A Study in Contrast

Reverend Bill Funderburk sings “He Cared That Much For Me”
Charles Surratt introduces his own composition “On Calvary For Me”
“The Joy of Knowing Jesus” is a song of pure delight featuring John Barbee

The pure tenor quality of the voice of Harold Montgomery
Gives a special interpretation to the grand old hymn “The Old Rugged Cross”
Chill bumps appear and I am frozen in the web they weave as they reveal their
Innermost selves with the outpouring of their hearts
On and on the songs roll and soon you are caught up
In the sermon in each rendition as you come to feel
The devotion and dedication that is poured forth
Suddenly, you know they are real, they mean it!

“Let your light so shine”
Could not be more aptly applied
As there shines a light from heaven on your heart
Through their singing. As an artist, Rhonda Montgomery
Exemplifies piano artistry. That’s Rhonda! An artist!

This album can be the instrument to mend a broken heart
Or to straighten out your life through the sincere testimony
In the songs of The Revelaires. A must!

J. Elmo Fagg, founder and leader
Of the Blue Ridge Quartet
For 23 Years. Temple Records, LST 390
Planning to make a record?
We are associated with United Music World Recording Studios, Inc.,
West Columbia, SC. The finest sound available anywhere

“The Joy of Knowing Jesus”,
Produced by Joel Gentry
Cover/Backliner Design/Reesor

The Revelaires, A must
The Revelaires
A must, in their home

R.E.M. – The Voice of Harold

So I was going through my DVR this weekend, erasing shows that I’d been saving for one reason or another. I came across a “Good Morning America” recorded last May 25th. The story I had saved it for was on the opening of the $27 million dollar ”Creation Museum” in Petersburg, Kentucky. The story opened with the statistic that 60% of Americans believe God created the world in six days. I’ve always had trouble with that Bible story in that while God creates the heavens and the earth “In the Beginning”, God *doesn’t* create the Sun, Moon and Stars until day three.  If that’s true, how can there be evening and morning on days one and two? Sure, God created light and seperated it from darkness, but how did this light and dark function without a sun or it’s absence to generate the difference? And if God just performed “magic” to make morning and evening, how long did these days last?

 Anyway, the story goes on to have an interview with, Ken Ham, the president of the organization “Answers in Genesis” (the people who bring us this museum), explaining that the reason they show “Adam and Eve” living along side the dinosaurs is because God created all “land” animals on day six.  Dan Harris, the ABC correspondent, starts to say, “a lot of scientists would say….” and is corrected by Mr. Ham to say “secular” scientists. Anyway, in answer to the “secular” scientist’s claims that dinosaurs died out millions of years before man arrived on the scene, Mr. Ham says, “they can say that, but what’s their scientific proof?” My guess would be radiocarbon dating and radiometric dating which are often targets of Christian distractors but are skillfully defended here (and here) by the scientific community.

 The crux of the argument for “creationism” or “intelligent design” comes down to the notion that evolution jepordizes people’s belief in the Bible.  Creationists also claim it leads to things like pornography and abortion although I’m not sure I follow how they make that leap. One interviewee said, “In an evolutionists world view, why should you have things like absolute morality? Why would it be wrong to kill someone. I’m not saying evolutionists aren’t moral, I’m saying they have no logical reason to be moral.” Okay, for anyone who believes in creationism or intelligent design, here’s the thing: Evolution is *not* a religion. I’m not sure if that actually sunk in, so let me repeat and expand. EVOLUTION IS NOT A RELIGION.

Evolution doesn’t purport to have any moral authority. There is no deity to worship. It has no societal teachings to share. It has no cosmic insight or political agenda to push upon the masses.  It is mearly a scientific explanation of how biological life developed. That having been said, moral teachings should come from some place else.  Let’s say parents or society or, I don’t know, a church maybe. Whereas, scientific teachings should come from, oh, I don’t know, scientists and use the Scientific Method and be subject to Peer Review.

Just because science doesn’t fit nicely into bible stories is no reason to attack scientific findings. If your religion is so fragile that the ideas of science can cause it to crumble, then you’ve got bigger problems than the concept that we evolved out of primordial stew millions of years ago. Moral lessons learned from stories are no less true just because there is no such thing as a witch living in a gingerbread house or the fact that there were animals on this planet millions of years before man arrived.

I don’t want to belabor this arguement since everyone I’m close friends with thinks creationism is either infantile or hysterical, so let me move on to the story that immediately followed this one on GMA. Tibetan monks in Kansas City asked if they could create a sand sculpture known as a mandala in Union Station.  Over the course of two days, eight monks began creating their offering, painstakingly pouring colored sand from metal funnels known as chakpur. Well, between the second and third day of construction, a two year old toddler did what two year old toddlers do and ran to play in the pretty sand. He barely needed to duck to slip under the stanchions put up to keep folks away from the work.

