There are times, rare though they be, that I question my distance from any religion. Passover, Easter, and Christmas are all reminders of my isolation from the majority in our society. I desire the camaraderie, however, my cognitive thinking will not allow me to embrace religious "faith".
Speaking of faith:
I cast my vote for President Obama. It was not based upon any slogan, like "Change". I did not dare to dream that his campaign slogans would be executed. I am a cynic. A cynic steeped in the reality of a half century of disappointment. Some have a collective memory that encompasses many centuries.
Thanks to all for allowing me to take this walk down memory lane.
In preparation for this diary, my draft included links. I've concluded, it's a waste of your time. (I've accepted my human need for a spiritual connection. Can you believers give me a break?)
If you desire, links to "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Everything is Illuminated" are available. The movies speak for themselves. If you are unable to consider ideas outside your narrow circle, unwilling to expand your universe of empathy for others, don't waste your time with this poorly written diary.
This is a bait and switch diary. Words are precious, as is time. Please, allow me to share my thoughts for the day. Tomorrow is yet another day.
Like many of you, my email is full of suggested reading. Unfortunately, some (maybe most) of what I receive is influence peddling. Multi-tasking is overrated. My goal is to give quality time to ideas that resonate. Please join me in the trip down the rabbit hole of the MSM. (Please leave your prescription medication in a safe place for future enjoyment. This is the segway?)
The following Washington Post headline was no doubt intended to raise a few "hairs". I found it comical.
Washington Post – Obama's numbers down, but he's still a 2012 contender
I refuse to provide a link to this insulting, demeaning piece of bs. A "contender" you morons, Barack Obama cleaned your clocks in 2008. He is the reigning champion. (I"m sure the President will be offended by my boxing analogy.) My answer to the Washington Post, hell awaits you. Time has provided me with a satirical preview of your business plan.
(Please consider I'm under no obligation to recognize the danger to my immortal cosmic energy. (I hope the string theorists will save me.)
This article, written by Bill Saporito, is brilliant. His sarcasm and humor are interlaced with factual journalism. This kind of reporting delivers a fix of laughter, and illumination for the brain. My grandchildren will love this. (kudos if you find the transposition typo, or other imperfections in the article, grammar purist, I'm talking to you)
http://www.time.com/...
Rob Bell's Hell: A Threat to the Evangelical Business Plan
By BILL SAPORITO
There are more reasons than mere theology why Evangelical Christian leaders are raising Cain over the message now being wholesaled by the Rev. Rob Bell of Mars Hill Bible Church, featured in TIME's current cover story, "What If There's No Hell?" Bell's I'm-O.K.-you're-O.K., we're-not-going-to-hell-today spin is not merely a refutation of a basic belief. If this piece of theological reordering takes hold, it's the Evangelicals' business plan that's going to hell.
Fire and brimstone has been one of the Evangelicals' main product lines. It's based on a zero-sum outcome: heaven or hell. Believe or perish. And part of the deal, at least in practical application, is that you can't get spiritually right without monetarily supporting the church. Pay to play, in other words. It's the same with most religions. No one says so in those crude terms - it's all about the mission - but a sales pitch is a sales pitch, even one accompanied by a choir. You can't build the Crystal Cathedral on prayer alone. There's a mortgage to pay. (See pictures in a brief history of hell.)
But what happens if Bell is right? Is it possible that the return on eternity on these contributions has dropped compared with other spiritual investments? For instance, maybe there's a bigger ROE in giving to the poor or volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. Tithing your church may be too much of an investment risk if the returns are less certain. (See TIME's cover story, "Is Hell Dead?")
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see also: The cover story that inspired Mr. Saporito's article.
http://www.time.com/...
Is Hell Dead?
By Jon Meacham