Catholic "Prayer before Sex and the Priest's Scandal

The three of you who have read any of my Blogs know I do not like religion in general and the Catholic Church in particular. I think that Religion is nothing more than a big business that has as its only goal to make money and lots of it! It has little, if anything, to do with saving your soul and helping you get to heaven.

I was raised Catholic, attending Catholic elementary, high school and even college. Although, by the time I went to college I reached my stated conclusions on what religion was and how it operated - by scaring the begeebees out of everyone and convincing their followers that religion was how one got to know god and attain eternal salvation with him. I dismiss all of this as crap and the work of evil minded people intent on making a ton of money playing on your fears and needs. But my anger does not stem from my belief that religion is a sham and its leaders are charlatans. It stems from the fact that I was born gay and growing up Catholic, was ridiculed, persecuted and filled with enormous self loathing so that I constantly feared being discovered and then being run out of my family, loose all my friends and, worse of all, loose favor with god and be sent directly to hell upon my death.

When I finally could not keep my dirty little secret any longer, I confessed my "sin" to two priests. The first priest threw me out of his confessional and the second priest took me to bed and that, he said, was to help me cope with my being gay. Fortunately, I was able to survive these two occurrences and, putting them aside, was able to live a life with some measure of happiness because I forevermore disregarded any and all Catholic teaching/dogma and came out as a gay man to my family and friends. I began living, for the most part, as the person I was born as, unencumbered with lies about how I spent my weekends and why I wasn’t married. There was one exception to my new found freedom and that was at work, for I never came out at work fearing that I would be fired, the stated reason would not be my homosexuality but because my work would suddenly become unacceptable for unexplained and undocumented reasons. Corporate America had adopted a “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell policy long before the U.S. military.

I watched the priest scandal play itself out and was disgusted but not surprised at how the Catholic leadership assumed their phony righteous indignation at the boys and girls that were molested by one priest after another but who, the Church attempted to accuse, were making the whole thing up, all two to three thousand of them (right!), in an attempt to extort money from the Church. Fortunately, the truth has a way of getting out and soon it was apparent that the Church was not only lying about the numerous molestations but had been actively covering them up like an overworked cat in the world’s biggest litter box.

I enjoyed watching the Holy Mother(fucking) Church try to rally the Faithful around the accused priests and attempt to paint them as poor, maligned servants of god who were being attacked and their reputations destroyed by the news media, that the Church said was against anything Catholic and that had been acting irresponsibly toward the Church for years.

We all know how it turned out with the Church paying the boys and girls hundreds of millions of dollars in judgments and having to admit that they, the Catholic Church, did indeed have a very serious problem.

Then, last summer, the Church went too far in my opinion when they issued a prayer to be said before having sex (of course this was intended for married couples only). Well, that punched my last button and I sat down and wrote the following little ditty that I disrespectfully dedicate to The Catholic Prayer before Sex as it might relate to the priest scandal.

Holy Sex! (Holy Shit!)
Now I lay me down for sex
He’s only twelve but what the heck
He’s not developed, that’s for sure
But I could help him to mature
Isn’t that what priests are for?

To give of ourselves in no small measure
In order that we give sexual pleasure
To Catholic boys, so innocent and devout
And suck their willies until they shout
Bless me Father I’m coming in your mouth!

The Catholic Church, Oh what a Mother
Who rewards her children like no other
With a sex prayer that Mom and Dad can state
And maintain their soul’s spotless slate.
Not to be said before you masturbate!

I became a priest, you see,
Not to develop spiritually,
But to hide my homosexuality

