At last, a record that truly addresses the complete and utter misery of the season performed by a group that has really got into the spirit of the season.
Saturday, 8 December 2012
OH BUGGER, IT'S CHRISTMAS AGAIN (13)
At last, a record that truly addresses the complete and utter misery of the season performed by a group that has really got into the spirit of the season.
MADDAD'S MISERABLE CHRISTMAS JOKE
A couple were Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve and the whole place was heaving, packed with other last minute shoppers. Walking through the shopping centre the surprised wife looked up from a window display and noticed her husband was nowhere to be seen. She knew they had lots still to do and she became very upset. She rummaged in her handbag and found her mobile phoned then used it to call her husband to ask him where he was.
The husband in a calm voice replied: "Darling, you remember the jewellery shop we went into five years ago, where you fell in love with that diamond necklace that we could not afford and I told you that one day I would get it for you?"
His wife's eyes filled with tears of emotion, she began to cry softly and stifling a sob she whispered:"Yes, I remember that jewellery shop."
"Well," he said, "I'm in the pub next to it."
The husband in a calm voice replied: "Darling, you remember the jewellery shop we went into five years ago, where you fell in love with that diamond necklace that we could not afford and I told you that one day I would get it for you?"
His wife's eyes filled with tears of emotion, she began to cry softly and stifling a sob she whispered:"Yes, I remember that jewellery shop."
"Well," he said, "I'm in the pub next to it."
OH BUGGER, IT'S CHRISTMAS AGAIN (12)
Jesus wept?
In fact, he'd have probably cancelled the whole death and resurrection thing if he had known it would have led to people releasing records like this about his birthday.
Back in the days of the Cultural Revolution, China would make films of people, usually young people, in their hundreds, all lined up singing about how wonderful China was. It used to scare the living daylights out of me mainly because of the similarity between Chinese propaganda and Nazi propaganda. Nowadays, China has seen sense and appears to have stopped being quite so tasteless and loud in its self praise. Or perhaps they just realised that they could never compete with the USA when it came to performing trite patriotic shite.
Patriotism is just another name for xenophobia.
Friday, 7 December 2012
SAME SEX CHURCH WEDDINGS TO BE OK IN UK
Government sources have confirmed that the response to the equal marriage consultation will be published next week. Culture secretary Maria Miller is due to announce the government’s response to the gay marriage consultation on Thursday. It will propose legislation to allow marriage for same-sex couples and also allow churches in England and Wales to conduct ceremonies. Reports say the government plans to fast track legislation in the new year in order to prevent any disagreements rumbling on until 2015.
I expect religious organisations will have the right to refuse to marry same gender couples and to instruct their ministers not to do so anywhere. No doubt, with an evangelical archbishop of Canterbury and an extremely puritanical house of laity at general synod, the Church of England will be doing just that. But those who are worried that priests will just ignore such orders for conscientious reasons are right to be worried. Priests will. The Church of England will turn a blind eye to this because the last thing they will want is a test case being taken to the European Court of Human Rights. Same gender couples will be "properly" and openly married in Church of England parish churches, albeit unofficially and strictly contrary to the canons of the church, within the next few years and it will soon become commonplace. I didn't think it would happen in my lifetime. God I wish I still had a job.
I expect religious organisations will have the right to refuse to marry same gender couples and to instruct their ministers not to do so anywhere. No doubt, with an evangelical archbishop of Canterbury and an extremely puritanical house of laity at general synod, the Church of England will be doing just that. But those who are worried that priests will just ignore such orders for conscientious reasons are right to be worried. Priests will. The Church of England will turn a blind eye to this because the last thing they will want is a test case being taken to the European Court of Human Rights. Same gender couples will be "properly" and openly married in Church of England parish churches, albeit unofficially and strictly contrary to the canons of the church, within the next few years and it will soon become commonplace. I didn't think it would happen in my lifetime. God I wish I still had a job.
Thursday, 6 December 2012
OH BUGGER, IT'S CHRISTMAS AGAIN (12)
In years to come they will probably put the mass suicide of the readership of the OCICBW... blog on this day as being some sort of cult thing. Nobody is going to believe it was caused by a sweet little song about Baby Jesus.
MADPRIEST'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
TO BE OR NOT TO BE?
From THE LEAD:
The Right Rev. Robert Wright, the new Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Atlanta, has expressed support for the "personhood" amendment to the Georgia constitution, which would define life under state law as beginning at the moment of conception. In a two-part interview with WABE radio in Atlanta, he said: “As someone who was adopted personally and as someone who has adopted, I am grateful, in a profound way, that … my mother, my biological mother, brought me to term, and gave me the opportunity to live the life that I have lived,” he said. “I am grateful to God for that.”
