(via Dinosaur Comics)

In the formation of the American government … it will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service had interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the influence of heaven.

—John Adams (1735-1826), as quoted in The Quotable Atheist, p. 4.

Unfortunately John Adams did not foresee George W. Bush.

I’m begging you, your right to religion and freedom to exercise religion and read all of the passages of the Bible as you want to read them and as your church wants to preach them . . . are going to come under the ropes in the next year. If it lasts that long it will be the next year. I beg you, look for the words ’social justice’ or ‘economic justice’ on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes!”

The statement that “social justice” is a code word that should cause you to flee through the church door has set off an internet reaction that should be measurable on the Richter scale. Here’s a few choice reactions:

Slacktivist, Anti-justice? Wow.

This is an astonishing claim to anyone who’s ever had a Bible and their eyes open at the same time. Justice is an inescapable, relentless, pervasive, nearly omnipresent theme of that entire volume. It is impossible to read the law and the prophets, the Gospels and epistles, the histories, wisdom literature and apocalypse without being confronted incessantly with the theme of justice, justice, justice, justice, justice, justice, justice.

Rev. James Martin at the Huffington Post, Glenn Beck to Jesus: Drop Dead

Social justice is an essential part of Catholic teaching. It’s part of being a Catholic. So Glenn Beck is, in essence, saying “Leave the Catholic church.”

But Glenn Beck is saying something else: “Leave Christianity.” Again and again in the Gospels, Jesus mentions our responsibility to care for the poor, to work on their behalf, to stand with them. In fact, when asked how his followers would be judged he doesn’t say that it will be based on where you worship, or how you pray, or how often you go to church, or even what political party you believe in. He says something quite different: It depends on how you treat the poor.

The inevitable Jim Wallis reaction, via Huffington Post, Biblical Social Justice and Glenn Beck

Beck says Christians should leave their social justice churches, so I say Christians should leave Glenn Beck. I don’t know if Beck is just strange, just trying to be controversial, or just trying to make money. But in any case, what he has said attacks the very heart of our Christian faith, and Christians should no longer watch his show.

As of my last reading, Beck has not backed away from his statements. In fact, he’s continued on the theme. Mediamatters has the clip from his March 11th show, where he amplifies his claim that “social justice” is a liberal catch-phrase, a “perversion of the Gospel” and not something Jesus would preach. But I think Daniel Shultz at the Religion Dispatches Blog has it right:

Glenn Beck is a highly polarizing figure, not someone who appeals to a vast audience of persuadable moderates. The kind of Christian who watches Beck for the most part does so precisely because he or she is Christian. In other words, when Beck says “run away from churches that preach social justice,” he’s preaching to the choir, not persuading anyone new. His viewers don’t believe in social justice, never have. It’s very odd that a Mormon would have that kind of ideological appeal to the normally very tribal conservative Christian set, but there you have it.

The reason that this statement has set off an earthquake is because Beck has stomped down on a fault-line that runs between conservative and liberal churches. This has been going on for at least a century. I think of it as a matter of “personal charity” vs. “social justice.” Beck emphasizes that charity is done by the person, as an individual expression that betters the individual. Others – usually moderates and liberals – agree with this, but also focus on building institutions and changing social structures to produce a more just society. Beck, and a lot of other conservatives, distrust this kind of collective effort, particularly if it involves the government.

And so it goes. But the reaction from the liberals is not likely to force Beck to recant; in fact, he’s likely to use the reaction to fuel his popularity with the right. I think we can expect to hear Glenn use this to push his point further, “See, conservative Christians? The liberals are trying to convince you that Jesus wants you to be a socialist! If we don’t stop them, every church in America will be required to preach the gospel of environmentally-conscious leftist social programs!”

City Harvest will be moving to its new premises at Suntec Singapore International Exhibition and Convention Centre by 2011. [...]

“It had to be as big as we can go in our small city-state with limited land. Suntec Convention Centre has a total usable area of more than 1 million sq ft.” [...]

