Jay-sus Christ on a saltine cracker. These people must be talking about hidden aliens descended from the Roswell spaceship crash, because they're certainly not talking about female homo sapiens.
Swanson: I’m beginning to get some evidence from certain doctors and certain scientists that have done research on women’s wombs after they’ve gone through the surgery, and they’ve compared the wombs of women who were on the birth control pill to those who were not on the birth control pill. And they have found that with women who are on the birth control pill, there are these little tiny fetuses, these little babies, that are embedded into the womb. They’re just like dead babies. They’re on the inside of the womb. And these wombs of women who have been on the birth control pill effectively have become graveyards for lots and lots of little babies.
I do not think that word--"birth control"--means what you think it means.
On a more serious note, how can people be so ignorant in the so-called "information age"? Thirty seconds on Google would disabuse them of their delusions.
I don't know which is the most depressing--the idea that these people are grifters, intentionally pushing such untruthful, unscientific nonsense to raise money, or the possibility that they might actually believe it.
Showing posts with label religious idiots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label religious idiots. Show all posts
February 9, 2013
August 5, 2012
Asshats of the Day
I was reading a short article yesterday about the "Kiss-Mor-Chiks" day (at least my town doesn't have a Chick-Fil-A, so we were spared such idiocy) when the final two sentences of the article, as the British say, gobsmacked me.
Peoria resident Sally Albrecht hoped to encourage both Christianity and the importance of freedom of speech.
"As a Christian, I feel I have to stand up against this," Albrecht said. "We deserve freedom of speech without the whole world coming down [on] us."
Oh HELL no.
That is unadulterated, abject, utter nonsense.
It's a complete misunderstanding of the First Amendment.
It is also, dare I say it, profoundly unAmerican, to the point where the Founding Fathers will claw themselves out of their graves and start shambling after you.
The text of the First Amendment reads as follows.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
For all you grammar junkies out there, what's the most important part of that entire sentence?
That's right--the very first word. Congress. That is, the government.
Since there weren't any brownshirts (rainbow-flagged or otherwise) at Chick-Fil-A's dragging the protesters off in paddy wagons, we'll assume the government ignored their little temper tantrum. Their protest was perfectly lawful, and as stupid as I think it was, I would defend to the death their right to kick and scream and stamp their feet.
But, just as adults tend to remark on children throwing fits, you don't get to have your tantrums--or your free speech--without consequences.
Since we've just taken Congress/the government out of the equation, that leaves our fellow citizens. As our fellow citizens have as much right to free speech as you do, that means you can certainly support Chick-Fil-A's bigotry if you so wish.
Just as our fellow citizens have the right to call you discriminatory asshats for doing so.
Any other outcome means you, as a Christian (or anyone else who wants to spout abhorrent things without being called on it), are setting up your free speech on a higher, more exalted plane than your fellow citizens' free speech.
Or, as George Orwell, so eloquently put it, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
Do you really think this is what the Founding Fathers meant by the First Amendment?
Also, Ms. Albrecht (and anyone else who espouses this stupidity) what makes you think you deserve "freedom of speech without the whole world coming down [on] you"?
What, precisely, have you done to deserve that?
Yes, you're a Christian. So? So is one-third of the motherfrakking planet. You're hardly an endangered species.
If you were an endangered species and the whole world was coming down on you, the scenario would look something like this: (1) your houses of worship would be closed down; (2) the Bible would be a forbidden book, possession of which would be punishable by a prison term; (3) any prosletyzing would be cause for arrest.
Is any of that happening?
I don't know about your town, but the listings for my town, depending on search engine, turned up anywhere between 122 and 152 local churches. As far as I know, all of them are open for business, there aren't SWAT teams sitting outside or black helicopters hovering overhead, and none of the worshipers are being tased and hauled off.
Again, what makes you think you deserve free speech without consequences? Just because you're a special Christian snowflake?
Really? You can't prove your religion is the One True Faith, or that your God actually exists for that matter, any more than I can. I may believe my faith is true, and such belief may be an integral part of my life, but that doesn't constitute empirical proof.
It certainly doesn't give me cause to support discrimination.
Yes, Dan Cathy, the president of Chick-Fil-A, gets to spout off. Yes, he gets to close his chain on Sundays if he so wishes. I will defend his right to do both.