This is the comment I left beneath The Lead's post:
The thing is, life doesn't begin at the moment of conception - it begins well before that. Both sperm and egg are alive and have the potential to become a person. The difference in potential between a separate sperm and egg and sperm and egg joined together is relative. Furthermore, you could argue that life begins way back when the first cell divided in two. When that happened the potential for my birth became real.
Being grateful for someone allowing the potential of one's own personhood to become a reality is highly selective gratitude. What about all the sperm and eggs that did not become Bishop Wright? At the end of the day either we need to accept that "personhood" is about something else other than sex or we need to protect every particle in the universe because every particle in the universe could one day become part of a person (whatever a person is).
The Right Rev. Robert Wright, the new Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Atlanta, has expressed support for the "personhood" amendment to the Georgia constitution, which would define life under state law as beginning at the moment of conception. In a two-part interview with WABE radio in Atlanta, he said: “As someone who was adopted personally and as someone who has adopted, I am grateful, in a profound way, that … my mother, my biological mother, brought me to term, and gave me the opportunity to live the life that I have lived,” he said. “I am grateful to God for that.”
This is the comment I left beneath The Lead's post:
The thing is, life doesn't begin at the moment of conception - it begins well before that. Both sperm and egg are alive and have the potential to become a person. The difference in potential between a separate sperm and egg and sperm and egg joined together is relative. Furthermore, you could argue that life begins way back when the first cell divided in two. When that happened the potential for my birth became real.
Being grateful for someone allowing the potential of one's own personhood to become a reality is highly selective gratitude. What about all the sperm and eggs that did not become Bishop Wright? At the end of the day either we need to accept that "personhood" is about something else other than sex or we need to protect every particle in the universe because every particle in the universe could one day become part of a person (whatever a person is).
SHE SHALL NOT BE MOVED
From THE NEW YORK TIMES:
When Kathy Sherman was in college during the final years of the Vietnam War, she played the guitar with friends in her dorm room and sang folk and protest songs over bowls of popcorn. When she graduated she joined an order of Roman Catholic nuns, the Sisters of St. Joseph of La Grange, but she never stopped making music. Last spring, when the Vatican issued a harsh assessment of the group representing a majority of American nuns accusing them of “serious doctrinal problems,” Sister Sherman said she responded the way she always does when she feels something deeply. She wrote a song.
The words popped into her head two days after the Vatican’s condemnation, as she was walking down the hallway in her order’s ministry center, feeling hurt and angry: “Love cannot be silenced,” she thought. “It never has. It never will.” She went into the center’s dining room and tried out the lyrics on some of her sisters. They liked the message.
“Love Cannot be Silenced” became an anthem, not just for the nuns but also for laypeople who turned out for vigils in front of churches and cathedrals across the country this year to support them. In a voice sweet and resolute, Sister Sherman sang, “We are faithful, loving and wise, dancing along side by side, with a Gospel vision to lead us and Holy Fire in our eyes” — a lyric that evokes the nuns’ novel forging of spirit with steel.
For sticking it to the man but oh, so very sweetly, Kathy is OCICBW...'s
BRICK OF THE DAY
Take it away Sister!
When Kathy Sherman was in college during the final years of the Vietnam War, she played the guitar with friends in her dorm room and sang folk and protest songs over bowls of popcorn. When she graduated she joined an order of Roman Catholic nuns, the Sisters of St. Joseph of La Grange, but she never stopped making music. Last spring, when the Vatican issued a harsh assessment of the group representing a majority of American nuns accusing them of “serious doctrinal problems,” Sister Sherman said she responded the way she always does when she feels something deeply. She wrote a song.
The words popped into her head two days after the Vatican’s condemnation, as she was walking down the hallway in her order’s ministry center, feeling hurt and angry: “Love cannot be silenced,” she thought. “It never has. It never will.” She went into the center’s dining room and tried out the lyrics on some of her sisters. They liked the message.
“Love Cannot be Silenced” became an anthem, not just for the nuns but also for laypeople who turned out for vigils in front of churches and cathedrals across the country this year to support them. In a voice sweet and resolute, Sister Sherman sang, “We are faithful, loving and wise, dancing along side by side, with a Gospel vision to lead us and Holy Fire in our eyes” — a lyric that evokes the nuns’ novel forging of spirit with steel.
For sticking it to the man but oh, so very sweetly, Kathy is OCICBW...'s
BRICK OF THE DAY
Take it away Sister!
PELL LEAVES BAD SMELL
Cardinal George Pell of Sydney is digging a bigger and bigger hole to bury the Australian Roman Catholic Church in as he continues to defend the indefensible.
From NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER:
Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, announced Nov. 12 that a national royal commission would investigate institutional responses to allegations of child sexual abuse in Australia. Cardinal George Pell of Sydney provoked a furious backlash when he suggested pressure for the royal commission had been provoked by a one-sided media "smear" campaign against the Catholic church. He said abuse by Catholic clergy had been singled out and exaggerated, but he welcomed the royal commission as "an opportunity to clear the air, to separate fact from fiction."
