Hate Speech

This is cross posted at my other blog.

Follow the link and be apalled.

And maybe go to the lady's blog and use the "flag blog" option to alert google to the nastiness.

la Chandeleur

In England, Pancake Day içs Shrove Tuesday. (also known as Mardi Gras - Fat Tuesday)

Here in France, tho, the 2nd of February is the big crepes day.
The feast is called la Chandeleur, from the word for Candle, symbolising light. It is nominally 40 days after Christmas and commemorates the presentation of Jesus at the temple.

Historically, it is a melding of Roman fertility and Celtic purification ceremonies before the onset of Spring.

In the church there is a procession of candles and a benediction, but the most common method of celebrating, and the method that seems to be the most enduring, is the cooking and eating of crêpes, their golden round shapes symbolising the sun that is starting to return after Winter.

If you make crêpes yourself on Chqndeleur, make sure you hold a coin in your free hand to invoke properity for the rest of the year

See http://www.chandeleur.net/

Tony Blair & God

There is an interesting article on the online Spectator by Rod Liddle entitled "God's role in politics - God’s role in politics is not to underwrite bad ideas"
The crux of the article is in these paragraphs:

The longer Blair remained in office, the more pronounced became the shift away from that first and crucial god — public opinion — and towards some other higher being. As that BBC documentary cleverly evinced, towards the end of his tenure Blair rarely expanded upon his reasons for doing some deeply questionable act beyond the look-I’m-an-honest-sorta-bloke shrug of the shoulders and the repeated mantra: ‘Well, I did it cos I thought it was the right thing to do.’ Over and over again Blair cited this as his sole reason for embarking upon one or another catastrophic course of action; he never said, ‘I thought it was the right thing to do, but sadly I was mistaken,’ and still less, ‘Look, I did it cos it was politically expedient and seemed attractive at the time.’

This seems to have been the gift which God bestowed upon his mate Tony Blair: not humility, an intimation of human frailty, an understanding that human knowledge and human abilities are most definitely finite, that given free will we are at liberty to make the wrong decisions as well as the right decisions, but instead a suffocating and deluding certitude. Blair’s favourite phrase — ‘I did it cos I thought it was the right thing to do’ — is an absolutist’s argument: it cannot be gainsaid. And of course the implication is that he thought it was the right thing to do because he was a man of faith and conviction — and so even if everything turned out badly, as in Iraq, his motive or judgment could not possibly be questioned. So it is a statement that requires no evidence, no explanation and still less anything in the way of an apology.

I always knew Blair was flakey, because of his mud rebirth ceremony with his harridan wife and her new-agey Kaballah bullshit, but I had no idea that he actually believed he had a one-on-one link with God, and felt that that justified his decisions. I always thought his support for America was historical and political rather than because of a shared fundamentalism with George Bush.
At least he had the good sense to be embarrased about it and keep it quiet while he was in office.

The fertility chair

In saturday's edition of Charente Libre, our local paper was a story about a magic fertility chair in Naples.
For anglophones, this magnificent journal also has an English version. I can't link to the story itself as it is a subscription site. I found this one though, and here is the story at Reuters.
Now this post may ramble a bit because I'm posting immediately after haveing 3 demi pressions at the cafe with the old boys - pre lunch aperatifs.
First, lets get the Charente Libre out of the way. The newspaper's name translates as "Free Charente", but if you should decide to quip to the newsagent that the paper shouldn't cost 85 centimes since it is free, you will be rewarded with a blank look. Because in French there are a few words for "free", and "libre" has the sense of "freedom" or "liberty" as in free from oppression or slavery, and my guess is that the paper took its name shortly after liberation from the Nazis in 1945. "Free" as in "costs no money" is the word "gratuit" and "free" as in "available" is "disponible.

Getting back to the story at hand. I read the article in the Charente Libre while on a night shift, Saturday. "That's blogworthy" I thought and tore it out and put it in my jacket pocket.
Today, Monday, in the cafe, one of the old boys sarts telling the story of this miraculous fertility chair, whereapon I reach into my pocket and bring out said article. Much to everyone's amazement at how switched on to current affairs the English are. We aren't, of course. The remark is an example of confirmation bias. And confirmation bias is the explaination behind the miracle fertility chair.
Either it's the alcohol, or my own confirmation bias but I'm delighted the way these threads are coming together.

