Osama Bin Laden is dead

Osama Bin Laden is dead. I feel that the relatives of those who died on 9/11 feel vindicated. But I'm torn between that vindication and the barbaric policies of the US.  We are apparently no less violent and savage than the "terrorists" we are killing in Afghanistan and Iraq.
We cut off the head of the beast but I fear there will be hundreds grown in its place. I hope we're ready for that.

Religious Sensitivity

Earlier today I posted a comment similar to the one below; the way it works is they won't post it until you respond to an email they send you. Kind of like craigslist. Except the email never came, and I'm thinking somebody censored it. I guess it's their prerogative to not post a comment other people may find offensive, but mine was far from the most incendiary.

As a wiccan, I really don't understand why people are so sensitive about their religious beliefs. I was raised a Roman Catholic, and those guys seemed way relaxed about it, and very tolerant of other points of view. (Although there is that doctrine about how only Catholics go to heaven...) I hear that now pastor Terry Jones wants revenge - isn't that how wars start?

But then the xenophobia is what keeps the congregation coming every Sunday, keeps propagating that point of view, that philosophy, and that fear of what will happen after death. My God is more powerful than yours; God is on MY side, and that makes me right. I could go on but I won't. It's a waste of my time.

I leave with the words of the immortal (hah!) George Carlin:
"Keep thy religion to thyself."

The Burning Koran 2.1

According to msnbc.com, 12 people were killed in Mazar-i-Sharif Afghanistan today when a protest against a reported Koran-burning in the US turned violent. 

"The Dove World Outreach Center" in Gainesville, FL, headed by pastor Terry Jones, apparently has succeeded in burning a Koran. This is the guy who tried to have a Koran-burning rally awhile back but cancelled it when US citizens' lives were threatened in the Middle East.

Where do Christian leaders get the idea that it’s okay to put other religions down? Is this religious xenophobia something that stems from the Middle Ages when churches were all about property and money? No other religion has run rampant across the globe, killing “savages” whose beliefs are “primitive” like Christianity. I’m sure if a tally is taken, more people were tortured and died in the name of this religion over the centuries than any other.

I remember learning in Catholic school that only Catholicism was the One True Religion and even though other good, religious people walked the planet, when they died they weren’t going to heaven, no sir, because THEY WEREN’T CATHOLIC! And that’s the Big Enchilada – going to Heaven when you die. Being a good person isn’t it’s own reward; I guess that before Christianity it was Judaism and the Greek and Roman gods that kept people in line with the concept of Eternal Damnation. The prospect of sitting on a Bunsen burner forever sure puts a damper on that murder you were planning for next week…

Each religion and/or philosophy has its own unique and beautiful way of making sense of this world and this human life. And each person has the right to choose their own path, or to choose not to walk the path.

These narrow-minded people should read the Koran, not burn it.

The Burning Koran 2.0

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan officials say eight foreigners and four protesters were killed at a United Nations office in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif when a protest turned violent in response to a reported Quran-burning in the United States. from msnbc.com

“The Dove World Outreach Center” in Gainesville, FL, headed by pastor Terry Jones, apparently has succeeded in burning a Koran. This is the guy who tried to have a rally awhile back to do the same thing, but cancelled it when US citizens’ lives were threatened in the Middle East.

Where do Christian leaders get the idea that it’s okay to put other religions down? Is this religious xenophobia something that stems from the Middle Ages when churches were all about property and money? No other religion has run rampant across the globe, killing “savages” whose beliefs are “primitive” like Christianity. I’m sure if a tally is taken, more people were tortured and died in the name of this religion over the centuries than any other.

I remember learning in Catholic school that only Catholicism was the One True Religion and even though other good, religious people walked the planet, when they died they weren’t going to heaven, no sir, because THEY WEREN’T CATHOLIC! And that’s the Big Enchilada – going to Heaven when you die. Being a good person isn’t it’s own reward; I guess that before Christianity it was Judaism and the Greek and Roman gods that kept people in line with the concept of Eternal Damnation. The prospect of sitting on a Bunsen burner forever sure puts a damper on that murder you were planning for next week…

Each religion and/or philosophy has its own unique and beautiful way of making sense of this world and this human life. And each person has the right to choose their own path, or to choose not to walk the path.

These narrow-minded people should read the Koran, not burn it.

The Burning Koran

     KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan officials say eight foreigners and four protesters were killed at a United Nations office in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif when a protest turned  violent in response to a reported Quran-burning in the United States. from msnbc.com

“The Dove World Outreach Center” in Gainesville, FL, headed by pastor Terry Jones, apparently has succeeded in burning a Koran. "Outreach" indeed. This is the guy who tried to have a rally awhile back to do the same thing, but cancelled it when US citizens’ lives were threatened in the Middle East.

Where do Christian leaders get the idea that it’s okay to put other religions down? Is this religious xenophobia something that stems from the Middle Ages when churches were all about property and money? No other religion has run rampant across the globe, killing “savages” whose beliefs are “primitive” like Christianity. I’m sure if a tally is taken, more people were tortured and died in the name of this religion over the centuries than any other.

I remember learning in Catholic school that only Catholicism was the One True Religion and even though other good, religious people walked the planet, when they died they weren’t going to heaven, no sir, because THEY WEREN’T CATHOLIC! And that’s the Big Enchilada – going to Heaven when you die. Being a good person isn’t it’s own reward; I guess that before Christianity it was Judaism and the Greek and Roman gods that kept people in line with the concept of Eternal Damnation. The prospect of sitting on a Bunsen burner forever sure puts a damper on that murder you were planning for next week…

Each religion and/or philosophy has its own unique and beautiful way of making sense of this world and this human life. And each person has the right to choose their own path, or to choose not to walk the path.

These narrow-minded people should read the Koran, not burn it.

Got Wings? So Fly Already!

3-28-11
Been bouncing thoughts around lately with people concerning the revolution in the Middle East,  the state of the economy both here and globally, and the way our government has its head in the sand concerning global warming and other ecological disasters. A lot of ideas, a lot of opinions, and some plans starting to grow from it all.
I wonder what other people are thinking about these and other issues. And I wonder if my ideas are worth reading about. I believe that an open mind is kind of like Red Bull in that it gives you wings...

Got wings? Fly already!

politithoughts

3-26-11

Every election, I vote Democratic; hoping that there will always be a balance of power in this country and no one party, faction, belief system or coalition has their ideas imposed on all of us. I have always believed that my political party's point of view should never be the ONLY point of view.

However... the almost rabid efforts of the Republican Party/Tea Party to reverse the progress brought about by the Women's Movement, Anti-War protests, pro-choice legislation, just about anything progressive that ensures the rights of the individual has me very, very nervous. I want to believe in the Democratic Process, but the religious/political right for over the last 2 decades and more has been nearly successful in hijacking that Process.

Be afraid and trust no one.