WWJS

Rick Warren is full of shit, just like the rest of them:

During the three years of Jesus' ministry, He never once mentioned homosexuality....NOT ONCE... not in the official canon, nor in any of the scripture found since, like the Naghamadi scrolls, for example, the scriptures which were hidden from the people by the men attending the Bishops council at Nicaea, where it was decided which scrolls should be included in what would become the Bible and which ones would be destroyed and even reading those scrolls was called heresy. The Church hated the Gnostics, considered their writings heresy and many of these scriptures are of Gnostic origin, but not all of them.

Fortunately, someone had the good sense to hide the scriptures and a young Egyptian boy found them, not long before WWII. Of all of these gospels and other writing found, the Gospel of Thomas is probably the most shocking and it is easy to see why the Bishops would not want that Gospel in the Canon. If one reads and understand the Gospel of Thomas, one quickly comes to the conclusion that there is really no spiritual for the Christian Church, with its patriarchal hierarchy through whom one can rceive absolution from sin from Jesus. According to Jesus, he is everywhere; "pull apart a rotting piece of wood, and there I am." which sounds very much like Jesus' saying, in the official Canon, "I am always with you, even until the end of the world."


It could not be that Jesus had never heard of homosexuality. By the time of Jesus' incarnation in the Palestine of old, the Greeks had occupied the land, much as Rome did during Jesus' time, except I understand that the Empire of Alexander was kinder than that of the Roman Caesars.


Besides, homosexuality has existed throughout the animal kingdom for as long as animals have been around, and that includes mankind, as we are animals as well. The only difference? Humans get to feel guilty about it.


Should guilt and love ever be in the same sentence? I wonder.... Guilt and lust, maybe, but guilt and love? Doesn't seem right to me.........


I spoke with the second in command (so to speak) of a certain Episcopal diocese about this disturbing omission. He told me this: We are left with only this; either he said nothing, indicating that the subject wasn't all that important in his mind or he did say something, but whatever he said was so scandalous it was left out of scripture.


What we do know from canonical scripture is that Jesus had a very young man for a disciple. His name was John and he was known as "the beloved." There is also every indication that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a very close relationship.

We also know that Jesus was a bit of a "scoundrel" in his day, according to the authorities of his day which consisted of a cruel oppressive empire and a corrupt Temple. He certainly knew how to piss-off the authorities and I imagine he would do the same today. Rick Warren himself would probably suggest he be committed or jailed. Religious leaders don't like for The Christ (or any Prophet to show up), That's usually bad news for the religious authorities when that happens, as most religious authorities become as corrupt as the Temple in Jesus' day.

For example, take the endtimers, like the ones who wrote that series of books based on the Book of Revelation (which for some odd reason was considered Canonical material, though it was and is clearly gnostic). These guys have made a fortune. My jaw hit the floor when I read what Hagee is worth. What do they need all this money for, when there are so many people literally dying of hunger even here in the U.S., not to mention the people of Africa.

Dinner and a movie?

If time is ending, it seems like now would be a good time to actually do what Jesus said to do, sell allt

Could it be that Jesus' message was that God cares much more that we love than about whom we love? From a pronouncement by Jesus we got an insight into how he felt about love. He said that that is how his disciples would be recognized; that they would love one another.... as He had loved them. He also said that we should love our enemies and that we should resist not evil. I have, all my life, had difficulty with his teaching about not resisting evil. In the last 6 years I have come to undertand this amazing, if controversial teaching. It is the foundation of non-violent civil disobedience, even that which is in no way against the law, but would not make the authorities (authoritarian followers and leaders) who continue to lust for power and the greedy corporate types very happy at all.

I might also add, that in order to love one's enemy, it is helpful to know him/her/them. I mean really know them, not just believe all the demonizing of the "enemy" that is necessary for a nation to bomb the hell out of a people, invade and occupy their land when those people haven't done anything worth declaring war over and was clearly beaten down by the first Gulf War and the inhumane sanctions which followed, only managing to make life harder for the Iraqi people, not Saddam and his psychopathic sons.


(Was war actually declared this time, by Congress, whose job it is to make such serious declarations? I don't think so. There were a couple of resolutions but no declaraton, which could answer the ever popular question of what kind of fool cuts taxes on the very wealthy and runs a long expensive quagmire of a war, against an enemy that no one at the top seems to know a damn thing about, not even that which is obvious to many Americans, on a credit card. The issuers of Junior's crediot card: some of our favorite people, China, Saudi Arabia and other "friends.") No, Congress refused to do the job demanded of them by the Constitution. When was the last declaration war, WWII? How many "wars" have we been involved in since?