 

Okay, here are the things that I want to highlight out of this story. The first is the the monks of the Buddist religion, faced this set back in typical Zen fashion saying, “No problem. We didn’t get despondent. We have three days more. So we will have to work harder.” and that, “It teaches us that nothing is permanent.” Not to push any one religion here, but faced with a society that is fervently religious, would you rather live with the society based on that kind of teaching or one that is based on religious texts that declare an eye for an eye as justice?

The second thing I want to highlight from the story is this somewhat overlooked fact. From the story: “The mother did not report the incident, but a security camera at Union Station captured the moment. ‘She summarily picked the child up and boogied,’ said Bob Smock, security manager for the station.” Now, I’m not sure who this woman was, but odds are in my favor when I suggest that this woman was probably raised Christian. And seeing as how Kansas is the home to the evolution debate between schools and the National Acadamy of Sciences, I’m guessing there’s a good chance she may even be an Evangelical Christian. So my question is this, “how does this abdication of parental responsibility for one’s child’s actions gel with Christian teachings?”

Perhaps she was going all Old Testament on these monk’s asses and destroying the alters of pagan religions ala 2 Kings 23. If that’s the case, I’m surprised that more Evangelical leaders haven’t called for the firebombing of mosques, temples and other non-Christian houses of worship. Since the Bible is the Absolute Word of God and is Absolute Truth, shouldn’t we, like Josiah in 2 Kings 23:20 be slaughtering the pagan preists on their own altars and burning human bones on them? Is that not God’s Absolute Word on the subject?!? Or is that passage more of a “situationalist” verse than an absolute?

Even if you haven’t guessed by now, it will probably come as no surprise that I’m not a fan of religion. What makes my heart sink however, is these stupid, mindless and foolish debates America seems to be endlessly involved in about Christians being persecuted here and their faith marginalized. I wrote a rant a few years ago and sent it out to family and friends about how the US is not, nor was it ever intended to be, a Christian nation (Treaty of Tripoli, Article 11). I think it’s a stroke of genius that the founding fathers put in our constitution not only the freedom OF religion, but also freedom FROM religion (US Constitution, Bill of Rights, Amendment 1). It terrifies me to think of religious leaders in charge of a nation’s government. If these people won’t listen to reason and scientific study, the rule of law is merely the rule of what religious leaders claim is law. How exactly does one go about fighting God’s word in court? Would apologetics experts replace forensic experts? Would “Bible Detectives” replace “CSI” in primetime?

At the end of the day, I pray that what the monks believe will come to pass as a generally accepted way of behaving in our world rather than the religious fundamental rancor that seems so pervasive today. They believe that life tests compassion over experience and that true wisdom is not simply believing what we are told but instead experiencing and understanding truth and reality. Wisdom requires an open, objective, unbigoted mind. Amen brother, Amen.

Faggot!!

Well, I got a friend who’s a man (who’s a man)
What man?
The man who keeps me from the lonely, the only
He gives me what I need
What you need? What you got?
I need it all oh so badly

Oh, anything I want he gives it to me
Anything I want he gives it, but not for free
It’s Hateful
And it’s paid for and I’m so grateful to be nowhere

The Clash – Hateful

Okay, first I want to lead off by saying I’m a happy, if somewhat frustrated at times, heterosexual. I usually don’t think about it much, like I don’t think about my thinning and greying hair. It’s one of those things in my life that just *is*. That was for my Mom’s (and my Dad if he were alive, right Mitch?) benefit. Now that I’ve cleared that up, what is it about two dudes kissing each other that get’s people’s panties in a bunch?!? Honestly, it baffles me what the big deal is. I’ve known gay people since I’ve been in high school and they’ve had the same problems, the same dreams and the same hopes as anyone else. They just like to kiss people that have the same equipment as they do.

My speech teacher in college was gay, guys I worked with at Lowes Flowers were gay, people I worked with in Community Theatre were gay, my chief engineer in one of the post houses I worked at was gay, the guys I bought my house from were gay, the stylist who cut my hair was gay, the neighbors who moved in next door to me were gay. In Chicago I was right down the street from a leather bar, I danced at the gay/straight club Berlin, I went to the Gay Pride Parade, I was dragged to a gay bar in Minneapolis by my dear friend Dithy, I’ve been to Lipsticks in Atlanta and Baton in Chicago, both drag bars…. Y’know what? After all that exposure to gay people, gay culture and the “homosexual agenda”, I still want to nail Lauren Graham and Drew Barrymore and Mena Suvari and Christina Ricci and Alicia Silverstone and Lexa Doig and Utada Hikaru and the waitress from the Imperial Palace and countless other women who have come in and out of my life. Actually, I have managed to nail a few who have come in and out of my life . If the idea is to turn impressionable straight men to the gay lifestyle, then the ”homosexual agenda” has apparently failed miserably and all efforts were wasted on me.

