Stupidity Still Pervades Religion

Kentucky church bans interracial couples

By David Edwards
Wednesday, November 30, 2011

 

 

A small church in Pike County, Kentucky has voted to ban interracial couples from most church activities “to promote greater unity among the church body.”

Stella Harville & her fiance Ticha Chikuni

Melvin Thompson, former pastor of Gulnare Freewill Baptist church, proposed the ban after Stella Harville brought her fiance, Ticha Chikuni, to services in June. Harville, who goes by the name Suzie, played the piano while Chikuni sang.

Before stepping down as pastor in August, Thompson told Harville that her fiance could not sing at the church again. Harville is white and Chikuni, a native of Zimbabwe, is black.

Last Sunday, church members voted 9-6 in favor of Thompson’s proposed ban. Others attending the church business meeting declined to take a stand on the issue.

“That the Gulnare Freewill Baptist Church does not condone interracial marriage,” the resolution states, according to WKYT.

“Parties of such marriages will not be received as members, nor will they be used in worship services and other church functions, with the exception being funerals. All are welcome to our public worship services. This recommendation is not intended to judge the salvation of anyone, but is intended to promote greater unity 

among the church body and the community we serve.”

To read the entire story click here.

An Atheist Libertarian on God and Government part 1

It can be argued that some people who create personal websites do so as a means to engage in self-aggrandizement.  I suppose such an argument can be equally applied to mine, although I tend to refer to it as a cathartic mechanism. My blog is designed to discuss atheism, critical thinking, science, secular humanism, and skepticism. I think what distinguishes my position from most of my atheistic brethren is the infusion of libertarian thought within my own stream of intellection. These two components, lack of belief and libertarianism, have assigned me a persona non grata status within my own sphere of professional relationships. Hence my need for the abreaction you see before you. 

The specific tenet of libertarianism, that I feel is congruent to my view, is the non-aggression axiom. This principle, deontological in form, states that utilizing aggression is both unethical and inherently illegitimate. Aggression, as utilized within the preceding reference, is the initiation of physical force against another or another’s property. As libertarian writer David Boaz has stated;

“Libertarianism is the view that each person has the right to live his life in any way he chooses so long as he respects the equal rights of others.”

To extend further;

“Libertarians defend each person's right to life, liberty, and property--rights that people have naturally, before governments are created.”

If I were to add a proviso to the aforesaid statement it would be, “…before governments and religions are created.” It is necessary to have this addition since religion seeks to usurp individual sovereignty and replace it with sanctimonious ideology. Detractors might say that religion does not forcibly restrict an individual’s liberty and certainly respects and observes the equal rights of others. This of course, is a fallacy. One simply has to hear our elected officials refer to god in their speeches, or see its infection within the political process. Proposition 8 (in California) eliminated the rights of same-sex couples to marry; this, as you know, was heavily backed by the Mormon Church in Utah (a thuggery-based construct to be sure). Mormons (and other denominations) see their religious tenets as a necessary element of socio-political dynamics - after all, they think it’s what’s best for society. 

As we all know theocratic movements are not isolated to Mormonism - other agencies such as Pastor Steven Andrew’s, USA Christian Ministries, illustrate just how important religion is to them within the political spectrum.

“Elect God Fearing Governments (2 Samuel 23:3, Exodus 18:21, Matthew 6:33)

"Obeying God as a nation brings God’s blessings to Americans. 2 Samuel 23:3 says, “‘He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” Jesus says in Matthew 6:33 to “… seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [economy] shall be added to you.” Will you seek..”

“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.”  (Proverbs 29:2)

"Why should the 80 percent Christian majority pay for public schools if Jesus and our Founding Fathers' Christian faith isn't taught? Our Founding Fathers fought for God's unalienable rights of Christian life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Freedom comes from obeying God,” Andrew says. “Let's get active to bring back the Holy Bible and Christian prayer to schools.”

"We cry out to You for the USA to be likeminded, united in You. Jesus said, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” We confess the sin of being divided as nation, and we repent."  (Mark 3:24-25)

"We ask You to help the USA remember that the only division is the division You say, which is between the righteous and the wicked and the one who serves You and the one who doesn’t. We pray for “liberals” who are anti-God and anti-USA to be convicted of their sin, and to take up their cross and follow You."

Even the Catholic Church, with all of its antiquated sensibilities, acknowledges the church-state separation while tactfully making the qualification that politics and religion are mutually inclusive. Who else would guide the moral values of the citizenry? I find this to be vulgar and hypocritical; the Church’s history of pedophilia should disallow them from even uttering the words moral authority.

The Mormon Church, Pastor Andrew’s Christian Ministries, as well as the Catholic Church (there are more), are doing their best to utilize the machinations of the state to enforce their artificial prerogative – thereby abrogating individual sovereignty. How does one exercise exclusive authority over one’s mind and body if zealots continue to maintain that a god dictates all of mankind’s rights? Presupposing that god’s purview is absolute, and therefore invalidates secularism, is nothing more than tyranny cloaked in ignorance. Liberty is confined, and defined, by those that believe that they are terrestrial emissaries – working on behalf of a god they’ve never met in person, but nevertheless believe that they have intimate knowledge of his ‘will.’

In part two I will show how politicians express their desire to utilize religion to alter the fabric of this nation.  

Religion and Delusion

Yoga is the work of the devil, says Vatican's chief exorcist (and he doesn't like Harry Potter much either)

• And you'll never guess what his favourite film is...

