Thoughts of a Freethinker

When I saw the headline that Taylor Swift's performances of music had messages about Satanic rituals it reminded me of the how many times preachers/politicians who own a pulpit have thought they were brilliant at interpreting art. Of course, why shouldn't they think this when they have stood for hours in front of people telling them what "this scripture means." I wish my brain were not so old and could remember all the times I've heard of preachers/politicians declaring this or that to be a Satanic or sin-filled message. Some come to mind. One was the famous song done by Peter, Paul and Mary, Puff the Magic Drago n. Neither the singers nor the composer knew Puff referred to illegal drugs. But some Christians knew. Probably there are religious people who blame all drug use on poor Puff. Another whacko one was Jerry Falwell declaring that Tinky-Winky, a Teletubby character, was gay. It's not only that Tinky-Winky was gay, but Tinky-Winky was recruiting little ch...

German Catholics had scheduled a vote on allowing same sex blessings knowing full well the vote would approve. Rome knew the vote would approve as well. So, Rome sent a letter directing the vote be delayed. A German Archbishop said that, yes , the vote could be delayed. But, the Archbishop, in some of the best flowerily language I've seen, said talks between Rome and Germany need to take place. He has given several possible dates for such talks and Rome has been unable to schedule.  On top of that is the little game of "Synology." This refers to receiving input from across the religion about religious matters. The Pope has an on-going Synology project going worldwide. Germany has one in Germany. Obviously, the one in Germany has yielded strong support for Catholic blessing of same sex marriage. There is an outrageously funny public statement by the German Archbishop that in matters of Synology Germany and Rome are on the same page. No, they are not and the Archbishop know...

When the gullible and uninformed Donald Trump appointed judges who promised to overturn Roe, he put in place the necessary legal ingredients for an Alabama court to ban the flushing of fertilized eggs. Millions of those fertilized eggs sit in freezers, mostly they will not be used to implant pregnancies. The inability to destroy unused fertilized eggs means doctors and clinics can no longer take the risk of freezing them for couples. It seems the end of invitro in Alabama. If the concept spreads it has the potential of being the end to invitro in several states.  The logic of Alabama is straight forward. If one fertilized cell is a human being, then destroying it is murder. End of story. That couples want to have babies is not important. One fertilized cell is. A well-known conservative publication says it is an overstatement of the case to say it will stop invitro fertilization. It says some fertilized eggs were dropped and the parents who were to use them were wronged and are sui...

When women are pregnant, it is their fault. They must give birth as punishment. When a woman is raped, let's check out what she was wearing or how she acted. If a woman did not scream when she was raped, she was not raped (re Donald Trump in a department store women's changing area). I'm sure a large majority of self-identified Christians would criticize a preacher who says women are the cause of rape. But, across much of Christianity there is a cloud over women. With Catholics, women are "blessed" with the power to give births. Only men were blessed with the ability to be priests. Men in Conservative Protestant denominations make up other reasons why they do not allow women to be preachers. I heard a preacher in a conservative branch of Lutheranism explain that "Men came first, Adam. God meant for them to remain first."  The sad result of "freedom of religion" is that there are winners and losers in the aftermath. In a large share of Christian...

Evita Peron died in 1953. Madonna player her in a gripping film a couple of decades ago. Her husband, Juan, was a three-term President of Argentina. Evita attracted a cult following which continues to this day. Evita has been worked into the Catholic faith of Argentina. The link tells of a working-class woman who attends daily mass. While there has never been official recognition of Evita in the church, this woman routinely includes Evita in the saints she prays to.  The link discusses others interviewed about their feelings towards Evita. While she is hated by many, her devotees regard her as someone who cared, and still cares, about them. I have not re watched the Evita film for several years but I call how dramatically it portrayed both the deep love for her and the bitter hatred. To me, it mirrored our today's U.S. politics. This Evita passion followed a natural path into religion.  Some pundits say that after Donald Trump U.S. politics will move on and he will be a distan...

