When we think of cults, we think of people like David Koresh and Jim Jones. But there's a much larger cult at work today: Christianity. Let me explain why I call Christianity a cult. The working definition of a cult is a group of people with shared beliefs which are on the fringes of acceptability. At the time when Christianity was getting started in Rome, it certainly fit this definition. Also, the Bible and Christian liturgy encourage believers to subordinate their own will in the service of God. Christian dogma also preaches that you must bring as many people into the religion as possible. This is ironic, since the Book of Revelations speaks of a Satanic religion that will take over the world, and that Jesus will have to come back and fight against. It makes you wonder, is he fighting against it because it's so evil, or is he fighting because he does not want any competition? Finally, consider Christians changing and adapting to modern times. In Salem in 1692, Christians literally murdered "heretics" to please God. Although today, most people like that would get arrested, I believe that some Christians--not all, but some--would still be burning people at the stake if they could get away with it.
Ultimately, I think we need to understand the history of Christianity, and not follow anything blindly.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
The Christian Agenda
Recently, JC Penney came under fire for hiring openly gay comedian Ellen Degeneres to be its spokesperson. The group who was criticizing JC Penney is called One Million Moms. They said, "JC Penney, by hopping on the pro-gay bandwagon, will lose its customers with traditional values." They basically said the same old "gay agenda" bull shit we've heard from the right wing for years now.
But I wonder if they would have said the same thing about conservative Congresswoman Michelle Bachman, saying in 2005 at a church in Minnesota, that, "We need to get them while they're young," referring, presumably, to the supposed importance of influencing and indoctrinating children with conservative values. But I suppose, when fundamentalist Christians of this stripe have a real, explicitly stated agenda, it's given the green light by God himself, and the all the rest of us heathens just need to shut up.
Personally, I don't see anything wrong with a group of any sort that wants to have the same rights as their fellow Americans being vocal and stating those beliefs proudly. But by trying to get Ellen fired, groups like One Million Moms are only exposing how weak their own belief system is. They're so afraid that as a result of seeing a gay person on TV, their children will leave the fold, which will make the baby Jesus cry. They're afraid that JC Penney hiring Ellen will show children that gay people can be successful and well-liked. In the end, these actions by conservative groups make extreme fundamentalist Christianity seem more like a cult than a legitimate faith.
In the end JC Penney stood its ground and stood by Ellen. Way to go JC Penney. Don't give in to bigots and bullies, even if they are Moms.
But I wonder if they would have said the same thing about conservative Congresswoman Michelle Bachman, saying in 2005 at a church in Minnesota, that, "We need to get them while they're young," referring, presumably, to the supposed importance of influencing and indoctrinating children with conservative values. But I suppose, when fundamentalist Christians of this stripe have a real, explicitly stated agenda, it's given the green light by God himself, and the all the rest of us heathens just need to shut up.
Personally, I don't see anything wrong with a group of any sort that wants to have the same rights as their fellow Americans being vocal and stating those beliefs proudly. But by trying to get Ellen fired, groups like One Million Moms are only exposing how weak their own belief system is. They're so afraid that as a result of seeing a gay person on TV, their children will leave the fold, which will make the baby Jesus cry. They're afraid that JC Penney hiring Ellen will show children that gay people can be successful and well-liked. In the end, these actions by conservative groups make extreme fundamentalist Christianity seem more like a cult than a legitimate faith.
In the end JC Penney stood its ground and stood by Ellen. Way to go JC Penney. Don't give in to bigots and bullies, even if they are Moms.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
A Glimpse of America's Future
Despite the fact that I did not agree with them, Republicans just seemed to be more of an annoyance than a threat to my basic humanity for a long time, but then a man named Ron Paul came along. Old Ron won the CPAC straw poll not once, but twice in a row. In case you're wondering, CPAC is the largest gathering of conservatives and conservative thinkers in the country. It is said that if you want to be a Republican Presidential candidate, you must win the CPAC straw poll at least once, and those who win seem to determine the Republican party's goals and future for a long time afterwards. That being said, I would like to remind people of what Ron Paul's goals are, and why his winning CPAC frightens me.
One of his goals is to overturn Roe v. Wade, which guarantees a woman's legal right to get an abortion if she wishes. He also wants to overturn the Americans With Disabilities Act, enacted by fellow Republican George Bush, Sr., in 1990, which guarantees wheelchair ramps and other forms of accesibility to public buildings, thus granting access to people with disabilities.
But to Ron Paul, that's just too much damn government intervention. Who cares if the founders would have approved of it, if it's not in that gosh darn Constitution, Ron Paul says NO! This is not to say that I am anti-Constitution. It is only to call into question Ron Paul's strict constructionist conception of that document. To put it bluntly, Ron Paul's winning the straw poll could lead to the Republicans creating a sort of apartheid state, where your access to public buildings is not contigent upon your being an American citizen with the same rights as everyone else, but rather upon your ability to walk, your status as a totally able-bodied person.
Excuse me, is this high school gym class, or is this America?
One of his goals is to overturn Roe v. Wade, which guarantees a woman's legal right to get an abortion if she wishes. He also wants to overturn the Americans With Disabilities Act, enacted by fellow Republican George Bush, Sr., in 1990, which guarantees wheelchair ramps and other forms of accesibility to public buildings, thus granting access to people with disabilities.
But to Ron Paul, that's just too much damn government intervention. Who cares if the founders would have approved of it, if it's not in that gosh darn Constitution, Ron Paul says NO! This is not to say that I am anti-Constitution. It is only to call into question Ron Paul's strict constructionist conception of that document. To put it bluntly, Ron Paul's winning the straw poll could lead to the Republicans creating a sort of apartheid state, where your access to public buildings is not contigent upon your being an American citizen with the same rights as everyone else, but rather upon your ability to walk, your status as a totally able-bodied person.
