Posts Tagged ‘religion’

No pander here

Posted: January 12, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
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You might recall the fuss and a half over Rick Warren at the inaugural.

Well looks like its payback time as Gene Robinson has been chosen for another event:

The selection of New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson for Sunday’s event follows weeks of criticism from gay-rights groups over Obama’s decision to have the Rev. Rick Warren give the invocation at his Jan. 20 inauguration.

Warren backed the ban on same-sex marriage that passed in his home state of California on the November ballot.

Robinson said last month the choice of Warren was like a slap in the face. In an interview with the Concord Monitor, he said he doesn’t believe Obama invited him in response to the Warren criticism but said his inclusion won’t go unnoticed by the gay and lesbian community.

Of course he wasn’t invited for that reason. I don’t think the Christian Right should be upset about this, after all he is a Christian Bishop and the difference is only orientation isn’t it? Isn’t it?

Robinson said he doesn’t yet know what he’ll say, but he knows he won’t use a Bible.

“While that is a holy and sacred text to me, it is not for many Americans,” Robinson said. “I will be careful not to be especially Christian in my prayer.

Well that’s reassuring the Episcopal church sure choose a winner. We can’t be using those nasty biblical quotes. Of course that doesn’t apply to me: Matthew 10:32-33

Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.

Or maybe Luke 9:26

Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Or maybe 2 Timothy 2:12

if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us.

Yup that’s one first rate secular Christian Bishop the Episcopal church has.

In the end though it’s Obama’s party and he can invite who he wants. That’s the spoils of victory. I don’t think its worth a fuss.

I didn’t know this myself

Posted: January 12, 2009 by datechguy in catholic
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The Curt Jester links to Fr. Powell’s excellent post on the differences between a parish priest and a priest of a religious order. I actually didn’t know there was a difference in vows:

In the Catholic Church there are two kinds of priests: religious and diocesan. The primary canonical difference between the two is based on who serves as an immediate ecclesial superior. For RP’s the immediate ecclesial superior is the local prior, abbot, or major superior; that is, a member of that priest’s order/monastery who exercises canonical authority in virtue of holding an office within the order/monastery. My immediate ecclesial superior is the prior of this convent. For DP’s, the immediate ecclesial superior is always the bishop of the priest’s diocese.

Very informative and worth reading.

Advantage Goldman

Posted: January 11, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
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I’ve been going back and forth in comments with Bob Goldman concerning the reasons for liberal people are so willing to believe the worst of Israel and Jews but give other a pass.

This article from Francesca Segal supports Bob’s answer while giving a possible a possible answer to me:

In August 2001, I turned 21 and my parents gave me a Star of David necklace. Then a month later, the world changed and my mother, with remarkable foresight, began her campaign to rescind the gift, begging me to take it off because she was frightened it would make me a target in the wake of mounting evidence that fanatical Islamism was tightening its grip on the country. My argument was always the same – when I am no longer safe being identifiably Jewish on the tube, I don’t want to live in England.

Now it’s happening and I am devastated. It was bluster. I am resolutely, irreducibly British. I love Marmite and Labradors and Sunday lunch. If you step on my foot, I will reflexively apologise. New York, where I will go if I have to leave the UK, does not feel like home for me nor, I suspect, could it ever. But as the British establishment sides with the appeasing of Islamism at home and abroad and as the word Zionism is increasingly bastardised, hijacked by a new definition comprising traditional antisemitic libels and demonising conspiracy theories, and as the liberal media and campaigning groups single out Israel disproportionately among all other countries for criticism, perpetuating the myth that Israel is responsible for mushrooming anti-western sentiment, I feel increasingly that I cannot stay.

My little sister arrived back at her university last week to discover buildings had been daubed with antisemitic graffiti. Across north London, the same scrawled vitriol has been appearing – “Jihad to Israel”, frequently accompanied by the message: “Kill Jews.”

Our Islamic friends clearly don’t have a problem with the whole “death to the Jews” thing. I never see any Islamic groups condemning this type of behavior.

The fact is that as Glenn has pointed out again and again violence and intimidation works. Just look at South Park Mohammad censorship for God’s sake.

Considering the appeasement of Islam it will be interesting is when Islamic belief conflicts with something like Abortion or Homosexuality both condemned in Islam, both legal in Israel. What will our liberal friends say then when there is a conflict on that subject in the west?

Via hot air.

Update: Yet another example.

He added: “Our comments were directed to ‘insulting’ and/or ‘controversial’ remarks made by Mr. Naik in relation to Christianity. This was no more than religious debate under the general principles of British law and within the Ofcom Code. No intemperate language was used on our show.”

In a reply, Javaid Ullah, the director of the radio station, terminated the Rev Masih and his co-presenter’s “voluntary agreement… with immediate effect”. He said that they had “failed to remain neutral and as such allowed the guest to make comments which led in [to] offending various members of the community.”

He added: “The comments made in your letter were inaccurate and not true. The tone of the letter was deemed offensive to the management of Awaz FM.”

The Rev Masih told The Sunday Telegraph: “I am very distressed at the way I have been treated. I presented the show for six years and am sad to have been forced to give it up.”

Drip , drip drip.

Global Warming my — Storm Thoughts

Posted: January 11, 2009 by datechguy in local stuff, opinion/news, personal
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Some thoughts on the snow.

It kept the crew from coming to try out that talisman expansion, will have to do it this afternoon.

Figured with all the snow people might be shoveling and not calling into unemployment yet, I was right got through on the 2nd try!

Had to dig out to get Steve’s son to hockey this morning as he is staying with us this weekend. I don’t know how he and his wife manage all the events with 4 kids.

I noticed the long list of protestant churches and Jewish synagogues closed on the news. You never see a Catholic Church closed. Mass is always held but the faithful are advised not to risk life to get there. Since the priest usually lives in a rectory next door this isn’t a problem. Also in a city like mine the Church are neighborhood churches so many people can walk to mass. I don’t know how it is in more rural areas.

Notice when things seemed to be getting warmer everyone cried Global Warming, now since things are cold it is “Climate Change”.

Our city had budget problems before the market crashes, I can’t see how we are going to pay for our snow removal this year.

I’ll have more to say on that but I have shoveling to do. Read you in a few hours.