When I've discussed deaths from car crashes before, over 30,000 per year, commenters have said, "They just happen. They cannot be compared to the intentional death of a baby (when it is one fertilized cell)." These comments are nonsense. Engineers design roads, elected people set speed limits and budgets for enforcement and allow cell phones and in dashboard screens knowing full well deaths will result. They simply do what is popular regardless of loss of life. "Every life" is not sacred." The cause of the new spike in deaths is caused by "driver distraction" and "speed." It's ridiculous to claim these deaths are inevitable.   The reason "right to life" does not care about deaths in car crashes is there is no villain to demonize. Or, almost worse, the villain is themselves and all of us. How do you raise money if you demonize those who write checks.  I learned at my parent knees about Christian politics. I recall as a child...

The New Testament writer referred to as "Paul" continues to be a job creator. A small army of people have made their living writing and preaching about what Paul said or did not say since the first Bibles. First, it was scribes recopying the Bible. Later people paid for printed Bibles. Then people gave money or bought books and article from colleges, seminaries, churches and non profits which, in turn, employed people. After 2,000 years we can conclude we know nothing more than was known at the beginning of Christianity.  The link author says he does not want to be another pundit who says, "For once and for all, I have figured out precisely what Paul and therefore God meant in the Bible." He notes correctly there is a new such person showing up in books and press releases often. He claims the Bible tells us what Paul wrote. Paul narratives fall into four categories he says. One is he was converted to Jesus and left Jewish law behind. Another is that Paul was not hun...

S yncretism is the blending, or maybe we would say today, the bending, of one culture with another. Inevitably this ends up in whatever syncretized religion the culture prefers. Thus, syncretism is going on in religion today. Christian pollster George Barna has pushed the alarm button and says about 95% of the U.S. population approves of syncretism.   I think I'm correct in saying that in sociology, the changes in beliefs and values falls under the broad category of cultural change. For example, there has been a cultural change that results in people leaving Christianity. To someone like George Barna, interested in religion and religious views, the important thing is to follow precisely what views or cultural values have changed and give labels to the changes. Parts of academia, especially religion, is big on giving various views names. Thus, Barna plots what he finds are the various kinds on religious views that have merged with Christianity in the syncretism that is taking p...

Forced Birth sites exploded like the 4th of July fireworks when someone said that Trump said in a conversation something like, "Let's go with 16 weeks. It's an even four months." Sixteen weeks would allow nine out of ten abortions to be legal. Add to that abortions allowed because of rape, life threats to the mother and fetuses with no survival and he has moved quite far from Mississippi and Texas. Forced Birthers want no abortions. Let the fun begin. Anyone who follows politics at all understands why Trump has brought up 16 weeks. While one might say, "Forced birth people put him in office. He needs them again to win." From his perspective, however, the conclusion is, "Forced birth people burned their bridges with both Democrats and independents. They have nowhere to go except me. They will support 16 weeks."  One has the recall Trump's logic. It is that people make deals with each other and loyalty toward him prevails. He thinks that because ...

When TV is discussed on written pages it is a foreign world to me. I'm not proud of my TV diet or critical of others who spend more time there, it just evaporated with me in old age. So it was amusing to learn of a quite successful TV series that is about religion. It is called The Chosen . The Chosen apparently centers on Jesus and his life with those around him including his disciples. The Catholic link writer takes to task the series. He laments its popularity. Why would a good Catholic lament a popular TV series where people learn about Jesus? He hates it because it is about the WRONG JESUS. Who is the right Jesus? I'm not sure I really understand but it is not a "regular guy" Jesus. It is not the "bro Jesus" on The Chosen or in other places. Apparently the "proper" Jesus is taught about in the Catholic Church and it is not to be replaced with some other version. The Chosen  is written by Protestants and came from some branch that likes the bro...

