A Gentle Piece of Advice

As many of you know from my many articles about the harm religion causes our society, I'm not exactly a fan of religion.

I do, however, respect your right to believe whatever crazy things you might think appropriate.  Even if I do my best to debunk it.

However.

I am a realist.  I do realize that Atheists' dream of a religion free world is at best, centuries away, and at worst, a pipe dream.  So, there will be, for the foreseeable near future, some form of religion to deal with.

So believe me when I say that I've got some advice for American Christians in light of both the SCOTUS' ruling on marriage equality and the new Pew Research poll released a while back, which noted that not only are Americans deserting their religion in droves (Pew's words!), but the trend isn't slowing down.

Back off from the extremism.  Forget the mythical miracles, the unproven Resurrection, the ghastly, bloody crucifixion, the misogynistic paternalism.  None of that is a winning ticket in today's America, and especially not to the new Millennials.  If you keep that stuff up, in less than a generation's time from today, your churches will stand empty, foreclosed on by either banks or local governments once your tax exempt status is revoked.

Which it will be.

At least some of the "nones" still do believe in some form of spiritualism and are probably actively searching for something - anything - that can replace that old comforting feeling they got sitting in your sanctuary, listening to the music and knowing that all was right with the world.

So, if you still crave that old fashioned secular power tug, enhanced by plenty of donated cash, you can still reinvent yourself into something the younger generation will buy into.

Literally, of course.  What good is popularity with no money?  I'd be careful, though.  Many of them are a bit more discerning, what with all the online scams they're used to dealing with.

I'd read a few Science Fiction stories.  Those folks know how to invent religion!  (After all, look what L. Ron Hubbard did with Scientology!). I'm sure there are some real good ideas floating around the genre these days.  Hey, and those Millennials do read that stuff!

You can't do any worse than Paul did 2000 years ago.

Here's where the Christian rubber meets the road.

Haven't heard of this guy before today, but Darell Trigg is running - already - for President in 2016, and he's already got a platform.  A Christian platform!  He's running under the Christian Party, naturally.

His platform is simple, really.  Too simple for the good of this country, in my opinion, but he does throw in some bones for some folks - like a raise in pay for teachers and more money for education - of course, since he plans on the public schools taking over for Sunday School.

The highlights:

1. Separation of Church and State will be changed to the Union of Church and State. God will be asked to be an integral part of the government of the U.S.  The national religion of The United States of America will be the Christian religion.
2.  Public Schools – all schools supported by the U.S. Federal and State tax systems.  The Bible will be a standard required subject in all public schools and universities, for all grades , the same as English and Math.
3.  Homosexuality will not be recognized legally, or in any other manner, by the United States government or any state, city, or county government.
4. Public - Traded Corporations.  The income and other compensation,  received by the managers and officers of public - traded corporations will be limited to $300,000 per year.
5.  The income of coaches of sports teams at universities will be limited to $300,000 per year .
6.  The legal drinking age will be increased to 25 for any alcoholic beverage.  Alcohol will not be allowed on university campuses.
7.   Marriage and the family will be protected by draconian new rules.
8.  The rating system for movies and T.V. shows will be drastically overhauled.  No show or movie will be allowed on T.V. systems or computer systems accessible by homes that contain nudity, strong sexual content, excessive foul language, blasphemy, or any form of homosexuality.
9.  Abortion will only be legal in situations where the child has a small probability of living and the pregnancy is placing the life of the mother in extreme risk.
10.  Industries in the United States ( U.S.)  that have suffered from foreign competition with much lower labor pay rates, lower employee compensation costs, and lower environmental compliance costs will be assisted and protected. Assistance will include financial help in building or refurbishing manufacturing plants and training employees and low capital gains taxes. Protection will include tariffs on imported goods in order to establish a market fair for these U.S. industries. These tariffs will be used to help prevent inflation on these manufactured goods.
11.  The Welfare Department will be overhauled. This overhaul will include training welfare recipients for jobs that match their abilities. The financial responsibilities of caring for children of mothers who are not married will be shared by the father .
12. The insurance and medical system of the U.S. will be overhauled. Employers will be required to provide insurance for their employees. The costs of medical services and pharmaceuticals will be reviewed. These will be offered at a fair price without excessive profit for the providers.
13. Illegal immigration laws will be enforced . Laws will be passed to assist this enforcement.
14. Several laws will be reviewed, including several statute -of-limitations.
15. Marijuana will not be legal  except for medicinal purposes.

 Any bets about how long after the implementation of these measures it takes the economy of the US - and the First World - to simply collapse?

Of course, due to his item # 4 and his limitation of compensation to Corporate officers, there isn't a snowball's chance in hell that this guy will win anything more than public ridicule and laughter.  The Oligarchs won't stand for it.

But this is a clear and open look at the goals and aspirations of the Dominionist movement and what they want to do with this country.

You fail to take them seriously at our mutual peril.

Shameful, indeed.

Today, the Supreme Court of the United States of America took the next step towards the dismantling of the Bill of Rights.  For years, they have chipped away at various parts of it, mostly having to do with citizens' rights in encounters with the police and other parts of the Justice System.

Today, they dealt a body blow to the First Amendment.

In a case brought in regards to a city council holding sectarian prayers (specifically Christian prayers mentioning Jesus) at the beginnings of city council meetings, they basically said it's ok.

Let's look at that again.

They said it is OK for a governmental body made up of elected officials to hold sectarian prayers.  That it is ok to push citizens of other religious beliefs into an official second class citizenship status by virtue of having to listen to prayers endorsed by the majority of those elected officials.  And by virtue of some of the language in the majority opinion, it is the right of the MAJORITY to force their religion into those prayers.

So, how long will it be until a small town somewhere becomes dominated by Muslims who then endorse a specifically Islamic oriented prayer - thereby causing redneck heads everywhere to explode with rage upon discovering that a five justice majority consisting of all Catholics ruled that such a display of sectarian religious ceremony is legal and supported by their precious Constitution?

I sincerely hope that is within the period of my lifetime.  I really, really want to watch the fun, especially when Scalia's head is among them...

If he can even remember how he voted on this ruling by that time!

Nevada is not the new Concord or Lexington.

Everybody's talking about that rancher in Nevada, whose name I will not repeat, just to avoid giving him any more notoriety.

The guys I want to talk about are the militia nuts who came from other States to support him, and the political theories they are espousing in that support.

Now, these militia folk are real big on the Second Amendment.  They've gotten some support from SCOTUS in their contention that an individual has a right to bear arms for his or her own purposes, which were outlined as protection, hunting or recreation.  I've read that ruling, and a remarkable omission I've noticed is any mention of armed insurrection against the United States Government!  I'd guess that the Supreme Court Justices are kinda opposed to a group of angry, armed citizens bursting into their courtroom disturbing the proceedings.  I mean, a guy stood up - unarmed, I might add - and disrupted things a while back and got whacked with time served for contempt of court.  Plus banned from the court grounds for a period of time, like 90 days or something.  I'd bet adding guns to that mix might increase your chances of a longer jail time somewhere like Ft. Leavenworth in sunny Kansas, instead of a local jail in D.C.!!

