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All Posts Tagged With: "god"

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Postcards From the RNC, Robo Calls That Is!

I keep getting robo calls from the RNC…. They desperately need $75 from me to fight the biased media and drain the swamp. What?? That is roughly 1/12th of my total monthly income. I have no problem telling them I am living on Social Security and not much of that, but I’m talking to deaf […]

21Nov2017 | | 0 comments | Continued
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Curiosity is Not Alone in Killing the Cat

A curiosity moment led me to wonder, “Just what are the most probable causes of the Apocalypse and if any, the percentages of certainty?” I found many articles and many opinions on the subject and very little speculation or mathematics on how to rate each catastrophe with a percentage of ‘Most Likely’ to happen. What […]

12Oct2017 | | 1 comment | Continued
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Truth Versus Faith

Truth, belief, and faith – three legs on the stool of human endeavor.  We seem to require all three but only truth can be measured and verified.  Some people will get all up in arms about at that statement.  They will say that I am challenging their faith.  I am not.  I am only saying […]

2Jan2017 | | 3 comments | Continued
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Bible Biology – Esau and Jacob

Bible biology is always a complex matter.  If there were no complexities in bearing children (like a sterile woman) what use would we have of God? Take the case of Jacob and Esau. They would not exist without the intervention of a loving God. Well, one might have to understand that God is loving but […]

26Nov2013 | | Comments Off on Bible Biology – Esau and Jacob | Continued
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My God is Better Than Your Allah

Mr. Clark is sick today so I come in to write for him.  My name is Ohg Tone.  He say I can write what I want so I going to write about what is wrong with this world the way I see it. My God is better than that fella called Allah.  I had a […]

3May2013 | | Comments Off on My God is Better Than Your Allah | Continued
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Celebrating Ignorance In Missouri

Ok, I admit, I live in Missouri.  For many years I justified this existence by saying I was close to my family.  That defense is losing ground.  Missouri is not an unusual “Red State” (meaning it votes new age Republican).  My thought is that Missouri is representative of that whole block of right wing fanatics […]

1Feb2013 | | Comments Off on Celebrating Ignorance In Missouri | Continued
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Conservatives Blame Solar Flares on God’s Anger

Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Floods, Pestilence, all products of an Angry God – determined to punish the United States of America for loathsome behavior.  I can hear it now.  Pat Robertson and Rick Santorum must be going crazy with delight. The latest round of Solar Flares are caused by God.  God does not like the way we […]

8Mar2012 | | Comments Off on Conservatives Blame Solar Flares on God’s Anger | Continued
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Learning About Jesus in Chemistry Class

I am a slow learner.  I graduated from college when I was 46 years old.  Education was not a value of my family system; education was seen as job training.  This seems to be a predominant ideal in America.  And to reinforce the idea – it is nice to have a job that one enjoys.  […]

7May2010 | | 1 comment | Continued
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2012 Mayan Prediction – Respecting Logic

Marilyn vos Savant is some sort of genius who sells her logic to Parade Magazine.  People write with questions, Marilyn answers.  The question on January 31, 2010, concerned the Mayan prediction of the end of the world in the year 2012.  The question:  Can you add some logic to calm the hysteria?  The flaw in […]

3Feb2010 | | 1 comment | Continued
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Creating Countries in Our Own Image

President Obama has upped the ante in Afghanistan. He is sending another 17,000 troops to the beleaguered nation to ‘take the fight to Al Quaeda.’ One of the criticisms of past military efforts in this erratic region of the world is in defining the mission. Well, what is the mission? It is two fold: We want to punish those who attacked our country on 911, and we want to make sure they do not attack us again.

27Mar2009 | | Comments Off on Creating Countries in Our Own Image | Continued
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A United Methodist Perspective

I am a United Methodist. My wife and I joined a United Methodist church in Sugar Land, Texas before moving to Nashville, TN, and when we moved to Iowa, we transferred our membership to a church that was just down the street from our house. We went through the ceremony for becoming a member of […]

16Feb2009 | | 2 comments | Continued
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Jesus: Radical Rabbi or Practical Mystic?

