Update on job situation
Those of you who have been coming to my blog for a little while will remember that my family has been going through a very challenging time due to my husband’s 3rd job loss in 2 1/2 years. Many of you even generously donated money to help us out, for which my husband and I are extremely grateful. So, I wanted to pass along the … Continue reading Update on job situation
Michaela Rose
My daughter Michaela is just over 3 years old. It’s funny how quickly you forget what a 3 year old (or 4 year old or 5 year old) is like. The other day she was taking forever to wash her hands after going to the bathroom. When I went in to check on her she was very carefully washing her elbows. “I’m washing my elbows … Continue reading Michaela Rose
Pornification goes to high school!
My goodness. A high school outside of Chicago has recently decided to move a piece of pornographic work (“Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes (Parts 1 & 2)”) from it’s “required” to its “optional” reading list for an AP Literature class after parents and an advocacy group spent months complaining. How good of them. I suppose that simply having access to porn … Continue reading Pornification goes to high school!
The sins of the fathers
Over at Crunchy Cons, Rod has a post up linking to a rather unfunny piece by Diogenes on Catholic World Daily which is meant to mock those who have or would like others to, ask for forgiveness for the sins of our ancestors. A clip from the piece:
It’s back in style: the political fashion of issuing official “apologies” for wrongs committed by others — especially long-dead others — in order to cash-in on the compassion sweepstakes and dutch rub the opposition in the process. Australia’s Labour Government apologized to the aboriginals last month, and now Canada appears ready to follow suit. Perhaps the following Mea Culpa, first offered in response to the initial wave of vicarious mortification, might bear repeating:
Bless me, Father, for my ancestors have sinned. It has been two episodes of 60 Minutes since my last confession.
— My parents were unwelcoming of government mandated integration in their working class neighborhood. At least, I ‘m not absolutely sure they were unwelcoming, but they had a statue of the Sacred Heart in the parlor, and that was typical of the kind of people that put property values before justice in those days. For these and all their other sins of bigotry I ask pardon and penance.
I think it’s safe to say that our pastors are doing a really, really bad teaching the flock how God wants us to deal with the sins of our ancestors. The gap between what God calls us to do and how many Christians, even good faithful Christians, think about what is the right way to deal with the sins of our for-bearers could hardly be greater. A commentator on the Catholic World News sight where the item was put up had this to say: Continue reading “The sins of the fathers”
The Waldo Ultimatum
This is hilarious. Remember those Where’s Waldo books? This is a funny spoof of Where’s Waldo and The Bourne Identity. Warning: there is a little bit of language here, so you may not want to watch it with the kiddies watching over your shoulder. Continue reading The Waldo Ultimatum
The Bitter Homeschooler’s Wish List
This is awesome:
The Bitter Homeschooler’s Wish List
By Deborah Markus, from Secular Homeschooling, Issue #1, Fall 2007
1 Please stop asking us if it’s legal. If it is — and it is — it’s insulting to imply that we’re criminals. And if we were criminals, would we admit it?
2 Learn what the words “socialize” and “socialization” mean, and use the one you really mean instead of mixing them up the way you do now. Socializing means hanging out with other people for fun. Socialization means having acquired the skills necessary to do so successfully and pleasantly. If you’re talking to me and my kids, that means that we do in fact go outside now and then to visit the other human beings on the planet, and you can safely assume that we’ve got a decent grasp of both concepts. Continue reading “The Bitter Homeschooler’s Wish List”
Beliefism’s Co-joined Twin, Biblism
Last night I wrote about “Beliefism” which for some people, is living as a parasite off its co-joined twin, “Bibleism”. Now, let me be clear, I believe in the authority of scripture, I believe that it is the inspired word of God, I have and continue to study it. However, the truth of the matter is that there is a lot of abuse which goes on around the bible. So many people become “Beliefists” because they cannot see the difference between their interpretation of scriptures and scripture itself. There is also a tendency to insist that we cannot understand any part of scripture as being mythological or allegorical or otherwise not accurate as a history book without discrediting scripture, and therefor God. I like to call this bible abuse. It is a form of beliefism wherein a person’s faith is in scriptures rather than in the living God.
Anyhow, what really brought this to mind was something I read last night. I’ve been skimming through How People Grow by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend and came across this line which just hit me as odd:
I don’t know if she fully understood the depth of theology she communicated in that one answer to how she made it trhough. But the Bible does understand it. It commands it.” (emphasis mine)
Now, I know the verses from Hebrews (“The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword” Hebrews 4:12). And I do know what they’re saying here. However, I still wonder about a Christian author who attributes understanding, feelings and such to a book – even the bible. It seems to me that it would be more accurate, and more helpful for the proper mindset of the reader to say, “God understands this and that is why He put it in His word”? Maybe I’m nitpicking here.
Regardless, the wording struck me as odd and reminded me of a parody I read a while back at The Wittenburg Door:
Professors at Dallas Theological Seminary published a position paper Tuesday eliminating the concept of “God” and/or “Lord” from Christian worship and replacing it with worship of the Bible only. The step had been anticipated for several years and was considered a formality within the actual “Bible only” movement . . . Continue reading “Beliefism’s Co-joined Twin, Biblism”
This seems creepy to me
There’s a story in the Chicago Tribune about scientists who have figured out how to get a computer to “read” brain scans to figure out which picture out of several choices a person has viewed. This is considered one of the first steps towards eventually figuring out how the brain works, which I suppose if good. However, it could also the be the first step … Continue reading This seems creepy to me
Beliefism is poison
Christianity has literally tens of thousands of denominations. Which can’t be honoring to God; the unity of the body of Christ seems to be very important to God. Jesus talked about the desire for us to be one. Paul speaks repeatedly of the need for Christian believers to be unified. And yet, we keep splitting up, often acrimoniously. Of course this isn’t particularly new; the early Christian church was much more diverse than we often realize.
What drives these divisions, for the most part are disagreements, often valid and serious, about what Christian beliefs are true. Are sacraments necessary for salvation? Is the sinner’s prayer? Must members of a church affirm a particular creed? What is the role of tradition? How should various scripture verses be interpreted? How should claims of revelations be handled? All serious points. All with presumably one right answer, or at least a limited range of right answers. Then again, many of these disagreements are more than likely completely besides the point; does anyone seriously think God cares if we are sprinkled or dunked at baptism?
So we have all these disagreements, and thus all these divisions. And we can argue all we want over the particulars, the fact still remains that this level of division among God’s people cannot be pleasing to God. But what to do about it?
I certainly don’t have the answers sheet for who has the right answers to all the issues which lead to our division (although I have plenty of opinions!). However, I would suggest that we look at the biblical principle of “good fruit/bad fruit”. That is, if we see a good result, we can assume that whatever is producing it is good. If we see a bad result, then we can assume that whatever is producing it is bad. Obviously the division in the body of Christ is bad, so we would do well to figure out what is creating this bad fruit.
I would argue, as does this article titled “Giving Beliefism the Bird” from The Ooze, that something we can call “beliefism” is at the root of this bad fruit. This article provides this explanation:
beliefism [is] ‘about me being right.’ This is a lot different than being devoted to a Person, to Jesus. Beliefism is devotion to a system of beliefs.” Continue reading “Beliefism is poison”
Is this normal?
Over the last couple of weeks my two boys have tried emailing various people to express their opinions, ask questions or offer suggestions. They wanted to contact Cartoon Network with a suggestion for a storyline for one of their favorite cartoons. Then my 8 year old decided that he wanted to ask Highlights for advice on dealing with his big brother. Just now my 12 … Continue reading Is this normal?
The Upside Down World 