Maher Takes On Rally To Restore Sanity

"The message of the rally, as I heard it, was that if the media stopped giving voice to the crazies on both sides, then maybe we could restore sanity. It was all nonpartisan and urged cooperation with the moderates on the other side forgetting that Obama tried that and found out...there are no moderates on the other side. When Jon announced his rally, he said the national conversation was dominated by people on the Right who believe Obama's a Socialist and people on the Left who believe 9/11's an inside job, but I can't name any Democratic leaders who think 9/11's an inside job. But Republican leaders who think Obama's a Socialist? All of them."

10 Months Ago

These words must be re-heard by us all. In time of greater hardship, the nation must remember - particularly, a nation that professes to be a Christian nation - the plight of the poor during this very trying times.

Cornel West is much more of a fundamentalist than most of the so-called Christian fundamentalists. He knows that the truth of God's judgment befalls a nation when its wealthiest citizens treat our most vulnerable citizens as charity work and not as God's children. If God is on the side of the poor, then who can stand to be against the poor. And if nation stands against the poor, then will God not stand against that nation? We have protect and favor our wealthiest citizens. We have ignored our poor sisters and brothers who have fallen on harder time because of the greed that consumed the wealthiest citizens in our nation. How long can a nation stand when the nation stand against the poor who is favored by God? The wrath of God befalls on a nation because of their immorality against the poor. God's judgment befalls on a nation because of the nation injustice against the poor. This is what immorality is when a nation loses its sense of social-justice.

Speaking Out

Of late, all of us have been hearing lots of advice on morality from all political-ideological-theological spectrums, from both the Right and the Left camps. There is nothing wrong about “preaching” on morality or virtue. It is important that we, as a society, teach our children the value of being a morally conscientious human being, who is also gracious and forgiving. But only teaching our children will not do, because adults also need to be taught and reminded again and again on the importance of living a virtuous life. At times, adults need to hear more about the importance of living a morally-conscientious life. They need daily reminders that living a conscientious moral life is to live for the well-being of others. This means that there is a cost and the cost means that at times we must confront the evil befalling on our “neighbors.” We must speak against injustice because ultimately the judgment of our actions will be on how we treat the least among us (cf. Matthew 25:31-46).

The act of speaking out against immorality is essential if we are to confront the injustice befalling onto our weakest and voiceless “neighbors.” But, before we put our two pennies worth, it would be wise to reflect on our own past, present, and future. It is easy to forget our own propensity toward evil in thoughts and actions. We all have the potential for both evil and good. It is a constant reality that manifest itself out in our decisions, which each of us make daily, regardless of whether those decisions were made in full cognizance or not. True that most of us cannot imagine the unfathomable evil, e.g., the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, the Rwanda Genocide, Pol Pot, the Japanese Imperial Armies rape camps, as part of who we are. We cannot fathom seeing ourselves as orchestrating or assisting the demise of human beings because of their ethnical and religious background. But, at the same time, we must be completely sincere to ask the most fundamental question of “What would I have done if I was there?” That is, are we in all honesty really able to say that if we had been born white and living around the early part of the 1900s that we would protest and speak against lynching and racism? Can we say that we would have marched against Jim Crow if we were born as a White-Southerner man? Most likely not, and if we do believe that we would have protested and marched against the lynching of black bodies, then we are not being truly honest with ourselves because the question remains: what are we doing against the ugly state of affairs against our gay brothers and sisters currently plaguing our nation? Also, what are we doing against the dehumanization of illegal immigrants in this country? What actions are we taking to fight against the big-powerful financial companies exploiting the most financial vulnerable people in our country? Most of us are merely watching from the comfort of our living room. And we may raise a few voices of concern here and there, but in the end we are doing from a safe place where no ultimate consequence would befall us.

We are all product of our particular time and place. Thus, it is easier to speak out against lynching because many of us find such practice beastly horrifying. It is always easy to make a stand and speak out against evil when it is safe to stand and speak out against evil. We can all speak out against racism because we know that in large society sees racism as evil. But, can we be sincerely honest with ourselves so as to say that we could and would fight for interracial marriage during the 1920s? Could we have stand and fight against the mob as they prepare to lynch a black person? Could we have stand and fight against the genocide of Native Americans during the 19th century? It is easier to speak out and protest against immorality and evil when we are confident that there is no real cost in standing against injustice. The cost of standing against injustice has a tremendous price tag because there is no such thing as free justice. This may give us reason to stay quiet or to stay on the side line, but such stance is much more costly because it robs us of our humanity and it also shackles us to the chain of fear. By doing nothing, we become nothing – that is, we become less than human or no longer human. We also become slave, bound to fear and to merely living life. True freedom is the empowerment to live for life and not merely living life. Our silence in times of injustice silences our humanity, thus we become a bit less human by becoming enslaved and not free. And, in the end, we become no different from those who are pushing for inhumane, unfair, and injustice policies in this country and in the world. When we are silent against injustice, we speak for injustice.

An Asian Lutheran, that got to be rare!

Friend sent me this sermon, the quality of the sound is a bit poor, and it took me by surprise. First, it was an interesting and very stimulating sermon with lots of hidden sublime messages. The ending was a bit weak, but then this guy was apparently preaching in a Lutheran congregation (ELCA). Second, this is an Asian guy and by his last name he maybe Korean. Third, as a Korean, I am not sure why he is not pursuing ordination within the PCUSA denomination.