In short, those milita nuts are, as usual, getting things mixed up.

Our founding documents include two very famous items - the Declaration of Independance and the Constitution of the United States of America.  (I'm gonna give the Articles of Confederation a pass here, since we dumped that one as unworkable after fewer than a dozen years.  So much for States' Rights.)

The militias like to expound on our Second Amendment rights, which they claim give us the right to defend ourselves against an unjust and oppressive government.  They use our Revolution as proof that not only is that why the Founders guaranteed us the right to bear arms, but why success is possible, if not a forgone conclusion.

But, hold yer horses a moment, pardner!  Her puttin' the cart waaaay before the horse here.

The Constitution came later.  First, came the Declaration of Independance.  It was a document that outlined the intent and goal of our revolution and our reasons for revolting against what we acknowledged as the rightful ruler of the America's colonies - the British Crown.  It noted, among other things, our repeated attempts to correct what we saw as intolerable obstructions of our freedoms as British subjects, resulting in our resolve to simply renounce our allegiance to the Crown and set up our own government.

It was a declaration of our intent to revolt and overturn the rightful governing entity of The Colonies, the colonial governors appointed by the British Monarch, King George.

What modern Second Amendment supporters ignore is expressed in that famous cry by a man the British hung for his disloyalty to the Crown, "Give me Liberty, or give me death!"  What he got was death.  They hung his ass about two minutes after he said that.

Which illustrates one thing about that Declaration we rarely note today - one may have the RIGHT to make revolution against an oppressive government - that right does not guarantee you freedom from the consequences of that revolutionary activity.

Another famous quote, this one by a survivor of the Revolution, Ben Franklin, is where he noted the wisdom of "hanging together, lest we hang separately!"  Meaning that our Founders were VERY aware of the consequences of their actions!

Bringing us to Nevada.

The "militia" groups coming to the defense of a man who is in defiance of the law legally promulgated by the Congress and signed by a famous Republican President are very vocal about how they are so bravely defending our freedoms (while one of their members suggests using women and children as shields) but forget conveniently that such actions do have consequences.

Fortunately for them, in this case, the government agency acting (again, legally in this case) to enforce court orders the mooching rancher lost was wise enough to defuse the situation instead of trying to arrest people it had every right to move against.

The next time, it may not be so lenient.

Taking up arms against your government may be your right, but the Constitution you so vociferously seem to worship also gives your government the right to shoot your silly ass for doing it!

You are not patriots, you are insurrectionists, and insurrectionists are fighting a government I spent over forty years supporting, defending and working for.  You do not have my respect, nor do you have my support.

You are defending a man who is a member of the top probably 2% of the wealthy of this country, and you are defending him for breaking the law and literally stealing from your government.  His interests are not yours, nor does he give a shit about you.  He will sit comfortably in his living room, watching your sorry asses get shot off on TV, while he and his lawyer disassociate themselves from you so they don't get legally involved with your ill-advised insurrection.

That is, if the government isn't so lenient on your undeserving butt the next time.

The more likely event will be that the BLM will wait till this blows over, and quietly round up his cattle the next time without the media attention and without prior notice, while waiting to jail his ass when he tries to stop them himself.

Thereby saving you from yourself.

Insurrection ain't pretty.  Revolutions are expensive, and require that a very substantial percentage of the population support you.  A majority of the American people do not support the modern milita movement, they are considered crazy gun nuts.

Most of us support the government blowing their silly butts away the next time.  It's a shame they don't understand that Americans do NOT admire men who use women and children as human shields.

Instead, we despise them, and consider them to be the cowards they are.  Believe me, there will never be a USS Bundy like there was a USS Lexington.

Two income families should be terrified of the Republican Party!

Why would I say that?  Why, when a fair percentage of those families are themselves supporters of the Republican Party?

I say it because the result of the Republicans' War on Women ongoing as we speak will inevitably result in the loss of women's rights.

All of them.

I kid you not.  Currently, Republicans are rapidly destroying the Supreme Court-assured rights to abortion.  While the Government sits by and does nothing.

They are talking about destroying your rights to contraception.  They are talking about destroying your rights to employer provided health care insurance.

They are fighting, tooth and nail, the push to ensure the rights of women to equal pay for equal work.

It is a small step from that to forcing women to stay home and from there to destroying your rights to even owning property.

Back to the eighteenth century, when a women could not own property, could not vote, could not (except for certain highly restricted jobs) work outside of the home, even if alone and single with no family.  You were forced to be the ward of either family members who were male or a ward of the state, who could take your property and force you to live anywhere, even on the streets.

All of this with no regard for any children she may be responsible for, male or female.

Have you ever seen Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol"?  Remember the abject poverty depicted there?  Just about any story of the country of England from the advent of the Industrial revolution until early in the 20th century will show some aspect of that country's poverty-stricken lower classes.

People living on the streets with no shelter, no income, rags for clothing, living in a city and country in which there were few of any soup kitchens, or free shelters, or health care of any kind.

Pretty much like many American cities of today, in fact, with the major difference that there does exist, until now, some forms of government provided assistance intended to keep families off the streets.  At least until the Republicans get themselves elected to a majority of the Senate to match their control of the House and put a Republican puppet of the Oligarchs in the White House.

At which time any assistance programs will cease to exist, public education will no longer be provided, consumer protection of any kind will be gutted if not destroyed, and any control by the government of any activity taken by Corporations will either cease to be effective, or will be ended altogether.

It won't take long before women will be prevented from working at all, and families that depend on their income will find themselves on the streets in very short order, their property taken, their ability to work completely destroyed.

Don't ask what that will do to single women, married lesbian couples or even widows.

I know this paints a terrifying picture, and a lot of folks will take one look and exclaim, "That can't happen here!"

But it can.  I never thought that a woman would be brought up on murder charges for having a miscarriage, but it has happened.  I never thought that a woman who simply fired a warning shot (in a "Stand Your Ground State!) would get tried for attempted murder and threatened with 60 years in prison, but that trial is ongoing as we speak.

How far could we be from complete destruction of every progressive advance in civilized legal rights this country has seen since 1776?  It isn't as far as you'd think, should Republicans win control of our government.

I mean, look at Louisiana - which has advanced a bill to make the Bible the STATE BOOK.

In complete defiance of the Constitution, as written.

Do you think for a moment that they would pay any attention to the rest of that document once they win control?

Old Testament Insanity

One of the main reasons a lot of Atheists eventually see Christianity as an untenable belief is that there are so many ways to interpret Scripture; eventually, you have to realize that a sane, loving god would really and truly want to spare his children the obvious insanity of interfaith warfare over those details he has failed to sufficiently make clear.

