Upcoming Date to Remember!

Get out the psychedelic posters, fire up the blacklight, and turn up the stereo! Sunday, June 1st, is the 40th anniversary of the 1967 release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Science and Faith

So what do you think of the Creation Museum?

There were dinosaurs on Noah's Ark? I'm not sure what to say. I'd love to visit, but I'm not sure I want to go to Kentucky just yet. Something about those pesky commonwealths makes me suspicious.

Dream Thoughts

I'm not a big "dream interpretation" kind of person. My general theory is that dreams are the brain's attempt to work through the experiences you don't, can't, or won't address during your waking hours. Some are just garbage and some can seem amazingly relevant. Either way, it's your brain and your "Stuff" it's rifling through, so at least occasionally the "messages" from your dreams are going to be (or seem) important.

The other day, had a dream where I was being reprimanded by someone with religious authority who was holding a Bible over his head as he took me down a couple of notches. My response was one that only comes from the clarity of a dream where your ego is turned off and the inspiration can flow evenly. As soon as I had finished the thought, I bolted up out of bed, and scuffled into the other room, and wrote this down:

The weight of the responsibility for truly knowing God's loving forgivenes is great.

I wonder, as you hold that Bible over your head as if to beat someone down with it, how you do not feel the heavy wisdom of God's forgiving love within its pages for it is there if only you would listen and accept it... And yet obviously you do not.

I have no idea why this came to me the way it did. When I try to compose things like this, they always come out too wordy. I've even (in my more pretentious moments) tried to write in parables, only to be left with lots of words and little wisdom on the written page. I'm much better with the quick, one-off metaphor.

Does this really mean anything?

Birth Control & Christianity - Part One: More Babies!

This was almost a JYSTSOOY post, but I'm refraining from that for the sake of extending some modicum of decorum here...

Let me also state up front that I will do my best to avoid posting links to sites that are political. Sometimes, however, they provide information that can spur debate on the subject of religion (which is germane to this blog). This is such an instance.

The movie on the page I'm about to provide a link to underscores clearly the problem I have with Fox News (which is not really a news channel) and many Christian's flawed understanding of the debate around birth control and all its related subjects. Even if you don't like the political views of this site, take a second to drop by just to watch this video:

‘Pro-Life’ Activist: Birth Control Is A ‘Pesticide’ That Will Make Women Just ‘Like Men’

I don't think I really need to discuss this beyond saying one more thing: If modern American Christians can't represent themselves any better than this, I need to find another name for my faith. She represents the worst in Christianity and I reject everything she and her ill-conceived (pun intended) phoney-baloney organization stand for.

Celebrate: Towel Day

In honor of the man himself, I must say I'm proud to carry my towel around today (or any day). Hey, even if you forgot your's, there's still time to head out to the store or go home and pick one up!

If you're looking for more information about this wonderful annual event, check out the Wikipedia page on Towel Day.

For a refreshing look at Douglas' work, check out The Private Life of Genghis Khan (Warning - Contains Naughty Words!) which was written by him and Graham Chapman. Both are now deceased and must be looking at us thinking how silly we all are.

by the way... Yes, I recognize that Mr Adams was an Atheist. Does this mean I can't like his work or celebrate his life? Should I shun all of what he has to say just because I disagree with him about one thing? That seems awfully closed-mined, doesn't it? But let's not get into politics. If that doesn't satisfy, I would gently remind you that this is a blog (not the end of the universe) and simply request that you get over yourself.

He was a wonderful author and humorist. His work lives on and so does the fact that this world is enriched because of his efforts.

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Celebrate: Talk Like Bob Dylan Day

In honor of Bob Dylan (it's also his birthday today), and to keep up with the supposed spiritual nature of this blog, I would like to quote the song Gotta Serve Somebody:

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride,
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,
You may be workin' in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair,
You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody's heir

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Ain't it da trut!

P.S. In further tribute, here's a silly irreverent tribute to the man. This clip is undoubtedly NSFW due to course language (but it's also funny). You have been warned.

Upcoming Dates to Remember!

These are hugely important dates to remember for this week:

May 24, 2007: International Talk Like Bob Dylan Day

May 25, 2007: Towel Day - A Tribute to Douglas Adams

Oh, and Memorial Day is Monday the 28th.

