there are as many real true believers out there. Sure, there are plenty of people who say they are, and thanks to Calvinism, this has become an accepted tenent of xianity (most likely, in every faith.)

God is what you make of him (or her.) If need be, God could be a general term for all the dieties that make up a person's fate. The only preresiquite is that it is real for the believer.

I genuinely enjoy the company of a real xian; but in the therm 'real xian' I mean the person who lives by their articles of faith, and sets an example by living their lives in the teacings of their beliefs and not spewing a bunch of old testament bullshit. A real xian lives their life in the example Jesus. More often than not, I run into xians who profess a true belief, yet inject their own self serving agendas into what they refer to as the 'will of Christ.'

Plugged In Online

2005-01-04T11:02:00.000-08:00

Plugged In Online

Here is a website fronted by the curiously fun 'Focus on the Family.' They offer wholesome reviews of movies, videos, etc., and play up xian alternatives when they are to be found. You can guess how they reacted to Pantera's Far Beyond Driven or the the Dawn of the Dead remake, but when they beat up on Enya, you really have to wonder. It goes along with that Evangelical notion that if you are doing ANYTHING that isn't slavishly praising the set notion of the xian god, then you are praising THE EVIL ONE!!

Now - someone explain how a monothiestic religion has more than one diety?

Food for thought . . .

2004-12-28T19:36:00.000-08:00

"It is not anti-Semitic to criticize the policies of the state of Israel."
-Colin Powell

BBC NEWS | Europe | French teenagers mug Santa Claus

2004-12-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS | Europe | French teenagers mug Santa Claus
Glory be to God on high, ye fellow Xians! The pagan scum has been brought asunder, freeing your hard-earned cash for contributions to the church. Amen!

Random Rant #2

2004-12-21T21:29:00.000-08:00

Everyone says that their God is the god of love and peace; but so many acts of atrocities are commited in His name. Can you imagine the look on Jesus Christ's face when Pat Roberston prays ' . . . In Jesus's name we pray, Amen?'

Worshippers of Satan

2004-12-21T21:20:00.000-08:00

(533) Worshippers of Satan

Now, who said all the bible thumpers had to be christian? The above link is a reference found on the http://www.alminbar.com/ web site; it looks to be a 'sermon bank' for Muslims. I KNOW there's a xian version of this, and pretty sure there is a Jewish one as well. I will be making it my mission to find these and make them public.
---------
Here's a quote from the above reference (in case it ends up going away). Read this, and then think about some who has had this drilled into them since childhood. Think about some guy looking for something to fill the empty void of his existence. Iraqi insurgents hate us Americans so much, and why someone might be willing to strap a bomb to their body and kill a bunch of people who had nothing to do with anything. It sounds like the fires of hell are stoking up for Bush; although they could also be speaking about despot dictators in Bush's favor. This sermon could certianly be applied to Sharon.

--------------------------------

Another form of their worship of Satan, is averting people from the way of Allaah, and fighting the allies of Allaah and trying to destroy their image, and torturing them, and meanwhile, supporting and making allies with the enemies of Allaah and respecting them and bringing them closer to themselves.

Listen to Allaah describing the characteristics of those who are from the party of Satan: "Have you not considered those who make allies of people with whom Allah has become angry. They are neither of you nor of them, and they swear to untruth while they know they are lying. Allah has prepared for them a severe punishment, indeed it is evil what they used to do. They took their false oaths as a cover so they averted people from the way of Allah, and for them is a humiliating punishment. Never will their wealth or their children avail them against Allah at all. Those are the companions of the fire, they will abide therein eternally.

“On the day (meaning the Judgment Day) Allah will resurrect them all, and they will swear to Him as they swear to you, And think that they have some standing. Unquestionable it is they who are the liars.

“Satan has overcome them and made them forget the remembrance of Allah. Those are the party of Satan unquestionably the party of Satan, they will be the losers, Indeed the ones who oppose Allah and his messengers, and his messenger those will be the most humble or humiliated.“ (Al-Mujaadalah: 14-20)

Xians love Muslims

2004-12-19T23:09:00.000-08:00

Republican Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) (On the Abu Gahrib scandal):
"I have to say I'm probably not the only one up at this table that is more outraged by the outrage than we are by the treatment. The idea that these prisoners, you know they're not there for traffic violations. If they're in cellblock 1A or 1B these prisoners, they're murderers, they're terrorists, they're insurgents, many of them probably have American blood on their hands, and here we're so concerned about the treatment of those individuals."