The Pope's Nightmare

The year is 2019, The Pope, Benny the XVI, is old and nearing the end of his reign as pope. It’s 3:10 am, Vatican city time, Benny has had a nightmare, as a result of which he is sitting straight up in bed, broken out into a cold sweat, hands trembling and labored breathing.
“Holy shit (pun intended)” exclaims his Excellency. “This is the third time I’ve had this damn dream that god really does exist! He knows everything I’m thinking and he’s watching everything I’m doing no matter where I am! All the bullshit that those damn Nuns threw at us as children in elementary school. All that nonsense designed to scare the crap out of us, so we never question what the church teaches no matter how stupid it is! I know its all bull shit so why am I having these nightmares?” Benny asks himself.
“Because I gave them to you!” came a voice from the far corner of the room where the Pope’s desk sets.
“Who’s there? Who are you? Father Pizzeria, if this is you, I’ll send your fat little ass to America where you will say Mass ten times a day on Mother Angelica’s Electronic Word Television Network (EWTN). I know how you hate your priestly duties; they interfere with your dabbling with, er I mean, instructing the altar boys in the finer points of man/boy love. So knock it off or you’ve sucked your last altar boy dick!” shouts the pope.
“This isn’t Fr. Pizzeria, Herr Pope. This is God. You know, the First Person of the Trinity, the One who sent his son, what do you call him this time around? oh yeah, Jesus, to suffer and die for repentance of all the sins of mankind!” says the Voice. He takes a couple of puffs off a cigar and continues, “You know something, the first time I heard the story of how I sent my son down to earth to atone for man’s sins I laughed and asked myself how cruel a Being you humanoids must think I am to send my Son to earth to suffer such ignominy - for what? Nothing has changed; shit everything got worse!” said the voice from the shadows. “No, I never sent my son, or anyone else, to earth to suffer for yours and everyone else’s sins. You folks are going to need to take care of those yourselves,” the voice said coldly.
Suddenly, a sense of fear and unrest comes over Pope Benny and he nervously asks, “Would you please show yourself?”
“Why, you planning on shooting me with the 9MM you’ve got in your nightstand?” the voice asks jokingly. With that, the intruder gets up from behind the desk and steps into the light of the lamp on the night stand to reveal a middle aged man sporting a two day growth of beard, wearing cut off jeans, worn sneakers and a T-Shirt that has a message written on the front; Don’t Blame God For Religion!
“Wait a minute, you don’t look like God! You look like a middle aged, lower class bum from the poor side of town. You’re definitely not the god I know from the Bible!” Benny sneers!
“The Bible! Come on Benny, you know the Bible’s not what you boys in the religion business claim it is – ‘the word of God’ I think you call it. Theologians and bible scholars discredited it decades ago when they admitted that it simply told the same story of redemption with the same characters, who have different names because they came from different times and cultures. The ancient Egyptian god Horus was one of the earliest to save mankind by being sent to earth by his father, the Egyptian god Osiris (who was supposed to be me) and was born of a virgin. The stories of Horus and Jesus are nearly identical, and are certainly the same story! The early writers of what you call the New Testament borrowed liberally from the stories of Horus to end up with a novel about your concept of Me and My relationship with you. That is all well and good, but in no way did I help your ancestors write that Book. Those writers and the religious leaders at the time the New Testament was begun to be written, were aware of Horus, as well as another mythological figure named Mithras who was a Roman god said to be sent to earth to save mankind 75 years before Jesus was supposedly born, and they borrowed generously from both stories to come up with their own story of God’s relationship with His creation. Unfortunately, when you compare Horus’ life with Jesus’ life, you realize that you are reading the same story! They are both myth – they did not exist.” God said.
“B-b-but we can’t tell people that! What will happen to the great religions of the world; to your chosen Faith, the Catholic church?” stammers Benny.
“My what?! Whoa Pal, I don’t have a favorite church! I don’t play favorites. I respect some churches more than others – especially the ones who care for the poor and address the spiritual needs of all, not just the rich and powerful. I have no need for wealth and I have all the power you or anyone else can handle! More, much more, actually, so don’t tell me that you and your rag tag army of child abusers are my favorite church! You don’t want to make me angry, Benny, and I must warn you, you’re getting very damn close!” God states.
“You build new, glorious churches and schools in the rich suburban areas while, at the same time, you close churches and schools in the poor sections of the cities where the residents desperately need your help and the hope that your help can give them. No, Benny, I sat by idly for too long! Now I’m telling you in no uncertain terms; change the direction of your church from one that serves the rich and powerful to something that I want, no, expect, from a church that hitches its wagon to my name; be one that serves the wants and needs of those who can’t fend for themselves and, in addition, address the spiritual needs of the rich and powerful for, in that area, the rich may be more needy than the poor,” God says.
“But you can’t expect me to give up everything I have and follow your demands! That just not fair!” Benny exclaims.
“Fair! Oh you don’t want me to discuss fair, Benny! Is it fair that you live in the lap of luxury, a king in his own country, while the poor, the weak, the downtrodden of your Faith continue unaided by you, your church, your wealth. As Pope and leader of the Catholic Church, you should meet the needs of all who require your help; not just those who can pay for it and in return believe they have earned, even purchased a seat in heaven. Sorry, Benny, you’ll get no sympathy from me” God explains.
“What about those Butt-heads in those Mega Churches who are always condemning anyone who they feel need condemning? They are always speaking for you! Are you going to give them notice, too?” the Pope asks.
“I already did. I spoke with them at the same time I spoke with you.”
“How the hell did you do that?” Benny asked.
“I’m God, remember. I can touch one mind at a time or thousands at once. It’s a little tricky but, with practice, I manage quite well. After all, I have been here forever” God says.
“So Ben, the choice is yours. Loose the wealth, the Palace, the gold, everything and start acting like the leader of a church and not the manager of a casino! Remember, I created every living thing and I love everything I created: the good, the bad and the ugly. Don’t put words in my mouth that don’t belong there. I love everyone and I expect those humans who profess their love for me and say they will follow me to do just that. Take care of my children and give them aid and comfort when they suffer and are away from me. For to say that you follow me is to do no less. Leave the condemnation to me, for only I know what’s in a heart and why a person does what he/she does. Vaya con Dios, Benny. Walk with me or, if you choose, without me. But remember, the chips will fall where they may and they won’t give a damn if you’re a Pope or a Plumber!” And with that, God was gone, leaving Benny a bit afraid but mostly still incredulous.
“That was the worse nightmare I ever had! Well, no, not as bad as the one where I lost that billion dollars in a card game with Rick Warren; but close! I have to stop eating Italian sausage and green pepper pizza as a night time snack before I turn in. Still, that was a hell of a bad dream. I mean, God wouldn’t talk that way to the Pope, the most prestigious and powerful religious figure on earth! What the hell am I talking about; I don’t even believe in god! I’m going to call the kitchen and tell them to send up a pot of coffee. I’ve had enough sleep for one night. Besides I wouldn’t want to have that dream again. Nooo sir!”
He gets out of bed and goes over to the desk where the nightmare visitor sat, turns on the desk lamp and reaches for the intercom to buzz the kitchen. Suddenly he notices something in the ashtray. Cigar ashes…