But, really, with over 30,000 different denominations claiming to know what god intended us to read out of that literary mess, the one thing truly missing is clarity.

Nevertheless, there are plenty of religious folks ready, willing, and able to tell the rest of us they DO know the truth, and are also willing to tell us that not only are WE going to hell but in accordance with Old Testament strictures covering the Hebrews' covenant with god, we're going to drag the rest of the country down with us!

Of course, I fail to see how a covenant somebody ELSE made could possibly condemn a country not even imagined by the writers of that covenant, but then, who am I?  Not a theologian, that's for sure!

But I guess that Susanne Atanus, of Niles, Ill., thinks that she is.

Her opinion is that God dictates weather patterns and that tornadoes, autism and dementia are God's punishments for marriage equality and abortion access.  Given the facts that tornadoes are seen all over the world, that both autism and dementia both have been around for quite a long time, and that all three also predate Roe vs. Wade don't seem to faze her computations of divine retribution at all.

But she's not alone, there are plenty of both Republican politicians and Evangelical church leaders who are more than happy to inform the rest of us that if we continue to reject god, he is going to reject this country.

As I noted, above, this is very similar to Old Testament stories about god visiting his wrath on Hebrews who rejected him in spite of his covenant with the Hebrew people, and how the rejection of him by only a few Hebrews was enough for him to punish the entire Hebrew nation.  I know, I know, they'll tell you how god destroyed entire gentile nations for rejecting him, but that's kind of different.

There is a difference between god destroying a foreign, gentile nation that both rejected him and threatened the Hebrews and his punishing the Hebrews for only a fraction of that nation going rogue. One is not punishment, but essentially doing in the Hebrews' enemies.  The other is punishment for breaking what was essentially a contract.

These religious nut bags would have you believe that this country used to be a christian one, and somehow, that constitutes some kind of a covenant with god like the Hebrews had.  Come on, I'm certainly not a theologian, but even I know that's bullshit.  Even if we concede for the sake of argument their claim of a christian founding for the US, that does not constitute a covenant with god. The Hebrews had that because they were his chosen people;  Christians certainly were not god's chosen people, and Jesus never mentioned a covenant.

So, why do these nutbags make such ridiculous claims?

Because their position is the Dominionist position.  That god gave them orders to take Dominion over mankind and that provides the the excuse for them to enforce god's law in doing so.

Somehow, they fail to explain how both they AND the Muslims could possibly have the same marching orders... someone has gotten things mixed up, obviously.

More proof that Dominionists are simply fascists wrapped in the American flag and carrying a christian cross.

Witchcraft in Oklahoma. Really?

I like to think I'm generally a tolerant guy.  I strongly believe in the Constitutional right of all residents of the US to believe whatever bilgewater they want to believe, and within whatever legal boundaries society has decreed, to practice that belief.

So, to hear that there are idiot fundies in Oklahoma who believe in the existence of witchcraft doesn't twist my knickers.  That doesn't mean I won't shake my head and even publicly call them idiots, though.  (as you can see.)

What DOES get my knickers in a twist is the assistant principle (AP) in an Oklahoma school who suspended a student for 15 days for casting a spell that supposedly made a teacher sick!  THAT crosses the line between his private beliefs and his very public, governmental duties which require him to administer education to Oklahoma's children in an impartial manner regarding the religious beliefs of said students and their parents.

Now, had that young lady conducted a public ceremony witnessed by other students which was intended to be such a spell (based on some weird teenaged belief in magic - which is NOT Wiccan, by the way!) I could understand his concern for her public display of ill will towards a teacher which could be considered to be a distraction to the educational atmosphere of the school.  That would be defensible, even under the well understood scientific knowledge of today that completely invalidates any idea of magic as a real, tangible force in this universe.

Again, this idiot does have the right to believe in said magic.  After all, if you are a Christian fundie, you already believe in magic, since only magic could raise a dead person back to life, and such is the central tenet of that faith.  Oh, they don't use the specific term "magic", because it is widely known in this country that magic doesn't exist, right?  But hey, it's all semantics.  To paraphrase Heinlein, "One man's magic is another man's belly laugh"!  (ok, so Heinlein used the term "religion" instead of "magic", but you get the idea.)

Upshot here is that this AP needs to be fired.  Summarily and with prejudice, along with a bad job reference as to his inability to exercise good judgement regarding the separation of his private life and his professional life.  Not for believing in magic, but for letting that belief spill over into the life of one of his students.  Because holding a belief that such magic really is effective and using that belief as an excuse to punish the alleged magic wielder is akin to burning witches at the stake, and shows that the AP has no judgement or ability to discern fact from fiction.

I do have some questions, though.

Did the parents go through any kind of appeals process to protest the suspension?   If so, what was the response of the school district?  Knee jerk support of the AP?  Was there any attempt by the District to even look at the reason for that suspension? I assume, because the parents have resorted to a lawsuit, that any response was unsatisfactory, but the answers to those questions would surely add details to the story.

I'm going to add this to the category of Harm from Religion, because if suspending a student through the belief she had really and truly cast a spell that harmed a teacher isn't hurting someone and damaging the reputation of the school, the School District, and the State of Oklahoma, I don't know what else would.

Words cannot possibly describe my disgust, my dismay, or my utter contempt for people who either do these things or allow them to happen.

For shame!

How much longer do we have to listen to this charlatan?

I really hate to get personal on people because of their views, but sometimes, I just have to make an exception because what they say is so vile.

So, when, exactly, is Pat Robertson going to get too damn old for TV?

His latest insanity is to berate and denigrate the mother of a blind child because she called into his show to ask why God hasn't healed her son't blindness, even though she has prayed over and over for it to be healed.

What did he say, you ask?

“I have dealt with people who are deaf and you rebuke the spirit of deafness and they get healed,” Robertson claimed. “I don’t know what you’re doing wrong. Why don’t you try that and if it doesn’t work, try something else.”

Spirit of deafness?  Really?  I don't recall there being any such thing in the bible, but then, I might be wrong.  The mother of that child may have been wrong for praying instead of going to a doctor - or maybe she did and they couldn't help.

More likely, they could have, but she couldn't afford the treatments.  I didn't hear Robertson volunteer to help, did you?

What's Wrong With South Carolina?

South Carolina is another one of those former Confederate States that cannot let go of its past.  Witness a while back a news story about a restaurant that - in 2013 - refused to seat a group of young blacks.

What's new?

A SC politician, Rep. Joe Wilson (R), the nutbag that called Obama a liar during a State of the Union Address, has dubiously distinguished himself again.

He spoke up, reading a written question on Syria in a wooden halting manner, at a  House Foreign Affairs Committee meeting today for Secretary of State John Kerry.