Pell's ambivalence about the commission earned him criticism from other corners of Catholic Australia. Retired Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, a former head of the church's national professional standards committee and himself a victim of child sexual abuse, described Pell as "an embarrassment to me and a lot of good Catholic people," and said that his response to the royal commission had been "a disaster for the Catholic church."
"He's not a team player, he never has been," Robinson said. "He's not consulting with anyone else, he's simply doing his own thing. I personally believe he's doing it very badly indeed and I think the other Australian bishops, as one of the very first questions they need to face, they've got to confront him and determine who it is that speaks in their name and who doesn't."
Opposition leader Tony Abbott, Australia's most prominent lay Catholic and a close associate of Pell's, also distanced himself from the cardinal's remarks.
More embarrassing for Pell has been the response of leading child protection expert Patrick Parkinson of the University of Sydney. The bishops hired Parkinson to provide an independent assessment of its national sexual abuse protocol, "Towards Healing," which was introduced in 1996 and has since been twice revised. At his press conference, Pell invoked Parkinson's endorsement of "Towards Healing" as confirmation that the church had cleaned up its act and that any inadequacies in dealing with abuse allegations were all in the past. However, the next day, Parkinson announced that he had withdrawn his endorsement of "Towards Healing" because the church was still failing to act against clergy who didn't comply.
From NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER:
Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, announced Nov. 12 that a national royal commission would investigate institutional responses to allegations of child sexual abuse in Australia. Cardinal George Pell of Sydney provoked a furious backlash when he suggested pressure for the royal commission had been provoked by a one-sided media "smear" campaign against the Catholic church. He said abuse by Catholic clergy had been singled out and exaggerated, but he welcomed the royal commission as "an opportunity to clear the air, to separate fact from fiction."
Pell's ambivalence about the commission earned him criticism from other corners of Catholic Australia. Retired Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, a former head of the church's national professional standards committee and himself a victim of child sexual abuse, described Pell as "an embarrassment to me and a lot of good Catholic people," and said that his response to the royal commission had been "a disaster for the Catholic church."
"He's not a team player, he never has been," Robinson said. "He's not consulting with anyone else, he's simply doing his own thing. I personally believe he's doing it very badly indeed and I think the other Australian bishops, as one of the very first questions they need to face, they've got to confront him and determine who it is that speaks in their name and who doesn't."
Opposition leader Tony Abbott, Australia's most prominent lay Catholic and a close associate of Pell's, also distanced himself from the cardinal's remarks.
More embarrassing for Pell has been the response of leading child protection expert Patrick Parkinson of the University of Sydney. The bishops hired Parkinson to provide an independent assessment of its national sexual abuse protocol, "Towards Healing," which was introduced in 1996 and has since been twice revised. At his press conference, Pell invoked Parkinson's endorsement of "Towards Healing" as confirmation that the church had cleaned up its act and that any inadequacies in dealing with abuse allegations were all in the past. However, the next day, Parkinson announced that he had withdrawn his endorsement of "Towards Healing" because the church was still failing to act against clergy who didn't comply.
BRISTOL BONDAGE UPDATE
Yesterday OCICBW... posted on a news item about the Bristol University Christian Union BDSM Society (see BOUND AND GAGGED). It was alleged that they had decided that all women had to be submissives and all men had to be dominants. This controversial decision had put them at odds with secular fetish societies at the university in which women are allowed to be on top.
It now transpires that this is not a new policy of the CU but that it has been in place for several years.
From HUFFPOST STUDENTS:
An email sent to all Christian Union members by president Matt Oliver was to inform his society of a new compromise: allowing women to teach only if accompanied by their husbands.Oliver also informed students the international secretary James Howlett had stepped down in protest against the compromise allowing women the opportunity to teach in a CU setting, as he felt he "cannot support the decision on women teaching".
"After a lot of time exploring this issue, seeking God’s wisdom on it and discussing it together as a committee, we made a decision," Oliver said in the email.
So, there you are. I hope everything is clear now.
Take it bitch!
It now transpires that this is not a new policy of the CU but that it has been in place for several years.
From HUFFPOST STUDENTS:
An email sent to all Christian Union members by president Matt Oliver was to inform his society of a new compromise: allowing women to teach only if accompanied by their husbands.Oliver also informed students the international secretary James Howlett had stepped down in protest against the compromise allowing women the opportunity to teach in a CU setting, as he felt he "cannot support the decision on women teaching".
"After a lot of time exploring this issue, seeking God’s wisdom on it and discussing it together as a committee, we made a decision," Oliver said in the email.
So, there you are. I hope everything is clear now.
Take it bitch!
GEEK GOD
What if the smallest anything is not so much a particle or wave or a piece of string but is, instead, one bit of information. Perhaps the universe is encoded in binary, not in ones and zeros but in existence and non-existence. God creating everything out of something and nothing.
