Category: General

Old Time Religion

There’s been some interesting discussion on [21st Century Reformation]( http://www.21stcenturyreformation.blogspot.com/) about [deconstructing fundamentalism]( http://21stcenturyreformation.blogspot.com/2005/03/de-constructing-my-fundamentalism.html). Brad Hightower’s point seems to be that a lot of our “Christian beliefs” aren’t so much “fundamental” as knee-jerk traditionalism, so he’s re-evaluating whether his belief structure is Christian or just fundamentalist. Re-evaluating is good. It’s at the heart of the spirit of reformation: continually looking to see if current faith and practice is truly in line with the Word of God. Semper Reformata.

However, there’s also a bit a pseudo-debate going on in the [comments]( http://www.haloscan.com/comments/bradhightower/111214674045607712/) about whether knee-jerk traditionalism is an accurate definition of fundamentalism. Continue reading “Old Time Religion”

Democracy is not broken

The will of the people has been served: Terri Schiavo is dead.

That sounds like a harsh statement, and it is. It’s intended to be. I didn’t want Terri to die. Nobody I knew personally wanted Terri to die. Some corrupt judge, overextending his power, determined that an innocent, debilitated woman should be put to death by removing her access to basic sustenance: by far the cruelest termination to a life currently practiced in the western world. There are crueler ways to end a life, but none of them are legal. Their perpetrators will not go unpunished. This judge will.

Nevertheless, the will of the people has been served. Elected representatives and state and federal exectutives passed laws and made noise, but were unwilling to take the final form of interference, and call in the military to enforce their will. 30 years ago, the National Guard was called upon to defend a girl’s right to go to a certain public school. This week, the National Guard was *not* called upon to defend a disabled woman’s right to life. The independence of the court was deemed more important than the life of Terri Schiavo.

Nevertheless the will of the people has been served.

Continue reading “Democracy is not broken”

On the Media

[S. M. Hutchens](http://merecomments.typepad.com/merecomments/) on [Television](http://merecomments.typepad.com/merecomments/2005/03/the_other_catho.html):

> “If you are thinking that very, very few people do not watch television, you are right—that also has been our experience. But almost every household we have known that does not have a television is presided over by at least one Ph. D.—and invariably the doctorate is in a field that requires hard, skilled mental work in mastering languages other than one’s own, like the languages of math, physics, or ancient Mesopotamia. Not all doctor’s degrees are like this, you know.”

> “I have found that many people who have to maintain their minds at top form have an intuitive dislike of having them manipulated by the organs of the mass media, which they find not only stupid, but having a drug-like quality that does something they don’t like to the efficiency and quality of their own thinking. It’s hard to explain, but it’s an opinion I have found that people like us share.”

He also describes their decision not to have a TV in the house. Looks like [My mom](http://mingobird.blogspot.com) forgot to get the memo about the PhD. This guy just described my house growing up, motivations and reasoning included. Valerie and I will just have to make up the difference.

Hat tip: [TruePravda](http://www.jaredbridges.net/)

Goodblog: Skeptico

[This](http://skeptico.blogs.com/) guy amuses me. His [About Page](http://skeptico.blogs.com/about.html) starts out “My name is Richard Rockley, and I live in San Francisco” and that should just about explain it. It’s like Don Quixote in reverse. He’s surrounded by loopey people and has taken it upon himself to become Dr. Carrasco to us all, constantly pointing out how very unlike a giant each windmill is.

Rockley provides a very amusing daily debunking of some kind of nonsense or another, and he’s well worth the read, especially if you need some more ammunition as to why exactly [Scientology is a scam](http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2005/03/understanding_s.html). **Everything**, according to Skeptico, must be rationally considered, and subject to some kind of falsifiability, before it can be praised to the sky as truth.

My only problem with him is that he more closely resembles Robert Heinlein than an actual scientist in his screeding. That is, it’s clear he was destined to be a preacher (and preach he does), so his approach isn’t particularly methodical. As a result, his comments on [Intelligent Design](http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/evolution_intelligent_design/index.html), and Christianity, subjects I actually do find pretty compelling, leave something to be desired. His recent post on[“Can your psi do that?”](http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2005/03/can_your_psi_do.html) reminded me of a [poem](http://www.puretext.us/2002/09/23/scientists-and-poets/) I wrote a while back.

Nevertheless, a good read. I’m moving him to the Science/Medicine category (newly modified from just “medicine” to fit him in. I’m sure Valerie will be so happy).

Happy Easter!

He is Risen!

I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or disdained the suffereing of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him–may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.

All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him–those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generation will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn–for he has done it. – Psalm 22:22-31

Again I will say, “He is Risen!” for it is a precious promise for my life and yours. Without the Risen Lord, there is no hope. My hope is found in the Living Lord, where’s yours?

May Peace and the Lord’s Blessings follow you today and the rest of the year.

It’s a Lovely Day Tomorrow

The front page of your paper is bound to make you sad
Especially if you’re the worrying sort
So turn the front page over where the news is not so bad
There’s consolation in the weather report

It’s a lovely day tomorrow
Tomorrow is a lovely day
Come and feast your tear dimmed eyes
On tomorrow’s clear blue skies

If today your heart is weary
If ev’ry little thing looks gray
Just forget your troubles and learn to say
[Tomorrow is a lovely day](http://www.weather.com/activities/other/other/weather/tenday-details.html?locid=28209&dayNum=1&from=weekend).

(Iriving Berlin)

But… Bureaucracy is the point!

[Schlock Mercenary](http://www.schlockmercenary.com/) today has a [strip](http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20050322.html) up where the captain says, “Government is useless for anything outside of warfare, and is only *barely* competent at that.”

Amen, brother.

But… that *is* sort of the point. Lord knows we don’t want an *efficient* government. It’s the nature of humans to acquire power. Government is the mechanism by which we make everything deliberately inefficient, so that, whatever else it screws up, it also screws up in the manufactury of Really Powerful People.

Nazi Germany – now *there’s* an effective government.

Of course, this is all in the shadow of congress passing a law to save Terri Shiavo’s life in a single day–during a recess. Amazing. But then, this is also an example of ineffective government. In a totalitarian regime, she’d be dead by now.