"The Global Consciousness Project, also known as the EGG Project, is an international multidisciplinary collaboration of scientists, engineers, artists and others continuously collecting data from a global network of physical random number generators located in 65 host sites worldwide. The archive contains over 10 years of random data in parallel sequences of synchronized 200-bit trials every second."
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Thursday, March 28, 2024
Here’s your
“Well… Duh! No shit, Jack!”
moment.
You know things are pretty bad when “sinners” (atheists, agnostics, humanists, et al) know when religious folks are not practicing what they preach, and call out their blatant hypocrisy… and even Jesus agrees with them.
“I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do.” — Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew 21:31 (NIV)
Instead of establishing and promoting tax-free corrupt religious empires in order to facilitate, perpetuate, and obfuscate sex crimes by shuffling perpetrators and prime suspects across state lines and international borders, isn’t it time we started talking about taxing churches?
Formerly, religion was thought of as a “moral good,” an imperative of immense societal importance, imagining (falsely) that people cannot be moral, ethical, virtuous, righteous, pious, or even devout, without religion. Granted, piety and devoutness have often been used to characterize behaviors in religious terms, but those 2 words have neither exclusively ecclesiastical, nor uniquely religious application or use — as their etymology (history of a word’s origin, derivation, and usage) indicates — even though they have been co-opted for that purpose.
But, people can be, and are, good, without religion, without practicing religion — belief in an ethereal, often-supernatural being(s), which often are superlative to humans, frequently possessing omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence, among other super-powers.
It’s as if We The People want someone like us, but simultaneously not like us, to whom we can give obeisance… and alms. Can’t have religion without money, you know. At least in America, you can’t.
And so, we have created our very own god — a veritable golden calf, only this one is green, his name is Benjamin, has no intrinsic value, but is backed by the “full faith and credit” of the government of the United States.
Naturally, my god is better than, and superior to, your god, and so, we must fight to the death to determine whose god will win, whose theology will prevail, whose rules we will obey, and upon whom we will force the arcane doctrines, under penalty of law… even imposing death if it so warrants. And there are many, for the arrest of thousands, upon thousands for infractions of the most picayune type.
Hair too long? Too short? Pants too tight? Bulges in the wrong places? Body parts poking through sweaters and snug-fitting tee-shirts? Shorts too short? Makeup? Work on Sunday? Saturday? Wednesday night?
After all, it’s what god wants.
Right?
But taxing churches…
The ostensible primary idea behind the elimination of tax responsibility and liability, is that churches and religious institutions provide an intangible public benefit such as the inculcation of ethics, morals, and values, in addition to providing corporeal, tangible relief and assistance to societies’ members in time of need, which exemplifies the practice of the ethic, the ideal, the standard to which the faithful hold themselves accountable… or not. At one time, churches, and religions in general terms, held up an ideal, one of education, of discovery, of contributing to society, of helping others, etc., though they are not often nowadays seen practicing what they once preached… even though they are given the same level (if not more) of legal deference and respect that they once were given, including substantially preferential legal treatment, which had the elimination of tax liability as its bedrock, private donations to which also enjoyed similar treatment, as well as the clerics who enjoyed such public largesse in the form of personal tax elimination.
Their abuses — aside from sexual crimes — are renown.
Houses fit for kings — literally, modern versions of British castles and princely estates, with tens of thousands upon tens of thousands of square feet, multiple stories (often, at least 3), and acres upon acres — even miles upon miles — of prime farm and forest land, often lain fallow, only rarely hunted, and farmed even less — are commonplace.
To compare, Frogmore Cottage, a more “humble” part of the Royal Windsor Estate in England, formerly known as Double Garden Cottage when it belonged to Queen Charlotte in 1801, had been divided into 5 separate housing units in the early 21st century and occupied by Windsor Estate workers, and later briefly became the former residence of the former Prince Harry and his bride Rachel Meghan Markle, former Duchess of Sussex, which they extensively renovated in 2019, previously had 5,089 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, with nursery, again became a single-family residence house in 2020, and now has 10 bedrooms, with 2 floors, on 33 acres.
Joel Osteen, whose net worth is estimated to be at least $100 million, and who owns Lakewood Church in Houston, TX, resides with his spouse and 2 adult children in a 17,000 square foot palatial property in Houston’s ultra-elite River Oaks neighborhood, a renown enclave of billionaires, which physical “footprint” encompasses 1.86 acres, cost $10.5 million, has 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 5 open wood fireplaces, 3 elevators, a 2-story, 2,800 square foot guest house with 2 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a full kitchen and laundry room, a 2-story, 1 bedroom guest house, a pool, and pool house… for 4 people (1,000 square feet with living area, kitchen, bathroom, complete with covered patio overlooking a large heated pool) — in addition to owning a somewhat “smaller,” though equally palatial, $2.9 million mansion in Houston’s elite Tanglewood neighborhood where the wealthy, well-connected, and well-to-do reside.
