Ruling with a Rod of Iron

I realized, reading this, that a lot of people in this country screaming about fascism aren't actually opposed to fascism, they just want a very specific fascist state- one led by Jesus and his rod o' iron*.

Ruling with a rod of iron. I can't wait!

Revelation 12:5 (King James Version)

"And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne."

When you think about all the nations today, can you think of ONE nation that doesn't need to be "ruled with a rod of iron"? Including the U.S.? I can't. We have lost our way more than ever before.

Funny, I can't think of any countries that would benefit from theocracy/fascism/autocracy. It's really sad when Tunisians and Egyptians and Libyans are teaching Americans lessons in freedom and democracy. That was supposed to be our thing. We were so proud of it.

Come quickly Lord Jesus. I long for your rightous rule over this planet. I long for the day when the word "politician" and "dear leader" are no longer in our vocabulary. The meek shall inherit the earth and rightly so.

These people use the oddest definition of "meek" I've ever seen.

We need you Jesus. We have proven for thousands of years that without you, we are nothing but filthy rags; meaningless and good for nothing.

Speak for yourself. I am neither a filthy rag, nor meaningless, nor good for nothing. Honestly, say that sort of thing in any other context and people will be shipping you off to a therapist.

I agree with you on this one!

There'll be no more need for a press secretary, Cabinet meetings. The word "consensus" no longer needed. No more compromises made. No more presidential scandals. No criticisms directed against our King. Righteous judgment meted out immediately....no more dragged out trials. No need for LAWYERS. (no offense to any lawyers out there) Chances are you'll be just as thrilled, too!

Um, no. I just can't imagine what is supposed to be so attractive. This is an excellent description of the USSR under Stalin.

We won't have to question what our King says. Absolute Truth will reign supreme.

The list goes on and on with these wonderful thoughts....

You are scaring me.

You know, the Lost probably don't understand how we look forward to Someone reigning with a "rod of iron". Just as they don't understand how giving our lives away, surrendering our will, brings total freedom in this life. How submission truly works in marriage and in our relationship with the Lord.

No, I don't understand what is so awesome about someone reigning with a rod of iron. Nor do I understand how slavery = freedom and submission = healthy relationship. I don't think

YES!! Soooo looking forward to this time! Just imagine the peace and happiness and fullfillment you will experience knowing you are living under His authority on this planet.

Our hearts and our lives and our relationships will soar!

I'm going to send you to Egypt so you can learn all about democracy.

Can you imagine living in a place where there's no need to lock your doors - there might not even be locks! And children can play outside without parents worrying they'll be kidnapped or murdered. What a glorious day that will be!!!

No, I cannot imagine living on a planet populated by aliens.

The "rod of iron" is how God rules. It simply means that there's no compromise. God's kingdom holds the line in righteousnes and justice. If it was compromised, corruption would ensue, so the Lord isn't making any concessions.

It gives us peace knowing that He runs a kingdom where no evil dwells and that it is secure in every way.

As another has said, I'm looking forward to it.

Why can't any of these people handle spelling "righteous/ness"? So . . . the rod of iron means there will be no mercy, no sympathy, no compromise as if that were a bad thing. Scaring me, you are.

I've been watching FOX News programs (Huckabee/Judge Napolitano/John Stossel) this evening --all of them dealing with our debt crisis and unions and all--loss of our freedoms...) and have been thinking the same thing, Maranatha. Sitting in the chair, I was wondering what it will be like when our Lord governs. We know with each passing day we're getting closer.

So, loss of all our freedoms is bad until Jesus makes the loss of all our freedoms good?

IMO there will be sin in the millenium, thus the need for the 'rod of iron'. Sin will not go unpunished. Saints will serve as judges in disputes among people, and will decide these disputes on the principles and precepts of God, and nothing else. Decisions will be final, as in no endless appeals. No bribes, favorites, etc. There will be peace in nature: the lion and lamb; the child near a viper's nest, etc.
I think only the church actually receives incorruptible and immortal spiritual bodies, and in this way we will display and demonstrate the grace of God through all eternity. I just don't recall having read this particular promise in regard to OT and Trib saints, or residents of earth during the millenium.

AHA! The only reason any person supports fascism/autocracy/theocracy is because they think they will be on the winning end of things. If they thought they'd be on the whipping end of the stick, they'd fight against it with their dying breath. So, losing freedom is bad, unless you'll be the one taking away the freedom, in which case boo-yah!

Our fellow citizens, they are terrifying.

*I guarantee you that's already a porno.

And lo, Jesus gave unto them an AK-47 . . .

The Light of the World . . . will be seen through a hole in your head.

The US Military is providing to its troops guns inscribed with bible verses. Just the fact that there are soldiers, US soldiers, wandering around with guns inscribed with bible verses is disturbing, however what's truly weird is the verse shown on the rifle above: John 8:12.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life

This is the end of the incident in which Jesus saves an adulterous woman from being stoned to death under the law.

I can't decide if this is some sort of high irony, or just the stupidest thing I've ever seen. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone . . . and shoot that motherfucker between the eyes!"

Morality Recession

sally, kern, united states, theocracy, democracy, recession, stupid, bible, homophobia, homosexual, same sex, debauchery
State Representative Sally Kern (R) of Oklahoma is apparently all ten shades of crazy, as evidenced by her explanation of the recession. (Hint: it does not involve securitizing mortgages or lack of oversight of financial markets.)

The “Oklahoma Citizen’s Proclamation for Morality” includes this language about the Democrats and the president:

WHEREAS, we believe our economic woes are consequences of our greater national moral crisis; and

WHEREAS, this nation has become a world leader in promoting abortion, pornography, same sex marriage, sex trafficking, divorce, illegitimate births, child abuse, and many other forms of debauchery; and

WHEREAS, alarmed that the Government of the United States of America is forsaking the rich Christian heritage upon which this nation was built; and

WHEREAS, grieved that the Office of the president of these United States has refused to uphold the long held tradition of past presidents in giving recognition to our National Day of Prayer; and

WHEREAS, deeply disturbed that the Office of the president of these United States disregards the biblical admonitions to live clean and pure lives by proclaiming an entire month to an immoral behavior;

This isn't just crazy because she's blaming a recession on debauchery, it's crazy because most of the things on that list aren't even vaguely true.

The United States is not the world leader in abortions, Russia is. Russians have twice as many abortions as Usians. In the US, conservative states consume the most pornography, but Germany hosts the most online porn. As for same sex marriage, the US lags behind Belgium, Canada, South Africa, Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden. I have no idea why she thinks the US leads in sex trafficking, but that's not even close to true. Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year, with 14,500 to 17,500 trafficked into the U.S.

Child abuse certainly occurs in the US, but we by no means rule the world in child abuse. The US does not engage in child labor, female genital mutilation, child marriage, nor do children serve as soldiers in the US.

Next on Kern's list o' teh crazee is the old saw about the US as a Christian nation, which I'm sick of dealing with, followed by the biblical admonitions to live clean and pure lives. I highly doubt Kern follows any of those admonitions aside from the one about homosexuality, and that's only because she happens to be hetero. Does Kern really not eat shrimp or pork? Kern never wears clothing made out of mixed threads? The list goes on and on, and I doubt Kern is familiar with any of it.

