Saturday, December 31, 2005
The Anti-Lewis
Best of the Best-ofs
Friday, December 30, 2005
Personal myth
Breakfast links
Thursday, December 29, 2005
2001, five years later
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Who says they're cold-blooded?
No one-liners in today's Dowd Op-Ed
Synopsisysessss . . .
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Serenity and the Dungeons & Dragons guide to character development
Monday, December 26, 2005
Tagline: The hardest trick is making them stay
Sunday, December 25, 2005
I'll give her toys
Faith and politics on Christmas morning
I define fundamentalism as a group of invariably male leaders who consider themselves superior to other believers. The fundamentalists believe they have a special relationship with God. Therefore their beliefs are inherently correct, being those of God, and anyone who disagrees with them are first of all wrong, and second inferior, and in extreme cases even subhuman. Also, fundamentalists don’t relish any challenge to their positions. They believe any deviation from their own God-ordained truth is a derogation of their own responsibility. So compromise or negotiating with others, or considering the opinion of others that might be different, is a violation of their faith. It makes a great exhibition of rigidity and superiority and exclusion.
I've admired Jimmy Carter for a long, long time. Even though I don't agree with him on every issue, I've always felt his heart was in the right place. Consistently, Carter's actions have mirrored the teachings of his faith . . . unlike certain other politicians whose words and deed are diametrically opposed.
Harper's Magazine is not exactly a fundamentalist-friendly place (see, for example, Jeff Sharlet's Jesus Plus Nothing, a captivating look at the twisted version of Christianity which drives many of today's politicians), so biblical literalists won't be very happy with Erik Reece's December 2005 article, Jesus without the Miracles: Jefferson's Bible and the Gospel of Thomas. For a critique from a self-described 'theological conservative,' read this post at Distilled Eye.
I don't intend to argue about the miraculous aspects of Jesus' life and resurrection -- you either believe in this as a matter of faith, or you don't, and nothing I say will make a bit of difference. I would like to give you an outsider's perspective. What I find most off-putting about modern American Christianity is its emphasis on the carrot-and-stick damnation/heaven, sin/salvation meme, the obsession with the miraculous aspects of Jesus' life, and, most of all, the de-emphasis on Jesus' ethical teachings*.
That's where the Jeffersonian Bible comes in. Per Reece's article, after Jefferson edited the New Testament, he was left with the following principles (quoting Reece):
- Be just; justice comes from virtue, which comes from the heart.
- Treat people the way we want them to treat us.
- Always work for peaceful resolutions, even to the point of returning violence with compassion.
- Consider valuable the things that have no material value.
- Do not judge others.
- Do not bear grudges.
- Be modest and unpretentious.
- Give out of true generosity, not because we expect to be repaid.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Editing update and a question
Friday, December 23, 2005
Kudos and Kvetches: The 40-Year Old Virgin
Will someone please tell me to get a life?
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Senator Joseph McFalafel
Rugelach
Are Men Necessary? The critical brouhaha.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
To my reader in Massachusetts, who found me
- one load of laundry
- washed last night's dishes
- cleaned the litter box -- AGAIN (what is it about cats? Don't they ever stop?)
- threw out several million bags of trash
- unpacked one of the remaining moving boxes so that Jake could play Impossible Creatures
Fun stuff over at Kate's place
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
The Saugeen Stripper was good for me. Was she good for you, too?
Introducing . . .
Monday, December 19, 2005
T Lady Down
Quick shout . . .
Sunday, December 18, 2005
What this boy wants from a romance novel
The Wizard of Oil
Shamelessly pandering to the women in my audience
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Another evil meme
Maureen Dowd, reigning queen of one-liners
Ooh, I love this bit.
J. Edgar Bush
Friday, December 16, 2005
Review of Intergalactic Medicine Show premier
Thursday, December 15, 2005
My dorm was never this much fun
Feeling sluggish today
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Ching ching
Just a piece of paper
“I don’t give a goddamn,” Bush retorted. “I’m the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way.”
“Mr. President,” one aide in the meeting said. “There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution.”
“Stop throwing the Constitution in my face,” Bush screamed back. “It’s just a goddamned piece of paper!”
Be sure to read Thompson's whole story, as well as Blue Gal's commentary (both linked above). I've been too busy to see if Kos & the rest have picked this up yet, but . . . amazing, if true.
So . . . consider this story as a thoroughly unverified allegation. I'll yank it if the story falls through.
D.