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Political and religious commentary from a liberal, secular, humanistic perspective.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Keith Olbermann - Tancredo reveals tea party racism
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Baptists gonna biblicize Texas
If you live in the great state of Texas...well, lucky you! A bunch of nogoodnik Baptists are planning to get a "multilingual, multimedia CD that allows folks to listen to key biblical passages in their native language" into all 9 million homes in the great state of Texas.
The Baptists want you to know "that there's hope in Christ.!
And they want you to know before Easter. Maybe there's no hope after Easter?
So, Baptists in churches all over the great state of Texas are handing out these CDs - "at block parties, festivals, food pantries, health fairs, and door-to-door. They're mailing them to hard-to-reach places. A few doorbell-ringing churches are delivering homemade cookies and pies with every CD."
And the Lord said, "Jesus Christ, what a bunch of morons. Wasting all that time, money and energy on such nonsense. Why the hell aren't they out there taking care of the poor, the sick, and those in prison? That's what I told them to do!"
Not to worry, Lord. These CD's will make great coasters. Or kids can use them as frisbees.
The Baptists, though, think they'll be so popular that in ten years Texas will be even more inundated with "fire-breathing Christians."
And the Lord asked, "What the hell is a fire-breathing Christian? If they don't start following my teachings soon, I'll give 'em a little fire to breathe!
The Baptists want you to know "that there's hope in Christ.!
And they want you to know before Easter. Maybe there's no hope after Easter?
So, Baptists in churches all over the great state of Texas are handing out these CDs - "at block parties, festivals, food pantries, health fairs, and door-to-door. They're mailing them to hard-to-reach places. A few doorbell-ringing churches are delivering homemade cookies and pies with every CD."
And the Lord said, "Jesus Christ, what a bunch of morons. Wasting all that time, money and energy on such nonsense. Why the hell aren't they out there taking care of the poor, the sick, and those in prison? That's what I told them to do!"
Not to worry, Lord. These CD's will make great coasters. Or kids can use them as frisbees.
The Baptists, though, think they'll be so popular that in ten years Texas will be even more inundated with "fire-breathing Christians."
And the Lord asked, "What the hell is a fire-breathing Christian? If they don't start following my teachings soon, I'll give 'em a little fire to breathe!
Obama and the National Prayer Breakfast
Last Thursday, President Obama spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast. He said some very nice things. But he didn't say what needed to be said.
Some think he shouldn't even have attended the NPB, for the NPB is "fathered" by that notorious bunch of "Nazi-like," rich, above-the-law, christianist miscreants known as The Family. From what Mr. Obama said, it appears he is not familiar with The Family, or not as familiar as he should be. He said, for example, that The Family began in Seattle many years ago to help out the working folks. He couldn't have been more wrong. The Family has its roots sunk in nefarious activities - its forerunner was begun in order to break the power of the unions and strengthen corporate control in Seattle! It began as an organization to beat up on poor people!
Another reason some folks believe he should have boycotted the NPB is that the man responsible for the Uganda bill calling for the execution of homosexuals, is an active member of The Family, and another Ugandan pushing for the killing of homosexuals was involved in planning the NPB!
According to Religion Dispatches, Jeff Sharlet, author of the book, The Family, described the Ugandan situation thusly to NPR last year:
"David Bahati, the man behind this legislation, is really deeply, deeply involved in The Family's work in Uganda, that the ethics minister of Uganda, Museveni's kind of right-hand man, a guy named Nsaba Buturo, is also helping to organize The Family's National Prayer Breakfast. And here's a guy who has been the main force for this Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda's executive office and has been very vocal about what he's doing, in a rather extreme and hateful way. But these guys are not so much under the influence of The Family. They are, in Uganda, The Family."
I don't know why Obama thought he had to attend this prayer breakfast, this superstitious, superficial nod-to-god.
But so long as he attended and spoke at the event, I cannot understand why he did not condemn in no uncertain terms the Ugandan anti-homosexual bill and everyone connected with it! But the president remained silent on the one issue that really mattered at that point in time.
Oh, and you'll get a kick out of this: Tim Tebow, a great theologian, known for passing a pigskin, gave the closing prayer! In Jesus name? Kinda makes you want to sing that famous ol' country song, "Drop-kick Me Jesus, Through the Goalposts of Life"!
