1998 – Kenneth Starr sends his report supporting the impeachment of President Clinton to Congress.
2003 – The Roman Catholic archdiocese of Boston agrees to pay its victims of sexual abuse $85 million.
COINCIDENCE? I think NOT!
“Men of simple understanding, little inquisitive and little instructed, make good Christians.” – Michel de Montaigne
“Evolution is a bankrupt speculative philosophy, not a scientific fact. Only a spiritually bankrupt society could ever believe it. … Only atheists could accept this Satanic theory.” – Jimmy Swaggart
FROM THE CHURCH OF INEFFABLE STUPIDITY:
The American Family Association decried Obama’s statement about the proposed Muslim cultural center as a pro-Muslim, anti-Christian attack.
People around the country collect and forward Korans to a deluded, mentally disturbed, power-hungry, media whore who pretends to be a christian pastor in Florida, so he can ignite the texts, and inflame 1.5 billion believers around the world. (including 5,000,000 American Muslims)
Sigh.
– – – – – – – –
The president issues a statement against the book burning.
The DOD issues a statement against the book burning, claiming it directly and adversely affects the safety of US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Secretary of State issues a statement that the book burning puts US Embassies around the world at risk, as well as US citizens living and traveling abroad.
The top US general in Afghanistan issues a statement that the book burning puts US troops in serious, unnecessary, and avoidable harm.
The 9/11 family survivors issue a statement decrying the proposed book burning.
Several prominent jewish organizations decry the proposed book burning.
The DNC, former chief Howard Dean, the DCCC, the DSCC, and other Democratic Party leaders and organizations decry the proposed book burning.
Normal US citizens, by the thousands, write LTTE, many of the published, decrying the proposed book burning.
– – – – – – –
Here is why it does not matter:
This charlatan, who controls the minds of 50 sheeple in south Florida, is not just a media whore, a liar, a cheat, or a person who demands total control over his flock. He also believes in the rapture, and the likelihood that 144,000 fools will fly out their SUVs and soar gently up to heaven above to meet their maker.
The rest of us? We will burn in war, pestilence, pollution, strife, hunger, famine, hail, lightning, drought, floods, sandstorms, the embarrassment of both psoriasis and hemorrhoids, halitosis, hangnails, torn medial menisci, an overactive bladder, and premature ejaculation.
He WANTS his actions to bring violence to the forefront. In his crazy sect’s thinking, the more war we have, especially in the Muddle East, the more likely that the Rapture will take place. If he has a hand in bringing forth the end of times, as he sees it, he meets his maker sooner, than later.
When people are so demented, so utterly and ineffably irrational, there is no reasoning with them. A rational approach simply does not work. Facts are something to be insulted and denied, reason is an attack on their faith, and counter arguments are a test of their beliefs. There simply is no winning an argument against these types of morons, not without their undergoing years of intensive psychotherapy, or the liberal use of therapeutic doses LSD and psilocybin.
This ineffable stupidity neither starts nor stops in Florida, nor outside a hole in New York City. Our poor country has other bigots and charlatans, who are doing everything possible to take advantage of this mess. Some are christian leaders, others, like the AFA, promote themselves as being the moral voice of America. Tea Bagger Extraordinaire Wassily Sarah manages to compare on equal footing, the upcoming Koran bonfire and the building a of social/cultural center. I guess culture is so rare a thing in Alaska, that they equate a center intent on providing exposure to new cultures with something as bad as burning holy texts.
John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, and other miscreants and vagabonds have followed their blackberry’d instructions as to how to phrase their “meme,” simultaneously attacking the president, attacking a “mosque in the shadow of 9/11, ” pretending to be shocked that christians would act in ways that would incite violence, and sorrowfully defending that idiot preacher’s right to free speechification.
If this is what passes for political discourse, for political argument and discussion, for a reasoned approach to our country’s many pressing needs and problems, then to hell with our country. True believers in other faiths should be standing up, uniform, in opposition to this mess. And to be fair, the vatican, some lutheran groups, even some baptist churches in Chicago have risen up and voiced their complaints. So far, it is all for naught.