Right. The story at hand. The magic fertility chair. At the end of the 18th Century, Anna Maria Rosa Nicoletta Gallo spent her life in a small flat "in chastity and mystical suffering until her death in 1791 at the age of 76." She was given the saint name of "Mary Frances of the Five Wounds of Jesus" which suggests she may have carried stigmata, but, given that at the shrine you can also see her hair shirts and whips, it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that the stigmata were self-inflicted.
What's involved is that women who are struggling to fall pregnant sit themselves in an armchair in the shrine. Then Sister Maria Giuliana, or Sister Elisa who belong to the order of nuns that guard the shrine will touch the supplicant's breast and belly with a box containing a vertebra and lock of hair of the saint. The efficacy of the treatment is proved by the birth announcements stuck to the walls and the testimonies in weblogs.
This is where the confirmation bias comes in.

Confirmation bias refers to a type of selective thinking whereby one tends to notice and to look for what confirms one's beliefs, and to ignore, not look for, or undervalue the relevance of what contradicts one's beliefs. For example, if you believe that during a full moon there is an increase in admissions to the emergency room where you work, you will take notice of admissions during a full moon, but be inattentive to the moon when admissions occur during other nights of the month. A tendency to do this over time unjustifiably strengthens your belief in the relationship between the full moon and accidents and other lunar effects.
This tendency to give more attention and weight to data that support our beliefs than we do to contrary data is especially pernicious when our beliefs are little more than prejudices. If our beliefs are firmly established on solid evidence and valid confirmatory experiments, the tendency to give more attention and weight to data that fit with our beliefs should not lead us astray as a rule. Of course, if we become blinded to evidence truly refuting a favored hypothesis, we have crossed the line from reasonableness to closed-mindedness.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that people generally give an excessive amount of value to confirmatory information, that is, to positive or supportive data

All the hundreds and thousands of people who have sat in the chair and had no benefit do not get reported. All the hundreds and thousands of people who would have fallen pregnant regardless of whether they sat in the chair or not, cannot be assertained, as there is no double blind testing. Likewise, it is impossible to judge the effects on mood, moral, and mental attitude of the women who have sat in the chair and then attacked their conjugal efforts with renewed vigour.
(That last sentence is DEFINITELY the efffect of French beer)

In closing, I'd like to add how much I love catholicism for being the loony fringe of christianity. European and South American catholics are so into the voodoo zombie side of stuff, with saints and bones and weeping statues. It is such good value for money. That's your "old time religeon" right there.

Here we have a picture of a woman getting the saintly boner (sorry, "bones") applied to her: and below is a url for a video. Courtesy Reuters

video: Fertility Chair

Ignorance is Bliss

More than a quarter of adults do not know where Jesus was born.
From the Telegraph

A survey of 1,015 adults last month showed that 27 per cent of Britons aged 18 and over were unable to identify Bethlehem as Jesus's birth place. When questioning people aged between 18 and 24 over a third didn't know.

One in ten of those questioned thought the answer was Nazareth and a similar number said Jerusalem.

The poll also found that more than one in four people - 27 per cent - were unaware that an angel told Mary that she would give birth to a son, with some saying she was informed by the shepherds.

Most people surveyed believed that Joseph, Mary and Jesus fled to Nazareth rather than Egypt when they escaped from King Herod, and a few even said the holy family's destination was Rome.

The poll showed that the younger the questionee, the more ignorant they were of the Christmas story. Although the story is still part of the cultural mainstream people were becoming increasingly shaky on the details.

Personally I think that dropping standards in the teaching of proper history is to be appaled, but if the nation starts to let Christianity slip into the realms of Christian Anderson then well and good.

The poll results are likely to refuel the debate about the secularisation of Christmas.

Excellent.

Teddy Bears' Picnic

Just to wring the last drops from the stinky floor-rag that is the Mohamed teddy bear saga. I offer an update teddybears' picnic.
I can't vouch for the source, I found it in the comments section of a post in Barry Beelzebub's rude but excellent blog

If you go down to Khartoum today
You're in for a big surprise:
If you go down to Khartoum today
You'll never believe your eyes.
For every bear that ever there was
Was rounded up at gunpoint because
The rumour was that one had been named Mohammed.

It wasn't really a very bright
Idea to pick that name.
You might have thought it'd be alright,
But better to call him Wayne.
There's folk around who rather enjoy
Being offended by a stuffed toy.
The irony is mostly they're called Mohammed.

