Christianity

Mississippi: The Bottom Of The Pit In 1962, And Still In 2014!

Ronald 2 Comments

The state of Mississippi was the bottom of the pit of American society in 1962, when the National Guard had to be federalized to insure that one black college student, James Meredith, could attend the University of Mississippi. It was also the state where three civil rights workers were murdered in 1964, while attempting to register black voters.

One would think that after a half century, Mississippi would have improved its horrific status as number 50 out of 50, but sadly such is not the case!

Mississippi stands at the absolute bottom of the pile in poverty, with 34.7 percent of children being in poverty, and 19 percent in extreme poverty, a shocking set of statistics that is totally unconscionable, as children are the future!

61.9 percent of Mississippians are in dire financial straits, and the state only gives the poorest an average welfare benefit of $140 a month, by far the lowest family benefit in the nation!

And children face arrest and jailing for as little an infraction as being tardy to school, or going to the bathroom without permission.

This horrible situation demands federal intervention in the name of human rights! This disaster hurts the black population much more, but also the poor white population is also harmed greatly!

The Democratic Party was responsible for this horror in the 1960s, but now the Republican Party must be held responsible for perpetuating this mess!

Ironically, Mississippi is among the top states for church attendance, and for promotion of “Christian” values, whatever that means, since it is NOT applied in everyday life!

The Arizona Anti Gay Law: Unconstitutional And Reprehensible!

Ronald 55 Comments

Arizona has made quite a name for itself in recent years, being the infamous state that passed the toughest anti immigration bill, SB 1070, in 2010, causing an uproar, and eventually having several major provisions of the law being declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, while keeping some parts of the controversial law, and hurting Arizona tourism and public image irrevocably.

Now Governor Jan Brewer has until Tuesday to decide whether to sign a new anti gay law, that allows all public services to be denied gay and lesbian people, if the people providing the services choose not to deal with them on religious grounds. Business owners could declare their opposition to homosexuality, and refuse to give service to such customers.

Such a law is unconstitutional and reprehensible, as one’s religious beliefs do not and should not include the right to discriminate against anyone!

If such a law was to be upheld, it would, effectively, make gays and lesbians second class citizens, a sexual “apartheid”, a group that would be denied public services on the basis of someone claiming to be a “good” Christian, when there is absolutely no way that the teachings of Jesus Christ could be interpreted as promoting hate and prejudice against ANYONE!

If this could be allowed, then why not refuse services to Jews, African Americans, Latinos, disabled people, women, the elderly, etc? The Civil Rights Act of 1964 would be upended, precisely 50 years after its passage!

Anyone can be anti gay, or anti African American, or anti Jewish, or anti Latino, etc in their THOUGHTS, as no one can control that, but NO ONE should EVER be able to use religious orthodoxy to discriminate, mistreat, condemn in their public activities regarding such people!

If one wishes to work with the public, one MUST serve ALL Of the public, whether one likes it or not!

Otherwise, imagine the tow truck driver who will not give service to a driver who has a flat tire; or the pharmacist who will not give service to a customer for a prescription; or the nurse who will not give medical services in a hospital to a customer on religious grounds; or the gas station attendant who will not allow a person to buy gasoline; or any business owner in any type of store dealing with the public who refuses service, including the much discussed cake maker who will not bake a cake for a gay couple (but could also be a Jewish couple, or a interracial couple)!

Realize also that many “straight” people could be wrongfully tagged as being gay or lesbian. There are people who may seem effeminate in gesture or voice who are NOT gay or lesbian. There are people who may dress a certain way that makes some people think they are gay or lesbian. There could two men or two women, with or without kids, who some might think are gay and lesbian, but are not. The fact that a majority of gay men and women do not “act” gay or lesbian (whatever that prejudicial feeling is supposed to be), makes the whole idea of discrimination even more outrageous and despicable!

This is not the Russian Federation, nor Nigeria, nor Uganda, all nations where right wing evangelicals have campaigned to pass anti gay laws! It is the United States of America, and we cannot tolerate ANY such prejudice or mistreatment in the United States!

