Contemplating Thinking about Thinking

I have debated in my head for the last month or so the nature of my discourse on several topics. In the past year I have gone through a steady, and at times overwhelming, change in my spiritual, political, and social diet. I am unlearning many things and rethinking others.

The nagging feeling in my mind has been that I am coming to a point of building now, the time of rejecting is coming to an end. I am noticing that when I read or hear about actually living out beliefs as a lifestyle that my brain and heart respond.

I also am concerned that if I do to much criticizing of those i dont agree with that I will grow an unhealthy pride and smugness, that criticizing and reacting will be all i do.

As I told my boyfriend recently, I feel like the time of reaction is over, and it is time to take action, become a part of the conversation, a participant instead of spectator.

I was thinking in the shower this morning and had this thought, " I havent ever hesitated to participate in a debate, even when I am not sure what I believe. "
This realization has caused me to resolve to not jump in right away, but to practice restraint and listen. Paradoxically, what seems like inaction - restraint and listening- is more active than clanging like a cymbal.

I never even heard of this... what else haven't i heard of?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufism_Reoriented

Partial Birth Abortion

I have never read a story from someone who has had this procedure performed. It was interesting to read.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18278305/site/newsweek/?nav=slate?from=rss

update on chocolate jesus

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

This past Sunday I attended a worship service I am sure I wont forget for quite awhile. This service marked the first time, that I can recall, that I was absolutely and completely shut down emotionally and spiritually by the goings-on in front of me.

At the beginning of the service a video was shown, and as it began I was quite confused. "Oh, "I thought, its Abraham Lincoln, maybe today's sermon will ..... no wait no Ghandi's on the screen and the pastor is reciting the words written. Next comes Martin Luther King. My boyfriend whispered, " i wonder if Jesus is next?" and he was right. As soon as Christ was on the screen my heart dropped and I couldnt believe my eyes. The pastor got to the front of the sanctuary and did big arms yelling " OUR HERO LIVES!!" The entire audience, I mean congregation, erupted into cheers and clapping. I looked around for the concessions guy so I could buy a beer.

Then we were launched into "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" which is a wonderful song. And honestly this is what put me over the edge. Up front strumming his guitar just to get thru the song and singing as quickly as he could, was my friend.

Two years ago my friend was a funny outgoing hopeful person. Then he got a job at a church. Systematically his humor, joy, peace, and hopefulness where taken from him. The man standing on that stage Easter Sunday was a shell of my friend with his Sunday smile firmly planted on his face. I have steadily grown angrier and angrier at the church and people who would do this to a person. Easter Sunday was the catalyst for all these feelings. Just like my friend, the video took Christ, a man of sorrows, healing, pain, anger, love and grace, the most complex and wonderful being to ever walk the face of this earth, and stripped away all this, leaving him a utility belt and cape.

Christ was not a firefighter who saved 3 kids, or a cop who took a bullet for his partner. He was not a mere mortal that did something above and beyond the daily duty therefore attaining hero status with a parade and medals on his jacket. And above all, on the cross he did not think of me.

Christ was God incarnate, Emmanuel- with us. He did what was his chosen duty and in fact laid down every strength he had to become weak and then die. He didnt go above and beyond. He went down and so far below himself that I cannot even fathom it.

The word hero, just like the word freedom, has lost so much of its meaning in recent history. Everyone is a frickin hero anymore, even if they are just doing their job sometimes. TV shows, documentaries, T-shirt vendors they all profit off this idea.

Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Abe Lincoln are all admirable men, and maybe they are heros, but Christ is not comparable to them nor are they comparable to Christ.

Im sorry but I refuse to make Christ a hero.

He is a savior, a king, the morning star. I can worship a Savior, not a hero.

Darfur/New Orleans

Google Earth has a cool new feature written about in this CNN article
in light of recent allegations that Google used old satellite footage of New Orleans recently I think its interesting they updated their site with this map. I havent heard any news on the investigation into the New Orleans images, i wish I knew more.

i know i am putting up too many links but...

I read Letters from Leavers

It is a good site and and an interesting read quite often, the following is an excerpt from a recent letter. I like the part about sacrilegious humor. I enjoy it, too.

"So I left the church in search of God. Armed with nothing but a bitter taste in my mouth of what I did not want and a wisp of faith that God was capable of revealing God’s true Self to me through whatever means necessary, I launched out on my journey. This was my dark night of the soul; this was my mustard seed genesis that has grown into a tree-sized system of belief and action that governs my every move and decision.