Fleets of luxuriously exotic hand-crafted boutique automobiles… equine barns replete with the trappings of immense wealth… herds of cattle fed an exquisitely bizarre diet comprised exclusively of macadamia nuts… custom-crafted air-conditioned dog houses with marble floors… private airports and hangars to house a fleet of private jets… those are but a few of the trappings of wealth enjoyed by billionaire Americans and teevee preachers, most all of whom pay NO INCOME TAX.
An infamous event in Houston, TX — Hurricane Harvey in 2017 — exposed their hypocrisy by denying refuge from the ravages of the storm to area residents rendered homeless by it. For that, they, and others like them, are rewarded with preferential tax treatment by the United States Government, most often as massive reduction, or outright elimination of any tax liability or responsibility, and certainly, no public accountability for their actions… or, more often, the lack thereof.
If religious do-gooders are not going to do good with their worldly material goods, they should be taxed, and the monies collected put to public relief.
People say they’re leaving religion due to anti-LGBTQ teachings and sexual abuse
March 27, 2024 5:00 AM ET
Heard on Morning Edition
by Jason DeRose at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. (photo by Allison Shelley)
People in the U.S. are leaving and switching faith traditions in large numbers. The idea of “religious churning” is very common in America, according to a new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).
It finds that around one-quarter (26%) of Americans now identify as religiously unaffiliated, a number that has risen over the last decade and is now the largest single religious group in the U.S. That’s similar to what other surveys and polls have also found, including Pew Research.
PRRI found that the number of those who describe themselves as “nothing in particular” has held steady since 2013, but those who identify as atheists have doubled (from 2% to 4%) and those who say they’re agnostic has more than doubled (from 2% to 5%).
This study looked at which faith traditions those unaffiliated people are coming from.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Monday, February 26, 2024
For the answer to that question — Who would God kill? — let’s turn to Genesis chapter 38.
We’ll use the New International Version (NIV).
Genesis 38:
8Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.” 9But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 10What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also.
Those krazee Jews!
Let’s put a modern touch to that passage.
GOD: Go fuck your widowed sister-in-law, and impregnate her.
Man: Okay.
(fucks widowed sister-in-law)
God: You didn’t cum inside her!
Man: How’d you know?
God: I’m a voyeur. And now, I’m gonna’ kill you.
Don’t you long for the good old days?
For those who claim to be Xian, or otherwise religious, such “modernizing” of that passage may rile them up. Although, I don’t know why. It’s the Bible. It’s just simply put into modern terms.
Let’s examine that passage line by line.
Verse 8 states: Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.”
We all know that the term “sleep with” is a euphemism for “have sex with.” So, in other words, to fuck.
And when, in the modern rephrasing, it says God, as indicating the one whom was speaking, that is actually a command found in Deuteronomy 25:5, which states:
If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her.
A little bit of background almost always aids our understanding, so we’ll turn to an expert for some background in this instance.
Deuteronomy is the “new and improved second edition” of God’s law, the 5th book of the Torah, which is the holy writ for Jews and is collectively called the “Books of Moses,” which in Christendom, in their holy writ called the “Bible,” are called the Pentateuch, the Greek prefix “penta” meaning 5, and “teukhos,” meaning to implement, a vessel, or scroll case; in other words, a book. The Greek translation of the Torah/Pentateuch, is called the Septuagint, hence the use of the Greek prefix and name Pentateuch. The books, in order, are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Dr. Thomas B. Dozeman, PhD, Professor of Old Testament, United Theological Seminary, writing in Oxford Research Encyclopedia and Oxford Bibliographies, stated that the book of Deuteronomy “repeats the revelation of law to the second generation [of Israelites] on the plains of Moab (Deuteronomy). The authorship of the Pentateuch is central to its interpretation in Jewish and Christian tradition. The Mosaic authorship characterized the interpretation of the Pentateuch Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Thursday, March 30, 2023
Senate Chaplain: Senators suffer “from the paralysis of analysis that waits for the miraculous.”
