Religion

Rest in peace, David Bowie. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-JqH1M4Ya8[/embed]

Stephen Fry, quoting Oscar Wilde: Satan, one afternoon, was wandering in the Libyan desert when he came across a group of junior devils trying to tempt a monk. The monk was very holy: Satan watched as the little demons offered him worldly riches, power, wisdom, anything he wanted if only he would renounce his God. The demons were getting nowhere, the monk was firm in his faith and rooted in his virtue and steadfast holiness. ...

Hey, remember that time Jesus started yelling at a Roman praying to Jupiter? You remember, He was all “My Father is Number One!” and “You better show some respect!” Wait, you don’t? You mean you think Jesus Christ primarily relied on the truth of His own message, rather than shouting down the people who disagreed with Him? And that living a Christ-like life requires showing the same respect to others and having the same faith in your message? ...

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don’t think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this. ...

Several theological questions, answered by thinking of God as a programmer: Q: How come the Age of Miracles Ended? A: That was the development phase of the project, now we are in the maintenance phase. Link courtesy of Digg.

What if Jack Chick worked with Stan Lee on a religious tract? Yes, children, Galactus is Coming! Link courtesy of Comics Should Be Good!

The American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to officials in Raleigh, Clayton, Pittsboro, and Chatham County, NC, pointing out that official prayers at council meetings that refer to specific religions are a violation of the First Amendment. I like the ACLU for a lot of their work, but in this case I have to wonder what they’re thinking. Official prayers before governmental meetings have been a long tradition, and many bodies handle it by bringing in clergy from different religions. Those clergy then sometimes do a very generic prayer, or they might take the opportunity to “sell” their faith. (Of course, in some religious beliefs, it is hard to imagine how one would say a “neutral” prayer.) ...

Pat Robertson calls for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Pat Robertson catches flak for it and immediately claims he was misinterpreted. Victoria Gotti comes clean about her breast cancer story… more of a breast cancer scare, really. Robertson: Televangelist with his own TV show who uses his base to influence politics. Gotti: Daughter of mob boss John Gotti, also had own TV show, but probably doesn’t influence politics in any meaningful way. ...

Okay, I’ve seen a fair amount of talk on the Internets about James Dobson’s disturbing checklist to tell if your child is becoming homosexual. However, Ed Cone finds something even more odd: Dobson’s June 2002 newsletter where he advocates fathers showering with their sons to affirm their masculinity. (Or, if I’m reading it correctly, give them a goal to aspire to.) :|

Mainline? Mainline? ;) According to the SelectSmart.com Belief System Selector, my #1 belief match is Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants. What do you believe? Visit SelectSmart.com/RELIGION Actually, my second option, at 93%, would be closer to where I grew up: According to the SelectSmart.com Belief System Selector, my #2 belief match is Orthodox Quaker. What do you believe? Visit SelectSmart.com/RELIGION Link courtesy of Too many topics, too little time, which will be living up to the latter half of its name, as Jeremy pauses for dissertation. Good luck, dude. :) ...