Just as I will defend my fellow citizen's right to protest his inflammatory statements, and more to the point, his support of anti-gay causes, and his company's possible employment discrimination. All of which are outlined here, and all of which are far more hurtful than someone publicly disagreeing with you.
So throw your little hissy-fit, Chick-Fil-A Christians, and whine to your heart's content about how mean people are being to you.
But until you're actually nailed to a stake like your Lord and Master, you don't have a chicken leg to stand on.
Peoria resident Sally Albrecht hoped to encourage both Christianity and the importance of freedom of speech.
"As a Christian, I feel I have to stand up against this," Albrecht said. "We deserve freedom of speech without the whole world coming down [on] us."
Oh HELL no.
That is unadulterated, abject, utter nonsense.
It's a complete misunderstanding of the First Amendment.
It is also, dare I say it, profoundly unAmerican, to the point where the Founding Fathers will claw themselves out of their graves and start shambling after you.
The text of the First Amendment reads as follows.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
For all you grammar junkies out there, what's the most important part of that entire sentence?
That's right--the very first word. Congress. That is, the government.
Since there weren't any brownshirts (rainbow-flagged or otherwise) at Chick-Fil-A's dragging the protesters off in paddy wagons, we'll assume the government ignored their little temper tantrum. Their protest was perfectly lawful, and as stupid as I think it was, I would defend to the death their right to kick and scream and stamp their feet.
But, just as adults tend to remark on children throwing fits, you don't get to have your tantrums--or your free speech--without consequences.
Since we've just taken Congress/the government out of the equation, that leaves our fellow citizens. As our fellow citizens have as much right to free speech as you do, that means you can certainly support Chick-Fil-A's bigotry if you so wish.
Just as our fellow citizens have the right to call you discriminatory asshats for doing so.
Any other outcome means you, as a Christian (or anyone else who wants to spout abhorrent things without being called on it), are setting up your free speech on a higher, more exalted plane than your fellow citizens' free speech.
Or, as George Orwell, so eloquently put it, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
Do you really think this is what the Founding Fathers meant by the First Amendment?
Also, Ms. Albrecht (and anyone else who espouses this stupidity) what makes you think you deserve "freedom of speech without the whole world coming down [on] you"?
What, precisely, have you done to deserve that?
Yes, you're a Christian. So? So is one-third of the motherfrakking planet. You're hardly an endangered species.
If you were an endangered species and the whole world was coming down on you, the scenario would look something like this: (1) your houses of worship would be closed down; (2) the Bible would be a forbidden book, possession of which would be punishable by a prison term; (3) any prosletyzing would be cause for arrest.
Is any of that happening?
I don't know about your town, but the listings for my town, depending on search engine, turned up anywhere between 122 and 152 local churches. As far as I know, all of them are open for business, there aren't SWAT teams sitting outside or black helicopters hovering overhead, and none of the worshipers are being tased and hauled off.
Again, what makes you think you deserve free speech without consequences? Just because you're a special Christian snowflake?
Really? You can't prove your religion is the One True Faith, or that your God actually exists for that matter, any more than I can. I may believe my faith is true, and such belief may be an integral part of my life, but that doesn't constitute empirical proof.
It certainly doesn't give me cause to support discrimination.
Yes, Dan Cathy, the president of Chick-Fil-A, gets to spout off. Yes, he gets to close his chain on Sundays if he so wishes. I will defend his right to do both.
Just as I will defend my fellow citizen's right to protest his inflammatory statements, and more to the point, his support of anti-gay causes, and his company's possible employment discrimination. All of which are outlined here, and all of which are far more hurtful than someone publicly disagreeing with you.
So throw your little hissy-fit, Chick-Fil-A Christians, and whine to your heart's content about how mean people are being to you.
But until you're actually nailed to a stake like your Lord and Master, you don't have a chicken leg to stand on.
September 14, 2011
"Capital punishment is the most premeditated of murders"
"Jesus was the first socialist, the first to seek a better life for mankind." ~Mikhail Gorbachev
I just caught the last few minutes of Lawrence O'Donnell's Rewrite, and at the end of it he asked a searing question.
