dagblog - Comments for "Earthquake - A Warning to Republicans?"

Pastor John Hagee said that

rmrd0000 — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:24:38 +0000

In reply to In my lifetime, I've never

Pastor John Hagee said that NOLA was destroyed by Katrina because of a Gay Pride parade. Pat Robertson links Katrina to abortion. Michelle Bachmann says the following:

"I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We've had an earthquake; we've had a hurricane. He said, 'Are you going to start listening to me here?' Listen to the American people because the American people are roaring right now. They know government is on a morbid obesity diet and we've got to rein in the spending."

Do you believe that God is upset about US fiscal policy? This same triumvirate would have called Martin Luther King Jr blasphemous for taking the Christian message to the streets.

We always have to question whether a single act of nature is an "Act of God" just because it fits our human perception of what God's message should be.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/hundreds-turn-out-for-bac...

(Edited to add link to story containing Bachmann's comments)

Venting is good for the soul.

rmrd0000 — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 02:13:05 +0000

In reply to I vented above, unnecessarily

Venting is good for the soul. After venting, you can focus on the important work to be done.

In my lifetime, I've never

Resistance — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 22:56:42 +0000

In reply to I vented above, unnecessarily

In my lifetime, I've never felt so cut to the heart, when I heard, that Dr king had been murdered.

I thought about The Day the Earth Stood Still and it was suggested I should read a book (renamed by me) The Day Hell Freezes Over

Fear of Hell, has made the Churches Rich.

Luther knew this, but backed off.

Evidently riches stored on Earth was better than treasures stored in heaven?

The Truth does set us free.

I vented above, unnecessarily

Red Planet — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 22:22:40 +0000

In reply to ......A robot enforcer comes

I vented above, unnecessarily and inappropriately, rmrd0000. Dr. King is a hero and I am an admirer of Cornel West.

Any beef I have is with theocracy (Christianism and Christian Dominionism in this context), the nexus of political power, money and concretized belief, and with the spiritual arrogance of those who know they know the truth. Clearly, that's not you nor is it the examples you cite.

I was moved to have a little fun comparing The Day the Earth Stood Still with The Shoes of the Fisherman, but extended my remarks to cover some frustration over comments I'd read upthread, and attitudes I face within my own family circle. Again, those extended remarks were not properly included in a response to your thoughtful comments here.

Bill Moyers is another hero, by the way. He and Joseph Campbell grabbed me with The Power of Myth back in the mid-'80s and never let go. As did Alan Watts with his little books, especially The Book and The Wisdom of Insecurity.

Thanks

rmrd0000 — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 19:09:30 +0000

In reply to Well said, rmrd000. I don't

Thanks

......A robot enforcer comes

rmrd0000 — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 19:08:11 +0000

In reply to A robot enforcer comes to

......A robot enforcer comes to Earth in a flying saucer.

That's somewhat closer to Elijah Mohammed's vision given to the Nation of Islam. Except that I think it's an alien not a robot. If you see clips of the Million man March you may pick up that most of the audience was talking amongst themselves and ignored the speaker when Louis Farrakhan began detailing this story. It's a message for a select group.

I'm in no way ashamed of Christians like MLK Jr. or Father Pfleger. Cornel West's passion is informed by his Christianity. I'm proud to be a Christian.

Reverend Jeremiah Wright was vilified during the 2008 election. You might be interested in the work that his former church did and continues to do in helping the poor in South Chicago. Bill Moyers new book "Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues" contain an enlightening interview with Wright, it may give you a window into how some Christians view their role.

A robot enforcer comes to

Red Planet — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 14:59:32 +0000

In reply to Klaatu, really ???? How about

A robot enforcer comes to Earth in a flying saucer. I am capable of suspending my disbelief and enjoying that movie.

The Catholic Church sells its riches to feed a starving nation? Come on, you buying that?

Oh, and if you sincerely want to know who will be in charge when Jesus makes a comeback, it will be Jews + The Raptured. Apparently that's happening very soon, so you will have the opportunity to see for yourself.

Be prepared to make nice with the Jews + the Raptured dudes and dudettes. You will need guns and gold. If you can't afford gold buy silver half dollars now.

I have this on very good authority from my brother-in-law, believer in the absolute infallibility of the KJV, provided (if you're gentile) you pay real close attention to what Paul wrote, some years after the fact, and don't trouble yourself with what Jesus said or those pesky 10 commandments.

It's a remarkably flexible religion, Christianity. The perfect authoritarian fable for everyone from Rev. Ike to the Little Match Girl. Everyone gets to feel chosen and discriminated against simultaneously. Secrets of its durability, I suspect.

Obviously I disagree with

Verified Atheist — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 11:55:32 +0000

In reply to My comfort zone tells me I

Obviously I disagree with you, Resistance. Still, I can appreciate the concept of an intelligence beyond what we can understand. Here is an excerpt from Star Trek: Voyager that you might appreciate (taken from IMDB):

[da Vinci is baffled by the "magic" technology he has encountered]
Captain Kathryn Janeway: Let me ask you something. If you were something other than a human being, if you were a different kind of animal... If you were a small bird, a sparrow - what would your world be like?
Leonardo da Vinci: I should make my home in a tree, in the branch of an elm. I should hunt insects for food, straw for my nest, and in the springtime, I should sing for a companion.
Captain Kathryn Janeway: And you would know nothing of the politics of Florence - the cutting of marble or mathematics.
Leonardo da Vinci: Of course not.
Captain Kathryn Janeway: But why not?
Leonardo da Vinci: My mind would be too small.
Captain Kathryn Janeway: As a sparrow, your mind would be too small, even with the best of teachers?
Leonardo da Vinci: If Aristotle himself were to perch on my branch and lecture till he... fell off from exhaustion - still the limits of my mind would prevent me from understanding.
Captain Kathryn Janeway: And as a man, can you accept that there may be certain realities beyond the limits of your comprehension?
Leonardo da Vinci: If I could not accept that... then I would be a fool.

Well said, rmrd000. I don't

Verified Atheist — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 11:48:56 +0000

In reply to Science asks if God created

Well said, rmrd000. I don't believe that anyone has all of the answers, and what is perhaps most frightening is when people in any camp (atheist, Muslim, Christian, or other) insists that their answers should be accepted by everyone. I know that my "faith" has a missing gap (the one you mention in your first paragraph), and although many people have provided decent explanations for it, some of which dovetail and some of which contradict, none of those explanations really answer the ultimate origin question. Obviously, I believe my "faith" is true and I have great certainty in it, just as you believe yours to be true (IIRC you are not an atheist). That doesn't mean we can't treat each others faiths with respect while explaining what we believe and why we believe it, although I admit I sometimes fall short in that regard the further that faith differs from mine. I don't recall you ever doing that, however, and I do appreciate it.

klaatus speech taken in the

Resistance — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 02:50:52 +0000

In reply to Klaatu, really ???? How about

klaatus speech taken in the light of mankinds understanding, that something seriously needs to be done to stop the violence. To the godless, the threat of an enforcer should give pause.

To the Christian; Gods heavenly organization made up of billions upon billions of angelic forces, will be the enforcers.