Fatwa time for teddy bears
The little teddy bears, the victims of nut-case bigotry.
They had better all beware:
A mullah hides up each and every tree.
They would like to gad about,
They'd like to play and shout
But none of them even dare.
At sunset all the elderly mullahs who disapprove of joy
Will take them home for their evening prayers.

Is Religion good for something after all?

The academic superiority of faith schools was underlined today as they dominated top positions in new league tables for 11-year-olds.

An article in the Daily Telegraph (United Kingdom)

Two thirds of the 250 primaries in England achieving "perfect" test results were Church of England, Roman Catholic or Jewish schools.

Only one third of the schools are "faith" based yet in 2007 they held 66% of the top places.
I saw the headline and I thought they were interesting statistics, but is it because the teaching is religiously based or is it because these schools are more autonomous and thus free from the constricting burocracy and interferance of the state?
The schools themselves say that it is a result of good teaching and discipline.

Jan Ainsworth, the C of E's chief education officer, said the results were down to schools' "Christian character", which "helps embed strong discipline, a caring attitude, and a sense of purpose".

That's the money quote I was looking for, someone to state that discipline, caring, and a sense of purpose are uniquely christian traits.
Jan Ainsworth doesn't account for North Cheshire Jewish Primary School being 3rd in the league or how to account for schools like St Matthew's CofE Junior and Infant School at the bottom of the league with 0%. (CofE is abbreviation for Church of England)
I suppose that when a faith school does well it is because of the Christian principles they teach and when a faith school does badly it's because of the bloody kids.
The full league tables are here.
What a shame there are no declared atheist schools. Or that it is not possible, from a school's name to determine the actual beliefs of the head and the teachers. Or that the tables take no account for the fact that state schools have to pull pupils from the local community (that's their purpose) whereas faith schools have parents seeking them out. Middle class parents actively searching good schools that they can afford.

However, faith schools performed much less well in an alternative league table that took account of deprivation, special needs and children speaking English as a second language, taking just 30 of the top 200 places on the "contextual value-added" measure.

The value-added measures are explained and discussed in this pdf. Read the head teachers' commenst at the end of the report. They make interesting reading regarding the usefulness of league tables as applied to schools.
I can't find a source for the adjusted league tables. I did find this story about local successes and failure in schools. In Worcester there seems to be mixed results and the league tables don't seem to prove much either way.
Councillor Liz Eyre, Worcestershire County Council's cabinet member for children and young people, said "Any successes on the ground are down to a joint effort and are testament to the hard work of staff, parents, governors and pupils."

Fossils are the Devil's handiwork

Comedian Lewis Black on evolution, creation and stuff.

"Evolution is a major thread in the larger tapestry that I like to call REALITY!"

Taking the Infidel Challenge

Oh alright then
Thrawn has a challenge for us infidels: create a horribly drawn image of Islam’s prophet Mohammad, and display it in a public area. Yes, the Internet counts.

Here’s my entry:


See also nullifidian
Unaorthodox Atheism

You say tomato . . .

You say "immoral", I say "win-win situation"

A prostitute in Chile has auctioned 27 hours of sex to raise money for a disabled children's charity.
"Maria Carolina has made headlines and appeared on talk shows since she announced her donation to the televised Teleton, Chile's largest fundraising event that will run for 27 hours this weekend.
I am going to contribute with my work to a purpose that touches me deeply," said the brunette.
To dispel any doubts, she promised to post a picture of the bank deposit slip on the website where she advertises her services.
Miss Carolina, who charges $300 for a 90-minute session, estimated that she would raise more than $4000.
"I've already auctioned off the 27 hours," the prostitute said. "One of my clients already paid. It seemed like a good deed to him."
Mario Kreutzberger, the Teleton organiser, was reluctant to accept her pledge.
"Everyone can do what they want," the television presenter said. "But if someone tells me that they'll do something immoral ... I'm not going to encourage it."

I may be wrong, but it's very probable that this woman is entirely in control of her life and her earnings. She offers a service. Willing clients pay and get the services as advertised. No-one is hurt. She decides to put aside her earnings for a charity.
And it is considered "immoral"? Perhaps it is against the law in Chile but we all know that law, justice and morality don't always intersect.
I'm all for charity. I think this story is timley given some of the talk in the atheisphere regarding atheism and charity. I can't afford the $300 for a 90 minute session (90 minutes - bloody hell, if she can ball me for 90 minutes that's good value!!) but on a dollar per minute rate I could probably spring for 10 minutes worth. I can just imagine what my wife's remark will be when she reads this post.