More True Words Are Rarely Spoken
United States Senate Chaplain Barry C. Black, official photo On June 27, 2003, Rear Admiral Barry C. Black (Ret.) was elected the 62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate. He began working in the Senate on July 7, 2003. Prior to coming to Capitol Hill, Chaplain Black served in the U.S. Navy for over twenty-seven years, ending his distinguished career as the Chief of Navy Chaplains. The Senate elected its first chaplain in 1789.
“Eternal God, we stand in awe of You.
“LORD, when babies die at a church school, it is time for us to move beyond ‘thoughts and prayers.’
“Remind our lawmakers of the words of the British statesman Edmund Burke: All that is necessary for evil to triumph, is for good people to do nothing.
“LORD, deliver our Senators from the paralysis of analysis that waits for the miraculous.
“Use them to battle the demonic forces that seek to engulf us.
“We pray in Your powerful name.
“Amen.”
— Opening prayer, United States Senate, Tuesday, 28 March 2023
By now, you’ve heard the sad, bad new of the mass shooting at a private religious elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee in which 6 individuals were killed — 3 – 9 year old children, and 3 adults.
Nashville Metro Police Department is to be HIGHLY COMMENDED for their heroism, and rapid response — only 15 minutes after the first call came in, the shooter was killed on site.
In fact, the whole world now knows how brave Nashville’s police officers are, because unlike the Coward of Broward, and the fearful Uvalde, Texas police, even the Babylon Bee, an online satire magazine website, stood up and took notice, by recently publishing this tweet:
Putin Immediately Surrenders After U.S. Airdrops Nashville Police Officers Into Battlefield https://t.co/ZUb9rf0EaW
And so, when I shared with a friend the Senate Chaplain’s actions, there were only two questions asked, and one emphatic expression in response.
Did he propose any ideas? (Yes.)
-and-
What were his thoughts? We do need to take action!
Here is how I responded.
Not to be sarcastic, of course, but his suggestion was that good men (and women) take action.
My longstanding suggestion — since being published Thursday, August 27, 2015 in “A Simple Solution to America’s Gun & Mass Shooting Problems” — continues to be, that ALL such firearms as the AR-15, AK-47, etc., should be placed under the auspices of the National Firearms Act of 1934, which was enacted to limit access to automatic weapons used by criminals like Bonnie & Clyde, Ma Barker, Pretty Boy Floyd, John Dillinger, Al Capone, et al, to ameliorate the ease with which they committed crimes.
The act permits citizens to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights through ownership, yet places a VERY HIGH BAR to ownership by mandating fingerprinting, thorough & intensive background investigations by FBI, State & Local police/Sheriffs, etc., payment of a $200 tax to the U.S. Treasury Dept., and perhaps a few more things, such as character & mental fitness.
IF for any reason there is any problem with the findings, the application is DENIED, and the tax returned.
That process ensures that ONLY the MOST upstanding & law-abiding citizens can possess such firearms. Included in the NFA are: Silencers (now called “suppressors”), short barreled shotguns & rifles, and automatic firearms (defined as any firearm that discharges more than one bullet with one tigger pull).
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Thursday, November 18, 2021
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops are a cacophony of sick, goddamn perverts.
The whole pedophilic lot of them – along with their CORRUPT organization – should be seized under RICO (Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization) statutes, and bankrupted.
Goddamn Baptists, and Jehovah’s Witnesses have similarly been found to be so corrupted, and have DELIBERATELY hid and otherwise suppressed evidence of their criminal perverted sexual abuses of minors, and others.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Monday, February 8, 2021
James A. Garfield
It’s always interesting to see how our forebears thought about certain fundamental matters to our nation’s governance. We have historians to guide us, who make it their life’s work to study, and investigate the men, women, and circumstances of their lives, and the times in which they lived. We can, and should be grateful to, and for, them; for they bring to life those things which, though they may seem dead, are still often, very much alive.
Following is an excerpt in whole, as found in the Congressional Record – a verbatim record of remarks made on the floor of the House of Representatives – of a statement made by then-Ohio Representative James A. Garfield, from the 19th Congressional District, who later became President of the United States, and was also, at age 50, ingloriously, the second President assassinated.
Interestingly, he survived being shot on July 2, but eventually succumbed to infection September 19, which was introduced by doctors who frequently inserted their unsterile hands into the wound in efforts to remove the bullet. Today, unless a bullet is lodged near a vital organ, or blood vessel, and is thought to possibly migrate, they’re left in situ (in place) because, the theory being, that the heat generated by firing kills any bacteria which may be introduced, and sometimes, cauterizes the wound.