Some think he shouldn't even have attended the NPB, for the NPB is "fathered" by that notorious bunch of "Nazi-like," rich, above-the-law, christianist miscreants known as The Family. From what Mr. Obama said, it appears he is not familiar with The Family, or not as familiar as he should be. He said, for example, that The Family began in Seattle many years ago to help out the working folks. He couldn't have been more wrong. The Family has its roots sunk in nefarious activities - its forerunner was begun in order to break the power of the unions and strengthen corporate control in Seattle! It began as an organization to beat up on poor people!
Another reason some folks believe he should have boycotted the NPB is that the man responsible for the Uganda bill calling for the execution of homosexuals, is an active member of The Family, and another Ugandan pushing for the killing of homosexuals was involved in planning the NPB!
According to Religion Dispatches, Jeff Sharlet, author of the book, The Family, described the Ugandan situation thusly to NPR last year:
"David Bahati, the man behind this legislation, is really deeply, deeply involved in The Family's work in Uganda, that the ethics minister of Uganda, Museveni's kind of right-hand man, a guy named Nsaba Buturo, is also helping to organize The Family's National Prayer Breakfast. And here's a guy who has been the main force for this Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda's executive office and has been very vocal about what he's doing, in a rather extreme and hateful way. But these guys are not so much under the influence of The Family. They are, in Uganda, The Family."
I don't know why Obama thought he had to attend this prayer breakfast, this superstitious, superficial nod-to-god.
But so long as he attended and spoke at the event, I cannot understand why he did not condemn in no uncertain terms the Ugandan anti-homosexual bill and everyone connected with it! But the president remained silent on the one issue that really mattered at that point in time.
Oh, and you'll get a kick out of this: Tim Tebow, a great theologian, known for passing a pigskin, gave the closing prayer! In Jesus name? Kinda makes you want to sing that famous ol' country song, "Drop-kick Me Jesus, Through the Goalposts of Life"!
Hi Todd - You've got mail!
This isn't surprising as we've known about it for some time: Todd Palin was playing hanky-panky in the Alaska Guv's office throughout the brief reign of Ms. Sarah.
But now a bunch of e-mails are coming back to haunt him and Ms. Sarah because these e-mails prove they've both been lying through their teeth for years.
NBC has obtained 1,200 e-mails from the state of Alaska. These e-mails indicate good ol' Todd "got involved in a judicial appointment, monitored contract negotiations with public employee unions, received background checks on a corporate CEO, added his approval or disapproval to state board appointments and passed financial information marked 'confidential' from his oil company employer to a state attorney."
Not only so, but, according to AOL News, "NBC suggests that Palin and his wife sent many of the e-mails from private addresses outside the state system to try to put the information beyond the reach of public record laws."
And that's just a small part of Mr. Todd's and Ms. Sarah's chicanery!
The point is not that Todd and Sarah were up to no good in the Alaska state office. The point is that the Palins are without morals, values, ethics or integrity. It has to do with the fact that they lie with ease. It has to do with what appears to be their belief that they are not subject to the same rules as the rest of us.
The fact that Sarah Palin is working for FAUX News, and that millions of people remain convinced she's god's gift to the U.S. and actually believe, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, that she's qualified to be president, is an indicator as to how low the common denominator has sunk in this country.
Mr. and Mrs. Sarah Palin are despicable human beings. Mr. and Mrs. Sarah Palin would trade the well-being of our country for a bit of fame and a few dollars - as they have already proven. To think that Ms. Palin was actually on a national ticket is so mind-boggling and so chilling that future historians will be hard-pressed to find words to describe how it happened.
(As a side note, whatever "good" John McCain might have done during his political career will be totally eclipsed by his choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate. That choice spoke volumes about how his desperate desire to be president overcame his common sense, and was a great deal worse than his "mistake" of getting shot down over North Vietnam when 1) he wasn't supposed to be flying and 2) he was flying at a lower altitude than regulations provided for.)
But, back to the Palins: In a just world, they would be drummed out of this country and set upon a small island in the South Pacific prone to tsunamis!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Rachel Maddow - CBS taking sides?
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Keith Olbermann - Glenn Beck, worst person in the world (again!)