Some law enforcement personnel are speaking privately about what is happening in Texas. The razor wire and tough looking Texas National Guard are merely pretending to stop border crossing from Mexico. Neither Gov. Abbot, President Trump nor President Biden has been able to stem the flow. Gov. Abbot likes for the press to take pictures of his razor wire near the border. Trump like the imagery of high walls. Both tell a simple story that a politician is doing something about border crossings. People are still coming across. Some of the law enforcement personnel know the obstacles serve a political purpose and do not accomplish much of anything.  According to news reports, the border crossers are now people from all over the world. China's economic problems are causing large numbers of people with funds to travel to Mexico, hire transportation to the border and cross. They are picked up by government buses and processed for entry. We have all heard of large cities being inundated with...

We've all been taught we should not curse. Perhaps that is somewhat universal. We're not to scream "FIRE" in a crowded theater. Are there other universal prohibitions about speech? Certainly there are groups who regard some speech to be so harmful as to be prohibited.  Right now in state legislatures are topics conservative legislators want not discussed. These include the topic called "racial history." For decades they have not wanted sex education to be taught. They do not want trans to be mentioned as an option.  Just now in Germany there is a liberal versus conservative speech battle. Liberals do not want pro-life prayers spoken in public. Until 2022 it was illegal in Germany for abortion providers to advertise. Why it is imperative to pray out loud anywhere for anything is my question? I did not read carefully to find out why pro life prayers were being spoken in public in Germany. In the U.S. pro life demonstrators regularly shout loud "prayers...

Quite an exhaustive article appeared recently about Vatican finances. It provides at least some understanding of where Vatican money comes from the where it goes. The Vatican has been running deficits for several years, drawing on it vast reserves. An estimate in the link is this can continue for perhaps five more years. Efforts to reverse the annual deficit have been underway for years but have so far failed. All those who make a living inside religious organizations have the same dilemma. How can they appear to be following some set of moral standards or some moral code when those who donate money have many different views? Those who contribute can leave the church or denomination whenever they choose. As an outsider, it seems like whatever I read of work done by those in the Vatican it is foolishness. I've read every image of "Mary" in a broken window or on a piece of toast is to be solemnly investigated. If funds are short, why devote even one penny of time to such no...

Professor Karen Swallow Prior has taught at various Christian right universities and writes interesting blogs. Her recent one took to task a micro industry within Christianity that brags up "Biblical Manhood." Swallow Prior calls the Biblical Manhood industry a scam. Biblical Manhood sells publications, holds profitable seminars and takes donations. The scam label comes from making money on the use of "Biblical" which, Swallow Prior says, does not exist. Passages from the Bible claiming to justify male superiority over females are taken out of context.  I applaud Swallow Prior's effort the call out this exploitative industry. It's a shame any men, or women, think men are superior to women or visa versa.  While Swallow Prior is right to condemn taking money from the gullible by playing to their preconceived notions or fragile egos, her effort is futile. The "Biblical Manhood" industry is a business model that represents the entire vast industry call...

Five years ago, Pope Francis convened a large group of Bishops, etc., to solve the problem of priests who sexually abuse children. A recent article by a professor at a Catholic University reviewed what has happened since.  It is not easy to summarize the results of that confab nor where things stand today. One positive result was that in 2019 the Pope abolished the rule that dictated all abuse was to be kept secret inside the church. One has to ask why such a rule was ever put into place? Why was it kept in place by world famous Popes such as Paul and Benedict? They traveled the world passing by adoring crowds in the Popemobile while holding evil secrets.  The link mentions that Pope Francis directed the person in charge of clean up to report all abuse allegations and, I assume, track their resolution. This, according to the link author, is an assignment beyond the amount of personnel funded by the Pope.  The Freedom From Religion Foundation devotes several pages in each ...