Any professional, as in medicine, for instance, who would refuse to serve anyone on the basis of religion, should have his or her license to practice taken away, as he or she is violating the Hippocratic Oath to serve all people!

This is a time to crack down and make clear that there will be NO tolerance of any prejudice or discrimination by anyone, that it will lead to legal action, prosecution, and punishment within the limits of the law!

There is no room for bigotry in American, based on so called religious principles, in America in the year 2014 and beyond! It is time to crack down once and for all!

Message To Homophobes, Racists, Sexists, Nativists: This Is NOT The 1950s, It Is The 21st Century, So Get Used To It!

Ronald 54 Comments

We have come a long way as a society since the 1950s, the height of the Baby Boom generation!

But we see that it is many Baby Boomers, mostly white and supposedly ‘Devout” Christians, who are unable to accept that society has changed, and that it is time for them to adapt!

Yes, gay and lesbian Americans have gained their rights, including marriage, in many states, and by federal law announced by Attorney General Eric Holder over the weekend. And yes, now we have an openly gay football prospect, Michael Sam, and we have people in all walks of life in the public sphere coming out as gay. The answer is “so what?” It is no longer acceptable to be advocating homophobia in the name of God, as it has always been in the past, but conveniently forgotten, on the issue of racism and sexism and nativism, which the history of religion in America has been trying to push under the rug, so that we are not aware of the long discrimination against other groups, and including anti Semitism as well, along with the advocacy of slaughtering native Americans!

It is time for professional football to make it clear to its employees that it will no longer tolerate an atmosphere of homophobia in its locker rooms, and if so, then such players, no matter how prominent or outstanding they are on the football field, shall be kicked off the team, and no other team should employ such a bigot!

And the same goes for other organized sports, including baseball, hockey, and basketball! Behave and be tolerant, or else you are not welcome to play professional sports!

It is time to make it clear that homophobia, racism, sexism, and nativism will no longer be tolerated in American society, and that religious bigots, when revealed, shall be fought tooth and nail until it is eliminated!

This is not the 1950s, but instead it is the 21st century, so get used to it!

Religion And The Presidency

Ronald 1 Comment

The right wing in America tries to tell us we are a Christian nation, rather than a nation of a majority of the Christian faith.

The fact that the Constitution does not have a religious test, that we have separation of church and state, is ignored, as the right wing promotes its propaganda.

So they tell us the Founding Fathers were “good Christians”, when in fact, in many ways, they were not!

And they fail to accept that many of our Presidents have doubted organized religion entirely, or have been Deist, Unitarian or Quaker , which are seen as a few steps away from atheism by many experts.

For the record:

The following Presidents had NO specific religious affiliation:

Thomas Jefferson
Franklin Pierce
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson
Ulysses S. Grant
Rutherford B. Hayes
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Barack Obama

Deist Beliefs

George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
John Tyler

Unitarianism

John Adams
John Quincy Adams
Millard Fillmore
William Howard Taft

Quaker

Herbert Hoover
Richard Nixon

That makes 18 Presidents who do not fit the mold of a typical religious person.

At the same time, some Presidents have been very devout, including:

James A. Garfield
Benjamin Harrison
William McKinley
Woodrow Wilson
Jimmy Carter

The other half of our Presidents were irregular church goers, and in many cases, they were not very committed to their faiths, but would identify with a faith that was considered Christian, with John F. Kennedy the only Catholic President..

The largest number of Presidents (12) were Episcopalians; 8 were Presbyterians; 4 Methodists; 4 Baptists; 3 Disciples of Christ; 2 Congregationalists; and 2 Dutch Reformed Church.

Time For Gay Marriage Case Before Supreme Court, As With Interracial Marriage Case In 1967!

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With recent gay marriage advancements in New Mexico and Utah, making it now a total of 18 states and Washington DC allowing same sex marriage, it is time for a case to come before the Supreme Court regarding the right of two gay men or two lesbians to be able to marry and be accepted as equal everywhere in the United States.