Two theocracy posts in one day. I live in the US, people.

Has Iran Taught Us Nothing?

theocracy, iran, jesus, god, bible, christian, atheism, atheist, liberal, democracy,
If you learn anything from the events in Iran, it should be "theocracy sucks". Given the graphic examples of the full suckage of theocracy available to us, why do so many USians yearn for a theocracy of their very own?

The Christian Anti-Defamation Commission defames itself with its latest awkwardly titled post Reclaim Christ's Crown Rights, by Dr. Gary Cass.

I didn’t get the memo really? I sent it . . . oh, looks like we have your old address, sorry about that, but apparently a lot of people did. Here it is: Jesus Christ has abdicated his throne in heaven because of the last election. when did we vote on the throne in heaven? At least that must be what the memo said after looking at some ministries around the nation. if you're not actively working towards theocracy, you hate jesus!


Ministries that are otherwise sound in doctrine have in practice determined to surrender all but a small slice of life and culture to radical atheists we want your children, too. they're tasty!, so called “secular progressives,” and to the liberal, apostate religious left. This is as dismaying as it is foolish. it's also surprising, since i was unaware that i was in control of life and culture now. who sent out that memo?

Perhaps you noticed the atheists and liberals did not throw in the towel on the larger culture when their movement was struggling or when their leaders were inept. ummm??? They kept plugging away and when they had opportunity they were ready and prepared to act. by releasing our cyborg . . . oh, wait, is that still a secret? They seem more committed to advancing their godless utopian schemes is that in the updated Atheist Agenda? I haven't gotten it yet. than Christians are to furthering the Kingdom of God.


Because of the last election cycle i believe we call that a GOP loss, bichez!, many who say they believe that Jesus Christ is Lord have retreated. past the Maginot Line? They have effectively reduced Christ’s kingly claims to matters of personal piety, family and church life. wait, isn't that exactly where they belong? oh, right, theocracy. But our apostolic faith says that Jesus Christ is Lord of all (Acts 10:36). The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) oh, sure, we should definitely give up on democracy and set up our very own theocracy on the basis of 5 words taken slightly out of context. sure. we'll get right on that.

Many Crowns
Perhaps what is most frustrating about the retreat from the cultural mandate on the part of many ministries is that it is so unworthy of Christ. i'm thinking we should just drop Dr. Cass off in Iran and let him experience the "worthiness" of theocracy.


When Christ is revealed in His glory, He is portrayed as the invincible King of Heaven you mean in artists' renderings? you get those are made up, right? seriously, have you seen a Middle Easterner? yeah, they don't look like Nordic conquerers., and on His head are many crowns (Rev 19:12). a dubious fashion statement, to be sure. These crowns are not merely decorative symbols of his majesty, but reveal the full extent of His Lordship over all His creation. uh, yeah, according to you, he's freakin' god. he needs crowns to get that across to people?


Theses lulz crowns, with all their rights and privileges, the crowns have rights and privileges? and why exactly would god need crowns to grant him rights and privileges? were bestowed on our Christ for His perfect obedience and sufferings. Therefore, God has declared him to be the Son of God with power by raising him from the dead (Rom.1:4). On the cross, Christ conquered all of God’s enemies, both visible and invisible i defeat invisible enemies all the time. i'm doing it right now. you just can't see.(Col.2:15). He will rule and reign until he makes all his enemies, even death itself, his footstool wait a minute, did you just say that he already conquered all of god's enemies? did he do it or not? (1 Cor. 15:25; Heb. 10:13). This is our confidence! good for you, now leave my democracy alone.


To exclude any sphere of authority from the Lordship of Jesus Christ is a grave misunderstanding of both His divine nature and His meritorious work. oh, well, then, here have my country. As very God of very God what?, Christ rules over all the affairs of men and upholds the world by his Word that explains the giant hand you can see holding up the earth in all those pictures from the moon . . . (Heb.1:3). As God the Son, all the nations of the world are His inheritance. (Psalm 2) and when he shows up in all his crowned glory to claim his inheritance, we'll talk.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, it is not for victory that we preach the gospel and declare the rule of Christ. Rather, it is from His victory that we dare defy the wicked powers and principalities of this world i think that's us guys. us and Obama, both visible and invisible. that reminds me: whoever has the atheist invisibility cloak, it's my turn now. With the first martyrs of the church we declare that Jesus Christ is Lord and will not bow to any earthly Caesar. We are unabashed, unapologetic Christocrats.

Matthew 22:21- Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's I think that's a pretty clear statement that christians should not be doing what Dr. Cass is promoting. Do any of these asshats actually read the bible?

oh, and "Christocrats"? seriously?

Nor will we water down and stop declaring the gospel of the King. is anyone asking you to? you are more than welcome to declare anything you want, you just can't set up your own theocracy. In His name we will sue all of Christ’s rebellious enemies for peace. betcha the Supreme Court doesn't hear that one. The price for peace with God is unconditional surrender to His Son. Having once ourselves been at enmity with God, we have been humbled by God’s grace and must urge all to find mercy while it can be found. so, you got to choose, but you'll force it on the rest of us?


Because all sinners need to repent can you stop with the unproven assertions now?, therefore we urge all people everywhere to reach out and touch the golden scepter of Christ’s grace. Nor will we stop confronting the injustice and unrighteousness of our day. you'll be helping the Innocence Project? We will warn the kings of this world that King Jesus rules the nations with His rod of iron and will judge the world in righteousness. Kiss the Son lest he be angry with you! with tongue, or without?

What part of "theocracies don't fucking work" don't these people get?

A Call to Theocracy

theocracy, religion, jesus, gospel, christian, christianity, god, atheism, atheist, secular, humanism,
Right now, there are six theocracies or countries with theocratic aspects in the world*: Iran, Andorra, the Tibetan Government in Exile, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Vatican City. Given those examples, I can't quite figure out why the Disciple Nation's Alliance wants to change our fine representative democracy into a theocracy.





I suspect their reasoning goes something like this (you may remember this meeting from various tea parties): I was fine with big government and removal of civil liberties until a democrat/black guy/muslimTERRORIST!!!1!!one!! became president, and now I want to burn it all down.





As a result, I can't figure out if I'm more offended/disturbed by the following on the basis of patriotism, aversion to racism or atheism.

The Lordship of Christ Over All over everyone, including people who totally don't worship Jesus, aka Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Pagans, atheists, agnostics, and well, everyone who isn't christian. You know, about 1 out of every 4 USians. Yes, let's make them all subject to a Christian Theocracy. That totally makes sense.

The first of our DNA Core Beliefs i'm going to click on that after taking a valium. is the “Jesus is King.” good for you. it's not my core belief, and I'm every bit as USian as you. It is first, because it is the very foundation for everything we believe, write and teach. again, good for you. leave me out of it. As pastor Barry Seagren says in this powerful sermon, the Lordship of Christ is: for christians?

. . . one of those things that no [sincere Christian] can object to. not even an entire sentence and we've got a logical fallacy: No True Scotsman. No one believes in the Lordship of Christ over half of life. wtf? But it is not as straightforward as it may seem. i'll give you that, theocracy is a rather straightforward concept. Why not? Because in Western culture there is a dichotomy, a sharp division which has affected us deeply. separation of church and state.