"With the president's red line, why was there no call for military response in April? Was it delayed to divert attention today from the Benghazi, IRS, NSA scandals, the failure of Obamacare enforcement, the tragedy of the White House-drafted sequestration or the upcoming debt limit vote? Again, why was there no call for a military response four months ago when the president's red line was crossed?"

What?  Has the man no sense?  Heck, the UN inspectors haven't even finished their investigation yet, and critics are even saying the President is jumping the gun for speaking up now!  And, more importantly, his supposed method for how Obama is trying to distract from these imagined scandals?

Doing nothing.  That's right, Obama is trying to distract from scandals by doing nothing!  Brilliant!  Why didn't any earlier politician think of this?  Obama must be simply astonishingly brilliant to be able to divert attention like that!

What a moron.  Twelve years in the House, and the only two times he can distinguish himself is by his stupidity.

But, wait!  That's not all!  Another SC politician, Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), tested the Secretary of State's patience:

Secretary of State John Kerry erupted at Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) after the congressman charged that the Obama administration cannot be trusted to carry out an attack on Syria due to mistakes made in Benghazi and controversies involving the IRS and NSA programs.
"I cannot discuss the possibility of the U.S. involvement in the Syrian civil war without talking about Benghazi," Duncan said, questioning Kerry at a Wednesday hearing.
"The administration has a serious credibility issue with the American people, due to the unanswered questions surrounding the terrorist attack in Benghazi almost a year ago. When you factor in the IRS targeting of conservative groups, the AP and James Rosen issues, Fast and Furious and NSA spying programs, the bottom line is that there is a need for accountability and trust-building from the administration," he said. "The American people deserve answers about Benghazi before we move forward in Syria's civil war." 

Kerry dismissed Duncan's garbage rhetoric out of hand.

This is the SC politician who is at once a birther, conspiracy theorist about, of all things, the Census Bureau, and pushed Glenn Beck's conspiracy theories surrounding the Boston Marathon Bombing in April.

Another moron.  What is with you South Carolinians?  There has to be somebody in your state smarter than that...

Robertson is at it again.

If he keeps this up, I'll need to separate my posts about his antics into their own category!

Today's craziness is brought to you by Instinct Magazine, which tells us (with a video which you've got to see!) that Pat Robertson's latest bag of crap is that Gays Wear Special Rings, which they use to cut your hand when you shake hands so they can give you AIDS!

Damn, now I'm totally disappointed, they've got their own special club ring, and I don't get one.  It would almost be worth turning gay just for the ring!

“You know what they do in San Francisco, some in the gay community there they want to get people so if they got the stuff they’ll have a ring, you shake hands, and the ring’s got a little thing where you cut your finger,” Robertson said. “Really. It’s that kind of vicious stuff, which would be the equivalent of murder.”

Seriously, now.  Please tell me there isn't anyone who really takes this clown's bullcrap as anywhere close to the truth.  Please?  Pretty please with sugar on it?

::sigh::  Didn't think anybody would.

This man is exhibit #1 - the Poster Child - for just exactly why religion is harmful.  If this man didn't have religion to use as an excuse for spreading his imaginary friend's supposed values and ideas, the world would be a much better - and cleaner - place.  As it is, he poisons the airwaves, and peoples' gullible minds, with the nastiest lies and untruths, and makes it just that much harder for the rational folks to keep things on an even keel.

If only there was a legal way to get him off the air.

What about miracles?

Today, on Facebook, the page Together - people of all faiths, humanists, agnostics and atheists, posted a piece on Miracles.  Suffice it to say, I do not agree.

His first paragraph starts out just fine.

Some consider miracles proof of the working of the divine, for others those events are a source of inspiration to investigate reality and gain insight in the laws of nature, again others simply accept them as a stroke of luck or some strange exception. 

No problem, simple statement of something fairly commonly understood.

But then,

But no matter what, we all agree such events as called miracles exist. 

Not quite.  First, you've got to define what a miracle might be.  This is where he goes off the rails.

A miracle is a benificial, or a least meaningful insightful event, coming out of the blue without a logical explanation for its meaningfulness, and can be one of these three kinds: 

- miracles, based on meaningful coincidence
- miracles, based on the event being a statistically very unlikely exception - like winning the lottery
- miracles, not ascribable to human power or the laws of nature, consequently attributed to supernatural or divine power, sometimes performed by a saint or a religious leader - like the parting of the waters of the sea.

Really, I see no difference between the first and second "kinds" he defines here.   A coincidence is just that - a coincidence, and is merely an artifact of statistical likelihood.  What is a "meaningful" coincidence or "meaningful insight" event, anyway?  What may be meaningful to one may mean nothing to another.  The only thing he got right there was the term "beneficial".  Most people do appear to see miracles as positive things.  If it isn't positive, it isn't a miracle, we call it "bad luck"!  (Sometimes, we call on Murphy's Law to explain it.)

But, really, the third one is the one that gets my goat.

History is full of purported miracles.  Purported, because nobody can verify that any of them actually happened.  The fact is, to claim a miracle is to claim the occurrence of an extraordinary event.  Something, like he says, that is not ascribable to the powers of humanity or the natural world.  Divine intervention, if you will.

Proof.  Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.  Solid, verifiable, repeatable, and scientifically valid proof.  Anybody can statistically show the likelihood that one person out of a couple hundred could survive an airliner crash.  All of us at one time or another have had a close brush with something that could have injured or killed us, like a car or something heavy falling.  Again, one can trot out statistics to show the likelihood of that event turning out differently.  Mathematics has some very specific ways of calculating such things.  Easy.

But miracles?  At no time, can anyone prove that an event has occurred that violates the laws of the natural world around us.  Time and again, events that look at first that they may be a miracle turn out upon examination to have been the result of hidden forces or unseen elements - sometimes even optical illusions - that prevent us from seeing the truth.

Many folks don't care to look that closely.  They prefer the miracle.  But those of us who look at the world skeptically prefer to actually KNOW what happened.  Proof.

Eventually, he does concede that miracles, as divine intervention, are not there.

Therefore, the third category is actually empty, as believers and non-believers alike have no means to decide whether a certain event belongs to this category.

 Then, off the rails he goes again.

There is - at least - one scripture agreeing with this conclusion, which is The Qu'ran. It uses miracles in the sense of signs; signs to recognize the workings of Allah. In that sense, only events in the first category of miracles - meaningful coincidences - qualify as such a sign. Supernatural phenomena or humans performing something absolutely out of the ordinary, are either a known-in-advance interference of Allah as creator and manager of the universe - and therefore not a miracle - or they are not, in which case they don't fall in the last category as we miss the requirement of divine intervention.

<Sigh>  And here I thought rationality was back.  Again, proof!  Nobody has ever proved that Allah exists, so how could a miracle be attributed to him?  And also again, just what is a meaningful coincidence?  What makes it meaningful?  And to whom?

