Listen, I'm tied up in basketball and school, but will someone please, PLEASE give the English clergyman who can't get a job a break. His blog is always concerned with the poor oafs' plead for a job, or,in the alternative, money.
The guy has had mental problems for years but wants some parish to trust him with their spiritual well being. He has a blog following of half-crazies,but If some parish would let him hang around, his "community" would probably send the parish money.
So could some parish PLEASE help!!!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Friday, December 18, 2009
Oral and Glass Houses
As a catholic, I have to put up with our treacherous hierarchy. So some time ago I checked on the Anglican blogs. Man, was it interesting! Have you ever heard a catfight. Multiply the fight by the millions and you have Anglican blogville.
Of course, one blog stands out. I won't name it because tthe 'owner' is well---I hate to say it---not too stable and he might get depressed---for the 500th time.
There have been some comments on the death of Oral Roberts on the blog I'm writing about. But, and this is amazing, the blog owner can't see he is the Anglican oral. Why?
Well, first he runs a prayer site. His followers run to their computers and type "Prayers ascending." As of this time, God apparently has not caught the ascending prayers. Just like Oral, this blog is a bit fuzzy as to what has been achieved by the ascending prayers.
But the blogger is a siamese twin of Oral in soliciting money from the faithful. And get this!!!You can send him money for his "ministry" using PayPal. Yeah, that's right!!! Now at least Oral and most of the TV preachers decided a few years ago to reveal their finances--of the ministry, that is. But not this Anglican blogger. He doesn't give the faintest hint as to his collections and where the money goes. Just like Oral in the old days. Send me the money. Don't ask questions!!
Now, I don't know how his Church views this sacred panhandling. I know his blog "community" loves it. The blog owner, at times prints one of his sermons and the "community" literally faints with excitement. The "community" is well worth studying. There's a witchy old lady in the southern states of the US, and a ango-catholic in Chicago, I think, who feed the blog owner's ego in extremis. Oh Yeah, the blog owner ignores Bach, Mozart et al and is madly devoted to Rock-and-Roll.
So get to that blog and have a merry Christmas. Hey don't forget to send that money---by Paypal.
Of course, one blog stands out. I won't name it because tthe 'owner' is well---I hate to say it---not too stable and he might get depressed---for the 500th time.
There have been some comments on the death of Oral Roberts on the blog I'm writing about. But, and this is amazing, the blog owner can't see he is the Anglican oral. Why?
Well, first he runs a prayer site. His followers run to their computers and type "Prayers ascending." As of this time, God apparently has not caught the ascending prayers. Just like Oral, this blog is a bit fuzzy as to what has been achieved by the ascending prayers.
But the blogger is a siamese twin of Oral in soliciting money from the faithful. And get this!!!You can send him money for his "ministry" using PayPal. Yeah, that's right!!! Now at least Oral and most of the TV preachers decided a few years ago to reveal their finances--of the ministry, that is. But not this Anglican blogger. He doesn't give the faintest hint as to his collections and where the money goes. Just like Oral in the old days. Send me the money. Don't ask questions!!
Now, I don't know how his Church views this sacred panhandling. I know his blog "community" loves it. The blog owner, at times prints one of his sermons and the "community" literally faints with excitement. The "community" is well worth studying. There's a witchy old lady in the southern states of the US, and a ango-catholic in Chicago, I think, who feed the blog owner's ego in extremis. Oh Yeah, the blog owner ignores Bach, Mozart et al and is madly devoted to Rock-and-Roll.
So get to that blog and have a merry Christmas. Hey don't forget to send that money---by Paypal.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Who might need therapy???
Suppose you are a psychologist and two 15 year olds come to you for advice.
Joe says God has personally called him to live the rest of his life serving God and told Joe he must never have any sexual thoughts whatsoever, never be physically attracted to any male or female, never fall in love, believe women are a temptation to rightiousness, never desire to have children as that would be to slight God.
Jim says he is physically attracted to another boy and desires to have sexual contact with him and has thought of his friend while engaged in personal sexual activity.
Which of the two boys--Joe or Jim--would you think was in danger of developing a "personality disorder?"
Joe says God has personally called him to live the rest of his life serving God and told Joe he must never have any sexual thoughts whatsoever, never be physically attracted to any male or female, never fall in love, believe women are a temptation to rightiousness, never desire to have children as that would be to slight God.
Jim says he is physically attracted to another boy and desires to have sexual contact with him and has thought of his friend while engaged in personal sexual activity.
