so i was thinking about this in the car today... how when i was younger i was taught a certain way about christianity, religion, and how to 'share my faith'... i was given this great illustration about how all people are 'diseased' and i alone (or perhaps some of my other christian friends, too) have this 'antedote' that i can give the diseased people...
the disease, of course, was sin...
the effect of the disease, of course, was hell...
and my antedote, of course, was jesus and a ticket to heaven...
so, i have been thinking alot lately (like for the past year or so) about the self-centered gospel that the american church (gross generalization, i know...) has embraced and what that has caused in the western church/missionary movement of late... you know, consumer-driven churches, big 'shows', celebrity pastors, anything to 'keep' people or 'market' to people...
and you know, everything is about the personal relationship with god, which really means becoming a more moral person who perhaps stops associating with certain things in 'the world'... except to convert others with the antedote...
well, anchor point is going through the old testament and we are just now in the part of genesis where god talks to abraham and says some stuff like, 'i'm making this pact with you that i will involve you in my mission of healing the world (tikkun olam) and blessing others'... abraham immediately acts on this in the story of the 3 messenger/angel/whatevers where he lives generously, a theme which jesus revisits several times in all four gospels...
okay, stop for a minute... do you know the word 'elect'?... like as in 'doctrine of the elect'?... alot comes from peter's works i believe... you know, that god 'chose' certain people?... remember?... predestination?...
when i was in high school and college, since i understood saved to be 'going to heaven', i understood 'the elect' as those god allowed into heaven, the afterlife consumation of god's love... i think most evangelicals will embrace this, though many of us always wondered if it was predestination or foreknowledge... doesnt matter for this conversation...
okay, my point: back to abraham, he was called 'the elect' of god, like god had chosen him... but you know what for?... not heaven ever after or some moral superiority or even a place of standing with god that would help him convert others to his religion... it was for service...
service...
tikkun olam - healing the world... redeeming humanity to a more whole place, you know?...
and jesus was the utmost embodiment of this as people spat on him and cursed him (specifically the religous people mind you) as he brought life to the outcast, to the prostitute, to the broken, to the poor... are you hearing this?!?... am i hearing this?...
my god, i am beginning to see...
the kindgom of god is like this: a woman went out to the beach to pick up trash and rake the sand into its proper place... and she found a man on the beach sitting there, looking at himself in the mirror, fixing his hair, preoccupied... the woman said to the man, 'would you like to help me pick the trash up off this beach and put things into their proper place?... the stones in the ocean, the kelp and seaweed... where do they go?...'
the man responds by getting up and answering, the kelp can be used as a fertilizer for gardens and plants since they are very rich in nutrients...' the woman learns from the man, not threatened by his enlightening understandings of the world, the ocean, and how to help heal the place... and on and on...
okay, i need to think about this now... thoughts?... anyone want to build on this parable or create their own around this notion?...
A Fire Dragon living in The Year of the Dragon.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Friday, October 29, 2004
some thoughts on the rise of the number of abortions...
from this blog... please read his entire article there... it really challenges the idea that legislation of morality is an effective means for promoting healthy behavior...
Abortion in Context, from the Alan Guttmacher Institute, has been very illuminating, and has challenged many of my preconceptions about abortion.
Yet, while it may seem paradoxical, a country’s abortion rate is not closely correlated with whether abortion is legal there. For example, abortion levels are quite high in Latin American countries, where abortion is highly restricted. (In fact, 20 million of the 46 million abortions performed annually worldwide occur in countries with highly restrictive abortion laws.) At the same time, abortion rates are quite low throughout Western Europe, where the procedure is legal and widely available. Also, Eastern and Western Europe have the world’s highest and lowest abortion rates, respectively, yet abortion is generally legal throughout the Continent.
If legality is not the determining factor, what drives the rates at which abortions occur in a given country? Clearly, a key factor is the rate at which women experience unintended pregnancies—itself a function of the interplay between a couple’s family-size (and timing) goals and their contraceptive use.
I have previously assumed that, if abortion were illegal, it would be rare. Apparently this is not the case, and I stand correct
i just think some of his thoughts are timely... that is, most single-issue voters are considering the abortion issue bush's golden ticket to their vote... but doesnt this complicate the simplicity of such thoughts?...
Abortion in Context, from the Alan Guttmacher Institute, has been very illuminating, and has challenged many of my preconceptions about abortion.
Yet, while it may seem paradoxical, a country’s abortion rate is not closely correlated with whether abortion is legal there. For example, abortion levels are quite high in Latin American countries, where abortion is highly restricted. (In fact, 20 million of the 46 million abortions performed annually worldwide occur in countries with highly restrictive abortion laws.) At the same time, abortion rates are quite low throughout Western Europe, where the procedure is legal and widely available. Also, Eastern and Western Europe have the world’s highest and lowest abortion rates, respectively, yet abortion is generally legal throughout the Continent.
If legality is not the determining factor, what drives the rates at which abortions occur in a given country? Clearly, a key factor is the rate at which women experience unintended pregnancies—itself a function of the interplay between a couple’s family-size (and timing) goals and their contraceptive use.
I have previously assumed that, if abortion were illegal, it would be rare. Apparently this is not the case, and I stand correct
i just think some of his thoughts are timely... that is, most single-issue voters are considering the abortion issue bush's golden ticket to their vote... but doesnt this complicate the simplicity of such thoughts?...
punkins and torah...
some shots from church tonight...
and though not here for punkin carving, still worth including... my buddy jasen... one of my best friends...
and though not here for punkin carving, still worth including... my buddy jasen... one of my best friends...
confessing christ in a time of war...
jeff was just over and we talked about how sad it is that someone such as jerry falwell is representing 'christian' views of this war... below is a quote from him...
“But you’ve got to kill the terrorists before the killing stops. And I’m for the president to chase them all over the world. If it takes 10 years, blow them all away in the name of the Lord.”—Jerry Falwell, CNN Late Edition, October 24, 2004
wow... it breaks my heart that people actually think this... and 'in the name of the Lord'?... wow...
sojourners had posted this response... here's some of it below...
200 Christian Leaders Condemn a ‘Theology of War’. In their statement “Confessing Christ in a World of Violence,” more than 200 theologians and ethicists—many from leading evangelical institutions— wrote: “A ‘theology of war,’ emanating from the highest circles of American government, is seeping into our churches as well.... The roles of God, church, and nation are confused by talk of an American ‘mission’ and ‘divine appointment’ to ‘rid the world of evil.’” They continued: “In this time of crisis, we need a new confession of Christ.”
■Jesus Christ knows no national boundaries.
■Christ commits Christians to a strong presumption against war. Christians have a responsibility to count the cost, speak out for the victims, and explore every alternative before a nation goes to war.
■Christ commands us to see not only the splinter in our adversary’s eye, but also the beam in our own.
■Christ shows us that love of enemy is the heart of the gospel.
■Christ teaches us that humility is the virtue befitting forgiven sinners.
■We reject the false teaching that a war on terrorism takes precedence over ethical and legal norms.
■We reject the false teaching that America is a “Christian nation,” representing only virtue, while its adversaries are nothing but vicious.
■We reject the false teaching that any human being can be defined as outside the law’s protection, and the demonization of perceived enemies, which only paves the way to abuse.
■We reject the false teaching that those who are not for the United States politically are against it or that those who fundamentally question American policies must be with the “evil-doers.”
“But you’ve got to kill the terrorists before the killing stops. And I’m for the president to chase them all over the world. If it takes 10 years, blow them all away in the name of the Lord.”—Jerry Falwell, CNN Late Edition, October 24, 2004
wow... it breaks my heart that people actually think this... and 'in the name of the Lord'?... wow...
sojourners had posted this response... here's some of it below...
200 Christian Leaders Condemn a ‘Theology of War’. In their statement “Confessing Christ in a World of Violence,” more than 200 theologians and ethicists—many from leading evangelical institutions— wrote: “A ‘theology of war,’ emanating from the highest circles of American government, is seeping into our churches as well.... The roles of God, church, and nation are confused by talk of an American ‘mission’ and ‘divine appointment’ to ‘rid the world of evil.’” They continued: “In this time of crisis, we need a new confession of Christ.”
■Jesus Christ knows no national boundaries.
■Christ commits Christians to a strong presumption against war. Christians have a responsibility to count the cost, speak out for the victims, and explore every alternative before a nation goes to war.
■Christ commands us to see not only the splinter in our adversary’s eye, but also the beam in our own.
■Christ shows us that love of enemy is the heart of the gospel.
■Christ teaches us that humility is the virtue befitting forgiven sinners.
■We reject the false teaching that a war on terrorism takes precedence over ethical and legal norms.
■We reject the false teaching that America is a “Christian nation,” representing only virtue, while its adversaries are nothing but vicious.
■We reject the false teaching that any human being can be defined as outside the law’s protection, and the demonization of perceived enemies, which only paves the way to abuse.
■We reject the false teaching that those who are not for the United States politically are against it or that those who fundamentally question American policies must be with the “evil-doers.”
Thursday, October 28, 2004
photos from home...
for those of you who didn't know, it's been raining pretty hard out here... some pics from home i thought would be nice...
but first, my first brew...
outside it's colder...
it is now clearing up, but there is a nasty goo on the ocean... ooh!...
but first, my first brew...
outside it's colder...
it is now clearing up, but there is a nasty goo on the ocean... ooh!...
pride and persistance...
first off, if my posts about politics tend to piss you off, please do not read on... i am not looking for a fight or to prove that my point is Truth... i am also not trying to oversimplify the situation in iraq; i am just expressing my opinion... with that said...
i have been thinking a great deal about the elections upcoming, the san diego county propositions, my local mayor and townspeople to elect here in o-side, and of course, the presidency...
now, a brief history... i have always voted for a republican president... it was a capital sin from where i came from to do anything else... so, in 96, i voted for dole (right?) and in 2000, for bush jr... i really felt like gore was too clueless to know what the american people wanted... i have tended to side with those in the conservative camp, disliking 'big government' for the little i know about it... i also was caught up in morality-legislation, a concept i still struggle with...
when we invaded afghanistan, i was in support of the war... even when we turned toward iraq, i was part of the group-think that is america (sometimes), and with emotion, i supported that effort as well...
am i a flip-flopper?... sure seems so... because now, after numerous conversations with conservatives, liberals, and the rest, i am convinced that the us's war in iraq has been a bad decision... not because it wasnt 'successful', but because i disagree with forcing democracy onto other people just because we hold it to be the most 'liberating form of government'...
a friend i was talking with in new mexico this last week (who had spent a month or so in iraq with a peace movement, caring for the iraqi civilians who had been affected by this mess) and he quoted one of the iraqi people's thoughts regarding this war: "we [the iraqi people] have two enemies-saddam hussein and the united states; please do not confuse our excitement about the de-throning of saddam as an excitement about the us being in our country... they are both enemies..."
now perhaps that doesnt strike you as it does me, but it strikes me...
okay, but onto what i really wanted to talk about in this post... pride and the way of a human...
my greatest qualm with mr. bush is his inability to admit that he was wrong, or that this is a mess... i know that in politics, its hard to 'back down' and i do not necessarily think that mr. kerry would do what i am asking either... it is a problem in humanity: to confuse pride and persistance... do you know that most of the great philosphophers and theologians throughout history have called pride the gravest sin?... the arrogance that says, "i am right, you are wrong, i do not need your viewpoint, i have my own"...
cs lewis writes... “According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea-bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”
and what is sad is that this is not only a profound virtue now in the presidency; it is also a profoud virtue in the church of america... i remember reading john ortberg's book, the life you always wanted, and he spoke about how a pastor of a church he had been a part of was an incredibly prideful man... but the church would never address it... he said, 'you know, had my pastor stepped out between services to smoke a cigarrette, he probably wouldnt have made it to the second service with his job still intact, but pride? no one ever addresses pride. in fact, it is honored...'
so, i dunno where to go with this... i think it is a challenge for all humanity to wrestle with pride... i also think that all great wars have had to do with pride: "we deserve this land", "i know god better than you", "our way of life will be better for you", etc...
again, apologies if this is any sort of gross over-simplification... it is simply my thoughts as they are right now...
i have been thinking a great deal about the elections upcoming, the san diego county propositions, my local mayor and townspeople to elect here in o-side, and of course, the presidency...
