Tammy Bruce: Faith/The Divine Archives

Faith/The Divine Archives

Scientists: Religion a Figment of Human Imagination

Scientists, most of whom represent the epitome of narcissism, once again get their boxers in a twist trying to explain the one thing they will never be able to explain--the Divine. Scientists, you see, unable to comprehend something beyond themselves, have decided that faith and God is all in our heads. With their incredible imaginations, funny how they've just never been able to figure out that 'Big Bang' theory. Yes, my friends, that sound you hear is God laughing. You should, too. Weave pity in there for the 'scientists' while you're at it.

Religion a figment of human imagination

Humans alone practice religion because they're the only creatures to have evolved imagination.
That's the argument of anthropologist Maurice Bloch of the London School of Economics. Bloch challenges the popular notion that religion evolved and spread because it promoted social bonding, as has been argued by some anthropologists.

Instead, he argues that first, we had to evolve the necessary brain architecture to imagine things and beings that don't physically exist, and the possibility that people somehow live on after they've died..."Religious-like phenomena in general are an inseparable part of a key adaptation unique to modern humans, and this is the capacity to imagine other worlds, an adaptation that I argue is the very foundation of the sociality of modern human society."

"Once we realise this omnipresence of the imaginary in the everyday, nothing special is left to explain concerning religion," he says..."As soon as you have theory of mind, you have the possibility of deceiving others, or being deceived," he says. This, in turn, generates a sense of fairness and unfairness, which could lead to moral codes and the possibility of an unseen "enforcer" - God – who can see and punish all wrong-doers.

Maynard's comment

It should be remembered that science cannot explain the phenomena of consciousness and free will, and that free will in fact provably cannot exist, in that it violates fundamental laws of causality and/or probability. Some scientists address this conundrum by suggesting that free will is merely an illusion. You can believe that if you (ahem!) so choose. The rest of us must acknowledge that there is a supernatural aspect to our existence.

These pompous academic dismissals are the words of educated imbeciles who are offended by the notion of any Authority higher than themselves. Arguments like this, while cloaked in words of reason, are in fact appeals to Man's vanity.

What is God? What does He want of us? These are questions we can (and should) debate and discuss. But, setting aside the specifics of theology...as the man said, "There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

Hey! While we're on the subject...This is exactly what the movie Expelled is about. See it!

Posted by Tammy · May 5, 2008 05:49 AM · Permalink · Comments (15)
Faith/The Divine | Just Plain Stupid | Science & Technology

Happy Easter Weekend Everyone

Gethsemane

Jesus praying at the Garden of Gethsemane the night before his crucifixion. (Beautiful image courtesy of Peep Ashley).

Happy Easter everyone. Literally, thank God for Jesus, who made a sacrifice which to this day we all strive to be worthy of and honor.

And for those of you who note the beginning of Spring and The Bunny helping with celebrations, here's the Easter Bunny and his valet wishing you a very Happy and Gigantic Spring and Easter. Look at those toes! Woo hoo!!!

A real big rabbit

Yes, it's a real rabbit

And lastly, here is the now classic Hip-Hop Easter Bunny video to enhance your special weekend. Enjoy. Oh, yeah...

(Or click here to see the video in glorious full screen)

Posted by Tammy · March 22, 2008 01:48 PM · Permalink · Comments (7)
Faith/The Divine | Good News | Open Thread

Is God Trying to Get Our Attention?

This is amazing, but only so because the statue was not damaged. Whew!

Amazing moment the world's biggest Christ was struck by lightning

Rio de Janeiro's world-famous statue of Christ the Redeemer was struck by lightning during a thunderstorm over the Brazilian city on Sunday. The statue - which towers over the city as the largest statue of Christ in the world - did not appear too damaged after the strike, according to Brazilian reports.

Posted by Tammy · February 12, 2008 10:54 AM · Permalink · Comments (3)
Faith/The Divine | Nature

Our Troops and Their Christmas Gift to Iraq

When it comes to the current events we all deal with, here's a bit of news about Iraqi Christians and their Christmas. It is something that reminds us of the importance of our work, the remarkable accomplishment of our troops, and the grace of God, especially when we are challenged the most. And next time you hear Barack Winfrey or any other out of touch politician preen him or herself on having been against the war from the beginning, think of this story, the millions liberated, made safe and now able to look to a more hopeful future.

Iraqis Crowd Churches for Christmas Mass

Thousands of Iraqi Christians made their way to church through checkpoints and streets lined with blast walls, many drawing hope from a lull in violence to celebrate Christmas Mass in numbers unthinkable a year ago...

"We did not celebrate last year, but this year we have security and we feel better," said Rasha Ghaban, one of many women at the small Church of the Holy Family in Karradah, a mainly Shiite district in downtown Baghdad where many Christians live. "We hope our future will be better, God willing."