There is a lot of talk these days about being “spiritual” but not being “religious.” We often hear, “I see myself as a spiritual person, but not as a religious person.” This is the mantra of the children of the counter cultural movement of alternative spirituality. It is so much the mantra of a movement that it is no longer counter cultural, but represents the mainstream American thought process.

19Jan2009 | | 1 comment | Continued
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The Worst Church Marquees and Why They Are So Wrong

This has been a burr in my saddle for years.  Longer than that, I guess.  Before I made the switch to regular church attendance, the oh-so-clever church marquees were a beacon of tacky religion that always made me wonder why people would gather in a  place like that.  Now, they are just embarrassing and they […]

7Dec2008 | | 4 comments | Continued
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Trust God, But Lock Your Car

The Federal Government of the past eight years reminded this writer of an old computer axiom – we can now make a million mistakes a minute. In 1972 I worked in the world of finance with an IBM 370, Model 145 – one of those mainframe computers with a front panel of flashing white, yellow, […]

7Nov2008 | | Comments Off on Trust God, But Lock Your Car | Continued
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How Obama Did It: The Ground Game

The God Vote Jacques Berlinerblau Jacques Berlinerblau is associate Professor and Director of the Program for Jewish Civilization at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He’s also editor of faith2008.org. Many years ago he received a doctorate in ancient Near Eastern Languages and Literature from New York University. Soon after, […]

5Nov2008 | | Comments Off on How Obama Did It: The Ground Game | Continued
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Thoughts On Original Sin

Some Jungian analysts suggest that original sin relates to family of origin.The idea is in order to be ‘saved’ from the original sin one must escape the dysfunction of one’s family of origin. Original ‘sin,’ as defined by theologians, takes many different forms.  We are born with the sin of Adam, for instance.  Or we […]

25Oct2008 | | 1 comment | Continued
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Spiritual Hope

Barack Obama has reignited the word hope.  He even wrote a book about hope.  His book is pretty convincing on the concept of hope, but sometimes hope is used so freely it looses it’s luster.  I am not endorsing Obama, as most of our readers may know, but believe he has a good grasp of […]

21Oct2008 | | 3 comments | Continued
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Divine Intervention and Painful Faith

We once did an internship as a hospital chaplain. We were assigned to an acute rehab unit. Most of the patients were recovering from a stroke or hip surgery or a like condition – they were medically stable but unable to return home. A twelve year old boy was hit by a car and injured […]

19Oct2008 | | Comments Off on Divine Intervention and Painful Faith | Continued
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Obama’s Journey – Don’t Stop Believing

Barack Obama is  on a journey.  The destination is unknown, but every mountain, every valley, every raging river will be crossed with determination, with hope, with optimism.  The forest is full of danger, the valley in the shadow of death, Obama fears no evil. Obama knows that the truth is with him.  His cup is […]

12Oct2008 | | 2 comments | Continued
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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 | | 1 comment | Continued
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Does God need Government Welfare?

I may not write well, but I know how to read. And I like to read the Washington Post section On Faith. The advent of evangelicals calling for a return to the moral values of the founding fathers is to be commended. I completely agree. Steve Waldman is “co-founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief of Beliefnet.com, and […]

28Mar2008 | | Comments Off on Does God need Government Welfare? | Continued
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Rick Warren with Sally Quinn

Son, Sally Quinn, with the Washington Post, does the world a great service by promoting sane spirituality. We should be grateful:

1Mar2008 | | Comments Off on Rick Warren with Sally Quinn | Continued
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George Carlin – Video On Religion

Son, We talk about religion.  We talk about faith.  We talk about politics.  We talk about religion, faith, and politics mixed together.  Sometimes we laugh and sometimes we are angry.  Sometimes we are thoughtful, sometimes emotional. My mood today is more in line with George Carlin.  Check him out – there is some strong language. […]

