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Tag: religion

Hey Chuck, is there a God?

Is There A God? | The A.V. Club

Chuck Palahniuk wrote Fight Club and four other novels, including the new Lullaby.

The Onion: Is there a God?

Chuck Palahniuk: Yes.

O: Care to elaborate?

CP: Boy. Let me get back to you when I’m dead.

That’s a fairly sensible answer to a sometimes loaded question, it’s kind of like asking a Scotsman what team he likes.

When I was little I would have told you, YES! Emphatically.

When I was a teenager, I would have told you YES! Then I would have told you about how the vow of celibacy was keeping me from the cloth.

After My Mum got cancer (even after years of faithful church service) and my Dad followed along just as soon I was shaken; add to that the clear evidence that the Roman Catholic church (and pretty much every other Church) are simply spiritual shell games based upon clear myth and you get a strong agnostic. So the answer now is “Maybe, but hopefully not”

I’ve long held that Prayer “for” stuff is blasphemy (as you are trying to mess with God’s big plan) and if there is a God things will happen as they do so why bother either way. If I go to hell, I win (eternal torment is still eternal) If I go to Heaven I win (Cha Ching it didn’t matter what I did on Earth!) if I just die, well, I won’t know, right? It’s all about seeing the silver lining in death. (Isn’t there a song about that?)

On a side note: We’re all out of soda here and I think I’m gonna have to head out and get some, maybe I can pray for some to come my way?

Nope, praying for soda from the sky didn’t work.

see, no God of Soda Delivery at all

Prayer in Government

London Free Press – Editorials – Prayer issue mustn’t be left to politicians

The first is that, whether the Lord’s Prayer is retained or not, our elected representatives should be reminded — every morning — there is a larger power than themselves. Politicians forget this fact too often. When they do, they become tempted to believe they are the be-all and end-all, answerable to no one.

By Dan Brown

I know a Dan Brown, this seems like his kind of thinking. Perhaps a better idea would be a pledge affirmed by each upon taking office that they will uphold the will of the people; which is of course what they are supposed to be doing. If it was God’s will that they were supposed to be following, shouldn’t they busy themselves putting the evil amongst us to death for the wearing of blended cloth (etc.)

I know, I know. The evil leftist atheist devil!!! How dare he question the dominance of our paradigm!?!? True, Canada has more fully embraced “The Jesus” than has the USA. I think that has staved a great deal of the Overt Crazy that The USA has running around it lands with crosses on it. However, a more broad opening oath or affirmation may serve to embrace Canada’s more secular reigns (lest the scary Sharia creep show up in commons, no?). It may serve my learned friends of the cloth to remember the more eloquent quote of their favorite philosopher:

Matthew 22:15-22 (King James Version)

15Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

16And
they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying,
Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in
truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the
person of men.

17Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

18But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?

19Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.

20And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

21They
say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto
Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are
God’s.

22When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

So, what was soul-brother number one tell his followers? I like to think that Jesus was telling us that the affairs of state are just those, affairs of Men and not of God and should be treated as such. One should not worship at any alter save that of “his Father.”

This segues easily into my “Prayer is for thanks … and nothing else” discussion, but I’ll save that for another blog post.

Have Fun!

The Bible on the Poor

The Bible on the Poor

Mt. 25:31-46. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on His left.
Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite you in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’
Then they themselves will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’
Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

1 Tim. 6:10. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.

Prov. 29:7. The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor; the wicked does not understand such concern.

Luke 16:19-25. “Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day. And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.’
But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony…’”

Luke 6:24. “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.”

Lev. 19:19ff. Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God.