Families streamed into the church's courtyard, wrapped in heavy winter jackets to protect them from the early morning chill. Young children with neatly combed hair held their parents' hands, and women stopped by the front door to pick through a basket of small lacy headscarves, placing them over their hair before walking in...

Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, leader of the ancient Chaldean Catholic Church and Iraq's first cardinal, celebrated Mass before about 2,000 people in the Mar Eliya Church the eastern New Baghdad neighborhood of the capital.

"Iraq is a bouquet of flowers of different colors, each color represents a religion or ethnicity but all of them have the same scent," the 80-year-old Delly told the congregation.

Muslim clerics—both Sunni and Shiite—also attended the service in a sign of unity.

"May Iraq be safe every year, and may our Christian brothers be safe every year," Shiite cleric Hadi al-Jazail told AP Television News outside the church. "We came to celebrate with them and to reassure them." [...]

In northern Iraq's much safer Kurdish autonomous region, worshipers headed to the town of Ain Kawa, near Irbil. Some 1,600 Arab Christian families from Baghdad and nearby regions have settled there, said the local mayor, Fahmi Sulafa.

"Here, I feel my soul is at rest," said Matti Gordese, a 40-year-old father of four originally from Baghdad. "I can practise my religion without feeling that suddenly, a bomb will explode and kill you in God's house."

We owe that peace to everyone. Why? Because God has given our great nation the power and compassion to do so. Because, in short, we can. It is when we, as a nation or individuals, make choices based on what's possible--choices we make that allow the best or the worst of ourselves to prevail--that God notices.

Making the bold choice to liberate Iraq is one of the reason I grew to admire President Bush so much. I hope as this year ends and as we enjoy Christmas that his resolve to confront tyrants will return and that God helps us make the right choice next year for our leader during this monumental time in history.

« Close It

Posted by Tammy · December 25, 2007 11:00 AM · Permalink · Comments (4)
Faith/The Divine | Military | War on Radical Islam

Merry Christmas Everyone

What it's all about...

And a tip of the hat to Snoopy, who helped kids like me weather difficult childhoods, especially during the holidays.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Posted by Tammy · December 25, 2007 10:48 AM · Permalink · Comments (6)
Faith/The Divine | Open Thread

The Untold Christmas Story

I has it.

Want moar? Get buckit full heer.

Posted by Tammy · December 22, 2007 10:34 AM · Permalink · Comments (7)
Animal Issues | Faith/The Divine | History | Humor

Flags Fall to the Floor at Hillary Press Conference

Once again, Hillary has an issue in her life with something falling to the floor. Go figure.

Or maybe God does micromanage and he's sending us the Earthilings-Are-On-The Shortbus-So-Make-It-Obvious-For-Them message.

Posted by Tammy · November 12, 2007 10:18 AM · Permalink · Comments (2)
Faith/The Divine | Politics

God=1, Pelosi=0

After the congressional "Acting Architect" removed the word "God" from a flag certificate for an Eagle Scout, we all got mad and the situation is magically reversed. I have a feeling God will always prevail, but it sure can get irritating sometimes.

Capitol Architect Lets 'God' Fly On U.S. Flag Certificates

The Architect of the Capitol, responding to a public outcry, ruled Thursday that, from now on, the word "God" may be inscribed on certificates accompanying flags that have flown over the U.S. Capitol.

Acting Architect Stephen T Ayers said in a statement that the policy of disallowing political and religious statements on flag certificates has been inconsistently applied and does not fulfill the objectives of the office.

"It is inappropriate and beyond the scope of this agency’s responsibilities to censor messages from members," Ayers said.

"The Architect’s role is to certify that flags are appropriately flown over the U.S. Capitol, and any messages on the flag certificates are personal and between a Member of Congress and his or her constituents,” Ayers said.

Well, that's nice, but it sure isn't what he was saying a few days ago. It's amazing how much sense angry Americans can instill in the cowards in Washington.

Somebody Stole Somebody's Girlfriend

Funny, in the regular world, this sort of fight happens just about six months after the U-Haul has come and gone. The fact that it took 40-some years is amazing.

Italian archbishop closes convent after nuns come to blows

A convent in southern Italy is being shut down after a quarrel among its last three remaining nuns ended in blows, press reports said Sunday.

Sisters Annamaria and Gianbattista, reportedly upset about their mother superior's authoritarian ways, scratched her in the face and threw her to the ground at Santa Clara convent near Bari in an incident in July that was kept quiet until now.

Archbishop Giovanni Battista Pichierri tried to reconcile the nuns but finally decided in late August that they had "clearly lost their religious vocation" and asked the Vatican for permission to close the convent.

Was it the Curve Magazine or the DVD of "Desert Hearts" that gave it away?

Sisters Annamaria and Gianbattista moved to another convent, but Sister Liliana barricaded herself inside, refusing to leave, the reports said, adding that she suspected Battista Pichierri of planning to cede the convent to another community...