The most common is the division between the sacred and the secular. believe what you want, leave it out of lawmaking. oh, no, that's not all that complicated. Religious or spiritual things are on one side of the line; normal, everyday matters are on the other. for a good reason. Another way to express the split is the private versus the public. Religion is fine, but it’s a private matter, and it must be kept private. To let it impinge on the public sphere is known as “shoving your religion down someone’s throat.” i liken religion to genitals: it's fine to be proud of them (mine are fabulous!), but you keep them hidden unless someone asks to see them. Christopher Reeve, the actor, made this comment about stem cell research: When matters of public policy are debated, no religions should have a place at the table. In other words, you can have your religion, if you need that sort of thing, but keep it to yourself. seems obvious to me. Reeve’s statement is a big con, picking on the dead and disabled guy. classy. because what it actually means is that only one religion gets a place at the table, namely secular humanism. secular humanism is not a religion. not. a. religion. To give another example, perhaps someone has said to you, “Well, that may be true for you, but it’s not true for me.” exactly.

This dichotomy is what keeps Christianity boxed up to a tiny religious area, i wish. totally private and completely innocuous and irrelevant. oh, yeah, you guys are so private, innocuous and irrelevant. in my dreams. This is what strips the Gospel of its power to permeate the whole of our lives, and strips it of its power to challenge and redeem the whole of our culture. because that's what the US has been missing: theocracy.

Well said. Read the rest of his sermon here. It is well worth your time!

-Scott D. Allen

what's really scary is these people vote. and they really want to vote to not be able to vote anymore.

*feel free to correct me, that's all I could find

Sin is an alien that has no true rights.

religion, christian, christianity, atheism, atheist, democracy, theocracy, bible, god, jesus, judaism, muslim, pagan, heathen, crazy,
Sorry, Robert Lee at the Society for the Practical Establishment and Perpetuation of the TEN COMMANDMENTS has raised the bar for crazy with Things you should know*.

It sounds absolutely absurd for supreme court judges to vote on an issue. Either they are judges or voters. True judges judge, not vote. that is so awesome, it might be a Poe.

Never think you have the wrong book even if you pick up the Bible by mistake! well, if i want to find a phone number, i most certainly do have the wrong book.

What good is the poem,
What good is the rhythm and rhyme?
As long as they do not convey God's truths,
They are not worth a dime.

The industrial revolution in America helped greatly to destroy moral values in America. The factory system was developed not as a result of need, but from greed. Home employment employed everyone. But the factory, having destroyed home employment, cannot employ everyone. Thus unemployment was created by the industrial revolution. that's right, there was never, ever unemployment ever, in the world, prior to factories. because every single person was a farmer at all times. and soldiers never came home from war to find that there wasn't a job for them.

Who are heathens to comment on whether God exists or not; they don't know whether their own selves exist or not, or whether the life they live is truly real. um, yeah.

Every citizen of America has found cause to argue against democracy one way or the other, because it is not right for anyone. that would just be you. i'm fine with democracy.

I don't attend funerals. I've never attended one during my adult life. Whenever I am convinced that a person truly went to heaven, then you will see me at his funeral. that's right, nobody Mr. Lee has ever known, not a family member, nor a friend, has ever gone to heaven. heaven must be a very lonely place indeed.

One cannot have thoughts of a true GOD without actually thinking of the true God, because there is no true God other than the true God. In other words, one cannot imagine a true God without actually thinking of the true God. There are no imaginations of the true God apart from actually thinking of the true God. The true God is not a God of the imagination. and the award for circular reasoning par excelence goes to . . .

Those who would endeavor to properly straighten out the american society will have to forget about attending college or seminary and forget about a "degree", because once you have obtained a "degree," you will have become thoroughly incompetent and impotent to do anything truly worthwhile for america. ignorance isn't bliss, it's competance and erections!

Solomon quite obviously is not the one making judicial decisions in america. for quite a variety of reasons.

Middle-class blacks are foolishly frustrated that they still are, to some degree, prevented from serving satan as do whites. They will not be satisfied until they have the freedom to serve him equally. did i mention Mr. Lee is a racist?

Blacks have never understood how blessed it is to be outcasts in the american society. a really big racist.

It's LEGAL for boxers to break one anothers' noses, blacken one anothers' eyes, knock out teeth and try to give one another a final concussion which may result in death; but it's ILLEGAL to cock or dog fight. because humans have the mental capacity to choose this action, but birds and dogs do not.

Better is a dictator who rules every aspect of the lives of the people with true justice and righteousness, than a democracy wherein the people indulge in the evil and idolatrous freedom they desire. i wonder who Mr. Lee has in mind for the dictatorship?

All major news media in America is the main medium by which satan and his demons speak to the American public. The senators and congressmen are also the medium by which the people make their desires known unto satan, and one means by which satan answers their prayers. demons, demons, everywhere . . .

Demons cause more than one type of expression on the faces of the people whom they possess: There is the glassy-eyed look and stare of the epileptic; the feminine look in the male homosexual; the masculine look in the lesbian; the look of education and sophistication; the look of innocence and truth in the liar, etc... did I also mention Mr. Lee hates gays, epileptics and liberal elites?

Reading the Atlanta Journal and Constitution is seeing the world through the eyes of homosexuals.

America is the leading anti-Christian, anti-God, anti-Jesus Christ nation on earth. right ahead of Iran, well known for their love of jesus.

The musical "Beauty and the Beast" made by atheist homosexual heathens at Walt Disney is designed to subtly create tolerance in the foolish american society for BESTIALITY ! Mr. Lee isn't fond of Disney, either.


Has a person ever made you so angry you wished he was dead? Then why can't you feel and express that same fervency of anger towards true criminals such as atheists, pedophiles, homosexuals, murders, rapists and etc? It is likely that the people who made you so angry did not commit death worthy crimes in the society; but the people we have name have. What you should wish for these people is that the government put them to death. atheist=gay=pedophile=murder=rapist.

There is a time and season for every purpose under heaven. There was a time for blacks to fight for civil rights, but now it is time for them to fight against it as it pertains to gays. Mr. Lee isn't quite as racist as he is homophobic.

The corporeal Jews are looking for a "messiah" but they don't know where he will come from (John 7:27). Since the true Messiah, the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, came from heaven, but the Jews did not and do not believe in Him, and since Jesus is the only true Messiah, meaning that no other Messiah will come from heaven, then the messiah the heathen corporeal "jews" are looking for can only originate on cursed earth or descend out of hell. It is therefore plain to see who their messiah is. He is none other than the old serpent. is there a bigotry Mr. Lee does not embrace?

Every society will have groups that can be identified with prevailing social patterns and institutions. In america, such are the atheists and other pagans. But there are others who oppose and defy america's atheistic and pagan establishment. Yes, america has its critics and enemies. But the ever enduring group and most important are the few who are true Christians - rightly so. True Christians understand the heathenism of the american establishment and thus is unconvinced it is the best of all possible worlds. True Christians have serious reservations about america's morality and political philosophy. Don't worry my pagan readers, Mr. Lee didn't forget about you!

Americ! America! Please listen! Please do not let the likes of Ozzie Osburn get the victory and capitolize off you! Apparently, we were fighting Ozzy and I missed it!

