The Christian Jihad - Pot, Kettle, Black

I came across this video at Unrepentant Old Hippie.


This of course, is not the first I've heard of the insanity like Facebook's survey as to whether or not Pres. Obama should be assassinated or the even crazier opinion piece from Newsmax proposing a Military coup to oust the president. However, this video doesn't make it less scary or less crazy.

I have to say, after hearing the bigots from both the Canadian  and American right wingnut brigade constantly bashing all of  Islam for the acts of the fringe sociopathic groups who  misinterpret  the Quran; I honestly think it's time for them to really take a look in the mirror (provided it don't crack first, that is). What is the difference between Christian Far Right and Islamic Extremists? Can't wait for someone to try to spin that one. Well, Pot...Kettle...Black...?? Ring any bells here?

As Frank Schaeffer called them: the American Taliban, these freaks are not much better. In fact, I don't know who's more sociopathic: Islamic Radicals or the Christian Evangelical Far Right? 


Well, besides being white and uneducated, the only other difference between the Islamic Radicals and the Christian Evangelical Far Right is that they also demonstrate their oh so beloved Free market ways and actually have a full line of gifts one can purchase: anything from mugs to t-shirts to, yes, even pet wear.


This is more than just a case of Obama Derangement Syndrome. Yahoos like them are why gun control is soooo important.


Let's be careful out there.


I will say this again: I don't ever want to hear about the loony left ever again! Never again!

More Ironies of the Pro-life movement

I've gotta stop reading SUZY ALLCAPSLOCK's blogs. I know, I really should. Call it morbid curiosity, I guess. Here is her convaluded entry from this morning if anyone is as morbidly curious as I am.


Basically, she is, of course on the Sawah bandwagon saying the U.S. shouldn't reform health care. She says that leaving it to the free market would be patient centred. She says: "Instead of working contrary to the free market, let’s embrace the free market."


Embracing it? More like allowing it to run the country. She opens by giving offering a minor reason for the Global recession. That was how this recession got started. Ronald Reagan allowed Don Regan of Meryll Lynch to run his government; subsequent governments allowed Wall Street to continue governing, right up to Georgie, who was basically the useful idiot for Goldmann-Sachs. The recession was basically caused by the deregulation of the banking industry, allowing them and Wall Street to ride rough-shod all over the country. Unabashed Capitalist greed was the cause  as Michael Moore demonstrated in his last movie.


According to many of  SUZY ALLCAPSLOCK's postings, she claims to be a devout Catholic. Yet, another irony here, she advocates for greed which clearly go against the teachings of Jesus.  As those priests and that bishop in Michael Moore's last movie pointed out, capitalist greed  is immoral. Perhaps she and others are waiting for Andy Schlafly to rewrite the bible to suit their whims


Market-oriented, patient-centered is indeed an oxy-moron. 


Funny how this posting doesn't address the insurance company practises like denying for pre-existing conditions. Even denying for silly ones, like acne. It discriminates against women. Pregnancy, c-sections & being a victim of domestic violence are considered pre-existing conditions as I wrote about in a previous posting. It doesn't cover pre-natal care. Here in lies another irony of the Pro-lifers. How could she and others like her be staunch pro-lifers & yet advocate insurance practises not covering pre-natal care??? If you're advocating Pro-life, shouldn't Suzy and others like her be advocating for Health care reform? That pre-natal care be covered at 100%? I would love to see how the pro-lifers like Suzy justify this one.


I would like to further touch into this irony of Pro-lifers, like Suzy. She has pretty stated in a previous posting that not only attacked women who by mistake get drunk at party, but also stated that the whole pro-life cause must supercede the well-being of a child. I guess we shouldn't be surprised at any cold hearted or misinformed thing she (and of course, others like her)


The Pro-life movement so obviously supports the real death-panels known as the American Health Insurance industry, not the ones living in Sawah's imagination. We all know American Health insurance corporations cut people off the moment they ask for coverage as soon as they're hurt or sick. 
What is their problem with reform state-side? Health care for all should fit with the pro-life modus operendi, shouldn't it? 


