* Fight Erupts in Jerusalem Church ~ Christian In-fighting

BBC News
April 20, 2008

Israeli police had to break up a fist fight that erupted between Greek and Armenian Orthodox clergymen at one of Christianity's holiest sites.

The scuffles broke out at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Orthodox Palm Sunday.

Brawls are not uncommon at the church, which is uneasily shared by various Christian denominations.

In this case, witnesses say an Armenian priest forcibly ejected a Greek priest from an area near the tomb of Jesus.

They say the attacker felt the Greek priest had spent too long at the tomb.

When police arrived to break up the fight, some were reportedly beaten back by worshippers using palm fronds.

Two Armenians were detained by police, prompting supporters to stage a rally in protest outside the police station.

Rivalry between the six different churches which grudgingly share the Holy Sepulchre dates back to the aftermath of the crusades, and to the great schism between Eastern and Western Christianity in the 11th Century.

Each denomination controls, and jealously guards, its own section of the labyrinthine site.

gapingvoid.com

So much for John 13:34, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35, By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." ~ BlogHer

* Foolish & arrogant Christian Evangelicals, always at it ...

gapingvoid.com

Ad Targeting Jews For Conversion 'Offensive And Insulting'

New York, NY, March 28, 2008 … A statement by an Evangelical Christian group which defends targeting Jews for conversion by Christians who grew up as Jews, was labeled "offensive and insulting," by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Sponsored by the World Evangelical Alliance, "The Gospel and the Jewish People: An Evangelical Statement," appeared as a full-page advertisement in the March 28 edition of The New York Times. ADL said the statement validates and defends those who converted from Judaism to Christianity for using their religious and cultural Jewish experience as tools to proselytize Jews, such as Jews for Jesus and so-called "Messianic Jews."

Also see:
WEA launches huge campaign to `persuade` Jews to accept Jesus (ADL condemns move) www.israelenews.com

"[The ad is] really saying that Judaism has no right to exist, and that basically all Jews should become Christians. Scholars call this the attitude of supersessionism -- the view that Christianity has [replaced] Judaism." www.nationalpost.com

Full-page New York Times ad sneers at Jews

On March 28, 2008, a statement, entitled "The Gospel and the Jews" and drafted by the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), appeared as a full-page ad in the New York Times.

While asserting that they have a "genuine friendship and love for the Jewish people," the statement's authors suggest that the best way of expressing this passion is "to forthrightly share the love of God in the person of Jesus Christ." According to the statement, "it is only through Jesus that all people can receive eternal life. If Jesus is not the Messiah of the Jewish people, He cannot be the Savior of the World (Acts 4:12)."

Therefore, the statement reasons, "it is good and right for those with specialized knowledge, history and skills to use these gifts to introduce individuals to the Messiah, and that includes those ministries specifically directed to the Jewish people."

* Rep. Monique Davis' Un-American Rant ...

Representative tries to put the fear of God in Atheist!

Chicago Tribune
by Eric Zorn
April 6, 2008

Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) interrupted atheist activist Rob Sherman during his testimony Wednesday afternoon before the House State Government Administration Committee in Springfield and told him, "What you have to spew and spread is extremely dangerous . . . it's dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists!

"This is the Land of Lincoln where people believe in God," Davis said. "Get out of that seat . . . You have no right to be here! We believe in something. You believe in destroying! You believe in destroying what this state was built upon."

Also see: Richard Dawkins, "Get out of here, Atheists!

* Omar Khayyám ( غیاث الدین ابو الفتح عمر بن, براهیم خیام نیشابوری), Anti-religion, Agnostic, Poet, Philosopher, Mathematician, Astronomer

*Allah, perchance, the secret word might spell;
If Allah be, He keeps His secret well;
What He hath hidden, who shall hope to find?
Shall God His secret to a maggot tell?
…

The Koran! well, come put me to the test—

Lovely old book in hideous error drest—

Believe me, I can quote the Koran too,

The unbeliever knows his Koran best.

 

And do you think that unto such as you,

A maggot-minded, starved, fanatic crew,

God gave the secret, and denied it me?—

Well, well, what matters it! believe that too.