"Republicans should ask themselves, 'What would Rick Perry do if, two thousand years ago, he was the prefect of Judea instead of Pontius Pilate'?"
There's only one answer to that question.
"Let's string that Jewish socialist troublemaker right on up!"
I just caught the last few minutes of Lawrence O'Donnell's Rewrite, and at the end of it he asked a searing question.
"Republicans should ask themselves, 'What would Rick Perry do if, two thousand years ago, he was the prefect of Judea instead of Pontius Pilate'?"
There's only one answer to that question.
"Let's string that Jewish socialist troublemaker right on up!"
July 29, 2008
"They Shall Have Their Reward in Full"
I get so tired of nonsense like this. No wonder people think Christians are wackos.
Activists Keep the Faith, If Not Their Money
The price of regular at a Shell gas station in Petworth gleamed defiantly in the midday sun: $3.91 a gallon.
Activists Keep the Faith, If Not Their Money
The price of regular at a Shell gas station in Petworth gleamed defiantly in the midday sun: $3.91 a gallon.
But unlike the customers rolling up to the station's pumps this week, resigned to the fact that their wallets were about to take a beating, Rocky Twyman and company had a plan to bring that number tumbling down.
They would ask God to do it.
"Our pockets are empty, but we're going to hold on to God!" Twyman, a community organizer from Rockville, said as he and seven other people formed a semicircle, held hands and sang, pleading for divine intervention to lower fuel prices.
It was the latest demonstration by Twyman's movement, Pray at the Pump, which began in April. Since then, he has held group prayers at gas stations as far away as San Francisco, garnering international media attention and even claiming success in at least a couple of cases.
Pray at the Pump? Honestly, how ridiculous can you get? I don't think God is concerned with the price of gas. It has nothing to do with Zie, after all; humanity's shortsightedness and greed got itself in this mess. Even if God was so inclined to do something about it, I rather think Zie would start with the Netherlands, where gas is $10 per gallon (scroll to bottom of page).
But the biggest reason not to pull such a self-aggrandizing stunt is this.
"And now about prayer. When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who pretend piety by praying publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. Truly, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, all alone, and shut the door behind you and pray to your Father secretly, and your Father, who knows your secrets, will reward you." (Matthew 6: 5,6; The Living Bible)
Really, when you see a professed Christian disregarding Christ's direction in this way, you wonder how much of a Christian they really are.
April 1, 2007
The Chocolate War
This is a tempest in a teapot.
Gallery told to shut down chocolate Jesus display
Good Lord. Or "My Sweet Lord," perhaps. I can't imagine a true Christian getting so worked up over this. Non-believers (or even so-called "believers," as far as that goes) will do what they want to do, and frothing at the mouth over it only serves to draw even more attention. If the display had been allowed to proceed, there might have been a few chuckles over the eccentricity of the artist, and that would have been it.
Instead, we have this idiotic fuss, cries of censorship, and Bill Donahue's ridiculous accusation of a "war against Christianity." I would like to invent a time machine and dump him in Emperor Nero's lap--then he could explain to us what real "persecution" means.
As far as the anatomically correct aspect: everything I've read in the Bible tells me that Jesus was a fleshly human male. (I'm not going to argue the Trinity, but suffice to say I don't believe Christ was God/man--he was the Son of God, and a man, period.) As such, I believe he had a penis. Hell, he probably had erections and nocturnal emissions. It's very possible he could have been impaled in the nude--the Gospel accounts simply don't say, one way or the other.
Since that historical possibility exists, the Catholic League's objections are stupid, frivolous and irrelevant.
This is a prime example of what Jesus spoke of.
"Yes, woe upon you, Pharisees, and you other religious leaders--hypocrites! For you tithe down to the last mint leaf in your garden, but ignore the important things--justice and mercy and faith. Yes, you should tithe, but you shouldn't leave the more important things undone. Blind guides! You strain out a gnat and swallow a camel." (Matthew 23:25-26, The Living Bible)
Sounds like ol' J.C. knew what he was talking about, doesn't it?
Gallery told to shut down chocolate Jesus display
Good Lord. Or "My Sweet Lord," perhaps. I can't imagine a true Christian getting so worked up over this. Non-believers (or even so-called "believers," as far as that goes) will do what they want to do, and frothing at the mouth over it only serves to draw even more attention. If the display had been allowed to proceed, there might have been a few chuckles over the eccentricity of the artist, and that would have been it.
