A bit on ABC regarding the Quiverfull movement, and an Alternet article about it.

While I completely respect the right for people to have as many children as they want (reproductive freedom means just that, after all), my stomach just twists at the viewpoint they take on contraception. Women aren't baby machines - fertility is only a part (and for some women, not a part at all) of who we are as humans and as women.

What are your opinions on this movement? And, for the Catholics in the audience, how different is the Quiverfull movement from traditional Catholic views on contraception/childbearing?

For the Christians/those interested in theology on my f-list:

Some thoughts on original sin, from susannahclark.

susannahclark is such an interesting read. He gives me a lot to chew on when it comes to religion and Christianity, and I always find what he has to say very thought-provoking and interesting.

A new Jack Chick tract: The Star

The best part?

The room number in the fourth panel.

*rolls eyes*

... the fuck?

I feel like I need to establish a new religion. Just like Christianity, but minus all of this dominionist bullshit.

So, I was recently chatting with my dad (who I love, and who makes me think more than anyone else I know) about religion and whatnot on the drive down to DC, and we turned onto the topic of prayer. As we talked, he mentioned where he sees the most religious hypocrites.

"Where's that?" I asked.
"Well," he said, "it's extremely easy to pray for people who we love and care about, for leaders we support, for people who we feel are good and right. But how many people pray for their enemies?"
I stared at him.
"I'm serious," he said. "Christ wanted us to love and pray for our enemies. Not necessarily that they are successful in whatever they're trying to do, but that they are healthy and safe."
"Well, for a while, Karla [for those of you who don't know, a conservative friend of mine] prayed for Kerry while I prayed for Bush, before the election," I said.
"That's a start, but while they may be our political opponents, they aren't even necessarily our enemies. What about the people we're fighting against in Iraq? It's extremely easy to pray for your leaders in this situation, and even easier to say WWJD?, but people rarely realize that they're being hypocrites. Or they do and they just don't care."

I love it when I forget completely obvious things and then suddenly find them again. Suddenly, I've gotten this fresh perspective on life.

I guess what's hardest about it, though, is that it's so... humbling. An absence of ego, an abandonment of self. You have to admit to yourself that they are no worse than you are. Which is hard, given that I can't remember the last time I killed someone and half my enemies have done that and worse. I guess I just need to find and hold onto my humility. Which is hard, granted that I'm me. But I want to, I really want to.

Thoughts?

*edit* (I shouldn't even need to preface this with a definition of myself- you know, in my journal- but for the benefit of trolls, I'm a pro-life anti-death penalty Christian liberal. Okay. Everyone got that? On with the show.)

I have had it. I HAVE HAD IT. If I hear the phrase "sanctity of life," or "culture of life," or anything even remotely similar one more time, I am going to smack the person who spouts it. I'm not even going to get into how to "culture-of-lifers," abortion is wrong but the death penalty isn't, euthanasia is reprehensible, yet it's acceptable that people die in the streets every single day because "they're too damn lazy to get a job," or how assisted suicide is from Satan himself but unnecessary war that causes thousands upon thousands of innocent deaths is A-OK if we're on a mission from God. But this is the most utterly outrageous thing I've read in a while.

Having suffered a heart attack back in September, Allen had asked prison authorities to let him die if he went into cardiac arrest before his execution, a request prison officials said they would not honor.

"At no point are we not going to value the sanctity of life," said prison spokesman Vernell Crittendon. "We would resuscitate him," then execute him.

Doubleyew.
Tee.
Eff.

The first problem with this is that if you request that you don't want to be resuscitated, no one - doctors, prison officials, whoever - should not honor that request. If you request a DNR, they should honor it. Period. I know that it's a little more of a technical and/or tricky procedure to get a valid DNR in some states, but regardless, I think it's disgusting that they won't honor a person's request regarding his death.

Second - and far worse - is that they invoke sanctity of life to defend their not honoring a patient's DNR wishes, before they fucking execute him.

I can't decide if this group of individuals is malicious, stupid, or if they’re all sheep. Or some combination thereof.