Mr. GARFIELD. I desire in a very few words, not to argue the merits of this case but to give the ground on which the Committee on Appropriations made their recommendation. Having stated that ground, I shall leave the question to the discretion of the House.
I agree with everything that the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. E. R. Hoar] has said about Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Tuesday, December 1, 2020
The Federal government under this administration has recently re-activated the Death Penalty, and has argued also for adding other methods of execution to the mix, which is now only comprised of lethal injection, including firing squad. Hell… why can’t they just give ’em some fentanyl?
I have no pity, and no mercy for such individuals as referenced in the story below. I have none for any members of a faith organization who abuse their children. NONE WHATSOEVER.
And though I oppose the Death Penalty on pecuniary principles exclusively – it’s simply far too costly to execute (bad pun… I know) the law – we could, perhaps, make exceptions for cases like this.
Once a jury finds them guilty, or they plead guilty, march their sorry asses to some place and give ’em the fentanyl.
Lawsuit: LDS Church officials, teacher knew of abuse but kept silent
by Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic
30 November 2020
A lawsuit filed Monday charges that two Mormon bishops and a teacher failed to report a Bisbee, Arizona father’s repeated sexual and physical abuse of three of his children, despite a state law that makes reporting such offenses mandatory.It argues that the “clergy-penitent privilege” in the law, which keeps confessions confidential, does not apply to such cases. The teacher, a former border-patrol agent as well as the children’s Sunday school teacher, had a clear duty under the law in both of her roles to report the abuses to police, the suit alleges.
“Each of the Defendants had personal observations of the abuse, and also knew of the abuse outside of any confidential communication,” the complaint, filed in Cochise County Superior Court, alleges. The father’s abusive practices were discussed by church officials in routine meetings, and led to his excommunication in 2015 after church officials learned of his abuse of his daughter, then age 5.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of three of the six children of Paul and Leizza Adams, details Paul Adams’ repeated sexual abuse of his daughters over a seven-year period, including the rape of his infant daughter. Paul Adams was indicted on 11 counts of child sexual abuse in 2017 and was awaiting trial when he hanged himself in his prison cell later that year.
Leizza Adams, the mother, was convicted for child abuse in 2018 and was released from Perryville state prison in early October, state records show.
The children have since been adopted by various families and have different last names than their parents.
The suit names the Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as well as the Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church.
In a statement Monday, an attorney for the church, Bill Maledon, wrote:
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Monday, July 13, 2020
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…
Since before our nation’s founding, the framers of the Constitution had very powerful feelings about religion. Not that they were religious men and women, per se – some were, some weren’t – but that they didn’t want the government to tell them how they ought to worship, if they so chose to do.
In fact, they despised the idea so much that some folks (think “pilgrims”) traveled across an ocean in a small wooden sailboat which was little more than an over-sized primitive row-boat, to a far-away land, where literally no one knew them, just in order to escape the overbearing behavior of the ruler of the government (a king), who also just so happened to also be the head of the officially-recognized, governmentally-supported and approved state-sponsored religion – The Church of England.
Yeah.
Governmentally supported.
“Supported” as in “took tax money to give to the church” – the state-sponsored church… the one of which the king was the head – the chief priest, if you prefer.
Yeah.
THAT church.
So, they got so sick and tired of the “long arm of the law” reaching into their pockets and Read the rest of this entry »
I think we’re living in an extraordinarily stupid era.
Sure, there are ~some~ smart folks, and some genuinely genius things have been, and are being done. But, on the whole, this age is small-minded, and inordinately consumed with a desire to make, by force of law, others behave according to the privately-held sacrosanct tenets of select individuals or groups who are, in effect, writing private law, instead of public law.
Most such individuals and groups are ultra right-wing religious radicals, zealots of the First Order, who, legally mandate others to behave according to their private principles. The ostensible effect is impressing casual observers that the adherent/practitioner believes, because their behavior demonstrates adherence and obedience to those rules and regulations. It also thereby gives automatic imprimatur to them. In such tenets, they see themselves as performing the will of their god/ess, and by extension, being pleasing to the same. It is a form of wholesale cultural appropriation and subjugation.
It is, in effect, a hypocrisy, a type of lip service which has been ridiculed and mocked via memes such as “Jesus is coming. Quick! Look busy!,” and others similarly.
In essence, in its simplest, purest form, it boils down to one group of people wanting to control another group of people, and to force them into submitting to their privately held beliefs, most of which are religiously motivated, and often predicated upon a “thou shalt not” type law.
