Thoughts AND SCARES

I just read yet another commentator who has taken the position that (as a teacher) they saw no problem with mandatory posting of the Ten Commandments in schools because the laws don't refer to any specific religion. That is utter nonsense and particularly disturbing if they are truly a teacher. You can't have read the Decalogue and make that statement. Alternatively, they are intentionally blowing smoke knowing that people are too lazy to find their Bible. As a committed agnostic, mine is always on my nightstand.

The first four commandments (depending on the scriptural flavor you choose) are either specifically about the ancient Hebrew battle god YHWH, or have nothing to do with ethical or moral behavior.

1. The first commandment specifically instructs us to love YWHW and no other gods. 

“I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shall have no other gods before me.”

That sentence pertains only to YHWH, not to the rebranded Christian god (God), not to Allah, especially not to elephant headed, multi-armed polytheistic pantheons as define Hinduism, not to practitioners of indigenous spirituality, not to Buddhists not to Taoists. Do the Muslim students in class identify with slaughtering Egyptian children in the night? 

It certainly has no positive meaning for the 28% of Americans who identify as “no religion.”

2. Prohibition on “graven images.” So is this going to be a big problem in Catholic Schools in Louisiana or are they exempt? There is no graven image law in the Catholic Bible. If the Louisiana government chooses the Protestant version of the 10C for schools, the second commandment will be targeted to Catholic statuary and even crucifix jewelry. The graven image thing is very tricky, but however you interpret it, it has nothing to do with any ethical or moral behavior. Two down.

3: Taking the Lord’s name in vain. A lot of people think this applies to general swearing (H-E- double-hockey-sticks is a good hack that always fools the Lord) but that’s not the case. The original context was that the sacred name of YHWH could not be used in magic spells. In other words, it was a prohibition against competing priests/shamans usurping Levite power. It wasn’t about the F word or the S word. It was about magical competition, like stealing a spell at Hogwarts.

4: Keeping one or other of the Sabbaths: Which Sabbath shall we celebrate, Saturday or Sunday? And this is important for you sinners out there who sneak out to work on the Sabbath, because YWHW proclaimed the death penalty for those who work on the Lord’s day.

“Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.” – Ex. 35:2. 

Clear enough?

Shut down that lawn mower and get inside before He notices.

Republicans hate government overreach, unless the government is doing the work of God, their God. The fundamentalist version of all four major global religions is relentlessly misogynist.

https://www.facebook.com/sean.oleary.182/

Two spiritual experts of the Hindu Buddhist, or similar persuasion, who believe in reincarnation, my question is: space what happens if the planet you were planning on returning to is no longer habitable. 

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As Ultra Orthodox thugs in Israel illegally prevent women from boarding trains, US Christian fanatics deprive women of the right to control their own bodies and Islamist officials in Iran continue to arrest women for not wearing the right outfits, I am reminded once again that the fundamentalist version of all religions are misogynist.

Why do people who don't "believe" in face masks care if other people wear them?.

Why do people who don't want their kids to read books insist on taking that option away from everyone.

Why do people who are concerned about religious rights think the rest of us should pay our taxes to subsidize their buildings and operations? 

Why do people who benefit from government in every phase of their lives think they should not had to pay for it?

It occurs to me that leaving money in the offering plate at church is basically leaving Jesus a tip.

The climate crisis is growing faster than we can document and real consequences are happening around the planet. And yet, a topic that seriously considers the probability of the earth becoming unlivable for humans is simply not discussed in middle class social situations. Why, it's just awkward, isn't it?

Visit RapidClimateChange.org for a current update from a global perspective. Youl will be stunned at what is happening right now. Link

One of the reasons humans can't seem to handle the impending shock of climate change is because it is a hyperobject. Defined as something so huge or beyond the scope of human experience that the mind utterly rejects it, even while understanding it.

Tinkle down economics is the sound of bilionaires and oligarchs pissing on your head.

RapidClimateChange.org

While more and more people are "getting" the fact that the changing climate is now an existential emergency, it is still considered impolite to discuss the most critical challenge the species has ever faced in social situations. But we were having such a nice dinner....

Astro (the Jetson's dog) is not given enough credit for his influence on Scooby Doo as an actor.