How much of an American am I?

Well it seems I'm less of an American than I thought...

You Are 57% American

Most times you are proud to be an American. Though sometimes the good ole US of A makes you cringe Still, you know there's no place better suited to be your home. You love your freedom and no one's going to take it away from you!

How American Are You?

I wonder what "average" American I am being compared to here. :/

Thanks to Julie over at Observations from the Roof of a Buliding for pointing me to this little test. She's more of an American than I. ;)

BTW: I tried and the "most American" I could come up with was 95%. I really tried.

Simple Question #003a: Holy Trinity: Science, Math, & Art?

I'm not coming to any conclusions here. I'm just expounding publicly on a concept that hit me the other day. Maybe you can tell me where I'm wrong or reshape/reinforce the concept a bit...

Maybe, just maybe, as manifestations of measurable phenomenon, the following can be equated regarding the Holy Trinity:

God is Science
Jesus is Math
Holy Spirit is Art

Consider me unconvinced, but intrigued. What do you think?

JWSTSOOY #0001a - Satan Made Me Do It.

You gotta be kidding me, man. This is the oldest lie in the rulebook and yet people are still using it to distance themselves from responsibility for the things they do:

Galveston Woman Blames Devil For Baby In Microwave

Today this lame excuse is almost as effective as recovery from exhaustion in wiping away the culpability.

According to the article linked above,

Eva Mauldin says her husband is not "the monster people are making him out to be.

No, he's just easily convinced to toss your kid into the microwave and blame "Satan" when he becomes a pariah. Please... JW definitely STSOOY.

New Section - JWSTSOOY

What the heck do all those jumbled letters stand for? JWSTSOOY? They mean whatever you want them to mean. For me, it's Jesus Would Slap The Stuffing Out Of You (or some socially unacceptable variant therein).

I'll start right off today with a doozy!

New Link to Review - Observations from the Rooftop of a Building

I ran across this blog when trying to find some information for a recent post and couldn't stop reading. Cool stuff. I'll place it in the usual "Review" section for now, but have a feeling it will be part of the "recommended" link area very soon.

Check it out today!

Letting Go

I saw an old boss of mine yesterday. He was the single most irritating boss I've ever experienced. Short of physical abuse or direct verbal berating, I'm not sure how this work experience could have been worse.

It's been years since I worked for him and I thought I had distanced myself and healed from the experience, but a lot of my old feelings surfaced again. I think it must have been from the shock of seeing him when I didn't expect to. Oh well.

The question this all brings up is how should I have dealt with the interaction? Here's the setup: I drove up to a local restaurant. He was sitting at a table facing my parking space. I saw him and I'm sure he saw me. As I was leaving my car to go in and get something to eat, he said hello (when I wasn't looking). I have no idea if he was addressing me, although (bring self-centered) I think he probably was. Since I was already turned away, I didn't bother looking back or acknowledging him.

I don't think I did the wrong thing. Lord knows I don't want to invite him back into my life or keep me from enjoying my normal activities, but I have to wonder if I'll ever be over the awful experience of working for such a toxic person.

I have been working on a post about tapes that play over and over in your head. Hopefully I'll push that live soon. He's definitely in at least one of those tapes, but I think it's fairly well worn out and put away... at least until I see him again.

Simple Question #002a

Can a Christian be overtly political without compromising his or her faith?

Falwell's Dead

I can't say I'm sad to say that Jerry Falwell is dead. I certainly don't wish any of his remaining family or friends any ill, but this guy was an old school koot who gave Christianity a really bad name. Sure, he was probably full of love, but he also did a lot of very negative things in the name of God while he was a live and (in my opinion) probably did more to turn people away from faith in the last 70+ years than just about anyone else in the U.S.

Simple Question #001a

From a Christian standpoint, it's important to be aware of the rules of faith, but without the ever-ignorant disciples at His side, Jesus wouldn't have had such ample opportunity to tell his wonderful parables. This raises the question:

Is it ever a good thing to be ignorant?