By Nick Pisa  at Mail Online.com

Father Gabriel Amorth

Father Gabriel Amorth has carried out more than 70,000 exorcisms in his capacity as Chief Exorcist at the Vatican.

The 85-year-old can boast 25 years in the post after being appointed by the late Pope John Paul II.

At a conference today, he surprised the delegates by revealing some of his greatest dislikes - yoga and Harry Potter.

Father Amorth, a colourful and often outspoken personality, said:'Practising yoga brings evil as does reading Harry Potter. They may both seem innocuous but they both deal with magic and that leads to evil.'

He added:'Yoga is the Devil's work. You thing you are doing it for stretching your mind and body but it leads to Hinduism. All these oriental religions are based on the false belief of reincarnation.'

Father Amorth, speaking on the subject of People And Religion at a fringe event at the Umbria Film Festival in Terni, spoke of his distaste for JK Rowling's young wizard.

He said:'People think it is an innocuous book for children but it's about magic and that leads to evil. In Harry Potter the Devil is at work in a cunning and crafty way, he is using his extraordinary powers of magic and evil.

"Satan is always hidden and the thing he desires more than anything is for people to believe he does not exist. He studies each and everyone of us and our tendencies towards good and evil and then he tempts us.

My advice to young people would be to watch out for nightclubs because the path is always the same: alcohol, sex, drugs and Satanic sects."

To read the entire article click here.  

Robertson: Is Mac and Cheese a "Black Thing"?

Pat Robertson seems to be afflicted with outright stupidity; its virulency equally visible in his multitude of followers. To this day I have yet to hear him utter an intelligent word, and I sincerely doubt he has the requisite faculties to do so.   

Self-righteousness and Parsimony

Waiter's Phony $10 Tip Includes Religious Lesson

By Claire Gordon at Daily Finance     

A $10 bill is a joyful sight for a server. But when one waiter went to retrieve such a note out from under a diner's plate recently, he reportedly noticed something curious. The tip it provided wasn't monetary, but took the form of advice. "SOME THINGS ARE BETTER THAN MONEY," it said on the back, "like your eternal salvation, that was brought and paid for by Jesus going to the cross."

The waiter, who makes $2.65 base pay an hour, didn't take well to getting so self-righteously stiffed. He posted photographs of the scene to the social newspaper Reddit, and wrote: "P.S. I have never been more atheist." "That's not very christian like behavior..." wrote one commentator.

But while that behavior certainly isn't the rule among Christians, it also isn't necessarily an exception. One waiter complained about the proffering of fake scripture-laden bills as tips on the "Friendly Atheist" blog in January 2009.

These phony bills appeared at least as far back as the summer of 2006, at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Greensboro, N.C. One blogger tells of going to a restaurant then and speaking to a waitress who was on the verge of tears. The convention attendees had been atrocious with their tipping, she said, but very generous with Bible verses and phony money.

"She asked us if we knew what it felt like to pick up what you thought was a great tip, only to find out that it was not real, and that the patron had actually been a cheapskate, after she served them well?"

The read the entire article click here.

When a Culture is Void of Morality and Ethics

Afghan woman's choice: 12 years in jail or marry her rapist and risk death

By Nick Paton Walsh and Masoud Popalza, CNN

Kabul (CNN) -- The ordeal of Gulnaz did not simply begin and end with the physical attack of her rape. The rape began a years-long nightmare of further pain, culminating in an awful choice she must now make.

Even two years later, Gulnaz remembers the smell and state of her rapist's clothes when he came into the house when her mother left for a brief visit to the hospital.

"He had filthy clothes on as he does metal and construction work. When my mother went out, he came into my house and he closed doors and windows. I started screaming, but he shut me up by putting his hands on my mouth," she said.

The rapist was her cousin's husband.

"I started screaming, but he shut me up by putting his hands on my mouth." Gulnaz 

After the attack, she hid what happened as long as she could. But soon she began vomiting in the mornings and showing signs of pregnancy. It was her attacker's child.

In Afghanistan, this brought her not sympathy, but prosecution. Aged just 19, she was found guilty by the courts of sex outside of marriage -- adultery -- and sentenced to twelve years in jail.

Now inside Kabul's Badam Bagh jail, she and her child are serving her sentence together.

Sitting with the baby in her lap, her face carefully covered, she explains the only choice she has that would end her incarceration.

The only way around the dishonor of rape, or adultery in the eyes of Afghans, is to marry her attacker. This will, in the eyes of some, give her child a family and restore her honor.

To read the entire story click here.  

The Politics of Religion

Religious Lobbying Groups Have Dramatically Increased In Washington: Study

by Jaweed Kaleem

With heated nation-wide arguments in recent years over issues ranging from same-sex marriage to abortion rights, it's no secret that religious organizations play a significant role in influencing the nation's policies.

Now, a new study shows just how big and expansive the "religious lobby" has become.

According to a study released Monday by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, religious lobbying and religion-related advocacy organizations have grown fivefold, from less than 40 in 1970 to more than 200 today. The organizations, which range from the influential United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to smaller Hindu and Sikh organizations, together spend $390 million per year advocating on about 300 domestic and international issues, from bioethics and moral issues to economic and poverty concerns.

Lobbying for the Faithful: Religious Advocacy Groups in Washington, D.C. looked at 212 religion-related organizations that work in the nation's capital and collectively employ 1,000 people in the Washington, D.C. area. The study used tax and nonprofit filings by the organizations, some of which are registered as lobbying groups and others which do broader advocacy efforts, to come to its findings.

Click here to read the entire article.