What are the chances it's West Hollywood?

Oh, and while we're at it, let's cast the movie! I say Charlotte Rampling and Jacqueline Bisset for Annamaria and Gianbattista and Sophia Loren for Liliana. Other ideas?

Posted by Tammy · October 1, 2007 11:29 AM · Permalink · Comments (5)
Cultural Commentary | Faith/The Divine | Humor

The Creation Museum

A post by Maynard

On May 29, the Creation Museum opened in Kentucky. This $27 million, 60,000 square-foot museum presents a literal interpretation of the Bible, including the belief that God created the world 6,000 years ago over a six-day period. Animatronic dinosaurs are shown co-existing with early Man. Job 40 is cited, which portrays a monster (the behemoth) thusly:

"Look at the behemoth,
which I made along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.
What strength he has in his loins,
what power in the muscles of his belly!
His tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of his thighs are close-knit.
His bones are tubes of bronze,
his limbs like rods of iron.
He ranks first among the works of God,
yet his Maker can approach him with his sword....

An intriguing creature, yes? Might this be describing a hippopotamus or an elephant? It does sound a lot like a Brontosaurus.

The press is often playful and/or mocking in describing exhibits like this. For example, see this Economist article. I have observed modern secularists to become visibly upset when they see evidence that Creationism continues to have its advocates.

I'm not going to defend Creationism as an academic discipline. It seems clear enough to me that, if God did create the Earth 6,000 years ago, He also created evidence of a history that goes back much farther in time. I don't think God expected our scientists to gather this physical evidence and then ignore it.

On the other hand, the hardcore Creationists strike me as relatively harmless. These are productive people who meet their responsibilities and pay their debts. I don't find them in prisons or behind bomb plots. (I am not going to blame all Christians for the occasional violent nutjob such as Eric Rudolph who bombed the Olympics in 1996. That's about as reasonable as blaming the Unabomber on Al Gore.). My sense is that, in this diverse world, the Creationists and I can easily co-exist.

I wish I could say the same about the kookier educational pursuits going on in our mainstream educational facilities. The other day I noted the strong presence of anti-Semitism in academia, including a UC Berkeley course on the poetry of Palestinian terrorists. The people who rant against the occasional Creationist sentiment in rural America seem to take this sort of hatemongering-as-an-academic-discipline in stride. Can you say "double standard"?

Posted by Maynard · June 2, 2007 01:07 AM · Permalink · Comments (10)
Cultural Commentary | Faith/The Divine | Maynard Post | Religion

Happy Easter Weekend Everyone

Jesus

A note by Maynard: Worth checking out is Lauren Green's FOXNews column, in which she relates the connection between Passover and Easter. (The Last Supper is generally considered to have been a Passover Seder; however some interpret the Gospel as indicating that the Supper preceded Passover.)

Posted by Tammy · April 8, 2007 11:50 AM · Permalink · Comments (3)
Faith/The Divine

You, Robot

A philosophical post by Maynard

The current edition of The Economist has several articles inquiring into the nature and function of the human brain, including this opinion piece questioning the existence of free will. It all sounds very highfalutin', but let's set aside the academic gobbledygook and look at things from an everyday perspective.

Every action is a reaction to some previous action. Would anyone (other than a quantum physicist) argue with this premise? Causality began with either (take your choice) Creation or the Big Bang, and it continues inexorably until the corresponding (suit yourself) End of Days or Big Crunch.

So it follows that free will cannot be a natural phenomenon. Free will, if it existed, would constitute an effect without a cause. This is simply not possible.

As a practical matter, we acknowledge the inherent causality of human activity all the time. Let's say you learn that someone is a child molester. You immediately start looking for why this happened; for example this person may have been molested in his youth, thus setting a process in motion.

So free will doesn't exist. We are all just a collection of immensely complex mechanical reactions to earlier mechanical events. If our ability to analyze was more comprehensive, we could know exactly why everything happened. There is no place in this natural universe for what we think of as "choice".

On the flip side, we subjectively experience free will, so we know it exists. Any academic claim to the contrary is nonsense cooked up in some madman's ivory tower.

So you see how our affirmation of humanity rests upon an article of faith. We (most of us, anyway) believe in our own free will, in spite of the intellectual assertion that there can be no such thing.

In this sense, we are all religionists, whether we admit it or not. To deny the supernatural is to deny one's own existence.

Where do you stand? Do you declare your Faith? Or do you yield to the wisdom of experts who declare us to be automatons?

Maybe the eggheads are right, and there really is no free will. Maybe it's all a grand illusion. We only think we're driving, but really we're kids seated in shopping carts spinning a toy steering wheel while Mommy pushes us around. (Which begs the question of who or what is "Mommy". As you see, there's no escaping the concept of a Higher Power...)

