Tag: Religion

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Quote of the Day – Christopher Hitchens

Quote of the Day… not actually daily, but whenever I encounter one I think worth sharing and there are not too many in sequence.  I like quotes as they frequently distill a piece of wisdom into a brief passage, or make other points very succinctly – such as the witticisms of Oscar Wilde.

“Since it is obviously inconceivable that all religions can be right, the most reasonable conclusion is that they are all wrong.” — Christopher Hitchens

There seems to be a logical fallacy in there somewhere, and if I were better at such things I could name it.  However, I do not disagree his statement.

To see more Quotes for Day, visit this link: Quotes for the Day

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I Am So Proud To Live In Missouri – Not

The following article from the alternative newspaper, Riverfront Times, popped up in my Google news feed: Missouri Ranks Dead Last in National Survey of LGBTQ+ Equality

I Misunderstood Missouri

I moved to St. Louis after living and working in Mississippi for over three years. While I left some good friends behind I was more than glad to get away from the religious conservatism that dominates politics down there.  My first impression of Missouri was of St. Louis which left me with a hopeful feeling. Then I discovered the rest of Missouri.   While St. Louis is more of a purple with bluish hues, the politics of the rest of the state is a Trumpian dystopia concerned with protecting so called guns rights and waging cultural battles against basic individual rights and freedoms, especially against women and folks with alternate lifestyles. It is deeply red, and, for me, very discouraging to the point of being depressing. Of course, I am an Okie by birth and with Oklahoma’s super hard turn to the far right, I find my native state even more depressing.

Why Would You Care

I really do not care what consenting Continue reading “I Am So Proud To Live In Missouri – Not”

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God, Guns & Trump: A Jeremiad

I was in Memphis, TN this weekend and saw this bumper sticker – God, Guns & Trump – on the back of a small, older pickup truck with Mississippi tags.  The sad reality is that I could have seen this sticker many places; they are just more common in that part of the country.  I live in St. Louis which is not what I would call a particularly liberal or progressive area, but it is an island of sanity in the red cesspool of MAGA Republicans of rural Missouri and southern Illinois.  I see many bumper stickers of a similar ilk around here too.

God, Guns & Trump…To me this encapsulated the sickness that is currently inflicting our country.

God:  While I understand people’s need for religion, I am not a big fan. My personal opinion Continue reading “God, Guns & Trump: A Jeremiad”

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Marching to a Theocracy

When the Founding Fathers spoke of Religious Freedom, what they really meant was freedom from religion. They were very adamant about avoiding what was so common in Europe at the time, state sponsored religions. There was a very strong push in the infancy of our country to set up a state church.  Fortunately, we more or less escaped that calamity.

I have always thought of the United States as a religiously diverse country.  This belief arose because there are so many different protestant religions in this country.  The reality is that, according to the Pew Research Center, the United States is around 78% Christian1.  This puts us in the middle of the pack as far as religious diversity is concerned.

Some 223 years after our constitution went into effect; Continue reading “Marching to a Theocracy”

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Barr and Pompeo Goosestepping to The Rapture

A fellow Luddite sent me this article by Yvonne Owens, Why, And To What, Have Mike Pompeo and William Barr Sold Their Souls?, with the following comment:

“If some or most of this is factual, it explains what has stumped me, maybe all of us, as to why the right-wing absolution of Putin. I’ve read various theories and hints at this explanation. This is the best dive into the story I’ve found.”

I will admit that when an author has laden an article with so many loaded terms I wonder about  the article in general.  BUT, I will have to admit I agree with her on many points.

My thoughts after reading the article. Continue reading “Barr and Pompeo Goosestepping to The Rapture”

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Religious Folks and Donald J. Trump

I am going to preface this article by saying I truly want to know that the answer is.

It is something I have pondered on, and I have a few theories.  However, not being a religious person I am truly perplexed by the religious rights and evangelicals in particular support of the Donald J. Trump.  It is something that I just cannot get my mind around.

I don’t want to poison the well too much Continue reading “Religious Folks and Donald J. Trump”

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Test your religious knowledge redux

The wonderful editorialist, Nicholas D. Kristoff, wrote an editorial that encompasses an eye opening religious test.   His article was in response to the Pew Foundation’s test of religious knowledge.   See my posting Test Your Religious Knowledge

Mr. Kristoff’s editorial:

Test Your Savvy on Religion

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Test Your Religious Knowledge

A new study out by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that atheist and agnostics did best on a general quiz of religious knowledge.  Jews and Mormons were next. Catholics were last.  

 Many folks did not know the tenets of their own religion.

 My working, unscientific, lacking in research hypothesis on this is that many agnostics and atheists have studied and thought about religion.  Many atheist and agnostics did not arrive at their religious point of view randomly.  Continue reading “Test Your Religious Knowledge”