And seriously, I don't think the Democrats have it any more right than the SoL Republicans, but at least the Dems don't go around like smug, self-righteous bastards prattling away about how they are doing everything God's way and everyone else is just a Culture of Death (!!!) heathen.

Apparently, God hates Sweden.

Did I miss the memo? When did this happen?

... metaquotes here
... dark_christian here
... quotes_provoke here

... wow.

I haven't done anything political/religious/weighty in a while, and I actually feel that this is something that I really, really want to say.

I keep seeing and hearing people- pundits and others alike- saying the following: "Christians are persecuted in this country." "There is a war against Christianity in the United States." Or similar sentences to the same effect.

For a long time I have remained, if not neutral, indifferent to this assertion. Whatever. People believe strange things that I don't agree with, but often I don't have to energy or conviction to try and change their minds.

But the more I thought about this statement, I became angry. I mean, seriously, seriously angry.

And here's why.

I'm a Christian. I have never, in my life, faced anything that could be remotely considered persecution. Certainly, I've encountered difficulties, but they are internal- I have to fight my own natural tendencies in some cases, in others, I have to retain a sense of my faith in hardship and frustration. Additionally, I have friends who disagree with and/or dislike Christianity for any number of reasons, but have never given me problems about it.

There are countries in the world where Christians are executed. They have underground churches to practice their faith because the officially sanctioned form of Christianity (if there is one at all) is merely a pathetic bastardization of the true faith. They are slaughtered, their children burned alive, they are decapitated in front of their friends and congregations and driven from their homes.

I live in a country where I am completely free to choose my faith. I can go to church, not go to church, pick my denomination, freely express my religious convictions and beliefs, become a religious leader, officially declare myself a Christian, and not worry about officials of the state bursting through my door and putting a bullet through my head while I pray on my knees.

Christians are not persecuted in the United States. Period.

Yes, there have been select cases of issues with religious expression in schools, but schools are a tricky matter regardless of what label is being discussed. Just as there have been some isolated cases of Christian students being challenged, there have been similar incidents against gay students, Spanish speakers, Muslims, peaceniks, and arm-band wearers during the Vietnam War. Schools just don't like students standing out, period: it causes conflict, which makes administrators' jobs harder. Schools are just not good places for expression (I mean, I believe they should be, but they just aren't).

The problem is that while many Christians (really, the ones who believe that this war exists) see an entire battle against the faith; what they are actually witnessing is a general revulsion to a highly conservative wave of Evangelical Christianity that is attempting to infiltrate government policies. No one (save those doing the infiltrating) want to see religion mixed up in government, and for perfectly good reasons. It's messy, not to mention wrong and against the spirit of our nation. I'm a Christian, and I don't want to see it. In fact, most Christians I know that don't fall into the Evangelical category completely agree with me. Government should not endorse religion at all. That includes everything- nativities, crosses, the Ten Commandments, menorahs, Stars of David, Raelian symbols... everything. They don't belong in public.

So when people fight against attempts by the conservative right to hijack Christianity and use it simultaneously to attack, infiltrate, divide, and generate hatred, it isn't a war against Christianity- it's a war against insanity. Which I support, wholeheartedly.

Oh, an incidentally, a note to the right: Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Rick Santorum, Bill O'Reilly? They're really not doing anything for your cause. They're absolutely despicable human beings, bordering on certifiably insane. Normal people don't like them either.

As for the "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Holidays" issue... for the love of Pete, everyone. Even if you're Christian, there are still two holidays in this particular season- Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/Etc. and New Year's. Pull that giant yuletide log from your ass and deal with it.

To say that there is a war against Christianity in the United States is not only wrong, it's insulting. It's insulting to people who fight every day to stay alive and maintain their faith, and it's an insult to those who have died for their beliefs. "Oh no, some people have said they don't like Christianity in a public forum?" How about "Oh no, Christian believers were tortured and executed in China last week?"

Honestly, people. The next time you're at church, sit and listen. Hear that? That silence? It's the sound of people not coming to decapitate you because of what you believe.

And that is all.