City Harvest is looking to raise S$310 million, but this sum is not the value of the property, says Tan. “This amount consists of cost of shares; rental; renovation and equipment; professional building, management logistic and maintenance fees; refundable deposits and moving costs.” [...]

The church will fund the S$310 million through freewill donations from churchgoers. The church building fund, Arise & Build, is into its fifth round, with a target of S$17.3 million. There are eight more Arise & Build campaigns planned.

And just think — Jesus didn’t even have a place to “lay his head”! How far they’ve come.

When the “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell recently predicted the departure of the contestant Jermaine Sellers, the young singer shook his head in disagreement. “I know God,’’ he replied, pointing upward.

Two days later, when Mr. Sellers failed to make the cut, he still had faith. “What God has for me is for me,’’ he said. “In God there is no failure.’’

Mr. Sellers is not alone in his belief that God pays attention to reality television contests. New research shows that most Americans believe God is directly involved in their personal affairs, and that the good or bad things that happen are “part of God’s plan,’’ according to a report in the March issue of the journal Sociology of Religion.

I wonder if the day will ever come when most Americans will not believe a god is involved in their personal affairs? I think it will. Do you?

When the Bible says Jesus will return out of the clouds with a sword coming out of his mouth, perhaps it was mistranslated and actually meant he will return in a frying pan with beacon grease on his brow.

Toby Elles, 22, made the discovery after burning the food when he fell asleep while cooking.

After lifting off the scorched bacon Mr Elles, from Salford, Lancs, could not believe his eyes when the Christlike image stared back at him.

The face is complete with eyes, nose, a beard and is framed by long flowing hair.

And of course, this event is accompanied by a gen-u-ine miracle from the big J himself:

“If it wasn’t for the smoke of the bacon burning this onto the pan it could have been a very bad situation, perhaps someone’s looking over me.

“My housemates and I had a few beers earlier in the evening I thought I would snack before going to bed and as it was cooking I decided to take a rest on the couch.

“When I woke up about an hour later the room was full of smoke.

“Luckily we have an electric hob so I just turned off the heat, but then I lifted up the bacon and there was JC looking back at me.

“I’m not going to scrub it clean though, just in case I get struck by lightning, it’s going to take pride of place on a wall instead. [...]

“I’m going to keep it for the rest of my life, perhaps it can watch over me.”

Yes, Toby, the grease pan will watch over you. Good luck with that.

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann told the Washington Times that she and her family will not be fully filling out the 2010 census forms.

Bachmann, a Republican, said her family will only be indicating the number of people in the household, because “the Constitution doesn’t require any information beyond that.”

Bachmann believes the upcoming census to be “very intricate” and “very personal” and expresses concerns about ACORN’s involvement in the data collection. The community organizing program came under scrunity after charges of voter registration fraud during the 2008 presidential elections.

Some people are really paranoid. I hate paranoia.

Other Christians are following Rep. Dumbass’s example, so much that one popular Christian blogger has put out a plea for Christians to not falsify census information:

Some conservatives—for example, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, a professing evangelical—are suggesting that people not fill out the Census coming in the mail, or at least not to answer certain questions (e.g., on your race). Others are suggesting that some answers be falsified (e.g., checking “Native American” because you were born in America).

The reason is that the government will use racial information for purposes of reapportioning congressional seats as a result (which is true).

But even if you don’t like how this information will be used, Christians in particular should remember that it’s a violation of federal law to leave answers blank or to provide false answers. Even if you think the law is crummy, it does not require you to break any Scriptural laws, and therefore it would be a violation of Scripture to break this law. [...]

It sounds as if you could actually be fined $5,000 if you refuse or deliberately falsify all the questions.

Critics of the teaching of evolution in the nation’s classrooms are gaining ground in some states by linking the issue to global warming, arguing that dissenting views on both scientific subjects should be taught in public schools. [...]

The bill, which has yet to be voted on, is patterned on even more aggressive efforts in other states to fuse such issues. In Louisiana, a law passed in 2008 says the state board of education may assist teachers in promoting “critical thinking” on all of those subjects. [...]