Christian Nutters

Ok, so we know about Landover Baptist. It is a parody so close to the truth that it confuses people when they first see it, and offends many fundies because the truth hurts.
I've just found the web site of a group that are for real. And they are so twisted, so mental, it is mind boggling.
They call themselves Bible Believers

I would like to post some exerpts from their pages, such as their "Our Principles" page but the language is so packed with churchy jargon that I can't make head or tail of it.

In their page of Christian ABC's we have the usual nonsense but here it's more intense. The language is apocalyptic.

Christians are those of Adam's race who have been born the second time... Spiritually. The fact we require a second birth indicates something was not right with our physical first birth. It points to how procreation began and to the original sin between Eve and the Serpent, a man-like creature before God changed his form and put him on his belly.
Eve disbelieved God. Adam took her back forfeiting our birthright: dominion over earth, to Satan. God's penalty is death upon all who come under Satan's dominion. As a consequence we are all formed in iniquity, conceived in sin, born into a world ruled by Satan, and separated from the Presence of God.

"those of Adam's race" What does that mean? Humans? It turns out they are very big on geneology and race. They have articles blethering on about how modern Jews are not real Jews. They reckon jesus was not Jewish but "Judean" ie. from Judah and it has been a "jewish" conspiracy (by the fake jews that is) to mistranslate the scriptures and pass themselves of as real jews. See their article "The Blasphemy of them Which say they are Jews, and are Not"
They have a sin I've never heard of before: "hybreeding" but they don't explain exactly what it is

I challenge you to find me a nuttier bunch of christians than this lot. No, not even Westboro Baptist. They may be poisonous and low-down, but their theology is actually pretty logical, by biblical standards. I reckon I've hit the motherlode of christian whackjobs with the Bible Believers

Did you know the original sin resulted in adultery? And when God saw the descendants of Adam interbreeding with the descendants of Cain, it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth. It so grieved Him that He destroyed the world with a flood. God hates hybreeding, yet we mix our creeds with the Word and expect Him to receive our worship. I said the same spirit in natural fornication is manifest in impure worship

Barking mad, the lot of them.

Bloody Religion . . .

A mother died hours after giving birth because her religious beliefs would not allow her to have a blood transfusion.

Which is just great for her and her entry to heaven, but a bit tougher on her twins, now being cared for by their father.

Terry Lovejoy, spokesman for Jehovah's Witnesses in Telford, said: "We share the family's very real grief."
Mr Lovejoy said: "We follow the Bible and abstain from blood and I've no reason to believe Emma felt any differently."

Does that mean that Emma wasn't given the choice?

And why does Mr Lovejoy, as a representative for the JWs not know that the Church of JC & Latter Day Saints no longer holds to these rules?

Leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses movement have revoked a strict ruling that their members automatically face ex-communication if they accept blood transfusions.

For the Healing of Little Pigs

Many of the little villages and towns have fountains and natural springs. There is usually a Saint associated with the spring, and a little shrine. The various springs, thanks to the intercession of their associated Saints are supposed to have healing properties.
Here in Cherves Chatelars, the spring of St Vivien is supposed to heal Epilepsy.
I've made a list of the towns/villages in the Charente and their healing springs at the end of this post. Some of the illnesses I haven't been able to translate. For example, at Loubert you can be healed of "Flying Fire". And I don't know what "Dartres" or "Panaris" is.

This is a little picture of the Font at Mouzon (just down the road from here: Fontaine St Martin: Rhumatism.


This PDF article (In French) describes how these little devotional fountains came about.

It seems that since the time of the Druids and before, there was a lot of nature worship. The Gauls worshiped trees and rocks, and natural springs were especially sanctified. With the Roman conquest, these springs were dedicated to the new Roman gods: Isis, Jupiter, Mithra, Minerva, Cybile. When Christanity triumphed in the Empire, these Roman gods were displaced, in turn, by church Saints. Rather than destroy the Roman practices, as directed by Council of Arles in the 6th Century, the church allowed devotions to take place at the springs, and nominated local Saints to sanitise the process. So the cult of the Springs became replaced by devotions to the church Saints at the Spring.

In the Charente there are more than 70 of these healing springs, and for those old fashioned or superticious enough, by asking the local "healer" the appropriate spring can be found. Some of the springs have become little known and secret.