now, a brief history... i have always voted for a republican president... it was a capital sin from where i came from to do anything else... so, in 96, i voted for dole (right?) and in 2000, for bush jr... i really felt like gore was too clueless to know what the american people wanted... i have tended to side with those in the conservative camp, disliking 'big government' for the little i know about it... i also was caught up in morality-legislation, a concept i still struggle with...
when we invaded afghanistan, i was in support of the war... even when we turned toward iraq, i was part of the group-think that is america (sometimes), and with emotion, i supported that effort as well...
am i a flip-flopper?... sure seems so... because now, after numerous conversations with conservatives, liberals, and the rest, i am convinced that the us's war in iraq has been a bad decision... not because it wasnt 'successful', but because i disagree with forcing democracy onto other people just because we hold it to be the most 'liberating form of government'...
a friend i was talking with in new mexico this last week (who had spent a month or so in iraq with a peace movement, caring for the iraqi civilians who had been affected by this mess) and he quoted one of the iraqi people's thoughts regarding this war: "we [the iraqi people] have two enemies-saddam hussein and the united states; please do not confuse our excitement about the de-throning of saddam as an excitement about the us being in our country... they are both enemies..."
now perhaps that doesnt strike you as it does me, but it strikes me...
okay, but onto what i really wanted to talk about in this post... pride and the way of a human...
my greatest qualm with mr. bush is his inability to admit that he was wrong, or that this is a mess... i know that in politics, its hard to 'back down' and i do not necessarily think that mr. kerry would do what i am asking either... it is a problem in humanity: to confuse pride and persistance... do you know that most of the great philosphophers and theologians throughout history have called pride the gravest sin?... the arrogance that says, "i am right, you are wrong, i do not need your viewpoint, i have my own"...
cs lewis writes... “According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea-bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”
and what is sad is that this is not only a profound virtue now in the presidency; it is also a profoud virtue in the church of america... i remember reading john ortberg's book, the life you always wanted, and he spoke about how a pastor of a church he had been a part of was an incredibly prideful man... but the church would never address it... he said, 'you know, had my pastor stepped out between services to smoke a cigarrette, he probably wouldnt have made it to the second service with his job still intact, but pride? no one ever addresses pride. in fact, it is honored...'
so, i dunno where to go with this... i think it is a challenge for all humanity to wrestle with pride... i also think that all great wars have had to do with pride: "we deserve this land", "i know god better than you", "our way of life will be better for you", etc...
again, apologies if this is any sort of gross over-simplification... it is simply my thoughts as they are right now...
thanks to...
amy robinson, for helping me to see that sting's line of 'you could say i lost my belief in the holy church' is not a slam on god or jesus, but a dissillusionment with the religion of man... i got hung up in language...
tony campolo, for helping to recover the beatitudes from 'nice over-spiritualized thoughts' to virtues of the kingdom of god now... blessed are the peacemakers, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for god... now i must live this...
my mom, for helping to curb my self-righteousness when i yelled at her for 'taking gods name in vein' when i was a high school zealot... i was young...
my grandma buchanan, for teaching me that it's typically 'good' things, not 'bad' things, that keep us from the 'best' things...
mike devries, for helping me to see that heaven is coming to earth... not vice-versa... now if only i can live this way...
u2, for giving imagination to the kingdom of god in the glorious song 'where the streets have no name'... i want to run...
mark scandrette and doug pagitt, for giving me words like 'wholistic', 'rhythm of life', 'sustainable', 'kingdom'... words that shape my reality... beyond the deconstruction to beautiful construction and living...
bart campolo, for helping me begin the process of rethinking what the word 'saved' actually meant in the hebrew mind... far be it from me to help people just 'secure spots in heaven'...
which leads me to brian mclaren, where to even begin?... a new kind of christian literally changed holly's and my life... wow... the tears streamed down our face as we read this together on a drive to the pacific northwest last fall... thank you for your constant inspiration...
chara cote, for reminding me that republicans actually have a lot of values that i value... like allowing the church to take care of things that might be handed over to the government...
jim wallis, for a brilliant analysis of rumsfeld's and bush's crusade/empire language... did you know that bush actually called this war a 'crusade' in one of his earlier speeches?... spooky...
ian nickus, for helping me to realize that worship music is a genre and that a songwriter in any genre should still compose good music with thought-through lyrics...
there are more... perhaps this will be a posting i do from time to time... thank you all...
tony campolo, for helping to recover the beatitudes from 'nice over-spiritualized thoughts' to virtues of the kingdom of god now... blessed are the peacemakers, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for god... now i must live this...
my mom, for helping to curb my self-righteousness when i yelled at her for 'taking gods name in vein' when i was a high school zealot... i was young...
my grandma buchanan, for teaching me that it's typically 'good' things, not 'bad' things, that keep us from the 'best' things...
mike devries, for helping me to see that heaven is coming to earth... not vice-versa... now if only i can live this way...
u2, for giving imagination to the kingdom of god in the glorious song 'where the streets have no name'... i want to run...
mark scandrette and doug pagitt, for giving me words like 'wholistic', 'rhythm of life', 'sustainable', 'kingdom'... words that shape my reality... beyond the deconstruction to beautiful construction and living...
bart campolo, for helping me begin the process of rethinking what the word 'saved' actually meant in the hebrew mind... far be it from me to help people just 'secure spots in heaven'...
which leads me to brian mclaren, where to even begin?... a new kind of christian literally changed holly's and my life... wow... the tears streamed down our face as we read this together on a drive to the pacific northwest last fall... thank you for your constant inspiration...
chara cote, for reminding me that republicans actually have a lot of values that i value... like allowing the church to take care of things that might be handed over to the government...
jim wallis, for a brilliant analysis of rumsfeld's and bush's crusade/empire language... did you know that bush actually called this war a 'crusade' in one of his earlier speeches?... spooky...
ian nickus, for helping me to realize that worship music is a genre and that a songwriter in any genre should still compose good music with thought-through lyrics...
there are more... perhaps this will be a posting i do from time to time... thank you all...
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
muse pics... and michael's santa fe pics...
what an amazing show...
holly was talking with a couple who had driven from boulder, co to alburquerque to see these guys... and they were saying that just weeks ago they had played for like a sold-out 20,000 person show... and here they are in a humble old theatre with 250 kids who like 'time is running out'...
for us, it was amazing... lights, sound, performance... brilliant...
and the joint we ate at before we rocked out...
thanks michael for the pics...
and here is a link to his photo gallery from santa fe...
holly was talking with a couple who had driven from boulder, co to alburquerque to see these guys... and they were saying that just weeks ago they had played for like a sold-out 20,000 person show... and here they are in a humble old theatre with 250 kids who like 'time is running out'...
for us, it was amazing... lights, sound, performance... brilliant...
and the joint we ate at before we rocked out...
thanks michael for the pics...
and here is a link to his photo gallery from santa fe...
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
a day in the life...
well, today i was made even more aware of how i am no longer really cut-out for the evangelical community... not to bag it, but i just dont really belong... which, of course, i have known for some time, but today was an epiphane of sorts...
today i resigned from the church i had been working at as a part-time job... this sort of corporate mega-church that a friend of mine works at... he was my link there... anyways, it was a kind of a forced-resignation, kind of a chosen-resignation... i didnt fit the job description i had drawn up for myself... which was really more a bit of self-realization...
so this means more time devoted to sharpseven and lonestar studio... and perhaps more time devoted to reading books such as understanding genesis and 9/11 commission report... and perhaps school and stuff...
okay, i cannot concentrate because lisa and holly are watching that damned gilmore girls in the background!... how do they live with themselves?!?...
in closing...
Hello, Hello (Hola!)
I'm at a place called vertigo (¿Dónde está?)
It's everything I wish I didn't know
Except you give me something I can feel
today i resigned from the church i had been working at as a part-time job... this sort of corporate mega-church that a friend of mine works at... he was my link there... anyways, it was a kind of a forced-resignation, kind of a chosen-resignation... i didnt fit the job description i had drawn up for myself... which was really more a bit of self-realization...
so this means more time devoted to sharpseven and lonestar studio... and perhaps more time devoted to reading books such as understanding genesis and 9/11 commission report... and perhaps school and stuff...
okay, i cannot concentrate because lisa and holly are watching that damned gilmore girls in the background!... how do they live with themselves?!?...
in closing...
Hello, Hello (Hola!)
I'm at a place called vertigo (¿Dónde está?)
It's everything I wish I didn't know
Except you give me something I can feel
Monday, October 25, 2004
reflections on the emergent gathering... and some pics...
what an incredible few days... and it was only a few days... but it was refreshing to me...
i experienced shalom on several levels...
i wonder if shalom isn't that different from nirvana?... that is, shalom isn't just 'peace' as many have translated... it's more like 'wholeness' or 'wholistic health' which is kinda redundant since 'health' comes from the root of 'whole'... anyways...
a couple things i heard this week... and though i am using quotation marks, these are not exact...
"beer is proof that god wants us to be happy - ben franklin" - on someone's tshirt...
"neither presidential candidates are pro-life" - a conversation about pro-abortion and pro-war sentiments...
"christians in the middle east refer to god as allah... that kinda sums it up for me." - a conversation about islam and christianity...
"turn the other cheek? that's oversimplified" - a conversation about what america shoulda/coulda done about 9/11...
"i blogged about 3 reasons that george w. bush is not a biblical represenation of christian leadership and got flamed" - talking about using blogs as places to speak our minds...
and some pics...
here is a shot of one of our many conversations... one of the many, many conversations...
michael making notes of how to rule the world through non-pragmatic metaphysics...
a little yoga?... salutations to the sun... ahh...
dinner in santa fe at a cool little wholistic hippie joint... think being john malcovich... with troy and kelly...
and the scandrettes...
a rad document i read whilst coming from the bathroom... can you read it?... dated 1680... read it here larger...
some 2/3 lb. burgers on the way to the muse show (wow... pics later)...
our final day at glorietta... beautiful yellow all around us...
and troy, the diligent songwriter... ever so moving...
and damien sharing some written words...
then to ojo caliente hot springs... amazing... and a little campfire too...
dinner at a little mexican food place down the street...
and then the journey home with an amazing sunset...
holly, jen, damien, and i went to the white rock lookout... new mexico is truly magical...
one last go at the two-buck-chuck... or was this the white wine?...
i experienced shalom on several levels...
i wonder if shalom isn't that different from nirvana?... that is, shalom isn't just 'peace' as many have translated... it's more like 'wholeness' or 'wholistic health' which is kinda redundant since 'health' comes from the root of 'whole'... anyways...
a couple things i heard this week... and though i am using quotation marks, these are not exact...
"beer is proof that god wants us to be happy - ben franklin" - on someone's tshirt...
"neither presidential candidates are pro-life" - a conversation about pro-abortion and pro-war sentiments...
"christians in the middle east refer to god as allah... that kinda sums it up for me." - a conversation about islam and christianity...
"turn the other cheek? that's oversimplified" - a conversation about what america shoulda/coulda done about 9/11...