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Obama vs. Sean Hannity & other hypocritical religious moralists
This from Media Matters:
"On Fox News' Hannity, host Sean Hannity again attacked President Obama over his relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and guests Richard Miniter and Noelle Nikpour attacked Obama over devotional messages he receives, while earlier this week, right-wing blogs attacked Obama over his church attendance. These attacks follow repeated religion-based smears of Obama both during the 2008 presidential campaign and after he took office."
We all know that while Hannity used to love hookers, he now has a special relationship with Jesus and God loves him more than most people, so it would behoove us to listen to what he has to say. There's a problem, though. Hannity lies. Over and over again. And if he doesn't lie, he stretches the truth, or omits the truth, or twists the truth to suit his right-wing, fanatical agenda which includes destroying the president!
What part of Jesus' instruction does he not get: "Love your neighbor as yourself"? "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"? "Turn the other cheek"? Did he somehow miss the commandment against bearing false witness?
Hannity is typical of right-wing christians these days. Their "lord" is a figment of their imagination - a figure they've created in their own minds that has nothing to do with the Jesus of the Gospels! The other thing typical of christianists today is they believe and act on the notion that the ends justify the means. So, if you have to tell some lies, do something illegal - hey, no problem if you're doing it for Jesus' sake.
Hannity was concerned about devotional messages President Obama receives on his Blackberry - some of them might derive from Buddhism!
The on Feb. 1, Fox Nation complained that Obama still hasn't decided on a church and doesn't even attend church on a regular basis.
A number of other right-wingnut commentators attacked Obama for not choosing a church, invoking the Rev. Wright, e.g. the reason he has found a church "is that he's having a hard time finding a speaker imbued with the true spirit of Christianity as the Rev. Jeremiah Wright."
And several morons cried that he's been photographed "dropping off his daughters at school, taking his wife out to dinner, and frequenting a gym in Chicago. But one location Mr. Obama has not been photographed at is church."
Here's the thing: Whether Obama goes to church or not is irrelevant! Whether Obama gets religious messages or not is nobody's business. None of this crap matters at all! And the only reason these self-appointed guardians of public morality bring it up is simply to attack the president and try to make him fail in his role as the leader of our nation!
There is no religious test for office in this country. You would never know that listening to the dickwads on the right, but it is the truth.
In fact, considering the shape of Christianity these days, I would be much more comfortable if Obama never stepped inside a church or received any devotional messages, or spoke with any religious leader!
Most so-called Christians in this country have no clue what their faith is about! One minor example: Drive the speed limit down any major highway in this country and you will be passed by 95 percent of the other vehicles, all going 10-20 miles over the speed limit. Now, Christians claim a goodly percentage of the population. Which means that most of those flying by you with their little Jesus fish stuck on the back of their Hummers are "christians" who don't give a rat's ass about obeying the law, but instead risk their lives and the lives of everyone else on the road in their need for speed!
Well, maybe that's not so minor when you consider we lose 12 times as many people in ONE year to traffic accidents - most of which are caused by speeding! - than were killed in the 9/11 attacks. (Hmmm...does that mean all these christianist speeders are terrorists?)
Back to Obama. Dear Mr. President, tell the dickwads to go to hell. They know nothing and you have no obligation to display any religious sensitivities whatsoever. In fact, considering our recent history, many of us would rather that you not pay obeisance to any religion! We would much prefer you govern on the basis of reason, common sense, and scientific knowledge rather than on the tortured writings by fevered and ignorant nomads who lived thousands of years ago.
And you can't win. There is NO way you can live so as to garner the appreciation or the respect of the Hannity's of the world. That's because they don't really care about your religion or lack of it, they use that issue simply to bring you down.
Do your own thing. FAUX News will go down in the history books as one of the most evil and pernicious organizations ever to operate in our country!
There's a little more titillating info re: the Jesus-loving Mr. Hannity here.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Are you sick of Tim Tebow yet?
[Image from Dailywordbuzz.com]
C'mon. Tim! It was one thing to push your Jesus during football games with bible verses scrawled on your cheeks, but is it really necessary to try to foist your religious beliefs upon people who have tuned in to watch a football game and not a fundamentalist church service?
If you haven't heard, here's the story: Tebow is appearing with his mommy in an ad sponsored by the notorious and fanatical right-wing bunch of broomsticks at Focus on the Family to be aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday!
