Faith
Desmond Tutu on Homosexuality
I received an email today – as I do many times during the course of the week – from a family member who must be convinced the we see the world in the same way. I am sure that many of you have someone that prowls your email this way. Based on some skewed version […]
13Oct2008 | bryan | 3 comments | Continued
Obama and the Christian Right
The conservative media and christian right refers to “The Liberal Blogosphere” and the “Liberal Media” and the “Liberal Internet.” We looked around the internet and found these clips attacking Obama. According to these folks Obama is anti-christian, the anti-Christ, a Muslim, and anything else they can think of. This writer believes the Bible is not […]
7Oct2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Voting on Faith, or Faith in Voting
This is a tough one. We allow freedom of religion, of spirituality, freedom to worship as one chooses. But what about when it is time to vote. We want a person in office who is reasonable, intelligent, some education about government or economics or business or work or something is useful. We look to past […]
5Oct2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Voting on Faith, or Faith in Voting | Continued
MLK, I Have A Dream” video
In 1964 Martin Luther King Jr. gave the speech of his life time. Some contemporary politicians seem to believe that words do not matter – that giving an inspirational speech is not important. Listen to Martin Luther King and see if you agree. [wp_youtube]PbUtL_0vAJk[/wp_youtube]
5Oct2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on MLK, I Have A Dream” video | Continued
Conspiracy theroies – from simple to complex
Holy Cow! Our system of education must surely be failing. I suppose that mentally ill people with sound knowledge could make irrational judgments. But all Conspiracy Theorists are not mentally ill. So what is this phenomenon of conspiracy that seams to permeate our modern society? Crazy Sprinkler Lady: [wp_youtube]_c6HsiixFS8[/wp_youtube] Irony abounds in the following video […]
29Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Brigham Young, Jim Jones, Rush Limbaugh
There is evidence throughout history that desperate people will follow just about anybody. Generally the numbers do not reflect the majority. Generally the numbers are quite small in proportion to the whole. That was the case with the Mormon cult, it was the case with the Jim Jones cult, and it is the truth with […]
24Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
911 – The Shadow of Death
What does the 23rd Psalm mean to you? The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the […]
11Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Gustav – A Message From God?
When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States the reaction of the populace varied from the scientific to the religious. The scientists said the magnitude of the hurricane could be attributed to Global Warming. Some fundamentalist theologians argued Katrina was sent by God to punish New Orleans for sinful ways. We use […]
31Aug2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Where have all the flowers gone (Video)
We in America find ourselves engaged in another war – a war contrived by a self serving White House. Illegitimate intelligence on an incident in the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam provided the impetus for the President to justify expanding our military presence in Southeast Asia. The same song is being sung by our current […]
8Aug2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Where have all the flowers gone (Video) | Continued
Learning by example – the example of Jesus
Son, Your entry into the Christian Ministry has been a source of great pride and joy for me. Even given that you choose a wacky upstart like the United Methodist, or whatever you call it. There is a mild attempt at humor in the last sentence – but as with other effective editorial humor we […]
4Jun2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Learning by example – the example of Jesus | Continued
Church of Love, or Church of Law?
We have been reading a lot about fundamentalism of late. There is rhetoric abound about love vs. law. We tend to embrace the church of love and despise the church of law. Its just who we are. So, we are continually trying to reconcile our belief in the forces of love and our suspicion […]
18Sep2007 | bryan | 1 comment | Continued
Fundamentalism: The Right To Be Wrong
Dad, I suppose that you are right, that mine is a family that would only be described as “non-traditional” by Focus on the Family. I don’t pretend to believe that they have a solid grasp on the traditions of family systems. I think that the danger of allowing the fundamentalist to paint the larger American […]
6Sep2007 | bryan | Comments Off on Fundamentalism: The Right To Be Wrong | Continued
Imposing Our Culture On Others
Son, Sometimes we are a little hard on contemporary Christian fundamentalists. We don’t like their aggressive evangelism – their attempts to force their culture on us. That is a statement of perspective – their perspective might be that they are trying to save us from going to hell. Christianity has as rich history of abusing […]
6Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Imposing Our Culture On Others | Continued
Are There Sprits In The Material World?
Dad Paul Tillich was a philosopher and theologian in the early to mid twentieth century who defined two planes of understanding, horizontal and vertical. The horizontal plane is the stuff of the physical world, the finite, and the vertical plane represents the spiritual experience, the infinite. I believe that fundamentalism and doctrinal orthodoxy deal in […]
31Aug2007 | bryan | Comments Off on Are There Sprits In The Material World? | Continued
Fear and Faith
Son, I hear people say things like, “Faith is the opposite of fear.” If one has faith, one will have no fear. To this I say, “Fear Faith!’ Question your faith! Challenge your faith! If your faith is true and just it will withstand any challenge – if it does not withstand challenge then it […]
30Aug2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Fear and Faith | Continued
Faith and Grief and Jesus
Son, What is the inspiration that compels the contemporary ‘followers of Jesus?’ My simple mind can only assume that if a person acts on love, forgiveness, and kindness – then I can assume that person is a follower of the Jesus that I understand is described in that one Book. (Note here – I do […]
30Aug2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Faith and Grief and Jesus | Continued
Finding Faith in Mystery
I was producing and publishing my first podcast this week, so I’ve been a little behind. On the topic of Marcus Aurelius, I noticed that you stated ” A quick look at news headlines today might suggest that divine intervention has actually corrupted the morality of civilization.” I think that the idea of divine intervention, […]
30Aug2007 | bryan | Comments Off on Finding Faith in Mystery | Continued