I got my information for this blog from the website “Religious Tolerance” and an article by Tom Harpur from his book “Pagan Christ” Here is the link to the website and to that article- http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jcpa5b.htm

The Soul Angel

As far as I know, all Religions agree that the soul is what continues life in the spiritual world after we die. While all the major religions agree that we have a soul, there is a difference in their dogma as to when the soul enters the body. Catholics teach that the soul enters at the moment of conception. Jews believe that a person receives his/her soul when they draw in their first breath. These two religions are emphatic in their belief on this matter even though it is impossible to know what they claim to be fact because the soul is not only invisible it has no substance and is therefore un-measurable as well.

Personally, I believe that souls are handed out when a person dies and is admitted to Heaven. This seems more reasonable than arguing when a spiritual entity is attached to a physical body. This raises two questions: 1) why carry a soul around for your life here on earth and 2) more importantly, how did the soul get inside of the body in the first place?

While the soul is what supposedly separates us from the animals, I find it ludicrous to think that we need to carry one with us at all times, like the American Express card. But, since the soul is so important to the major religions of the world, I wondered how it came to be inside our body and who put it there. The Catholic Church teaches that the soul is implanted in our bodies at the moment the sperm fertilizes the egg that becomes us. As a good Catholic schoolboy (one who is scared shitless of everything and anything that might bring even innocent pleasure much less any thing even remotely concerning my dick) I wondered who was charged with the tremendous responsibility of watching for that exact moment when the happy, swimming spermatozoa, enticed and penetrated an egg floating down from the ovary by way of the oviducts on its way to the uterus where they would hold a dance then die if not fertilized. Since I never could get an answer from a Church that made up facts as they needed them, claiming that they were indeed facts that were based on tradition and faith, not hard evidence, I decided to create my own explanation of how this extremely precise event of inserting the soul at just the exact moment of fertilization would come about in each and every instance and who we should thank for this tireless endeavor. That would be the Soul Angel, of course!

Before any of you Thumpers attempt to point out the fact that this is not in the Bible, let me save you the time and effort. I am exercising the same right as the Catholic Church to make up silly pronouncements that are passed off as ascertainments, and spoon feed them to their catatonic followers as the truth. So, no it’s not in the Bible, yes I made the Soul Angel up but so does the Church in many of their declarations of fact. Now can I get on with my story? Thank you.

Soul Angels have a tough, grueling assignment. First of all, they must be constantly on the move, 24/7, searching for couples copulating in every possible place there could be: under bleachers, in back seats, bedrooms, bathrooms, elevators, theaters (off, off, Broadway), tree houses, outer space, rectories, etc.; the list is endless. Then, having spotted what is hopefully two consenting adults having sexual intercourse, the Soul Angel must dive into the center of the action like an illegal third party in a UFC event, waiting, watching for the right time then suddenly, with the seminal discharge releasing the mass of excited spermatozoa trying to avoid being trampled by the charging eggs eager to gore something (wait a minute! I’m confusing this with the running of the bulls at Pamplona. Oh well, it’s kinda like that so just go with me here, OK?) and spark a life, the Soul Angel grabs a new soul from his backpack, blows into the hole at the top to get it fully extended and wrinkle free, then waits and watches the mesmerizing dance of life until it identifies the successful sperm and, at the exact time that sperm penetrates the egg, and not a split second before or after, places the soul into the mouth of the sperm and, when the sperm savagely bites the egg causing the spark of life, it also permanently affixes the soul and begins the process of forming the body around it. (Just imagine the excitement when twins, triplets or more are conceived!!!) The Soul Angel assures that that soul is permanently affixed to the newly created human prohibiting it from falling out until the Angel of Death does its job and frees it from its earthly habitat so it can be sent on to be judged at the Pearly Gates.