According to the Christian Post, "The 30-second spot from the pro-family organization will feature college football star Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam, who will share a personal story centered on the theme of 'Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life.'"
Details are not yet available, but "many speculate" that the ad will tell the heart-wrenching story of how Pam did not abort Tim even though she had a bad infection while pregnant.
That would, of course, have been horrible for the University of Florida's football team, which everyone in Gainesville knows is God's favorite pigskin battlers.
Some folks are unhappy about this ad claiming it will "alienate viewers," and that its content "endangers women's health," and that the ad "uses sports to divide rather than to unite" ... etc.
Other folks say it's a matter of free speech and all of the anti-abortion groups are ecstatic!
Well, it has nothing to do with free speech. It has to do with money. If CBS really thought it would cost them viewers and cash, they'd cancel the ad immediately. But, I think CBS believes that the ad will attract more viewers if for no other reason than to see what all the fuss is about. That means more buckaroos!
It also has to do with the christianist confrontational approach to get in non-believer's faces! They don't care if they make people mad, 'cause Jesus will send them all to hell anyway!
And finally, this speaks to the power (read money) of the christianist right. I haven't read what this particular ad cost Focus on the Family, but I do know the cost of putting together an ad involves many thousands of dollars and that to air an ad during the Superbowl is going to run in the millions!
What's scary here is that our future, I'm afraid, is going to be dictated almost entirely by those who control the most money. 1984 is going to have a whole new look. Just as deadly, though!
C'mon. Tim! It was one thing to push your Jesus during football games with bible verses scrawled on your cheeks, but is it really necessary to try to foist your religious beliefs upon people who have tuned in to watch a football game and not a fundamentalist church service?
If you haven't heard, here's the story: Tebow is appearing with his mommy in an ad sponsored by the notorious and fanatical right-wing bunch of broomsticks at Focus on the Family to be aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday!
According to the Christian Post, "The 30-second spot from the pro-family organization will feature college football star Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam, who will share a personal story centered on the theme of 'Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life.'"
Details are not yet available, but "many speculate" that the ad will tell the heart-wrenching story of how Pam did not abort Tim even though she had a bad infection while pregnant.
That would, of course, have been horrible for the University of Florida's football team, which everyone in Gainesville knows is God's favorite pigskin battlers.
Some folks are unhappy about this ad claiming it will "alienate viewers," and that its content "endangers women's health," and that the ad "uses sports to divide rather than to unite" ... etc.
Other folks say it's a matter of free speech and all of the anti-abortion groups are ecstatic!
Well, it has nothing to do with free speech. It has to do with money. If CBS really thought it would cost them viewers and cash, they'd cancel the ad immediately. But, I think CBS believes that the ad will attract more viewers if for no other reason than to see what all the fuss is about. That means more buckaroos!
It also has to do with the christianist confrontational approach to get in non-believer's faces! They don't care if they make people mad, 'cause Jesus will send them all to hell anyway!
And finally, this speaks to the power (read money) of the christianist right. I haven't read what this particular ad cost Focus on the Family, but I do know the cost of putting together an ad involves many thousands of dollars and that to air an ad during the Superbowl is going to run in the millions!
What's scary here is that our future, I'm afraid, is going to be dictated almost entirely by those who control the most money. 1984 is going to have a whole new look. Just as deadly, though!
Rachel Maddow on the Carly Fiorna campaign
When you add this ad to all the other unadulterated crap spewing out from FAUX News and other Republican camps across the nation, one must conclude the Republican Party has no soul, and is comprised of serious goofballs with no brains and no common sense.
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Deliverance at "midnight"
[Image from the Huffington Post]
Rod Parsley, in case you forgot, is the uneducated hick who "pastors" the World Harvest Church - a non-denominational, fundy, money-maker. He's also a political right-winger skating on the fringes of insanity. (Just Google his name!)
Because of all of the above, he fits snugly into the religious ballyhoo that defines Charisma magazine, a neo-Pentecostal rag that spouts the usual fundamentalist claptrap.
I find the theology of guys like Parsley unfathomable. They insist they preach a god of love, but are constantly using horrific passages from the Hebrew bible to make a point. Thus, in a little "meditation" intended to give the faithful hope, Parsley quotes a passage from Exodus describing how his killer god slaughtered all the first-born Egyptian children AT MIDNIGHT."
