The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters
Religion is a frequent topic on this blog, and should not be confused with Christianity.
The cure for all the ills and wrongs, the cares, the sorrows, and the crimes of humanity, all lie in the one word ‘love’. It is the divine vitality that everywhere produces and restores life. –Lydia Maria Child
It really just can’t get any more obvious than this. Ms. Child is reminding that if we approach life and the people in our world from a place of love, then all the bad things in life really would go away.
Read moreI don’t know how it occurred to me, but I think I’ve found the answer to completely disspell the myth of Intelligent Design (creationsim). Understand that the raft of scientific evidence supporting evolution has me completely convinced of it’s veracity as a scientific fact. I don’t for a minute believe God created everything in seven days, but it doesn’t hurt my faith one bit. However, we, as member’s of the human race, do test my faith. So consider the theory of creationism from a theological perspective.
Read moreIt is Easter. Last year I wrote a reflection on Holy Week, and decided I wanted to write something this week. The thoughts for this reflection come from the topics that will be discussed today in the Sunday School class I?m leading on the Social Principles of the Methodist Church.
Read moreWe started our series on Smart Thoughts with Mark Twain, so it shouldn’t surprise you that I love many of his writings, and have lots of his sayings on this site. On of my favorite writings by Twain is his “The War Prayer.” It’s a short essay, and if you have never read it, you should.
Read moreA report from Associated Press says Anoka County officials are refusing to send any more clients to a church that denied day care to a trans-sexual client. The county’s social services department has been sending disabled senior citizens and other vulnerable adults who need care during the day to Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Francis. But the conservative Missouri Synod church turned away a client who had undergone surgery to be changed from a man into a woman. Associate pastor John Maxfield says the man’s decision is “contrary to God’s revealed will”.
Read moreThe University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky., has kicked out a sophomore because he revealed he was gay on his MySpace.com page, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. The university has a policy that says, “Any student who engages in or promotes sexual behavior not consistent with Christian principles (including sex outside marriage and homosexuality) may be suspended or asked to withdraw from the University of the Cumberlands.”
Read moreA young “Christian” fights for right to be a dick:
Read moreThe past year, a “War on Christianity” has been suggested by those imbedded in the rear guard. Just two weeks ago, a conference titled, “War on Christians” was held in Washington, D.C., of course only 300 participants showed up. (Just like Washington…to hold a war without enough troops.) Obviously, there’s a possible difference of opinion on whether or not such a war really exists. But a little focus is never a bad thing when it comes to understanding.
Read moreThis is the summary of my weekend, the first weekend of April, 2006. Not much to report, but I did try a couple of new restaurants.
Read moreU.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia startled reporters in Boston just minutes after attending a mass, by flipping a middle finger to his critics. There is a photo.
Read moreI came across an article by author and playwright, Philip Slater, titled “Why America is Polarized.” This is perhaps one of the best explanations I’ve read explaining why religious fundamentalism is on the rise, not only in America, but around the world. Slater’s basic premise is that, “The purest forms of a cultural system always appear as it decays.”
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