« Close It

Posted by Maynard · December 28, 2006 11:08 PM · Permalink · Comments (7)
Faith/The Divine | Maynard Post | Religion | Science & Technology

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Posted by Tammy · December 25, 2006 12:43 PM · Permalink · Comments (6)
Faith/The Divine

The Real Meaning of the "Twelve Days of Christmas"

I just got an email that I think many of you will enjoy, I certainly did. Thanks to Ricardo for passing it along. On this day before Christmas Eve, have a great time and be careful out there. Many of you are doing last-minute shopping, or driving to visit friends or family, so be careful out there. Merry Christmas and Happy Last Day of Hanukkah. Here now is the email from Ricardo:

The Twelve Days Of Christmas

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me.

What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

Today I found out, thanks to the Internet.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.

It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church.

Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law,the first five books of the Old Testament.
The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership and Mercy.

The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love,Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control.

The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...

UPDATE:

For those of you who have emailed me interested only in debunking or complaining about whether or not this is true, for crying out loud, it's Christmas Eve weekend. Relax already, get in the spirit and take a pill or something. Sheesh.

Posted by Tammy · December 23, 2006 11:36 AM · Permalink · Comments (10)
Faith/The Divine

Unknown Orphan, Possibly Jesus, Sighted in St. Albans

Apparently the mayor and other 'frightened of the ACLU' leaders of St. Albans, West Virginia, have received a lot of feedback about their "a place for the animals" nativity scene, sans Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The response, in fact, has been so overwhelming, they decided to put the baby Jesus in the manger. Well, sort of. We're really not sure if it's the baby Jesus. According to the mayor, it's just "the baby." Oh, and Mary and Joseph are still banned. Heck, it might not even be their child. You never know with all those orphan infants hanging out in mangers.

So now the St. Albans Nativity scene consists of a bunch of animals and a little baby, who could really be anyone, because there are no parents around, forcing you to, once again, use your imagination about who that little baby might be. Hey, if it's Jesus, that 's completely up to you. St. Albans has no opinion about who the baby is, I'm sure.

Baby Jesus Back in W.V. Manger

ST. ALBANS, W.Va. (AP) - Baby Jesus will be in the manger for Christmas after all, even if Mary and Joseph won't be there to coo.

Officials have put the infant back into the town's nativity scene after news reports about the omission prompted e-mails from as far away as South Korea.

"The baby is in the manger," Callaway said Monday. [Who that baby is, however, is anyone's guess--ed.]

Jesus will be included, but Mary and Joseph are still out. [Wow, that poor couple. Their baby is the Son of God, it's been over 2,000 years, and they still can't get a room!--ed.]

The manger scene, one of 350 light exhibits in the town's annual Festival of Lights, had included shepherds, camels, and a guiding star, but no Jesus, Mary or Joseph. The parks superintendent said Jesus was left out because of concerns about the separation of church and state. But Mayor Dick Callaway said it was more a technical issue and an oversight.

"The purpose isn't to support a particular religion," Callaway said. "It's just to show one more side to the season."

Yes, indeed. Welcome to the Christmas Spirit in St. Albans. I wonder if Mayor Calloway is due for a visit from a few ghosts anytime soon.

Baby Jesus Manger Now "A Place for the Animals"

And for other fun and completely ridiculous euphemisms to help you avoid the fact that Christmas actually has the word "Christ" in it for a reason, I take you to St. Albans, West Virginia. In that town, the Baby Jesus is just too controversial to be included in a town's crèche. Actually, everyone's too controversial, so, well, you'll have to use your imagination when looking at the empty "place for the animals."

Jesus a no-show at ‘nativity'

Every year, people ask the same question about the St. Albans Festival of Lights.

Why doesn't the manger scene have a baby Jesus?

"We try to explain that by law we can't do that. We have been advised by (city) council not to get into that," said David Cunningham, superintendent of St. Albans City Park.

Instead, there is a scene that looks remarkably like depictions of the night Jesus Christ was born. There's a star, a couple of sheep, some camels and a structure that could be taken for the barn where Mary and Joseph had their baby.

"You could call it a manger," he said. "We call it a place for the animals. It looks like two things coming up on the sides with a roof-like structure. What it looks like depends on your imagination. We have never had a baby Jesus or a Mary, a Joseph or wise men."[So, I guess it's just a thing that happens to be there at this time of year for no special reason and could really be anything at all and could hold anything you could imagine because it's really nothing and everything for this winter holiday of lights time here on Earth, even though people in Australia celebrate the same thing and it's not winter there, so maybe whatever the thing is that happened that we will not name or discuss around this time of year isn't related to weather but we but we don't want to think or speak about that. Absolutely not.--ed].

Happy Turkey Day Thanksgiving!

A post by Maynard

How did we get Thanksgiving?