It is in the best interests, and best self-interests of that Cretinous Son of a Bitch in Florida to proceed, no matter how many cries of “STOP” he hears. Rational arguments and pleas to his human nature only cause his nerves to harden. Any plea to sanity is automatically translated into a devil’s effort to attack his faith in his dog. god. Whatever. The more they try, the harder they argue, then the more he believes that the devil is working through them against his beliefs. And the more steeled and hardened his decision to proceed becomes. To top it off, even if their warnings are true, that war might actually be caused by this crap, then the more likely that his jesus will welcome him to heaven.
If there were any doubt that Faith in god = Mental illness, I cannot think of a better, even bitter, example. What is worse is how the GOP spews forth from both sides of their oral cavities. Not only have they stolen the cake, they refuse to pay taxes on it, AND despite the high sugar levels, they are stuffing every last piece into their diabetic mouths.
Nothing good will come from this protest. The preacher will light his match, and light a horrific flame that will burn in the eyes of not only billions of followers, but those who believe in freedom of religion and freedom of speech. The ashes from this hideous act are only a precursor. Far more flames will ignite, and far more ashes will land around the world – all in the name of an insane faith, a crazier act, and an absolutely unconscionable pseudo-reaction from the GOP.
To those sane readers, on this double holiday, I wish you:
As-salam wal Hub
Shalom
Peace
Sìochaint
Paix
Vrede
мир
Pokój
Paz
평화
平和
Pace
शांति
Frieden
Fred
Taika
19 thoughts on “America’s Pesky Christian Problem”
Rob:
I have held back til now, but find myself unable to contain my thoughts on this.
Firstly, I ascribe to the concept that there is a Heaven, yet this place is subdivided by numerous walls stretching tens of thousands of feet in the air….that way, each religion remains convinced they and those of their particular faith are the only ones in Heaven.
After all, is this not what most religious fanatics try to do on earth?
I understand your antipathy towards organized religion, and in this case in particular Christians. Perhaps a little education may assist you in reaching some understanding. I was raised a Baptist,and my parents were careful to teach tolerance of non-Christians…such as the Jews, Muslims, and Methodists.
Anticipating a knee-jerk reaction to my faith, allow me to introduce you to some basic tenets of Baptist faith (not admitted of course, but honest).
1. The Jews do not recognize Christ as the Messiah.
2. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as Christ’s representative on earth.
3. Baptists do not recognize each other in strip clubs or liquor stores.
Peace, 🙂
If a crazy preacher in Florida burns a bunch of books and no mass media reports on it, did it really happen?
The question is why have each and every one of us heard about this idiot and why does the mainstream media continue to give him a pulpit of hate?
Excactly – keep the punters distracted, and sell sell sell.
Winners: Murdoch and associacted cynics
Losers: Everybody else.
The Church of Absolute Faith – the delusion of delusions, the romance of romances – the enigma of all enigmas.
Absolute Faith works for me, it nurtures my (only remaining) sacred cow and gives me the luxury of observing, and having relationships with my fellow traveller in an inquisitive and non threatening manner – and share in the asthetics, the mythology and the joys their faith has to offer, but never owned by same ( a relationship sans control or dogma) – it gives one the opportunity to “walk towards the light”.
As such, those of Absolute Faith consider all believers (and non believers) fellow travellers. When one member of our congregation attacks another the whole congregation suffers – and we cry. When one member or our congregation gives comfort to another we cry also – with joy.
WOMEN & CHILDREN FIRST underpins our entire theology – the sacred cow of sacred cows – that common thread of humanity from which all else follows.
If certain intellectuals feel that those of faith are delusional then what so Absolute Faith?
The delusion of delusions, or a romantic mystery?
Let’s not rob ourselves of romance, absolute romance – that universal romance with our personal and shared existence in a universe that is for all intents and purposes the enigma of enigmas.
The Church of Absolute Faith – congregation 6,868,645,534 and growing.
Holey hell, yours truly burnt a Bible, a Koran, a Rig Veda, a soft back copy of Lady Chatterley’s Lover (although long ago it was hard), a few (somewhat stained) black and white picks of Betty Page (looking rather sweet I might add) and an old beta video titled: “Honey, I lost the pan-tech, now you owe me one #68” – (don’t ask me) oh, and a character reference from some guy named Jimmy Swaggat.