Because much of a Soul Angel’s work is done at night in poor light, sometimes things don’t go as smoothly as described above. Occasionally the angel will spot a full blown sexual encounter and have to dive into the action immediately, before it’s too late. Most of the time, the result of the selfless, heroic action of the angel throwing itself into the fray without concern for its own safety, is that another soul will be successfully implanted just in the knick of time. However, some Soul Angels have experienced the displeasure of diving into the action amid cries of “who’s your daddy?” only to suddenly be aware of the smell of excrement, the absence of a warm and friendly vagina and the presence of a hemorrhoid or two! A realization not unlike we humans feel when we walk into the wrong restroom. Damn! It should have been more careful and cautious when scouting the rectory at St. Mary Margaret’s Catholic Church! Because of its chagrin, the Soul Angel attempts to sneak out the rear (my bad) and hopes to leave the scene undetected. Once the Angel cleans itself up, it is ready to return to work; ever vigilant and ever prepared to place a soul into a newly conceived human.

So, dear reader, I hope you had a chuckle at my feeble attempt to conjure up a tale to explain how a soul gets into a body and how it stays put in a manner that would support the imbecilic catholic dogma of when (but not how) a soul is placed in a human being! If you were offended because I crudely and disrespectfully attacked the Catholic Church arm of organized Religion then I say "you are right but I am not sorry!" Don't spend too much time soul searching because of this!!

Here Comes The Pope

Here comes the Pope! America, get ready to meet the Vicar of Christ on earth! In case you are wondering what is meant by the term Vicar of Christ, it means the Pope is a substitute for Christ; he is taking Christ’s place. And what a substitute he is, too. Much richer, worldlier, friend of the rich and powerful world wide, basically everything Christ wasn’t. The Catholics don’t see it that way, I’m sure. But it is difficult to hide his trappings when he owns his own country, lives in a palace, has servants, chefs, chauffeurs, tailors, treasures untold (paintings, statues, gold, silver - a lot more than thirty pieces, real estate holdings world wide, and let’s not forget his fifteen hundred dollar loafers he was spotted wearing shortly after he assumed the rank of Pope.) Nice life if you can get it but you can’t get it even if you try. That’s because it is the oldest and largest “good old boys club” in the world and it’s all in who you know.

Actually, the Pope is no different than any other religious leader such as Billy Graham, James Dobson, Pat Robertson, any of the wealthy Ecumenical, Fundamentalist heads of their own religions who found out years ago that there is a tremendous amount of money to be made fooling people into believing that the only way to God is through them. They hold the keys of the kingdom! They is ”Da Man”!

Somebody say “Hang on there, Pilgrim; let’s take a look at what’s under that mask of piety and holiness these men all wear.”

Since his holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, is gracious enough to pay us a visit, let’s look at him and his organization, the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church is one of the largest corporations in the world. It has a presence in every part of the Globe. It has a fortune so vast that no one knows what they are worth except them, and they’re not sure. The corporate headquarters is located in Vatican City, which is actually a small country independent of Italy where it is located. The Pope is the CEO of the company with a gaggle of Cardinals spread around the world who act as Chief Religious Officers and, in the case of the recent priest scandal that should have rocked the church, they become the Karl Roves of their domain and deflect attention from the real problem and blame everything on abortion. (Usually the Church blames all the sin in the world on homosexuality and abortion, but in this case, since many of the priests were sucking on the penises of boy babes, the spin doctors paraded the hapless women who had abortions out as the reason this terrible sin occurred. Quick thinkers, aren’t they? Don’t worry, they’ll do their best to make up for lost time and blame global warming on us gays.)

The corporation is further organized with middle management, the Arch-Bishops and Bishops who head smaller regions called Diocese and who report to the Cardinals. Reporting to the Arch-Bishops and Bishops are the monsignors; many of whom are pastors of parishes, and the priests.

The present CEO of course is Pope, Benny XVI, who has a darkly colorful background. He was a member of Hitler’s youth program and probably goose stepped for Der Fuhrer many times in a show of loyalty and solidarity. Sieg Heil, Holy Father! The Church explained away this embarrassing fact by saying that, being young and afraid, he had to go along with the program. I know that would be true for me as I would have gone along with anything Uncle Adolph dreamt up. But, I guess I feel that a man who replaces Christ on earth would posses a stronger character and deeper convictions. But, what the hell do I know? I’m probably just jealous of his wealth and power and the fact that he’s enjoying heaven here on earth.