I'm just going to stop here:

demo cracy ----- demo N cracy ----- DEMONCRACY. Now you know the origin of democracy. It is none other than SATANOCRACY

*found under the heading "Supporting Documents"!!1!!

Ballot Initiatives Concerning the Supreme Ruler of the Universe

theocracy, washington, ballot, initiative, atheism, atheist, religion, higher, power, supreme, god, religion, religious, christian, stupid,
I'm not kidding you. (Thanks to Bloc Raissoneur for tipping me off to this.)

In Washington, there is currently a ballot initative, number 1040, filed January 15, 2009, by
Ms. Kimberlie Struiksma
(address in the full text, link below)
kimberlies@hotmail.com

Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 1040

concerns a supreme ruler of the universe.This measure would prohibit state use of public money or lands for anything that denies or attempts to refute the existence of a supreme ruler of the universe, including textbooks, instruction or research. well, gee, just get rid of science, history, genetics, medicine, physics, geology, any science and any literature other than the bible.

Ballot Measure Summary (full text here)

This measure would require state government not to use public funds or property for anything that denies or attempts to refute the existence of a supreme ruler of the universe, including but not limited to appropriations for displays, textbooks, scientific endeavors, instruction, and research projects. The measure would provide that no person shall be questioned based on their personal values, beliefs, or opinions regarding the existence of a supreme ruler of the universe.

I am so blown away that in 2009 someone would attempt this shit, I printed it out and will type the text in for you. (Stupid pdf file.) I am leaving in the grammatical and spelling errors.

(1) The purpose of this act is to defend the liberty of the people of the state of Washington. According to the founding documents of our democratic society, the United States Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the state of Washington, the purpose of our government is to secure the liberties of the people which are governed. According to these documents, our liberties have been endowed by a higher power.

(2) This act is not about morality, or personal faith, or freedom of thought. It is not about what individual citizens choose to believe or disbelieve. It is not about repealing the First Amendment, denying the citizens of this state their constitutional right to free speech, prohibiting the free exercise of religion, or respecting an establishment of religion. It is not about limiting the rights of individual citizens; rather, it is about requiring our government to do its job, to protect our liberty, a liberty which has been endowed by our Creator, the one responsible for Blessing us, the Supreme Ruler of the Universe.

(3)

[...]

In this nation, it is WE, the people, who are sovereign. . . . According to the founding documents of our democratic society, our liberties are true and valid because they are endowed by a higher power. By contending that a higher power does not exist, our government removes the source of, invalidates, and consequently denies we the people of the United States our liberty. Thus, by denying the existence of a higher power our government defeats its purpose. It is therefore, unconstitutional for the government, as opposed to the individual citizens, of the state of Washington to deny or attempt to refute the existence of the Creator, the one responsible for Blessing us with liberty, the Supreme Ruler of the Universe.

Let's see what would be affected by this Ballot Measure:

any flyers, brochures, pamplets, signs, billboards, advertisements, announcments, or other postings.

any activity or operation designed to test or train state employees, members of the state armed forces, elected officials, students enrolled in public schools, including colleges and universities

any teachings, lessons, set of objectives or curriculum

any organization, corporation, company, partnership, association, trust, foundation, fund, club, society, committee, political party, board, commission, agency, independent office, political subdivision of any county, city, town, municipal corporation, school district, public educational institution, or any group of persons, whether or not incorporated, permanently or temporarily associated together for joint action or advancement of views on any subject or subjects that is receiving public moneys or property

any studious inquiry, investigation or experimentation

any act, idea, theory, intervention, coference, organization or individual having to do with science

any textbook, workbook, manual or material intended for use as a principal source of study matetial.

[...]

Section 3.2

Respecting no establishment of religion, yet with respect to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, whose existence has been declared in the preamble to the Constitution of the state of Washington, the state shall make no appropriation for nor apply any public moneys or property in support of anything, specifically including, but not limited to, any display, exercise, instruction, textbook, scientific endeavor, circulated document, or research project which denies or attempts to refute the existence of the Supreme Ruler of the Universe.

so essentially everything.

[...]

Section 6.3

No public entity shall be held in contempt for the personal beliefs regarding a Supreme Ruler of the Universe or a higher power of its employees or associates who are acting independently of the entity. However, the ideas set forth, regarding a Supreme Ruler of the Universe or a higher power, and perpetuated by individuals when acting on behalf of, or in a representative position, can be found to represent the beliefs of the larger public entity.

Welcome to the Theocratic State of Washington!

Why Do Atheists Hate America?

god, gay, atheism, atheist, atheophobia, theocracy, theism, religion, christian, fundamentalism, fundamentalist, fundy, jesus, pledge, allegiance
Now that we've dealt with the fact that I don't hate god, we've got the asshats at In God We Trust* asking why I hate America. South American, Central America, North America? Mexico, Paraguay, Panama?

I think what they're trying to ask is why I hate the United States. We'll go with that.

The nation's largest atheist group who? the American Atheists? Freedom from Religion Foundation? My friends and I? wants you to imagine a world without the Pledge of Allegiance, without faith, without patriotism, and without America [the US] as we know it.

Well, yes and no. I don't care whether or not you have faith or you don't. Nor do I care what you have faith in. (If you simply must have faith in something, I suggest the Flying Spaghetti Monster.)

I would like actual separation of church and state, however. That would be fun. Simply put, get your religion out of my government.

I'm fine with the Pledge of Allegiance- which was written without the words "under god". In fact, the pledge was written by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, in 1892. Under god was added in 1954. That's right, kids, for 62 years, we were not a nation under god. We were just a nation.

As for patriotism, what does loving my country have to do with loving god? Nothing.

However, In God We Trust is standing up to them with a new advertising campaign that exposes how much the radical Atheist movement jackboots! hates America and everything our nation stands for. that's right, I hate mom and apple pie. (no, mom, i love you very much and you know how i feel about your apple pie. just making a point here.) The Freedom from Religion Foundation so that's who it is! has begun posting their "Imagine No Religion" billboards all across the country. because christians can go door to door proselytizing, can bother people in malls, can litter world with tracts, but how dare atheists get a few billboards? It's outrageous!

So, In God We Trust has created our own billboard campaign asking "Why Do Atheists Hate America?" that's right, our billboard, "Imagine No Religion" accused theists of treason, just like your si-- no, wait . . . Why does this particular atheist group seem to want to banish people of faith? we don't. we'd just like our voice out there, too. what's wrong with that? or do you not love the First Amendment? why do you hate the constitution? Our sign doesn't say, ‘Imagine No Atheists.' no, it just asks why we hate the entire fucking country. that's so much nicer. All we want is a public debate. yeah, that's why you accused us of feeling the same way about the US that al Queda does. We want the atheists to defend some of the Anti-American statements they've made. what Anti-American statements? Not only that, but we would like to know how ‘Imagine No Religion' is different than ‘Imagine No Christians' or ‘Imagine No Jews'? cause religion as a term isn't very specific, is it, asshat? Think about what these atheists are really saying. ‘Imagine No Mother Theresa?' ‘Imagine No Martin Luther King, Jr.?'

yeah, because "imagine no religion" means "we want to kill civil rights activists". who cracked the code?