Which of the two boys--Joe or Jim--would you think was in danger of developing a "personality disorder?"
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Vocations and Callings
Football has distracted me from blogdom for a time, but I want to return to some thoughts about religion.
It is interesting to see that 'religious' persons are almost constantly involved in condeming those who do not agree with them to zillions of years of punishment. The reason religious people spend almost all their time wishing the worst for others, not of their faith, can be found with a little reflextion. The precepts of religion deal with things not subject to rational analysis. This does not mean that a person should not have religious beliefs(we all do), but it does mean that religious beliefs are just beliefs---they cannot be proven. Therefore every absurdity has been held important by some believers. After all, I can believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary, BUT in no way can I prove it to be true.
As a Catholic(sorry "Mr. Mole" you's just have to put up with me), I really don't get very bent out of shape by the doctrine of infallibility. Our church was challenged by science and modern thought in the 19th century, so thy propounded the doctrine that the Pope could not be in error on matter of faith and morals----in other words religion. And the fundamentalist protestants assure us that everyword in the Bible was correct, no matter how ridiculous.Both Catholics and many protestants were telling us there was NO way their beliefs could possibly be in error. So the hard line catholics believe some freakish little Italian (Pius 12) and a former Nazi soldier HAVE to be right on all serious matters of religion. And, Oh, those Bible believeing Christians!! They find a few lines in an ancient book and say it MUST be true because God dictated it. So some of us Catholics (like "The Mole") assure us that any one who defies the Guy in Rome with the red shoes is facing eternal damnation, and possibly may have a very hot future for eternity. And the Bible believeing group says we WILL face the same future, possibly,if we don't believe every page, every word in some old texts. BTW most other world religions have the same fights.
And since we really don't KNOW about the "other" world, most religions feel quite free to make something up to help their cause.
So I want to say a word about "vocations". Almost all preachers, priests, ministers like to inflate their own image by claiming that some being ("GOD") has picked them out as his fovorites and set them above all other people. Protestants use the word "called" and Catholics use the term "vocation." No one I have ever heard of can define these words. Here's the logic: A young man decides to become a priest;ergo that proves he has a "vocaton."A protestant chooses do be a minister,ergo that proves he was called. Somehow this seems backward to me. I prove I was "called" or God gave me a "vocation" just because I choose a certain occupation. After all did God, defined as omnisient, not in time, calls priests and ministers who have a strong proclivity to, for example, sexually molest young kids.
Now this is a special problem for us Catholics. To serve God in the highest. I must never "fall" into love with a member of the opposite sex, even have sexual thoughts. and , of course, not be bothered with those pesky children. B16 even praises those who LEAVE their families to be more favored by God. And this from your "family life" self appointed protectors.
Now, I'm not putting down priest , pastors, preachers whatever. Probably most of them are helpful. (I should note that a disproportionate number of homosexuals are 'tapped' by God to be Catholic priests. But since "vocations" come from a world we really can't know--just believe--I won't argue God's judgement here. )
We've all known priest, pastors, preachers , ministers. I think their professions are arrived at quite normally. They become interested in religion, they usually like to help people, they want to make a better world. Great. But to end on a sour note some of these guys and gals have other interest---like the body parts of the young. But nothing we can know is this world is perfect. s
It is interesting to see that 'religious' persons are almost constantly involved in condeming those who do not agree with them to zillions of years of punishment. The reason religious people spend almost all their time wishing the worst for others, not of their faith, can be found with a little reflextion. The precepts of religion deal with things not subject to rational analysis. This does not mean that a person should not have religious beliefs(we all do), but it does mean that religious beliefs are just beliefs---they cannot be proven. Therefore every absurdity has been held important by some believers. After all, I can believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary, BUT in no way can I prove it to be true.
As a Catholic(sorry "Mr. Mole" you's just have to put up with me), I really don't get very bent out of shape by the doctrine of infallibility. Our church was challenged by science and modern thought in the 19th century, so thy propounded the doctrine that the Pope could not be in error on matter of faith and morals----in other words religion. And the fundamentalist protestants assure us that everyword in the Bible was correct, no matter how ridiculous.Both Catholics and many protestants were telling us there was NO way their beliefs could possibly be in error. So the hard line catholics believe some freakish little Italian (Pius 12) and a former Nazi soldier HAVE to be right on all serious matters of religion. And, Oh, those Bible believeing Christians!! They find a few lines in an ancient book and say it MUST be true because God dictated it. So some of us Catholics (like "The Mole") assure us that any one who defies the Guy in Rome with the red shoes is facing eternal damnation, and possibly may have a very hot future for eternity. And the Bible believeing group says we WILL face the same future, possibly,if we don't believe every page, every word in some old texts. BTW most other world religions have the same fights.