He’s often a powerful voice for the poor, speaking of their plight world wide and our responsibility to help them. Of course, that’s all he is is a voice. He hasn’t opened up the coffers very wide except to add money from the sale of the churches in poor neighborhoods because they can no longer turn a profit. I could see closing the big buildings and tearing them down or selling them, but the Church should turn around and provide a smaller, more cost efficient building where services could be provided.

Oh well, I could go on and on about the enormous wealth and privilege enjoyed by the Popes through the ages but what’s the point? No one questions religious authority because, if they do, they are afraid of offending God. Well, I need to tell you that if anyone may be guilty of offending God it just might be the rich and powerful religious leaders who enjoy great wealth and power by scaring the money out of their follower’s wallets and purses.

There is tremendous money and treasure to be had by operating a religion and a religious organization. For instance, that gold that’s on the ceiling of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is worth untold millions. It originally belonged to the Inca Indians who were forced to turn it over to the Spanish Conquistadors who in turn gave most of it to the Holy Father at the time. The Indians were then summarily killed off and other Spanish dudes went on to get more gold from the Mayans and the Aztecs. By the way, should you run into Pope Benedict XVI in a Seven Eleven buying cigarettes and a Giant Slurpee, don’t bring this up; he doesn’t like to be embarrassed.

The first person who uttered that timeless truism “there’s no justice in this world” must have been talking about the unlawful, unkind acts perpetrated in the name of religion by all religious leaders through history. Take as an example the many famous and expensive paintings and sculptures that the Catholic Church has hanging in its corporate buildings in Vatican City. Those pieces were stolen from the Jewish families that were rounded up and systematically killed in the Nazi death camps of WWII. It is strongly believed that the Germans gave them to the Catholic Church in exchange for their help in effecting safe passage out of Europe and into South America. The Church denies it but it does lead one to ask “then where did they come from; the Sunday collection plate?” Wherever they got those treasures, they knew they were stolen. Did they return them to their rightful owners? I think you know the answer.

Ah well, bilk me once, shame on you; bilk me twice (and three times and four…) shame on me. Actually, the churches may be helping us get to heaven after all by taking our money and/or treasure. Wasn’t it Christ who said “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven?” With my anemic finances, I should be able to walk right in, sit right down and baby let my hair hang down!

Shame on me, I’ve been nothing but negative about the Pope and his little church. There is one thing he and I see eye to eye on and that is our dislike of the Iraq war and our opposition to it from the get go. Benedict denounced the invasion and subsequent occupation as being unjust and immoral. He advocates the systematic, timely removal of American forces and the return of Iraq to the Iraqi people. He’s got me on his side there.

To all the Catholics in America, I hope you enjoy and get something out of Pope Benedict’s visit. And to those of you who are critical of the man and his mission, remember this, you made him what he is today. He’s your leader. They’re his rules. You go to hell if you break them. Meanwhile, my money’s on the camel.

Something's Wrong! The Religious Right!!

Christmas 2007 was a resounding success; as Christmases always are for me. It’s the season to be jolly and to open the heart to those less fortunate and help the poor and needy. I have always felt more at peace at Christmas than at any other time of the year. .

I have a “live and let live” mind-set towards my fellow human beings. I accept the fact that we all have slightly different beliefs along with a value system based on those beliefs but tailored, if you will, over time to more closely conform to our personal understanding of what is right and wrong. You Thumpers reading this, while sitting atop your high horse, are saying “my beliefs are solely based on the Bible which my preacher told me was the word of God!” Well get down off your horse, Holy Roller, and chew on this; the Bible has more changes than a Cher concert! There are books left out of the New Testament (the gospels of Mary Magdalene and James to name two) because they didn’t support the views of the religious leaders of the time. The manipulation of the books and writings of the Bible to meet one’s personal beliefs has been done by every faith for centuries. We all have formed our personal beliefs over time and have changed them as we live and interact with others.

The foundation of our value system was set at an early age by our parents, our family and our early life experiences. Later when we attended high school and college and then began our careers, we came into contact with people and situations that further influenced us in new and different ways that caused us to modify our values as we gained new insight and appreciation of different cultures, customs and beliefs. We began to embrace difference in order to understand ourselves and our relationships with our friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc. It is how we become rational adults and productive members of society. It is also how we will begin to break the cycle of fear, prejudice and mis-understanding of people who are different from us. It will help us to stop the use of stereotypes to define a group of people and instead take the time to get to know them and find out what they are really like.

The younger generation has far fewer hang-ups toward people different from them. They seem to get to know a person before they judge them – good or bad. This is something the Religious Right does not do well, if they do it at all. They fear and hate anyone or anything that is different from them. They accept only like minded bigots that hold the same religious beliefs and who have an unyielding need to be right. This idea of being totally right makes dialog and discourse impossible along with the possibility of achieving understanding and/or acceptance that might result from a sharing of ideas.