Excuse me, is this high school gym class, or is this America?
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Alex Jones Fraud
Conspiracy theorist and radio show host, Alex Jones, is perhaps best known for starting the theory that the U.S. government was somehow complicit in the attacks of September 11 in 2001. But for many years prior to that, Jones had held various anti-government views. None, however, gained him more notoriety than his 9/11 truth movement. Before 9/11 Alex Jones was an obscure radio host the average person would just call a conspiracy nut. But when 9/11 happened, Alex's fortune changed. Suddenly, he was giving speeches at major universities and making several television appearances. The films he made were viewed daily by millions of people.
When the Obama administration killed Osama Bin Laden, Alex Jones' media empire of fame was in danger of crashing down to Earth. Suddenly, a fake photo of Bin Laden appeared on the internet claiming to be his dead body. The photo was obviously a fake and one of the first websites to debunk it was InfoWars.com. Jones then claimed the Obama administration had created the fake photo even though no media reports confirmed that. Jones, however, has several photoshop experts on his staff who one would think would know how to doctor photo.
So my theory is that Jones, in order to protect his fame and fortune, created the fake photo to keep the 9/11 conspiracy theory alive.
When the Obama administration killed Osama Bin Laden, Alex Jones' media empire of fame was in danger of crashing down to Earth. Suddenly, a fake photo of Bin Laden appeared on the internet claiming to be his dead body. The photo was obviously a fake and one of the first websites to debunk it was InfoWars.com. Jones then claimed the Obama administration had created the fake photo even though no media reports confirmed that. Jones, however, has several photoshop experts on his staff who one would think would know how to doctor photo.
So my theory is that Jones, in order to protect his fame and fortune, created the fake photo to keep the 9/11 conspiracy theory alive.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Painful Lessons
Today, when we think of corporal punishment, one of the images that comes to mind is that of the nineteenth-century schoolmaster. But I believe that corporal punishment in schools might be due for a reevaluation. Going to school in the modern era, many children did not feel that they had to respect their teachers, because they knew that the teacher actually had no real power over them. But back in the 1950s, children were less inclined to act up in the class room. Let me just say that I understand why many parents don't feel comfortable with other people spanking their children. That being said, I feel children respect their parents moreso than their teachers in part because they know their parents actually have power over them.
The reason I think teachers should have the right to physically discipline unruly students is because I believe that children should learn to respect adults equally, and I think there is a double standard (perhaps with good reason), but my point is, when a child is under your care, and they are doing something that is either harmful or disruptive to the learning process, that child must know that even though you are not their parent, they have to respect you, too.
Let me just say that if corporal punishment were reinstated, I would demand that the parents be notified, and that there be cameras in the classroom to make sure that the teacher or principal did not go too far. I know that many of you may disagree, but I feel that sometimes, when other children are learning also, and a child is being disruptive, they need to learn, right at that minute, that that behavior is not acceptable. That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.
The reason I think teachers should have the right to physically discipline unruly students is because I believe that children should learn to respect adults equally, and I think there is a double standard (perhaps with good reason), but my point is, when a child is under your care, and they are doing something that is either harmful or disruptive to the learning process, that child must know that even though you are not their parent, they have to respect you, too.
Let me just say that if corporal punishment were reinstated, I would demand that the parents be notified, and that there be cameras in the classroom to make sure that the teacher or principal did not go too far. I know that many of you may disagree, but I feel that sometimes, when other children are learning also, and a child is being disruptive, they need to learn, right at that minute, that that behavior is not acceptable. That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Excuse me, but I seem to have lost my country...
I saw a video today (linked below) which really disturbed me. It concerned a gathering at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. What happened there is something I think Thomas Jefferson would frown upon, especially in the presence of a memorial to his memory. Four visitors were arrested for doing something that I did not know was a crime in the United States: dancing. To tell you the truth, I don't know if dancing at the capitol is illegal, or if the cops in question just didn't get too many prom dates, and it brought back bad memories. In any case, the cops overreacted, and were physically violent with several decidedly nonviolent individuals. Check out the video below, and tell me what you think. Did the cops go too far, or am I the one overreacting?
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Leave the Kids Out of It
In the past year or so, it seems to me that politicians have been using children to get their messages across. But it's not just politicians; even political commentators are using their kids to make a point. Michelle Obama, Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck have all used their children to promote their viewpoints recently.
Take a lesson people: using your kids to promote your political point of view in order to get the sympathy vote just makes you seem pathetic and desperate. Even if your kids have some say in it, it's exploitative, manipulative, and just plain unfair. Knock it off.
When Michelle Obama first started her childhood obesity campaign, she held a press conference talking about her daughter Malia's weight problem, saying that's why she became so interested in fighting childhood obesity -- for her daughter. During the health care fight, both Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck mentioned their children with disabilities in order to drum up fear that health care reform was actually comprised of death panels that would kill disabled children. With fake tears in his eyes, Glenn Beck said, "I want you to know that I have a daughter who was born with Cerebral Palsy, and they said that when she was born that she would never walk or talk or feed herself. She went to college. They were wrong." Beck then went on to exploit his daughter in order to make the argument that when the economy is in crisis, the President and the administration have to make tough choices (which apparently, Glenn Beck thinks, will include the systematic killing of people with disabilities...the video below is an excellent and entertaining takedown of Glenn Beck's argument by Cenk Uiygur of The Young Turks.)
Take a lesson people: using your kids to promote your political point of view in order to get the sympathy vote just makes you seem pathetic and desperate. Even if your kids have some say in it, it's exploitative, manipulative, and just plain unfair. Knock it off.
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