However, the highest, if not entire, notion of religion is not only freedom, but of self-improvement and self-regulation. Religion ostensibly seeks the betterment of the individual, and by natural extension, the whole, the collective, the corporate, the community.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Ownership of these churches in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe was transferred to the parishes. As a result, the churches are excluded from the bankruptcy estate available to clergy abuse victims. [Photographer: William LeGoullon for Bloomberg Businessweek]
Tax churches because they’re businesses, plain and simple. The product or service they provide is religion and/or spirituality.
Bloomberg Business News published the findings of their most recent financial investigation, which showed that – as expected – like any nominally competent business organization, or conglomerated international corporation, the Catholic Church in the United States has moved to protect its assets from being considered part of any potential judgments/settlements arising from individual or Class Action lawsuits initiated by individuals (plaintiffs) who as children were abused by priests, and now are adults.
From a business perspective, one could think of it as the Church opposing members who may be potential or prospective “creditors” in any liability arising from sex abuse cases.
The Federal Government needs to RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) them, because they’re clearly corrupt as evidenced by:
• Perpetrating, and perpetuating, sexual abuse, by;
• Deliberately hiding and shuffling perpetrator priests, and by;
• Deliberately shifting and hiding assets in response to lawsuits.
Catholic Church Shields $2 Billion in Assets to Limit Abuse Payouts
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Monday, August 27, 2018
Tapestry of Saint Monica of Hippo, by John Nava (b.1947).
For many, many years Saint Monica of Hippo wept during her ceaselessly tireless prayers for her husband Patricius – a pagan whom lived in her hometown of Tagast in North Africa, to whom her parents gave her in marriage, even though she was a Christian – their son Augustine, and her mother-in-law who lived with them, to become Christians. Patricius was known for his violent temper and licentiousness, while Monica’s mother-in-law was similarly ornery and cantankerous. Her dedication and devotion to Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Friday, June 29, 2018
The pallium is an ancient liturgical vestment worn only by the pope and a very few other high-level church officials upon whom the pope bestows it as a symbol of the jurisdiction delegated to them. In honor of Saints Peter and Paul, today is the day of Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Like Archbishop Óscar Romero of El Salvador in the 20th century and Thomas à Becket of England in the 12th century, Saint Stanislaus (c. 1030-79), according to tradition, was killed in church, in this case while celebrating Mass. Stanislaus’ murderer was Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Saturday, November 4, 2017
St. Charles Borromeo 1538-84 Administering The Sacrament To Plague Victims In Milan In 1576, Oil wood print, by Pierre Mignard (1612-95), a French painter known for his religious and mythological scenes and portraits.
Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584) was an instrument of the Holy Spirit in helping to keep the church on course through needed reforms in the 16th century. Had he been a participant in the Second Vatican Council rather than the Council of Trent, he may have Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Friday, August 25, 2017
St. Louis King of France with a Page, El Greco
Two men quite unlike each other, both saints, and both revered for similar reasons: Their concrete love for the poor. In the mid-13th century, Saint Louis (1214–1270) embraced the way of Saint Francis of Assisi and cared for the poor even as King Louis IX of France. It is said that Louis had over 100 guests from among the poor to eat with him daily. He also established hospitals and houses of healing for lepers and the sick. Saint Joseph Calasanz (1557–1648) in the mid-16th century saw that the need to educate poor children was so important that he gave up a career in Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Monday, August 7, 2017
When the Roman Empire hit hard times, Emperor Valerius ordered the execution of Christian leaders. The church, still young and wrangling over rules, was already agitated as persecution came. Enter Sixtus II, the pope trying to hold everything together, “a good and peace-loving priest,” wrote one biographer. But, enter too, those who follow leaders — the mob and their makers, wielding a power all its own. Because Sixtus wanted to Read the rest of this entry »
With 7 suicides in less than two full months this year (2017), the rate is almost half what it was all last year (2016) – 15.
Unfortunately however, it seems for the greatest part, that’s all they’re doing… talking.
It’s the NIMBY problem in full bloom.
But as Christians, we are called to “bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
When we not only pretend that these, or other human problems – including healthcare – don’t exist, or ignore any potential discussion or solution, we also deny Christ, who said Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Thursday, October 27, 2016
Church Pastor: The Truth About My Late-Term Abortion
by Amy Butler, October 26, 2016, 7:55PM EDT
“Trump’s words drove me to tears, and to write my painful story for the first time.”
Elections are supposed to be about real people — and not the ones whose names appear on the ballot. They are supposed to be about all of us, the policies that will impact our lives in tangible ways and the choices we make about the country we want to be.