The funny thing was nobody gave a shit – except for a dear old rat that had taken up resident beneath the 44 gallon drum cum crucible.
Ratty, was really pissed, and for the right reasons I suspect.
PS. Fortunately Ratty didn’t tell anyone, otherwise things may have ended up ugly.
Just curious, Rob……. When you say “faith in God equals mental illness” is it the faith part, or the God part or both you have trouble with? If you say faith is the problem…. i.e. MY God is bigger than YOUR God and I have “faith” that I’M right…. I couldn’t agree more. That’s not only insanity, it’s very dangerous. If however, you are part of the roughly four percent of the world’s population that doesn’t believe in ANY God, higher consciousness, divinity or intelligent force outside the human ego, i.e. an absolute atheist, I’d have to say you are the one likely (by the laws of probability) to look like a fool. It’s entirely rational to postulate (accept without proof) that the intelligence we (and all living things) share while we’re alive MAY just exist outside the boundaries of our bodies and alleged minds. I can’t prove it and have better things to do than waste my time trying, but to dismiss consciousness or intelligence or God or whatever people want to call it, is like saying the Earth MUST be the center of the universe or any number of other egocentric fabrications or denials.
Clearly, those who believe absurdities will commit atrocities. And, history teaches us that no other single cause has brought more death and destruction to our planet than the atrocities committed in the name Of “God”.
Indeed, what we are once again seeing in all of this is yet MORE evidence of what ALL so-called “religions” very effectively do: They DIVIDE people, they CONTROL people, and they DELUDE people.
My sentiments, word for word. Thanks for voicing them, Keith.
send “U.S. Marshall” should read send “U.S. Marshals”
I thought I’d corrected this prior to posting, but it did not post as such. My apologies.
Carl Nemo **==
One would probably do.
“Specially if it wuz Chuck Norris!!
What’s interesting is that none of this has to happen. The DOD through the Secretary can petition the President to declare this proposed ‘book burning’ as a state of civil unrest that threatens national security and our war effort abroad. This does not implement martial law per se, but allows the President to send “U.S. Marshall” not the military to make an arrest on such grounds. Then once detained and booked he can be either prosecuted under military adjudicated tribunals or released to the civil authorities for no doubt immediate release.
Granted, if abused this action could constitute the onset of a police state, but like it or not we are in a state of war; although the abject implications of such aren’t felt in the homeland via rationing and other governmental controls. Our government has the power to summarily lock this rogue preacher up for endangering our troops, diplomats and U.S. citizens traveling abroad due to the state of war.
Athough I’m a fierce advocate of liberty and supporter of our founding document; this is a case where “protective” military justice needs to be served upon a dangerous civilian jerk.
Carl Nemo **==
Who ARE you and what have you done with the real Carl Nemo?
Good question.
I spent 30 years in uniform GHL and I have my limits when it comes to dangerous entities including U.S. civilians endangering our men and women in uniform including diplomats and tourists abroad in time of war; engineered conflicts or not.
Abe Lincoln engaged in some outrageous challenges to civil liberties during the Civil War. His administration was constantly locking horns with civilian bleeding hearts concerning the perceived trampling of civil rights. To me this wack job preacher exceeded the limits of propriety and the maintenance of public safety in regards to his proposed 9/11 book-burning.
Just like “Coke”, I’m still Nemo; ie, “the real thing”. : D
Carl Nemo **==
In a recent series of conversations conducted across the globe with people affected by these nutters we were asked how we felt today about the statements we heard most often in relation to our childhood conflicts with fellow students, friends and family on their speaking out about their sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy. Our childhood battleground was no different than dealing with this religiously insane individual. This was in fact the battlefield where each survivor of sexual abuse by catholic clergy faced repression, ostracism denial and the inevitable cover up mentality if and whenever they attempted to speak out about their abuse as a child.
These were the battle grounds of their original conflict with the Catholic church and its parishioners, this has been the battlefield of each and every victim of clergy abuse as today they face very much the same repression, ostracism denial and the inevitable cover up and the denial of the right to a fair go before the law in the name of democracy and human rights.