FILE UNDER "WHY AM I NOT,
IN THE LEAST BIT, SURPRISED?"
From THE SPOKESMAN REVIEW:
A woman convicted in federal court of making millions by selling bogus online diplomas and college degrees is now working as an online psychic, promising to bring “amazingly accurate” answers to everything from career choices to marriage. Dixie E. Randock, of Mead, was released in April 2011 after serving three years in federal prison. But she is now advertising herself as “Blondey the Indigo Shaman,” who has the power to bring back ex-lovers or help customers lose weight.
“I will meditate on your FINANCIAL success for 30 Continuous Minutes for $5,” according to Blondey’s advertisement on fiverr.com.
A woman convicted in federal court of making millions by selling bogus online diplomas and college degrees is now working as an online psychic, promising to bring “amazingly accurate” answers to everything from career choices to marriage. Dixie E. Randock, of Mead, was released in April 2011 after serving three years in federal prison. But she is now advertising herself as “Blondey the Indigo Shaman,” who has the power to bring back ex-lovers or help customers lose weight.
“I will meditate on your FINANCIAL success for 30 Continuous Minutes for $5,” according to Blondey’s advertisement on fiverr.com.
TOO LITTLE SEX MAKES YOU DEAF
From PERTH NOW (Australia):
An elderly retired priest who allegedly had his ear bitten off by another clergyman in a brawl over a parking bay says he does not hold a grudge. Father Thomas Smith, 81, is recovering at home after the alleged punch-up earlier this month in a Dianella complex which houses the two men and another retired priest. Father Thomas Henry Byrne appeared in court charged with grievous bodily harm over the incident but is yet to make a plea.
Father Smith spoke this week for the first time about the incident.
"People don't know how this could happen. The archbishop is upset, he's only just arrived from Melbourne."
Police allege that after the brawl Father Byrne told Father Smith to pick up an item on the ground. It was not until Father Smith returned to his unit that he realised the item he had picked up and put in his pocket was his right ear.
"I didn't know it was gone. I just picked it up and took it round to the medical centre," Father Smith said. "It looked like something the cat had eaten. Horrible looking thing."
Doctors spent 10 hours reattaching his ear.
An elderly retired priest who allegedly had his ear bitten off by another clergyman in a brawl over a parking bay says he does not hold a grudge. Father Thomas Smith, 81, is recovering at home after the alleged punch-up earlier this month in a Dianella complex which houses the two men and another retired priest. Father Thomas Henry Byrne appeared in court charged with grievous bodily harm over the incident but is yet to make a plea.
Father Smith spoke this week for the first time about the incident.
"People don't know how this could happen. The archbishop is upset, he's only just arrived from Melbourne."
Police allege that after the brawl Father Byrne told Father Smith to pick up an item on the ground. It was not until Father Smith returned to his unit that he realised the item he had picked up and put in his pocket was his right ear.
"I didn't know it was gone. I just picked it up and took it round to the medical centre," Father Smith said. "It looked like something the cat had eaten. Horrible looking thing."
Doctors spent 10 hours reattaching his ear.
TOY BOY SAINT
From SUN.STAR CEBU:The Pedrito, a doll fashioned after the new Filipino saint Pedro Calungsod, continues to enjoy brisk sales. Eileen Esteban, head of the new media committee under the national commission for canonization of Pedro Calungsod, told Sun.Star Cebu there are plans to produce 1,000 re-packaged versions that will include a catechesis on the Visayan martyr’s life. She said the doll was made to encourage young people to aspire to become saints.
The doll is patterned after Pedro, the Visayan saint, with the symbols of a palm for martyrdom, a missionary bag, sandals and a digital tablet of the Doctrina Cristiana.
The plan to encourage the doll's young owners to become saints might just work. Certainly a high proportion of Barbie owners grow up to be plastic, blond bimbos.
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
OH BUGGER, IT'S CHRISTMAS AGAIN (11)
I hate this.
I hate the song, I hate the music. I hate the way they sing. I hate the production. I hate the phoney Oasis cover. I hate his sunglasses and I hate that bloody owl most of all.
I hate it so much that I'll give you 500 days off purgatory if you get through it.
Oh, and by the way, I hate it.
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PIONEER INTERNET PRIEST ASKS FOR HELP
The Christmas Appeal Totaliser is showing an okay but nothing special £130 today. At least that means I can now purchase a new podcast licence which will please a certain silver haired person in Louisiana who keeps reminding me that it's been a long time since I posted a "With All Your Soul" episode.
However, I was hoping for a bit more cash to pay for the big stuff I need to keep my internet ministry going with all the fun stuff that you all love so well or not, however it hangs with you. So, please, if you can afford it, please give generously. Remember there is a new edition to the MadGang who is determined to eat us out of house and home.
You can find out all about the appeal, what it's for and what have you by CLICKING HERE.