The Rev. Dr. Amy Butler is the Senior Minister of The Riverside Church in New York City. Prior to this call, Pastor Amy served as Senior Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Pastor Amy holds degrees from Baylor University (BA ‘91, MA ‘96); The International Baptist Theological Seminary (BDiv ‘95); and Wesley Theological Seminary (DMin ‘09).
But this year, we have watched a major candidate for our country’s highest office demean and slander whole categories of American citizens. We have watched him make offensive, outrageous claims about real people and real decisions that everyday Americans face. People like me. Decisions like mine.
What sent me to my computer to write is late-term abortion. As I heard Donald Trump talk about babies being “ripped” from their mothers’ wombs, as if ending a pregnancy is a reckless, irresponsible afterthought, my outrage poured down my face in angry tears. In those moments, Trump, who has never been pregnant and presumably has navigated this far in his life without undertaking any difficult, gut-wrenching, gray-area decisions, used my own pain — deep, deep pain — to advance his political agenda.
But his words won’t tell my story, so I’ll tell it here. I don’t often speak about this experience. And I’ve never written about it until now.
The late-term abortion I chose was the end of a dream. The pain was so real and so consuming that navigating my way through the grief, I never thought that I would have the happy, healthy family that I do today. It was one of the most agonizing experiences of my life and Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Tuesday, October 18, 2016
By many accounts, the 2016 Presidential Election year is a complete campaign in the ass. Two deeply flawed candidates manipulated and exposed deeply flawed processes in both major political parties, not the least of which is for the GOP, how to vet their candidates more thoroughly, and have the ability to remove them from official party candidacy, and for the Democrats, how to maintain candidate neutrality, and prevent party officials from influencing candidates of the top officials’ choosing toward nomination. I predict many much-needed changes on the horizon for both parties… following the November General Election.
WARNING: This is a long post. It is also my final political post before the election.
I am not an editorial writer but today I am going to play one on Facebook. First, let me say, everyone is welcome to comment; however, if your comment uses foul language or is abusive to anyone else, your comment will be deleted. One of the great problems we have today is our lack of ability to disagree and still have civil discourse; therefore, we will practice it or be censured. Keep in mind, this is my opinion and you do not have to agree with it. Thank your First Amendment rights for that.
By now, we all know this presidential election cycle has presented us with the two poorest candidates in memory, perhaps in all of American history. Certainly there have been poor candidates running for one party or the other throughout our history but not facing one another in the same election.
They have turned the presidential debates into bad Saturday Night Live skits. In fact, I doubt the writers of SNL would have been able to dream up anything this hideous. The American political scene will never be the same and Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Sunday, June 21, 2015
“If you need to carry a gun in church, His Grace is NOT sufficient, and stop pretending you believe that it is.”
Alabama State Auditor Jim Zeigler has – like many Alabama politicians – stuck his big flat foot into his gaping stupid mouth… again.
This time, he’s on record as saying that, “Church attendees should pack. Each church should have a vigilance committee of individuals who pack and who develop their own plans for defense from an attack. Calling 911 and waiting for government defense will not work. Without armed citizens in the church congregation, they are sitting ducks for criminals and terrorists.”
Late night Tweet by Alabama State Auditor Jim Zeigler, which, as one respondent wrote, “I’ll attribute this to tequila shots.”
Until he was elected to the office of State Auditor, Jim Zeigler was merely a laughingstock and perennial candidate for various state-level offices having campaigned six times, whose Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Monday, June 1, 2015
Having been raised in the Methodist church, over time, I had “been around” in various Christian traditions
– including participation in by membership in some –
such as:
• independent
• inter-denominational
• trans-denominational
• non-denominational
• make-your-own church
• Pentecostal (talking in tongues, dancing, but no snake handling)
• Church of God
• Church of Christ
• Church of God in Christ
• Baptist (hard shell, soft shell, primitive, mainline, and corn on the cob varieties)
• Cumberland Presbyterian
• Presbyterian
• Seventh-Day Adventist
• Lutheran
• Evangelical Protestant
• Episcopal
• Anglican (Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin – Southern Cone, while in California)
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Saturday, April 25, 2015
Satellite imagery of the new facility for the Christian Science Church, 324 W. First St., Dixon, IL
“She blinded me with science!”
Penis-Shaped Church in Dixon, IL Gets Attention
Scott Shepard from the Christian Science Church at 324 W. First St., Dixon, IL, and others are upset after a satellite image from Google Maps began to go viral, showing their new church had a rather unusual shape.