An interesting national figure in all the commentary on the decline in Christian numbers is George Barna. Barna was raised Catholic but became and remains an evangelical Christian. He runs a survey firm located in a Christian university in Arizona and seems to have endless funding for surveys . He is a featured speaker and publishes a lot. Barna is unusual in that he defends the faith while honestly reporting its decline.  Maybe Barna's own parents indoctrinated him, or maybe he successfully indoctrinated his children. Whatever the reason, he is convinced parents can indoctrinate their children and reverse the decline of numbers in the faith. Today this is not happening and will not be happening perhaps ever again. Parents want their children to study religion for themselves and decide for themselves. In many or even most cases the parents of the parents did this with their children. Hamming home sin, heaven, hell, walking on water and all the rest just is not going to happen. Chil...

I'm sure there are many college classes which focus on music performed in churches. There must be tomes written on the subject. The music now performed in the church I grew up in is today so different as to be unrecognizable. It seems like deciding what is "good church music" is like deciding what is "good food." Yet, there are people making a living telling others they themselves are authorities on what is good and bad church music. The link says, among other things, pipe organs are the best musical instruments.   I recall an evening as a boy attending our local evangelical church in our town of 100 people. It was a special night because my uncle was preaching. He was a missionary in Alaska and came to area once or twice a year to visit his parents, my grandparents. One that night he riffed into the topic of music and complimented our little church, the one he attended growing up on our farm, on its ordinary old hymns. It was good, he said, our music did not ha...

Who is in charge of the huge arch of human experience on planet earth to see if humans are doing what it takes to survive over thousands of years into the future? The answer, of course, is no one. There are a few people looking at it and writing about it, but no central authority has the responsibility to guide human behavior and activity toward a sustainable path. The link points out a couple of interesting facts about we humans. We now think our first humans-like ancestors came into being about 300,000 years ago. That would make the number of generations of humans at about 15,000. That is, each of us has 15,000 grandparents who lived before us.  During nearly all of those 300,000 years, humans lived on a sustainable path. Unsustainability started only 10,000 years ago. That is when humans stopped walking around finding food and started living in one place by planting and growing foods. Prior to that, the same technology was mostly passed down from one generation to the next....

Republicans including their Forced Birth subgroup is bother by recent election results and polling. All show young women going to the left. A poll shows young women are 30% more likely to be very liberal than young men. The link advises the Forced Birth community to give young pregnant women an uplifting message. The message suggested is, "Buck up. You've got this. You can give birth and have a happy life." Another way of saying this is, "It will be OK if you miss work and/or are fired because of the birth. If you cannot make your rent payment, it's OK. Somewhere out there is another place to live. We don't know where but be optimistic."   This is an add on to the new version of the Forced Birth message, "We're for both the baby and the mother." They are not and never have been for the mother. Their message has always been to condemn women who have abortions. Now, the "thoughts and prayers" message, which costs no money, it the me...

Every year just before the Super Bowl there are press releases about players who are Christians. I don't know if the players themselves bring up the topic or if reporters/writers ask about their religion so the writers can fill some inches in the Christain media. I think most of the time it is the latter. What players had to say in the link is not all that obnoxious, they did not say "God wants me to win the Super Bowl." If the 200 or so players who suite up for both teams this Sunday represent a cross section of U.S. society, a slight majority would say they "believe in God." These would be scattered among many versions of God, evangelical, liberal Protestant, Catholic, Mormon, etc. Larger than any one of the categories of "Christian" would be "Nones", those who do not identify with any religion.  Why are there stories about the Christians but not about the Nones? It is because there is money in the Christian media. The Nones have, well, non...

Some years ago on this blog there was a discussion about what the Bible calls "The hardened heart." The "hardened heart" was the explanation given for why people like me cannot accept the tenets of Christianity. We are unable to believe there are floating spirits and gods or imaginary places people go when the die. Now, a prominent Christian preacher and author has given us a way to diagnose the "hardened heart." It contained some surprises.  Rev. John Piper, who spoke about the hardened heart, said we can see this in a person who lacks "ordinary tenderness and compassion." He went on to describe the characteristics of a person without the affliction of the hardened heart. A healthy person displays empathy and sympathy. Those with the hardened heart are like stone. Jesus wanted compassion for the poor. The hardened heart discussion referred to atheists only if they are sinners and then it was indirectly. Sin, Piper said, hardens one's heart a...

