It's Hard Out There for a Christian

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say
all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad,
because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:11-12

I have to admit I'm a sucker for Top 10 Lists and Countdowns, so of
course I couldn't let this list of the Top Ten Instances of Christian
Bashing in America, 2008 pass without comment. The list includes the
YouTube video "Prop 8 The Musical" where Jack Black plays Jesus,
Crackergate and Barack Obama defaming Christianity by not being
'Christian enough'.

In a country that won't elect an atheist to high public office, modified
a state's constitution to ban gay marriage, and has a healthy government
funded faith based initiatives program it seem to be a stretch to claim
that Christians are "treated like second-class citizens". Christians
have the majority, hold positions of power and are treated with undue
levels of deference, yet if anyone should want to disagree with them
they claim they are being persecuted or subjected to hate speech. I
guess I can see why Christians are desperate to be persecuted. That is
how they know that they are doing what Jesus wants them too. I just
have no sympathy for them and their over sensitive persecution complex
when it seem like they are the ones doing most of the discrimination.

Happy Monkey

Since it is Christmas, I'll post a link to a nice godless Christmas article I read.

SDAs in the news again (a follow up)

I guess the New York Times article that I referenced in an earlier post had a few facts wrong. Maybe the crashing economy isn't driving attendance at churches.

Happy Solstice

I know I'm a few days late getting this post up, but I was too busy celebrating by building alter shaped mounds of snow along side my driveway to compose anything worthy of the occasion. Now that the time for celebration is past I thought I would stop and ponder the significance of the Winter Solstice.

The winter solstice occurs at the instant when the Sun's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane from the observer's hemisphere. The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradually lengthening nights and shortening days.

This simple result of orbital physics is marked by festivals celebrating rebirth in the religions of most cultures. The most pervasive and obscene for its displays of materialism is Christmas. Others holidays include: Amaterasu, Beiwe, Deygan and Midvinterblot.

So, while it is easy to get caught up in the hype of parties and shopping and desecrating nativity scenes, we should not forget the true reason for the season. That science has given us the ability to observe, predict and understand the changes in the seasons and that we can move beyond ritualistic appeasements to ill tempered divine figures so that they will cause the spring to come again.

SDAs in the news again

I noticed another SDA reference in the news this morning. A preacher is finding joy in the suffering of others. A Texas State University study shows that evangelical churches grow when the economy is poor.

“I found it very exciting, and I called up that fellow to tell him so,” said the Rev. Don MacKintosh, a Seventh Day Adventist televangelist in California who contacted Dr. Beckworth a few weeks ago after hearing word of his paper from another preacher. “We need to leverage this moment, because every Christian revival in this country’s history has come off a period of rampant greed and fear. That’s what we’re in today — the time of fear and greed.”

Organized religion is ready and waiting to use the misfortune of others to their own ends. I guess I'd have to agree with Rev. MacKintosh. Greed and fear are religion's most effective tools.

Wow

First praying over the golden calf in Manhattan and now this? Christians are really confused about their beliefs regarding idol worship. The whole power of prayer thing is getting bizarre as well. Oil streaked foreheads and SUVs on the platform at church. Again I say 'wow' and chuckle to myself.

Blog Roll Love

I've added a few links to my blog roll recently. I'm really enjoying the Evil God series at Unreasonable Faith. And Debunking Christianity has some serious Bible scholars posting there.