I guess that's the kind of world in which these atheists think we would all be better off living. i'd like a world without you. that would be better. We disagree, and we think most Americans feel the same way. To learn more about the Freedom From Religion Foundation's views on patriotism, America, and religious freedom in its leaders' own words, click HERE. asshat linked you to some quote mining, most of which he clearly did not understand, but if you want to know what the FFRF said, go to the FFRF. To help in the fight to defend America's religious heritage you may make a contribution to In God We Trust or sign up for periodic email updates by clicking on the appropriate icon below. GIVE US MONEY! We spent it all on the stupid billboards and now we can't buy coffee!

what's sad is, this is what passes for serious debate in this country.

*I cross out the "God" on every bill I get and write "Gay" above it. I'm starting the revolution!

Why Atheists Blog

Why do I blog about atheism? Why do I call people on their antiAtheist bullshit?

This is why.

Brookeland High School [Texas] teacher said he is not sure what his next step will be after resigning from his job of six years.

Richard Mullens, a teacher for more than 30 years, resigned his position as history teacher after being placed on paid administrative leave by the Brookeland Independent School District.

...

He said that a pregnant student had gotten into a discussion with her former boyfriend about "whether he believed in love or not."

Another student, who was not involved in the conversation, got up and left the class, saying she was uncomfortable with the conversation.

That student's mother later came to the school, spoke to the principal about the situation and verbally threatened Mullens. In a subsequent conference with Mullens and the principal, the parent accused Mullens of calling her daughter names and being an atheist. She said that several board members wanted him ousted because he was too liberal and an atheist, he said.

...

Mullens said in his six years at the school, he has never received a complaint from a parent or administrator. Turner, who is in his second year as principal, said that Mullens file has no record of infractions.

...

For more on the story, please go here.

Yes, We are in the 21st Century- and Yes, She Was Suspended for Being a Witch

persecution, wicca, religion, christian, aclu, civil rights, stupid, pagan, atheism, atheist, theocracy, bible, god, jesus,

A 15 year old Wiccan in Oklahoma was suspended from school for 15 days for casting a hex on a teacher and making him ill. Yes, this happened in the US. No, it did not happen during the Salem witch trials. Unfuckingbelievable.

From the ACLU's website: In its legal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, the ACLU said that school officials not only suspended Blackbear for 15 days in December 1999 for allegedly casting spells, but also violated her religious freedom when they told her that she could not wear or draw in school any symbols related to the Wicca religion.

The ACLU lawsuit also accuses school officials of violating the young woman's due process rights when, in the spring of 1999, they suspended her for 19 days over the content of private writings taken from her book bag. Officials had searched her possessions based on a rumor that Blackbear was carrying a gun, although no weapon of any sort was ever found. To date, school officials have not returned Blackbear's writings to her.

Hey, why doesn't some oh-so-earnest christian tell me all about how the world hates you and how persecuted you are?

Atheists Can't Run for Office

atheism, democracy, atheist, atheophobia, theocracy, religion, public, office, conservative, liberal, united, states

You know, every now and then I think, "maybe I'm being a little harsh about the whole religious thing. Maybe I should back off on it all." Then I see things like this. Atheists are specifically forbidden from running for public office in Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Maryland and Mississippi.

Nice.

Post #200: Drinking the Kool-Aid(tm)

atheism, atheist, atheophobia, theocracy, religion, fundamentalism, evangelical, evangelism, evil, stupid, ten commandments, crime

Well, I got a good one for Forever in Hell's celebratory 200th post!

Lately, the atheosphere has taken notice of all the xtians who say "I used to be an atheist like you". First of all, atheists number less than 5% of the population of the US, so exactly how many exatheists can there be? Secondly, does reciting the sinner's prayer actually cause involuntary conversion? That would explain a lot.

Anyways, The Society for the Practical Establishment and Perpetuation of the Ten Commandments, SFTPEAPOTTC, gives us Exposing the Atheist. It was written by an exatheist! (Doesn't say which exatheist.)

The following articles are samplings of principles that demonstrate that atheism is pure heathenism and error. To be fair, Mirriam Webster defines a heathen as a person who does not accept the god of the bible, but heathenism includes atheism and paganism and islam and hindu and buddhism, which are all entirely different belief systems. They present some of the reasons why you should turned turn away from atheism and nonbelief - to a staunch belief in the Almighty GOD. I ask you to examine these articles very carefully. don't worry about that, buddy.

The best way to understand the nature of atheism is to understand its author. satan is its author. yeah. we're not satanists, we're atheists. and there is no author. we don't have a holy book. (no, we do not worship The Origin of the Species. stop it.)

It's important to remain conscious of the fact that satan had his origin in heaven, and is thoroughly familiar with the fact of the existence of God, heaven, the angels, hell and etc. and this pertains to atheism how? we don't believe in god, satan, heaven, hell or angels. if a police officer pulls you over and asks you if you know why you were pulled over, do you start talking about that episode of House where they nearly cut off that girl's arm? just as relevant. Thus despite what you have been previously deceptively taught nobody taught me atheism. i was actually raised a good catholic. (this guy probably thinks catholics are devil worshippers, too, but that's a different story.) and despite the deceptive dictionary's is there a nondeceptive dictionary? we're all in on the conspiracy, including the dictionary! meaning of atheism, atheism is properly defined as a denial of the existence of God in the midst of full knowledge that the true God does indeed exist.

Yeah, isn't it fun to win an argument by redefining commonly understood words? I can prove that you're actually muslim if I redefine "muslim" as "follower of christ". wasn't that fun? if you have to redefine commonly understood words, you don't have an argument. sit down and shut up.

Atheism knows God exists atheism is a belief system, it doesn't know anything.; it is quite familiar with that fact, but it says "under no circumstance or situation will I admit to God's existence." i don't believe in god. do not. sorry to burst your bubble, but i don't. and if the person who wrote this always secretly did believe in god, then they weren't an atheist, they were an agnostic. totally different thing.

Atheism clearly perceives the fingerprints of God on all of creation, but refuses to admit He is the Creator. no. Atheism perceives the divine authorship of the TEN COMMANDMENTS no., but refuses to admit that God is their Author. no. Atheism perceives the decorousness and perfection of the TEN COMMANDMENTS, no. but refuses to admit they are superior to all other laws. the stupid, it burns! Atheism clearly perceives the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, but refuses to admit His divinity. no, i freakin' don't. If an atheist could see the wounds in the body of Christ and actually feel them with his hands, he would deny that the wounds are there. first of all, EW! second of all, no, I wouldn't. trust me, if god gave me an indisputable sign of his existence, i'd get down on my knees and worship in an instant. i'm an atheist, not an idiot. Atheism is deliberate effort to never admit the existence of God. no, just a lack of belief in god. what is so hard about that?

Atheism is the ultimate of satanism. no, satanism would be the ultimate in satanism. Ask satan does God exist and he will deny it. do you often speak to satan? Ask him does satan exist and he will deny his own existence even while in your presence. this is getting a little scary. i've met satanists, and even they don't claim to talk to satan. Atheism holds the Bible in one hand, but deny its existence by denying its truth with the other. first of all, my hands don't deny truth, and no, i am currently not holding a bible, though i do frequently read it.