Sadly, It doesn't. Just another irony of the pro-life movement. They advocate murder of actual human beings while they have their fetus fetishes. They advocate violence. Hell, on Twitter, I ran into a pro-lifer who goes by the handle, RightGirl who tweets that she's "against humanity". It does indeed summarize their movement and Suzy so shows their true colours.


The rest of the industrialized world covers all its' citizens. Health care is a right, not a commodity. Free markets & capitalism should never even be a factor in health care and in religion.


The real irony about the Pro-lifers is that those on the Pro-choice argument such as myself care more about the sanctity of life than they do.

Time For the Pope to Set an Example

As I'm sure most of you, one of the vows future priests and nuns take is that of living in poverty; a humble life. To be fair, most priests live modestly in Church Presbyteries or perhaps in a house or apartment on church land.


The Catholic clergy are forever trying to persuade us to give to charity or to volunteer; to help those less fortunate than ourselves.


This week-end's sermon at my parish was reminding us 


"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  from the Gospel according to Matthew. 


The priest reminded us how  a life of unabashed greed with little charitable endeavour is a sin. I thought it was interesting he would choose to give this sermon this Sunday of all weeks; a week after Michael Moore's new movie came out; not even a week after we hear about nut-jobs rewriting the bible to include the gospel of free markets, hatred and intolerance. Even funnier; I seriously doubt this particular priest has even heard of Michael Moore or even about the Evangelical Christian far-right, as he is very new to Canada and barely speaks English or French. Coincedence or not, it is important to be reminded about the consequences of greed.


As mentioned, the priests and the bishop Moore interviewed confirmed that capitalism, corporate greed were immoral and definitely not  compattible with the teachings of Christ. We heard Moore and those priests cite the Gospel According to Luke. 

"But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation."

" And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed are ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God."

I could go  on citing such examples from the bible, but we all get the idea.


I saw an interesting piece on this morning's Huffington Post.  Sarah Silverman sends the pope a message video, strongly suggesting he sell the Vatican in order to end world hunger. 


"You preach to live humbly, and I totally agree. So now maybe it's time for you to move out of your house that is a city."

She has a point. I would go further in saying that currently, the pope is setting a bad example on not only the Catholic Church but to everybody, no matter what denomination. In her video, she does make a persuasive arguement. However will it be persuasive enough to Pope Benedict XVI, himself??

Good pitch, but I don't think the pope would go for it. (sigh) Hope does spring eternal, doesn't it? It is high time the highest member of the Catholic clergy and perhaps one of the most influential people in the world set an example.

Who Will Rescue Christianity From Christians?

Can Christianity be rescued from Christians is what Frank Schaeffer, the author of Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back & the upcoming book: Patience With God: Faith For People Who Don't Like Religion (Or Atheism) & writer for Huffington Post said on the Rachel Maddow show awhile back. A sub-culture he called the Far Right Evangelical Christians. More like a cult.

Schaeffer says we have to move past them & leave them alone on their proverbial hill top; that one cannot organize village life to suit the village idiot, in this case, the Evangelical Far Right.


I can't introduce this any better than Rachel Weiner of the Huffington Post: "Lo and behold, the Bible has gotten too liberal, according to a group of conservatives. And it needs a little editing." Yikes! Surely, Jesus must be shaking his head at this one. 


Now if we were in humour mode & believed this was some kind of joke, here's how Rackjite.com's suggestions for bible 'revisions':



There was his moment of anger.

"I shall take 10% on all transactions in this temple! Or the whip!"

On being a good Christian...

"Rich men shall ride on camels while the poor shall have needles in their eyes."

"If one strikes you on the check, turn on them without mercy."

"Do unto others before they do unto you."

"Only through Free markets shall you gain the Kingdom of Heaven."

The Sermon on the Mount, known as the C-Attitutes?

"Blessed are the assholes for they shall own the Earth."

"Wretched are the peacemakers who shall be done in."