"i blogged about 3 reasons that george w. bush is not a biblical represenation of christian leadership and got flamed" - talking about using blogs as places to speak our minds...
and some pics...
here is a shot of one of our many conversations... one of the many, many conversations...
michael making notes of how to rule the world through non-pragmatic metaphysics...
a little yoga?... salutations to the sun... ahh...
dinner in santa fe at a cool little wholistic hippie joint... think being john malcovich... with troy and kelly...
and the scandrettes...
a rad document i read whilst coming from the bathroom... can you read it?... dated 1680... read it here larger...
some 2/3 lb. burgers on the way to the muse show (wow... pics later)...
our final day at glorietta... beautiful yellow all around us...
and troy, the diligent songwriter... ever so moving...
and damien sharing some written words...
then to ojo caliente hot springs... amazing... and a little campfire too...
dinner at a little mexican food place down the street...
and then the journey home with an amazing sunset...
holly, jen, damien, and i went to the white rock lookout... new mexico is truly magical...
one last go at the two-buck-chuck... or was this the white wine?...
favorite searches...
so, a couple searches in google-land have led people to my blog... some who were looking for me... some who were looking for something very different... or not so different?...
here are my favorite searches that led people here...
mp3 download scepticism lecture
china empire "enslaves people"
derrida+c.rajendran
"france selling arms to iraq"
NPR RNC mailings bible
president bush's idealogy
Enflamed Tastebuds of Tongue
my favorite was china empire "enslaves people"... now it is Enflamed Tastebuds of Tongue... i hope they all found what they were looking for...
here are my favorite searches that led people here...
mp3 download scepticism lecture
china empire "enslaves people"
derrida+c.rajendran
"france selling arms to iraq"
NPR RNC mailings bible
president bush's idealogy
Enflamed Tastebuds of Tongue
my favorite was china empire "enslaves people"... now it is Enflamed Tastebuds of Tongue... i hope they all found what they were looking for...
a year ago this week...
last year around this time, holly and i were returning from new mexico from our first emergent gathering... it was a time of meeting new friends, spiritual and physical (is that dualist?... let's say 'wholistic') renewal, and beautiful surroundings...
as we came back into california, the grand prix fire had already begun... in fact, we drove on I-15 through the fire on our way home... and that week, the fires continued to unleash their rage, clearing out much of north east county, southeast county, camp pendleton, temecula... pretty much all of san diego county but here and much of san bernadino county as well...
we all sat in front of our tvs as ash blew around outside, hoping and praying that these fires would die down, that nature would rain for us, or that something - please god, something - would happen... finally, after a week or so, the rain came... and it assisted the firefighters in their efforts to not only contain, but squelch the fires...
around this time, my sister was going through some rough life stuff... and it amazed me about the parallels we find in nature...
sometimes the flames are so out of control, all you can hope to do is to just perhaps contain them from spreading elsewhere... but you get so tired... and you despair... and sometimes you give up... and sometimes you fight on... but just as nature sent her healing rain when it seemed the worst moment, so life (or god) offers us some relief... when does it come?... sometimes a bit too late, sometimes a little early, seldom when we think we need the relief...
anyways, last year i wrote this song from the tailgate of my pickup as the blood-red sky showered ash and rain down on me... it's called october... here is an mp3 of it...
october
by ryan lee sharp
wake up again, the gentle leaves are falling
wake up again, the wind has blown me through
another night of impatient waiting for you
and i've heard those who seek, that they will find it
well i'm seeking you
longing for your eyes, your perception of all she's running through
and how it's all in you
cause i try so hard
and i fall so far
and oh this life can be so hard
to see it how you do, but i want to see it how you do
sometimes so stuck, staring off into the valley
sometimes i run, sometimes i cannot move
but these moments are to shake us, but leave us unshaken
holding tight to you
what else is she to do
cause i try so hard
and i fall so far
and oh this life can be so hard
to see it how you do, but i want to see it how you do
and though we are hard-pressed, we are not crushed
and when the fire surrounds, you send your healing rain
and though we are hard-pressed, we are not crushed
and when the fire consumes, you send your healing rain
cause i try so hard
and i fall so far
and oh this life can be so hard
to see it how you do, but i want to see it how you do
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
the christian flag surrendered to the american flag...
i just thought this was a telling (and humorous) photo...
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
a note from sojourners...
thought id post it instead of emailing this to people...
1. Don't just protest - be pro-active! Join an effort to
mobilize voters as part of the "Vote ALL Your Values" campaign,
a nonpartisan coalition of progressive-to-moderate faith-based
groups (including Sojourners) who are calling America to vote on
a broader range of values. How can you make a difference? Make
brief phone calls to encourage low-income, minority, and young
citizens to get out and vote. It's simple, quick, and enormously
effective.
Go to: http://go.sojo.net/ct/t7zPK-11sQVd/voteALLyourvalues
2. Stop dirty tricks by Republican activists! Organizations
funded by the Republican National Committee have been caught
pulling illegal
dirty tricks, signing up voters but destroying registration
forms filled out by Democrats in Nevada. Because of the illegal
activities of this company, many voters who go to the polls on
November 2 will be turned away at the door.
These dirty tricks are not limited to Nevada. The right to vote
is under attack nationwide - especially for minorities.
Error-prone purges of ex-felon lists continue to
disproportionately affect black voters in Florida, where other
tactics - including sending armed officers to the homes of those
filing absentee ballots - have further intimidated minority and
immigrant voters.
Take Action! Demand that President Bush renounce these tactics
and order his presidential campaign and the RNC to sever all
ties with those responsible and to cooperate fully with all
legal authorities to punish them for sullying our democracy.
Click here to take action: http://go.sojo.net/campaign/dirty_tricks/585wbn4rjin6kw
3. Keep the pressure on! As we reported a few weeks ago, the RNC
also sent mailings to Christians in West Virginia and Arkansas
claiming that "liberals" would ban the Bible. If you haven't yet
signed our alert urging the RNC to renounce this crass
exploitation of religion, do so now!
Take action at: http://go.sojo.net/campaign/biblegate/585wbn4rjin6kw
1. Don't just protest - be pro-active! Join an effort to
mobilize voters as part of the "Vote ALL Your Values" campaign,
a nonpartisan coalition of progressive-to-moderate faith-based
groups (including Sojourners) who are calling America to vote on
a broader range of values. How can you make a difference? Make
brief phone calls to encourage low-income, minority, and young
citizens to get out and vote. It's simple, quick, and enormously
effective.
Go to: http://go.sojo.net/ct/t7zPK-11sQVd/voteALLyourvalues
2. Stop dirty tricks by Republican activists! Organizations
funded by the Republican National Committee have been caught
pulling illegal
dirty tricks, signing up voters but destroying registration
forms filled out by Democrats in Nevada. Because of the illegal
activities of this company, many voters who go to the polls on
November 2 will be turned away at the door.
These dirty tricks are not limited to Nevada. The right to vote
is under attack nationwide - especially for minorities.
Error-prone purges of ex-felon lists continue to
disproportionately affect black voters in Florida, where other
tactics - including sending armed officers to the homes of those
filing absentee ballots - have further intimidated minority and
immigrant voters.
Take Action! Demand that President Bush renounce these tactics
and order his presidential campaign and the RNC to sever all
ties with those responsible and to cooperate fully with all
legal authorities to punish them for sullying our democracy.
Click here to take action: http://go.sojo.net/campaign/dirty_tricks/585wbn4rjin6kw
3. Keep the pressure on! As we reported a few weeks ago, the RNC
also sent mailings to Christians in West Virginia and Arkansas
claiming that "liberals" would ban the Bible. If you haven't yet
signed our alert urging the RNC to renounce this crass
exploitation of religion, do so now!
Take action at: http://go.sojo.net/campaign/biblegate/585wbn4rjin6kw
Monday, October 18, 2004
the many coats we wear...
in flagstaff starbucks, thanks jasen... a thought i have had running...
we all wear many coats... exchange one for another from time to time... often they are the coats of others... sometimes they fit perfectly and sometimes we outgrow them and sometimes they were never 'us' anyways...
let me explain...
when i was younger, i wore my dad's coat... you know?... it always had his warmth in it... i knew that if he approved of the style and fit of the coat, then of course it would be good for me, right?... so i mimicked him to the t, buttoning the same buttons as he had (all of them but the top button, right, cause it can be cold out there and thats what his father had done)...
when i hit my adolescence, things began to change... the warmth of my fathers coat was fading as i saw my father less and less (its more complicated than that)... i saw the coats of all the kids living around my neighborhood and wanted to try theirs on... especially the 'bad kids' coats... and they were wild... amazing colors... some even had obscenities written on them... wow!... kids can have obscenities on their coats?... you betcha... so i put on brian belew's coat... it kinda smelled of alchohol and hate and anger, but hey, what the hell?... it wasnt warm like my fathers... it was very thin, very smelly, very torn... it wasnt a very good coat at all, you know?... but it fit me for that time... or at least i thought it did...
in high school, i was very fortunate to have a new friend move from cold chicago to hot dallas to be my new youth pastor... he had a very off-beat colored jacket he always wore... it said things like, 'jesus loves you' on it or 'help us share the love of christ in honduras' and stuff like that... it was a coat that had patchwork done all over it... and a big ole cross on the back... there was even a pocket for a bible in it!... wow... what an amazing jacket for me... i wore it with pride... i even let my bible hang out of my pocket just so people could see what was there... i wore buttons on it that said, 'salvation free, inquire within' and other things of that nature...
in college, i exchanged all my previous jackets for many more... a coat of a christian rock singer, todd proctor... a coat of a preppy jcrew college student dating the drama queen, the philosopher's jacket (which had a mild odor of cigar smoke?...), the teacher's pet coat, even the coat of my roommate, stephen parker... his was an old navy windbreaker which had old 'young republican' button on it... it also was worn a bit... it was very familiar to me... very familiar...
after college and after the rock star student leather coat no longer fit, i tried on some different coats: admired pastors' suitcoats and overcoats, liberation theology coats (very tattered, but that was better than a new one), deconstructionist coats... the coats of each and every speaker at anything 'emergent'... right?... some fit, some were obviously not for me... some stretched with me as i grew and still fit... wow... never had that happen before...
i also tried on (might i say for the first time) the jacket of a liberal democrat... now, i had only seen 'bad people' wear this coat all throughout my life... or thats how they were referred anyway... but as i tried the coat on, i realized it was an exciting jacket that helped push people to make decisions for themselves... but apparently, it was a very expensive jacket... to keep it, you had to pay these taxes or something?... not sure about that...
i continue to try on jackets to see what fits... and i think i keep small parts of certain coats and try to patch them into other coats... you know until i can have one 'all my own'... no, i dont think that will ever happen... we all continue to wear other's coats...
whose do you wear?... who do you mimick?... emulate?... allow to think for you?... i know i have some people and other kinds of coats like that... do you?....
we all wear many coats... exchange one for another from time to time... often they are the coats of others... sometimes they fit perfectly and sometimes we outgrow them and sometimes they were never 'us' anyways...
let me explain...
when i was younger, i wore my dad's coat... you know?... it always had his warmth in it... i knew that if he approved of the style and fit of the coat, then of course it would be good for me, right?... so i mimicked him to the t, buttoning the same buttons as he had (all of them but the top button, right, cause it can be cold out there and thats what his father had done)...
when i hit my adolescence, things began to change... the warmth of my fathers coat was fading as i saw my father less and less (its more complicated than that)... i saw the coats of all the kids living around my neighborhood and wanted to try theirs on... especially the 'bad kids' coats... and they were wild... amazing colors... some even had obscenities written on them... wow!... kids can have obscenities on their coats?... you betcha... so i put on brian belew's coat... it kinda smelled of alchohol and hate and anger, but hey, what the hell?... it wasnt warm like my fathers... it was very thin, very smelly, very torn... it wasnt a very good coat at all, you know?... but it fit me for that time... or at least i thought it did...
in high school, i was very fortunate to have a new friend move from cold chicago to hot dallas to be my new youth pastor... he had a very off-beat colored jacket he always wore... it said things like, 'jesus loves you' on it or 'help us share the love of christ in honduras' and stuff like that... it was a coat that had patchwork done all over it... and a big ole cross on the back... there was even a pocket for a bible in it!... wow... what an amazing jacket for me... i wore it with pride... i even let my bible hang out of my pocket just so people could see what was there... i wore buttons on it that said, 'salvation free, inquire within' and other things of that nature...
in college, i exchanged all my previous jackets for many more... a coat of a christian rock singer, todd proctor... a coat of a preppy jcrew college student dating the drama queen, the philosopher's jacket (which had a mild odor of cigar smoke?...), the teacher's pet coat, even the coat of my roommate, stephen parker... his was an old navy windbreaker which had old 'young republican' button on it... it also was worn a bit... it was very familiar to me... very familiar...
after college and after the rock star student leather coat no longer fit, i tried on some different coats: admired pastors' suitcoats and overcoats, liberation theology coats (very tattered, but that was better than a new one), deconstructionist coats... the coats of each and every speaker at anything 'emergent'... right?... some fit, some were obviously not for me... some stretched with me as i grew and still fit... wow... never had that happen before...
i also tried on (might i say for the first time) the jacket of a liberal democrat... now, i had only seen 'bad people' wear this coat all throughout my life... or thats how they were referred anyway... but as i tried the coat on, i realized it was an exciting jacket that helped push people to make decisions for themselves... but apparently, it was a very expensive jacket... to keep it, you had to pay these taxes or something?... not sure about that...
i continue to try on jackets to see what fits... and i think i keep small parts of certain coats and try to patch them into other coats... you know until i can have one 'all my own'... no, i dont think that will ever happen... we all continue to wear other's coats...
whose do you wear?... who do you mimick?... emulate?... allow to think for you?... i know i have some people and other kinds of coats like that... do you?....