In order to properly understand the nature of atheism, one must understand the natures of righteousness and sin. why? atheism is the lack of belief in a supreme being. one need not understand righteousness or sin to understand that. The two principles are antithetical to one another. Since sin is antithetical to righteousness, its very antithetical nature seeks to nullify righteousness. the second antithetical was totally unnecessary. Since it is an antithetical what's with him and this word? principle to righteousness, it must remain true to its nature even in the most insane instances. what? a + b =c therefore b=29,876,275,49.12? Therefore it must hate God even though God is righteous and has given it no just cause for its hatred. i'm guessing you don't understand the meaning of antithetical, huh? It is this antithetical principle, called "the law of sin" show your work! which is at work in the hearts of atheists causing them to reject God. i like to think it's my logical, rational nature. or, i'm just not good at the worshipping. meh. The law of sin is none other than the law that governs satan's kingdom. so it's like the opposite of the ten commandments?

Below are articles I've presented in effort to expose the true satanic nature of atheism, true satanic nature of atheism is the most stupidest thing i've seen in a while. the great harm it is doing to the american society and the world community SHOW.YOUR.WORK. and to prove and demonstrate that atheists and all other nonbelievers in the true God are the actual criminals of the world community. felony or misdemeanor? there is no proof, anywhere, that atheists commit more crimes than anyone else. in fact, the parts of the US associated with high rates of religious activity, the South, for example, have higher rates of crime. (do i think religion causes crime? no. I think the socioeconomic factors associated with higher rates of fundamentalism are also associated with higher rates of crime.). I hope these articles will enable people to see that atheists are extremely dangerous people. yeah, i'm just a triple homicide waiting to happen. (as soon as someone replaces every joint from the shoulder down in order to allow me to fire a gun.) Therefore laws should be made against them by all the governments of the world community. see, this is what atheists have to deal with. we don't hate jesus, we just hate asshats like this.

Atheocracy

You know, if I suggested that the US should become an Atheocracy (I have no idea how that would work) instead of a representative democracy, I would be up to my ears in death threats.

The religious right, however, enjoys telling all of us how wonderful the United Theocracry of America would be, and nobody raises a peep, other than the atheists.

Before I get into the article that brought this on, let me point out one thing. If, in a true miracle, every single citizen of the United States suddenly converted to fundamentalist Christianity on the same day, I guarantee you this would not satisfy the fundys. They need someone to hate. They just love hating the rest of us, so I guarantee you the day after the mass conversion, we would be enduring accusations that some of us just aren't Christian enough. Some of us will be accused of being "pretenders". Some of us won't be reading our bibles the right way, in the right translation or often enough. It will never end.

Just to recap, even giving these morons the theocracy they so desire wouldn't satisfy them, so I'm not just handing it over. I like my representative democracy. I like separation of church of state. I like my First Amendment rights, and my Third.

Should America be a Theocracy? short answer: no.

By Dr. Patrick Jonston
January 14, 2009
NewsWithViews.com

Whenever I have brought the Holy Bible to bear upon the duty and role of government, inevitably the criticism arises, “America’s not a theocracy!” so true. As if that were a coup de’ grace of some sort that proved that we should be a godless nation.

You are absolutely free, just like me, to practice any religion you desire. Nations should be godless, their citizens can choose. That's really the problem, though. Mr. Jonston doesn't just want to be free to practice his own religion, he wants to be able to force everyone else to do so by rewriting the laws of our country to make it so.

Why does this sound like a good idea to these asshats? For example, yes, the religion of our country would be Christian, they are by far the majority. (78.4% of USians identify as Christian.) After that, the conversation gets muddled. After all, Christians is an extremely general term. There is a vast difference between Catholics and fundamentalists, for example. Fundys don't even consider Catholics to be Christians, which would be sticky, because some reports put Catholics as the largest groups of Christians in the US, whereas other reports put "Evangelical Protestants" as the largest group.

Trust me, Mr. Jonston would spontaneously combust if the US Constitution changed tomorrow and forced him to convert to Catholicism.

Since Jesus is Lord of all show your work, and don't point to a bible verse. i don't believe the bible is any more important than, say, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, so that's not going to sway me. so, your sky-daddy, whom i don't believe even exists, is lord of all, and that's why i should live in a theocracy? can you even try to imagine logic?, as individuals and as nations we have only one of two choices: submission or rebellion. you're with me or you're against me. good to know god is just like a group of 13 year old mean girls We will be ruled by sinful man or we will be ruled by God. or we could be ruled by our duly elected representatives. there is another option here, that doesn't involve the sky-daddy.

When your pastor gives the invitation for unbelievers to repent and trust in Christ for salvation, the call often goes out, “Make Jesus Lord of your lives!” However, strictly speaking, no one can make Jesus the Lord. He is the Lord, whether we want Him to be or not. appeal to the sky-daddy is not a form of logic. Our choice is submission to Him and His will or rebellion. or just not believe in the sky-daddy. how 'bout that?

As King Saul learned after his partial obedience to God in his dealings with the Amalekites, he didn't kill enough of them. god wanted genocide, saul gave the amalekites mercy. that's a scary comparison to make.

I Samuel 15:3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy [a] everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'

partial obedience is complete disobedience (I Samuel 15). It is rebellion according to the prophet Samuel, and it is as the sin of witchcraft, which seeks another power and another ruler rather than the Creator. i really would have thought witch hunts would be out of style by now. Samuel equated Saul’s partial obedience with idolatry, for he worshiped another god when he refused to obey the true God. or he just wasn't comfortable with killing infants and pregnant women, to say nothing of all those valuable cattle and sheep. god is the source of all morality why, again?
Consider these passages, which clearly draw the line in the sand for individuals:
“Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity [hostility] with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (James 4:4b)

We are either God’s friend or foe well, i'm not killing infants, so i'll take "foe".

[bible quote, bible quote, bible quote]

We either love Christ and hate sin or love sin and hate Christ. We either hold to Christ and despise sin or hold onto sin and despise Christ. We either serve Christ or sin. Or, you just don't believe in christ and act as a moral person, anyway. stop trying to push false dichotomies on me, Mr. Johnston.

[bible quote, bible quote, bible quote]

We either are yielded to sin and serve sin, or we are yielded to God in obedient love and righteous living. Or, you just don't believe in christ and act as a moral person, anyway. stop trying to push false dichotomies on me, Mr. Johnston.

[bible quote, bible quote, bible quote]

We love Christ and obey His commandments, or we do not love him and disobey Him. Or, you just don't believe in christ and act as a moral person, anyway. stop trying to push false dichotomies on me, Mr. Johnston.

There is no de-militarized zone where we can be at peace with both sin and with Jesus. yeah, that's me, living in the de-militarized zone. being an atheist means never having to prove your loyalty by slaughtering newborn babies . . . don't these guys hate abortion? oh, right, those babies were already born. got it. There is no lukewarm in-between that God finds acceptable. psychopath. As a matter of fact, he tells the church of Laodicea that He will spew them out of his mouth because of their lukewarmness (Revelation 3). and bible quote!