 So a miracle is a meaningful coincidence, with no explanation for the synchronicity. Two - or more - things just happen out of the blue at the same time to our benefit, getting us out of trouble or giving us a very important insight.

This assumes the existence of something or someone with a purpose.   A superior knowledge combined with the purpose of providing that knowledge to us as a lesson through the vehicle of a miracle.  Assuming, of course, we are smart enough to get the point.

The point is, the mere fact that miracles exist, the fact that we all from our own experience have experienced a few of them, form just one more scientifical, secular proof of the principle of interconnectedness, a very intricate interdependence.

Interconnectedness?  Who is connected?  How and by what mechanism?  Where is the scientific research that shows this mechanism?  It doesn't exist, not in any new agey, spiritual kind of way, that's for sure!  Just because you use the word science doesn't make it scientific.

Sure, we are all, as animals, interconnected with each other within the ecology of our world, such that human actions can affect other humans and animals in negative or positive ways through our own interactions with the ecology we live in and are part of.

But, somehow, I don't think that is what the author of this piece means.

Yet to see the interconnectedness is to see the miracles; to see the miracles is to be filled with wonder; to be filled with wonder is a huge source of inspiration, joy, zeal, hope and life.

Oh, yeah!  Connectedness!  Wonder!  Inspiration!  All that sounds great, and includes words that uplift and inspire.  (including the word "inspire" itself!  Win!)

 But they don't really mean anything.  Not in the sense in which miracles may or may not exist.

Now, if you want to start talking about nature - the whole, truly inspiring, wide wonderful span of nature, from the very smallest quantum particles to the vast expanse of ultra-galactic superstructures forming the universe itself, then, yes, you can talk about a form of interconnectedness, as all of nature is connected in myriads of ways science is only beginning to understand.

But, please, stop nattering on about miracles, unless you want to get lost in a conversation with mathematicians.  Plenty of them will bend your ear for hours about the almost miraculous manners in which math fits together and describes this universe so perfectly!

While I can appreciate the wonder of it, math will put me to sleep.

Human Trafficking - Just Plain Slavery

::sigh::

Back to the real world.

Tonight I am going to introduce you to a subject that get very poor reception in the United States:  slavery.  Most people when they hear that word, think of black slaves bending under the lash of white slave masters, being sold on a slave block, families being separated, etc.

Welcome to the 21st century!  Slavery, modern style, is quite a bit different.  Often, it is sex slavery.  There was a post on Facebook tonight that highlighted a story in which the various States of the US have been ranked according to their efforts to stop what is today euphemistically known as Human Trafficking.  (I guess the term slavery is a bit ... uncouth ... for American tastes.)  The site is Take Part, and the story is entitled, "The 7 Worst States in the Fight Against Human Trafficking - 2013 Edition".

The number of people trafficked in the United States is difficult to estimate, but the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children says that there are approximately 100,000 children in the U.S. forced into sex trafficking every year. And many more thousands of adults are enslaved, as well.

I urge all of you to get educated about this horrible crime.  It is unconscionable that any human being should be enslaved and forced to work against their will.

I mean, come on, this is the 21st century.  This kind of thing is insane, and to think that AMERICANS are responsible for some of this is even worse.

Go check out that web site and find out how YOUR State ranks in the fight against slavery.

Are God's rules really eternal?

One of the most interesting things claimed by many theists these days isn't new.  I was watching Turner Classic Movies the other day, and they aired an old short film I can't remember the name of, in which the narrator used the constant phrase, "sin in the heart of man".  The theme was the same you hear today, that America's morals are off track, and sin is why.

Well, at least once, he noted that, "God's rules are eternal", as he denigrated the thought that modern morals have changed.

Oh, really?

So, if that is true, can I still go to New Orleans and buy a slave off of the old slave block right there on the docks, fresh from Africa?  Or, if I prefer, can I sneak off I to Canada and enslave one of our northern neighbors?  They are, after all, not American, and the bible says we can enslave our neighbors.  Of course, according to the bible, I can't hold a Hebrew for longer than seven years.  Then again, I can argue that since I am not Hebrew, that restriction doesn't apply to me, right?

Or, if I prefer, I can sell one of my daughters (I do still have one unmarried daughter) into sexual slavery.  She's a redhead, so she may be able to pay off all my debts at once, wouldn't you think?  I mean, it says so, right there in Deuteronomy, so it must true if God's rules are eternal, and redheads are still considered exotic!

Also, that same book tells us that shellfish are forbidden, eating animals with cloven hooves is also forbidden, and our modern practice of wearing mixed fabrics is too.

I could go on, but the point is made.  Today, in modern First World countries, none of these restrictions are followed, nor do we think about them at all.  Even First World churches pay no mind to these rules, even though Jesus himself told slaves to obey their masters, as did Paul.  No preacher today anywhere in the industrialized west would stand up in front of a modern congregation and advocate enslaving citizens of a neighboring country, nor selling young women off to pay their fathers' debts.

Yes, these "rules" are still written in the scriptures.  No, churches today do not put those verses on their reading lists for weekly bible studies, and the reason is obvious - religions must adhere to the current moral standards of the society in which it exists, or (lacking the force of government persuasion) people will stop going.

So the bottom line here is, no, the rules of God are NOT eternal, but are as subject to change as are the standards of any society which will naturally change with time and circumstances.  They must or the religion will die.

There is, of course, one exception to this, and I referred to it above.  If the religion is a State sponsored religion and the force and power of the State are behind rules which require attendance and adherence to the rules, then, obviously, whatever rules the leaders of that religion wish can then be enforced, and this will have the effect of artificially enforcing standards the population may not otherwise have wished to obey.  It may or may not have the effect of causing people to actually believe in those standards.  If they are far enough divorced from the general moral standards seen in use by the secular society prior to the beginning of that enforcement, they will breed resentment and resistance.  Eventually, even if not so far removed, if they seem to enforce rules that most of the population come to see as overly restrictive and protecting an upper privileged class, they can go so far as breed revolution.

My point here is that we know from history that the moral standards of societies do change.  Old practices such as slavery, dietary rules and other more mundane things such as fabric uses will be forced to change as the circumstances of the society change.  Economics, standards of education, and technical advancements can profoundly affect how societies manage themselves and how people's relationships in families, business and government work.

Religions that try to hold on to old, outmoded rules in ways that no longer make sense will, unless people are forced to stay, lose members.  Even if forced to stay, eventually, social pressures will eventually either force changes or those changes will be forced through violent means.  (Pay attention, this happened, in THIS country.  We forced a violent change to the rules, by forcing the state to divest itself of its religious connections.  We did this by violently divorcing ourselves from that old State and developing a new State!)