10Feb2008 | | Comments Off on George Carlin – Video On Religion | Continued
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Evangelicals, Republicans, two Tar Babies

Son, In 1979 the Republican Party formed an un-holy alliance with the evangelical right wing.  They hit that tar baby right square in the fat mouth of devil worship.  Or is it the other way around – The Evangelicals signed a deal the the Republican Devil?  Unlike Faust, neither will survive the deal with the […]

7Feb2008 | | 1 comment | Continued
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The Super Bowl, PGA, and Prosperity Gospel

Son, If we use the measuring stick of Joel Osteen, that Prophet of Prosperity, we could reasonably surmise that the NFL is sanctioned by Jesus Christ himself.  God sits at the 50 yard line.  The Apostle Paul has season tickets.  The Super Bowl is prospering, and Phoenix is the Promised Land. There is not much […]

29Jan2008 | | Comments Off on The Super Bowl, PGA, and Prosperity Gospel | Continued
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Richard Gere video on being a Buddhist

Son, I really like this video. Richard Gere explains his position without being a wacko celebrity. The philosophy also lends itself to my understanding of the world. I have not declared my faith as Buddhist – but I like the message. Dad

25Jan2008 | | Comments Off on Richard Gere video on being a Buddhist | Continued
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fear and change in politics

Dad, There is a discussion brewing on our post,” Leader or Expert: Choosing a President.” This election is charged with political, social, and religious fervor. All parts are being played, and the audience is large and diverse. One of the comments strikes a chord that I think represents a large slice of the Evangelicval and […]

11Jan2008 | | Comments Off on fear and change in politics | Continued
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Faith, Obedience, and Mercy – in Iraq

Son, President George W. Bush is not God. I am not Abraham, and the children of America are not to be thoughtlessly sacrificed on a mountain in the Middle East. Faith, obedience, and mercy are noble virtues. But are there no boundaries? Bob Dylan said it well: “God said to Abraham, go kill me a […]

11Jan2008 | | Comments Off on Faith, Obedience, and Mercy – in Iraq | Continued
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Evangelicals and Israel

Son, I am so disgusted with American Evangelicals. They speak of ‘The security of Israel.’ Perhaps they should read the Old Testament. There are a number of biblically documented times when Israel was conquered, defeated, defiled, and the people exiled. Why? In each case it was because the folks there were not following the rules […]

9Jan2008 | | Comments Off on Evangelicals and Israel | Continued
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Creativity, Spirituality, and the Golden Compass

Dad, I believe that creativity is a natural result of spirituality. The two are intrinsically linked, and you can’t have one without the other. The creative process, though, much like lifestyle choices or world views and paradigms, is a result of a lifetime of experiences and degrees of nurturing. Everyone has a different life experience, […]

28Nov2007 | | 2 comments | Continued
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“Thank God for Dead Soldiers”

Son, The distorted logic used by some is maddening. It is hilarious when poked at by the likes of Mark Twain who said, “I left the South and they lost the war.” Two separate events connected by insanity. Humor is found in the ludicrous and the absurd – Mark Twain understood this. This failure of […]

1Nov2007 | | 3 comments | Continued
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Is God an Arab?

Dad The answer is yes. “God created us in His image, and we decided to return the favor.” -George Bernard Shaw We tend to believe that God is in our image, rather than the other way around. Is God male? White? Female? Chinese? Arab? …yes. Bryan

1Oct2007 | | Comments Off on Is God an Arab? | Continued
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On My Tombstone – “He Tried.”

Son, OK. Let’s assume for a moment there is a God and there is an afterlife. I have been searching since before you were born for some safe and sane ideology; trying to know the unknowable. Now I am an aging man. I have learned that I don’t know very much. My expectation for myself […]

31Aug2007 | | 1 comment | Continued