The epitome of Christian love.

So that strange looking individual up above is a former LA cop and current missionary and self styled preacher Tony Miano. He is also used to host a show with Kirk Cameron buddy, Ray Comfort.

Well while most people were reacting with horror at the devastation that resulted from that earthquake in Nepal, Miano had an entirely different reaction.

.@CNN Praying 4 the lost souls in Nepal. Praying not a single destroyed pagan temple will b rebuilt & the people will repent/receive Christ.
— Tony Miano (@TonyMiano) April 25, 2015

Yeah nothing like a devastating earthquake, and an astronomical loss of innocent life, to convince the heathens to reject thousands of years of religious tradition and embrace the Christian god, who Christians believe is responsible for all natural phenomena on earth.

Good sales pitch.

(H/T to The Friendly Atheist.)

Death toll in Nepal rises to almost 2,000.

Courtesy of The Guardian:  

The death toll from the devastating earthquake in Nepal climbed above 1,900 on Sunday and was continuing to rise as officials struggled to gauge the full scale of the disaster and the world rushed to provide desperately needed aid. 

Dozens of aftershocks jolted Nepal on Saturday and Sunday as people sheltered where they could. Nepalese authorities continually revised the number of dead upwards a day after the Himalayan country was shaken by a magnitude 7.8 quake that wrecked houses, flattened centuries-old temples and triggered avalanches on Mount Everest. 

More than 5,000 people had been injured, with the number of dead and injured expected to rise in the coming days. Nepalese police officials said more than 700 people died in Kathmandu alone. 

An avalanche triggered by the quake struck a section of Everest’s base camp, killing at least 17 people and injuring 61 others, local reports said. Further up the mountain, about 100 climbers were safe but facing difficulty getting down as the route back to safety was damaged, with the situation of more people on other other routes on the mountain still unknown and rescue efforts under way.

So much devastation!

My daughter arrived back home last night after being on the road with a traveling stage show for almost a month, and she sort of shamed me by asking how I could be so focused on the President's WHCD speech and not this tragedy.

She had a point.

I guess part of the reason I had not written about it is that I found it a little overwhelming and didn't know what I could do to help here on this blog.

The US is responding by sending a disaster response team and a million dollars in aid, but I imagine that amount will go up as we learn more about the devastation and loss of life.

I would suggest to those that want to help that they could start by making a donation to the Red Cross, because you know they will be in the thick of things.

If any of you have more information, or more legitimate places to donate, please let us know.

After all we are really one community sharing this planet, and what hurts one of us, hurts all of us.

More than 5,000 buffalo slaughtered as part of Hindu celebration, because...you know...religion.

Courtesy of The Independent: 

The slaughter of more than 5,000 buffaloes at the Gadhimai Hindu festival in Nepal has drawn global condemnation from animal charities. 

Many more buffaloes and farm animals including chickens, goats and pigs are due to be killed as part of what is thought to be the world’s largest animal sacrifice ritual. 

Devotees believe the event brings good luck and will encourage Gadhimai, the Hindu goddess of power, to answer their wishes. 

Several charities had worked to stop the slaughter – the first of its kind since an estimated 200,000 animals and birds were sacrificed in 2009 – but only succeeded in pressuring the Indian Government into stopping animals being transported across the border.

I sometimes receive criticism for always picking on Christianity, with  comments such as "Why don't you ever go after Islam or Judaism? Why is it always Christians that you target?"

And of course the answer is because it is Christianity that is currently having the most negative impact on the politics and education in this country. Not to mention being used as an excuse for racism, sexism, and the manipulation of the ignorant.

However trust me when I say I have nothing but disdain for ALL religions, and I certainly find this practice both barbaric and inhumane.

Of course we must also remember that in America we slaughter far more than 5,000 cows a day simply to keep all of us in Big Macs. However that is done to appease OUR great god of capitalism, so of course that is to be excused out of hand.

Oh and before any of you start feeling superior because your religion does not participate in such primitive rituals you should remember that Judaism has a long history of animal sacrifice, and the only reason that Christians did not usually participate is because of the sacrifice of Jesus, and seriously who can top that?

So yeah this is pretty gross, but in a world where we are still cutting off bits of our genitalia as a sacrifice to one god or another, and murdering our fellow man due solely to almost imperceptible religious differences, it seems fairly hypocritical to get too worked up over this.

Though I have little doubt that many will.