In the end, the lesson we learn is that nothing is eternal.  If there were a god which created us, loved us and wanted the best for us, he/she would use his/her superior knowledge to shepherd us into a better understanding of how to manage ourselves and better our lives.  This would not happen by enforcing rules that no longer meet the needs and requirements of a society which has outgrown the faults of a past age where violence was the norm.

Instead, we find churches that seek to use those old, outmoded rules to continue to force us to adhere to old social rules which make no sense and prevent us from growing and expanding human knowledge.  Rules which force us into past patterns of behavior which do not fit a modern, digital age in which knowledge and information is at one's fingertips.  Rules which seek to denigrate women, control our lives and support old established organizations which cannot change without being afraid of losing control.

Control which brings them YOUR money, YOUR support, thus supporting their secular, worldly power which in turn supports the lifestyles of the leaders.  The WEALTHY lifestyles. As we've seen over and over.

Thus, we see movements like Dominionism, which again seek to bring the old theocratic ways of the past to the present.  The rules which forced people to obey the old ways, the old patterns which bring power and wealth to those who control those rules.

Don't fall for it.  America is under attack from several directions, but the commonality is one of bringing control of this society to those who control the wealth.  Religion has ALWAYS been the means of control for those in power, and democracy put a rapid stop to much of that control.

You, the people, have the power to maintain your own control, the means to stop the power grab under way by the wealthy, by the cynical, godless men who would use your superstition to control you, like they did your grandfathers and great-grandfathers before you.

Only YOU can decide not to go along.  But you must see through their attempts to cloud your mind with superstition, with the old enticing rules which can seem so comforting, because they allow you to just drift through life without having to decide anything.  

But that is the way to slavery.  That is the way to letting someone else do your thinking for you.

Yes, cutting lose is hard.  It means you have to think, to actually take your life into your own hands and decide FOR YOURSELF who you want to be and what is important to YOU.  

The first step is letting go of the old comfortable rules and realizing that they no longer have any relevance to the modern world.  That they are the means to controlling you, not freeing you.

Remember, when they tell you to surrender to Christ, they are really telling you to surrender to the earthly leaders of the Christian religion.  Do you REALLY think those wealthy men have YOUR best interests at heart?

Really?

To All My Christian Friends and Family.

Yesterday, there just wasn't anything that leapt out and grabbed me, so I posted a bunch of cool pictures.  It was a nice break.  I hope you enjoyed it!

Today, however, I am angry.  It isn't often I get this angry, so if I get a bit testy and even offensive, please understand my emotional state.

First, understand something.  I was born and educated in Texas.  In spite of its proud tradition of individualism, it is one of the more patriotic States in the union.  Yes, in spite of our obnoxious boasts about having been the only State in the union which was its own independent country (which, damn it, IS true...), we are also very proud of having willingly given up that independence in order to join the US.  Yes, and we also obnoxiously believe you guys got the better end of the deal, having obtained our beautiful State and our unswerving loyalty!  Ahem, sorry, got the better of me...

Part of that was a firm education in what this country was founded to mean:  religious freedom.

Read that again.  RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.

That was NOT a lesson in Christian majority privilege, it was taught to every school child that the US was founded for the purpose of allowing Americans the right to their own brand of religion.  This crap about the US being a "christian nation" is a modern FICTION, and numerous quotes from the Founding Fathers proves that they also meant people of other religions besides Christianity, as well as Atheists too.

It is, in short, a tactic of modern fundamentalists to twist the conversation to assume something that isn't true.

What set me off?

This story, in Addicting Info, which talks about a story out of Tennessee.  It is a perfect illustration of what Christians, and not just fundies, will do once they get the political power to shut down the opposition, even if they have to do it illegally and ignore the basic rules of the game.

It is, in fact, an illustration of HOW they will ignore the basic rules and run roughshod over anybody who gets in their way.

"“This is people standing up for what they believe in,” said Steve McDonald, pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church. “We have a right to the democratic process and majority rule.”"

Yeah, and his message is that majority rule means that they can then manipulate the democratic process to ignore fairness and the basic Constitutional rules that are supposed to govern this country.

And this isn't even about anything really IMPORTANT.  This is just symbolism.  Just how bad would it get when they really get serious about something?

Really?  Since when is forcing your beliefs down everybody else's throat ok?

Why am I this angry?

Because these idiots have been spouting this shit for years now, and NONE of the people in this country who count themselves as Christian have yet to stand up and shout the bastards down.

I mean that.  When was the last time a man such as that Baptist minister, after having stood up and spouted such obviously unAmerican bullshit, got his ass handed to him by his congregation?

When was the last time someone like Pat Robertson, who spews such bullshit on a regular basis, lost viewers?

When was the last time that a man like that was admonished by the OTHER ministers in his town and told he was wrong?

Never, that's when.  Not only never, but the other good Christians in that town stood by and actually cheered and supported them as they willingly spent PUBLIC MONEY to violate the Constitution.

So, I will say this again:  What is wrong with you people?  Don't you know a violation of the Constitution when you see one?  Don't you see a violation of the very democratic process itself occurring, or is it ok because the guys doing it believe the same stuff you do?

THAT'S whey I am angry, because so many of you stand up on Facebook and tell me that these people are not being Christian and are acting unAmerican, but you never DO anything about it.  I don't see many stories about this being posted by the Christians I know.  They get posted either by me or other atheistic pages or groups, with little comment or support, mostly.

It is time, indeed, PAST time, for the moderate Christians in the US to stand up and put these fundamentalist bullies back in their place.  Take your conservative party back, throw the bums out and stop swallowing their bullshit.

Because, if you don't, once they take power, they will lump YOU in with ME.  Because you won't be conservative enough, you will end up being given the same choice I will.  Either worship in a fundie church or take the consequences.

Then you can see how it feels to be religiously oppressed.  Like atheists really are, not the fake oppression they like to whine about.

So, in the final analysis, what I mean to say is this.  If you don't have the will to stand up and MAKE THIS STOP, then you agree with it.

Really, that IS what it means.

Dominionism - a list of quotes.

Today, for those who have a problem with understanding which public figures are into the Dominionist movement, I've got  a site for you.

It's called Quotes from the The American Taliban, and the quotes you will find there are not only eye-opening, but go back over 50 years!

A sampling:

David Barton (Wallbuilders)
	"There should be absolutely no 'Separation of Church and State' in America."

David Trosch
"Sodomy is a graver sin than murder. – Unless there is life there can be no murder."

Fob James (Governor of Alabama)
	"Behind this judicial wall of separation there is a tyranny of lies that will fall... I say to you, my friends, let it fall!"

If these kinds of attitudes don't make you sit back and wonder about where the speakers are coming from, you've got a problem.  These people are not patriotic Americans, they are enemies of democracy, enemies of the Constitution, and proponents of throwing society back hundreds of years.

They should be thrown out of public life and shamed into obscurity.