Instead, we have this idiotic fuss, cries of censorship, and Bill Donahue's ridiculous accusation of a "war against Christianity." I would like to invent a time machine and dump him in Emperor Nero's lap--then he could explain to us what real "persecution" means.
As far as the anatomically correct aspect: everything I've read in the Bible tells me that Jesus was a fleshly human male. (I'm not going to argue the Trinity, but suffice to say I don't believe Christ was God/man--he was the Son of God, and a man, period.) As such, I believe he had a penis. Hell, he probably had erections and nocturnal emissions. It's very possible he could have been impaled in the nude--the Gospel accounts simply don't say, one way or the other.
Since that historical possibility exists, the Catholic League's objections are stupid, frivolous and irrelevant.
This is a prime example of what Jesus spoke of.
"Yes, woe upon you, Pharisees, and you other religious leaders--hypocrites! For you tithe down to the last mint leaf in your garden, but ignore the important things--justice and mercy and faith. Yes, you should tithe, but you shouldn't leave the more important things undone. Blind guides! You strain out a gnat and swallow a camel." (Matthew 23:25-26, The Living Bible)
Sounds like ol' J.C. knew what he was talking about, doesn't it?
October 8, 2006
Outrage
On my sidebar, there's a feminist blog called Den of the Biting Beaver. I want you to go read this post. I'll sit here until your return.
Go now, please.
*****
I see you're back. Are you as appalled as I was? Are you astonished that in this day and age, and in this country, that such a thing should happen?
I hope so. Because the story's not over yet. There's a part Two, and Three.
Head back over there. I'll wait.
*****
Okay, you've returned. Your eyes are flashing, you're breathing hard...and you're outraged.
Good. So am I.
The opinion I'm about to venture may be a massive assumption. I might be vilified for it. However, I think in the light of present-day attitudes towards women in America, it's a reasonable thing to say.
I would bet you dollars to doughnuts all those insane, bigoted, woman-hating people on BB's third post...think of themselves as Christian.
*****
It's a sad thing to have to admit that people who supposedly share your beliefs can be so vile. Just reading that made my skin go creepy-crawly and my brain turn inside out. How could anyone professing to follow the Son of God, a person dedicated to the ideals of love and understanding, spout such evil? How could anyone wish someone dead (and glory in the thought) who is exercising her constitutional and moral right to make a choice about what is best for her and her family?
Just to make it clear: I will not debate abortion here. I have my thoughts about the matter, as do we all. However, I am firmly convinced that as a Christian, it is none of my frakking business what anyone else does. It is not my frakking place to tell anyone they're going to hell, or they should die, for their choices. If there are consequences to be had, each one of us will bear them, and God is the only one who will decide.
Not you, not me, and not anybody.
*****
I tend to think the Son of God would agree with me on that one. God knows he told off the Pharisees often enough, but he never attempted to dictate to them what they should be doing, even though he vehemently disagreed with their policies. In point of fact, he never got involved in the politics of the day at all, thus disappointing the Jews who thought the Messiah would free them from the Roman yoke. This is one reason why many did not believe in him (although they were certainly eager enough to follow him around and get healed).
Jesus put his faith and hope in God's Kingdom. Nothing more, and nothing less. In his model prayer, the Kingdom was the second thing mentioned, after the santification of God's name. As Christians, if we have true faith in God's promises, we should look to God to fulfill them. In the meantime, we should be concentrating on being the best Christians we personally can be.
This does not include threatening or denigrating anyone, especially a woman who does not believe as we do.
*****
I cannot overemphasize how repulsed I am by this. Any so-called Christian who would do this is no more a true Christian than the Pharisees were in Jesus' day. To use a modern parallel, they are no more Christian than Osama bin Laden and his gang.
Yes, that's right, you demonspawn. If you posted anything like that about Beaver, you are no better than al-Queda.
Jesus spoke about you very well, I think.
"For you crush men [and women] beneath impossible religious demands--demands that you yourselves would never think of trying to keep. Woe to you! For you are exactly like your ancestors who killed the prophets long ago. Murderers! You agree with your fathers that what they did was right--you would have done the same yourselves."