Still, the sermon is quite good. He has great potential. But, I do wish him the best of luck in a very racist denomination. C'mon, honestly, with 96% white demographic one can't but think this is a racist denomination. I know that not all of them are racist but merely biased preference toward white color. I know that the ELCA is doing lots of work to attract Hispanics, but with all honesty what denomination is not trying to court Hispanics. The Hispanic demographic is the fastest growing demographic and every mainline denomination knows that without the Hispanic demographic the mainline church will keep on dwindling. So if you are Hispanic and you speak Spanish, all the denomination will be courting after you so play your cards right.

It is still hard to believe that the ELCA is close to 97% white. Rural America is more diverse than that. The ELCA and all of the other Lutheran sects have the lowest number of minorities. I know three Asians, who have left the ELCA and one left the LCMS, because they couldn't get a first call and after three years they were asked to reapply to the whole process of entering the ELCA call process, apparently that is the rule in the ELCA - not sure what the rule is at the LCMS. So, they all left the Lutheran traditions and went to other denominations and in their first year they all found churches to pastor. So, I really want to wish this guy the best. But my advise to him is to start looking for another job because if one is not white or Hispanic, one will have a real hard time getting hired as a pastor. The only other possibility is if this guy has some amazing and incredible background like living among the poorest in the world or fighting against oppression to the point of being endangered to lose one's life or being eccentric-punk for Christ or a guru for the "emerging" denomination or some other stuff. This is a very exclusive denomination; they are quite "gringo." He has a better chance to become Scandinavian than to become an Asian pastor in the ELCA.

http://www.pmlc.org/files/prestonmeadow/files/Sermon%202010-10-2.mp3

He really needs to change denomination. Be an Episcopalian, you have a better chance at becoming a priest than becoming a pastor in the ELCA. And with all honesty, we, the Episcopalians, are always looking to steal good candidates from other denominations and traditions (e.g., 'Father Oprah').

Our Crazy Country

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The Word - Losing His Religion
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American Orthodox

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It's Just the Normal Symbol of the Resting Place of the Dead

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Can You Trust Science?

We Must Have A Better Safety Net

Why do we need a better safety net in this country? The gap between those that "haves" and those that "have-nots" are growing to large. For the most part, our economic system has been very good to us, but at the same time, not everyone has faired well in this system. Some of our brothers and sisters have been quite unfortunate in their outcome. We must be able to better care for our brothers and sisters. We must have better safety net so as to lend them a hand up when they are most down.

We the Multinational Corporation

The new constitution of this country is no longer: "We the People." Instead, with the Supreme Court decision to allow unlimited corporate spending to influence elections, the new constitution is: "We the Corporation." But this is not a new thing for the longest time elections have been bought by the highest fundraisers. This is most true in the elections of judges throughout this country.

Getting Harder To Find

The think that I don't understand about those in my Christian community is the fact that the vast majority of them has no care for the environment. What we do to our world is not only unacceptable but sinful. We are destroying God's creation which God has declared good. This is the creation of God that God plans to restore, if those in the right took the time to read the Bible. Our abuse of this world makes a mockery of God's declaration. Many in the right is comfortable with the declaration that all humanity is sinner because in some sick twisted way it get them off the hook. It is a sick and twisted sense of humility masquerade in absolute self-love and self-preservation. The notion of "sin" isn't a measurement of how low we are or how off the chart we are. In any case, that is another topic, but for now, I am simply curious why the "right" don't speak out more frequently against environment abuse that is plaguing our world.

This chart should upset us but it doesn't because many in the right believes the more damage we do to this world the sooner God will come. Perhaps, what it will come is our self destruction. The annihilation of the human species in this world is what it will come out of this and the Second Coming will not be part of the plan.

Justice For Sale

Chapter I of Bill Moyers Journal on American Justice for Sale
Part I of Justice for Sale


Part II of Justice for Sale


Part III of Justice for Sale

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Chapter II of Bill Moyers Journal on American Justice for Sale
Part I of Buying the Courts


Part II of Buying the Courts

Who is the real idiot?

I'm beginning to believe that his book, "Arguing with Idiots," is really an autobiographical book of his own stupidity. Actually, the book should be entitled as "The Idiot Who Made Big Because of Others Stupidity." Oh, no, that can't be, this means the real idiots are all of those who are arguing like the idiot. I knew that there was a conspiracy somewhere. You see, he wants us to be idiots because he wants us to buy into his stupidity so as to make money of our stupidity through his bêtise, which will make you an idiot but since you don't want to be the idiot you buy into the idea that all of those who doesn't buy into his "retardation" (this term is exactly the one used by Rush, so I'm excused to use it) is the real idiot and you the retard (once again as it was referred by Rush) are no longer the idiot but merely the retard (again, this term is exactly the same term used by Rush).

Jean Vanier on Belonging and Bonding

"We are not called by God to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things with extraordinary love. "

- Jean Vanier

Stanley Hauerwas On Healthcare

We have lost our way. There is no longer that seriousness in the pew on the stole. All of us care our physicians credential more than they care about their minister credential. Ain't that the truth. I too care more for my physician's credential than I do for my minister.

Are You Sure About That?

Perhaps, that is very true. Nevertheless, one has a better shot on getting a hit on the question than getting one directly from God. Not sure if people are well aware of this but God is quite silent in this country. There are lots of reports in other countries about the appearance of God or of hearing God's voice, but in this country, for the most part with the exception of a few self-righteous delusional spiritual leaders, God is most silent.

Stanley Hauerwas On Worship

At the end, television or any form of media will win against worship because in the end television is good at entertaining us. However, when liturgy is of the people by the people it moves us beyond ourselves and ultimately its is much more than entertainment, it is life giving.

Stanley Hauerwas on what only the whole church can do

Graphic: Banking compensation

This is the only country where incompetence is a way of life.

Ain't that the truth! Greed is a way of life.

Morning Joe

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