Members of the Christian Religious Right blame much of the world’s troubles on Muslim extremists who cruelly impose their religious beliefs upon moderate Muslims by means of intimidation and torture. The Christians claim that these Muslim extremists are intolerant of other’s beliefs and should be made to stop their reign of terror. DUH!! It’s sad but the Christian extremists see the splinter all too easily in the eye of the Muslim extremist, e.g. the Taliban and Al Qaeda, but fail to see the plank in their own eye in connection with their own self-serving, harsh and unbending beliefs and practices.

The Christian extremists in America don’t use torture (yet) to impose their beliefs on other Americans but they certainly use intimidation. Just look how the Republican candidates jerk like puppets on strings when the Religious Right leaders begin to question the candidate’s moral fiber and willingness to further the right wing agenda. The current separation of church and state is tentative at best and will be non existent in the near future should the Religious Right gain much more control over our government.

You may be asking yourself why I have written so much on this topic. It is because to relinquish the separation of church and state will be to seriously weaken, if not destroy, the Constitution. As the Constitution goes, so goes America. If it remains strong and the ideals it contains remain viable, America will remain a great nation. If the Constitution is weakened so as to be useless, America will cease to be the land of the free and the great leader of the free world that it once was.

The leaders of the Religious Right do not care about America, morality, salvation or doing Jesus’ work. They are interested in keeping and increasing their power and the vast sums of money that their ministries supply them. Every right wing religious leader is a wealthy man or woman who lives in luxury that we can only dream of. They live in mansions, drive luxury cars, wear expensive jewelry and tailored clothing and live a life of wealth and pleasure, and do so with donations from their church members and from TV and radio solicitations. Hell, one of the leaders (the Pope) has his own country, lives in a palace and rules a kingdom.

Come on, people, look at these “leaders” and recognize them for what they are. They are charlatans who are interested in your money and who will do despicable things to get it. Take a critical look at who you are following and where they are taking you. They unashamedly use the fear of God to bully and trick their followers into unquestionably believing the words of their leaders. Then they ask for their followers to give what money they can – even sacrificing so that they can give more. They convince the congregation that the more money they give, the more God loves them and will reward them. The next time your leader asks this of you, ask this of him “what are you sacrificing, reverend? Your luxury car, your Rolex watch or perhaps you could sell the mansion and live in a moderate house like the rest of us?”

All I am asking is that you think about what you are doing and question your beliefs that you hold to be infallible and the only ones that are correct. Think seriously, evaluate and allow yourself to begin to open your mind to the possibility that you are not the only true believers and that there is something to be gained in learning and listening to other dwellers on the planet. You just might be a happier, more fulfilled person for doing it. Good luck and God Bless.

U.S. Set To Strike Iran

The Bush Administration is about to go to war with Iran. I think President Bush intends to attack Iran with air strikes initiated from airbases in Turkey and missiles launched from battleships in the Persian Gulf, striking targets that he perceives are nuclear installations. Once again, he does not have good intelligence information detailing what these sites actually are nor does he have proof that Iran has nuclear weapons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headed by Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, has inspected Iran’s nuclear sites and reported to the United Nations that Iran failed to disclose their uranium enrichment program. In December, 2006, the U.N. implemented sanctions against Iran designed to make them end this program. As late as September, 2007, Dr. ElBaradei argued against military action, stating "We have not seen any weaponization of their program, nor have we received any information to that effect - no smoking gun or information from intelligence. Based on the evidence we have, we do not see ... a clear and present danger that requires that you go beyond diplomacy."

The IAEA made a similar disclaimer concerning Iraq’s nuclear program, stating that they could find no evidence that Saddam had any nuclear weapons. They suggested that further diplomacy continue with Iraq instead of waging war. Bush ignored them in Iraq and is ignoring their interpretation of the situation in Iran. He has made up his mind to attack Iran and now he will make up the intelligence to support that action.

In my heart, I believe we are being led by a madman. One who shirked his duty during the Viet Nam war and who now has control over the military of the United States and does not hesitate to place our military men and women into another war that he is justifying based on his interpretation of the facts and perhaps on lies and half-truths like the ones he used to justify attacking Iraq.

He has already begun gathering Congressional buy-in by asking both houses of Congress to declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a Terrorist Organization when experts on Iran have pointed out that the army is not a staunch supporter of Ahmadinejad and his policies. However, many congress men and women did so without hesitation. They were afraid that the Bush Administration would brand them, at worst traitors and at best soft on fighting terror. The opposition, lead by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reed, two terribly inept and ineffective leaders, are too intimidated by these charges to begin to challenge the reasons for war put forth by Bush and his political allies.