Something else that never stops.

A lot of my writing here has been to show how crazy the right wing can get.  Most of that has been about politicians, but the occasional right wing fundie preacher shows up, too.

Today, a special one, because this one is about the large undercurrent of religious hubris that finds its way into the mailboxes - both real and virtual - of those the right wing decides to hate.

First, I take you to Kingston, Canada.  Some enterprising right wingers have decided that targeting the gay ladies there is the way to go!

Addressed to "Lesbian bitches," the letter demands that the recipients leave the city as soon as possible or face all manner of harassment (read the full letter here).

It is signed, "In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, our savior"

Second, is an email sent to Mikey Weinstein, of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), as posted to his website, along with responses by some of Mikey's followers.

Dear Military Religious Freedom Foundation, 

Mikey Wienstien is an enemy to American people. I will die for Jesus Christ and fight for Jesus Christ. I fought for this country for freedom. Not for people like Mikey to steal it. Mikey will fall like the coward him and his family is. If he thinks he’s gonna win then he will soon be crushed like the Nazi regime he supports. He is the same as a child rapist or adolf Hitler. You will never take god from us. This country was founded on it. Watch as you fail. 

(name withheld)

 Don't you just love those lovin' Christians?  The MRFF gets lots of these, every day.  Many prominent atheists do, too.  In fact, anybody these clowns don't like are liable to get targeted like this.

I classify this under both Religious Harm and Just Plain Crazy.

Robertson - AGAIN. Will this man never go away?

Pat does it again.

“For some reason now,” continued Robertson, “the Supreme Court has said homosexuality is now a constitutional right and this decision that was handed down recently by the majority glorifies this activity and talks about the civil rights and all this, well the Bible didn’t talk about civil rights it talked about this was an offense against God and it was an offense against the land and the land would vomit you out.” Robertson continued. “Which is going to take precedence, the Supreme Court of the United States or the holy word of God?”

What will it take for these people to STOP this insane twisting of history and legalities and to understand that their brand of religious rules do not come ahead of and overrule the Constitution?  

You see, THIS is why I have repeatedly told you that religion is harmful.  Because it lets people like this insane monster say such harmful and crazy things that are so obviously untrue in ways that convince millions that they are.

Let's get this straight - the Constitution of the United States is the Supreme Law of the Land.  It says so right there, in the Supremacy Clause, in Article VI, Paragraph 2.

2:  This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

You see?  it's right there, in black and white.  Not only is the Constitution, but any laws passed by Congress under the authority of that Constitution, the SUPREME Law of the land.

Which mean that NO religious laws are authorized, by order of the First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Sorry, Pat, but your religious bullshit is not the law.  You have NO RIGHT to force anyone to adhere to your bullshit rules. Your god doesn't exist, and therefor cannot punish you or anybody else for failing to do what OUR CONSTITUTION says is illegal.

Go suck an egg.

More Republican Crazy (Can this really continue much further?)

In Virginia, the man who is the GOP candidate for Attorney General wanted to pass a law that will force Virginia women to have to report a miscarriage to the POLICE within 24 hours or face jail time.  I don't know about you, but from what I've heard, that is prime time for all kinds of mental anguish, depression, grief and who knows what else as a result from losing what many women see as a happy thing - having a baby.  Even women who aren't especially glad to be pregnant are subject to mental anguish and such just from the biological effects.

Yet, it is within these first 24 hours that the wannabe Guv wants women to get on the phone and call the cops to report the loss of that potential child, or what they may be thinking of as an impediment to a good future.  Either way, this requirement is a violation of a woman's essential privacy!  There is NO essential State interest in obtaining such private health information, and the State has no right to intrude on her private thoughts and whether or not the child was wanted.

The bill, which was presented for passage in May and did fail, would have carried a fine of up to $2,500 and as much as a year in jail as a Class 1 Misdemeanor.

Why?   What overriding purpose would the State have for requiring women to do this?  Is this just another burdensome, idiotic bureaucratic rule to just harass women, or would there be some hidden, nefarious purpose we don't yet see?

Well  what about this?

In Mississippi, the abortion wars have resulted in criminalization of women for drug use.  Is this just a small step on the way to prosecuting women for miscarriages as attempted abortions?

Earlier this year, Mississippi's neighbor to the east, Alabama, set its own precedent for prosecuting pregnant women for drug use. In January, the Alabama Supreme Court upheld convictions against two women—Amanda Kimbrough and Hope Ankrom—for "chemical endangerment" of a child, under a 2006 law that was written to punish people who expose children—not fetuses—to illegal drugs. Kimbrough gave birth prematurely to a baby boy who died shortly thereafter; she was charged after testing positive for meth. Ankrom gave birth to a healthy baby boy, but she was charged after he was found to have marijuana and cocaine in his system.

Additionally,

Laws that criminalize hurting or killing fetuses are pitched as ways to protect pregnant women from abuse but are often used to prosecute those same women, NAPW says. The group has documented more than 400 cases across the country in which these laws have been used to detain or jail pregnant women. 

 Back during the election, a lawmaker in Mississippi proposed a law that would have required every miscarriage in the State to be investigated to ensure that it wasn't a botched, amateur abortion.

I know that these aren't especially new stories, but they indicate a rising level of craziness on the part of State officials to bring the War on Women to crazier and crazier levels.

Look out, ladies, I don't think it will matter of you are Republican or Democrat - if you have a vagina, you are just a baby production unit to these folks.  And production units don't have rights, unless, of course, they are Corporations.

First Wisconsin, then Michigan, now Texas.

Well, thank you, Senator Wendy Davis!  You have shown that there are enough people in the South, specifically Texas, to draw a crowd when a legislature begins to cross the line!

I am truly beginning to wonder if the Republican Party has truly lost its collective mind.  IS it possible for a political party to just go crazy?  Is it possible for the Republican leadership to go so far that even their base will abandon them?

Geez, it's stupid enough to continue this nutzoid War on Women, potentially alienating half of the electorate.  But to start going after minority groups that are likely to surpass the number of whites by the middle of the century?

The point there is that you don't have to wait that long for the numbers to be able to tell.  The Hispanic voter base already outnumbers Conservatives in raw numbers.  So do the raw number of blacks.  Both groups, while not always a solidly reliable voting block, DO usually vote together on certain issues and for or against certain politicians often enough to be called a loose block.

The continued race towards Theocracy will most certainly keep the Jewish vote solidly Democratic for the most part.  I wonder if the 20% called The Nones can be counted on to begin to vote their interests...

So, who is left?  Who else but the white, male Southern voter?  Virtually every other voter in the US is either under attack, almost under attack, being kept from the polls by arbitrary draconian voter ID laws or just ignored by the Republican Party.

These people are so nuts that they are still talking up the possibility of secession!