The last pilgrimage to the spring at Aubin St-Mary took place on the 11th August 1947, when the citizens of Agris asked St Aubin to interced against the drought.
Since that day, though, intercesions of this type have not been so successful. Some say that the pilgrims should return to travelling by foot, rather than by car, and others say that there are too many skeptical visitors.

Look through this list and marvel at the mixture of church and pre-Christian superstition. At Montigné you can take the waters and the sain'ts blessing against the evil eye. At St-Germain-de-Confolens, St Antoine can protect you against bewitchment.

Town	Font	Illness
Abzac	St. Sulpice	Alopecia Areata
Adjutory	? ?	Érésipèle
Angoulême	La font des Pûtes	Childbirth
Angoulême	St Augustin	Cramps
Aubain -St- Mary	St. Aubain	Drought
Aussac	La font des Demoiselles	Goitre
Aignes	St Aquillie	Deafness
Brettes	La font Belette	Sore eyes
Baignes	Ste Claire	Les panaris
Brillac	La font Mélisse	Urinary Incontinence
Balzac	St Martin	Carreau
Baignes	St. Claire	Nervous Disorders
Bors	St Pierre et St Médard	Les césouelles
Boisbreteau	?	?
Benest	St Antoine	Fevers
Bonneuil	La fontaine des Sorciers	Against spells
Birac	La font des Pûtes	Heals wounds
Cillac	Font Malillac	Fevers
Cherves-Châtetars	St Vivien	Epilepsy
Cellefrouin	St Martial	Anemia
Champniers	Ste Elalie	Abscess
Courgeac	Font Guérison	Frostbite
Dirac	Font Belleveau	Lactation
Ecuras	St Etienne	Haemorrhage
Esse	St Etienne	Dartres
Epenède	Font Baumer	Mute Child
Eymoutier	St Pierre	Meningitis
Genouillac	St Augustin	Convulsion
Grassac	St Jean	Against worms
Laplaud	La Vierge	Cramps
Lichères	St Denis	Rickets
Loubert	Ste Suzanne	Le feu volant
Massignac	?	?
Montboyer	Font	Les panaris
Monchaude	St Cybard	Styes
Montemboeuf	Ste Claire	Rheumatism
Montigné	La font des Demoiselles	The evil eye
Montrolet	St Supent	Gout
Moutonneau	Font Penelles	Point de côté
Mouzon	St Martin	Haemorroides
Nonac	La font des fièvres	Fevers
Passirac	St Pierre	Boils
Pillac	St Aignan	Ringworm
Pleuville	St Jean	Deafness
Pougné	Ste Eutrope et St Martin	La ravenelle chez les enfants
Poulignac	St Martin
Puymerle	Ste Quitterie	Blindness
Puypéroux	St Gilles	Fever
Rouffiac	Font bénite	Illness of the eyes
Roussines	La font des Dames	Migraine
Rouzède	St Jean
St- Bonnet	fontaine	Anemia
St- Claud	Ste Eutrope	Goitre
St- Coutan	font	Abscesses
St- Germain -de- Confolens	St Antoine	Bewitchment
St- Germain -de- Montbron	St Antoine	Warts
St- Quentin -de- Chalais		Rheumatism
St- Laurent		Infertility
St- Yrieix	Font des Fées	Le mal caduc
Sauvagnac		Rhumatismes
Sireuil	St Orient	Against Fear
Touzac	Font des Dames	Epilepsy
Verniul	Sainte-Blaise	animals, esp. pigs
Vignolles	Ste Catherine	Against celibacy
Vitrac St Vincent	St Maixent	Epilepsy
Voulgézac	Font des Pûtes	Rheumatism
Vouthon	St Martin	Convulsions
Yviers	La font des Miracles	Convulsions

Hard cash for tacky religious crap

The Freethinker is offering a free subscription to their newsletter if you can submit examples of religious kitsch for sale.

This has co-incided nicely with the article I saw on Planet Atheism (my apologies for not remembering the author) on the communion wafer for sale on eBay
Following that link, I found myself in the Christianity section on eBay.
It's an interesting section for not only is there religious tat, there are also beautiful alter fronts, chalices, statues and icons for sale.

