You know who my gods are, who I believe in fervently? Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson - she’s probably the top - Mozart, Shakespeare, Keats. These are wonderful gods who have gotten me through the narrow straits of life.
“
| — |
Maurice Sendak, Interview on Fresh Air (2003) There are very few authors who I have enjoyed listening to speak as much as Sendak. And who wasn’t fascinated, frightened, and in love with Where the Wild Things Areas a child? He was quite a remarkable dude. |
Apparently, it’s the Year of the Bible in Pennsylvania.
First of all, what the hell does it even mean to be the Year of the Bible? It doesn’t make any sense. What’s next year going to be: the Year of Harry Potter? Eat Pray Love? Are we going to sit back in 40 years, telling our grandchildren stories: “Oh, it was the summer of 2012 - the Year of the Bible, you must remember - when your Uncle Jimmy…”
Whatever the case, the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives unanimously approved in January a resolution that made this so. You can read the resolution here, but here’s the jist:
Declaring 2012 as the “Year of the Bible” in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, The Bible, the word of God, has made a unique contribution in shaping the United States as a distinctive and blessed nation and people; and
WHEREAS, Deeply held religious convictions springing from the holy scriptures led to the early settlement of our country; and
WHEREAS, Biblical teachings inspired concepts of civil government that are contained in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States; and
WHEREAS, Many of our great national leaders, among them President Washington, President Jackson, President Lincoln, President Wilson and President Reagan, paid tribute to the influence of the Bible in our country’s development, as exemplified by the words of President Jackson that the Bible is ”the rock on which our Republic rests”; and
WHEREAS, The history of our country clearly illustrates the value of voluntarily applying the teachings of the scriptures in the lives of individuals, families and societies; and
WHEREAS, This nation now faces great challenges that will test it as it has never been tested before; and
WHEREAS, Renewing our knowledge of and faith in God through holy scripture can strengthen us as a nation and a people; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives declare 2012 as the “Year of the Bible” in Pennsylvania in recognition of both the formative influence of the Bible on our Commonwealth and nation and our national need to study and apply the teachings of the holy scriptures.
In reading the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, it clearly states in Article I, Section 3 that “no human authority can, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience, and no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious establishments or modes of worship.”
But that’s not even what pisses me off so much about this. This resolution is laughable at best and meaningless at worst. It’s a resolution of nothingness.
I’m pissed off because this is what our state reps are worried about.
Corbett has gone to great lengths to destroy PA’s public education system, strip the State System of Higher Education of much of its funding, further PA’s reputation as a prison state, refuse to create any sort of sustainable jobs, continue to legislate the interests of the oil and gas industries, and has done everything in his power to rid Pennsylvania of what made it such a great state… and this is what the state reps are spending their time on? This is what has Rick Saccone so proud that he has it framed up on his wall? Making 2012 the Year of the Bible?
What the hell is wrong with you people?
I was forced, through seeing the error of their foundation, to abandon all belief in every religion which had been taught to man. But my religious feelings were immediately replaced by the spirit of universal charity - not for a sect, or a party, or for a country or a color - but for the human race, and with a real and ardent desire to do good.
“
| — | Robert Owen in The Life of Robert Owen |
Galileo was wrong.
Or so says Dr. Robert Sungenis – and he’s a doctor who also has a Wikipedia page, which means it’s true. Forget the fact that his degrees have no relation to science. This man is well-studied and well-rounded with his B.A. in religion from George Washington University, an M.A. in theology from a “theological seminary” that “trains pastors, teachers, and Bible specialists,” and his doctorate from the unaccredited “distance learning” institution that is Calamus International University. In other words, this man is a pioneer of science.
Oh, hell - even I’m cringing from my own sarcasm. This “doctor” has degrees that provide him as much intellectual credence as a certificate from the Academy of Performing Art in Clowning. Calamus International University is a well known diploma mill, which by definition is “an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies” (Sources: 1, 2, 3). Pay the fee, get the degree. Texas even has it on a list of “Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use” for being a “fraudulent or substandard degree.”
Which means that his “First Annual Catholic Conference on Geocentrism” – geocentrism being the belief that the Earth is the center of the universe – will be a waste of one’s hard-earned $50… unless, of course, one is looking for some masochistic amusement on a lazy Saturday afternoon. As it’s described on the website for the conference, it will give “a detailed and comprehensive treatment of the scientific evidence supporting Geocentrism, the academic belief that the Earth is immobile in the center of the universe.” Oh, I’d love to hear this.
The site is amusing, really… until one realizes how absolutely serious these folks are about this stuff. This is anti-intellectualism at its most bizarre. As one might presume, the purpose of all of this is so that Sungenis can sell his preposterous book, where he plasters his false PhD on the cover in an attempt to lend some sort of faux credibility to his nonsensical blathering. As one may also have guessed by this point, a main source these clowns cite in their scientific and academic arguments? The Bible.
Yikes.