Makes you feel good inside. Certianly makes him feel good inside . . .

Random Rant #1

2004-12-19T22:59:00.000-08:00

When president Bush speaks of his faith, he alienates everyone else non-xian. This is not the position the leader of the free world should be in.

23 reasons to condenm Zionism

2004-12-19T22:42:00.000-08:00

There are no 'good guys' in the Arab-Isreali conflict anymore. Too much blood has spilled on the holiest land of billions of christians, Jews, and Muslims. As Americans, we would do very well to remember our own history before picking sides. I didn't write any of this, and doing a bit of research, I've seen some opposition to facts surrounding some of the quotes. If people were never known to talk like this, I might have believed them. But hate is hate, and no one gets a free skate in the name of PC.

1. "There is a huge gap between us (Jews) and our enemies not just in ability but in morality, culture, sanctity of life, and conscience. They are our neighbors here, but it seems as if at a distance of a few hundred meters away, there are people who do not belong to our continent, to our world, but actually belong to a different galaxy."
Israeli president Moshe Katsav. The Jerusalem Post, May 10, 2001

2. "The Palestinians are like crocodiles, the more you give them meat, they want more"....
Ehud Barak, Prime Minister of Israel at the time - August 28, 2000. Reported in the Jerusalem Post August 30, 2000

3. " [The Palestinians are] beasts walking on two legs."
Menahim Begin, speech to the Knesset, quoted in Amnon Kapeliouk, "Begin and the Beasts". New Statesman, 25 June 1982.

4. "The Palestinians" would be crushed like grasshoppers ... heads smashed against the boulders and walls."
Isreali Prime Minister (at the time) in a speech to Jewish settlers New York Times April 1, 1988

5. "When we have settled the land, all the Arabs will be able to do about it will be to scurry around like drugged cockroaches in a bottle."
Raphael Eitan, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defence Forces, New York Times, 14 April 1983.

6. "How can we return the occupied territories? There is nobody to return them to."
Golda Meir, March 8, 1969.

7. "There was no such thing as Palestinians, they never existed."
Golda Maier Israeli Prime Minister June 15, 1969

8. "The thesis that the danger of genocide was hanging over us in June 1967 and that Israel was fighting for its physical existence is only bluff, which was born and developed after the war." Israeli General Matityahu Peled, Ha'aretz, 19 March 1972.

9. David Ben Gurion (the first Israeli Prime Minister): "If I were an Arab leader, I would never sign an agreement with Israel. It is normal; we have taken their country. It is true God promised it to us, but how could that interest them? Our God is not theirs. There has been Anti - Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault ? They see but one thing: we have come and we have stolen their country. Why would they accept that?"
Quoted by Nahum Goldmann in Le Paraddoxe Juif (The Jewish Paradox), pp121.

9a. Ben Gurion also warned in 1948 : "We must do everything to insure they ( the Palestinians) never do return." Assuring his fellow Zionists that Palestinians will never come back to their homes, "The old will die and the young will forget."

10. "We have to kill all the Palestinians unless they are resigned to live here as slaves." Chairman Heilbrun of the Committee for the Re-election of General Shlomo Lahat, the mayor of Tel Aviv, October 1983.

11. "Every time we do something you tell me America will do this and will do that . . . I want to tell you something very clear: Don't worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it."
Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, October 3, 2001, to Shimon Peres, as reported on Kol Yisrael radio.

12. "We declare openly that the Arabs have no right to settle on even one centimeter of Eretz Israel... Force is all they do or ever will understand. We shall use the ultimate force until the Palestinians come crawling to us on all fours."
Rafael Eitan, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces - Gad Becker, Yediot Ahronot 13 April 1983, New York Times 14 April 1983.

13. "We must do everything to ensure they [the Palestinian refugees] never do return"
David Ben-Gurion, in his diary, 18 July 1948, quoted in Michael Bar Zohar's Ben-Gurion: the Armed Prophet, Prentice-Hall, 1967, p. 157.