Khayyám (Nishapur, Persia, May 18, 1048 - December 4, 1131) "describing those who claim to receive God's word as maggot-minded fanatics (via Le Gallienne's translation):^[10]"

*RUBÁIYÁT OF OMAR KHAYYÁM

* In God We Must: Mitt Romney's Speech

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R) has gone off and offended us secularists in his speech today. In it he assumed that all Americans agree that America is "one nation under God." Well, no, not us secularists. Watch the speech if you don't mind that he lumped you in with all of the religions across this country with all of their varied and contradictory gods. ~ BlogHer

Man is a Religious Animal. He is the only Religious
Animal. He is the only animal that has the
True Religion—several of them. He is the
only animal that loves his neighbor as
himself and cuts his throat if his
theology isn’t straight.
~ Mark Twain

Those who can make you believe absurdities
can make you commit atrocities.
~ Voltaire

Tentmaker

Men never do evil so completely
and cheerfully as when they do it
with religious conviction.
~ Blaise Pascal

Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst.
~ C.S. Lewis

* Christian Love

gapingvoid.com

The Bombing of Nagasaki August 9, 1945: The Untold Story

By Gary G. Kohls

08/09/07 "Lew Rockwell" --- 62 years ago, on August 9th, 1945, the second of the only two atomic bombs (a plutonium bomb) ever used as instruments of aggressive war (against essentially defenseless civilian populations) was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, by an all-Christian bomb crew. The well-trained American soldiers were only "doing their job," and they did it efficiently.

...

A large portion of the responsibility for the prevention of military atrocities like Nagasaki lies within the organized Christian churches and whether or not they soon start teaching and living what the radical nonviolent Jesus taught and lived.

The next Nagasaki can be prevented if the churches finally heed Jesus’ call to nonviolence and refuse their government’s call for the bodies and souls of their sons and daughters.

Full article ...



My question is: would atheists/agnostics have created this horror?

* Only Catholics Go to Heaven

Catholic Church's Big Pedophile Pay Off

Seems that the Catholic Church will be paying out 660 million to some 500 victims of its pedophile priests in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is said to be America's largest archdiocese.

Wasn't it just earlier this week that The Pope said something about only Catholics getting into heaven, as well as bringing back Latin in the mass?

Wow, sure been a busy time for the Catholic Church.


“If all the bones of all the victims of the Catholic Church could be gathered together, a monument higher than all the pyramids would rise”

-Robert Green Ingersoll

Pax Romano's Ramblings

* Our Mother, Who Art in Heaven ~ Tamas Pataki, "Against Religion" ~ 10 Characteristics of Religion

"The preconditions for belief in God, Tamas Pataki suggests, are set in the first months of life, when the infant feels anxious when separated from the mother. His only wishes are to be free of hunger and pain, and to believe in the mother as infinitely provident and, later, that she knows everything. 'It is remarkable, is it not,' writes Pataki, 'that these attributes—omnipotence, omniscience and omnibenevolence—so necessary in the regulation of infantile narcissism and wellbeing, are precisely the key perfections attributed to God?'" TIME Magazine, May 24, 2007, Andrew Chapman

Neil Godfrey extracts and summarizes Pataki's ten characteristics of religious fundamentalism, as follows, and fleshes them out more fully on his website.

Godfrey writes, "Fundamentalism is a term applied to various Islamic, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Judaic groups, and even to some secular (economic and environmental) groups. All different.

"Yet Tamas Pataki in his newly published Against Religion lists what he sees as “criss-crossing similarities — family resemblances — in certain basic beliefs, values, and attitudes” (p.27) that characterize the various religious groups labelled “fundamentalist”.

1. They are counter-modernist.

2. They are “generally assertive, clamorous, and often violent”.

3. They are “the Chosen”, “the Elect”, “the Saved”.

4. Public marks of distinction are needed to maintain their sense of superiority and distinctive identity.

5. There is only one true religion and one correct way of life; and these must be defended against inroads from other religions and secularism.

6. There is an inerrant holy book, prophet or charismatic leader to whom literal obedience is mandatory.

7. Law and authority come from God.

8. Female sexuality must be controlled and clear impassable boundaries must be established between men and women.

9. Sexual behaviour is a major concern of all fundamentalists — Christian, Jewish, Islamic — without exception. Especially the fear of and opposition to homosexuality.

10. Fundamentalism and nationalism converge."

Tamas Pataki is Honorary Senior Fellow and sometime lecturer in the Philosophy Department, University of Melbourne, and Honorary Fellow at Deakin University. He has published extensively on the philosophy of mind, psychoanalysis, moral philosophy, and aesthetics, and is co-editor, with Michael Levine, of Racism in Mind (Cornell, 2004).Scribe Publications

* Who's Who on the Religious Right?

AMERICANS UNITED FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

"Religious Right leaders often claim that they offer a mainstream vision for America. Their own words, however, demonstrate a radical worldview far removed from the values of most Americans. Over the past two decades, their rhetoric and agenda have been shrill, divisive and extreme."