He doesn't flinch while attributing such an atrocity to his god. He simply ignores what the passage clearly implies: the Hebrew god was a ruthless murderer!
(And why doesn't he use a quote or a story from the Gospels to buck up his fantasies?)
Parlsey wants the word, MIDNIGHT, 'cause it fits his meditation, which is quite simply that when things get tough, the tough get going - with god, who is always there in your "midnight" situations, when everything appears hopeless.
Yep, "Too often," says the preacher, "in the middle of the night, in the midst of our darkest crises ... we allow ourselves to become upset, distraught, concerned, and anxious."
Don't do that, says Parsley, for "God sits on His throne saying, 'When you have worn yourself out through your own ability, I will be here to help you and life you up..."
"We serve a God," pontificates Parsley, "who is so much greater than we allow Him to be. Rely on Him alone. Turn to Him. In the midnight hours of your life, God will bring your deliverance."
Yeah, right. Does he mean we should shed ourselves of doctors and other caregivers? What does he mean? It's all unadulterated nonsense.
And if you asked Parsley to give you examples that could be tested and verified by outside, neutral observers, he would reach his own "midnight" hour.
Did God bring "deliverance" to those who died in the Holocaust? What about the innocents killed in the Haitian earthquake? Where was God when a young girl was killed by murderous cancer cells, created in her body by the same god who Parsley and his ilk claim created her in the first place!
The truth is, when "midnight" comes, there is no god anywhere in sight! It doesn't matter how often or how hard you pray. No god hears you!
That truth may not be as hopeful as Parlsey's false promises based upon ancient Hebrew scribblings, but the truth is the truth and it's better to know the truth than live a life of hopeful pretense!
I have written more on Parsley here.
And there's more detail on this charlatan here.
Rod Parsley, in case you forgot, is the uneducated hick who "pastors" the World Harvest Church - a non-denominational, fundy, money-maker. He's also a political right-winger skating on the fringes of insanity. (Just Google his name!)
Because of all of the above, he fits snugly into the religious ballyhoo that defines Charisma magazine, a neo-Pentecostal rag that spouts the usual fundamentalist claptrap.
I find the theology of guys like Parsley unfathomable. They insist they preach a god of love, but are constantly using horrific passages from the Hebrew bible to make a point. Thus, in a little "meditation" intended to give the faithful hope, Parsley quotes a passage from Exodus describing how his killer god slaughtered all the first-born Egyptian children AT MIDNIGHT."
He doesn't flinch while attributing such an atrocity to his god. He simply ignores what the passage clearly implies: the Hebrew god was a ruthless murderer!
(And why doesn't he use a quote or a story from the Gospels to buck up his fantasies?)
Parlsey wants the word, MIDNIGHT, 'cause it fits his meditation, which is quite simply that when things get tough, the tough get going - with god, who is always there in your "midnight" situations, when everything appears hopeless.
Yep, "Too often," says the preacher, "in the middle of the night, in the midst of our darkest crises ... we allow ourselves to become upset, distraught, concerned, and anxious."
Don't do that, says Parsley, for "God sits on His throne saying, 'When you have worn yourself out through your own ability, I will be here to help you and life you up..."
"We serve a God," pontificates Parsley, "who is so much greater than we allow Him to be. Rely on Him alone. Turn to Him. In the midnight hours of your life, God will bring your deliverance."
Yeah, right. Does he mean we should shed ourselves of doctors and other caregivers? What does he mean? It's all unadulterated nonsense.
And if you asked Parsley to give you examples that could be tested and verified by outside, neutral observers, he would reach his own "midnight" hour.
Did God bring "deliverance" to those who died in the Holocaust? What about the innocents killed in the Haitian earthquake? Where was God when a young girl was killed by murderous cancer cells, created in her body by the same god who Parsley and his ilk claim created her in the first place!
The truth is, when "midnight" comes, there is no god anywhere in sight! It doesn't matter how often or how hard you pray. No god hears you!
That truth may not be as hopeful as Parlsey's false promises based upon ancient Hebrew scribblings, but the truth is the truth and it's better to know the truth than live a life of hopeful pretense!