There are many among us, and I was one, who have heads full of the knowledge of what the scriptures say about God, but who have very little sense of what it is to lead a God-surrendered or Spirit-filled life. I was taught much of what I knew about God by people who were quite possibly agnostics; at least they seemed unsure of what they believed when you got them down out of the pulpit where you could touch them, look them in the eye, and ask them questions. I find this to be true today of some of the loudest and most confident-appearing preachers. They seem to be preaching in order to convince themselves to believe. I don’t have a problem with this but I do think it’s ridiculous to let only one doubter, the one getting paid to be there, do all the talking in church.

Doubts are part of what makes faith authentic. “I believe, now help me with what I don’t believe.” (Mark 9:24 paraphrased) People who have biblical answers for every situation make me nervous. I prefer to hang out with spiritual seekers who are not uncomfortable with questions and who can laugh at the oldest of the sacred cows. Sacrilegious humor in my opinion is the most soul-cleansing."

holy crap this stuff is unreal. i dont know if its real, but i have a bad feeling it is.

Jesus is gonna get you!

there are more here

the sad part about this is for a few minutes i thought this website was the real deal. This is an amazing parody.

I died over the title of this article

Im confused

I thought that evangelicals believe that homosexuality is a choice, and not biology. While browsing through Slate.com I found this in the newsbriefs section:

Some conservative Christian leaders are endorsing prenatal treatment to prevent homosexuality. Rev. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, writes, "If a biological basis is found, and if a prenatal test is then developed, and if a successful treatment to reverse the sexual orientation to heterosexual is ever developed, we would support its use as we should unapologetically support the use of any appropriate means to avoid sexual temptation and the inevitable effects of sin." In an AP interview, Mohler says this would be morally no different from curing fetal blindness or any other "medical problem." A leading Catholic thinker agrees: "Same-sex activity is considered disordered. If there are ways of detecting diseases or disorders of children in the womb, and a way of treating them that respected the dignity of the child and mother, it would be a wonderful advancement of science."

The article does also state that Mohler clarified his remarks by saying that he preferred genetic/hormonal (or whatever form) treatment instead of people aborting their "gay baby". The world gets crazier and crazier.

found this guest article on CNN today. interesting read.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/04/martin.jesus/index.html

creationist museum opens in Ohio

This video highlights one of the biggest problems i see in the greatest generation and older baby boomer generation. I am speaking of the "us" verus "them" mentality. The prisoner's dilemna in full effect. I think I understand the circumstances that led to this mentality, the cold war was a very grim and bleak period, and if someone underestimated someone else then there was no second chance.

Why I think this is a problem is because we dont live in a cold war world frozen into two camps of domination. We live in an increasingly complex world defined on the micro level that doesnt allow for broad heavy handed measures. What does this have to do with a museum opening about the origins of the world/life?

I think its related because the people behind the museum built it as a part of a larger agenda to destroy what they perceive as an end game where the enemy are atheist darwinian evolutionists. The purpose of the museum is to reinforce and ensure (through the teaching of children) the viability of their worldview.

I am not saying their worldview is wrong or they shouldnt be allowed to build a museum to express it. What I am saying is that the kind of reactionary ideology in practice here is very dangerous.

This goes for both side of the origins debate. They are locked in a death spiral that will not accomplish anything.

Both sides have effectively declared "war" - culture war on each other. A book I recently read made this point about this kind of approach to debate:

"When you declare war on someone, there are two ways to end it. You either arrest them[take them prisoner] or you kill them. "

- Searching for God Know What by Donald Miller


Are these our only choices? Our language and culture are saturated in war rhetoric, paranoia, and fear. There has to be another way. Thats the only point I want to make here.

I don't take slavery with my coffee, either

Recently, I have found several websites that have intrigued me greatly. The first I am going to talk about is "Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Church".

This is a really creative group of people and they have mastered a lot of PR techniques. Their message is that unquenchable consumerism is not the democracy, freedom, and prosperity that our culture/society believes it is. Rather our spending habits and demands for cheap prices are very damaging to the parts of the world where many of our favorite products come from.

They walk through shopping centers in choir robes and sing, " Change-a-lujah!" They perform exorcisms on cash registers, and one of their favorite targets is Starbucks.

They charge that Starbucks doesn't pay a fair price for their coffee, and that only 3.7% of coffee imports are fair-trade certifiable. Another interesting accusation is that Starbucks has stolen coffee type names from Ethiopia and is blocking Ethiopia's attempts to protect its heritage through copyright controls. Read more here.

I myself have privately thought that Starbucks doesnt live up to the fair trade name it gladly ties on to sooth customers with social conscience... they have always been to slick and smooth, growing way too fast to not cut some corners.