And here is the widget you need to click on to make your donation. Absolutely any amount of cash will be greatly appreciated.
As always, donators to my cause, receive a specially created, MadPriest photoshop toon that is not available elsewhere. Well, I like to make this begging for money as much fun as possible for all of us.
PRIESTS TO BE TAGGED
From INDEPENDENT IE:
Vatican clergy and employees will be issued with an identity card containing a microchip tracking device in security measures designed to prevent a repeat of the Vatileaks scandal. Thousands Vatican staff will be affected by tighter scrutiny that will also enable superiors to monitor when they clock in and out.
Vatican clergy and employees will be issued with an identity card containing a microchip tracking device in security measures designed to prevent a repeat of the Vatileaks scandal. Thousands Vatican staff will be affected by tighter scrutiny that will also enable superiors to monitor when they clock in and out.
PAMPERED PETS
The DJ Cat Scratch Turntable let’s your cute little kitty cat turn into DJ Kitty to the C-A-T so he can finally let his fly mixing skills out. Just put some catnip on the spinning cardboard, mixing deck-shaped scratching mat, and get your video camera ready, because you’re about to capture the next viral YouTube video. The DJ Cat Scratch Turntable is just under $35, and it assembles in seconds (no glue or tools required).
Check out another nineteen Christmas gift
suggestions for your pampered pets at LIFE'D.
THE SPITE OF ROME (2)
From THE MILWAUKEE WISCONSIN JOURNAL SENTINEL:
A 92-year-old Milwaukee Jesuit is the latest American priest to be sanctioned for celebrating the Catholic Mass with a woman priest in violation of church teaching. Father Bill Brennan, a longtime peace activist, has been ordered not to celebrate the Eucharist or other sacraments publicly, or to present himself publicly as a priest by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and his religious order, the Society of Jesus. It comes three weeks after Brennan celebrated Mass with Milwaukee native the Rev. Janice Sevre-Duszynska during an annual protest at what was historically known as the School of the Americas at Fort Benning near Columbus, Ga. Brennan said he knew he risked censure when he celebrated the sacrament with a woman priest.
"Sometimes in our lives we have to trust our conscience and bring about the consequences. I wasn't trying to show off for the ladies," he said.
Brennan added that his decision to celebrate Mass with Sevre-Duszynska grew not out of some "wild-eyed liberal" protest or heady theological research, but from his deep admiration for his own mother. He recalled as a child of 9 hearing his older brother tease her, suggesting that "for a woman she was pretty intelligent."
"I'll never forget the look on my mother's face," said Brennan. "She knew we were teasing, but it wasn't funny. We never did that again."
Elsewhere, I notice that "The National Catholic Reporter" (probably the best religious periodical in the world) has launched a campaign arguing for the ordination of women to the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church. The reactionary control freaks of the Vatican hierarchy have made a serious tactical mistake. One often made by those so drunk with power they can't think straight. The thing is the more you try to force people the more likely they are to kick back. By trying to force the clock back, Benedict seems to have just made the clock run forward faster. The times could be changing. My guess is that by 2050 there will not be much left of the Christian church but it will be a really good church where all are equal before God. That will be because of the work of veteran campaigners for freedom, justice and peace like Father Bill. Good on him!
A 92-year-old Milwaukee Jesuit is the latest American priest to be sanctioned for celebrating the Catholic Mass with a woman priest in violation of church teaching. Father Bill Brennan, a longtime peace activist, has been ordered not to celebrate the Eucharist or other sacraments publicly, or to present himself publicly as a priest by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and his religious order, the Society of Jesus. It comes three weeks after Brennan celebrated Mass with Milwaukee native the Rev. Janice Sevre-Duszynska during an annual protest at what was historically known as the School of the Americas at Fort Benning near Columbus, Ga. Brennan said he knew he risked censure when he celebrated the sacrament with a woman priest.
"Sometimes in our lives we have to trust our conscience and bring about the consequences. I wasn't trying to show off for the ladies," he said.
Brennan added that his decision to celebrate Mass with Sevre-Duszynska grew not out of some "wild-eyed liberal" protest or heady theological research, but from his deep admiration for his own mother. He recalled as a child of 9 hearing his older brother tease her, suggesting that "for a woman she was pretty intelligent."
"I'll never forget the look on my mother's face," said Brennan. "She knew we were teasing, but it wasn't funny. We never did that again."
Elsewhere, I notice that "The National Catholic Reporter" (probably the best religious periodical in the world) has launched a campaign arguing for the ordination of women to the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church. The reactionary control freaks of the Vatican hierarchy have made a serious tactical mistake. One often made by those so drunk with power they can't think straight. The thing is the more you try to force people the more likely they are to kick back. By trying to force the clock back, Benedict seems to have just made the clock run forward faster. The times could be changing. My guess is that by 2050 there will not be much left of the Christian church but it will be a really good church where all are equal before God. That will be because of the work of veteran campaigners for freedom, justice and peace like Father Bill. Good on him!