The single greatest threat to church-state separation in America is the Religious Right TOP 10, PDF

Read all about 'em ...

* Christian Terrorists Attack New Jersey School ~ Take Hostages in Mock Drill

American Center for Law & Justice

New Jersey School Drill Portrays Killers as Christians

April 3, 2007
by WorldNetDaily.com

"School officials in Burlington, N.J., who wanted to stage a "hostage situation" drill have portrayed the attackers as Christians, including one who was upset that his daughter was expelled for praying before class.

"Supt. Chris Manno praised the exercise to test the response of the school and police, explaining, "You perform as you practice. We need to practice under conditions as real as possible in order to evaluate our procedures and plans so that they're as effective as possible."

"Lifesite News reported that the Christian students in the school were offended when the student body was told the alleged gunmen were "members of a right-wing fundamentalist group called the 'New Crusaders' who don't believe in separation of church and state."

"The Burlington County Times said the mock gunmen pretended to shoot several students in the hallways before taking 10 students hostage in the district's media center."

Certainly this drill drew irrate reactions. In defense, Public Safety Director Walter Corter said the scenario was created to represent “anybody who was an extremist and not dealing with reality,” and never specified “Christian terrorists” or other religious or ethnic groups.

However, it is not a so far out scenario that absolutely could not happen. Just as there are Islamic and other religious hate groups, Christianity is not without potential.

Christian Terrorism

Purported hate groups of all ilk . . ., and see Wikipedia

Christian Identity

* John Lennon ~ Imagined no Religion but "God is Something in People"

John Lennon
October 8, 1940 – December 8, 1980
Imagine

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
"Imagine" was John Lennon's second major release apart from the Beatles. Released on Sept. 9, 1971 (US) and Oct. 8, 1971 (UK), it has remained John's most commercially successful album. It was recorded primarily in John's home studio which turned out to be the last time he would ever record in England.

In a 1966 Interview, Lennon talked about his faithlessness in Christianity:

'Christianity will go,' he said. 'It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first-rock 'n' roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me.'

"I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong."

Of course, USA Bible-belters responded by publically burning Beatles albums and memorabilia. Yet Lennon had said, "God is something in all of us." Imagine that ...

The UK Telegraph
Official Website

* Artist's Work Destroyed by Russian Orthodox Churchgoers

Russian-born artist, Alexander Kosolapov, has lived and worked in New York City since 1975 where he has been influenced by Andy Warhol's work. These three pieces are among some of Kosolapov's work that indignant Russian Orthodox churchgoers either damaged, destroyed, or removed from exhibits.



Russian lawsuit testing limits of free expression

by Erika Niedowski,
Sun Foreign Reporter

March 23, 2007

MOSCOW: "Oleg Kassin objected to them all: the portrait of a robed Jesus Christ, his face replaced by a Mickey Mouse head, among his disciples; an icon of a halo-adorned Virgin Mary done in dots made to look like caviar; the photo of a crouched woman in a brassiere, thong and high-heeled boots with her rear to the camera [at the Andrei Sakharov Museum].

"So he and the Russian Orthodox church group to which he belongs went to court this week, claiming not just questionable artistic taste, but an outright crime.

"For the second time in recent years, an exhibit at the Andrei Sakharov Museum and Public Center has become the object of a legal fight here and a touchstone for debate on the right to - and limits of - free expression in Russia, which, as it turns out, often comes at a cost."
...

"The problem is, they don't want to discuss it," he [the museum's curator, Yerofeyev] said of the Tretyakov's leadership. "They simply say it's forbidden. Maybe they are right; some things should be forbidden. But there should be arguments, professional ones."

The Russian Orthodox church group charges the museum with inciting religious and ethnic hatred. The first time this happened was in March 2005:

Beware of Religion: a Rebirth of Militant Atheism in Moscow

Russian Orthodox Church
by Dmitry Ageev
March 23, 2005

"The exhibition «Beware of religion!» opened in the exhibition hall of the Andrei Sakharov museum in Moscow on January 14, 2003, where a group of artists presented works that were meant to «draw attention to the hypocritical role of religion in the contemporary world». Among these works were: an imitation of a large icon of Christ with a road sign instead of a face; an imitation of an icon of Christ with openings for the face and hands, through which visitors were invited to place their corresponding body parts and be photographed; a billboard with a Coca-Cola logo, depiction of Christ and the inscription «This is My Blood»; a cross covered with garlands of sausages; ... " Read more

While some people may have found the "Caution! Religion" exhibition offensive, Amnesty International does not believe that any of the exhibits portrayed on the Andrei Sakharov Museum and Public Centre's website amounted to an incitement to violence. Moreover, the use in this case of Article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code – which is in the section of the criminal code listing crimes against the state – is wholly disproportionate.