And since we really don't KNOW about the "other" world, most religions feel quite free to make something up to help their cause.
So I want to say a word about "vocations". Almost all preachers, priests, ministers like to inflate their own image by claiming that some being ("GOD") has picked them out as his fovorites and set them above all other people. Protestants use the word "called" and Catholics use the term "vocation." No one I have ever heard of can define these words. Here's the logic: A young man decides to become a priest;ergo that proves he has a "vocaton."A protestant chooses do be a minister,ergo that proves he was called. Somehow this seems backward to me. I prove I was "called" or God gave me a "vocation" just because I choose a certain occupation. After all did God, defined as omnisient, not in time, calls priests and ministers who have a strong proclivity to, for example, sexually molest young kids.
Now this is a special problem for us Catholics. To serve God in the highest. I must never "fall" into love with a member of the opposite sex, even have sexual thoughts. and , of course, not be bothered with those pesky children. B16 even praises those who LEAVE their families to be more favored by God. And this from your "family life" self appointed protectors.
Now, I'm not putting down priest , pastors, preachers whatever. Probably most of them are helpful. (I should note that a disproportionate number of homosexuals are 'tapped' by God to be Catholic priests. But since "vocations" come from a world we really can't know--just believe--I won't argue God's judgement here. )
We've all known priest, pastors, preachers , ministers. I think their professions are arrived at quite normally. They become interested in religion, they usually like to help people, they want to make a better world. Great. But to end on a sour note some of these guys and gals have other interest---like the body parts of the young. But nothing we can know is this world is perfect. s
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Assumptions. We just say they are true. So they are?
Football season is here, so I've been away for a few days. But I have three topics I want to introduce here hoping I would get some kind of rational answer.
One. We use the word "God" in our vocabularies almost every day, but ,to be honest, I, and we, I suspect, have no idea what we are are talking about. Supreme being. What does that mean? It's just another way to say "God." The "creator." Means what? The ground of all being???And we could go on and on. I challenge anyone to define "God" without just making the definition more complex. And what is our relationship to God? Does he talk to me? Does he tell me what to do? Does he occupy space? Does he think? Does he have a brain? Etc.
Two. The "creationists" have pretty left any intellectual ground they stood on. So scientist and rational people agree. So I think we've cleared up biology. And almost no biologists or educated people even argue with the creationists anymore. Is the same situation prevailing in philosophy/science. Do the "new theists"seeing the triumph of science and its approach, find the field empty--- do these "new theists" have the field to themselves. So we get Keith Ward being considered seriously. After all, Ward and his group, like the "creationists" try to find something unexplained by science and then say that proves God. Ward, for example, fools a great many by finding something in Kant that can be twisted a bit, and alleluia, that almost proves theism.
Three. What in hell do we Catholics mean by "vocation."? The argument apparently means that God calls each of us to do something. In other words God tells me to be married(the bottom), single-celibate(one step up) or a priest(the highest "vocation."
The three things I've mentioned above have become such common assumptions that we don't even discuss them. I think I'll touch on each in the next few days. Be fun for me.
One. We use the word "God" in our vocabularies almost every day, but ,to be honest, I, and we, I suspect, have no idea what we are are talking about. Supreme being. What does that mean? It's just another way to say "God." The "creator." Means what? The ground of all being???And we could go on and on. I challenge anyone to define "God" without just making the definition more complex. And what is our relationship to God? Does he talk to me? Does he tell me what to do? Does he occupy space? Does he think? Does he have a brain? Etc.
Two. The "creationists" have pretty left any intellectual ground they stood on. So scientist and rational people agree. So I think we've cleared up biology. And almost no biologists or educated people even argue with the creationists anymore. Is the same situation prevailing in philosophy/science. Do the "new theists"seeing the triumph of science and its approach, find the field empty--- do these "new theists" have the field to themselves. So we get Keith Ward being considered seriously. After all, Ward and his group, like the "creationists" try to find something unexplained by science and then say that proves God. Ward, for example, fools a great many by finding something in Kant that can be twisted a bit, and alleluia, that almost proves theism.
Three. What in hell do we Catholics mean by "vocation."? The argument apparently means that God calls each of us to do something. In other words God tells me to be married(the bottom), single-celibate(one step up) or a priest(the highest "vocation."