Not only are large numbers of people crossing borders into the U.S., it is happening in Europe as well. There is concern in England about the large number who are using conversion to Christianity as justification for official admittance. Many former jail and prison inmates in the U.S.  have admitted to converting in order to get a chaplain's endorsement for parole. Christianity has its dark side. The clergy in the U.K. have assured officials that all Muslims converted to Christianity "are sincere." The problem is even more complicated because refugees sometimes claim they are under attack back home because they are gay and need to leave for their own protection. The opportunity to lie is everywhere.  I wonder if and when an atheist, or fake atheist, will use atheism to gain the confidence of other atheists and exploitate them. Surely it has happened, but the stories are always about Christians. Perhaps the skepticism that causes atheists to doubt Christianity spills over ...

  Among the nooks and crannies where people argue about what seem to others as tiny issues is a debate about the Puritans. The debate seems to be about whether we today should refer to them with great respect or with ridicule. If the Puritans were like any other group of humans they had many different views, ideas and disagreements. In general, it seems like the original settlers came here for a variety of reasons, religious, secular and economic. They brought with them knowledge about how things were run where they came from and tried to put some of it in place on this continent.  The Puritans were a different group from the Pilgrims. The former wanting to purify the Church of England and the latter wanting to separate from it. Controversies in Christianity, the more things change the more they stay the same. If you were a nonbeliever at the time, or, an American Indian for that matter, listening to the two groups argue religion must have made eyes roll. Records of these grou...

The Fuller Theological Seminary is located in conservative Southern California. One would not expect it to be liberal but it's California. You would not expect it to be like Mississippi.  It markets itself as a place open to discussion of contrary views. But, it retains a policy of requiring a pledge of opposition to LGBT+ sexual practices. A student leader who was put on the Seminary payroll to supervise and administer needs of the Senior class was told every employee must sign the anti LGBT pledge. She did not agree with Fuller's requirement. Furthermore, she had already accepted a job offer from a more liberal denomination. Signing the pledge would have not only violated her conscience but been at odds with her new employer. She reasoned that because Fuller advertised itself as a place where different views could coexist, she could negotiate not signing. She was fired .  I've noticed variations of Fuller's political behavior across the board by right wing Christianit...

Little quiz: Which religious groups are in favor of separation of church and state and which religious groups want more of it? Most who follow such arguments would agree what are labeled liberal denominations are more in favor of separation while what are labeled conservative are not. Conservatives make the argument that separation of church and state is itself an endorsement of a political group. The implication is liberal separation of church and state is also an endorsement of a religious point of view.  In arguing this, conservatives are agreeing with atheists. Politics and religion are the same thing or travel in an identical lane.    The link laments the new left leaning religious groups who have training sessions on, I'm paraphrasing here, how to use religion to gain political advantage. At least, that is my understanding of the link. The link author is criticizing this activity by the left.  Of course, there has always been use by the left of religious argume...

There is new and alarming information that oceans are warming faster than predicted. More research is needed to understand better the rate and predict its pattern. That it is happening and that the consequences of will be serious seems clear . Let's review the issues that conservative Republicans and right-wing religious leaders are talking about these days. Here in Iowa, the Republican dominated legislature just started and the concerns of Republicans is still rest rooms in schools. When they are not talking about that it is bills to limit what issues in our history are approved to be discussed in schools. There is still the banning of books. A Forced Birth bill is advancing even though the State's Supreme Court has put a stay on the one passed last year. Every week, it seems, another town announces a drinking water ban because factory hog farms have polluted water sources. The state's city water fees have been raised to pay for fertilizer removal.  The state has big relig...