After their first harvest, the colonists of the Plymouth Plantation (the Mayflower people) held a celebration of food and feasting in the fall of 1621. The local Indian chiefs and ninety Indians joined in the three-day affair.

The first official Thanksgiving proclamation was made by the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts (adjacent to Boston, where Bunker Hill is) on June 20, 1676:

The Holy God having by a long and Continual Series of his Afflictive dispensations in and by the present Warr with the Heathen Natives of this land, written and brought to pass bitter things against his own Covenant people in this wilderness, yet so that we evidently discern that in the midst of his judgements he hath remembered mercy, having remembered his Footstool in the day of his sore displeasure against us for our sins, with many singular Intimations of his Fatherly Compassion, and regard; reserving many of our Towns from Desolation Threatened, and attempted by the Enemy, and giving us especially of late with many of our Confederates many signal Advantages against them, without such Disadvantage to ourselves as formerly we have been sensible of, if it be the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed, It certainly bespeaks our positive Thankfulness, when our Enemies are in any measure disappointed or destroyed; and fearing the Lord should take notice under so many Intimations of his returning mercy, we should be found an Insensible people, as not standing before Him with Thanksgiving, as well as lading him with our Complaints in the time of pressing Afflictions

The Council has thought meet to appoint and set apart the 29th day of this instant June, as a day of Solemn Thanksgiving and praise to God for such his Goodness and Favour, many Particulars of which mercy might be Instanced, but we doubt not those who are sensible of God's Afflictions, have been as diligent to espy him returning to us; and that the Lord may behold us as a People offering Praise and thereby glorifying Him; the Council doth commend it to the Respective Ministers, Elders and people of this Jurisdiction; Solemnly and seriously to keep the same Beseeching that being perswaded by the mercies of God we may all, even this whole people offer up our bodies and soulds as a living and acceptable Service unto God by Jesus Christ.

Posted by Maynard · November 23, 2006 08:09 AM · Permalink · Comments (2)
Faith/The Divine | History | Maynard Post | Patriotism

Deconstructing Sodom

Maynard contemplates his mission

Once upon a time long ago, the Lord announced to Abraham His intention of destroying the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The conversation is a strange one, because Abraham asks about the fate of righteous people in evil places. Is it proper to destroy a city if there are fifty blameless inhabitants?

God acknowledges that He would preserve the city for the sake of the fifty.

Abraham apprehensively continues his line of inquiry. What if there are forty-five? What if there are ten?

God will preserve the city for the sake of the ten.

The conversation ends here, and Sodom and Gomorrah are shortly destroyed.

Perhaps ten is a limit. Presumably the city would not be spared for the sake of nine.

When the Puritans came to America, John Winthrop likened their mission to building a "City upon a Hill". We are to be seen by others, and thus must set an example to guide the world.

Some trace the notion of American exceptionalism back to Winthrop's sermon. It was quoted in speeches by presidents Kennedy and Reagan.

Certain factions around the world dispute the greatness and even the goodness of America. Of course, we have always had enemies, both foreign and domestic, so the insults against our national character from the unworthy and the evil are nothing new. But, setting that aside, we may privately wonder whether modern America is losing her way. Are we tilting away from responsibility and mission and towards gratification and indulgence?

In a world where our evil enemies plot genocide, do our own failings render us less worthy or vulnerable?

Certainly we all have a sense that things aren't quite as they should be. Nor do we necessarily have confidence in our power to set things right. I'm sure I'm not alone in admitting feeling discouraged at times.

Ten people is not that much, is it?

Be righteous, boys and girls. Do it whether it seems to make a difference or not. You may never know it, but you just might be the one who swings the balance.

Posted by Maynard · November 18, 2006 03:38 AM · Permalink · Comments (5)
Cultural Commentary | Faith/The Divine | Maynard Post | The New American Revolution

"Meat" Islamist Has Chest Pains

It seems the idea of all that uncovered meat was too much him. Funny, it's uncovered ice cream that does it to me.

Sheik on 'indefinite leave'

Sheik Taj el-Din al Hilaly has asked to be placed on "indefinite leave'' after collapsing today amid escalating calls for him to quit for comparing women to uncovered meat.

The sheik fainted at a meeting with the Lebanese Muslim Association that was to have decided his future. He was in Canterbury Hospital tonight with chest pains. In a two-page statement read to reporters on his behalf, he said: "The pressure of the last couple of days has had an obvious effect on my health and wellbeing. I ask the public to give my family and I some privacy, time and space to recover.

"I have also asked for indefinite leave from my duties at Lakemba Mosque.''

Gee, you think it might be a message from God? But what are the odds of that crossing his mind? Caveman is as caveman does.