According to Scripture, this dilemma is true not only for individuals but also for nations. why is god so obsessed with imaginary lines on the ground? For what are nations but groups of people? If a person has no right to rebel against the King of Kings, then why do we think their representatives and their government do? wow, not being forced into a worship that would be blasphemous at best (as i would be lying) is rebelling against the sky-daddy. good to know. repeat after me kids: the only person who wants a theocracy is the guy who thinks he'll be in power because of it. fear that man.

Consider these passages from the Bible, which clearly draw the line in the sand for nations:

[bible quote] [bible quote] [bible quote]

God’s rule over governments is not limited to Israel. These passages teach that God blesses nations who serve Him as Lord, and judges nations that forget Him and do not serve Him. show your work. show me some nation that has not experienced any tragedy, calimity or strife as a result of their devout obedience to the sky-daddy. beyond that, i love the idea that god punishes all the people worshipping him the right way because the people next door aren't worshipping the right way. god almighty, the alpha and the omega, can't manage as much precision in his punishments as the US Armed Forces can get in a freakin' missile?

In the second Psalm, God visits judgments upon those nations whose leaders defy God’s rule. The books of the prophets warn of severe judgments for sin upon many nations besides Israel. In Deuteronomy 4:5-6, God tells Israel that surrounding Gentile nations will see the wisdom of their law. Israel’s law was to be a light to the Gentile nations, to call them from sin to God, from judgment to blessing. oh yeah, that worked out really well for the israelites/israelis didn't it?

“Which God?” any god would be my damn question, but the point is still valid. which god? which style of worship? which particular sect and theology? the secularists rebut, as if casting aspersions upon the true God by bringing idols up to his level will abate our obligation to obey Him. There is only one God the sky-daddy!, and the Holy Bible collection of stories written by nomadic tribesmen thousands of years ago. is His revelation to mankind. bats are birds! insects have four legs! rabbits and camels are the same! It is to Him we owe supreme allegiance, both as individuals and as a nation.

“But we have a separation of church and state” the attorneys rebut. The separation of powers of the church and state is a Christian doctrine, what?! for the truth is found in Scripture, in the relationship between the Jewish religion and the leaders of their state. god directly appointed the kings of the israelites. how the fuck is that separation of church and state? does this guy even read the bible? However, it should never be a separation of God and state, for this is sin and rebellion to God. The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Congress, not Ohio. ah, what? is he trying to make the argument that while the federal government cannot establish a US religion, Ohio can establish an Ohio religion? really? As a matter of fact, the states who signed the Constitution had tax-subsidized Christian denominations, and this was not a violation of the First Amendment as our founders intended it. really? because it was Founding Father Thomas Jefferson who coined the phrase "separation of church and state." Even the leaders of the federal government publicly prayed to the God of the Bible and spent taxpayer dollars for the printing and distribution of Bibles in public schools. This was not a violation of the First Amendment as our forefathers intended it. Even our Supreme Court, in 1892, citing a plethora of historical evidence, said, “This is a Christian nation.” in 1892. woman weren't allowed to vote in 1892. jim crow was in it's heydey in 1892. forgive me if i don't wish to turn back the clock.

Much more recently, in 1962, SCOTUS struck down the daily recitation of a prayer in public schools in Engel v. Vitale, citing "separation of church and state".

This judicial decree did not defy the First Amendment as our forefathers intended it. The First Amendment was intended to prevent a tax-subsidized Christian denomination, such as England’s Anglican church. true. that's why the state can give money to religious hospitals, that serve the public good, but not directly to churches, which do not. The First Amendment was not intended to prevent the free exercise of religion for the states and the people, as it is so often abused today, but rather, was designed to protect the free exercise of their religion. how is anyone prevented from the free exercise of their religion in this country, Mr. Jonston? I mean other than muslims, who face being drug in by the FBI as terrorists, or Seikhs, who get confused with muslims, or satanists, who get confused with mass murderers? I meant to ask how christians are prevented from the free exercise of their religion in the US, I guess.

The Holy Bible, God’s Word to man or not, speaks to all matters of life incest, rape, murder, infanticide, adultery, genocide, fratricide, slavery; not just pertaining to personal salvation, but also to economic health Matt 19:21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

, family life, the right to self defense show your work, the right to liberty and property jubilee, anyone? , criminal justice an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, the role and limitation of civil authorities, the relationship between the church and the state god appoints kings, obey god no matter what sick thing he asks you to do, and when armed revolution against established civil authority is justified. Che Jesus!

Where God speaks, we would be wise to listen and obey, for disobedience to God’s Word in a single matter is rebellion to God and brings judgment. He is a jealous God who will not share His glory with another. When we despise His Word in deference to autonomous leaders who seek to kick God out of His throne and put themselves there in His stead, we have already received “the mark of the beast”, for the mark is a man’s name and a sign that you worship the image of a man over God (Revelation 13-16). blahblahblabh end of days.

When put in light of the Scripture and the lordship of Christ, we see that the whole world is a theocracy, for God rules over all and His Word is not bound. show your work. It is also easy to see that our government has become a godless government at war with God. missile launch on heaven in T-20 . . . The United States must repent how could a country repent? seriously, it's a freakin' country, it can't eat, either, and serve the Creator instead of rebel against Him. We must obey His Word. as reported to you, Mr. Jonston, no doubt We must not defer to sinful men who seek to pass laws that defy God’s law, who refuse to be “ministers of God” and “a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil” as God’s Word instructs civil authorities (Romans 13:3-4) no pretty sure we are doing that in Iraq. It is not those who take the mark of the beast! who survive the wrath of God, it is those who resist idols to serve the one true God and His Son Jesus Christ.
America, choose you this day whom you will serve. not you, asshat.

We Live in a Theocracy!

How do keep missing these things? I could have sworn we lived in a representative democracy. *rereads constitution* No . . . wait . . . now I'm confused.

What follows is the argument that if the bible is not literally true, every word of it (stop eating shrimp!), then all is chaos and anarchy. Admittedly, I do lean toward anarchy myself, but this is insane. I don't need to believe that the bible is literally true to follow the rule of law. In fact, I am an atheist and I follow the rule of law, therefore I have already proven that biblical innerrancy is unnecessary. Billions of people prove this every day.

The corollary to the above assertion that biblical innerrancy is necessary is that the writer of the article to be dissected would immediately start raping his grandmother while throwing molotav cocktails at a preschool if his faith wavered for a moment. Watch those people with biblefish on their cars very closely.

The Bible Not Literal? by David Welch (how 'bout a verb, buddy?)

Is the Bible literally true?" interviewer Cynthia McFadden of Nightline queried President George W. Bush recently. i can't figure out why she asked this, but whatever "Probably not. … I'm not a literalist. But you can learn a lot from it," was his reply. it's not you, it's me . . . you're a nice person, really. There are a number of reasons we should grant grace to the outgoing president on this issue it's really not our business?; however, the overarching issue lies squarely at the center of the turmoil we are in as a nation. really? the economic meltdown and the health care crisis are caused by Bush not believing that the bible is literally true? The answer to that question and its variances have divided families, churches, denominations – and certainly nations. really? nations?