Dr. Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov (Russian: Андре́й Дми́триевич Са́харов) (May 21, 1921 – December 14, 1989) was an eminent Soviet nuclear physicist, dissident and human rights activist. Sakharov was an advocate of civil liberties and reforms in the Soviet Union and was the first Russian to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 2005 the Russian Orthodox church wrote, "The exhibition’s organizers who shamed the name of A. Sakharov, himself the grandson of an Orthodox priest, should be severely punished."

The real shame is that we are not surprised at the destruction of an artist's work by Christians.

As to how Dr. Sakharov might respond, "... religion did not play an important role in his life, though he did believe that a non-scientific "guiding principle" governed the universe and human life."* As a champion for human rights and civil liberties I think that Dr. Sakharov would agree with Amnesty International.

* Drell, Sidney D., and Sergei P. Kapitsa (eds.), Sakharov Remembered, pp. 3, 92. New York: Springer, 1991.

* For Gods and Country ~ A Good Deal After All

The Army Chaplain Who Wanted to Switch to Wicca? Transfer Denied.

by Alan Cooperman
Washington Post Staff Writer
February 19, 2007

A year ago Don Larsen was a Pentecostal Christian minister at Camp Anaconda, the largest U.S. support base in Iraq. But after the February 22, 2006, bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra which triggered revenge attacks between Shiite and Sunni militants, Larsen did an about-face.

"I realized so many innocent people are dying again in the name of God," Larsen says. "When you think back over the Catholic-Protestant conflict, how the Jews have suffered, how some Christians justified slavery, the Crusades, and now the fighting between Shiite and Sunni Muslims, I just decided I'm done. . . . I will not be part of any church that unleashes its clergy to preach that particular individuals or faith groups are damned."

Larsen "decided the religion that best matched his universalist vision was Wicca, a blend of witchcraft, feminism and nature worship that has ancient pagan roots.

"On July 6, 2006, he applied to become the first Wiccan chaplain in the U.S. armed forces, setting off an extraordinary chain of events. By year's end, his superiors not only denied his request but also withdrew him from Iraq and removed him from the chaplain corps, despite an unblemished service record."

Sounds like Larsen came out on top. He's out of Iraq and at home serving as an artillery officer in the National Guard. Sometimes it's not a bad thing to be the target of bigotry and discrimination.

* Ku Klux Klan Resurgence ~ Religious and Political

The burning cross is a symbol used by the Klan to create terror. Cross burning is said to have been introduced by William J. Simmons, the founder of the second Klan in 1915: Wikipedia The Klan considers that they are "lighting" the cross as a symbol of their faith: Wikipedia See also Cornell Law School, Supreme Court Collection, for discussion on the significance of the cross for the KKK.

The Ku Klux Klan, which just a few years ago seemed static or even moribund compared to other white supremacist movements such as neo-Nazis, has experienced a surprising and troubling resurgence due to the successful exploitation of hot-button issues including immigration, gay marriage and urban crime. Klan groups have witnessed a surprising and troubling resurgence by exploiting fears of an immigration explosion, and the debate over immigration has in turned helped to fuel an increase in Klan activity, with new groups sprouting in parts of the country that have not seen much activity."

CNN, February 7, 2007 ~ Klan growing, fed by anti-immigrant feelings, report says

CS Monitor, February 09, 2007 ~ Anti-immigrant sentiments fuel Ku Klux Klan resurgence

All Headline News, February 9, 2007 ~ White Supremacists Groups Active And Growing In The U.S

KKK Ideology: "Though Ku Klux Klan groups are generally extremely anti-Semitic, a number of them, especially in the South, tend to spend more of their energy in activities opposing African-Americans and non-white immigrants, who are often seen as the more immediate enemies.

"Another difference involves religion. Whereas many neo-Nazis and racist skinheads may be atheists or pagan, Klan groups tend to be overwhelmingly Christian (often adhering to the racist and anti-Semitic Christian Identity sect), reflecting the Klan’s more traditional origins. However, even this may be changing to a certain degree ... as part of an effort to attract new members from the white supremacist subculture, that it would now accept certain non-Christians."

The Big Scary List of George W. Bush Quotes

Image from Arg!

* Jesus Loves Osama ~ "Love Your Enemies and Pray for Those Who Persecute You," Jesus Said

Maddy Sauer
ABC News
February 01, 2007

"'Jesus Loves Osama,' at least according to signs posted outside some churches in Australia.