Once again, the American people will not suffer as a nation would during times of war. Only those Americans who have loved ones serving in the armed forces, a military severely weakened by an insufficient number of personnel, will feel the angst and anger associated with another war begun on trumped up reasons while the real reasons remain untold and unknown.

This time, however, it is not inconceivable that we may need to use nuclear weapons to defeat an army as large, well trained and equipped as Iran’s. If they should align with the Taliban in Afghanistan and the Muslim militias in Iraq, they could sweep down on our already sparsely staffed military and inflict heavy casualties on our fighting forces. I have no doubt that we will be triumphant in the end, but at a tremendous cost of life and limb to our military personnel and to many innocent civilians. The war could easily spread into Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and be joined by China and Russia, especially if nukes are used against Iran. The possibilities are numerous and frightening.

I believe that George Bush is an “End of Timer.” A religious zealot bent on implementing a self fulfilling prophecy resulting in the “end of the world” battle of Armageddon and based on biblical lore. He is not an evil man but delusional as are some right wing religious zealots. He has a strong, narrow minded understanding of the bible and the biblical prophesies concerning the end of the world. I feel that he is determined to make his beliefs materialize and show the world the truth of the bible.

Shame on Bush, Chaney, Powell, Rumsfeld and others in the administration for lying to Congress and to the American people about the reasons for going to war in Iraq: shame on us and Congress if we don’t take the time and expend the effort to check the facts and the validity of the intelligence information this time around pertaining to war with Iran. Many additional lives will depend on it. Perhaps avoiding World War III will, too.

Missouri tries to make Christianity the official religion

Several friends who have read my blogs on this website asked why I am so vocal about the intrusion of the Religious Right into our political process here in America. I am concerned because they are attempting to make their religious beliefs the law of the land and their brand of religious teachings the only recognized ones in America.

Doubt that could happen? In March, 2006, Missouri legislators considered a bill that would name Christianity the official, majority (key word), religion in the state. House Concurrent Resolution 13 (lucky number 13) has/is pending in the state legislature. This resolution would recognize a "Christian God" and would not protect minority (non-Christian and possibly even non Evangelical/Fundamentalist) religions but would "protect the majority's right to express their religious beliefs." The resolution also stated that "a greater power exists," and only Christianity receives what the resolution calls "justified recognition."

The representative that introduced the resolution and the Governor of Missouri both refused to comment on or discuss the bill in any way.

This is scary stuff. The fact that a legislator had the audacity to propose such a bill, along with the fact that it was and still is being considered, is enough to understand the power of the Religious Right. They have become emboldened in their tactics and are beginning to openly attack and eventually destroy the Constitution and our democracy and replace it with a theocracy with them having exclusive say over how that theocracy would be set up and run.

If we don't act quickly and unilaterally, their movement will have gained a momentum that may be difficult to stop; even bordering on impossible. I know about the Missouri bill thanks to my nephew who made me aware of it. How many other states have similar/identical bills that are, for now, hidden away on a future docket to be discussed and passed into law when there are enough Religious Right legislators to assure its passage? Don't under estimate these people. They are extremely motivated and are driven by an insatiable desire to have their own way. It is unknown how many are out there nestled within our state and federal governments waiting for the right moment when they have gained sufficient seats to pass this type of self-serving and dangerous legislation. They are the American Taliban and must be stopped now before they can realize their ambitions and we are all without rights and protections from a then defunct Constitution and Bill of Rights.

The Religious Right - America's Taliban

The Religious Right in America comprises both a religion and a political arm of the Republican Party. What I am fond of calling the American Taliban. The Taliban has experienced such an enormous growth in influence in our country, and the Republican Party in particular, that the current crop of presidential candidates, both Democrat and Republican, must first convince these religious zealots that they, the candidates, uphold the strict and narrow interpretation of biblical stories and writings held as absolute truth by these Evangelicals and Fundamentalists. Only then can the candidates address the myriad problems facing this country such as the Iraq war, universal healthcare, fighting terrorism, social security (I'm 62), renewable energy, etc.

I see no problem with their beliefs if they would keep them within their religious congregations. However, these Right Wing demagogues demand their way or the highway and are pressing to make their beliefs the only religious beliefs (violates Freedom of Religion) and to be incorporated as the law of the land (separation of Church and State). They are getting dangerously close to realizing their ambitions as they have the Republican presidential candidates jumping through hoops with the Democrats not too far behind. For three of the last four major elections (2000, 02, 04) there were only two items that caught the voter's attention and these were same sex marriage and abortion. That is until the Iraq war finally got center stage in 2006 and some Democrats actually unseated Republicans in key Republican states because the war energized the Independent and Moderate voters and got them to the polls.