Saturday, October 16, 2004
we are off...
so holly and i am off to new mexico for the emergent gathering... it will be a refreshing and inspiring time methinks...
i will be leading/facilitating a couple of the discussions this year:
- failed church planters [read very tongue in cheek] - we will discuss re-evaluating what success looks like, re-examine the role of a pastor/shepherd vs. teacher/mentor, and challenge modern understandings just for the hell of it!...
- merton's inter-religious dialogue - while reading merton's mystics and zen masters i have come up with many questions about god's involvement in the origin of other traditions other than the hebrew tradition (which feeds judaism, christianity, and islam)... we will possibly look at some clips from 'hero' and consider where god may be at work where we have least expected him...
so, we are camping on the way out and on the way back...
oh, and this is big: we will be catching a muse show while we are out there... they are playing in albuquerque on wednesday... wow...
perhaps i will be on blogging hiatus... perhaps no... we shall see...
i will be leading/facilitating a couple of the discussions this year:
- failed church planters [read very tongue in cheek] - we will discuss re-evaluating what success looks like, re-examine the role of a pastor/shepherd vs. teacher/mentor, and challenge modern understandings just for the hell of it!...
- merton's inter-religious dialogue - while reading merton's mystics and zen masters i have come up with many questions about god's involvement in the origin of other traditions other than the hebrew tradition (which feeds judaism, christianity, and islam)... we will possibly look at some clips from 'hero' and consider where god may be at work where we have least expected him...
so, we are camping on the way out and on the way back...
oh, and this is big: we will be catching a muse show while we are out there... they are playing in albuquerque on wednesday... wow...
perhaps i will be on blogging hiatus... perhaps no... we shall see...
Friday, October 15, 2004
who are these christians that support this war?... or at least this understanding of it?...
i was reading a quote from ann coulter, author of How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)... open it up and...
"This is a religious war, not against Islam but for Christianity, for a Christian nation," Coulter said. "When this nation was founded, there was nothing like it. Our founders said there is a God and we are all equal before God. The ideal of equality and tolerance is like nothing that has ever existed in the world before. That, too, is a Christian value. The concept of equality, especially when it comes to gender equality, was not invented by Gloria Steinem -- it was invented by Jesus Christ. As long as people look long enough, they will always come to Christianity."
check out this next quote...
"We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war."
the above was is a quote from this here and here... and here is more...
can you see the irony here?... that christianity has ideals of tolerance and equality, but we cannot tolerate or put on a equal playing field those who do not share our ideals!... how messed up is that!...
it's a way of short-circuiting things that is so western... we think that every thing should happen quickly and with force... empire-building... many people view christianity the same way... empire-building that is... but it ends up not as god's empire, but an individual's empire... here is an old post of mine on the inefficiency of god...
i mean how can this be spoken of a person (jesus) who said to turn the other cheek, to consider yourself blessed when you are persecuted, to walk the extra mile?... how can people reconcile war to the teachings and life of christ?...
anyways, hasn't the usa spent a great deal of effort in these last decades encouraging peace and anti-retaliation to other nations (such as israel)?... what makes the usa great is our ability to inspire other countries by our way of life... and sometimes its not all that inspiring... and that is to be expected... but 'standing up democracies' as cheney says, is no way of implementing goodness throughout the rest of the world...
jesus was very clear when he spoke to peter who was taking action against the roman guard, saying that the kingdom of god will not be advanced by force, particularly political force!...
i have heard christians speak of this war being a continuation of the wars of the old testament, tearing down 'false gods' and implementing the rule of god... absurdity!... first, the us is not israel... second, while i don't completely understand the genocidal nature of the hebrew crusades, i feel that jesus was quite clear in his teachings against war... or am i off-base here?...
i am tired of being represented by a conservative majority of christians who support such statements as above... i am so grieved by such statements...
wait a minute, am i being intolerant of intolerant people who claim to be promoting this virture of tolerance by take-over?...
"This is a religious war, not against Islam but for Christianity, for a Christian nation," Coulter said. "When this nation was founded, there was nothing like it. Our founders said there is a God and we are all equal before God. The ideal of equality and tolerance is like nothing that has ever existed in the world before. That, too, is a Christian value. The concept of equality, especially when it comes to gender equality, was not invented by Gloria Steinem -- it was invented by Jesus Christ. As long as people look long enough, they will always come to Christianity."
check out this next quote...
"We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war."
the above was is a quote from this here and here... and here is more...
can you see the irony here?... that christianity has ideals of tolerance and equality, but we cannot tolerate or put on a equal playing field those who do not share our ideals!... how messed up is that!...
it's a way of short-circuiting things that is so western... we think that every thing should happen quickly and with force... empire-building... many people view christianity the same way... empire-building that is... but it ends up not as god's empire, but an individual's empire... here is an old post of mine on the inefficiency of god...
i mean how can this be spoken of a person (jesus) who said to turn the other cheek, to consider yourself blessed when you are persecuted, to walk the extra mile?... how can people reconcile war to the teachings and life of christ?...
anyways, hasn't the usa spent a great deal of effort in these last decades encouraging peace and anti-retaliation to other nations (such as israel)?... what makes the usa great is our ability to inspire other countries by our way of life... and sometimes its not all that inspiring... and that is to be expected... but 'standing up democracies' as cheney says, is no way of implementing goodness throughout the rest of the world...
jesus was very clear when he spoke to peter who was taking action against the roman guard, saying that the kingdom of god will not be advanced by force, particularly political force!...
i have heard christians speak of this war being a continuation of the wars of the old testament, tearing down 'false gods' and implementing the rule of god... absurdity!... first, the us is not israel... second, while i don't completely understand the genocidal nature of the hebrew crusades, i feel that jesus was quite clear in his teachings against war... or am i off-base here?...
i am tired of being represented by a conservative majority of christians who support such statements as above... i am so grieved by such statements...
wait a minute, am i being intolerant of intolerant people who claim to be promoting this virture of tolerance by take-over?...
Thursday, October 14, 2004
favorite parts of last night's debates...
perhaps the religious language was used to manipulate, but i choose not to believe that... i want to believe that these men do operate of some form of faith... my favorite quotes were from senator kerry...
And as President Kennedy said when he ran for president, he said, "I'm not running to be a Catholic president. I'm running to be a president who happens to be Catholic."
My faith affects everything that I do, in truth. There's a great passage of the Bible that says, "What does it mean, my brother, to say you have faith if there are no deeds? Faith without works is dead."
And I think that everything you do in public life has to be guided by your faith, affected by your faith, but without transferring it in any official way to other people.
That's why I fight against poverty. That's why I fight to clean up the environment and protect this earth.
That's why I fight for equality and justice. All of those things come out of that fundamental teaching and belief of faith.
But I know this, that President Kennedy in his inaugural address told all of us that here on Earth, God's work must truly be our own. And that's what we have to -- I think that's the test of public service.
...
I was taught -- I went to a church school and I was taught that the two greatest commandments are: Love the Lord, your God, with all your mind, your body and your soul, and love your neighbor as yourself. And frankly, I think we have a lot more loving of our neighbor to do in this country and on this planet.
i too think that i (and we) have far to go as far as expanding god's kingdom by way of loving our neighbor... what happens when the church fails to love her neighbor and extends this to her view on foreign policy (like declaring war on other nations that we fear could hurt us)?... what if god's patience with the church runs out?... what if he is working expanding his kingdom in ways other than the church (of course he is...) doug has an interesting post that inspired a couple of these thoughts...
And as President Kennedy said when he ran for president, he said, "I'm not running to be a Catholic president. I'm running to be a president who happens to be Catholic."
My faith affects everything that I do, in truth. There's a great passage of the Bible that says, "What does it mean, my brother, to say you have faith if there are no deeds? Faith without works is dead."
And I think that everything you do in public life has to be guided by your faith, affected by your faith, but without transferring it in any official way to other people.
That's why I fight against poverty. That's why I fight to clean up the environment and protect this earth.
That's why I fight for equality and justice. All of those things come out of that fundamental teaching and belief of faith.
But I know this, that President Kennedy in his inaugural address told all of us that here on Earth, God's work must truly be our own. And that's what we have to -- I think that's the test of public service.
...
I was taught -- I went to a church school and I was taught that the two greatest commandments are: Love the Lord, your God, with all your mind, your body and your soul, and love your neighbor as yourself. And frankly, I think we have a lot more loving of our neighbor to do in this country and on this planet.
i too think that i (and we) have far to go as far as expanding god's kingdom by way of loving our neighbor... what happens when the church fails to love her neighbor and extends this to her view on foreign policy (like declaring war on other nations that we fear could hurt us)?... what if god's patience with the church runs out?... what if he is working expanding his kingdom in ways other than the church (of course he is...) doug has an interesting post that inspired a couple of these thoughts...
views on hell with mclaren and company...
'a generous orthodoxy' is such a wonderful book... buy it here please and read it cover to cover...
while you wait, get in on the conversation or just read... chapter four struck a chord with issues of hell and the church's misuse of 'scaring the hell out of people'... is hell a place or an inability to love?...
this guys post is great... great ideas... cs lewis' book 'the great divorce' is an interesting fictional essay on hell... even his narnia books hint at the idea of all things done in love, all lives lived in love being 'of God'...
while you wait, get in on the conversation or just read... chapter four struck a chord with issues of hell and the church's misuse of 'scaring the hell out of people'... is hell a place or an inability to love?...
this guys post is great... great ideas... cs lewis' book 'the great divorce' is an interesting fictional essay on hell... even his narnia books hint at the idea of all things done in love, all lives lived in love being 'of God'...
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
what really bothers me...
first, the piece of food/spit on the corner of bush's mouth...
second, that there are actually pastors out there saying what was said tonight, 'it is a sin to vote for a man who believes in a woman's right to choose'...
both are making me sick, but kerry's thoughts on faith and life were nothing short of brilliant and i share his view...
second, that there are actually pastors out there saying what was said tonight, 'it is a sin to vote for a man who believes in a woman's right to choose'...
both are making me sick, but kerry's thoughts on faith and life were nothing short of brilliant and i share his view...
sojo newsletter...
another great article in the sojo newsletter... sign up to support or get this newsletter brought to you by jim wallis and folks... as always, i do not necessarily endorse all being said, but it is some interesting stuff... even if it's from a conservative republican!...
U.S. interests vs. global interests
by David Batstone
Clyde Prestowitz is deeply troubled by the foreign relations of the United States. He fears that we are becoming a "rogue nation" that violates international agreements and alliances with scant consideration for the long-term consequences. In short, the U.S. is making the world a more dangerous place, says Prestowitz.
I found his message so compelling that I tracked down a filmed interview with Prestowitz. We offer our SojoMail readers a short cut for your viewing (find the link at the end of the column).
Prestowitz's voice is all the more intriguing given his pedigree. Once a senior counselor to the secretary of commerce in the Reagan administration, Prestowitz is a self-identified "super-patriotic," "conservative," and life-long Republican. He held senior executive posts in major international corporations and wrote an influential book on trade relations between the U.S. and Japan. He currently is president of the Economic Strategy Institute.
Prestowitz is also a born-again Christian and serves as an elder at his evangelical Presbyterian church. He does not turn his deep faith into a divine blessing of partisan politics, however. "Politicians who use God as a prop for their campaigns should remember that God is not mocked," Prestowitz wrote in his book, Rogue Nation. Yet Prestowitz unabashedly says it is his faith in Jesus that informs the way he interprets the world, and the values that guide his actions.
Moral vision. That's what I found missing in the first two presidential debates. Based on the debates, one could not be blamed for thinking that the U.S. and Iraq were the only two nations in the world that mattered (and the latter due only to its tragic bond with the former). Undoubtedly, a debate on foreign policy should include Iraq - how the U.S. military got in there and how it will get out, what sovereignty in Iraq would mean, and whether the U.S. will go it alone in solving the problem or find a significant group of allies (beyond the U.K.) to "win the peace."
