Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
Dammit! There goes another mouthful of coffee all over my iPad.
This is doubly funny in that Saint Sarah in now touting her "community organizer" experience... I seem to recall from around 2008 that she made fun of someone else's community organizer credentials
Sparks are flying in the UK with Murdoch's testimony (and convenient memory loss or reinvention of history). It looks like he might not get away with it this time!
On another note...has anyone noticed how Sarah Palin has gone on the attack against President Obama (as usual) but has not quite got a handle on the facts (as always)? First she went after him for the Secret Service debacle then the budget (http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/article/20120426/OPINION02/204260314) and now a farm workers ruling that began 10 years ago(http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/Decoder-Wire/2012/0425/Sarah-Palin-says-Obama-wants-to-ban-kids-from-farm-work.-Is-she-right). I think that SNL has a marvelous opportunity to reintroduce an old character by putting Tina Fey's Sarah Palin as the new face of Rosanne Rosannadana.
People learn the hard way that socialism hurts. It's proven that a Federal Gov't can't maintain anything. Unions are a HUGE part of the country's decline. It wasn't a past President. Each past president has their issues but our problems are deeper, and stupid democrats pull their heads out of their butts, things won't better. Today's democratic party isn't your grandpa's democratic party.
People learn the hard way that greed hurts. It's proven that a for-profit corporations can't maintain anything. Overpaid CEOs are a HUGE part of the country's decline. Our problems are deeper, and until the stupid Tea Party pull their heads out of their butts, things won't better. Today's Republican party isn't Reagan's Republican party.
AnonymousApr 26, 2012 05:00 AM "People learn the hard way that socialism hurts"
ROFL!!! Shut the fuck up troll. Take that shit to redstate or some other KKK fan club. I heard Bristol is desperate for hits at her defunct blog. Maybe you should try there. Loser.
Oops...in my earlier post I compared Sarah Palin to Rosanne Rosannadanna but that should have been another famous SNL Radner character Emily Litella: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Litella (better yet, a combination of the two!)
Yeppers. The defense would be the time honored "Well, yer honor, some folks just need killin'."
OT but I'm re-reading Bertrand Russell's 1927 lecture on Why I Am Not A Christian (re-published in 1957). His further thoughts in the Preface, and the Editor's comments in the Introduction, especially about science v. religion, the stunting of children's minds, and the erosion of the separation of church and state, shows how far we haven't come in the last 80 or so years. Great read, albeit chilling at times.
This IS absolutely true. The "Jesus" many denominations of "Christianity" claim to operate in the name of would want nothing to do with their closed minded, exclusionary doctrine. If the church truly did want to set an example of Christ, they would welcome one and ALL, black, white, gay, straight, married, divorced, etc.
Unfortunately the churches which do follow an ACTUAL Christ centered doctrine are the minuscule minority, the very rare exception to the rule.
from John Zuck's review of LeLoup's translation of The Gospel of Thomas:
Saying 1 Yeshua said: Whoever lives the interpretation of these words will no longer taste death. — The Gospel of Thomas, Leloup and Rowe
This translation's genius becomes apparent even in this short section. Leloup emphasizes that the words are about the Secret (the great Secret of Life) whether or not they were words kept secret, which other translations have emphasized. And where the scholars write “finds the meaning,” Leloup gives us “lives the interpretation.” (It makes me think that “living the teachings of Jesus” would be probably the best practical definition of Christianity we could have.)
In addition, “will no longer taste death,” instead of “will not taste death,” suggests that we are already tasting it, as we have pain, confusion, sickness, and dukkha in all its forms.
In his meditations on Saying 2, Leloup takes its references to seeking, finding, being troubled and upset, marveling, and “reigning over All” as “the major stages of gnosis,” and gives a simple, but insightful overview of the mystical path. His comments on Saying 3 are not only an insightful gloss on the passage, but a brilliant essay on non-duality, and the centrality of love in the transformation.
Another excerpt from Leloup's commentary on The Gospel of Thomas:
True self-knowledge cannot be limited to to knowledge of the soul, nor to knowledge of the “little me,” the one wrapped up in a bag of skin. Self-knowledge is consciousness of all the dimensions of our being.
In this consciousness, as the second part of this logion tells us, we discover that we are also known. In our most intimate core, in the very movement of integration of all that we are, we discover the Other who is our ground. Again, we discover the metaphysical outer in the ultimate depths of the inner.
Thus, to know ourselves is to discover that we are known. It is to discover that in every act of true knowledge there is participation by an Intelligence that communicates through us and that offers us participation in its Light.