Sub sections include: Bears, Dolls where you can find the "New US ARMY Holy BEAR Armed Forces PLUSH Stuffed" This delicious item is described as "THE ORIGINAL HOLY BEAR® US Army HOLY BEAR 8”H Plush includes a card that states The Army Vision consists of three interdependent elements: people, rediness and transformation. The United States Army Loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage... "
I don't doubt the courage ofthe US Army, but I do doubt the honor and integrity of the vendors of the item.
There is also the MUSICAL "JESUS LOVES ME" HEAVENLY LOVE PUPPY ">MUSICAL "JESUS LOVES ME" HEAVENLY LOVE PUPPY

In the Charms section, I think it's hilarious that right underneath the 3D Crystal Art Baby Jesus Virgin Mary Guadalupe + Base is found the Biker 666 Dead Sign Embroidered Iron On Patch

I don't get enough nutters . . .

...to keep me entertained with their rantings.

However, this one did mail me because of my YouTube videos

Subject: Get the book: the bait of satan. Read it, you will retract those videos:
Message:
To whom it may concern,

We have seen your video...the sinners prayer.

Son, you don't understand His love letter to you.

In your sin, [if you receive judgement of sin, it comes from The Lord, and not us: for He judges all things, and has authority to relay in message. He will use anyone to speak, as the Spirit of The Living God descends upon man and speaks through them]. In essence: you have been used as a pawn to discourage the message of eternal life: that IS full of HOPE and the love gift of salvation in Him, the son of all mankind...Christ Jesus our Lord, and your best friend.

We are in the last days, and Christ Jesus is coming for His church, His bride. We that have...received The Son will be caught up, raptured up...to be with God for all eternity.

There are power in your words...go and read in the book of proverbs again. Your words speak against God's will, and perfect plan for you, and for all the other souls that Jesus is awakening.

You are loved, you will always...be loved, as God in deity is perfect love.

You have misunderstood His love gift, His words. He spoke to each individual, as He knew all of their thoughts and their hearts. Each word that Christ Jesus uttered...unto each individual is all according to The Father's design, and everything He did say was right, it's all just, for all...personally.

As an evangelist, a believer, and a blood-bought saint in Christ...we are asking you to turn around from being used by the principalities of darkness, of this world that is to pass away, and help...in His harvest, in preparation: to bring the message of salvation enriched in His mercy, reconciliation, and His agape love.

Look to the fields: look to The Lord: look to the people, help...The One that knitted you together in your mother's womb and set you apart to...make a difference: help bring them in, help bring them home...son. Do it for Him...

You are Loved...on impact,

The Love...of Christ,

pjandkim4 (hopefully...we're kin)

In God's wisdom... He prepares each individual heart in steps and in His timing.

My Reply:

Subject: Re: Get the book: the bait of satan. Read it, you will retract those videos:
Message:
pjandkim4 -

Thank you for your mail. It is obvious that you care deeply for my welfare and future, and I thank you for your concern.

However, it must be apparant if you have watched my videos that I find evidence for god deeply underwhelming and that I find Christianity to be woefully inadequate on many, many levels.

Christian theology is flawed, the god represented in the bible is reprehensible, the concept of eternal damnation is morally repugnant.

Happily I am at the point in my life where I have realised that there is almost no god, and very pobable that Jesus never even existed historically.

Thus, my videos on YouTube serve two purposes: they are cathartic and healing for me, as I "deprogram" myself from years and years of immersion in pointless mindset of guilt and fear. And secondly, they may also serve as a guide to others, for, like you, I am an evangelist - for reason, rationality and truth.

Thank you again for your concern, and time. I assure you that I do appreciate and understand what you feel and believe, having once been a "spirit-filled" believer. It is ironic, isn't it, that you hope we may be kin in the family of god, when in fact we are already kin in the wonderful family of humanity.

Regards

Stewart

Their reply:

Subject: Re: Re: Get the book: the bait of satan. Read it, you will retract those videos:
Message:
Original Message:

> pjandkim4 -
>
> Thank you for your mail. It is obvious that you care deeply for my welfare and f...

*Dear Stewart,

We do care about you, your well being, you spiritually, where you're at in order to try to re-late.

Look at Jesus' disciple John. When you see John, what are your thoughts...? Write them all down.

John's heart was ready to be filled with understanding, because his heart experienced the love of God. When we experience the love of Christ, and we read the scriptures: they start making sense because the heart is open and it's softened...good ground to receive...the truth. The Holy Spirit fills the believer with the understanding, and then the beliver becomes enriched.