But let's put Iraq in proper perspective. Over two debates, I did not hear one question address the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Do we really think that peace will come to the Middle East without resolving that issue? On that note, what has the Bush administration done over the past four years to move a political solution to the West Bank closer to reality? I reckon the policy has been stone-walled...literally.
I heard one question over two debates on Sudan and the genocide taking place there - and the responses of both candidates were terribly tepid and disappointing. Even less attention was given to AIDS and hunger, which loom slightly more extreme on the global suffering scale than what's happening in Iraq. How the U.S. will relate to the looming global superpower, China, also was completely ignored; only passing reference to China was made in connection to a policy toward North Korea. Europe also barely appeared on the debate map; a single question about Russia took care of that continent. Most of the debate kept coming back to two words: Iraq and terrorism.
But my beef goes beyond geopolitical slights. Prestowitz, I believe, is asking the right questions. He morally rejects the idea of a "first strike" by which the U.S. can attack any country that may be perceived to pose a threat to the security of our nation. In a recent interview, he decries the Bush administration's foreign policy as "the kind of slaying of dragons, messianic foreign adventure that traditional conservatives have always been opposed to." In other words, pre-emptive military strikes are immoral. The Pope says so, as do most leaders of Christian churches around the globe.
How telling that during the first debate, Bush believed that he had caught Kerry out when he used the words "global test" as a means to evaluate appropriate foreign policy. The Kerry camp tried to do "damage control," claiming that its candidate indeed would act unilaterally to advance U.S. economic and political interests.
Prestowitz argues that the U.S. once defined its national interests in terms that the whole world could embrace - strong global institutions, due process, and the rule of law. We now make foreign policy on the narrow terms of what is best for America. We once supported international alliances within the U.N. and NATO - we now deem them irrelevant and dangerous to our national interests. We increasingly act alone, without "testing" the wisdom and value of our policy with anyone. This direction for foreign policy should be the subject of moral debate.
You name the foreign policy topic - trade relations, environment, economic aid, energy, agriculture - and the same moral question arises. Do we act justly in consideration of the needs and goals of other nations, or do we blindly follow "America first?" Prestowitz suggests that our leaders have adopted the latter tack, which betrays his deepest Christian values. I cannot agree more.
See an excerpt of the Prestowitz interview made exclusively for SojoMail:
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U.S. interests vs. global interests
by David Batstone
Clyde Prestowitz is deeply troubled by the foreign relations of the United States. He fears that we are becoming a "rogue nation" that violates international agreements and alliances with scant consideration for the long-term consequences. In short, the U.S. is making the world a more dangerous place, says Prestowitz.
I found his message so compelling that I tracked down a filmed interview with Prestowitz. We offer our SojoMail readers a short cut for your viewing (find the link at the end of the column).
Prestowitz's voice is all the more intriguing given his pedigree. Once a senior counselor to the secretary of commerce in the Reagan administration, Prestowitz is a self-identified "super-patriotic," "conservative," and life-long Republican. He held senior executive posts in major international corporations and wrote an influential book on trade relations between the U.S. and Japan. He currently is president of the Economic Strategy Institute.
Prestowitz is also a born-again Christian and serves as an elder at his evangelical Presbyterian church. He does not turn his deep faith into a divine blessing of partisan politics, however. "Politicians who use God as a prop for their campaigns should remember that God is not mocked," Prestowitz wrote in his book, Rogue Nation. Yet Prestowitz unabashedly says it is his faith in Jesus that informs the way he interprets the world, and the values that guide his actions.
Moral vision. That's what I found missing in the first two presidential debates. Based on the debates, one could not be blamed for thinking that the U.S. and Iraq were the only two nations in the world that mattered (and the latter due only to its tragic bond with the former). Undoubtedly, a debate on foreign policy should include Iraq - how the U.S. military got in there and how it will get out, what sovereignty in Iraq would mean, and whether the U.S. will go it alone in solving the problem or find a significant group of allies (beyond the U.K.) to "win the peace."
But let's put Iraq in proper perspective. Over two debates, I did not hear one question address the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Do we really think that peace will come to the Middle East without resolving that issue? On that note, what has the Bush administration done over the past four years to move a political solution to the West Bank closer to reality? I reckon the policy has been stone-walled...literally.
I heard one question over two debates on Sudan and the genocide taking place there - and the responses of both candidates were terribly tepid and disappointing. Even less attention was given to AIDS and hunger, which loom slightly more extreme on the global suffering scale than what's happening in Iraq. How the U.S. will relate to the looming global superpower, China, also was completely ignored; only passing reference to China was made in connection to a policy toward North Korea. Europe also barely appeared on the debate map; a single question about Russia took care of that continent. Most of the debate kept coming back to two words: Iraq and terrorism.
But my beef goes beyond geopolitical slights. Prestowitz, I believe, is asking the right questions. He morally rejects the idea of a "first strike" by which the U.S. can attack any country that may be perceived to pose a threat to the security of our nation. In a recent interview, he decries the Bush administration's foreign policy as "the kind of slaying of dragons, messianic foreign adventure that traditional conservatives have always been opposed to." In other words, pre-emptive military strikes are immoral. The Pope says so, as do most leaders of Christian churches around the globe.
How telling that during the first debate, Bush believed that he had caught Kerry out when he used the words "global test" as a means to evaluate appropriate foreign policy. The Kerry camp tried to do "damage control," claiming that its candidate indeed would act unilaterally to advance U.S. economic and political interests.
Prestowitz argues that the U.S. once defined its national interests in terms that the whole world could embrace - strong global institutions, due process, and the rule of law. We now make foreign policy on the narrow terms of what is best for America. We once supported international alliances within the U.N. and NATO - we now deem them irrelevant and dangerous to our national interests. We increasingly act alone, without "testing" the wisdom and value of our policy with anyone. This direction for foreign policy should be the subject of moral debate.
You name the foreign policy topic - trade relations, environment, economic aid, energy, agriculture - and the same moral question arises. Do we act justly in consideration of the needs and goals of other nations, or do we blindly follow "America first?" Prestowitz suggests that our leaders have adopted the latter tack, which betrays his deepest Christian values. I cannot agree more.
See an excerpt of the Prestowitz interview made exclusively for SojoMail:
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Monday, October 11, 2004
how can we express god's love in this election year?...
i think i am not going to respond to my brother's post on his support of president bush or his questions of my support of senator kerry... while i remain (at this time) a supporter of kerry, i don't know if this is as virtuous a conversation (from my end) as i thought it would be... that is, i am beginning to see that i was rallying a political party, not a cause of christ... does this make sense?...
brian has an amazing lecture that is less than 40 minutes that is available here for download... it is the sept 26th sermon called 'faith in an election year'... it says all i could say... that we must figure out how to use our power to support those who need support, not to just seek our personal gain, our party's gain, or even our nation's gain... please watch it... thanks...
brian has an amazing lecture that is less than 40 minutes that is available here for download... it is the sept 26th sermon called 'faith in an election year'... it says all i could say... that we must figure out how to use our power to support those who need support, not to just seek our personal gain, our party's gain, or even our nation's gain... please watch it... thanks...
Sunday, October 10, 2004
nt wright resources... and some rob bell... oh, and brian...
one of the most thought-out christian theologians in this century has some online resources... [read 'downloadable mp3s']
Future of the People of God talks | open source theology - i loved these... listened to all four talks...
NT Wright Homepage - i haven't yet downloaded, but plan to... thought id pass it on...
also, rob bell has some great online resources...
Mars Hill - a Jesus Community - this is the church's website with most of rob's talks... incredible stuff...
brian mclaren has some great online stuff...
Cedar Ridge: engaging conversation - i love this guy...
okay, enough for tonight...
Future of the People of God talks | open source theology - i loved these... listened to all four talks...
NT Wright Homepage - i haven't yet downloaded, but plan to... thought id pass it on...
also, rob bell has some great online resources...
Mars Hill - a Jesus Community - this is the church's website with most of rob's talks... incredible stuff...
brian mclaren has some great online stuff...
Cedar Ridge: engaging conversation - i love this guy...
okay, enough for tonight...
40 days of fermentation...
so, holly finally owned up to a present she promised me for christmas last year... my own micro-brewing kit... sweet!...
so i am reading and seeing just how long this stuff makes and come to find out... it's gonna take like 40 days to ferment and fully process... that's way longer than i bargained for, but i guess since we paid $30 for the set, i should go for it...
some pics of the first days' process...
and so the journey begins... i hope i don't screw it up... i mean, you can't like die from a yeast mistake or something... can you?...
so i am reading and seeing just how long this stuff makes and come to find out... it's gonna take like 40 days to ferment and fully process... that's way longer than i bargained for, but i guess since we paid $30 for the set, i should go for it...
some pics of the first days' process...
and so the journey begins... i hope i don't screw it up... i mean, you can't like die from a yeast mistake or something... can you?...
the death of jaques derrida...
TallSkinnyKiwi's blog reads...
"Derrida added scepticism to a world of certitudes where every word had a final meaning and everything appeared to be simple." Dr.C.Rajendran, comment on BTV News
"France has given the world one of its greatest contemporary philosophers, one of the major intellectual figures of our time". Jacques Chirac, the French president, News Telegraph.
"Architects and designers could claim to take a deconstructionist approach to buildings by abandoning traditional symmetry and creating amorphously shaped spaces. The filmmaker Woody Allen titled one of his movies "Deconstructing Harry," to suggest that his protagonist could best be understood by breaking down and analyzing his neurotic contradictions." Twincities
Derrida died on Friday...
Read the whole thing.
"Derrida added scepticism to a world of certitudes where every word had a final meaning and everything appeared to be simple." Dr.C.Rajendran, comment on BTV News
"France has given the world one of its greatest contemporary philosophers, one of the major intellectual figures of our time". Jacques Chirac, the French president, News Telegraph.
"Architects and designers could claim to take a deconstructionist approach to buildings by abandoning traditional symmetry and creating amorphously shaped spaces. The filmmaker Woody Allen titled one of his movies "Deconstructing Harry," to suggest that his protagonist could best be understood by breaking down and analyzing his neurotic contradictions." Twincities
Derrida died on Friday...
Read the whole thing.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
the emergent gathering...
one of the most important things i have done in my life is attend this gathering... it is a week-long meeting of freethinkers in the world of emerging christianity and spirituality... anyone is invited and it costs nothing but lodging and food... no 'conference fee'...
the strange thing is that in spite of (or perhaps because of) this being a 'free event', i have found it difficult to really 'pitch' people on it... its obviously a multiday commitment, but it will help you feel not alone!...
for those of you asking some questions in the church world, for those of your who do not see things lining up, for those of you who think the church is failing, for those of you who dont even want to be a part of the church anymore... this week is for you...
hang with the likes of doug pagitt, mark scandrette, michael toy, brian mclaren, damien and jen o'farrell, holly and ryan sharp and many more... we will talk, drink, and be merry...
again, check it out!...
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
no wmd's?...
... and this is my problem with this war (actually it is but one of the many sides of me believing this war is evil and sad)... there is now conclusive evidence of no capabilities or stockpiles of wmd's or chemical plants... as far as we can tell, the un's resolutions had proven successful!...
so, i hear a person say its about intent... sadam had intent to harm the united states... even though upon inauguration, pres. bush said they felt there was no threat from iraq!...
and now bush says that even with no imminent threat, we did the right thing?!?...
WE ARE NOT THE WORLD POLICE. THIS IS WHY THE UN IS A GOOD AGENT OF ACCOUNTABILITY. WE CANNOT GO AROUND THE WORLD ATTACKING PEOPLE BECAUSE WE THINK THEY DO NOT LIKE US OR VALUE OUR WAY OF LIFE.
sorry for the yelling, but this seems so clear to me whether you are a republican, democrat, or (as i am) non-partisan (in registration, that is)...
i wish we could use this moment in time to cease the us's fear campaign... challenge the american public to stop looking down on the rest of the world (even in the subtlety of our language) and put ourselves in a place to bring healing to the world...
perhaps i am waxing too philosophically... perhaps its time for bed...
i still plan to respond to my brother's post, but not today...
so, i hear a person say its about intent... sadam had intent to harm the united states... even though upon inauguration, pres. bush said they felt there was no threat from iraq!...
and now bush says that even with no imminent threat, we did the right thing?!?...