Posted by Tammy · October 30, 2006 09:32 AM · Permalink · Comments (2)
Authentic Feminism | Faith/The Divine | Tyrants | War on Radical Islam

Victory for Mt. Soledad Cross Memorial

Mt. Soledad Cross

Finally some great news in our culture war against nihilists and atheists who are obsessed with making society look as empty and godless as they are. After being threatened with removal because an atheist's lawsuit, the Mt. Soledad War Memorial and its cross are safe. At least for the time being.

In a blow to those who work feverishly to remove Christianity from the public square, President Bush will sign legislation today that transfers the land on which the memorial stands to federal authorities. This eliminates the argument that the cross violates the California constitution.

Senate votes to put Mount Soledad cross in federal hands

With a speed and decisiveness that surprised some, the Senate on Tuesday approved a plan to transfer the land beneath the Mount Soledad war memorial to federal control in an effort to avoid a court-ordered removal of the cross that stands there.

The Senate's unanimous vote sent the cross-transfer plan to President Bush for his expected signature [which happens today]. It creates what some consider an entirely new dynamic in the 17-year effort to save the cross, but which others say is a hopeless attempt to preserve a symbol on city land that courts have said unconstitutionally favors one religion over others. [...]

The legislation would preserve the 29-foot-tall cross on Mount Soledad by vesting title to the memorial in the federal government and having the Secretary of Defense administer it. The Department of Defense would manage the monument. The Mount Soledad Memorial Association, a private group that built the current cross in 1954 to honor Korean War veterans, would continue to maintain the site.

UPDATE:

San Diego Tribune: Feds now control Mount Soledad cross site

Townhall: Victory at the Supreme Court for Mt. Soledad Memorial

Posted by Tammy · August 14, 2006 12:34 AM · Permalink · Comments (5) · TrackBack (0)
Cultural Commentary | Faith/The Divine

God Gets Renewed and Wins One In Court

Even though God is clearly very busy, He has had a couple of good days.

God Turns 50

It made little news given all the week's turmoil, but the Senate has just agreed to a resolution reaffirming the 50th anniversary of the formal adoption of the national motto of the United States — "In God We Trust."

This week's approval reaffirms, in writing, that "from the colonial beginnings of the United States, citizens of the nation have officially acknowledged their dependence on God." It was on July 30, 1956, that President Eisenhower signed a congressional resolution passed by the 84th Congress making "In God We Trust" the official motto of the United States.

And, to make you the smartest person in the room about the whole issue, here's some snappy history and background about our very wonderful Official Motto.

In addition to having a good day in Congress, God and our motto also did pretty darn well in a courtroom, of all places. You remember Michael Newdow, don't you? Of course you do--he's the MalNar athiest who first sued to get The Pledge of Allegiance banned in schools. His latest effort to force society to look like him in all his Godlessness was a lawsuit to get "In God We Trust" taken off our currency.

He lost.

Federal Judge Nixes 'In God We Trust' Lawsuit

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal judge on Monday rejected a lawsuit from an atheist who said having the phrase "In God We Trust" on U.S. coins and dollar bills violated his First Amendment rights.

U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. said the minted words amounted to a secular national slogan that did not trample on Michael Newdow's avowed religious views.

Victories like these are good, but we should never take it for granted. Both Congress and the courts have enormous power. It's imperative we never forget that fact and stay vigilant with voting, speaking up and gtting involved. Newdow, as an example, has announced that he will appeal. Stay tuned.

Posted by Tammy · July 14, 2006 04:42 PM · Permalink · Comments (6) · TrackBack (0)
Faith/The Divine | Good News | Malignant Narcissism | Patriotism | Religion

Flight 93 Widow Says Husband Received Message from God

Deena Burnett, the widow of Flight 93 hero Tom Burnett, has written a book in which she reveals the spine-tingling story that a year before September 11th, Tom received what he thought to be a message from God.

Widow of Flight 93 hero tells his story in new book

MINNEAPOLIS - The widow of Tom Burnett, who helped lead the passenger revolt on hijacked Flight 93, says in a new book that he had struggled to figure out what he believed was a message from God that might have presaged the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Deena Burnett wrote that a year before the attacks, her husband, who rarely spoke openly about his faith, told her he'd been attending Mass daily to try to understand a message from God that had "something to do with the White House."

He told her he hadn't figured it out, "but I know it will impact a great number of people," she wrote in her book, "Fighting Back: Living Life Beyond Ourselves." [...]

She attributes her husband's strong character and deep Catholic faith to his upbringing in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, where his father was a high school English and literature teacher and his mother sold real estate.

Wow. Obviously, a book not to be missed. I wonder, though, how much the MSM will report on this part of her story.

Posted by Tammy · July 10, 2006 02:03 PM · Permalink · Comments (6) · TrackBack (0)
Books | Faith/The Divine | Hero | Terrorism | War on Radical Islam

Factories, Plantations, and Other Stuff

Maynard rambles on and on about the abstract question: Who is the Boss? (strictly for serious pseudointellectuals)

Our politics often derives from our emotional baggage. I find the baggage (fundamental stuff) much more interesting than the politics (which are only symptoms).