While the Religious Right is a large group in the Republican Party (approx. 30%) they are not a majority of Americans. They are a group of narrow minded, close minded, small minded, religious zealots who, in the past thirty years or so since Jerry Falwell began his idiocy campaign to dumb-down America, have been chipping away at the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in an attempt to control the dispensing of our inalienable, universal Rights, granting those Rights to those who meet with their approval and withholding Rights from those who do not. Breaks down this way: Straights - get Rights: HOmoSEXuals- get No Rights, instead get shaft lined with razor blades that drops straight into hell.

The Religious Right are so narrow, closed and small minded that they fear and deny science and scientific knowledge man has gained over the centuries. They believe that all the knowledge man requires was given to him by God in the words of the Bible. Their “knowledge base” has been stagnant for over two thousand years and is built on the writings of schizophrenics that wrote what the voices coming from the caves and the heavens, and occasionally the pet pterodactyl were telling them to write (I mention dinosaurs here because of the Religious Right Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky – what a hoot. It will have you rolling on the floor, laughing). Or their “knowledge” is comprised of fables told by warriors and diviners who lived a thousand years before the birth of Christ and who told tall tales around campfires long extinguished that extolled and embellished feats of heroism and good deeds. In short, these people are nuts and we are allowing them to exert an enormous influence on our political processes that will slowly but surely destroy our Constitution and our democratic system in the United States.

Who gave the keys to the safe containing our Rights to these mindless trolls anyway? Why do they call the shots on who gets Rights and who does not? They are incapable of thinking rational thoughts because they discard any thought that is younger than two thousand years.

They have been wrong on their strongly held beliefs before. For many years the Religious Right anti-intellectuals condemned the inter marriage between people of color and Whitey. They based this on biblical taboos and the word of God delivered through the pages of the bible. Now we know that this notion is ridiculous, but for many years the Religious Right purists kept the white Americans above and separate from Americans of color. Here's a rare case where their beliefs were rectified and updated to the twentieth century but only after an incident where one of their religious leaders was praying intently, flailing his arms wildly in a show of religious fervor, shouting an occasional “Halleluiah” and “Boo-Yah” when suddenly he was certain he heard Jesus say to Mary Magdalene "wife, we are going to Mother’s for Kwanzaa!" It became obvious to him as it has been obvious to the rest of us that Jesus was a man of color as determined by the land of His birth, and if He can love a white woman, well…

The radical Right has backed off their criticism of inter-racial marriage. It’s now true that most of the hate coming from these dim-witted malcontents results in the condemnation of homosexuals and women who have abortions. However, there is a problem in that homosexuality and abortion were never directly condemned by Jesus in the New Testament, and the religious zealots can’t point to passages in the life of Jesus that support their decrees of sinfulness. Instead they use passages from Leviticus and other books of the Old Testament, written by early ancestors of Larry Craig, Ted Haggard and Mark Foley to condemn homosexuality and abortion. Then there was a former president that counted himself a member of the Religious Right who, when asked if he had a problem with the fact that Jesus did not condemn these two "sins", said “no, Jesus felt we weren't ready for such knowledge and wouldn't understand His condemnation of them. He knew we would come to the correct conclusion by studying our bible and prayer." All I can say is "Holy Crap!"

I guess my question and subsequent argument is, if Jesus never condemned homosexuality and abortion on His watch, what gives the Evangelicals and Fundamentalists the right to do it now? Could they possibly be wrong about something they absolutely hold as the two worse sins because God Himself let them slide? They are no more right, or wrong, when it comes to religious beliefs than the rest of us. We all know what we believe as far as a supreme being(s) is concerned and we try to live our lives conforming to those beliefs. Sane people do not need to have their beliefs validated by everyone they meet and when their beliefs are challenged, assume God's authority and send the non-believers straight into the bowels of hell.

Now that we have seen that the Religious Right’s beliefs are just hot air mixed with sacred sounding bullshit, their hatred and divisiveness should be kept in check as much as possible; at least as far as politics and the development of laws is concerned. They have the right to preach their brand of religious doctrine to as many people as they wish. They do not have the right to impose their beliefs on the rest of us by making those beliefs the laws of the land. That is forbidden by the Constitution under separation of church and state and I see no reason to change that. Freedom of speech does not abrogate the separation of church and state, either. So don’t go there, holy rollers.

Let me conclude by stating that I am not a bible scholar. I am basing my assertions on the teachings of those who are bible scholars and who know about what they speak. My statement that Jesus never directly condemned homosexuality and abortion comes from a series on the History Channel concerned with the study of the bible by these scholars; men and women of differing faiths who discuss the writings in both the Old and New Testaments and who have devoted their lives to understanding those writings. It is they who pointed out the absence of condemnation of homosexuality and abortion by Jesus.