I never have gotten the argument that homosexuality, sanctified by law, will somehow ruin marriage.

Say what?

Gays have never been allowed to marry, at least not in recent history, yet somehow the 50% divorce rate created by heterosexuals, yet somehow, homosexual marriage is a threat to marriage?

Marriage is not the Federal or State government's business. Marriage is the business of the Churches. Forget marriage licenses!

The state should only issue the right to a civil union in the form of a license. Those who wish their union to be blessed by a marriage ceremony or simply a religious blessing of their civil union. There are Churches who will not only bless civil unions but actually perform marriage ceremonies for Gays and Lesbians. The government has no right to ever take an American's civil rights away. The Constitution expreses the Rights of Americans. No where and at no time ha it ever taken civil rights away r=rom any group

The only thing any government within the U.S. has to be concerned with is civil rights, which should always be equal.

(Wasn't it Rickey-boy Santorum who brought up the possibility of "Man on Dog" and that idiot Cornyn of Texas who suggested that "man on box turtle" would be even more interesting. I have known my fair share of gays and lesbians in my lifertime. Hell, I've known a few trangenders and quite a few drag queens and I have never run across any who are as sick as these two Rethugs. The ASPCA should open a couple of investigations on these two for cruelty to animals.)

It is not any of the government's business who unions with whom unless there is a threat to the public health. Isn't that how the government got involved in the first place; checking for STDs? I could be wrong about that, but if there is a public health issue it is the government's job to inform the people wishing a certificate fo a civil union.

Nevertheless, whether there is a wedding with 3,000 of one's closest personal friends and family as witnesses or 20 people invited to watch the happy couple hop over a broom stick or stomp wine glasses, as long as everyone is healthy and their civil rights are protected as a couple under the law, it's none of the government's damned business.

Anyone, so far into that altered-state known as love/lust combo, who wishes to invite attorneys, judges and other unsavory types into their relationship; well, they should be allowed to do so. Equal rights and misery as well as happiness. Hallelujah!

The far-right of the crusading-crackpot variety will go too far as usual. Actually, they already have if the gay and lesbian community would just wake the hell up and see their opportunity.

Action: No more marriage licenses?. Marriage in most mainline Christian churches is a sacrament. As I started to explain earlier in this diatribe, the government has no right, under our constitution to make anything sacred nor does any government, state or local, have any right to sanctify anything. That is the business of the Churches. The business of all state and local governments within the U.S. is to protect their state constitution until the state constitution runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Constitution (Law) always wins out as it should, except under extreme circumstances, like treason by the highest of national elected or appointed officers in the land: High Crimes and Misdemeanors to say the very least!

The Second Amendment, which was included just after the First Amendment for a very good reason as the First Amendment included freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to petition our government, freedom to gather in peaceful groups in order to petition the government and other freedoms without which Democracy isn't worth warm spit,

If patriots, who have been paying attention to what was happening around them for 6 years or more, usually know that once the First Amendment is trivialized, in any way, the need for the Second may well present itself soon. It's not a sure thing. I hope to the high heavens that it doesn't come to this, but better to be safe than sorry.

Thomas Jefferson once said that Americans should have a revolution about every 25 years. That makes sense when one stops and thinks about it. I think Jefferson saw Democracy clearly. He seemed to know, that left to our own devices, we would mechanically go about our daily life and soon lose interest in what our elected representatives and, of course, the ever-present lobbyist, not only from wealthy American corporations who desire only for Congress to pass laws making life harder for their competition and easier for them, with no bid contracts and the like (isn't that manipulating that market?). Then there are the lobbyist from other nations? WTF is that all about? Why do we have foreign lobbyists? Because we are the modern day oppressive Empire, maybe?

Remember this I.U.ers:

He who lives by the sword dies by the sword.

Violence begets only more violence.

Worshiping the golden calf can have some dire consequences.

Take a quick trip down memory lane with this old American. From the so-called American Revolution til this day, we have rarely not been killing someone somewhere.