The Church recently moved into their new premises, but failed to notice the phallic design until one resident looked at the building from an aerial position using Google Earth and posted a screen shot online. The church said that “The new building was designed to Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Wednesday, October 8, 2014
This cute meme reminds me of the story of a somewhat uncouth, and slovenly church lady who was almost constantly inviting the pastor over for a meal.
Being aware of her less-than-hygienic life practices & household condition, he politely declined at every opportunity when invited.
One day, she confided in him that she had “turned over a new leaf,” and that she’d spent quite some time cleaning & tidying up, and that her household was spic and span, from top to bottom. Being completely wearied of her seemingly incessant requests, he reluctantly accepted, and hoped to find her household in somewhat better condition than he’d seen it years ago.
When the day finally arrived, not knowing what to expect, he approached the front door with a mixture of eager anticipation, and trepidation.
He had no sooner finished knocking on the door, than Sister Smith opened the door and cheerily greeted the pastor.
“Hello, Pastor Jones!,” she excitedly exclaimed. “I’m ~so~ very glad you came! Won’t you please come in?”
“Thank you, Sister Smith,” he said as he stepped over the threshold into the living room.
Glancing around, he was utterly amazed at what he saw.
Alabama ranked as the nation’s second most religious state in 2012, behind Mississippi and tied with Utah, according to a new survey by Gallup.
The Washington, D.C.-based polling firm found that 56 percent of Alabama residents identified themselves as “very religious” – based on saying religion is an important part of their daily life and that they attend religious services every week or almost every week.
But I don’t write about religion, particularly. Nor do I write about the Church, the Pope, theology or stuff like that. It’s not that I have any opposition to so doing – writing about such topics – but that Read the rest of this entry »
As the official exorcist for the Archdiocese of Chicago, it’s the Rev. Jeffrey Grob’s job to expel demons from those cursed by the devil. But when it comes to demonic possession, Grob is the first to admit Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Friday, November 12, 2010
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) was once a respectable group, not only for what they promoted, but for how they promoted, as well. Now, they’ve become a “fringe element” group, which at times has operated similarly to a terrorist organization. It’s no wonder that people have lost confidence in them and their ideals.
Tomorrow – Saturday, November 13, 2010 – PETA will demonstrate in Huntsville, Alabama at a church which has an outstanding name in the community for their many good works, not the least of which is their always-immensely successful, long-standing “LobsterFest.” This year’s Lobsterfest XVII at St. Thomas Episcopal promises to be no different – that is, it will be a sold-out success.
What is particularly disconcerting is that PETA, in their fringe element mentality, offers only …Continue…
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Wow!
You’d have thought it was my birthday or something!
Today was one the best days!
I started out to work, but after my arrival was notified that I could take the day off. Not too bad so far, eh?
Then, I went to a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts shop, ordered a dozen glazed on the half shell with coffee, and read the newspaper, checked in on FaceBook, and swapped messages with friends locally and abroad.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Thursday, August 19, 2010
Two of life’s truisms are that “the only constant is change,” and that “the more things change, the more they remain the same.” I suppose it would seem as if we’re caught in a most unfortunate, and never-ending cycle, reminiscent of a “Catch-22,” or “Groundhog Day” type experience. The only difference being, that is fictitious, this is real.
EDITORIAL
Don’t go easy on us, Father.
A standard formula for a good homily is to teach, witness and challenge.
In the first, the preacher would explain or amplify the readings. Then he would bear witness with his own testimony or the experience of others. Finally, he would challenge the congregation to accept and live the Gospel message.
Many of us treasure a good homily. But if we’re honest, we’re not so sure about being challenged. Pity the poor pastor who does so regularly; he’s likely to …Continue…
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Friday, June 4, 2010
Some weeks back, my deacon had shared with us about this horrific tragedy. The long and short of it is that the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama had masterminded the murder of a Catholic priest in Birmingham whom solemnized a wedding.
Journalist Greg Garrison’s story is compelling.
“BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) The 1921 murder of the Rev. James E. Coyle on the front porch of his rectory was no ordinary slaying. Involved were the anti-Catholic Ku Klux Klan, a future Supreme Court justice and a preacher’s daughter who secretly married a Puerto Rican.
In her book “Rising Road: A True Tale of Love, Race and Religion in America,” Ohio State University law professor Sharon Davies digs deep into the Coyle’s murder—and the dark chapter of anti-Catholicism in American history.
“There are so many things about this story that are really compelling,” said Davies, who stumbled across the case while doing research for a law journal article. “When I found it, I was absolutely captivated by it. This story needed to be told. We can’t afford to forget this.”