THE SPITE OF ROME
From THE LOS ANGELES TIMES:
Lennon Cihak, a high school junior in the Minnesota town of Barnesville, was raised Roman Catholic like his parents and grandparents. His mother and father, Shana and Doug Cihak, were baptized, confirmed and married in Barnesville's century-old Assumption Church, the same one where Lennon had been attending confirmation classes since spring.
Then on Oct. 24 — 13 days before the vote on a proposed state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman — everything changed. For weeks Lennon had been thinking about the marriage amendment. A lot of his friends were opposed, saying it didn't seem fair.
"In the Constitution it says all men are created equal. If they can't get married, they aren't equal," he remembers thinking.
So that night he took a pro-amendment yard sign, changed "Vote Yes" to "Vote No" with a black marker and scrawled the words "Equal Marriage Rights." He then posed with the sign, snapped a photo with his phone, and posted the picture on his Facebook page.
Shana Cihak, a City Hall billing clerk, says the next day there was an urgent message on the family answering machine for her and her husband to meet with Father Gary LaMoine, the parish priest. LaMoine told her that Lennon's opinions on same-sex marriage were in conflict with the church and that her son could not be confirmed.
"Do you mean to tell me," Shana Cihak says she told LaMoine, "that when you stand up there on Sunday and you see all of those families with two or three kids, you don't know they are using birth control?"
She then told she could no longer serve as sponsor of one of the kids in the confirmation class. She came home in tears.
In a strongly worded letter LaMoine sent to church members on Nov. 15, the priest tells a very different story. He called Lennon's Facebook picture — which was "liked" by several members of the confirmation class — a "defacement" and apologized to the parish for the Cihaks' behavior. He also said Lennon was the one who decided to end the confirmation process. LaMoine wrote that he never denied Lennon's confirmation, but added: "Even if he had not withdrawn … I would have had no choice but to remove him from consideration given his rejection of marriage as we understand it. Rejection of the church's teaching on marriage is a very serious breach of faith."
Lately Lennon's father, Doug, has been rethinking once-steadfast beliefs. "Before, I was always one man, one woman. I am a conservative," he says.
But at the polling place, he paused when it came to voting on the Marriage for Minnesota Act.
"In the end, I sided with my son."
For listening to the arguments for and against and then making their own minds up even though it resulted in their ostracism from a petulant and spiteful church, Doug, Shana and Lennon are hereby declared to be OCICBW...'s
BRICKS OF THE DAY
Shana gets a special commendation for not backing down to a bully.
Lennon Cihak, a high school junior in the Minnesota town of Barnesville, was raised Roman Catholic like his parents and grandparents. His mother and father, Shana and Doug Cihak, were baptized, confirmed and married in Barnesville's century-old Assumption Church, the same one where Lennon had been attending confirmation classes since spring.
Then on Oct. 24 — 13 days before the vote on a proposed state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman — everything changed. For weeks Lennon had been thinking about the marriage amendment. A lot of his friends were opposed, saying it didn't seem fair.
"In the Constitution it says all men are created equal. If they can't get married, they aren't equal," he remembers thinking.
So that night he took a pro-amendment yard sign, changed "Vote Yes" to "Vote No" with a black marker and scrawled the words "Equal Marriage Rights." He then posed with the sign, snapped a photo with his phone, and posted the picture on his Facebook page.
Shana Cihak, a City Hall billing clerk, says the next day there was an urgent message on the family answering machine for her and her husband to meet with Father Gary LaMoine, the parish priest. LaMoine told her that Lennon's opinions on same-sex marriage were in conflict with the church and that her son could not be confirmed.
"Do you mean to tell me," Shana Cihak says she told LaMoine, "that when you stand up there on Sunday and you see all of those families with two or three kids, you don't know they are using birth control?"
She then told she could no longer serve as sponsor of one of the kids in the confirmation class. She came home in tears.
In a strongly worded letter LaMoine sent to church members on Nov. 15, the priest tells a very different story. He called Lennon's Facebook picture — which was "liked" by several members of the confirmation class — a "defacement" and apologized to the parish for the Cihaks' behavior. He also said Lennon was the one who decided to end the confirmation process. LaMoine wrote that he never denied Lennon's confirmation, but added: "Even if he had not withdrawn … I would have had no choice but to remove him from consideration given his rejection of marriage as we understand it. Rejection of the church's teaching on marriage is a very serious breach of faith."
Lately Lennon's father, Doug, has been rethinking once-steadfast beliefs. "Before, I was always one man, one woman. I am a conservative," he says.
But at the polling place, he paused when it came to voting on the Marriage for Minnesota Act.
"In the end, I sided with my son."