WE ARE NOT THE WORLD POLICE. THIS IS WHY THE UN IS A GOOD AGENT OF ACCOUNTABILITY. WE CANNOT GO AROUND THE WORLD ATTACKING PEOPLE BECAUSE WE THINK THEY DO NOT LIKE US OR VALUE OUR WAY OF LIFE.
sorry for the yelling, but this seems so clear to me whether you are a republican, democrat, or (as i am) non-partisan (in registration, that is)...
i wish we could use this moment in time to cease the us's fear campaign... challenge the american public to stop looking down on the rest of the world (even in the subtlety of our language) and put ourselves in a place to bring healing to the world...
perhaps i am waxing too philosophically... perhaps its time for bed...
i still plan to respond to my brother's post, but not today...
us worship leader types...
i think tony's on to something that i find myself doing... i know that i say some really stupid things sometimes with that smirk of "isn't this just great?"...
so what is to be done to ensure tha tworship leaders aren't just espousing 'unthought-about' theology... i mean, isnt this one of the dilemmas of having such young worship leaders?... we aren't as educated, aren't as thought through...
any thoughts out there?...
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
part 3 - a civil conversation between brothers about politics...
see part 1
see part 2
wes (my sister's boyfriend) responds:
Quote Neil: "He claims to be behind our men and women in the military, yet he turned on his own "band of brothers" in Vietnam and called them rapists"
I have never heard him use the term rapist but Kerry did show true American heroism by going to war for his country. People slam him for coming home and protesting Vietnam, but how can you even slam him for protesting something he saw with his own eyes. He did not earn his medals for taking pictures or being a journalist (Gore) he sweated, bled, and witnessed useless death. Bush and the GOP love to call him on his Vietnam record, but at least he did not use his Daddy's influence to get out of going. At least he didn't go AWOL when it was his turn to fight.
Quote Neil: "Kerry's voting record in the Senate shows that he has missed over 70% of the votes on issues over his 20-year career. You can't be a leader and be absent at the same time, in the same way that you cannot be a father and be absent at the same time."
Bush has spent more than 40% of his presidency on vacation @ one of his three retreats (Crawford, Kennebunkport, Camp David). link
The avg American worker spends 33% of their days away from work. A "War President" spending this much time away from the office is ridiculous. I am not trying to prop up Kerry on this because missing 70% of his votes is absolutely pathetic.
Quote Neil: "The war with Iraq was not fought on the premise that "we're going to war because Saddam Hussein has WMD's""
The Bush White house was sure on TV a lot before we invaded Iraq talking about how threatening their WMDs are and how they are an IMMINENT threat to American Soil. The American media could have pulled off a massive Michael Moore driven conspiracy but I highly doubt it. If the President is so worried about how Al-Queda is a threat to the US (which he should be) then why didn't he invade Afghanistan with the manpower he did in Iraq to find and kill Osama??? Osama has been proven to be behind the deaths of 3k+ American lives and yet we let him sit in a cave plotting his next target??? To date 1066 Americans have died in the Iraq War. link
That is roughly 1/3 of the number of Americans who died on Sept 11……..
Quote Neil: "This year, we will receive a tax cut on our federal income tax, which is also much needed. Without it, we will have a hard time building a house."
If you truly need this tax break to build a house maybe you should consider a cheaper dwelling. Please talk to a person truly in poverty and then start complaining about not having enough money. This tax break would not be such a problem if we would not be in the biggest budget deficit in the history of this country. link Not that this obscene amount of debt the country is bad enough, but Bush inherited a balanced budget when he entered office... And Democrats are known to spend us into oblivion. We are going to have to pay for this global war on terror some how and it makes bad business sense to give income back when you are already in the RED. Robbing Peter to pay Paul is going to have to end or you can kiss great programs such as Social Security and Medicare Goodbye. The great Iraq war has cost somewhere around $120-$200 million. link
This excess spending would cut the deficit in half.
Quote Neil: "Doesn't seem like such a sour economy to me. Under President Bush, the economy has grown."
My company has had major layoffs (on level of 30%) and I believe Neil’s company has gone through similar times. Sure are a lot of layoffs going on during a Growing Economy?
Quote Neil: "Drilling in Alaska would not harm the environment, with the current methods of drilling"
This is an absolutely false statement. I have seen these drilling processes in person offshore and what it does to the environment.
"Of the 33,000 miles of pipeline in the U.S. Gulf, MMS said 13 leaks had been reported, one of which resulted in a fire that eventually burned out." link
Things happen that cause even the best engineering to fail (see Exxon Valdez). Even if no disasters happen, the drilling process itself would destroy a significant portion of land just for the infrastructure that is needed (pipelines, eqpt roads, etc). There are too many other places that oil can be found such as the deep ocean. There is an entire industry of people willing and able to go for it, just waiting for the nod from oil companies. There is no need to touch places such as Alaska, California, and Florida until needed. The environment is something we cannot tarnish because we cannot get it back. The govt should use all available resources to facilitate the saving of the environment. A govt agency such as Nasa should be set up to set the pace for American industry.
see part 2
wes (my sister's boyfriend) responds:
Quote Neil: "He claims to be behind our men and women in the military, yet he turned on his own "band of brothers" in Vietnam and called them rapists"
I have never heard him use the term rapist but Kerry did show true American heroism by going to war for his country. People slam him for coming home and protesting Vietnam, but how can you even slam him for protesting something he saw with his own eyes. He did not earn his medals for taking pictures or being a journalist (Gore) he sweated, bled, and witnessed useless death. Bush and the GOP love to call him on his Vietnam record, but at least he did not use his Daddy's influence to get out of going. At least he didn't go AWOL when it was his turn to fight.
Quote Neil: "Kerry's voting record in the Senate shows that he has missed over 70% of the votes on issues over his 20-year career. You can't be a leader and be absent at the same time, in the same way that you cannot be a father and be absent at the same time."
Bush has spent more than 40% of his presidency on vacation @ one of his three retreats (Crawford, Kennebunkport, Camp David). link
The avg American worker spends 33% of their days away from work. A "War President" spending this much time away from the office is ridiculous. I am not trying to prop up Kerry on this because missing 70% of his votes is absolutely pathetic.
Quote Neil: "The war with Iraq was not fought on the premise that "we're going to war because Saddam Hussein has WMD's""
The Bush White house was sure on TV a lot before we invaded Iraq talking about how threatening their WMDs are and how they are an IMMINENT threat to American Soil. The American media could have pulled off a massive Michael Moore driven conspiracy but I highly doubt it. If the President is so worried about how Al-Queda is a threat to the US (which he should be) then why didn't he invade Afghanistan with the manpower he did in Iraq to find and kill Osama??? Osama has been proven to be behind the deaths of 3k+ American lives and yet we let him sit in a cave plotting his next target??? To date 1066 Americans have died in the Iraq War. link
That is roughly 1/3 of the number of Americans who died on Sept 11……..
Quote Neil: "This year, we will receive a tax cut on our federal income tax, which is also much needed. Without it, we will have a hard time building a house."
If you truly need this tax break to build a house maybe you should consider a cheaper dwelling. Please talk to a person truly in poverty and then start complaining about not having enough money. This tax break would not be such a problem if we would not be in the biggest budget deficit in the history of this country. link Not that this obscene amount of debt the country is bad enough, but Bush inherited a balanced budget when he entered office... And Democrats are known to spend us into oblivion. We are going to have to pay for this global war on terror some how and it makes bad business sense to give income back when you are already in the RED. Robbing Peter to pay Paul is going to have to end or you can kiss great programs such as Social Security and Medicare Goodbye. The great Iraq war has cost somewhere around $120-$200 million. link
This excess spending would cut the deficit in half.
Quote Neil: "Doesn't seem like such a sour economy to me. Under President Bush, the economy has grown."
My company has had major layoffs (on level of 30%) and I believe Neil’s company has gone through similar times. Sure are a lot of layoffs going on during a Growing Economy?
Quote Neil: "Drilling in Alaska would not harm the environment, with the current methods of drilling"
This is an absolutely false statement. I have seen these drilling processes in person offshore and what it does to the environment.
"Of the 33,000 miles of pipeline in the U.S. Gulf, MMS said 13 leaks had been reported, one of which resulted in a fire that eventually burned out." link
Things happen that cause even the best engineering to fail (see Exxon Valdez). Even if no disasters happen, the drilling process itself would destroy a significant portion of land just for the infrastructure that is needed (pipelines, eqpt roads, etc). There are too many other places that oil can be found such as the deep ocean. There is an entire industry of people willing and able to go for it, just waiting for the nod from oil companies. There is no need to touch places such as Alaska, California, and Florida until needed. The environment is something we cannot tarnish because we cannot get it back. The govt should use all available resources to facilitate the saving of the environment. A govt agency such as Nasa should be set up to set the pace for American industry.
what a quagmire...
gotta say, i could not stay seated this last hour and a half as i watched the vp debate... i appreciated cheney's calmness... i felt anxious for edwards almost the whole time... not sure who i think 'won', but for sure, i was with edwards in the beginning, though i did get a bit annoyed at his continual dodge of certain questions...
some links i think worth visiting...
kerry recieves endorsement from world...
kerry's response on the debate video...
a little 'fact checker' about some of cheney's claims...
how both candidates skewed facts...
kerry comments on the attacks on his 'global test' statement...
i will comment on neil's post tomorrow... sleep tight...
some links i think worth visiting...
kerry recieves endorsement from world...
kerry's response on the debate video...
a little 'fact checker' about some of cheney's claims...
how both candidates skewed facts...
kerry comments on the attacks on his 'global test' statement...
i will comment on neil's post tomorrow... sleep tight...
part 2 - a civil conversation between brothers about politics...
See Post 1
Neil Responds:
I would agree -- I want a leader that is able to admit his faults and move on. However, I do not see Kerry as that leader. He does not admit his faults and move on; he just changes his position. A good example of this was in the debate last week. He flip-flopped on his stance with the war in Iraq: first, it was a war we shouldn't be in; then, it was imperative that we be in the war. Another good example was his voting in the Senate on the $87 billion war supplement. He claimed in the debates that he would not vote to send people into combat without them being well-armed and protected; yet, he voted against the monies to buy protective armor for our soldiers. He claims to be behind our men and women in the military, yet he turned on his own "band of brothers" in Vietnam and called them rapists. He is not consistent, at all. See http://media1.streamtoyou.com/rnc/100104v1.wmv. Also, see http://www.gop.com/RNCResearch/Read.aspx?id=4285 for his voting record. You may be surprised.
I do want a leader that will stand up for his constituents. That requires someone who is involved in government. Kerry's voting record in the Senate shows that he has missed over 70% of the votes on issues over his 20-year career. You can't be a leader and be absent at the same time, in the same way that you cannot be a father and be absent at the same time. http://www.gop.com/RNCResearch/read.aspx?ID=4500
I do not see Bush as smugly self-righteous. I see a man of conviction, yes. I see a man who does not back down on his convictions. Now, I agree, you can be convicted and be wrong about things in life. The Christians were convicted during the Crusades, but their actions were wrong. But, I do not see where Bush has acted this way. He made the decision (with Congress' backing, mind you) to go to war in both Afghanistan and Iraq (and anywhere else we were threatened) to protect the U.S. The war with Iraq was not fought on the premise that "we're going to war because Saddam Hussein has WMD's". Now, if you get your information solely from the American media, that's what you will hear. If you dig into their sources, you will find that they are twisting truths into a lie. We went to war, because Iraq was linked with Al-Qaeda. If you believe the line that the 9/11 Commission said there was no link between Iraq and Al-Queda, then you are believing a lie. Read the report -- it states that there were ties between them. But, the media does not show this -- they twist truths into a lie. Iraq and Afghanistan have far-reaching consequences that will play out in our lifetime. By removing Osama bin-Laden and Saddam Hussein, and by setting up democracies in those countries, you are changing the mindset of the center of the most volatile location in the world. I don't see that as empire-building; I see that as an intelligent strategy in a war. We have not come in, bombed, and left, as most countries would. No, we're re-building those countries into a better future for their citizens. The same as we did in Japan. The same as we did in Germany. Neither of which are our empires, strangely....
