A little more information about the Christians who interrupted a Hindu opening prayer in the Senate.

 As some of you will remember, on Monday I wrote about a Virginia official's contention that religious freedom really only extended to the Christian religion.

Included in that post was a video showing a Hindu holy man being disrespected by a number of Christians in the galley attempting to drown out his opening prayer with Christian prayers of their own.

Below is a video showing the individuals who disrupted the prayer, and their explanation for doing so.

"Hinduism is a lie from the pit of hell." Where have I heard THAT before?

As you know I am not a fan of having ANY opening prayers to start a session of the Senate, or to start a city assembly meeting, or for any reason outside of a church at all really. Regardless of which religious group is performing the prayer.

However I would NEVER shout somebody down when they were doing so, as these so-called Christians so callously did here.

Their contempt for Rajan Zed, the Hindu priest, was incredibly disrespectful and vile.


But apparently this is an example of that religious morality that I keep hearing so much about.

FSM joins the Festivus pole at the Wisconsin capital. God I love religious diversity!

Courtesy of TPM:  

First, there was a Festivus pole. 

Then on Monday the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics group placed a "Flying Spaghetti Monster" among the holiday displays inside Wisconsin's Capitol. 

Any group that submits an application to Capitol police can erect a display in accordance with the First Amendment ban on state establishment of religion, according to the Associated Press. 

The student group's "pastafarian" deity was represented in the rotunda by a poster that proclaims the monster "boiled for your sins!" 

"This is the problem of allowing religious symbols to be displayed in government buildings," the student group wrote on its website. "When the State decided to turn the Capitol into an open forum, they opened the floodgates which the Flying Spaghetti Monster just sailed through. We would much prefer to keep government buildings free from all religious (and irreligious) messages, but if it must be "anything goes," we hope everyone takes advantage of this opportunity to advertise their own viewpoints - no matter how silly."

I ma beginning to think that the Wisconsin State Capital is the place to go this holiday season.

I mean after all where else can you get a taste for the depth of the religious diversity present in these United States?

Well besides Oklahoma that is.

Satanists and Hindus apply to build monuments in Oklahoma. Oklahoma not happy.

Courtesy of Raw Story:  

Oklahoma lawmakers are appalled that Satanists would try to erect a monument in their state capitol, but their decision to include a monument to the Ten Commandments of the Christian Bible’s Old Testament may have placed the state on shaky legal ground.

Before any new monument can go into production, it has to be approved by the Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Society. Duane Mass, the architect who designed the capitol building and serves on the preservation board, rejected the idea outright. 

“That’s Oklahoma’s house. It’s not the Satanic club of New York’s house,” Mass said. Lawmakers expressed similar sentiments. 

“I think it is a joke,” said Senate Pro Tem Brian Bingman (R-Sapulpa) to the Tulsa World. 

“This is a faith-based nation and a faith-based state,” grumbled Rep. Earl Sears (R-Bartlesville) to the World, perhaps forgetting that Satanism is also a faith. “I think it is very offensive they would contemplate or even have this kind of conversation.”

Yeah how dare they demand religious tolerance from a  state demanding the tolerance to allow them to erect religious monuments in their state capitol.

The nerve!

Okay so if this is a "faith based nation" and the 1st Amendment protects the rights of those of faith, then perhaps the Hindus would have a better shot. After all they have been around for like several thousand years longer than the Jews and Christians.

Also courtesy of Raw Story: 

That’s where the Hindus come in. 

The fourth-largest faith group in the U.S. – and third-largest in the world – said it would like to join the religious displays to honor Oklahoma’s Hindus and raise awareness about their faith. 

The Hindu group said their planned statue of Lord Hanuman would be “big and weather-proof.” 

Hemant Mehta, who writes for the Friendly Atheist blog, said the Hindus’ request would likely put Oklahoma lawmakers in a legal and political bind. 

“If the Commission votes yes on the proposal, conservatives will flip out,” Mehta wrote. “If they vote no, they’re just inviting a lawsuit. This is beautiful.”

I don't know about everybody else but the Hindus had me at "big and weatherproof." 

Personally I think it would be all kinds of awesome to have a state capitol that was filled with different statues representing various religious faiths. Just think of the educational opportunities!

School field trips to the capitol would be far more instructive in that they would include explanations concerning the various religious faiths that are able to worship freely in America, and how we as a nation do not favor one over another.

Don't you think that would be awesome? Oklahoma?

Governor Rick Scott forced to okay 8 foot "Festivus" pole made out of Pabst Blue Ribbon cans. How's that whole religious displays on public property thing working out for you Florida?

I swear that video gave me a case of the giggles.

Here is more courtesy of Raw Story:  

Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) office has approved the request of a self-proclaimed “militant atheist” to install an 8-foot-tall Festivus pole made of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer cans in the Florida State Capitol building. 

According to Tamarac Talk, Deerfield Beach resident Chaz Stevens asked for permission to honor the holiday created by the television show Seinfield after learning that there was a Christian nativity manger and a Three Wise Men display. 

“I figured one ridiculous act required another,” Stevens noted. 

After the activist forced Deerfield Beach to allow him to erect his pole outside the main fire station last year, the city voted to ban all religious displays. 

Stevens plans to install the pole at the Capitol building on Wednesday. 

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) was also forced to approve a Festivus pole for his state’s Capitol building this year.

Merry Festivus everybody!

Oklahoma passes law allowing religious displays on public property. Satanists thrilled at opportunity to join in.