15. "We should prepare to go over to the offensive. Our aim is to smash Lebanon, Trans-Jordan, and Syria. The weak point is Lebanon, for the Moslem regime is artificial and easy for us to undermine. We shall establish a Christian state there, and then we will smash the Arab Legion, eliminate Trans-Jordan; Syria will fall to us. We then bomb and move on and take Port Said, Alexandria and Sinai."
David Ben-Gurion, May 1948, to the General Staff. From Ben- Gurion, A Biography, by Michael Ben-Zohar, Delacorte, New York 1978.

16. "We must use terror, assassination, intimidation, land confiscation, and the cutting of all social services to rid the Galilee of its Arab population."
Israel Koenig, "The Koenig Memorandum"

17. "Jewish villages were built in the place of Arab villages. You do not even know the names of these Arab villages, and I do not blame you because geography books no longer exist. Not only do the books not exist, the Arab villages are not there either. Nahlal arose in the place of Mahlul; Kibbutz Gvat in the place of Jibta; Kibbutz Sarid in the place of Huneifis; and Kefar Yehushua in the place of Tal al-Shuman. There is not a single place built in this country that did not have a former Arab population."
Moshe Dayan, address to the Technion, Haifa, reported in Haaretz, April 4, 1969.

18. "We walked outside, Ben-Gurion accompanying us. Allon repeated his question, What is to be done with the Palestinian population?' Ben-Gurion waved his hand in a gesture which said 'Drive them out!'"
Yitzhak Rabin, leaked censored version of Rabin memoirs, published in the New York Times, 23 October 1979.

19. Rabin's description of the conquest of Lydda, after the completion of Plan Dalet. "We shall reduce the Arab population to a community of woodcutters and waiters"
Uri Lubrani, PM Ben-Gurion's special adviser on Arab Affairs, 1960. From "The Arabs in Israel" by Sabri Jiryas.

20. "There are some who believe that the non-Jewish population, even in a high percentage, within our borders will be more effectively under our surveillance; and there are some who believe the contrary, i.e., that it is easier to carry out surveillance over the activities of a neighbor than over those of a tenant. [I] tend to support the latter view and have an additional argument:...the need to sustain the character of the state which will henceforth be Jewish...with a non-Jewish minority limited to 15 percent. I had already reached this fundamental position as early as 1940 [and] it is entered in my diary."
Joseph Weitz, head of the Jewish Agency's Colonization Department. From Israel: an Apartheid State by Uri Davis, p.5.

21. "Everybody has to move, run and grab as many hilltops as they can to enlarge the settlements because everything we take now will stay ours... Everything we don't grab will go to them."
Ariel Sharon, Israeli Foreign Minister, addressing a meeting of militants from the extreme right-wing Tsomet Party, Agence France Presse, November 15, 1998.

22. "It is the duty of Israeli leaders to explain to public opinion, clearly and courageously, a certain number of facts that are forgotten with time. The first of these is that there is no Zionism,colonialization or Jewish State without the eviction of the Arabs and the expropriation of their lands."
Yoram Bar Porath, Yediot Aahronot, of 14 July 1972.

23. "Spirit the penniless population across the frontier by denying it employment... Both the process of expropriation and the removal of the poor must be carried out discreetly and circumspectly."
Theodore Herzl, founder of the World Zionist Organization, speaking of the Arabs of Palestine,Complete Diaries, June 12, 1895 entry.

2004-12-19T22:36:00.000-08:00

Time to start in. I don't go much for any kind of bashing. I believe that the terrorist war is really a war of religious zealots vs politicians. I guess it doesn't take much to find a passage in your favorite religious text that says killing is okay. Works for the Muslims. Works especially well for Evangelical Xians.

Could you really imagine a god that speaks to George Bush, Osama Bin Ladin, or Pat Robertson?

I don't think god really needs your money. Why not send it to your local food bank? Odds are you may need its services sooner or later . . .

Initial Post

2004-12-19T22:29:00.000-08:00

WHo will read this? I don't really know. I want this blog to be a little more personal than Jim Jones Koolaid Patrol. So here, I will entertain myself with collections of blasphemies against the dominant faiths of the world. I will seek out and pubicize religious hypocricies as I find them. I promise that I will respect all those who embrace their faith in a loving god, and smite those who would believe that their god hates anyone or anything. Since I am a former xian (off the bible for 20 yrs now!), there is where my focus will lie.