Does it and should it matter what a politician thinks about the Bible? no, unless you're freakin' Huckabee and you're ok with turning the US into a theocracy. Does it? yes, unfortunately, should it, no. After all, his role is civil, not religious oh my tao, it's separation of church and state!. Is the president alone in his belief that, "I happen to believe that the way to God is through Christ; others have different avenues to God and I believe we pray to the same Almighty"? if you truly are a monotheist, then you necessarily believe that everyone praying to a god is praying to the same god. If you believe that there are many gods, you've just chosen the right one, that's monolatrism. (Reread the torah. the ancient israelites clearly believed in many gods, but believed they had chosen the best one.)

We do not expect nor even desire our commander in chief also to be our theological voice for the nation. really? you'd be the first bible literalist not to want that. refreshing! We do and should, however, expect that someone who professes to be a Christian exhibit knowledge of and commitment to the orthodox principles of the faith. oh, not refreshing. you know what orthodox means? "having the right OPINION" emphasis mine. opinions and facts are two different things.

During the mid '90s Nirvana!, I debated a liberal minister from a mainline denomination before a gathering of pastors in Washington state over a proposed "No Special Rights" state ballot measure that would have prohibited recognizing sexual behavior as a protected class. we lost the blacks to civil rights, we're not giving up the gays! As I prepared and prayed over how to cut through emotional hyperbole civil rights for everyone is "emotional hyperbole"? biblical literalness, on the other hand . . . and clearly address the core principles of hate, I felt led god made me do it! I ocassionally feel led to [censored], but I resist the voices in my head. to start out with what I believed to be at the heart of the matter.

In the opening comments, I asserted to the pastors that it was really quite simple as to why we could both be standing before them as Christian leaders and take opposite positions on something that the Bible clearly addresses. The bible clearly forbids eating shrimp, wearing clothes made of more than one fabric, trimming one's beard, rounding the corners of one's hair, and sitting in the same chair that a menstruating woman has sat on. Which of these commandmants is Mr. Welch obeying? Orthodox Jews actually hold to these rules, and even they don't kill adulterers, which the bible clearly commands. (Orthodox Judaism is really hard work!) I held my Bible up and said, "I believe that this is the inspired, inerrant and infallible word of God, from cover to cover." no, you don't, or you'd have a beard! I turned to the minister and said, "He doesn't," and explained that he then had the latitude to make up and modify his positions to suit his own desires, feelings or a myriad of other factors. just like you, Mr. Welch!

According to the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey (the link in the article brought you to . .. the article. I looked this up myself. I remember hearing something about the Pew Forum, but I don't remember if it was good or bad. Anyway.) conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, 59 percent of evangelical church attenders believe that the Bible is the "Word of God, literally true word for word."

59% of people sounds like a majority, right? Actually, only 26.3% of people in the survey self-identified as Evangelical Protestant. So 59% of 26.3%, or 15.5% of people, believe that the bible is the "Word of God, literally true word for word." That's still crazy frightening, but it's hardly a majority.

However, 57 percent of those same evangelicals believe "many religions can lead to eternal life," huh. wierd. they really believe that Hindus and Buddhists and Muslims get to go to heaven? a different heaven, perhaps? maybe there is hope for us all. which is a direct contradiction of the "literal" teaching of Jesus Christ. why are we quoting around literal? it's literal, or it isn't. can't be a little pregnant.

The rest of the article displays a frightening and essential misunderstanding of our country, our constitution and our founding fathers.

If we serve a God who is incapable of speaking through the created beings made in His image without error, then He is not God. or, god, allowing free will, allows for errors. or, god isn't speaking to anyone. Think about this for a second. If god really loved me, and the millions of people like me, and he truly will make me burn in hell for all eternity if I don't worship him, then why doesn't he just put his exact message in the sky in 500 foot tall, burning letters for me? I'd believe in him then. God should know that I'm not going to buy into a badly translated, several thousand year old document without some help. Either god is a bumbling moron, or god is a sadist. Either way, I'm not worshipping him. If he could transmit His word to a writer (from Moses to John) but could not assure that it was preserved to pass to future generations without error, then He is not God. Assuming facts not in evidence. After all, we don't have the ten commandments, do we? Why not? We have other many thousand year old stone writings. Why not that one?

If the above were true, our nation would then be at the mercy of man-centered and created philosophies, ambitions, desires and behavior restrained only by the power of the bayonet what about the gun that bayonet is attached to? After all, aren't you more afraid of a bullet than a knife? Unless it's a Lancer (see above), in which case I'd much rather be shot., as Speaker of the House Robert Winthrop noted proslavery politician! wisely proslavery! observed in the 1830s.

President Ronald Reagan, in his proclamation declaring 1983 the National Year of the Bible, why oh why would the US have a Year of the Bible? That was so fucking wrong. stated:

The Bible and its teachings helped form the basis for the Founding Fathers' abiding belief in the inalienable rights of the individual, rights which they found implicit in the Bible's teachings of the inherent worth and dignity of each individual. really? The Israelites were allowed slaves if they came from neighboring countries. Lev 25:44 (Get yourself a Canadian while they're still cheap!). It was permissable to rape a woman if you married her afterwards, or paid her father for the privilege. Deut 22:28-29 The bible does not teach the inherent worth and dignity of each individual. This same sense of man patterned the convictions of those who framed the English system of law inherited by our own Nation, as well as the ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

If the Bible is not literal, then there are no such absolute standards by which to assert the rights claimed by the founders in those documents You mean like Thomas Jefferson, who coined the phrase "separation of church and state"? and by which to govern our nation today. Yes, there are. They are called the Constitution and the law. I obey them without god, you can, too. Since our president-elect is even more pluralistic He's MUSLIM! TERRORIST! He's BLACK! in his beliefs than his predecessor no, they're both christians who don't believe in biblical innerrancy, the time for reasserting the profound and irreplaceable "true truth" truthyness? of the Bible and its benefits for all mankind is now – and we must start in the church. stay there.

Naughty or Nice?

I love the word naughty. I aspire to be naughty. Mostly I achieve nice with occasional moments of bitchiness. *sigh*

So, check out the Friend or For Christmas Campaign Naughty and Nice List. It's high-larious!

See, here's the thing: There is no war on Christmas. Let me repeat that: there is no war on Christmas.

This is all part of the Christian Persecution Complex, as discussed in my previous post. To recap: Christians in the US are not persecuted. They are free to practice their religion however they please. Everyone else is free to do the same. Therein lies the rub. CPC fetishists don't want everyone else to be free to worship, or not, as they please, they want to turn the US into a theocracy and force everyone to worship as they do. Do I need to explain why this is a not good idea?

This war on Christmas idea seems to stem from the belief that if everyone isn't saying "Merry Christmas" and putting up Christmas decorations and celebrating Christmas, then . . . Jesus ceases to exist?

Look at the Naughty and Nice List. There is no mention of Christmas as a religious holiday, no mention of Jesus, just a list of stores that say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". What does Jesus care about that? What does that have to do with religion at all?

Let's try an example. Jews celebrate Passover. Passover is a huge deal for them. Passover is not a national holiday, there are no Passover decorations, no Passover tv specials, no Passover cards. Yet, somehow, the Jews still manage to celebrate Passover. Those brave, valiant souls. Puhlease.

You don't need me to validate your religion. You want to worship, go for it. I will defend your right to do so. Just do me a favor and leave me out of it.

Rapturous Ramadan, everyone!