The new sins are out!

Vatican Announces Seven New Deadly Sins | March 10, 2008 | AHN: "Mgr Girotti named the new mortal sins to be (1)genetic modification; (2) human experimentations, (3) polluting the environment; (4) social injustice; (5) causing poverty; (6) financial gluttony; and (7) taking drugs."

Maybe they're trying to drum up confessional business.

I am unclear as to why I am supposed to care what a Bronze Age myth (updated or not) says about how I live my life.

And while we're at it:

8) voting for anyone who voted in favor of the Patriot Act

9) SPAMMING

10) being a Yankee fan

...

E! doesn't get it

Griffin's 'offensive' Emmy speech to be censored - CNN.com: "'Kathy Griffin's offensive remarks will not be part of the E! telecast on Saturday night,' the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences said in a statement Monday. In her speech, Griffin said that 'a lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus.'"

I guess my first question is: When did E! become an arbiter of good taste?

My second question is: Why does the media take Bill Donohue seriously? CNN, who has a reputation to protect, quotes documented nutter Bill Donohue as expressing outrage on behalf of Catholics. Donohue called Griffin's speech "hate speech." This is the Bill Donohue who thinks it's okay to say things like "gay death style." I do not think "hate speech" means what Mr. Donohue thinks it means.

E! screwed up. Mr. Donohue continues to screw up. Kathy Griffin continues to be Kathy Griffin and she's allowed to make jokes about Jesus.

If your belief system is that fragile, maybe there are other problems.

It's called a straw man argument

I don't know who produces these videos. They can be pretty hateful. I think theism's role in modern society is something we need to evaluate. Crap like this does not contribute to the discussion.



First seen on Sandwalk.

Apparently religious freedom is only for a select few

Hindu prayer in the Senate draws protesters - CNN.com: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Three protesters disrupted a prayer by a Hindu chaplain Thursday at the opening of a Senate hearing, calling it an abomination and shouting slogans about Jesus Christ."

In my search for a Christian leader condemning the bigotry I found the American Family Association website. It wasn't what I was looking for.

Hopefully, we're just going through a phase and we're going to grow out of this.

If you'd like to watch the incident on YouTube, the link is here.

So much for my beloved stereotypes...

Cool Reception for Bible Park in Bible Belt - New York Times: "The congregation sometimes assembles here for open-air services, said the pastor, Bryan Brooks, with the trees and pastures across Route 840 for a backdrop. But that view may change, because the land beyond the road has been proposed as the site for a theme park called Bible Park USA on over 100 acres.

The proposal has ignited fierce opposition to the project. The park, which would be in Rutherford County in an area known as Blackman, would be about 35 miles southeast of Nashville."

Well I would have thought that a Bible-based theme park in the heart of the so-called Bible belt would have been a slam dunk. Blackman, TN is about 315 miles south of Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY. The Creation Museum didn't face anything like this kind of local opposition.

Reading the article, it sounds like the locals are going into this with their heads up and their eyes open. It is reassuring to me that even though the developers surrounded themselves with an air of being good Christians, the overwhelmingly Christian population of Blackman saw through the pretense. The project is facing three major hurdles: its 100-acre size, its special tax relief, and its representation of Christianity. The developers are in for a tough fight.

Is Fred Phelps a Christian?

It is long past the time for the US Christian community to engage Fred Phelps. We as a society look askance at all Muslims for their failure to contain extremism within their ranks. Yet where is the public outrage at Fred Phelps' hate speech? Why aren't US religious leaders speaking out about this guy? Why are we leaving the heavy lifting on this issue to the likes of Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens? We need public, reasoned, point by point rebuttals to this guy. Wouldn't the most credible people to do this be religious leaders?

Silence is not acceptable. Awkward looks, hand wringing and mumbled qualified apologies are not acceptable. Religion, any religion, must not be allowed to serve as an excuse for bigotry.

If real life were like the movies a ray of sunlight would strike Fred Phelps and he'd vanish in a puff of smoke. But real life isn't like the movies and Fred Phelps isn't going to just go away.



My wish for Samuel Cheney is that he live a long life that's full of wonder and that he be surrounded by people he loves and who love him. And I think he's off to a great start.