The murder trial was historic partly because future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black defended the accused killer, Edwin R. Stephenson, a Methodist minister and member of the Ku Klux Klan.”
The Klan paid the legal expenses for Stephenson, who was acquitted by a jury that included several Klan members, including the jury foreman, Davies said.
“The Klan held enormously successful fundraising drives across Alabama to raise money for the defense,” Davies said. “They portrayed it as a Methodist minister father who shot a Catholic priest trying to steal his daughter away from her religion, to seduce his daughter into the Catholic Church.”
Stephenson, who conducted weddings at the Jefferson County Courthouse, was accused of gunning down Coyle after becoming irate over Coyle officiating at the marriage of Stephenson’s daughter, Ruth, to a Puerto Rican, Pedro Gussman.
The recent release of Davies’ book comes at the same time as a documentary highlighting the case made by Irish filmmaker Pat Shine, Coyle’s grandnephew.
As defense attorney, Black had Gussman summoned into the courtroom and questioned him about his curly hair and skin color. Lights were dimmed in the courtroom so the darkness of Gussman’s complexion would be accentuated, said an Oct. 20, 1921, newspaper account of the final day of the trial. Black won the acquittal.
“That really does illustrate, beautifully and awfully, the lengths that this future Supreme Court justice was willing to go to in defense of a killer,” Davies said. “It only worked because it exploited the bigotries of the day, anti-Catholicism and racism.”
Black joined the Klan 18 months after the trial, Davies said. He was a U.S. senator from Alabama from 1927 to 1937, and served on the U.S. Supreme Count until his death in 1971, gradually becoming one of the court’s most liberal members.
After the acquittal, Stephenson once again was a regular at the courthouse, conducting marriages. “For awhile after the trial, he was a hero,” Davies said. “He was the Klan’s champion, celebrated at Klan initiation ceremonies.”
But Stephenson never reconciled with his daughter, who divorced Gussman, moved to Chicago and died of tuberculosis in 1931 at age 28. “She was their only child,” Davies said. “I’m sure that was a grievous wound for them.”
Gussman was killed on Valentine’s Day 1934 in a hit-and-run accident steps away from where Coyle was killed, in front of St. Paul’s Cathedral. “They never found the person who hit him,” Davies said.
People don’t grasp today the level of anti-Catholic bigotry that was rampant in America at the time of Coyle’s slaying, Davies said.
State lawmakers enacted the Alabama Convent Inspection law in 1919 to authorize officials without a warrant to search convents to see whether any person found inside the convent was being “involuntarily confined” or “unlawfully held,” Davies said.
“My students laugh,” Davies said. “They can’t believe these laws existed. State legislatures were convinced they needed these laws to protect against the Catholic threat.”
There was a fear that Protestant girls would be kidnapped, forced to become Catholic nuns and held against their will, Davies said.
The Coyle case played into those fears because Ruth, as an independent-minded 18-year-old, had converted to Catholicism against her father’s will. Coyle fought the Klan’s attacks on Catholics, and federal officials at one point warned Coyle’s bishop that Coyle had been the target of death threats, Davies said.
“There were threats to burn the church to the ground,” she said. “This was a time when lectures and sermons were routinely given from pulpits … that spewed anti-Catholicism.”
The racist impulses exploited by the young defense attorney were later curbed by Supreme Court decisions in which Black played a key role during his 34 years on the Supreme Court. He joined unanimous opinions in the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision that outlawed school segregation, and the 1967 Loving vs. Virginia case that overturned Virginia’s ban on interracial marriage.
“It’s a good thing to remember where he began,” Davies said. “It gives us a greater appreciation for where he ended up. It reflected the movement of the nation.”
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Friday, March 12, 2010
Behold the words of the Anointed One: “Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and corrupt generation! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me!“” (GWT)
The modern vernacular might be: “You bunch of idiots! How long do I have to put up with your stupid shit? Bring him here!”
I get a kick out of watching the variety of “Jesus” movies. You’ve probably seen ’em just as I have. They appear in their various forms on TBN and other religious channels on satellite teevee. Frequently, Jesus is heard speaking with a British accent. Blow me down, limeys! God save the queen!
It’s hilarious to watch the actors portraying the Son of God and walk around like He’s …Continue…
It finds that around one-quarter (26%) of Americans now identify as religiously unaffiliated, a number that has risen over the last decade and is now the largest single religious group in the U.S. That’s similar to what other surveys and polls have also found, including Pew Research.
Warm Southern Breeze 