"While many are upset about the message, a pastor from the church insists that it adheres to Christian beliefs.

"'Jesus came to save all mankind and that includes you...me...and Osama bin Laden,' said the pastor from Central Baptist Church.

"The Australian Prime Minister, however, wishes the church had focused on others in need of well wishes.

"'The prayer priority of the church on this occasion could have been elsewhere,' John Howard said.

"But another church spokesperson insisted that the al Qaeda leader is just as worthy of prayers as anyone else.

"Hy Lam told The Daily Telegraph, 'Osama is the head of terrorism. We are saying that Jesus Christ loves everyone in the world, even this man.' He continued, 'The Bible says God loves everyone -- even Osama bin Laden is included in that. All we are doing is sharing the gospel.'"

flickr image

* Comedian Bill Maher Disrespects Religion in General and George Bush in Particular

Leave 'em Laughing

by Howard Cohen
McClatchy Newspapers
January 21, 2007

"George W. Bush has been good for Bill Maher. His administration's image problems have fueled every season of HBO's 'Real Time with Bill Maher' and, before that, Maher's ABC "Politically Incorrect" chat fest.

"Sample jab: 'Republicans must get honest about why they oppose stem cell research. It's not because a frozen speck on a microscope slide constitutes life, it's because stem cell research shows promise of restoring spinal cord tissue--and that could help Democrats.'"

VIDEOS ~ Bill Maher on Religion

CNN Transcript from "Larry King Live" CALLER: Hi, thank you for taking my call. Here's my question. Other than who we vote for and keeping respect for everyone's beliefs, Bill, I'm wondering how you think we can work to restore a separation of church and state?

MAHER: Restore it, that's a good point. I hate to sound like a broken record. It has to take place at the top. When you have a president who is this openly religious and this openly contemptible, in contempt, rather, of the separation of church and state, I don't think anything is going to change until that changes.

This is a man who proudly says that Jesus picked him to be president. You said something about you have to respect people's beliefs. I know that's what we always hear, we have to respect. I'm sorry, I don't. I don't respect religion. I don't respect superstitious thinking, which is what religion is. I don't respect childish thinking, which is what religion is.

We talked about this before, this whole gay issue wouldn't even be an issue except it says it in the Bible. The Bible, that book that has people lived to be 900 years old and says the world is 6,000 years old, and that there are people who lived in a whale. That infallible work of genius and slavery is OK. You should stone a guy to death if he works on Sunday. That's the book that says, sorry no queers.

So I'm sorry, I don't respect people who believe in religion. I was religious when I was a kid. We all had dumb stuff drilled into our head. It doesn't mean when you get to be an adult you can't drill it out. I tell you something else they drilled into my head when I was a kid, mercury in my cavities. We found out later mercury is so bad we shouldn't even eat it when there is a trace of it in fish. But it was drilled into my teeth. So when I got older, I had it drilled out. You can do the same thing with religion. To talk about this terrorism situation without talking about religion is like talking about AIDS in America without talking about homosexuality. You can do it, it will get you applause on Oprah but it's not true.

* Note "that Maher is classified as Category:Ambiguous because he has said (earlier, paraphrased) that while he disdains organized religion he nevertheless doesn't reject the possibility of a god. It's not clear if this position of his is still in effect" [as of June, 2006].

Video: Maher on Bush &
Hurricane Katrina

Previous METAXY Entry ~ Bill Maher

Wikipedia

Bill Maher's Website

flickr photo

* Mark Twain, 1835-1910 ~ A Bitter Critic of Religion

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), "better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, satirist, writer, and lecturer. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." He is also known for his fascination with science and his quotations.

Faith is believing something you know ain’t so. ~ Following the Equator, Ch. 12

Man is a marvelous curiosity . . . he thinks he is the Creator's pet . . . he even believes the Creator loves him; has a passion for him; sits up nights to admire him; yes and watch over him and keep him out of trouble. He prays to him and thinks He listens. Isn't it a quaint idea. Letters from the Earth, 1909

Twain falls into the 'ambiguous' category regarding belief in gods but he was highly critical of organized religion. He did, however, maintain that the Presbyterian church, his childhood religion, was safe.

"In later years, Twain's family suppressed some of his work which was especially irreverent toward conventional religion, notably Letters from the Earth, which was not published until 1962. The anti-religious The Mysterious Stranger was published in 1916, although there is some scholarly debate as to whether Twain actually wrote the most familiar version of this story. Twain was critical of organized religion and certain elements of the Christian religion through most of the end of his life, though he never renounced Presbyterianism." Wikipedia

See also METAXY