The linkage of evolution and global warming is partly a legal strategy: courts have found that singling out evolution for criticism in public schools is a violation of the separation of church and state. By insisting that global warming also be debated, deniers of evolution can argue that they are simply championing academic freedom in general.

I’m all for teaching competing scientific theories and comparing them. I don’t think creationism qualifies as a scientific theory — but maybe teachers should talk about creationism and why it’s not science, just like all the other creation myths.

Debunking religious nonsense shouldn’t really be part of a science class, but it seems at least with creationism, there are enough adherents to make it worth debunking in the classroom, just like if there were a minority of students who held to a flat earth.

That didn’t make sense to me, so I asked, “Why would Ted need to ask your permission? It’s not like Mary’s your daughter.”

“Well you know Mary’s father; he would nod his head and say yes to anyone. So Mary gave me the responsibility of accepting or rejecting any man she might want to court.”

People not familiar with Christian fundamentalism may not know what courting is, so here’s a definition from a Christian: “Courting is young adults seeking each other under their parents’ supervision for the purpose of finding a spouse in the will of God.” Basically it’s formal dating without the physical intimacy and with more parental involvement.

Apologies to my mother, but having to grant Ted permission is weird. I feel sorry for him. It’s not even her parents — and he had to ask them too!

My mom continued: “We gave him a plan of things we want him to read to help him grow in Christ. We gave him a book a couple months ago on the will of God and he finished it. He’s a good kid.”

If I were him, I’d say screw this. This isn’t an engagement — it’s just permission to get to know someone more formally to see if they are a suitable candidate for marriage.

Oh, and did I mention they want to wait until marriage to kiss?

Yes, you read that right. They’re waiting for marriage, not only to have sex, but to kiss each other.

Poor, poor lovers.

As a Christian I would I have thought this was all very honorable. Now I see it as a little pathetic and a waste of time and guilt.

First, it’s demeaning. Mary is an adult. She’s 21 and doesn’t need a friend to tell her who she can and can’t have a relationship with. I would not let my mother tell me if  I could go out with a girl, and I don’t think she should be telling this girl whether she is allowed to “court” a guy. That is a decision she should make herself. Sure, my mom can give advice. But it’s Mary’s decision, not her parents’ decision and certainly not my parents’.

Second, it’s sexist. Ted has to ask Mary’s gatekeeper, but notice Ted doesn’t have a gatekeeper. There is an undercurrent here that women are weak; they cannot take care of themselves; they do not have the right to make an important relational decision by themselves. It’s insulting and misogynistic.

Third, it’s arrogant. My parents do not know who is the best match for this girl. Rarely do people really know how something will turn out for themselves much less someone else. Some people who seem perfect turn out to be rotters. Others who seem like jerks turn out to be loving, caring husbands. And we remember our hits (“I never did like him!”) and forget our misses.

Now of course we all have opinions, and sometimes there are clear indicators that someone might not be the best companion for someone (“Is that a body in your freezer, Ted?”). If we care for them we’ll probably make our opinion known — but it’s their life, and it’s their decision.

Christianity makes a big deal out of freedom, but these practices are a direct result of my mother’s Christianity. This is not freedom; it’s an oppression of rules and regulations. Some would say this is not “true Christianity” (which they define as whatever they believe), but virtually all forms of Christianity have core features of dogma that prey upon fear and guilt. Thus the concept of “sin” and “redemption.”

As I watch this overdramatization of Christian courtship, I wish I could say to Mary, “You don’t need my mother to approve of your relationship. If you love him, be with him. Screw the legalism.”

And to Ted, I’d say, “Run.”

It happened last week, three minutes into the second half of his game against Cagliari, when Di Carlo reportedly said “porco dio,” which according to Babelfish, translates into English as “God pig.”

[T]he Verona club’s coach “proffered a blasphemous expression” that was to make him the first victim of a zero-tolerance policy on irreverence.