I agree that it is the government's responsibility to look out for the protection of all people in the United States; that includes the born, the unborn, the heterosexual, the homosexual, the average person, the wealthy and the poor. However, I do not believe that ANY racial group in the US should have special rights and privileges; if a group of people decide that they want to become a new "race", that does not give them the rights of racial groups. Homosexuality is a lifestyle choice made consciously by people; it is not a genetic defect, and has never been shown to be so. Therefore, homosexuals are not a "race", and they are not guaranteed civil rights and special rights as a group. Yes, they do have human rights, and they are to be respected as people and citizens of the U.S.; their socially-deviant behavior is not. If people suddenly decide that humans can unite with animals or adults can unite with children, should we support this in the U.S.? This is the direction we're headed -- view history, and research the gods Molech, Baal and Aphrodite. This is no different than a group of people deciding that murder is OK, and so we should protect them and make it legal to murder (oh, wait, have we done this?). I also do not believe that ANY people group should be able to control the media as much as homosexuals (and their agenda-pushers) do. If someone wants to be a homosexual, fine; that is their lifestyle choice. But, I and my family do not need to know it, and we certainly do not need to have it shoved down our throats at every opportunity. Now, should we love them? Yes. But (cliche answer), love the sinner, hate the sin. We cannot invite people with unrecognized or un-dealt-with sin into positions in the church where they have influence. Invite them to church -- YES! Christ ate with the sinners and tax-collectors. He met them where they were at...but not to keep them there. He lifted them up out of their sin with loving confrontation and accountability, to be better people.
The unborn should be protected, because they are children. An amazing statistic was presented to me the other day by our church's pregnancy resource center. Of the women that visit the center, looking for counseling on getting an abortion, 70% change their mind once they are shown a sonogram of their child. Why? Because they see (usually for the first time) that the child is alive and is a "child", not a "thing". On the topic of the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA), I am very much for it. Here is my reasoning. Marriage is defined as the union between a man (male) and his wife (female). Nature reinforces that, most religious establishments endorse that, and our culture was founded upon that. If you read throughout history, you will see that, when this foundation of civilized society is abandoned, the culture will spiral downward to its end. This was true for the Sodomites; it was true for the Canaanites; it was true for the Romans; and, it will be true for the U.S., if we do not change our path. Those who do not heed history are doomed to repeat it.
Well, apparently, I'm rich. According to Kerry, that is. I received President Bush's tax refund 2 or 3 years ago, at a time when we desperately needed it. This year, we will receive a tax cut on our federal income tax, which is also much needed. Without it, we will have a hard time building a house. Sound trite? Not really -- we're employing people and keeping the economy moving. True, I do not make minimum wage, but I also make substantially less than "the rich". I also tithe each paycheck. So, after taxes and tithing, I'm taking home about 60% of what my salary is. Somehow, I don't feel "rich". Kerry rails against Bush's tax cut, and yet the economy has been strengthened by it. Ask any economist with an unbiased viewpoint! Giving the people back money in their pockets to spend is the fastest way out of a downward economy. Giving people tax breaks helps them and the economy grow. Starting more social programs with increased taxes only enslaves people to the government. True, some people need these programs to get back on their feet; that's what they were designed for, and I'm all for that. However, most people on government programs never come off them. Why? Why should they? They get a free paycheck from the government for doing nothing. There is no incentive to get people off of welfare, and there should be. (II Thess 3:10 - "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.'") I do not believe it is the government's job to watch over the poor -- that is the church's job (James 1:27 - "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."). I really do believe in President Bush's program to give government funds back to churches and social organizations that help the poor. Interesting point: two presidents in the past have helped people by empowering them -- and yes, the country went into a deficit as a result -- F.D.R. and Ronald Reagan. Both were great presidents with lasting results.
An aside: Contrary to what the Dallas Morning News recently reported, the middle class income has risen over the past 2 years. The wealthiest incomes have dropped, and more people have moved into the "middle-class" from the "lower-class". Doesn't seem like such a sour economy to me. Under President Bush, the economy has grown.
I would be interested in the indictments on Bush and the environment. As far as I know, the two big things the "tree-huggers" don't like are drilling for oil in Alaska and the Kyoto treaty. The first topic (Alaska) is a no-brainer. We use oil; we will continue to use oil. Oil drives our economy, literally. However, we keep shooting ourselves in the foot by becoming more relient on outside oil than on our own (did you know California is the highest importer of foreign oil in the U.S.?). Drilling in Alaska would not harm the environment, with the current methods of drilling. Sure, there's the possibility of disaster; there was the possibility of disaster in going to space, too. Should we have done it? I would love to have a hydrogen car, but that's not feasible right now. Maybe it will be in the future, and there are companies working towards it. I agree that the government should put its resources towards this end AND towards cleaning up where we can. However, a treaty like the Kyoto Treaty would do nothing but put American businesses out of business. It was not designed to clean up the world; it was designed to put false restrictions on (mainly) U.S. companies. Why would a president sign something that would put his own country out of business? Does that make economic sense? All companies are created to make money; and, public companies have to show that they're making money to look good in the stock market. That's capitalism in the U.S. If there are gains to be made in alternative fuels, they will have to be shown to make money fairly quickly, or no company will take on the task. It's not the government's responsibility to run the day-to-day affairs of companies. However, providing tax breaks for hydrogen/electric cars is something I am all-for, for early-adopters. And, you do get a tax break for owning a hybrid or electric car now. I'm sure you will for an H-powered car, when they are viable vehicles.
The U.N. has a place. It was designed as a place to come together and work out differences before going to war. However, it has failed in its usefulness, and it has become a country-club where dictators pass money around. Just look at the oil-for-food scandal. This type of universal-governing body is a nice thought, but it is very difficult to play it out in real life. Human beings are not basically good in our nature. We are of Adam, and we are born into sin. Kerry's take on world politics scares me. He has a very elementary grasp of world politics: he thinks that, if he becomes President, France and Germany will all-of-a-sudden work with us and the U.N. will become our greatest ally. I think that's a little optimistic, don't you? I don't think France or Germany or the U.N. cares who the President of the U.S. is; they have made their choices and are sticking with them.
I do not know enough about Nader to comment on him. But, we are very much a Democratic/Republican party country. I would love to see an independent run and win, but I doubt it will happen -- that is the way of life here. What usually happens (as did in 1992), is that the 3rd-party candidate only upsets who wins, and we end up with a president elected with only 40% of the vote.
I have not heard about Kerry's health plans, so I cannot comment on them. However, his vice-president is a lawyer who specializes in healthcare class-action suits, and he's become very wealthy doing so (he's "the best", so to speak, in his field). So, tell me, how is Kerry going to get health care expenditures down when his buddy is busy driving the costs up? The real solution to the healthcare crisis is to curb the frivolous lawsuits that keep causing everyone's costs to go up and causing doctors to quit the field. The doctors I know are scared into submission anymore, for fear they'll be sued for making a wrong assessment. But, heaven forbid that they spend more than 10 minutes with each patient! Remember, they're a company that has to make a profit, too.
Alright, I'm definitely getting carpal-tunnel now! But, I hope my answers were clear. If you need clarifications or research to back up my points, let me know, and I'll send it.
Neil Responds:
I would agree -- I want a leader that is able to admit his faults and move on. However, I do not see Kerry as that leader. He does not admit his faults and move on; he just changes his position. A good example of this was in the debate last week. He flip-flopped on his stance with the war in Iraq: first, it was a war we shouldn't be in; then, it was imperative that we be in the war. Another good example was his voting in the Senate on the $87 billion war supplement. He claimed in the debates that he would not vote to send people into combat without them being well-armed and protected; yet, he voted against the monies to buy protective armor for our soldiers. He claims to be behind our men and women in the military, yet he turned on his own "band of brothers" in Vietnam and called them rapists. He is not consistent, at all. See http://media1.streamtoyou.com/rnc/100104v1.wmv. Also, see http://www.gop.com/RNCResearch/Read.aspx?id=4285 for his voting record. You may be surprised.
I do want a leader that will stand up for his constituents. That requires someone who is involved in government. Kerry's voting record in the Senate shows that he has missed over 70% of the votes on issues over his 20-year career. You can't be a leader and be absent at the same time, in the same way that you cannot be a father and be absent at the same time. http://www.gop.com/RNCResearch/read.aspx?ID=4500
I do not see Bush as smugly self-righteous. I see a man of conviction, yes. I see a man who does not back down on his convictions. Now, I agree, you can be convicted and be wrong about things in life. The Christians were convicted during the Crusades, but their actions were wrong. But, I do not see where Bush has acted this way. He made the decision (with Congress' backing, mind you) to go to war in both Afghanistan and Iraq (and anywhere else we were threatened) to protect the U.S. The war with Iraq was not fought on the premise that "we're going to war because Saddam Hussein has WMD's". Now, if you get your information solely from the American media, that's what you will hear. If you dig into their sources, you will find that they are twisting truths into a lie. We went to war, because Iraq was linked with Al-Qaeda. If you believe the line that the 9/11 Commission said there was no link between Iraq and Al-Queda, then you are believing a lie. Read the report -- it states that there were ties between them. But, the media does not show this -- they twist truths into a lie. Iraq and Afghanistan have far-reaching consequences that will play out in our lifetime. By removing Osama bin-Laden and Saddam Hussein, and by setting up democracies in those countries, you are changing the mindset of the center of the most volatile location in the world. I don't see that as empire-building; I see that as an intelligent strategy in a war. We have not come in, bombed, and left, as most countries would. No, we're re-building those countries into a better future for their citizens. The same as we did in Japan. The same as we did in Germany. Neither of which are our empires, strangely....
I agree that it is the government's responsibility to look out for the protection of all people in the United States; that includes the born, the unborn, the heterosexual, the homosexual, the average person, the wealthy and the poor. However, I do not believe that ANY racial group in the US should have special rights and privileges; if a group of people decide that they want to become a new "race", that does not give them the rights of racial groups. Homosexuality is a lifestyle choice made consciously by people; it is not a genetic defect, and has never been shown to be so. Therefore, homosexuals are not a "race", and they are not guaranteed civil rights and special rights as a group. Yes, they do have human rights, and they are to be respected as people and citizens of the U.S.; their socially-deviant behavior is not. If people suddenly decide that humans can unite with animals or adults can unite with children, should we support this in the U.S.? This is the direction we're headed -- view history, and research the gods Molech, Baal and Aphrodite. This is no different than a group of people deciding that murder is OK, and so we should protect them and make it legal to murder (oh, wait, have we done this?). I also do not believe that ANY people group should be able to control the media as much as homosexuals (and their agenda-pushers) do. If someone wants to be a homosexual, fine; that is their lifestyle choice. But, I and my family do not need to know it, and we certainly do not need to have it shoved down our throats at every opportunity. Now, should we love them? Yes. But (cliche answer), love the sinner, hate the sin. We cannot invite people with unrecognized or un-dealt-with sin into positions in the church where they have influence. Invite them to church -- YES! Christ ate with the sinners and tax-collectors. He met them where they were at...but not to keep them there. He lifted them up out of their sin with loving confrontation and accountability, to be better people.
The unborn should be protected, because they are children. An amazing statistic was presented to me the other day by our church's pregnancy resource center. Of the women that visit the center, looking for counseling on getting an abortion, 70% change their mind once they are shown a sonogram of their child. Why? Because they see (usually for the first time) that the child is alive and is a "child", not a "thing". On the topic of the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA), I am very much for it. Here is my reasoning. Marriage is defined as the union between a man (male) and his wife (female). Nature reinforces that, most religious establishments endorse that, and our culture was founded upon that. If you read throughout history, you will see that, when this foundation of civilized society is abandoned, the culture will spiral downward to its end. This was true for the Sodomites; it was true for the Canaanites; it was true for the Romans; and, it will be true for the U.S., if we do not change our path. Those who do not heed history are doomed to repeat it.