Just because many “religious” people, both Christian and Jewish, do not wish to accept gay marriage is not a reason to deny equal protection under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

No one is saying that any particular church or synagogue must perform gay marriages, or that everyone has to be happy and approving of such marriages.

Marriage should not be based on what others think about it, as it is a basic human right, that one has a right to be happy, to love whoever he or she chooses, and to have it acknowledged in civil law.

If one does not like gay marriage, fine, but one does not have the right to deny others because you have a problem with the lifestyle of others.

The same situation existed regarding interracial marriage, and only in 1967, in Loving V. Virginia, did the Supreme Court rule that no state or locality could ban or prevent two adults of any race from marrying.

Even back then, there were religious leaders and sects who disapproved of interracial marriage, and people were being prosecuted for trying to marry, or even living together.

Such a concept is oppressive government, and it is time for this to stop, and for all people to be given the right to do what they wish regarding relationships in their adult lives.

So Supreme Court, it is time to accept a case, maybe out of the Utah government fighting the new gay marriage edict of a federal judge, and to expand human rights, which is the whole basis of American democracy, and the sooner the better!

Senator Rand Paul And The Unemployed

Ronald 3 Comments

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has never experienced what it is to be poor, unemployed, deprived in any form, is advocating that those millions who have been unable to find work should be punished for that fact, and be cut off unemployment compensation, despite the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

Paul points out that employers are more likely to hire people out of work for four weeks than 99 weeks! That in itself is disgraceful discrimination, blaming the unemployed for what the wealthy on Wall Street did to us, in cooperation with the administration of a Republican Congress and President in the early 2000s, leading to the Great Recession.

So these unfortunate souls should lose their last lifeline, and go homeless and starve, as “tough love” is the so called “answer” for those down and out.

And of course, the dropping of unemployment compensation is teamed with massive cuts in food stamps, and refusal to consider an increase in the minimum wage, which, if it had kept up with the cost of living since 1968, would now be over $21 an hour.

So kick the disadvantaged when they are down, Rand Paul, heh? And this is the “Christian’ spirit? What is wrong with you and your disgraceful colleagues?

Pope Francis Sets A Standard For Evangelical Right Wing Christians, But Will They Accept?

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Pope Francis has been an amazing leader of the Catholic Church, after only eight months of his tenure.

He has opened up the Catholic Church to more acceptance of women’s role in the Church, and stopped the constant hatred of gays and lesbians.

He has embraced the poor, the disabled, and even the disfigured, in loving ways that promotes the true message of Jesus Christ, compassion, tolerance, and love for those less fortunate.

What are the odds that evangelical right wing Christians, many of whom hate the Catholic Church itself, will follow that lead and stop trashing those who are not part of the powerful elites, and stop demeaning women, and end the poisonous hatred of gays and lesbians?

An example of such a group is the American Family Association, headed by Tony Perkins, but there are many other such hateful organizations, who claim they are following the teachings of Jesus Christ, but are far from doing so! Bryan Fischer is one of the most hateful, divisive leaders of these extremist groups, which are a mockery of Christianity.

What are the odds that they will recognize the sufferings of the poor and the sick, and will not work to undermine the food stamp program, unemployment compensation, and ObamaCare, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security?

If one believes that these extremists are likely to become compassionate, tolerant, and open minded, as Pope Francis has demonstrated he is, then we are indeed in the land of delusion and fantasy!

Cuts In Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps): Is This The Moral And “Christian” Thing To Do?

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The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps), promoted in a bipartisan way by past Senators George McGovern (D) South Dakota and Bob Dole (R) Kansas, both nominees of their party for the Presidency, was designed to make certain that children, single mothers, the disabled, veterans, and the elderly would always have help in providing a decent amount of food for their nutrition and health, as hungry people get sick more often, and it undermines growth and accomplishment of children in particular.