To love is to discover that we are loved. In every act of love there is a participation in a Love that is given to us and which offers us participation in its Life. This is what the apostle John means when he says, “Whoever loves, dwells in God, and God dwells in them, for God is Love.” To be able to truly love—even a dog or a flower—is always a grace. Hell is the absence of love, the loss of the power to love.
To know ourselves, to know that we are known, is also to discover ourselves reborn, each of us child of the Living One, flame of the Fire, child of the Wind. Not to know ourselves is to fall short of ourselves, to live in vain, to arise and disappear like fog from breath on a glass, to be vanity.
The Gospel of Thomas: The Gnostic Wisdom of Jesus, pp. 69-70
this is a great post, it is the very thing I try to point out to the so called church going Christians in my family who get all worked up, spouting their Faux News talking points about our President being a Socialist. It boggles my mind that people call themselves Christians without understanding what Jesus's message was. I hold no truck against Jesus, none what so ever, just those who claim to be followers and then do the exact opposite. In a way, I am very glad that I did go to Catholic schools and did get some understanding of what the message was and further study in all the main religions has made me appreciate Jesus even more. He was a righteous dude with an awesome message, one that gives us a blueprint on how to treat others. That is why I chose not to go to church, it is more in how I live and treat others. The few times I have been suckered into going the last few years, would get really pissed off at what I was hearing and wanted to walk out.
Dammit! There goes another mouthful of coffee all over my iPad.
ReplyDeleteThis is doubly funny in that Saint Sarah in now touting her "community organizer" experience... I seem to recall from around 2008 that she made fun of someone else's community organizer credentials
That's classic and oh so true!
ReplyDeletePlus that guy was a total socialist!
ReplyDeleteSparks are flying in the UK with Murdoch's testimony (and convenient memory loss or reinvention of history). It looks like he might not get away with it this time!
On another note...has anyone noticed how Sarah Palin has gone on the attack against President Obama (as usual) but has not quite got a handle on the facts (as always)? First she went after him for the Secret Service debacle then the budget (http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/article/20120426/OPINION02/204260314) and now a farm workers ruling that began 10 years ago(http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/Decoder-Wire/2012/0425/Sarah-Palin-says-Obama-wants-to-ban-kids-from-farm-work.-Is-she-right). I think that SNL has a marvelous opportunity to reintroduce an old character by putting Tina Fey's Sarah Palin as the new face of Rosanne Rosannadana.
Amazing isn't how they distort and lie and call it news.
ReplyDeletePeople learn the hard way that socialism hurts. It's proven that a Federal Gov't can't maintain anything. Unions are a HUGE part of the country's decline. It wasn't a past President. Each past president has their issues but our problems are deeper, and stupid democrats pull their heads out of their butts, things won't better. Today's democratic party isn't your grandpa's democratic party.
ReplyDeletehttp://townhall.com/columnists/maggiegallagher/2012/04/26/sarah_palin_was_a_prophet_about_obamas_education_takeover/page/full/
People learn the hard way that greed hurts. It's proven that a for-profit corporations can't maintain anything. Overpaid CEOs are a HUGE part of the country's decline. Our problems are deeper, and until the stupid Tea Party pull their heads out of their butts, things won't better. Today's Republican party isn't Reagan's Republican party.
DeleteWho proved it? Sweden? Finland? Denmark? The happiest people in the world, according to all life-satisfaction surveys.
DeleteThe rest of your post is crap too.
AnonymousApr 26, 2012 05:00 AM
Delete"People learn the hard way that socialism hurts"
ROFL!!!
Shut the fuck up troll. Take that shit to redstate or some other KKK fan club. I heard Bristol is desperate for hits at her defunct blog. Maybe you should try there. Loser.
I like this part, rilly phunny! Here Goes:
Delete"things won't better"
Today's Republican Party is like your Father's Oldsmobile.
Sorry, Republicans, "things won't better"
Oops...in my earlier post I compared Sarah Palin to Rosanne Rosannadanna but that should have been another famous SNL Radner character Emily Litella: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Litella (better yet, a combination of the two!)
ReplyDeleteJesus wouldn't even have made it to the cross if Ted Nugent was around. No sir, he'd get that hippie before he could say "Bless you my son."
ReplyDeleteYeppers. The defense would be the time honored "Well, yer honor, some folks just need killin'."