The three things I've mentioned above have become such common assumptions that we don't even discuss them. I think I'll touch on each in the next few days. Be fun for me.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
From Lorry Driver to 'Prophet.'
There's this curate in England who is finding saving souls a bit of a drag. He wants more money. I can tell him how to hit it big, but he won't let me on his blog. I know the curate and his gang(losers mostly, but not all) come here at times. so out of my Christian charity I'm going to tell him how to make it big.
Let's start with the problem. The curate gives pretty good sermons, but they don't really "hit" you. They're a bit dry, but the gang loves them. As far as I can tell, no one has been struck by the "spirit" because of his sermons. So first he needs to "jazz up" these sermons.
You say how? All the really successful preachers, from Donne to Wesley to Billy Sunday to today's TV evangelistic preachers have their story. AND YES, this poor curate has a story. Sure does!! He was once a lorry driver just for starters. The lorry driving priest. Okay, just a starter. But it gets your attention. Then he had some kind of mental breakdown and was in an asylum(or hospital) for months or years or something. Hey, getting interesting, don't you think!! From the straight jacket to the altar. Now he is really going. And get this: his runs the foulest mouth blog to be found!!Well, a little titallation(get it) always helps. Now on top of this, he hates the Church he works for!!
Okay, he gets his gang to set up a TV talk show with his gang members as guests. The gang members have enough crazy stories to put Ophra to shame!! And he's on his way. Flooded by requests for speaking engagements.
Now you think this won't work. Look at a guy named Father J... He is literally worshipped by many because he has a STORY. He stole cars, was into drugs, apparently homeless for a while. So what did it get for Father J... Well, many Anglicans seem to think he has almost divine wisdom. Hundreds(okay, maybe 50--but that's a big number in Angliland) are looking to him to find the way out of the desert.
So mr. curate, get off your duff and hit the airwaves. Ask your members to send you "faith gifts" for your mission. Just make up a mission; tithe to the "missions" and keep 90 percent for yourself. Hell, you've beged for money before to support yourself.
Listen father, you've got everything going your way. Don't blow it.
Let's start with the problem. The curate gives pretty good sermons, but they don't really "hit" you. They're a bit dry, but the gang loves them. As far as I can tell, no one has been struck by the "spirit" because of his sermons. So first he needs to "jazz up" these sermons.
You say how? All the really successful preachers, from Donne to Wesley to Billy Sunday to today's TV evangelistic preachers have their story. AND YES, this poor curate has a story. Sure does!! He was once a lorry driver just for starters. The lorry driving priest. Okay, just a starter. But it gets your attention. Then he had some kind of mental breakdown and was in an asylum(or hospital) for months or years or something. Hey, getting interesting, don't you think!! From the straight jacket to the altar. Now he is really going. And get this: his runs the foulest mouth blog to be found!!Well, a little titallation(get it) always helps. Now on top of this, he hates the Church he works for!!
Okay, he gets his gang to set up a TV talk show with his gang members as guests. The gang members have enough crazy stories to put Ophra to shame!! And he's on his way. Flooded by requests for speaking engagements.
Now you think this won't work. Look at a guy named Father J... He is literally worshipped by many because he has a STORY. He stole cars, was into drugs, apparently homeless for a while. So what did it get for Father J... Well, many Anglicans seem to think he has almost divine wisdom. Hundreds(okay, maybe 50--but that's a big number in Angliland) are looking to him to find the way out of the desert.
So mr. curate, get off your duff and hit the airwaves. Ask your members to send you "faith gifts" for your mission. Just make up a mission; tithe to the "missions" and keep 90 percent for yourself. Hell, you've beged for money before to support yourself.
Listen father, you've got everything going your way. Don't blow it.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
From the Asylum
It is popular today among some to make fun of the "logical positivists" and people like A.J. Ayer. But their ideas are still needed.
So a multiple choice question:
The following quote was written by whom?
"Without eternal life (for all sentient beings) whether anything exists or not is irrelevant. Things only exist because they do. There is no reason for existence."
Anselm
Aquinas
Wittgenstein
Hume
Hagger
Extra credit for anyone able to explain what the quote means.
So a multiple choice question:
The following quote was written by whom?
"Without eternal life (for all sentient beings) whether anything exists or not is irrelevant. Things only exist because they do. There is no reason for existence."
Anselm
Aquinas
Wittgenstein
Hume
Hagger
Extra credit for anyone able to explain what the quote means.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)