First seen on Pam's House Blend.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Low caste Indians set to convert

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Low caste Indians set to convert: "Thousands of tribal and Dalit Hindus in India are to embrace the Buddhist faith at a huge gathering in Mumbai.

The ceremony, which may be presided over by Tibet's exiled leader, the Dalai Lama, is billed as the largest religious conversion in modern India.

The converts hope to escape the rigid caste system in which their status is the lowest."

Ah, an opportunity to do a mercifully brief version of a previous post.

One of the roles of a mythology is to either help maintain a societal status quo or provide an initiative for change.

The Hindu religion supports the caste system.

The Dalits are the lowest caste.

Dalits are converting to non-Hindu religions.

Upper castes are passing laws to make conversion harder. [here]

Casting off a belief system that is used to oppress you is good. Replacing the belief system with another one is unnecessary but a personal choice they're entitled to make.

What kind of atheist...

You scored as Scientific Atheist, These guys rule. I'm not one of them myself, although I play one online. They know the rules of debate, the Laws of Thermodynamics, and can explain evolution in fifty words or less. More concerned with how things ARE than how they should be, these are the people who will bring us into the future. Scientific Atheist 75% Agnostic 67% Apathetic Atheist 67% Angry Atheist 58% Militant Atheist 50% Spiritual Atheist 50% Theist 17% What kind of atheist are you? created with QuizFarm.com

It's pretty accurate. I would like to see religious beliefs lose their untouchable status in public discourse. If a religious belief is going to be used to form policy, write law, restrict research, or set a school curriculum then that belief's merits are on the table for discussion. Religious beliefs exercised in public forums would have the same status as a scientific hypothesis or a political platform. Otherwise, your personal beliefs are exactly that, your personal beliefs and you're welcome to them.

I wonder if the folks over at Christianity Today know about this poll?

I learned about this on Sandwalk.

Indian laws put Christian missionaries on defensive | csmonitor.com

Indian laws put Christian missionaries on defensive | csmonitor.com: "The law's title seems ironic, given its terms. Anyone wishing to switch religions must inform the district magistrate 30 days before or risk a fine. If a person converts another 'by the use of force or by inducement or by any other fraudulent means,' they may be imprisoned for up to two years, fined, or both. The law is silent, however, on the subject of 'reconversions.'"

According to Joseph Campbell, mythology serves four basic functions: inspire awe, explain the world, maintain social order (or provide a basis for change) and aid the individual through psychological crises. [here and here] The social function is a big one, and interestingly Campbell himself talks about Indian mythology's support for the caste system as a part of the natural order of things.

I believe the root of the Indian backlash against the Christian missionaries has less to do with the belief systems themselves as it does maintaining the societal status quo and keeping India's underclass in place.

India isn't the first to have such legislation and they won't be the last. A number of years ago Russia passed legislation defining what religious organizations were (and were not) and setting rights and responsibilities for those organizations. It was a blatant re-assertion of power by the Russian Orthodox church as a reaction to Christian missionaries.

It's my hope that we'll move away from religion as a tool to maintain social order. In the US, for example, we use Judeo-Christian beliefs to define marriage and what constitutes a family. Admittedly, these concepts may have served the purpose 2,000 years ago. However the world has changed and the concepts have not. Because these concepts are encapsulated in our religions (mythologies), they're immune to modernization. The resulting lack of discussion stunts the growth of US social institutions.

Vatican calls verbal attack on Pope "terrorism"|International News|Reuters.com

Vatican calls verbal attack on Pope "terrorism"�|�International News�|�Reuters.com: "ROME (Reuters) - The Vatican's official newspaper accused an Italian comedian on Wednesday of 'terrorism' for criticizing the Pope and warned his rhetoric could fuel a return to 1970s-style political violence.

In an unusually strongly worded editorial, L'Osservatore Romano said a presenter of a televised May Day rock concert, which is sponsored by Italy's labor unions, had launched 'vile attacks' on Pope Benedict in front of an 'excitable crowd'.

'This, too, is terrorism. It's terrorism to launch attacks on the Church,' it said. 'It's terrorism to stoke blind and irrational rage against someone who always speaks in the name of love, love for life and love for man.'"

Actually, no it's not terrorism. It's criticism. Big difference. If you're going to play with the big boys and use your belief system to influence laws, scientific research and school curricula then you're open to criticism.

First seen on Culture Wars.