As RAW once wrote, When the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, which he atrributes more to Gorby Acid than to anything Reagan did or didn't do, we suddenly had a peace dividend, but it came with a huge cost to the military-industrial-complex and their stock holders, plus the security industry, since 9/11/01. We can't seem to find a way to make money off peace.

I believe the fall of the Soviet Union had to do with:

Massive protests at home and around Europe. Contrary to what the cynical, non-believers say, massive protest are seen and heard by the president and other world leaders, unless they are all is just retarded. (The key is, Activists, don't get youself killed or maimed. You will be needed later, for something far more important.)

{There are other forms of protest these days.

These protests do not involve getting you brains beaten out, your spine hurting like hell for life, living without a Kidney, pancreas, ear drums (yep, that would make you deaf as a post) or not living with freedom or not living at all. This form of protest requires no signing up and one who agrees to participate in the action may choose to participate in varying degrees. No need to inform us or any other site which supports World-wide Action For Peace and Human Dignity.

It is entirely up to you.

We ask for no fees. We are not the country club and we won't feed you an over-priced meal just so you only have to look in the mirror all night long.

HOWEVER:

Who knows, we may throw the biggest, most remarkable feast ever, since the beginning of time. Perhaps devoted disciples of the Prince of Peace, those who truly believe that Islam is a religion of Peace and Jewish people who understand why the city they continue to use as, at least, one excuse to keep peace from coming to the middle east, is J_E_R_U_ S_A_L_E_M, translated it means, City of Peace.; those belonging in some way to the tribes of Abraham, though it is beyond me how Western Christianity (or Paulism) has a dog in this hunt, religiously, but apparently others think differently.

Anyhow, back to the feast: Let's gather at Miggido; people who are drawn there; Hippies, Rainbow people and other peace people, Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, People who think of themselves as agnostic or atheist, Buddhists, Hindus and, oh yes, Muslims of every flavor; let there be Shia, Sunni and Sufi as well as those of the Jewish faith, all flavors.

There is only one main requirement: That attendees honor and celebrate all life and that you respect the beliefs and cultural traditions of others, as long as such a belief does not involve the taking of liberty or life of another human being, the intentional humiliation of another being, intentional fear-mongering by means of deception or just simply committing the deadly sin of deception or fear-mongering. This means, obviously, no terrorists of any flavor.

( More on the feast later... and back to why Reagan chaged his mind about Nuclear war and the Evil Empire.)

Reagan previewing the film, The Day After, because he apparently was really clueless about what Nuclear launches by the Soviet Union and the U.S.A. would be like. (As My mother used to say, if the Russians are going to drop nuclear weapon on us I hope they drop it right on my head, because I don't want to live through it and have to deal with the horrible aftermath. My mother was a wise woman. I feel the same way, no matter who is dropping the bomb.

He had Gorby as a partner in peace. Had the Soviets put forth anyone else, the cold war would still be going on or we would all be crispy-critters by now. Reagan didn't win the cold war. In the first place it was never really over. The Soviet Union v the United States (interpretation : Fascism v. Communism, imperial dreams v. globalization with a heart. The Russians got rid of the dead weight, cut satellite states loose and worked on getting their economy going again. The Old Russian bear simply went into hibernation for a time, giving everyone the idea that the cold war was over and that Reagan had somehow won the cold war. How does one know when they have won a cold war? Beats me.

Like the CIA tried to tell Bush/Reagan in 1980, the Soviet Union was going bankrupt and fast, mainly because of their involvement in Afghanistan, a war of aggression, not unnlike our quagmire in Iraq. Don't know how they managed to keep the Soviet Union afloat as long as they did. The big, bad Soviet block could not have been allowed to go down overnight, as it supposedly happened in Berlin folklore or American folklore, whatever. One might say they were too big too fail, right away, anyhow. Portfolios had to be managed, over a period of time. The military-industrial-complex, about whom Eisenhower gave us dire warning, was going to take a hit if peace suddenly broke out.

As RAW wrote, "Who could have guessed that GHWB would blow hell out of the peace dividend along with the middle east, the Gulf War?" Well, actually quite few of us could have predicted that one. I wasn't one of them, until Iran/Contra broke. After those Congressional Hearings, things began to make sense and it wasn't pretty.

Of course, there is always the chance that enough of the American people will become fully awake, even if for as long as a moment and, hopefully, this awakening will happen with the populations of other nations. It could happen. More Amazing things have happened, at least on a micro level.

Just a little jujitsu politics is needed.