For listening to the arguments for and against and then making their own minds up even though it resulted in their ostracism from a petulant and spiteful church, Doug, Shana and Lennon are hereby declared to be OCICBW...'s
BRICKS OF THE DAY
Shana gets a special commendation for not backing down to a bully.
NO SEX PLEASE WE'RE METHODISTS
From THE MAIL:
The Reverend John Wiseman probably thought he was doing God's work by discussing men's health issues on his blog. But his decision to show men how to examine their privates using a suggestive snap of a man wearing just his boxer shorts outraged parishioners at Sketty Methodist Church, Swansea. Mr Wiseman says he uploaded the shot as part of the Movember campaign, which aims to raise awareness of serious health conditions men may be too embarrassed to talk about. But this cut no ice his churchgoers.
One longstanding parishioner, who did not wish to be named said: "We understand he’s trying to get an important message across but we don’t need to see a suggestive picture of a man touching himself."
I love the fact that it's the man's crotch that is offending his congregation not the "Are You Being Served" style masturbation joke. That is just so British. And yes, of course I chose that particular TV programme's title deliberately.
The Reverend John Wiseman probably thought he was doing God's work by discussing men's health issues on his blog. But his decision to show men how to examine their privates using a suggestive snap of a man wearing just his boxer shorts outraged parishioners at Sketty Methodist Church, Swansea. Mr Wiseman says he uploaded the shot as part of the Movember campaign, which aims to raise awareness of serious health conditions men may be too embarrassed to talk about. But this cut no ice his churchgoers.
One longstanding parishioner, who did not wish to be named said: "We understand he’s trying to get an important message across but we don’t need to see a suggestive picture of a man touching himself."
I love the fact that it's the man's crotch that is offending his congregation not the "Are You Being Served" style masturbation joke. That is just so British. And yes, of course I chose that particular TV programme's title deliberately.
BOUND AND GAGGED
From THE TELEGRAPH:
Bristol University Christian Union emailed members to say that women will not be asked to preach – unless, in the case of a handful of married students, they are accompanied by their husband. The decision represents the latest sign of the growing influence of conservative evangelical teaching, particularly among younger Christians. It sparked a furious reaction among fellow students and the university student union said it was investigating.
In an email the Christian Union president, Matt Oliver, explained that the executive committee had decided in principle it was “OK” for women to be allowed to “teach” - meaning to preach from the Bible. But he added that he recognised it was a “difficult issue for some” and that therefore women would not be invited to do so at the group’s main weekly meeting known as "CU:Equip", or on residential weekends or missions.
He added: “But a husband and wife can teach together in these. This means that women are able to teach (including on their own) in any other CU setting.”
Bristol University Christian Union emailed members to say that women will not be asked to preach – unless, in the case of a handful of married students, they are accompanied by their husband. The decision represents the latest sign of the growing influence of conservative evangelical teaching, particularly among younger Christians. It sparked a furious reaction among fellow students and the university student union said it was investigating.
In an email the Christian Union president, Matt Oliver, explained that the executive committee had decided in principle it was “OK” for women to be allowed to “teach” - meaning to preach from the Bible. But he added that he recognised it was a “difficult issue for some” and that therefore women would not be invited to do so at the group’s main weekly meeting known as "CU:Equip", or on residential weekends or missions.
He added: “But a husband and wife can teach together in these. This means that women are able to teach (including on their own) in any other CU setting.”
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
OH BUGGER, IT'S CHRISTMAS AGAIN (10)
Misery is for life not just for Christmas.
A really great Christmas record only spoiled by its happy ending.
A HUMANISM THAT HATES PEOPLE
From MY CENTRAL JERSEY:
In the angry eyes of Christians in Santa Monica, Calif., Damon Vix is the atheist who stole Christmas. He is blamed for the city’s decision to ban all private displays in Palisades Park, ending a tradition of 14 Nativity scenes erected by church groups in the park every December for the last 60 years.
The Santa Monica Christmas controversy began several years ago when Vix decided to counter the crèches by posting a sign with a quotation mistakenly attributed to Thomas Jefferson:
“Religions are all alike — founded upon fables and mythologies.”
Other atheists joined Vix to demand space, forcing the city to set up a lottery to divvy up slots in the park. Tensions mounted in the community last December after atheist groups flooded the lottery pool and won most of the available space. In June, frustrated city officials tried to end the holiday war by banning all private displays in the park. Churches fought back with a lawsuit. But last week they lost round one when a federal judge allowed the ban to take effect.
The dueling displays in Santa Monica are the latest example of a trend across the country. Atheists are employing a new strategy to challenge the presence of religion in the public square: Wherever religious messages are allowed in public parks or government buildings, atheist groups increasingly demand equal time and space.
The atheists are being petty, juvenile and, above all, hateful. As far as I know, none of the nativity scenes have ever included banners calling non-Christians stupid or have lampooned the beliefs of others. If they really must have "equal time and space" then, if they were sincerely trying to make a serious political statement in a truly humanist manner, they would ask for the time and space to be at a different time of year when their actions wouldn't offend anyone other than religionists as bigoted and angry as they obviously are.