And OMG, some folks are *so* freaked out by gays that they see the “gay threat” even in animated movies. Thank God Michael Medved is there to point this out to us and warn us of the inherent danger. This is part of his review of the movie Happy Feet:

As in so many other recent films, there’s a subtext that appears to plead for endorsement of gay identity. Mumbles (the voice of Elijah Wood) displeases his parents and the leaders of his community because he’s born different, and makes an impassioned plea that he can’t possibly change – and they should accept him as he is.

Heaven forfend that we don’t all march in lockstep with one another or there might be *gasp* differences between us!! (there’s a commercial on this link they force you to watch first, but this video is *so* worth it) Lewis Black pointed out on the Daily Show that Cinderella, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and The Ugly Duckling story must all be pleas for endorsement of gay identity as well. Y’know Michael, there’s evidence that Repressed Homosexuality Could Be Root of Homophobia. I’ve always wondered about you and Roger Ebert.

We all remember Reverend Ted? Well we’ve had another evangelical minister disclose that he was gay again this week in Colorado. Reverend Paul Barnes from another mega-church called Grace Chapel admitted that, “I have struggled with homosexuality since I was a 5-year-old boy” and that, “I can’t tell you the number of nights I have cried myself to sleep, begging God to take this away.”

I feel for the man, I honestly do. I has to be terrible believing that you’re somehow broken. The debate over whether homosexuality is nature or nurture is far from over and in the absence of scientific evidence to support one or the other, the battling convictions have got to take their toll on a person. I ran across this incredibly balanced website while I was looking up references for this blog and sadly found this quote:

We have exchanged Emails with hundreds of visitors to this web site about the Bible and homosexuality. Most fall into one of two groups:

Religious liberals promote homosexual ordinations, same-sex marriage, civil union ceremonies in the church, equal protection under hate-crime legislation, protection against discrimination in employment, etc. as fundamental human rights issues.

Religious conservatives feel that the Bible teaches that homosexual behavior is always a serious sin. Allowing sexually active gays and lesbians to be ordained, or to have their committed relationships recognized by the church would involve a drastic and unacceptable lowering of church standards. The church would be condoning sin. They also oppose including sexual orientation in hate-crime and anti-discrimination legislation.

We have been unable to change the beliefs or actions of any of these hundreds of people on even one point related to homosexuality. Their views appear to be fixed. It is doubtful that much progress towards compromise on homosexual rights can be made by means of dialogue. We don’t expect that the attached essays will change the beliefs of many visitors to this web site. However, the essays may help people understand opinions that are not their own.

If direct e-mail correspondence with people who look like they have a reasonable and balanced website can’t change a single person’s beliefs or actions, I’m sure I have no hope of doing so with my little rant here. There does occasionally seem to be a glimmer of hope though. Mitch sent me an article awhile back from Oliver “Buzz” Thomas, a Baptist minister and author of an upcoming book, 10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You (But Can’t Because He Needs the Job). His article is titled “When religion loses its credibility”

And on the Roman Catholic side we have Daniel A. Helminiak who wrote “What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality”

In the last election here in Colorado, voters opted to put into our State Constitution (!) that marriage is defined as being between a man and a woman. They further went on to defeat Referendum I which would’ve granted rights to domestic partners for things like hospital visitation and inheritance rights. Amendment 43 and Referendum I was a pretty resolute statement about most Coloradoan’s feelings on homosexuality. So much for the Right Wing’s desire for less government interference in our lives.

I’m not sure if it’s the short days making me pissy or the statement in this stupid article I read in the Denver Post that said, “We are committed to ensuring the leadership of New Life Church is clean”(apparently Rev. Ted was unwashed), but I felt compelled to vent today. Apparently the government didn’t learn from prohibition that you can’t legislate morality and the Church didn’t learn from Galileo that the scriptures aren’t based in scientific fact. I wish these tight ass homophobes would just get over it and start worrying about the hundreds of American men and women losing their lives because President Bush can’t admit he was wrong about Iraq. Gosh I hope I’ve offended someone . Now get back to work, you’re wasting the boss’ money!