Today is Wednesday, January 5th, 2005: The 339th anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth and final Sikh master, and the last day of
Passion '05 in Nashville.
Today's Categories are:
Tsunami
Reports are beginning to roll in on amounts raised for tsunami relief. RNR read somewhere total private donations from the US exceed $200 million. Chuck Currie
sez the UCC's pledged $300,000 while Catholic Healthcare West has
kicked in $250,000
alone. Church World Service has
given $1,000,000 and pledges $5 million more. Meanwhile, Medecins Sans Frontiers has
put out the word: we've got enough to fund our efforts! Give to somebody else.
Some people have all the luck.
For sheer generosity, though, we think it's hard to top the Buddhist congregation in British Columbia, who hope to sell their temple for $500,000 and donate the money to a Canadian government matching fund.
Meanwhile, the debate over the politics of relief efforts continues. Common Dreams thinks tsunami victims might end up being hurt by the squeeze the mess in Iraq puts on governments and charitable groups, and considers the question of US stinginess. Alan Keyes' blog disagrees, as does Beliefnet's Loose Cannon.
We've written here already that this back-and-forth over who's generous and who's not is counterproductive. But we have to ask conservative commentators: where are you getting the notion that Jan Egeland was chastising the US? Seemed pretty clear to us that he was taking all the developed nations to task, and not just on the tsunami.
Seriously. Where does this come from?
The LATimes and WaPo have similar considerations of religious perspectives on the disaster. The first is better than the second, in our humble opinion.
Religion & Politics
Get Religion has an interesting post about pro-lifers, and why they might support Roe v. Wade. Short version: keeping abortion legal but morally unacceptable may produce fewer abortions than simply outlawing it.
Chuck Currie passes on a copy of an open letter from some 225+ religious leaders opposing Alberto Gonzalez's cabinet nomination.
Typically, Jesus' General is not pleased:
I see that Chuck Currie and over 250 other "religious leaders" are expressing concerns about Our Leader's choice for Inquisitor General. It's like they think torture is a bad thing. Thank the Lord that they are outnumbered by Godly men like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell who devote all of their efforts to fighting the twin scourges of homosexuality and Darwinism.
RNR only has a couple of things to add: Church Folks, figure out a way for other folks to sign your statements! And Chuck, bubbalah, use extended text boxes!!
Here's a story that's sure to get a lot of play: the Bush administration is pushing states to increase the share of grants they disburse to faith-based groups. It is the law, but RNR wonders why we're getting reports that even groups in Georgia and Alabama that receive FBI dollars say they're not faith-based? Or that most of those dollars go to already-established organizations that more than likely would have been funded even before those initiatives? Those groups even include county government, for goshsakes.
You don't suppose the whole "Faith-Based Initiatives" thing could be a shallow attempt to grab political capital by laying claim to the mantle of piety while avoiding any extra layout of cash, do you?
Nah. Couldn't be.
Catholic News
Only two quick hits here: it's being widely reported the Catholic diocese of Orange County has settled sexual-abuse claims to the tune of $100 million, a record so far. See here for more links.
CNS is reporting that up to 23 Catholic bishops could retire in 2005. What that means for the shape of American Catholicism is anyone's guess.
This 'n' That
Neither here nor there, but the United Methodist Church is mourning the loss of Shirley Chisholm and Robert Matsui, both of whom were Methodists.
Pam sez that several "marriage commissioners" in British Columbia have resigned, rather than perform same-sex civil ceremonies. But there's usually a waiting list for commissioners, and all 20 of 'em have been replaced.
Nice wedding pictures, by the way.
Warning: up to eight children's program stars may be gay! Thank God Jesus' General is on the case:
We're watching you, Bob. Wait, no...
The Plymouth [Wisconsin] Review has a great editorial about a Christian cartoonist's "run-in" with a surprisingly generous Annie Gaylor of the Freedom from Religion Foundation. RNR had to laugh: we grew up down the street from the Gaylors, and we sang in the State Capitol Christmas Pageant FFRF sued over. You can't imagine how beautiful the acoustics can be in a marble dome...
The Church of the Brethren and several other historic peace churches recently took a meeting with the Selective Service. Apparently, there was an "invitation by Selective Service for the Church of the Brethren, as a historic peace church, to develop a plan for alternative service opportunities."
According to one Brethren official:
The council understood from the background material given that Selective Service, or the Bush administration, have no plans in the offing to institute a new draft...There have been discussions during the past two presidential administrations of the eventual possibility of some kind of general national service. Selective Service officials explained to General Board staff that they want alternative service opportunities to be in place if and when such a program would be launched.
Why is that not reassuring?
Last link: an anonymous correspondant made this comment on RNR's cross-posted diary on "What's in the Bible?":
Nothing like a little revisionism.
Since we've been reading and appreciating Jesus' General lately, we thought we might respond in the General's style:
Dear Anonymous:
Good on you for masking your true identity while challenging this evil false teaching. You never know what those sissified French Christ-haters might do to you if they got ahold of your e-mail address.
And you wouldn't want to actually dialogue with them! Heavens, no! They might somehow subvert your true manliness. Before you knew it, you'd be reading Marcus Borg and shopping for cheap, poorly-made furniture at some Swedish megastore.
Commenting anonymously is the safest strategy.
Yours in Intelligent Design,
Pastor Dan.