The president, Giancarlo Abete, declared it would “intervene with official decisions to make clear that blasphemy is within the definition of ‘offensive, insulting or abusive language’ in the rules [that warrant sending-off]“.

Wow. So you can get kicked out of professional coaching for saying “god pig”? What about if he said “praise God!”? Would that be okay? What if it was said mockingly?

Or what about “gosh darn it”? That’s just a nice way of saying “god damn it” — which is blasphemous.

Perhaps next they will mic up all the players and make sure they are not quietly mumbling any blasphemous phrases…

I was a TrueChristian™ for about eight years starting back in 1981. I attended a Pentecostal non-denominational church (Glad Tidings-Boise) back in the first five years of my time as a believer. It was there that I learned to accept the idea that my first duty to God was to tithe to the church. I was absolutely faithful in my giving of tithes and offerings. I was a “happy giver.”

After five years at Glad Tidings I became drawn towards Calvary Chapel of Boise. The vibe at C.C. was way more up my ally. I’m a professional musician and C.C. was just then forming in Boise and I fit perfectly into the youth-oriented fellowship.

Calvary’s Pastor (Bob Caldwell) and I became really good friends. We not only built the C.C. fellowship together, we also did a lot of prison ministry and even had some “leadership retreats” together.

Backsliding

After three years as C.C.’s music minister, I met some other musicians in the church and we decided to start doing some secular gigs just for fun (I even had Pastor Bob’s blessing on it). It wasn’t long before I wanted to get back full time into the professional music club circuit.

Pastor Bob and I parted company at that time … but we parted on the very best of terms. There was no condemnation from him towards me, and, I had no negative feelings for leaving the church. This would turn out to be the key to why he would eventually grant my “request” for a refund of my tithing contributions to Calvary Chapel.

Of course, I soon backslid into partying and wound up getting a divorce. After several years of living the old musician lifestyle, I met my current wife (of twenty years), stopped drinking, settled down and had two daughters. Once I quit drinking (without A.A. or any other “spiritual” assistance) I began to read Thomas Paine and Robert Ingersoll. Once I discovered the internet (Infidel Guy Show) there was no turning back. I found complete freedom from religion.

Giving

After some time, I started to remember an incident that had happened to me way back in my days at Glad Tidings Church. I had been watching the P.T.L. Club on TV and got suckered into believing that the Lord wanted me to send P.T.L. a thousand bucks! I sent the money. When my Pastor’s wife (sister Barnett) found out that I’d sent P.T.L. $1000, she took me aside and scolded me that the Lord wanted his people to give their money to “where they are fed” i.e., Glad Tidings. She suggested that I call P.T.L. and ask for my money back.

So I did. When I asked P.T.L. to return the money they agreed and I allowed them to keep $100.00 for being so understanding. I then gave the remaining $900.00 to Glad Tidings. After all; had I not already given the money to “The Lord”?

Fast forward to 2006. One faith-free day I happened to recall my P.T.L. experience and began to ask myself: “Why not simply ask, not demand or insist, but politely ask for my money back from Calvary Chapel?” All they could say was “no,” right? I had left the church on excellent terms, and Pastor Bob was a very cool, very laid back guy.

Refunding

By that time Calvary Chapel was huge. I knew Bob would remember me, so I wrote him a short email asking if he could help me with some questions that I had involving donations to the fellowship. Bob wrote back almost immediately with a nice letter saying that he had thought about me many times over the years and had meant to contact me and that he was sorry that he had never actually done it. He was very sweet and kind as always.

He then referred me to his Assistant Pastor (Mike Sasso) for help with my questions. I send a courteous response thanking Bob for his kind words and attention. I then connected with Pastor Mike and began writing questions back and forth. I wrote to Mike that my understanding was that when I gave money to the fellowship, I was essentially giving the money to God and that the church was merely “the conduit” between me and Jesus.

At first Mike was very friendly and eager… on his best pastoral behavior. Once my questions began to turn towards a “could the church ever refund money that had been given” type of query, Mike’s language became stiff and defensive. He then referred me to deal directly with Pastor Bob.