Come on, people.  This isn't 1860, the Southern economy isn't based on slavery any longer, and you LOST the secession fight the last time!  Reconstruction was so damn bad parts of the South still haven't recovered, if there was ever any economy there to fight over in the first place.  In short, the fight over States Rights, while not exactly settled Federal Law, is a lot more settled in favor of the Feds than you think it is, I don't care how Conservative the Supreme Court may be.  You just cannot declare a Federal law to be ineffective in your State, it says so right there in the Constitution you supposedly worship so highly!  You might want to read it next time, instead of worshiping it.  You won't look nearly so stupid the next time you open your mouth unless you ignore what you read.

I've said it before in these pages, and I'll say it again.  Democrats, Progressives - wake up!  The Republicans have allied themselves not only with the rich cats, but they've allowed the Dominionists wolves in the door, too!  Believe me, if you aren't the right flavor of Christian, these guys will lump you in with us heathen atheists, just you wait and see!  As for the Catholics, you can be as fundamentalist Catholic as you wish, but if you acknowledge the Pope as the head of your church, eventually, when they no longer need your vote to take over, you'll end up behind barbed wire like the rest of the "unbelievers".

Yeah, sounds alarmist, doesn't it?  It is, yes, but in a very real way, it IS true, IF this country doesn't wake up and begin moving away from the nutcases.  Case after case can be seen today where extremist christians ignore Federal law, ignore the Constitution and flout their privilege however they wish - saying prayers in school, council meetings, teaching creation nonsense in schools, and in some places, actually allowing religious instruction IN PUBLIC SCHOOL.

This is unacceptable, and is INTENDED to show that they can ignore the Constitution whoever they wish.  that they think they are ABOVE the law.

We cannot allow this, we must bring this country back to some semblance of sanity.

Bigotry on Parade!

Well, given the SCOTUS' ruling shooting down Federal bigotry in defense of the imaginary "traditional" marriage, the Republican/Right Wing bigots are out in full force.

With scare tactics consisting of everything from warnings about bestiality to shrill accusations of bullying and attacks on beliefs, the right wing is doing everything they can to excite their base and frighten them out of their skulls.

But is the fears of the average christian I am concerned with, which shows that their scare tactics are getting through.

A woman (probably a friend of someone else) posted a comment on one of my friend's posts about the ideals of tolerance and respect:

Okay - I'm going way out on a limb. In the past when I've done this, I've been called names, but I have to speak up even if I get hurt. I think the reason some Christians don't support legalized gay marriage is because we're afraid that we will be hurt if it becomes legal. I just finished reading an article about a church in New Jersey that was sued by a lesbian couple because the church refused to rent their facility to them for a wedding reception. The judge ruled against the church. I don't want to deny anyone's human rights or their pursuit of happiness, but I don't trust my government not to force me (and my church) to do things that violate my conscience. I am a devout Catholic, which makes me a minority. Most Americans don't have the same moral system I do. I don't want to force my beliefs on anyone - I just want to live them out in peace. My government no longer defends my right to do that, and that's very frightening to me. I don't hate anyone, but I fear many of the people I disagree with.

I won't identify the writer - she deserves her privacy.  She later (in response to my request) posted the article she was reading that explained the issue.

It turns out that the facility at issue was a lakefront property the church owned.  Now, the article didn't say, but I am betting that the church rents that facility out to the general public, mainly to make money. It is, after all, a valuable commodity, and people are willing to pay good money to rent such facilities for parties, reunions, weddings and so forth.  It is probably a significant revenue stream.

Which explains their reluctance to do what the law requires, which is to stop doing business with the general public and limit their practices to their own members.  Which would usually result in a major loss of income.

In such cases, many States or localities have laws that require businesses that sell, rent or do other business with the general public to adhere to specific anti-discrimination laws, which often very in content from State to State.  I do not know if NJ is one that includes sexual orientation in that list or not.  From the description of the lawsuit, I would guess that the answer is yes.

The case in NJ is typical of this type.  A church owns property it rents, or it has another business it owns outright, that does business with the general public.  At some point, that business is confronted with a gay or lesbian couple that wishes to do business with them, which is then denied on the basis of the church's beliefs about homosexuality.

They are sued, and a court finds for the plaintiff, telling the church that it cannot discriminate on a religious basis, because it is running a business that caters to the general public.

Church cries foul, accusing the court of violating their First Amendment rights.

In cases such as this, there is no foul.  They are operating a business, and they are bound by long established Constitutional principles to obey secular law - in running the secular side of their business.  And make no mistake, they ARE running a secular business.  There is nothing religious about renting a lakeside property - unless it is rented out ONLY to other religious organizations for religious purposes.

This is like the issue that occurred in a major East Coast city a few years ago, where the Catholic Church had an adoption business which was taken to court by a gay couple who wanted to adopt but were denied on the basis of their sexual orientation.  I don't remember the outcome, but the Church was threatening to close the business if they were forced to serve gay couples.  They wouldn't even keep it open for Catholics!

I don't know about you, but THAT is bullying.

In this country, the First Amendment is in place to protect ALL Americans.  Not just Catholics, not just Fundamentalist christians, but EVERYBODY.  All religions, or NO religion.  You have the ABSOLUTE right to worship AS YOU PLEASE, which could mean anything from attending daily Mass to simply silently thinking a prayer to yourself once a day or even doing nothing at all.  NOBODY has the right to force you to practice religion in a manner you find objectionable, nor can they stop you from worshipping your way.

If your way is sleeping late on Sunday, going to the beach and "worshipping" the sun, then that is your absolute right.

Because the government cannot force you to either adhere to a specific practice, nor can it stop you from doing it your way, the government is effectively out of the religion business.

Which means you cannot use the power of the government, at any level, to force your beliefs on the rest of us.  It means that when you operate in the public sphere, you have to obey the same laws of conduct, whether private or business, as everybody else.

Whatever your religion, or lack of it, you cannot force your beliefs on others.

But you are also protected from others doing the same to you.

A common complaint I've heard from christians is that keeping religion out of the public sphere is tantamount to forcing others to practice Atheism.

Clever.

It IS very clever, because the essence of Atheism IS the lack of religion.

But the flaw to this accusation is that simply keeping religious practices out of the public sphere isn't denying you the right to worship as you please, it is simply keeping you from forcing the rest of us to endure your brand of religious practice.  Forcing you to practice Atheism would be stopping you from worshiping in your church or keeping you from praying at all.

Both of which would be as much as a violation of your rights as making me listen to your prayer in a city council meeting violates mine.

Is this getting through yet?  Is it beginning to become a little clearer that the First Amendment is a protection for ALL OF US?  That it prevents muslims from forcing their five times a day prayers on us, too, or Orthodox Jews from insisting that everybody stop cutting their beards?

Your PRIVATE worship practices are just that - PRIVATE.  Keep yours private, and I'll stop posting about how harmful and stupid they are.