Today this battlefield has grown to be world-wide and never has the denial of the rights of a single segment of society been denied to such an extent as those abused by the Catholic church.
The 3 oft heard phrases were “Not in my lifetime!”, “There is no end to the bastards!” and “The Catholic church has a lot to answer for!”, the full list of those statements of excuse, platitude, bullying, intimidation, favoritism, fraud, deception along with the word of God from the church and its followers were all used against these particular individuals. However what has changed in our lifetime and in the lifetime of each of us as we each continue to speak out is that for the first time today more and more of us are able to truly and honestly say that the Catholics and the Catholic church are now truly beginning to see just what it is that it they have to answer for and that thankfully means that there is an end coming to these bastards.
These bastards by the way were not only the priests who abused us, these bastards were our class ‘mates’, their parents and other fine upstanding members of society’. They were the soldiers of Christ who marshaled the forces of ‘the church’ against us. Many followed with religious zeal the instructions of their sexually abusive priests and nuns to silence and freeze out any who attempted to speak out. This was the culture that was all pervasive and this was the culture that permitted these abuses to go on for so long. Some were so affected and so afraid of the trouble they encounter if they associated with those of us who were abused that they too resorted to violence, bullying and intimidation as a method of saving their own skin.
It was in our family relationships and our school relationships where our places of battle followed each of us. This is where we experienced the cover up in everyday action, where we experienced the greatest pressure to remain silent else we would feel the wrath of the mentally deranged priests and religious who would plot against you, nuns who would beat us with whatever was available and who in their deluded attempt for approval from an even more deranged hierarchy could go so far as to provide you as the sexual toy for these mentally deranged individuals or they would simply exploit you for their own personal gratification and gain. These ‘educated’ Catholics were and remain the seeds of corruption and are the perpetrators of the cover up and of its renewal and replication in our society today.
Thankfully today that pressure to become angry, violent or aggressive in that mock shock, horror and outrage claim of anti-catholic that so many practiced along with a better ability to see the fallibility and foolishness of this sexually abusive religion and the deception of those who put themselves up as representatives of God must now be more restrained and that is one of the most satisfying experiences survivors of religious abuse can encounter.
The question as to why some Catholics rapidly become angry and aggressive when confronted about the crimes of sexual and other abuses can be found in this learned response through their Catholic education. Compliance with these sociopathic events also endeared them towards the nuns and other ‘good Catholics’ who would not permit a word of dissension or permit anything that was remotely connected with a scandal for the church. They were the oppressors of victims then and many of them remain the oppressors of survivors today whilst they are being paid handsome salaries by those further up the Catholic chain of both its corporate and its religious wings.
This bullying, intimidating human rights abusing mentality is and always has been an integral part of the Catholic ethos and of Catholic thinking in those who aimed for and achieved positions of authority and power as they progressed up through the hierarchy.
These are the people who turned their backs on the abused and chose instead to laud and serve the abuser mentality from above.
These are the people who today pay obeisance to the church and its teachings, teachings which say that the abuser is forgiven for a few prayers of atonement and teachings where the victim is repeatedly pushed into a forced silence and into offering forgiveness for the most horrific of crimes against us as children. When this is the requirement of the Catholic ethos and the Catholic law and when it has the authority to forgive these sexual crimes there is no need or reason for the involvement of civil law as according to their beliefs and understanding that is an interference in their right and their freedom to conduct their religion. This is at the core of the many requests the church makes today for exemptions from human rights and anti-discrimination laws.
This mentality still exists in each individual who today holds the Catholic church up as a beacon of light for the rest of humanity and in each individual who participates, trades and deals with the Catholic church across the spectrum of its commercial and community enterprises. This mentality is at the core of the social failures of our society and the failure of the Catholic church to address the issue of repair to health and of adequate and appropriate compensation to all those of us who were abused and aids and abets the defeat of natural justice for many others in society.
Those who achieved within this abusive and secretive culture were those who remained the most silent and kept those who attempted to speak out silent also. Many learned that this was the way to success in the Catholic system and many of them now head many of our support, health, management and policing bodies.