New Section - Simple Questions

I've decided that sometimes it's better to post a question I have no formal answer for than to avoid posting about it. In those instances, I'll title it a Simple Question and listen for answers. If none are forthcoming, I may post on the subject again later or just let it go. Consider these placeholders with comments encouraged.

New Section - Random Stuff

Not every post in this blog will mention faith directly, but it's all part of who I am. For example, the posts I make under Random Stuff will be of this ilk.

I like cute things involving animals. Something about it just warms my heart. But I love when animals are caught in pictures like this:



The entire "lolcats" concept seemed to have come out of left field. I'm not sure what it all means, but it sure can be entertaining.

And when was the last blog post you read that used the word "ilk"?

New Recommended Link - nonprofitprophet

So now we have three awesome recommended links on this site. The last one (nonprofitprophet) gives rise to a creative streak in me to come up with new blog names for similar sites. The only one I can think of right away is Feral Christian. Wish I had thought of that one when I was making this blog. Oh well...

Any suggestions should be submitted here as comments. Maybe we can get other people to start their own blog!

Note: link suggested by revrin rick over at the fantastic Yes Yes Yes... is the answer blog

Is it better to think or believe?

Note: This article wrestles with the most basic aspects of faith and contains links to sites with information actively challenging its fundamentals. If you wish to avoid such information, please do not read this entry. But then, I'm not sure why you would be dropping by here if that were the case. Either way, I've warned you so I've done my part...

Note 2: Since this is my first attempt to really pound away at some important issues surrounding faith, I would appreciate a little understanding. I'm sure I'll get better at this over time and I'm sure I'll say some things people don't agree with. That's good. I just hope you'll take the time to respond and let me know where I'm wrong or where I've offended you. That way we both have an opportunity to learn and grow.

Let's get started...

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I can see why some people have chosen to reject faith.

Many of today's "moral" leaders are seriously screwed up. Most visible examples of modern religion are poisoned with intolerance, ignorance, and hate. Not that the followers are doing "the cause" any favors either. Some people, when they believe something and don't even really know why, end up using that ignorant righteous indignity to push others further away - maybe without even realizing it.

On top of all that, some of what is in the Bible sounds far removed from our modern, secular existence - even downright bizarre. How can a book used to inspire some of the worst human atrocities be divinely inspired? God seems so far away sometimes.

So any thinking human eventually wonders if God is just an invention of the human mind created just to provide a placeholder for the answers we cannot fathom. Isn't there more to faith than that? I think there is. For me, God is not just a band-aid for our lack of knowledge. I value science but I don't see that as a replacement for my faith. Otherwise, every time science offers another reasonable hypothesis for an unanswered question, my faith would be shaken... and yet it isn't.

For many faithful people, trying to accurately describe in words even the emotions surrounding God is difficult. Some might argue it's impossible, but I would disagree. Science, being a language-based phenomenon has its limitations as well. It is perfect for describing "how", but nearly useless at describing "why" other than to invoke the limits of Science itself. This is as "bogus" as proving the existence of God by quoting the Bible. The wonderfully freeing concept of hypothesis even allows educated people to guess at answers and have them generally accepted by other educated people. And yet Atheism is not merely defined by a replacement of God with science is it? Or is it? I won't be so presumptuous to assume the answer for that question.

So if the two concepts don't have to be in conflict, why so often are they? I know I easily fall into the trap of seeing my ideas as correct and other's as flawed - especially when our differences are personal. This can be true independent of your personal views of faith. I try to keep my blinkered, philistine pig ignorance at bay by remembering that within the next 20 years I'll probably look back and see how wrong I had been about something. If the current trend continues, it won't be something small either. The further away I get from today, the bigger and more important the flaws in the reality I so vehemently defended will become.

And yet my faith is stronger than ever. So what is the answer to the question I posed up front, "Is it better to think or believe?" I would have to say to exclude either is a mistake and the two are not in opposition. It's not a matter of one or the other. Both are essential and important to me and both compliment each other. Learning about this world strengthens my faith. Having faith allows me to stare into the wonders of science, soaking up the answers to "how" without worrying so much about the answers to "why".

I may not agree with everything my five senses experience in this world, but I'm struck by how often the process of acquiring knowledge reminds me of the most important commandments.

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