Alternatively, I have a suggestion for those terrible creche builders. They should claim equal exposure with the pagans. For every Christmas tree and Santa Claus seen on public property in the United States, American Christians should be allowed to build a nativity scene nearby.
Please don't get me wrong. I don't want to outlaw atheism or shut atheists up in the same way they want to shut Christians up. In fact, atheism is a useful thing with benefits for society. It's good that intense young men with poor social skills who can't get laid to save their lives, have interests like atheism and "Star Trek" conventions, to take their mind off their unsatisfied libidos. It's a better option than bromide.
However, there is at least one atheist who has tried to be humanist in his "war on Christmas." In Leesburg, Virginia, a skeletal Santa, crucified on a cross has been legally erected. Its atheistic creator says that it symbolizes the "death of the true meaning of the holidays by greed and commercialism." Of course, he might be taking the piss, but it doesn't matter. Whatever the true intention of the artist it makes the point that he professes it should very well.
In the angry eyes of Christians in Santa Monica, Calif., Damon Vix is the atheist who stole Christmas. He is blamed for the city’s decision to ban all private displays in Palisades Park, ending a tradition of 14 Nativity scenes erected by church groups in the park every December for the last 60 years.
The Santa Monica Christmas controversy began several years ago when Vix decided to counter the crèches by posting a sign with a quotation mistakenly attributed to Thomas Jefferson:
“Religions are all alike — founded upon fables and mythologies.”
Other atheists joined Vix to demand space, forcing the city to set up a lottery to divvy up slots in the park. Tensions mounted in the community last December after atheist groups flooded the lottery pool and won most of the available space. In June, frustrated city officials tried to end the holiday war by banning all private displays in the park. Churches fought back with a lawsuit. But last week they lost round one when a federal judge allowed the ban to take effect.
The dueling displays in Santa Monica are the latest example of a trend across the country. Atheists are employing a new strategy to challenge the presence of religion in the public square: Wherever religious messages are allowed in public parks or government buildings, atheist groups increasingly demand equal time and space.
The atheists are being petty, juvenile and, above all, hateful. As far as I know, none of the nativity scenes have ever included banners calling non-Christians stupid or have lampooned the beliefs of others. If they really must have "equal time and space" then, if they were sincerely trying to make a serious political statement in a truly humanist manner, they would ask for the time and space to be at a different time of year when their actions wouldn't offend anyone other than religionists as bigoted and angry as they obviously are.
Alternatively, I have a suggestion for those terrible creche builders. They should claim equal exposure with the pagans. For every Christmas tree and Santa Claus seen on public property in the United States, American Christians should be allowed to build a nativity scene nearby.
Please don't get me wrong. I don't want to outlaw atheism or shut atheists up in the same way they want to shut Christians up. In fact, atheism is a useful thing with benefits for society. It's good that intense young men with poor social skills who can't get laid to save their lives, have interests like atheism and "Star Trek" conventions, to take their mind off their unsatisfied libidos. It's a better option than bromide.
However, there is at least one atheist who has tried to be humanist in his "war on Christmas." In Leesburg, Virginia, a skeletal Santa, crucified on a cross has been legally erected. Its atheistic creator says that it symbolizes the "death of the true meaning of the holidays by greed and commercialism." Of course, he might be taking the piss, but it doesn't matter. Whatever the true intention of the artist it makes the point that he professes it should very well.
TRIUMPH OF THE WILL - THE SEQUEL
FROM UPI:
A bio-picture about Bavarian-born Pope Benedict XVI is in the works, the film's German producers announced Friday. The Munich-based production company H&V Entertainment and producer Peter Weckert have secured the rights to German journalist Peter Seewald's biography about the pope, which is to be published in 2014. It is not yet known who might star in or direct the film.
A bio-picture about Bavarian-born Pope Benedict XVI is in the works, the film's German producers announced Friday. The Munich-based production company H&V Entertainment and producer Peter Weckert have secured the rights to German journalist Peter Seewald's biography about the pope, which is to be published in 2014. It is not yet known who might star in or direct the film.
Monday, 3 December 2012
WORSHIP AT SAINT LAIKA'S
A SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION
The order of service is posted beneath the audio file so that you can join in with the service. The words in bold type are the ones we say together.
If you want to physically partake of communion you will require a small piece of bread and a small amount of drink (preferably made from grapes and containing alcohol). How you view the nature of this part of the service is completely up to you.
The order of service is posted beneath the audio file so that you can join in with the service. The words in bold type are the ones we say together.
Click on the arrow on the player to stream.
Download via the MP3 icon below the player.
Download podcast via iTUNES.MP3 File
CLICK HERE for order of service and credits
(opens in new window)
Sunday, 2 December 2012
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