christian

Leviticus 20:13 — The Error

There is a group of people on the fringe of Fundamentalist Christianity who are guilty of an error in doctrine.  Normally, I’d leave this alone; someone else’s religion is none of my business.  However, this is leading them to believe things, and to say things, and sometimes even to do things, that the rest of us quite rightly find hateful.  That makes it my business and yours.

I want to be clear here:  I’m not trying to preach to my readers; I’m not aiming to convert people with this.  My goal is simple:  If you’re a person who has been confused by this error, the following article will explain it to you.  If you know people who are making this mistake, this article is intended as a guide to help them understand.  And, if you have heard these hateful things spoken and thus hold Christianity in contempt, perhaps this will give you reason to reconsider. (more…)

Trumpster’s Heads Explode When—

I’m not going to link the original articles that I’m disagreeing with, so you’ll have a little catching up to do.  Not to worry; those that make it here are bright enough to do a bit of mental exercise.  I have faith in you. (more…)

Upcoming Immigration Ban: What We Know

(NOTE:  This article is being written in advance of the new Executive Order designed to function in place of that order of 27 January which has been partially blocked by the 9th Circuit.  It is designed to be predictive in nature.  When the new order finally is released, expect to see this updated with comparisons, but I’ll try to leave my predictions intact so you can see how smart I am — or how foolish, just as the case may be.  The new order has now been released; comparisons are in a separate section at the end of the article.)

One week after taking office, President Trump released an executive order banning travel to this country on certain passports.  I’ve written extensively on the pros and cons of accepting refugees, on the ways the ban went horribly wrong and why, and on the justifications for that ban.  Combining that with the decision of the 9th Circuit to block some of its implementation, we should be easily able to predict what’s about to get ordered. (more…)

I Hate This Place: Revisiting Refugees, Pros and Cons

“I Hate This Place”
-Spider Jerusalem

“All government, in its essence, is a conspiracy… One of its primary functions is to regiment men by force, to make them as much alike as possible and as dependent upon one another as possible, to search out and combat originality among them. All it can see in an original idea is potential change, and hence an invasion of its prerogatives.

The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos.  Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable…”
-H.L. Mencken, “The Smart Set” (more…)

Apologetics And Apologies: A Sermon

I’m preaching religion here, folks.  I don’t usually do that; we get preached at quite enough in our lives — the TV blares at us, our bosses yell at us, our spouses yammer at us, and Facebook memes shout their simplistic half-truths and loaded messages all day long.  (Many seem to involve Starbucks cups.)

This time, though, I think it’s worth you being a little irritated.  It’s in a good cause.

You see, I’m afraid you may be suffering under a misapprehension, and if so I’d like to correct it.  I am sorry that I have to preach in order to do so.  I’ll try to make it as painless as possible. (more…)

On Accepting Refugees: Pros And Cons

(NOTE:  This article has been revised again; the pros and cons listed have been kept up to date, even though the intro is vintage campaign.)

Major media outlets are full of reactions to recent announcements that the President will be asking to increase the ceiling on Syrian refugee acceptance for next year.  Unsurprisingly, the stories are largely focused on the reaction to the announcement; contention drives the media profit mill, and so it would be unusual to see any other form of response from them.

Since it’s the height of the upcoming Presidential election cycle, it’s also not surprising that every hopeful candidate has (more…)