If a heart is focused in judgement, the scriptures being read are preceived that way. BUT, if the heart is focused on Christ and has been softened...in His unconditional agape love for you and for everyone...His words will captivate you and they will present themselves in...freedom, freedom in Christ alone: in His understanding.

God loves you...and prayer helps.

Receive this prayer, tuck this into your heart:

May the Lord Jesus Christ touch your heart in such a way, that you will be profoundly moved, may He surround you in His warm embrace, and fill you with His unconditional love that He has for you personally, His mercy, and in grace. May understanding His words...draw you closer...in relationship with Him. May He empower you to move in all areas of your life...giving you keys of understanding...His wisdom. May The Lord give you eloquence to your tongue and increase your knowledge of His words seasoned with...the understanding of each word read. Finally, may the Lord bring you His peace and fill you, restore you with His love and joy in the name of Christ Jesus...our Lord, savior and King.

Come see...our blog. Check our blog out from time to time, this is our love fish...to you.

All God lead, no doubt.

The Giacalone's blog & gallery:

http://360.yahoo.com/pjandkim4 [or]

360.yahoo.com/pjandkim4

The Love of Christ,

*Philip John & Kimberly Ann

pfff! Didn't they read my reply at all? or did the fact that I responded just kick off a "Jesus loves you, come to our blog type response"?

Jonathan Edwards sees the light

'I have never been happier' says the man who won gold but lost God.
I know that in the USA professing christian sportstmen are two-a-penny, but for the United Kingdom this is big, BIG news.

He was of the quiet "muscular" English christianity like you saw in the film "Chariots of Fire" with the character Liddle. Edwards mirrored Liddle's faith by also refusing to compete on Sundays.
He used to co-host a TV program called "Songs of Praise" and was such a decent, upright, open and approachable kind of man that christians were rightly proud to have such a man and athlete fronting their faith.
True to his character, the things he has said regarding his loss of faith show his honesty and integrity:

"I never doubted my belief in God for a single moment until I retired from sport," he says. "Faith was the reason that I decided to become a professional athlete, in the same way that it was fundamental to every decision I made. It was the foundation of my existence, the thing that made everything else make sense. It was not a sacrifice to refuse to compete on Sundays during my early career because that would imply that athletics was important in and of itself. It was not. It was always a means to an end: glorifying God.
"But when I retired, something happened that took me by complete surprise. I quickly realised that athletics was more important to my identity than I believed possible. I was the best in the world at what I did and suddenly that was not true any more. With one facet of my identity stripped away, I began to question the others and, from there, there was no stopping. The foundations of my world were slowly crumbling."

I am so pleased for him.
I am so pleased he is handing it logically, rationally and publicly.
This is a big score for secularism.


(ps apologies for big gap in posting. My Orange LiveBox crashed and I was at the mercy of French customer support. A new oxymoron 'french customer support' + 1 week holiday in Blighty. I was back online at 2pm today with a shit-load of spam in my inbox)

What the Dickens?!?

"I never, in my life, saw anything at once so ridiculous and so unpleasant as this sight"

So spoke Charles Dickens in 1845 when, in Rome, he saw catholic pilgrims climbing "The Holy Stairs" on their knees.
Why do they perform this ritual?
Apparantly the stairs are so holy, that it would be sinful to sully them with shoes, plus. from the kneeling vantage, pilgrims can peer through holes in the wood that covers the original marble stairs to see the spots of Jesus' blood.
Completing this task gets them a "full indulgence of their sins".

What a bargain! 28 wooden steps, on your knees and your sins are wiped clean!
Several popes have undergone the ritual of ascending the 28 marble steps on their knees. What? I'd do the damn thing daily if I believed it wiped out my sins!
These stairs were brought from Jerusalem to Rome in the 326AD by St Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, and placed in the former papal palace opposite the basilica of St John Lateran. They originally led to the praetorium, or judgment hall, of Pontius Pilate's palace in Jerusalem.
The stairs are in the news because the frescoes that surround the stairs have recently been restored. Francesco Buranelli, the director of the Vatican Museum, said: "These are some of the most important, but least well known, frescoes in Rome, and they open a new page for 16th century art". The American Getty foundaton has contributed to most of the restoration. What, the vatican is on the skids? Holy Church is broke and can't clean its own artworks?
Apparantly the restorers found chewing gum stuck to the wood of the stairs. It seems some penitents were'net overawed by the holiness of the steps. Never mind, the sin of gum litter would also have been wiped clean by step 28.