Well, apparently, I'm rich. According to Kerry, that is. I received President Bush's tax refund 2 or 3 years ago, at a time when we desperately needed it. This year, we will receive a tax cut on our federal income tax, which is also much needed. Without it, we will have a hard time building a house. Sound trite? Not really -- we're employing people and keeping the economy moving. True, I do not make minimum wage, but I also make substantially less than "the rich". I also tithe each paycheck. So, after taxes and tithing, I'm taking home about 60% of what my salary is. Somehow, I don't feel "rich". Kerry rails against Bush's tax cut, and yet the economy has been strengthened by it. Ask any economist with an unbiased viewpoint! Giving the people back money in their pockets to spend is the fastest way out of a downward economy. Giving people tax breaks helps them and the economy grow. Starting more social programs with increased taxes only enslaves people to the government. True, some people need these programs to get back on their feet; that's what they were designed for, and I'm all for that. However, most people on government programs never come off them. Why? Why should they? They get a free paycheck from the government for doing nothing. There is no incentive to get people off of welfare, and there should be. (II Thess 3:10 - "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.'") I do not believe it is the government's job to watch over the poor -- that is the church's job (James 1:27 - "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."). I really do believe in President Bush's program to give government funds back to churches and social organizations that help the poor. Interesting point: two presidents in the past have helped people by empowering them -- and yes, the country went into a deficit as a result -- F.D.R. and Ronald Reagan. Both were great presidents with lasting results.
An aside: Contrary to what the Dallas Morning News recently reported, the middle class income has risen over the past 2 years. The wealthiest incomes have dropped, and more people have moved into the "middle-class" from the "lower-class". Doesn't seem like such a sour economy to me. Under President Bush, the economy has grown.
I would be interested in the indictments on Bush and the environment. As far as I know, the two big things the "tree-huggers" don't like are drilling for oil in Alaska and the Kyoto treaty. The first topic (Alaska) is a no-brainer. We use oil; we will continue to use oil. Oil drives our economy, literally. However, we keep shooting ourselves in the foot by becoming more relient on outside oil than on our own (did you know California is the highest importer of foreign oil in the U.S.?). Drilling in Alaska would not harm the environment, with the current methods of drilling. Sure, there's the possibility of disaster; there was the possibility of disaster in going to space, too. Should we have done it? I would love to have a hydrogen car, but that's not feasible right now. Maybe it will be in the future, and there are companies working towards it. I agree that the government should put its resources towards this end AND towards cleaning up where we can. However, a treaty like the Kyoto Treaty would do nothing but put American businesses out of business. It was not designed to clean up the world; it was designed to put false restrictions on (mainly) U.S. companies. Why would a president sign something that would put his own country out of business? Does that make economic sense? All companies are created to make money; and, public companies have to show that they're making money to look good in the stock market. That's capitalism in the U.S. If there are gains to be made in alternative fuels, they will have to be shown to make money fairly quickly, or no company will take on the task. It's not the government's responsibility to run the day-to-day affairs of companies. However, providing tax breaks for hydrogen/electric cars is something I am all-for, for early-adopters. And, you do get a tax break for owning a hybrid or electric car now. I'm sure you will for an H-powered car, when they are viable vehicles.
The U.N. has a place. It was designed as a place to come together and work out differences before going to war. However, it has failed in its usefulness, and it has become a country-club where dictators pass money around. Just look at the oil-for-food scandal. This type of universal-governing body is a nice thought, but it is very difficult to play it out in real life. Human beings are not basically good in our nature. We are of Adam, and we are born into sin. Kerry's take on world politics scares me. He has a very elementary grasp of world politics: he thinks that, if he becomes President, France and Germany will all-of-a-sudden work with us and the U.N. will become our greatest ally. I think that's a little optimistic, don't you? I don't think France or Germany or the U.N. cares who the President of the U.S. is; they have made their choices and are sticking with them.
I do not know enough about Nader to comment on him. But, we are very much a Democratic/Republican party country. I would love to see an independent run and win, but I doubt it will happen -- that is the way of life here. What usually happens (as did in 1992), is that the 3rd-party candidate only upsets who wins, and we end up with a president elected with only 40% of the vote.
I have not heard about Kerry's health plans, so I cannot comment on them. However, his vice-president is a lawyer who specializes in healthcare class-action suits, and he's become very wealthy doing so (he's "the best", so to speak, in his field). So, tell me, how is Kerry going to get health care expenditures down when his buddy is busy driving the costs up? The real solution to the healthcare crisis is to curb the frivolous lawsuits that keep causing everyone's costs to go up and causing doctors to quit the field. The doctors I know are scared into submission anymore, for fear they'll be sued for making a wrong assessment. But, heaven forbid that they spend more than 10 minutes with each patient! Remember, they're a company that has to make a profit, too.
Alright, I'm definitely getting carpal-tunnel now! But, I hope my answers were clear. If you need clarifications or research to back up my points, let me know, and I'll send it.
Monday, October 04, 2004
a civil conversation between brothers about politics...
well, after my brother urged me and several others to register to vote in an email, the door opened up for he and i to chat about our different (and perhaps similar) views on politics...
you see, we are both raised in the christian tradition... he lives in texas and i in california... we are both married with no kids (though they have a dog and we would love to have one)... he owns a home and i rent... he works for a technology company as a software developer/engineer; i am a quasi-pastor, quasi-musician/producer... we both have wives who work... we both have brownish blonde hair... he is a little taller and a few years older...
so, with his permission, we are going to publish this conversation online here on my blog... so that others can comment and people can see multiple opinions on this november election...
so the conversation begins...
Neil:
I just want everyone to get out and exercise one of the greatest rights we have in this country. I'd love to hear a defense of Kerry, though. Most democrats I know don't even like him...
Ryan:
I think it's interesting what we each look for in a leader, you know? I would rather have a person who adapts and admits to wrongs. I would rather have a person who doesn't just lead with smug self-righteousness (you don’t either I am sure). I want someone who is looking out for the good of humanity, the earth, the born, the unborn, the heterosexual, the homosexual, the average person, the wealthy person, and the poor person. We probably agree on some if not all of these things, but we take it in different ways.
I (and Kerry) thought it was fair to attack Afghanistan and to disarm the nation of Iraq, but when Bush took us to war (even claiming he is a war president), I have to take issue with that... especially now that we know that the reasons for the war's declaration were not even true. Now, were Bush to have said that he was wrong or that we were misled or whatever, I might have been able to support him. I do not value stubborness like that... To me it is arrogance. But these are my observations and opinions... Truly I am at least partially wrong.
I have other issues with Bush as well... Shall I list all the indictments on his administration and the environment (you brother the tree hugger) or how I think it is a grave mistake to even attempt at a federal legislation against same-sex marriage (I am becoming more and more of a human rights activist) and the way many Christians blindly support him really irks me!... I am not including you in that group, really. I guess my thing is that Jesus did not tow the Republican party line and he seemed to care about the poor and those who were 'outcast' from greater Jewish society for their 'sin' and he brought them into him. He even went as far to call the self-righteous Pharisees 'sons of the Devil'.
I don't know if I'd call myself a pacifist, but I am definitely not for the war in Iraq. To me it is empire-building... perhaps not with land-gathering, but with what we have secured. Rumsfield (who I have even more disdain for) has used so much empire language in talking about protecting America. Destroying anything that would compromise the American way of life. This does not seem to fit into my world view of 'turning the other cheek' (which I already find so hard to do).
I like the idea of the UN (though I did have problems with France selling arms to Iraq...) being a governing force. George Bush called himself the leader of the world, and while this in some ways is true, it is simply arrogant. I think that even the good ole US of A should be accountable to the rest of the world.
So, I haven't really said why I like Kerry. I should state for the record that in a different election year, I would have voted for Nader simply because there is major corruption in both houses (Rep and Dem) and it is time to remind America that we do not just have two parties. Am I boring you yet?
I like Kerry's health plan ideas. I like that Kerry is very pro-environment. I am hoping that we will push the Hydrogen development further. Oil must be laid to rest. I am hoping that he will give me a price break when I want to by a hybrid or hydrogen car in the next several years. I also like his stance on the war (though I do not completely agree with it) in that we must regain Global support. I am becoming more pro-world than pro-USA these days, but perhaps that is a luxury that quasi-elitist non-mortage holding childless student has. Seriously, perhaps if I had a family I would feel different. I admit that.
There are other reasons too, but I think I am getting carpal tunnel.
you see, we are both raised in the christian tradition... he lives in texas and i in california... we are both married with no kids (though they have a dog and we would love to have one)... he owns a home and i rent... he works for a technology company as a software developer/engineer; i am a quasi-pastor, quasi-musician/producer... we both have wives who work... we both have brownish blonde hair... he is a little taller and a few years older...
so, with his permission, we are going to publish this conversation online here on my blog... so that others can comment and people can see multiple opinions on this november election...
so the conversation begins...
Neil:
I just want everyone to get out and exercise one of the greatest rights we have in this country. I'd love to hear a defense of Kerry, though. Most democrats I know don't even like him...
Ryan:
I think it's interesting what we each look for in a leader, you know? I would rather have a person who adapts and admits to wrongs. I would rather have a person who doesn't just lead with smug self-righteousness (you don’t either I am sure). I want someone who is looking out for the good of humanity, the earth, the born, the unborn, the heterosexual, the homosexual, the average person, the wealthy person, and the poor person. We probably agree on some if not all of these things, but we take it in different ways.
I (and Kerry) thought it was fair to attack Afghanistan and to disarm the nation of Iraq, but when Bush took us to war (even claiming he is a war president), I have to take issue with that... especially now that we know that the reasons for the war's declaration were not even true. Now, were Bush to have said that he was wrong or that we were misled or whatever, I might have been able to support him. I do not value stubborness like that... To me it is arrogance. But these are my observations and opinions... Truly I am at least partially wrong.
I have other issues with Bush as well... Shall I list all the indictments on his administration and the environment (you brother the tree hugger) or how I think it is a grave mistake to even attempt at a federal legislation against same-sex marriage (I am becoming more and more of a human rights activist) and the way many Christians blindly support him really irks me!... I am not including you in that group, really. I guess my thing is that Jesus did not tow the Republican party line and he seemed to care about the poor and those who were 'outcast' from greater Jewish society for their 'sin' and he brought them into him. He even went as far to call the self-righteous Pharisees 'sons of the Devil'.
I don't know if I'd call myself a pacifist, but I am definitely not for the war in Iraq. To me it is empire-building... perhaps not with land-gathering, but with what we have secured. Rumsfield (who I have even more disdain for) has used so much empire language in talking about protecting America. Destroying anything that would compromise the American way of life. This does not seem to fit into my world view of 'turning the other cheek' (which I already find so hard to do).
I like the idea of the UN (though I did have problems with France selling arms to Iraq...) being a governing force. George Bush called himself the leader of the world, and while this in some ways is true, it is simply arrogant. I think that even the good ole US of A should be accountable to the rest of the world.
So, I haven't really said why I like Kerry. I should state for the record that in a different election year, I would have voted for Nader simply because there is major corruption in both houses (Rep and Dem) and it is time to remind America that we do not just have two parties. Am I boring you yet?
I like Kerry's health plan ideas. I like that Kerry is very pro-environment. I am hoping that we will push the Hydrogen development further. Oil must be laid to rest. I am hoping that he will give me a price break when I want to by a hybrid or hydrogen car in the next several years. I also like his stance on the war (though I do not completely agree with it) in that we must regain Global support. I am becoming more pro-world than pro-USA these days, but perhaps that is a luxury that quasi-elitist non-mortage holding childless student has. Seriously, perhaps if I had a family I would feel different. I admit that.
There are other reasons too, but I think I am getting carpal tunnel.
Sunday, October 03, 2004
that's what i am talking about...
mike has a great posting... i read jen lemen's original posting (i can only assume this is who he is referring to) and it was very moving... please watch the entire video...
Saturday, October 02, 2004
mt frickin whitney...
here are some pics from our trip yesterday up mt whitney, the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states... 14,496'... due to leaving late (try 4 1/2 hours late) and a mild snow storm, we didnt summit... next time... anyways, pictures...
here we are at the beginning of the trail... ready to hike the 22 miles roundtrip with over 7000' of acension...
here is our mountain...
here is an important sign on the trail...
here is a wild looking tree on the trail... several of these, winding upward...
cool old house...
we didnt camp, we stayed at a posh hole-in-the-wall motel... no spa...
a stretch on the way home...
so, thats it for now... still recovering...
here we are at the beginning of the trail... ready to hike the 22 miles roundtrip with over 7000' of acension...
here is our mountain...
here is an important sign on the trail...
here is a wild looking tree on the trail... several of these, winding upward...
cool old house...
we didnt camp, we stayed at a posh hole-in-the-wall motel... no spa...
a stretch on the way home...
so, thats it for now... still recovering...
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