(Luke 11:46-48, The Living Bible)
*****
People like this have no place in Christianity. I strongly condemn all who call themselves Christian who think like this, and I call on other Christians to condemn them also.
For a reminder of how we should be thinking, reread the Sermon on the Mount. And consider how Jesus will judge those who profess to follow Him but who encourage rape and murder.
"Not all who sound religious are really godly people. They may refer to me as 'Lord,' but still won't get to heaven. For the decisive question is whether they obey my Father in heaven. At the Judgment many will tell me, 'Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.' But I will reply, 'You have never been mine. Go away, for your deeds are evil.' " (Matthew 7:21-23, The Living Bible)
Damn straight.
Go now, please.
*****
I see you're back. Are you as appalled as I was? Are you astonished that in this day and age, and in this country, that such a thing should happen?
I hope so. Because the story's not over yet. There's a part Two, and Three.
Head back over there. I'll wait.
*****
Okay, you've returned. Your eyes are flashing, you're breathing hard...and you're outraged.
Good. So am I.
The opinion I'm about to venture may be a massive assumption. I might be vilified for it. However, I think in the light of present-day attitudes towards women in America, it's a reasonable thing to say.
I would bet you dollars to doughnuts all those insane, bigoted, woman-hating people on BB's third post...think of themselves as Christian.
*****
It's a sad thing to have to admit that people who supposedly share your beliefs can be so vile. Just reading that made my skin go creepy-crawly and my brain turn inside out. How could anyone professing to follow the Son of God, a person dedicated to the ideals of love and understanding, spout such evil? How could anyone wish someone dead (and glory in the thought) who is exercising her constitutional and moral right to make a choice about what is best for her and her family?
Just to make it clear: I will not debate abortion here. I have my thoughts about the matter, as do we all. However, I am firmly convinced that as a Christian, it is none of my frakking business what anyone else does. It is not my frakking place to tell anyone they're going to hell, or they should die, for their choices. If there are consequences to be had, each one of us will bear them, and God is the only one who will decide.
Not you, not me, and not anybody.
*****
I tend to think the Son of God would agree with me on that one. God knows he told off the Pharisees often enough, but he never attempted to dictate to them what they should be doing, even though he vehemently disagreed with their policies. In point of fact, he never got involved in the politics of the day at all, thus disappointing the Jews who thought the Messiah would free them from the Roman yoke. This is one reason why many did not believe in him (although they were certainly eager enough to follow him around and get healed).
Jesus put his faith and hope in God's Kingdom. Nothing more, and nothing less. In his model prayer, the Kingdom was the second thing mentioned, after the santification of God's name. As Christians, if we have true faith in God's promises, we should look to God to fulfill them. In the meantime, we should be concentrating on being the best Christians we personally can be.
This does not include threatening or denigrating anyone, especially a woman who does not believe as we do.
*****
I cannot overemphasize how repulsed I am by this. Any so-called Christian who would do this is no more a true Christian than the Pharisees were in Jesus' day. To use a modern parallel, they are no more Christian than Osama bin Laden and his gang.
Yes, that's right, you demonspawn. If you posted anything like that about Beaver, you are no better than al-Queda.
Jesus spoke about you very well, I think.
"For you crush men [and women] beneath impossible religious demands--demands that you yourselves would never think of trying to keep. Woe to you! For you are exactly like your ancestors who killed the prophets long ago. Murderers! You agree with your fathers that what they did was right--you would have done the same yourselves."
(Luke 11:46-48, The Living Bible)
*****
People like this have no place in Christianity. I strongly condemn all who call themselves Christian who think like this, and I call on other Christians to condemn them also.
For a reminder of how we should be thinking, reread the Sermon on the Mount. And consider how Jesus will judge those who profess to follow Him but who encourage rape and murder.
"Not all who sound religious are really godly people. They may refer to me as 'Lord,' but still won't get to heaven. For the decisive question is whether they obey my Father in heaven. At the Judgment many will tell me, 'Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.' But I will reply, 'You have never been mine. Go away, for your deeds are evil.' " (Matthew 7:21-23, The Living Bible)
Damn straight.
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