Wow... nearly 2 years

Hello! hello... hello...

*giggle*

Gay Marriage in the US

I guess I'm kind of odd for being a member of the so-called 'Christian Right.' But I don't get why anyone would want a Constitutional amendment defining marriage. Isn't that a moral issue? Should our government be making moral decisions? How can we trust our government to make moral decisions?

The Libertarian in me says that if two consenting adults of sound mind want to commit themselves to any sort of contract, let them. So long as they harm no-one else, it should not concern me. If two men (or women) want to commit themselves to each other and a lifetime of increased taxes (good ole marriage penalty still applies), who am I to want to stop them?

For your reading pleasure, I include the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (notice that nothing regarding marriage or other sacraments is mentioned):

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

I'm keeping comments moderated, so if you want to see yours, keep it clean. I would also like to remind you that random insults are far less likely to inspire a change to person's mindset than a well thought out response.

The Pro-Choicers and the Pro-Lifers Are Wrong

Since the people who continue to post comments here are looking for controversy, here's something to slate slake their thirst.

The Pro-Life and the Pro-Choice movements in America are seriously flawed.

Pro-Lifers focus strictly on the fetus with precious little concern for the mother's well-being. The mother matters just as much as her unborn child, and deserves the same level of dignity and respect shown to the child she carries. Christians who claim that women who have had abortions are doomed to eternal damnation are seriously flawed in their thinking. The Bible promises forgiveness to ALL PEOPLE. Not just those who have committed particular sins.

Pro-Choicers focus strictly on the convenience of the mother with precious little concern for the child she carries. The fetus deserves the same level of dignity and respect as the mother who carries him/her. There isn't a woman I've known who had an abortion and was not extremely aware that she was terminating another life rather than merely excising some tissue. These women carry long-term burdens that should not be ignored.

The primary focus should be on prevention of unwanted/unhealthy pregnancies and protection for women who find themselves in the middle of a pregnancy.

How many abortions would there be if:

• women had a thorough understanding of their fertility cycle?
• women with abusive boyfriends/husbands/parents/etc. had reliable protection from them? If I found myself impregnated by a psychopath and realized our lives would be twined together for so long as any child we shared existed, I must confess that I would consider having an abortion.
• there were good safety nets for women in precarious financial situations?
• quality childcare and health care were available for a reasonable price?

Abortion is a terrible choice, and I wonder how many women would choose it if they truly had good choices available to them. While I know that I am not wise enough to know the perfect solution to this problem, I am cynical enough to think that the extreme ends of the pro-choice and pro-life movements are NOT acting in the best interests of children or their mothers.

Do you know what you believe?

What do you believe? Do you believe in God? In sin? In heaven? In Marxism? In the flying spaghetti monster?

What do you believe? Do you have anything in your life worth living for? Worth dying for? Is it something you share with others? Or is it more personal?

After 'dr life' revealed himself to be a faker, I actually sighed in relief (and then became peeved that he was so wretchedly nasty during his reveal). It horrified me to think that people professing Christianity could be so full of hate, and I was honestly glad to know he was faking the whole thing.

I never met a soul in real life who believed the garbage strewn about on the Machinery of Death blog and could not begin to imagine how someone following the teachings of Christ could adhere to such hatefulness.

My apologies to 'dr life,' because it turns out such people do exist. A small church has recently made the news here in the U.S. Their latest mission is to stage protests at funerals for our fallen soldiers. What are they protesting, do you ask? Is it the war in Iraq? The occupation of Afghanistan? No and no. It is the perceived support of homosexuality by the American military they are protesting. These people call themselves Christian, but there is absolutely no way Christ is leading them in this behavior. No way, no how, no where! I am angry and sickened by this, and I do know what I believe.

An article, in case you are curious: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9102443/

Why do people care?

This is a dinky little blog in a tiny little corner of cyberspace. Not too much of any real significance has been posted in this space that started off poking fun at the antics of the so-called 'dr life.' My real life even keeps me from posting with any kind of frequency.

So why does anyone care whether or not I believe in God (I do)? Why would anyone think they could sway me to another point of view with their own rather venomous rantings (btw, 'Penelope', if you're still out there, a humanist generally doesn't entitle her blog 'You Are All Morons' if she wants to be taken seriously)? Who cares if what I post is stupid?

I'm not bothered by insults thrown in cyberspace by people I don't know. Why would anyone else be bothered? I could be some 13 year old boy tapping away at my computer cackling to myself over every post and every insult. Do you really care what that kid thinks?

I'm just surprised that people are continuing to visit this blog and even take the time to comment at all. Hey, and if you do want to insult me, come on work your brain a little bit. Be proud of your insult, show some creativity, be original! If I get enough really good ones (four letter words are NOT tolerated and all such comments will be deleted, I'm just that way), maybe I'll create a hall of fame here on this blog.

Removing Tongue from Cheek for a Moment

Let me preface this by stating that I am a born again struggling Christian. I have Christ as my comforter and my savior, and nothing will ever shake that faith. However, I am still a fallen creature and struggle with sin on a daily basis. This struggle tends to manifest itself in laughing when I should probably be a trifle more solemn (among many other areas of struggle).

My post below that included the story of Deborah, I think, shows one of many roles God has for women. In her case, she was a leader, a prophet, a judge and a servant. She served God's people and went beyond the call of duty to assure that God's will would be done. I find her to be a model of grace and strength and a fine example of a Godly woman.

I realize that many read 1 Corinthians 14 and interpret it to mean that women are to remain silent and subservient in church (and elsewhere) and should never assume a leadership role. In the case of the Corinthians, Paul was attempting to restore order in a church that was struggling. If you read the Bible in its entirety while keeping the two great commandments in your heart and mind (love God and love your neighbor as yourself), I believe you will see that God does not see women as second class citizens. On the contrary, women are just as much a part of the kingdom of heaven. We are all (men and women) called to be servants to each other and to Christ. Even Paul exorted fellow believers to receive women and acknowledge their hard work for Christ (just read Romans 16).

As believers, I think we have a responsibility to God and Christ to read the entire Bible, cover to cover while bearing in mind Christ's message.

Why a woman should never be President of the US

Because men might not handle the blow to their ego very well (plus an enemy of the state may wind up witha tent peg in his head):

Judges chapter 4:

4 Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. 5 She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided. 6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, "The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: 'Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. 7 I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.' "

8 Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go."

9 "Very well," Deborah said, "I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh, 10 where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.

11 Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses' brother-in-law, and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.

12 When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera gathered together his nine hundred iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River.

14 Then Deborah said to Barak, "Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?" So Barak went down Mount Tabor, followed by ten thousand men. 15 At Barak's advance, the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot. 16 But Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim. All the troops of Sisera fell by the sword; not a man was left.

17 Sisera, however, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there were friendly relations between Jabin king of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite.

18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come, my Lord , come right in. Don't be afraid." So he entered her tent, and she put a covering over him.

19 "I'm thirsty," he said. "Please give me some water." She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up.

20 "Stand in the doorway of the tent," he told her. "If someone comes by and asks you, 'Is anyone here?' say 'No.' "

21 But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.

22 Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. "Come," she said, "I will show you the man you're looking for." So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple-dead.

23 On that day God subdued Jabin, the Canaanite king, before the Israelites. 24 And the hand of the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin, the Canaanite king, until they destroyed him.