Christian, Muslim, Jew ...

Nothing changes.

If You're a Christian, Muslim or Jew - You are Wrong

We live in a twisted world, where right is wrong and wrong reigns supreme. It is a chilling fact that most of the world's leaders believe in nonsensical fairytales about the nature of reality. They believe in Gods that do not exist, and religions that could not possibly be true. We are driven to war after war, violence on top of violence to appease madmen who believe in gory mythologies. These men are called Christians, Muslims and Jews.

Osama bin Laden is insane. He believes God whispered in the ear of Mohammed 1,400 years ago about how he should conquer Arabia. Mohammed was a pure charlatan -- and a good one at that. He makes present religious frauds like Pat Robertson look like amateurs.

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Glenn Greenwald writes again about hypocrisy (or deliberate blindness?) in "What do these religiously-motivated terrorist acts tell us? --Why are we so selective about lessons we draw from religious extremism?"

UPDATE: Also from Haaretz this week:

Just weeks after the arrest of alleged Jewish terrorist, Yaakov Teitel, a West Bank rabbi on Monday released a book giving Jews permission to kill Gentiles who threaten Israel.

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Happy days. Back to the Crusades. It'll be all so romantic centuries later and oh the movies our descendants will make. Should this world still be inhabited by us über beings, that is ...

Today's quote ...

You may have noticed that a lot of Liberty Counsel's claims are flat-out lies. Don't let that disturb you! There is, after all, nothing in the Bible/Torah about lying.

-- ARE YOU "THE UNKNOWN LIBERAL"? Pick me, pick me! at Amygdala

Unchristian spirit ...

Men like Rick Warren have been fighting the good fight against Reason since men like him began walking with the dinosaurs. Just ask him ...

To teach that Jesus' goal was to abolish reason and the acquisition of knowledge is to belittle the hopeful --and Christian-- message that Jesus managed to transmit through time.

Yesterday's QUOTES ...

Uh oh ... Obama Supporter Jesse Jackson, Jr [says] Black Super-Delegates Who Back Hillary Could Face Primary Challenge ... I'm sure that's not what it sounds like? Like bringing race (and retaliation based on race) into the Democratic primary? But, perhaps, it's OK because Jackson is black? Just imagine a Clinton surrogate saying this to either black or non-black delegates!
Quote from blurb in Science Magazine (www.sciencemag.org) about the demise of the Sunshine Project:
The news may come as a relief to microbiologists and university officials who have been subjected to Hammond's relentless probing. But even some of those scientists say Hammond has had a positive influence. Virologist C. J. Peters of the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston says that although Hammond was a "pest" who often exaggerated risks to the public, his work has "made the community more careful" about biosafety. "I think the country works best with watchdogs," he says. "I am, strangely, sad to see him go."
My two cents: The reckless, the careless, the arrogant and the fraudulent may breath easier now. I suppose this is the price 'we' pay for a society based on greed (and corruption, though it really pains me to admit the pervasiveness of corruption in our country).
... the CIA is free to violate your civil rights with impunity, so long as it doesn't publicly admit to doing so. -- Well, that's the same as having NO rights. I'm so glad a US Court swept away another shred of Constitution and Law. All those rights just get in the way of the US fascistic personae elected, appointed and hired (and sworn by oath) to represent the American people and defend the US Constitution ...



Happy Valentines, if somewhat late in the day ...



The problem with Rowan Williams’s lecture lies behind the actual text. The problem is that he has contributed to the debate about national identity in a disturbing rather than reassuring way. He has signalled that he doesn’t want to hold Christianity and liberalism together. Instead, he wants to oppose secular liberalism, and to defend the rights of all faith communities to resist it. This is what has shocked so many commentators: Williams has shown that he rejects the vague liberal Protestantism of the majority of the British people: the idea that Christianity and secularism are pretty much compatible. No, he says, his role is not to prop up this dated ideology, but to fight the corner of faith communities, and to cast doubt on the very idea of liberalism.

The 10 Commandments and the Constitution ...

Where has reason gone? Long time passing ...

More Huckabee Absurdity (via The Left Coaster)

My apologies to Peter, Paul and Mary.

Think a 'better human' is coming? ...

Evolution has accelerated in 1800 human genes, which encompass about 7% of the human genome, Harpending's team reports online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Most of the mutations resulted from dramatic population booms, suggests lead author John Hawks of the University of Wisconsin in Madison. As populations expand, the number of mutations increases, boosting the chances for a beneficial genetic variant that can improve survival and sweep through a population (in the same way that a large population of insects develops a gene for resistance to a pesticide faster than a small population).

Interesting. What kind of qualities will these be? Intelligence? Or more fundamentalism set to finalize the end of the US experiment in democracy much like fundamentalist Islam destroyed the budding eastern civilizations.

The article identifies changes in resistance to disease and adjustment to the changes in food stuff.

Also read: John Hawks Weblog

A Christian nation? ...

The stake-out was almost comical in its absurdity: On April 4, 2007, undercover police counted how many times Eric Montanez, a 22-year-old volunteer with Food Not Bombs, dipped a serving ladle into a pot and handed stew to hungry people.

Once Montanez had dished up 30 bowls, the police moved in, collecting a vial of the stew for evidence as they arrested him for violating an Orlando, Fla., city ordinance: feeding a large group. Two days into his trial yesterday, Montanez was acquitted by a jury of the misdemeanor charge, but was cautioned to obey the law.

The judge said 'obey the law.' It appears from the article that he said nothing about the law being immoral. The police chief that will continue to arrest people for feeding the the needy is Michael J. McCoy, Orlando, Florida Police.

Hostile and negative attitude towards Christianity? Now I wonder why that would be ...

Well there's some justice in the world, anyway:

Many senior pastors say "they are finding their work to be an uphill battle -- "because people are increasingly hostile and negative toward Christianity." (Orcinus)

I've always assumed I was 'culturally' a Christian. [What I forget to add here is that now I would rather not be in way associated with the word. What I understand to be Christ's teachings, fine. What I see as Christianity in this country today; get out of my sight.]

My only period of regular church going was in 1st grade when I live with my grandmother because my parents --my father being in the Navy-- wished that I reside in only one location for my first year in school.

In my teens I started 'looking' for something and attended service of various churches: Catholic, Protestant (various), LDS. I talked to others my age, friends and otherwise. I saw both good and bad and came away from that stage in my growing up with a kind of live and let live attitude toward Christianity. I am not interested in being associated with any church and I certainly don't believe in their god. But I can understand the call that leads to institutionalized religions.

Another quote from Orcinus:

Roughly a quarter of both the Christians and non-Christians in the under-30 group also mentioned -- without being prompted -- that "Christianity has changed from what it used to be," and that it "no longer looks like Jesus."

Christianity has failed to look like Jesus many times. The Crusades and the Inquisition are two of the larger than life examples.

The worst aspects of Christianity appears to be ascendant. Time, education, rationality cannot enlighten the dark and warped. Christ's teachings get lost in the bureaucracy. Christianity is what large centrally controlled dogmatic undemocratic organizations become. Control in perpetuity is the goal. And any other goals become subservient to that one.

Not so far from the goal of Bush and his Republican Mafia.

Maybe Homo sapiens come with a self destruct gene ...

Theocrats Deny ‘End Times’ Theology Is Cause of Their Push for War with Iran by Sarah Posner.

One would think Christ was a warrior instead of a hippie priest.