DeleteOT but I'm re-reading Bertrand Russell's 1927 lecture on Why I Am Not A Christian (re-published in 1957). His further thoughts in the Preface, and the Editor's comments in the Introduction, especially about science v. religion, the stunting of children's minds, and the erosion of the separation of church and state, shows how far we haven't come in the last 80 or so years. Great read, albeit chilling at times.
I read it years ago, what an amazing mind! Thanks for the reminder, will have to add it to my list.
DeleteThis IS absolutely true. The "Jesus" many denominations of "Christianity" claim to operate in the name of would want nothing to do with their closed minded, exclusionary doctrine. If the church truly did want to set an example of Christ, they would welcome one and ALL, black, white, gay, straight, married, divorced, etc.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the churches which do follow an ACTUAL Christ centered doctrine are the minuscule minority, the very rare exception to the rule.
Agree, 100%!
DeleteThanks, your last line says it all!
DeleteGet a job yet bristol? Or are you still living off my tax money? Worthless people make me sick. Do something useful for once on your life.
ReplyDeletefrom John Zuck's review of LeLoup's translation of The Gospel of Thomas:
ReplyDeleteSaying 1 Yeshua said: Whoever lives the interpretation of these words will no longer taste death. — The Gospel of Thomas, Leloup and Rowe
This translation's genius becomes apparent even in this short section. Leloup emphasizes that the words are about the Secret (the great Secret of Life) whether or not they were words kept secret, which other translations have emphasized. And where the scholars write “finds the meaning,” Leloup gives us “lives the interpretation.” (It makes me think that “living the teachings of Jesus” would be probably the best practical definition of Christianity we could have.)
In addition, “will no longer taste death,” instead of “will not taste death,” suggests that we are already tasting it, as we have pain, confusion, sickness, and dukkha in all its forms.
In his meditations on Saying 2, Leloup takes its references to seeking, finding, being troubled and upset, marveling, and “reigning over All” as “the major stages of gnosis,” and gives a simple, but insightful overview of the mystical path. His comments on Saying 3 are not only an insightful gloss on the passage, but a brilliant essay on non-duality, and the centrality of love in the transformation.
Another excerpt from Leloup's commentary on The Gospel of Thomas:
ReplyDeleteTrue self-knowledge cannot be limited to to knowledge of the soul, nor to knowledge of the “little me,” the one wrapped up in a bag of skin. Self-knowledge is consciousness of all the dimensions of our being.
In this consciousness, as the second part of this logion tells us, we discover that we are also known. In our most intimate core, in the very movement of integration of all that we are, we discover the Other who is our ground. Again, we discover the metaphysical outer in the ultimate depths of the inner.
Thus, to know ourselves is to discover that we are known. It is to discover that in every act of true knowledge there is participation by an Intelligence that communicates through us and that offers us participation in its Light.
To love is to discover that we are loved. In every act of love there is a participation in a Love that is given to us and which offers us participation in its Life. This is what the apostle John means when he says, “Whoever loves, dwells in God, and God dwells in them, for God is Love.” To be able to truly love—even a dog or a flower—is always a grace. Hell is the absence of love, the loss of the power to love.
To know ourselves, to know that we are known, is also to discover ourselves reborn, each of us child of the Living One, flame of the Fire, child of the Wind. Not to know ourselves is to fall short of ourselves, to live in vain, to arise and disappear like fog from breath on a glass, to be vanity.
The Gospel of Thomas: The Gnostic Wisdom of Jesus, pp. 69-70
lol that is good!
ReplyDeleteIslam source of misogyny? Likely not religion per se, but colonialism and its methods of institutionalizing itself.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/04/the-real-roots-of-sexism-in-the-middle-east-its-not-islam-race-or-hate/256362/
By some measure Arab areas are less misogynistic than US.
this is a great post, it is the very thing I try to point out to the so called church going Christians in my family who get all worked up, spouting their Faux News talking points about our President being a Socialist. It boggles my mind that people call themselves Christians without understanding what Jesus's message was. I hold no truck against Jesus, none what so ever, just those who claim to be followers and then do the exact opposite.
ReplyDeleteIn a way, I am very glad that I did go to Catholic schools and did get some understanding of what the message was and further study in all the main religions has made me appreciate Jesus even more. He was a righteous dude with an awesome message, one that gives us a blueprint on how to treat others. That is why I chose not to go to church, it is more in how I live and treat others. The few times I have been suckered into going the last few years, would get really pissed off at what I was hearing and wanted to walk out.
Love it!
ReplyDeleteWhat I like best is that it isn't open to interpretation, it is what it is.