I love the Bible

Because it is so WEIRD!

The latest weirdness I've been looking at in the Bible, is the issue of people taken phisically, bodily, direct to heaven, without dying.
Our candidates are:
Enoch: (Genesis 5:22-24 & Hebrews 11:5)

Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away.

Elijah: (2 Kings 2:11)

As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind

Moses: By inference, because he appeared with Elijah when Jesus was "Transfigured"
Jesus: Well, duh.
Mary, mother of Jesus: by Pope Pius XII, on November 1, 1950

By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory

What I find weird is that we are taught, we assume that heaven is a spiritual place, somewhere we can't go. Yuri Gagarin was the first to go into space and declared that he couldn't find it. And yet thare are at least 4 (if you want to stick to the Bible) and maybe more actual flesh and blood people there. Do the still talk? Sweat? Sleep? Dream? Shiver? Laugh? Cry?
As physical things we are affected by gravity. These guys in heaven, do they walk about or float, or teleport, or what? HOW DOES IT WORK?

But that's why I love the Bible, I never seem to find an end to the weirdness and surprises. Because I was reading about Enoch, I found all that stuff about how old those guys were supposed to be, and about the Nephilim. Weird. I'll never know why christians don't blush. When I was a christian, we studied cults in church (JW, Mormonism, Scientology etc) to be better armed against heresy. How could we laugh at Smith translating the Book of Mormon thru his magic goggles and not see how stupid our own beliefs were?

Baby recipes, or "To Serve Man"

There's a short story by Damon Knight. Some aliens appear and give humanity tools for eradicating disease, ending war. The hero is working on a translation of a book the aliens have called "To Serve Man" The last lines of the story are "It's a cookbook"

Down here on planet Earth we have a story about a young couple who tried to microwave their baby.

Would you believe it, they are both christians and claim the devil made them do it.

Eva Marie Mauldin said Satan compelled her 19-year-old husband, Joshua Royce Mauldin, to microwave their daughter May 10 because the devil disapproved of Joshua's efforts to become a preacher.

Thanks to the ever vigilant PZ Myers at Pharyngula

Christianity - mixed up.

Doh! The damn site *IS* satirical. Like Landover Baptist. And I fell for it. Ah well, I'll leave this post up as a lesson to others to keep thier irony meters tuned. Trouble is, unlike Landover, Lark News is pretty damn close to spot on accurate!

What a mixed up crazy religion!

Have a look at Lark News. It's "a good source for Christian news". And what is christian news?

Anyway. I'd always assumed that the church frowns on gambling. When you gamble, you are hoping for a win, a win based on luck. ie undeserved reward. Further, in many forms of gambling, poker for example, you are winning other people's losses. Kinda flies in the face of Jesus' number 1 rule to love your neighbour.

But over at Lark News, on the left sidebar is a thing called "Lot Caster" It says "Stop struggling with tough decisions. Throw lots with the Lark Online LotCaster!"
When you click it a little applet pops up. You type in ypur 2 conflicting issues, hit the button and hey presto! it tells you what to do. I tried it out.

And there you have it. The christian applet recommends that I abort my baby rather than save it and dedicate my life to Jesus.
And how about these testimonials:

"I was really struggling with whether to marry my new Bible college girlfriend, or my church girlfriend back home. The Lark LotCaster gave me just the answer I needed."
- Justin, Richmond, Va.

"I had been in prayer about a vexing problem until I found this. It gave me the answer I needed to get out of my endless prayer loop. Thank you, Lark LotCaster!"
- Ellie, Northampton, Mass.

"I don't have a prayer journal anymore. All those 'past problems' were just weighing me down. Now I come here and get my answer quickly from the Caster. This product saves me time."
- Louis, Queens, NY

I'm sure there are some stupid OT verses to back up this business of "casting lots". What does Bible Gateway have to say?
Ah. Sure enough. Leviticus 16:8, Joshua 18:6, 1 Chronicles 24:31 and loads more.
It seems that when you have a tough decision you have Biblical precedent for simply rolling a dice.
At Lark News, apart from the fact that their applet, is just a random selector, there will be people making life changing decisions and then claiming that "God has spoken"
Or is it a christian in-joke that I'm too obtuse to see? And why can't these people make decisions? The testimonials certainly seem satirical, but, but . . .
.
My brain is about to explode!