"The poor shall inherit hunger, pain and disease."

The last supper...

"Take this wine and this bread as my blood and as my body. In doing so found a religion in my named based upon cannibalism and tomorrow's execution."

And of course those famous last words...

"Father, never forgive these bastards for they know exactly what they do!

 This is unfortunately, no joke. As Frank Schaeffer wrote in the Huffington Post, these are dangerous times due to threatening behaviour in God's name. Now, it seems that wingnuts like Schlafly are about to somehow make neo-con ideologies like greed & craziness official by rewriting the bible. Should we be scared shitless? You betcha!


This week, on Conservapedia, it seems they're going to suit their whims & rewrite the bible. It' too 'Liberal'. They want to remove all the so-called  'liberal' passages in the bible. The Old & New Testaments will be gutted beyond recognition considering they want to eliminate such phrases like helping the poor, healing the sick, forgiveness, etc. I'm still shaking my head at this. What's the matter?  Brainwashing not working anymore? They underestimated the American population's ability to read?


Or, perhaps they saw Michael Moore's movie, Capitalism, A Love Story & paid particular attention to the segments where two parish priests & a bishop from the arch-diocese of Detroit denounce capitalism & corporate greed as well as the segment where the priest is presiding over mass & giving communion  to the laid-off workers sitting in Republic Door & Window in Chicago.


Schafly & other such neo-con wingnuts must have been gasping for air on those segments.


Andy Schlafly founded Conservapedia because he felt that Wikipedia was too 'liberal' & 'Anti-Christian'. Here's what he had to say about Operation Pervert the bible beyond recognition:


“The trouble is, new translations of the Bible are done by professors at liberal universities who overwhelmingly voted for Obama,” Mr. Schlafly said. “Their political bias seeps into their translations and we felt it necessary to counteract that with one that uproots and eradicates any liberal bias.”


Here are just some of the items to be 'edited': 

1. Framework against Liberal Bias: providing a strong framework that enables a thought-for-thought translation without corruption by liberal bias
2. Not Emasculated: avoiding unisex, "gender inclusive" language, and other modern emasculation of Christianity
3. Not Dumbed Down: not dumbing down the reading level, or diluting the intellectual force and logic of Christianity; the NIV is written at only the 7th grade level^[3]
4. Utilize Powerful Conservative Terms: using powerful new conservative terms as they develop;^[4] defective translations use the word "comrade" three times as often as "volunteer"; similarly, updating words which have a change in meaning, such as "word", "peace", and "miracle".
5. Combat Harmful Addiction: combating addiction by using modern terms for it, such as "gamble" rather than "cast lots";^[5] using modern political terms, such as "register" rather than "enroll" for the census
6. Accept the Logic of Hell: applying logic with its full force and effect, as in not denying or downplaying the very real existence of Hell or the Devil.
7. Express Free Market Parables; explaining the numerous economic parables with their full free-market meaning
8. Exclude Later-Inserted Liberal Passages: excluding the later-inserted liberal passages that are not authentic, such as the adulteress story
9. Credit Open-Mindedness of Disciples: crediting open-mindedness, often found in youngsters like the eyewitnesses Mark and John, the authors of two of the Gospels
10. Prefer Conciseness over Liberal Wordiness: preferring conciseness to the liberal style of high word-to-substance ratio; avoid compound negatives and unnecessary ambiguities; prefer concise, consistent use of the word "Lord" rather than "Jehovah" or "Yahweh" or "Lord God."

Also, no doubt, this new version would be sure to include the fact that President Obama is the anti-Christ.

Yeah, Mr. Schlafly, whatever floats your boat, man & of course, maybe even make millions with the sales of these new versions?? Gulp!


Rachel Maddow couldn't believe this was not a joke as she groans in her show: 




What's worse is that once this perversion is complete, it will be effectively marketed & become a best seller.


Who's more dangerous now? Fundamentalist Islamic fringe groups or the far right Christian Evangelicals? Honestly, I don't know anymore.


Can Christianity as well as other denominations be rescued?