The more students who became just like the exploiting clergy and nuns the more successful they became and subsequently the more they rose up within the hierarchy of the Catholic church as there is no other means to rise within the structures of today’s and history’s church.
This stylized form of abuse and repression is the core of the continuation of the cover up culture and mentality that has percolated over generations to the top of Catholicism. This is the culture that today operates at all levels of education and employment under the realm of the Catholic church. These are the people who today stand in the way of the right to justice of the millions of victims across the globe.
These socially affected individuals are no longer the childhood oppressors of the abused, today they form the core of the Catholic commercial and church hierarchy, they are those who most seek power and authority over the general population as to do otherwise means they have to acknowledge their own role in the covering up of the abuses and of the denial of justice to the survivors. There is no greater evidence of this than that currently found in the hierarchies, management and employment in policing, health and other essential community services where the corrupted Catholic culture still attempts to cling to controlling the voices of the masses and of individuals and in doing that supports the very pox they say they wish to bring down.
No person who spoke out on their abuse or against the abuses was permitted to flourish in their childhood, however today we demand much more than this although while this culture still exists today among all levels of Catholic church enterprises and while it remains strongest within those who had the most ‘successful’ Catholic education it is a diminishing game and is more easily identified and exposed than ever before.
In a manner the Catholic church once held what was believed to be the worlds greatest franchise and they blew it. Not only did they blow it comprehensively they did that within our lifetimes and their litany of crimes and cover ups are no longer acceptable.
Many of these ‘leaders’ today hold positions of power and authority in government, policing, health, education, support groups and community enterprises and thankfully are increasingly under pressure to conform to standards of decency and dignity. While they are the final bastion of the Catholic cover up mentality they are now far more visible and open to social pressures as they are no longer assured of the support of others affected in similar ways to themselves as many have broken the bonds of the Catholic brain washing and are now walking away in their tens of thousands from this the most sexually repressive and psychologically abusive of religions.
Today the world sees the pox which has oppressed and held down the rights of the abused for what it is and today we can see that in the actions and words of police men and women, in our politicians and community leaders and each and every individual who has raised their voice in objection has the right to feel pride in their achievement and the part they have played in bringing the Catholic church to account for the final time in our history.
May we all live to see the Catholic church’s cathedrals and churches turned into comedy theaters where the laughter of little children can be heard for the first time in generations for quite simply democracy and justice cannot flourish in this current religious cesspool of denial, repression, sexual abuse and domination.
Today the choice is quite clear as more of us realise the the Catholic church will not and is not capable of the social changes required by people today.
Those who attempt to support and prop up this broken system will become the pariahs of tomorrow and the destroyers of our democracy as they must stand against human rights and justice and all things moral and decent as that is the lot of an unchanging catholic church if that is what you want to follow.
For those of us who have escaped the abuses and the control and have come to understand the methods of repression there is a brighter light on the horizon for all of humanity and its children and the only thing standing in the way of that light shining brightly upon us and our children is the Catholic church and those who continue to support it.
Not being Catholic, I have no axe to grind there, but am I wrong that the Rev. Jones is not Catholic either… or do you just have your own axe to grind?
Hi JohnBS1…
Raised as a Catholic I went the through their school system including Jesuit taught high school and college. All I can say you sound like damaged goods as myself due to our respective family roots forcing us into Catholicism from childhood on.
Today I can say I’ve been “clean” for many years since about 1968 and haven’t entered a Catholic church since. After studying many religions of the world I find little credence to any of them except for possibly ‘primitive’ Pantheism, Buddhism and the Taoist belief systems which seem to be more in tune with the true mechanisms of life and the cosmos; ie., simply that of the “law of opposites”, yin and yang that projects its way from biological systems to particle physics.
My unsolicited suggestion for you is to chuck your negative Catholic “engrams” to use a “Scientology” term and liberate yourself from the yoke of negativity that’s simply based upon man created “mythos”.
Carl Nemo **==
Well said, Mr. Kezelis. It’s unfortunate that there are not more rational journalist calling this problem out at it’s root.
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