I received this slightly amusing, but mostly disturbing email from an aunt who is an evangelical preacher. I am not really sure what her intentions were, if she thought this might infuriate me or inspire me, if she forgot I was a history teacher and forgot everything she ever knew about me - but here, read it for yourself.
Stop religious persecution in our public schools!
Next Tuesday, millions of students will be told they must leave their faith outside the schoolhouse doors. For the sake of your children, grandchildren, and the very survival of the nation we love, you need to know what you can do to stop this unconstitutional public school bullying! …
As the new school year starts, some Americans naively believe that their children are entering through the doors of a safe haven - a place of refuge from the “outside world” and an environment dedicated to learning and personal growth.
For many, nothing could be further from the truth!
In reality, millions of children will be walking into overt socialist indoctrination. Many will be summarily stripped of their civil rights, experience bullying and blatant ridicule, and suffer the censorship of any and all religious expressions.
Most will be taught revisionist history and some will even be forcibly oriented to the “normalcy” of perverse alternative lifestyles.
It’s frightening that so many public schools have become: Breeding grounds for religious intolerance; cesspools of leftist indoctrination; toxic cauldrons of ideas and teachings that poison the minds of children and young adults; vehicles for transforming young people’s cultural and moral standards; indoctrination camps to turn young minds away from the values and ethics being taught in the majority of American homes. …
We must stand against attacks on public school students, teachers, administrators, and school systems! …
It is imperative, as we start the new school year, that the ”Patriot’s Handbook of Religious Freedom in Public Schools” be in the hands of anyone who is concerned about the direction our public schools are taking!
In fact, we pray that one day this handbook will have a place in every backpack, every book bag, and every brief case that enters the dangerous environment so many of our public schools have become!
You may be wondering why leftist organizations target the public school system with their anti-religious bigotry and pro-alternative lifestyle agendas.
Simply put, indoctrination through early education leads to acceptance. If you orient the school administrators, educators, and students to a particular way of thinking, you’ve not only influenced the current generation, but all the generations to come! At that point, the tide of radical secularism will be virtually impossible to stop.
That is why I believe we are at one of the most critical crossroads in our nation’s history when it comes to blatant attempts to remove religious expression from our public schools, indoctrinate students to alternative lifestyles, and teach revisionist history. …
This message is, above all, a call to action! As you know, leftists and anti-religious organizations like the ACLU are increasing their bullying of school systems, teachers, educators, and parents through unlawful “consent decrees,” intimidation, and blatant misrepresentation and deception.
Do not be misled by their carefully orchestrated attacks and maliciously crafted messages full of misinformation and propaganda. Take heart - there are counter-measures and solutions available to every citizen of the United States!
The “Patriot’s Handbook of Religious Freedom in Public Schools” contains those solutions. This booklet should be in every home and school in America. …
After you order your copy of the handbook, please prayerfully consider forwarding this special offer to your friends and family. Our children and grandchildren - and, indeed, our beleaguered nation - all need our help! Take action today!
http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?u=49683&RID=32221655
God bless you,
Mathew D. Staver, Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel
Is it any wonder with nonsense like this in my life that I am the heathen that I am? And so continues the religious right’s attack on teachers, education, and common sense.
I’ll tell you something: if I was told to sacrifice [my children] to prove my devotion to God, if I was told to do what all monotheists are told to do and admire the man who said, ‘Yes, I’ll gut my kid to show my love of God,’ I’d say, ‘No, fuck you!’
“
| — | Christopher Hitchens |
He decided from that day forever after that there must live a heartless God to let such despair be visited on the earth, or as his father said, a God too tired and no longer capable of doing the work required of him.
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| — | Robert Olmstead, ‘Coal Black Horse’ |
About belief or lack of belief in an afterlife: Some of you may know that I am neither Christian nor Jewish nor Buddhist, nor a conventionally religious person of any sort. I am a humanist, which means, in part, that I have tried to behave decently without any expectation of rewards or punishments after I’m dead.
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| — | Kurt Vonnegut, God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian |
Songs for the End of the World
Since the Rapture is Saturday and all - and I will most definitely be left behind - I decided to put together a carefully selected mix, inspired by the end of the world. I hope you enjoy it and it provides you comfort as our world descends into chaos.
- “Ride of the Valkyries” by Wagner
- “The Man Comes Around” by Johnny Cash
- “It’s the End of the World” by R.E.M.
- “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye” by Leonard Cohen
- “Black Heart” by Calexico
- “Take Me Home Tonight” by Eddie Money
- “Where is My Mind?” by Pixies
- “Letters from the Sky” by Civil Twilight
- “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King
- “Into My Arms” by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
- “Beat the Devil’s Tattoo” by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
- “Apocalypse Please” by Muse
- “Zombie” by The Cranberries
- “Apologize” by Timbaland feat. One Republic
- “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones
When the apocalypse comes, what will you be listening to?
And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual. This is what I am and what I am about.
“
| — | John Steinbeck, East of Eden |