I have written more on Parsley here.
And there's more detail on this charlatan here.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
No anti-evolution stuff taught in Mississippi schools...for now
The National Center for Science Education is reporting that a bill in the Mississippi House which would have required that anti-evolution material be taught alongside pro-evolution material has died in committee.
Thank God! Or someone!
The good guys won for a change.
That won't stop the broomsticks and numbnuts, though. Eternal vigilance is the watchword when dealing with christianist crazies!
Thank God! Or someone!
The good guys won for a change.
That won't stop the broomsticks and numbnuts, though. Eternal vigilance is the watchword when dealing with christianist crazies!
Keith Olbermann - Bachmann invents new paranoia
It would be good if the moron from Minnesota, Michele Bachmann, was never heard from again. It's hard to believe that any human being can be as stupid as she is! What's worse, her stupidity seems to be growing!
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Keith Olbermann - Freedom of speech has been destroyed
To date Keith Olbermann's most important commentary; dealing with the recent Supreme Court decision to unfetter corporate monies in our political life.
We will move, quickly, to a corporate totalitarianism, and in the process the United States will become unrecognizable!
We will move, quickly, to a corporate totalitarianism, and in the process the United States will become unrecognizable!
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Kurt Warner - God's got his back
[Photo from The Scrooge Report]
The ego of christianist athletes is a mind-boggling thing to watch in action.
Kurt Warner, last of the Arizona Cardinals, a quarterback with god at his back, has retired from the NFL, praising his god for being so good to him. It was his god, you see, you provided the "opportunities" he's had passing the pigskin.
Warner has been consistent in his adulation of his football-loving deity. Upon the occasion of his NFL retirement, Warner hearkened back to the good old days of 1999 when his team then, the St. Louis Rams won the Super Bowl:
"As always, as it started in 1999 when I was up on the podium holding up a trophy, the first thing I want to do is give thanks to God.
"My Lord Jesus brought me here. I know he brought me here for a purpose. And it's been an amazing ride."
It sure has. God in heaven, not having much else to do ('cause he has a penchant for ignoring real global crises), made sure that Kurt had lots of "opportunities" on the gridiron to become a star for Jesus. Not only so, but God in heaven, also gave Kurt "opportunities" off the football field.
What are those opportunities? They involved such things as being "a featured speaker across the country for numerous churches, non-profit organizations, men's conferences, and corporate events."
Another is defined by the charity Warner and his wife set up in 2001 which "has been involved in numerous projects for causes such as children's hospitals, people with developmental disabilities and assisting single parents."
Now such a charity might be a good thing, unless, of course, it's merely an excuse to "evangelize," to try to convert people to fundy Christianity. And it appears that may be the case. The charity is named "First Things First Foundation, and "is dedicated to impacting lives by promoting Christian values, sharing experiences and providing opportunities 'to encourage everyone that all things are possible when people seek to put first things first.'"
If you're biblically literate, you may remember that the name has been taken from Matthew 6:33: "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
One must understand that fundamentalist christianists like Warner do everything for the purpose of converting others to their religious beliefs. That is their right. But it indicates their "caring" is suspect, for "caring" becomes something of a subterfuge - a means to convert people to the idea of "putting first things first" which involves accepting Jesus as one's personal savior and living according to the codes of fundy Christianity.
There's could be another "motive," also. The Warners of the world believe they'll get "brownie points" in heaven for bringing more souls to Jesus thereby saving them from eternal hellfire, the latter provided by the courtesy of their loving heavenly father.
To sum up: There is no evidence anywhere that any god or any person named Jesus had anything to do with Warner's football career or his "opportunities" on or off the football field.
Warner may believe this with all of his heart, but that doesn't make it so. There is no way to verify such a belief. Every athlete in the world who has found success in his/her chosen sport could claim his/her god provided the ability and the opportunity for his/her success.
Those with a big ego, who think they really deserve special attention from a deity, would most likely be the ones to make such a claim.
And even though we think a person who's good at throwing at football means nothing more than the person's good at throwing a football, which seems to be one of the least important things in life; and even though we fail to find any evidence that a god or someone named Jesus has anything to do with one's ability to throw a football; and even though we suspect Warner's charity work is built on a hidden agenda (to convert people to fundy Christianity), we certainly don't wish him ill in his "retirement."