In my next email to Pastor Bob I selected my words very carefully.

Dear Bob,

I know that what I am asking is probably a first and highly strange request; even for someone like you who has spent so many years in the ministry. Please always keep in mind that what I am proposing is a request, not a demand. You can deny my request and I give you my promise that there will be absolutely no hard feelings on my part.

Here is my request:

Would you be willing to return to me all or any part of the money that I gave to the ministry at Calvary Chapel during my years in the fellowship?

If you say “no”, I will fully understand. Your choice is final and that will absolutely be the end of my inquiry. I await an answer at your convenience.

Cordially,

Billy….

I did not hear back from Pastor Caldwell. I waited for a couple of weeks, sent another similar letter and included an apology stating that I understood that he (Pastor Bob) must be very busy, but I would really appreciate a response.

Again, there was no response.

I sent a third letter stating (paraphrasing here:) “Thank you for the time and attention that you have already given to this matter. I will assume your silence means ‘no’ to my request.”

Eventually his decision came.

Pastor Bob wrote me back telling me that he was handing the situation over to the church accountant and that he would be authorized to work with me towards a settlement!

I want you to imagine the reaction that Bob’s “concession letter” caused from me and my wife! My jaw dropped and my eyes almost popped out of my head. We were hysterically laughing, jumping and shouting, “It’s a MIRACLE!” We never in a million years seriously expected to see a dime of that money, and now here I was reading a letter from Pastor Bob granting my request for a refund.

After a phone conversation with the accountant at Calvary Chapel, Jim agreed to send me monthly installments of $500 until the agreed amount of $3200 was paid off. The checks came every month and were quickly deposited into my storehouse.

That was the end of my contact with Bob and Calvary Chapel.

Ye Have Not…

I can only speculate what Pastor Bob’s motive was for granting my request for a refund. My circumstances were probably not typical for the way that many people wind up leaving the fold.

Deconversion can be a very difficult and challenging process. I found the action of facing (if only through email contact) my fear of my old authoritative figure (Pastor Bob) very liberating and empowering. Even if things would have turned out differently, I’m proud of myself for standing up to the fear that use to control me.

The moral: “Ye have not, because ye ask not”!

The Supreme Court will review whether anti-gay protests at funerals of American soldiers are protected by the First Amendment, taking up the appeal of a Maryland man who won and then had reversed a $10 million verdict against the small Kansas church that conducts the demonstrations.

The case will seek to balance a group’s free speech rights with the rights of private individuals to be protected from unwanted demonstrations and defamatory remarks. A federal appeals court said the church’s protests were “utterly distasteful” but protected because they were related to “matters of public concern.”

I’m hoping they rule against these protests. They are despicable. What do you think — freedom of speech or hate speech?

Of course their point is that youth pastors should be even lamer — teach the Bible and demand kids try and live by it — but it’s still a decent parody of how silly youth pastors can be.

The film is a personal, independent narrative that takes a sensitive but critical look at at religion in America. FAITH follows two different people and the evolution of their belief in god after personal tragedy befalls them both.

Chris is a devout, fundamentalist Christian whose son is bi-polar. When prayer doesn’t work, and his son commits suicide, Chris’s worldview is thrown into disarray.

Betty is a teacher at the local community college who grew up in the church. With a father who was both Pastor and philanderer, Betty dismissed religion as hypocrisy and simplistic fable. But she just found a lump in her breast. As she faces her own mortality, the attraction to some kind of higher power might be too strong to ignore.

FAITH juxtaposes two narratives to uncover the ways we are pulled towards – and away from – God. The film exposes the hypocrisy and arrogance of fundamentalist Christianity while exploring the need to call on a higher power during times of crisis.

The film will be shot in and around California’s Central Valley, which forms the setting and ideological backdrop of the story. Eli Daughdrill, the film’s writer/director, grew up on an Almond ranch in the valley and knows the people and place very well. The characters in the story are fictional but certainly feel like real residents of the valley.

You can support the project through Kickstarter and follow the progress on @themoviefaith.