Forgive the cliché, but with respect to the question of "Who controls the world?", there are two classes of people. We all understand that there are many powerful forces that exercise some degree of control: Governments, corporations, unions, religions, secret societies, space aliens, etc. etc. The two classes of people I refer to are those who, on one hand, a) Believe that powerful forces are in full control of the world, as opposed to b) Those who believe that powerful forces merely aspire to control the world.

The distinction is important. Class (a) tends to think in us-versus-them or authoritarian terms; Class (b) is more inclined to live and let live, somewhat reassured by the notion that the world is full of bumblers who must ultimately rise and fall through merit, in spite of their stupid and/or sinister ideas. Obviously there is much blending of the two ideologies in the real world, so I don't want to oversimplify, but I think most of us lean one way or the other in our interpretations of events. I'll broadly claim that the "Leftists" (or, more broadly categorized, paranoids) lean towards (a) and the "Conservatives" lean towards (b).

For example, consider the question of why there are there slums, or why there is AIDS. Class (a) people think that slums and AIDS and other bad things happen because of a grand plan that it should be that way. Class (b) people will offer various opinions about why slums and AIDS exist, and may go so far as to assert that non-slum dwellers should do more to eliminate slums and that we all should help battle AIDS, but they do not believe that slums and AIDS are the result of a malicious or deliberate plan.

I'm thinking about how Class (a) people come to their worldview. I don't want to single out the African-American community, but it's the example that comes to mind, and where Class (a) thinking seems to predominate, at least as expressed by political leadership. I wonder if that goes back to the culture of slavery and the plantation. In the plantation days, there was a Boss, and the Boss was responsible for everything. And, once you have the notion of a Boss in your head, it's hard to get that notion out of your head. You assimilate your perceptions within the framework of a certain structure, even if you have to warp a few facts to make it fit. We tell the freed slaves that the Boss is gone, and they can't help but wonder who the new Boss is. If I'm not the Boss, then you must be the Boss. And the person who stands accused of being Boss can argue until he's blue in the face, and it doesn't mean a thing. There cannot not be a Boss. It's unthinkable.

Obviously a broad parallel about slavery could be made of many historical cultures in which people were subject to absolute authority — either in the form of monarchy, or various degrees of involuntary servitude, such as serfdom, or even victims of a rigid class structure.

The Biblical analogy comes in Exodus, where the Israelites escaped from slavery in Egypt following a series of miracles, and yet they immediately backslid and worshiped a god of gold and contemplated a return to Egypt. And thus they were condemned to remain 40 years in the desert, until the first generation passed on and the next generation had shed the bondage of the mind.

The American Revolution may have been a unique event in history. There have been many, many revolutions, and usually the revolutionaries ended up making an even bigger mess of things than the predecessor they deposed. Indeed, there were certain perilous ideas contemplated in the aftermath of the American Revolution. Perhaps a President should preside for life? Perhaps a President should be featured on our coinage, as were the monarchs? Or, more ominously, the Continental Army was seriously tempted to march on Philadelphia and take over. They had been frozen and starved and mistreated, and they deserved more than they got. And that's where George Washington made his famous speech about going grey and blind in service of his country. Do you recall the story? Washington had ostentatiously reached for his spectacles in order to read his correspondence. The topic under discussion was whether the Army should issues demands. Washington, by his show of humility, quelled the mutinous tide. And thus the USA became a new thing, the likes of which had not been seen before.

Nevertheless, I might also note that, in another sense, America was born on the plantation. The industrial northeast did not exist, and the power favored the South any way you looked at it. It stretched the imagination to contemplate that America would ever be more than an agrarian power. And many liked it that way. A quote attributed to Jefferson: "Leave the sweatshops in Europe." The United States was to remain a sylvan paradise.

The Constitution was designed to assure that the balance of power would always favor the South. Then, unexpectedly, the industrial northeast grew and overtook the South. It's pretty funny how that happened, when you think about it. The South was lush and verdant. The North was a bunch of rocks and mountains that ran into the ocean. No sane person would have predicted what happened. (In a similar sense, it's hard for us to comprehend why so many places blessed by abundant mineral wealth (e.g., oil), are incorrigible hellholes. But it's the same principle at work, and I don't mean an evil conspiracy. Wealth is created, not extracted. Slave states create less wealth than free states, just as capitalist states create more wealth than socialist states. Sitting on an oil well is nice, but it doesn't alter this fundamental principle.)