At the same time, we will oppose his attempt to impose Christian values on the rest of us.
It has been my experience with christianists that "Christian values" is double-speak for a whole host of issues, such as installing christianist practices in public schools and in other public venues; being anti-choice regarding abortion; voting Republican; being against health care reform; opposing actions that would preserve the environment; supporting nation-building wars; etc.
Finally, upon Warner's retirement, we can hope we no longer have to listen to this pious egotist bloviate about how fearful he is that his teammates and their families are going to hell because they don't believe in Warner's Jesus!
That's a relief!
[Note: Much of this info came from an article at Christian Post here.]
The ego of christianist athletes is a mind-boggling thing to watch in action.
Kurt Warner, last of the Arizona Cardinals, a quarterback with god at his back, has retired from the NFL, praising his god for being so good to him. It was his god, you see, you provided the "opportunities" he's had passing the pigskin.
Warner has been consistent in his adulation of his football-loving deity. Upon the occasion of his NFL retirement, Warner hearkened back to the good old days of 1999 when his team then, the St. Louis Rams won the Super Bowl:
"As always, as it started in 1999 when I was up on the podium holding up a trophy, the first thing I want to do is give thanks to God.
"My Lord Jesus brought me here. I know he brought me here for a purpose. And it's been an amazing ride."
It sure has. God in heaven, not having much else to do ('cause he has a penchant for ignoring real global crises), made sure that Kurt had lots of "opportunities" on the gridiron to become a star for Jesus. Not only so, but God in heaven, also gave Kurt "opportunities" off the football field.
What are those opportunities? They involved such things as being "a featured speaker across the country for numerous churches, non-profit organizations, men's conferences, and corporate events."
Another is defined by the charity Warner and his wife set up in 2001 which "has been involved in numerous projects for causes such as children's hospitals, people with developmental disabilities and assisting single parents."
Now such a charity might be a good thing, unless, of course, it's merely an excuse to "evangelize," to try to convert people to fundy Christianity. And it appears that may be the case. The charity is named "First Things First Foundation, and "is dedicated to impacting lives by promoting Christian values, sharing experiences and providing opportunities 'to encourage everyone that all things are possible when people seek to put first things first.'"
If you're biblically literate, you may remember that the name has been taken from Matthew 6:33: "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
One must understand that fundamentalist christianists like Warner do everything for the purpose of converting others to their religious beliefs. That is their right. But it indicates their "caring" is suspect, for "caring" becomes something of a subterfuge - a means to convert people to the idea of "putting first things first" which involves accepting Jesus as one's personal savior and living according to the codes of fundy Christianity.
There's could be another "motive," also. The Warners of the world believe they'll get "brownie points" in heaven for bringing more souls to Jesus thereby saving them from eternal hellfire, the latter provided by the courtesy of their loving heavenly father.
To sum up: There is no evidence anywhere that any god or any person named Jesus had anything to do with Warner's football career or his "opportunities" on or off the football field.
Warner may believe this with all of his heart, but that doesn't make it so. There is no way to verify such a belief. Every athlete in the world who has found success in his/her chosen sport could claim his/her god provided the ability and the opportunity for his/her success.
Those with a big ego, who think they really deserve special attention from a deity, would most likely be the ones to make such a claim.
And even though we think a person who's good at throwing at football means nothing more than the person's good at throwing a football, which seems to be one of the least important things in life; and even though we fail to find any evidence that a god or someone named Jesus has anything to do with one's ability to throw a football; and even though we suspect Warner's charity work is built on a hidden agenda (to convert people to fundy Christianity), we certainly don't wish him ill in his "retirement."
At the same time, we will oppose his attempt to impose Christian values on the rest of us.
It has been my experience with christianists that "Christian values" is double-speak for a whole host of issues, such as installing christianist practices in public schools and in other public venues; being anti-choice regarding abortion; voting Republican; being against health care reform; opposing actions that would preserve the environment; supporting nation-building wars; etc.
Finally, upon Warner's retirement, we can hope we no longer have to listen to this pious egotist bloviate about how fearful he is that his teammates and their families are going to hell because they don't believe in Warner's Jesus!
That's a relief!
[Note: Much of this info came from an article at Christian Post here.]
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