A country which would allow its unfortunate poor to starve, to have inadequate nutrition, while at the same time providing subsidies to corporate farm interests is a country in spiritual trouble!

The average food stamp recipient receives $133 a month, about $1.50 a meal. Can anyone seriously believe that they can afford to eat at such a low cost? What it means is that toward the end of the month, there is no money for food, and children go to school hungry, and adults get sick from hunger and lack of nutrition.

Is this the moral and “Christian” thing to do? Apparently, Paul Ryan and Michele Bachmann and other Republicans are very eager to deny the poor the basic sustenance of life, while also opposing them gaining any health care coverage! So a new cut in food stamps is about to go into effect at the end of business today, despite Democratic attempts to prevent it. The average recipient will lose $36 per month of their present allotment!

And these and others in their party are insistent that women MUST carry pregnancies to term, but once a child is born, to hell with whether his or her mother has the ability to feed them and keep them healthy!

So the goal is to make them poor, keep them poor, and make sure the rich continue to gain tax cuts and benefits at the expense of the poor!

Are Paul Ryan and Michele Bachmann and others “good Christians”?

This is the hypocrisy of so called “religious” people who, unlike other good hearted Christians, fight against the message of their faith, to care about the poor, and do nothing to harm them. Shame on them!

The Destruction Of The Middle Class And The Working Poor By The Republican Party

Ronald 8 Comments

Republicans and conservatives do not want to admit it, but since the age of Ronald Reagan, they have effectively decimated the middle class, and heaped scorn on the poor.

This is reprehensible, particularly when they profess belief in God and call themselves “good Christians” as they work to slash food stamps for single mothers, children, the disabled and the working poor; oppose any rise in the minimum wage; support exporting of jobs to third world nations by greedy corporations; undermine respect for women and their basic human rights; and promote nativism and hate for ethnic minorities, as they try to survive in a nation rapidly becoming less white and Protestant by the day!

As it is, they are still able to convince struggling whites in the South and the hinterland to vote their fears, and blame all their troubles on the poor and the minorities, and progressive initiatives to help the working poor and the middle class.

But in the long run, this is a losing strategy, as now the GOP, allowing the KNOW NOTHING Tea Party Movement to have growing influence, are totally alienating the young, women, minorities, labor, gays, and educated people who care about their fellow man and woman.

So the Republican Party is rapidly becoming a dinosaur, and Ted Cruz and his buddies in the libertarian movement and the Tea Party crowd are destroying any hope of a future for the party of Lincoln, TR, and Eisenhower. They are rapidly becoming part of the dustbin of history!

America The Leader Of The World? On Health Care Access, NO WAY!

Ronald 2 Comments

Americans love to brag that we are the leaders of the free world, and the model for other nations, and that we are exceptional, better than any other nation.

And then we look at the issue of access to health care, and discover, how backward we have been, and yet we have Republicans and conservatives doing everything possible to insure that access to health care is denied to tens of millions of less fortunate Americans! They are fighting ObamaCare as if it is the greatest evil possible!

And while many say they believe in a right to life, that does not, apparently, include the right to a decent life, with good health care options, that insure a long life, now does it?

The hypocrisy is so apparent, and yet, there are no apologies or alternatives offered by Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Marco Rubio, or really ANY Republicans in Washington, DC, who offer no alternative and could not care less about people with pre-existing conditions, or poor, or disabled, or senior, or single mothers with children, who are being forced to go bankrupt and lose their homes over medical costs, because they have no health care coverage, or inadequate coverage

And these hypocrites have the gall to call themselves religious, claiming that their belief in Christianity or Judaism does not include concern about those less fortunate. Their only concern is how to avoid spending an extra penny or dollar that might help others obtain what they have always had, decent health care coverage!

When one examines what nations have universal health care, they include almost all nations in Europe, plus major nations in Latin America and Asia and Canada and Australia, and even a few in the Middle East! And yet, we are still fighting over this basic right that all people should have–access to decent health care!