Anyway, the point I'm meandering towards is that Jefferson founded the predecessor to the Democrat Party, and thus the roots of the Democrat Party are in the agrarian South. The Republican Party was born of the vision of an industrial nation, with a productive and educated work force. (Example of Republican vision: In 1862, the Morrill Act granted lands for the promotion of colleges "related to agriculture and the mechanic arts." Under this grant, each qualifying state received 30,000 acres for each member of congress from that state. This was a foundation of the system of state colleges.) Some suggest that the Republicans have lost touch with the people these days, and have become a business party, and that it's the Democrats who stand by the little guy. But the fact is, the Republicans have always been a pro-business party at heart, because they understood that industry and prosperity went hand-in-hand. The Democrats have gone from representing the plantation owners to representing the entire plantation, but the general acceptance of a Boss man is fundamental to the Democrat philosophy.

Obviously the foregoing is a vast oversimplification, and you can easily cite anecdotal counterexamples. And obviously both parties have vastly evolved over many years of existence. Nevertheless, I may have stated a basic truth about why the parties are as they are. In a structural sense, the Democrats were born on the plantation and the Republicans were born in the factory.

To carry the analogy in a different direction: What is the difference between socialism and capitalism? I'll offer this unusual definition: Socialism (and all the other isms) derive from the theory the a man is smarter than his money. The theory of capitalism is that the money is smarter than the man. I feel awkward saying this, because of course I'm a capitalist, but I also prefer to think that I'm smarter than the bills in my pocket. Doesn't everybody want to believe this? But it's not true. Sure, we capitalists all have our theories of what should be done with money. Should we buy a car? Should we invest in a factory? So the money goes here and the money goes there, and some of it fails, and some of it is fruitful and multiplies. In a capitalist environment, we make our best guess, but the money has the last word. When we guess wrong, the money goes away. When we guess right, the money comes back having reaped a bountiful harvest. But we accept, and are educated by, the verdict of reality. On the other hand, in a socialist model (consider public schools as an example), we don't let the market decide. We command the money to perform a task, and then we declare the task a success (or, occasionally, a failure). There is a very indirect linkage between whether the endeavor actually succeeded in its avowed purpose. We declare that is succeeded. We are smarter than the money. We are smarter than the world.

In short, socialism proclaims a Boss. Capitalism perceives, not a Boss, but a winner.

Again, I don't want to oversimplify. Darwinism also proclaims a winner, but I don't want to laud the Law of the Jungle. We temper Darwinism with a moral structure. That is, capitalism is a tool, just as socialism is a tool. It just so happens that capitalism is, on the evidence, a better tool.

This brings us back to religion. It's easy to proclaim God as the Boss, but what does that mean? And this could be the subject for another endless rant, which I mercifully won't enter into now. But I do appreciate the model of God as the source of our absolute principles; principles that could not be derived by logic alone. For example, logic can't tell us that slavery is wrong; neither can it tell us that humans are more important than chickens. It's a matter of faith that all men are created equal, and also a matter of faith that your life is of greater value than a chicken's life.

Of course, when we apply our principles to the complexity of the real world, things get murky. I think it's important to ask questions like "What would Jesus do?", although the answers may be evasive. But asking the question implies that you do believe an answer exists, even if we can't quite nail it down. And of course it implies that you are accountable for that answer to a Higher Authority.

Israel is the name God gave to Jacob, the Jewish patriarch. Jacob met an angel of God while traveling, and he got into a long, physical fight with that angel. The name Jacob means, approximately, "man who wrestled with God". I like that. It validates my own sense of struggle; the quest to be more righteous in spite of my imperfections, and the knowledge that I'll never quite get there.

By contrast, "Islam" translates approximately to mean "submit to God". You see the contrast? The Jews struggle; the Muslims obey. Perhaps this makes the Muslims fall into the Class (a) I described earlier. And when I think of obeying, I also think of the Germans. Perhaps, in order to achieve Class (b), we've got to struggle with God. If we merely submit to God (or whatever brave new authority replaces God), perhaps we're doomed t

By Category

By Month

Faith/The Divine Archives

Scientists: Religion a Figment of Human Imagination

Happy Easter Weekend Everyone

Is God Trying to Get Our Attention?

Our Troops and Their Christmas Gift to Iraq

Merry Christmas Everyone

The Untold Christmas Story

Flags Fall to the Floor at Hillary Press Conference

God=1, Pelosi=0

Somebody Stole Somebody's Girlfriend

The Creation Museum

Happy Easter Weekend Everyone

You, Robot

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The Real Meaning of the "Twelve Days of Christmas"

Unknown Orphan, Possibly Jesus, Sighted in St. Albans

Baby Jesus Manger Now "A Place for the Animals"

Happy Turkey Day Thanksgiving!

Deconstructing Sodom

"Meat" Islamist Has Chest Pains

Victory for Mt. Soledad Cross Memorial

God Gets Renewed and Wins One In Court

Flight 93 Widow Says Husband Received Message from God

Factories, Plantations, and Other Stuff