Courtesy of Americans Against the Tea Party:  

In addition to performing the post-mortem homosexual transformation of Fred Phelps’s mom, the Satanic Temple has now offered to donate a monument on behalf of Oklahoma Satanists for display upon the statehouse grounds. The organization has moved forward to file papers to display a memorial next to the state’s display of the 10 Commandments and according to Oklahoma’s religious display legislation, signed into law in 2009, the Temple as every right to do so. 

“By accepting our offer,” said the Temple’s spokesman, Lucien Greaves. “the good people of Oklahoma City will have the opportunity to show that they espouse the basic freedoms spelled out in the Constitution … Allowing us to donate a monument would show that the Oklahoma City Council does not discriminate, and both the religious and non-religious should be happy with such an outcome.” 

It looks like the Conservatives have found themselves in a bit of a religious freedom pickle. Thanks to their argument for religious monuments on public display, it appears they now must accept the Satanic Temple and their memorial. But of course, if not accepted, we sincerely doubt that anyone would be surprised to find out that the legislation is completely hypocritical and specifically only focused on one religious view in direct violation of the US Constitution. Obviously, Oklahoma lawmakers did not take Satanists into consideration when passing such an open bill regarding religious freedom. I guess it is true what they say, “Be careful what you wish for.” 

I envision something along the lines of this:

You know, something tasteful, that the whole family can enjoy.

I think that this is going to be very entertaining indeed.

Catholic opinion piece attempts to damn the Girl Scouts of America for being TOO progressive, may in fact have just written the best endorsement for joining that organization ever!

This is an excerpt from an opinion piece written by a female contributor for Catholic Online:  

What I've learned over the last year tells me that the Girl Scouts organization has taken a very liberal feminist and pro-homosexual turn, and more disturbing, a sharp turn away from acknowledging God. For example, since 1993 the Girl Scouts USA curriculum now reads, "Girl Scouts of the USA makes no attempt to define or interpret the word "God" in the Girl Scout Promise. It looks to individual members to establish for themselves the nature of their spiritual beliefs. When making the Girl Scout promise, individuals may substitute wording appropriate to their own beliefs for the word "God." 

While many will argue that Girl Scouts is simply respecting the beliefs or non-beliefs of its members, who come from varied backgrounds, this "tolerant" oath denies the One True God, allowing a girl to swear her oath to a tree or an animal or anything else she chooses to substitute for the word "God." 

I'm also disturbed by the treatment of our nation's flag at the 2008 Girl Scout National Council Session and Convention. The traditional flag ceremony was trashed, as was the playing of our National Anthem. Flags of all nations were brought in bunched together to Chicago and Earth, Wind and Fire tunes. That just doesn't' sit well with this Army wife. 

My greatest concern lies with the Girl Scouts curriculum called "Journeys." This new program steadily leads the girls down a path of moral relativism toward the New Age. (An excellent review of "Journeys" can be read here.) Having read through the highlights on the Girl Scouts website, I'm left with the distinct impression I've just joined a Zen-yoga, environmental, defeat global warming, free choice, girl-power, modern feminist think-tank. There's lots of talk about "women's issues", environmental issues, empowerment, and the new "globalism", but no mention of God and very little of country. 

By the time the girls reach grades nine and ten, they are introduced to "Girltopia." This book emphasizes the disparity between the sexes, particularly when it comes to jobs and wages, and asks, "How could everyone create a Girltopia?" The text then praises three different books on the subject of utopias, including, "The Gate to Women's Country," by feminist author Sheri S. Tepper, who also happens to be the Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood. 

In grades 11 and 12, the curriculum is called "Your Voice, Your World: The Power of Advocacy." The most disturbing part is that at the bottom of each page is a "Voice for Good" featuring women meant to be role models for the girls to follow. More than 50 women are named, and only 3 are women of faith, including Mother Teresa. 

Mainly, these "role models" are feminists, lesbians, existentialists, communists, and Marxists.

Now if you are anything like me you are right now thinking, "Holy crap I just thought the Girl Scouts made kick ass cookies, but this organization is awesome!"  Which undoubtedly is NOT the response this author was hoping to inspire.

Of course while this is taking place within the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts are actively pushing a fundamentalist Christian agenda that does not accept ANY deviations from their strict interpretations of human love or morality.

While the Girl Scouts are promoting openness, progress, and nonconformity, the Boy Scouts are stressing obedience, militarism, and conformity. Today there are lifelong scouts being driven from this organization due to their biology, while everywhere else in the country their sexuality is increasingly becoming a non-issue.

This has inspired me to ask the question, what the hell is wrong with the males in this country?

Why does it seem that we, as a whole, are ALWAYS several beats behind the women when it comes to accepting change, or moving forward in our thinking?

Yes I know that we are not monolithic. There are of course VERY progressive men, just like there are many close minded (This author for example) women out there who would give even the most Neanderthal like man a run for his money when it comes to prejudicial thinking.

But as a whole it just seems that we are always taking up the rear, and I for one am goddamn sick and tired of it!

Women are the most ardent supporters of health care reform in this country, the most vocally anti-war, and the most open to embracing new ideas and differing points of view. No WONDER there are so few of them in the RNC!

If my daughter was a little younger I would sign her up for the Girls Scouts immediately. But if I had a son I would definitely suggest another, less antiquated,  organization than the Boy Scouts of America for him to join.

However you know that progress is coming. And someday, despite how hard they fight against it, the Boy Scouts WILL open up and become the welcoming, progressive, and open minded organization that EVERY boy in this country deserves the opportunity to join.

Just something to keep in mind.

To see larger image click here.

We may have little control over where we are born, or what culture surrounds us, but we DO have a choice about whether we simply accept things as they appear or whether to always seek truth regardless of the barriers placed before us.

 I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.

 Galileo Galilei