Not all Christians are Stupid

You may find this hard to believe, and I really don't blame you. The truth is that the people we're most likely to think of when we think "Christian" are the ones who scream the loudest, wave their Bibles in the air (instead of reading them) condemn innocent people to hell, and support the worse politicians we can imagine. Instead of Christians, let us call them "Fundamentalists." Such people claim to be True Christians, but there is nothing true about them.

The Christians who have a handle on reality, practice acts of charity, and have a pretty good idea about what the Bible actually does say, tend to be very quiet. You won't  find them standing on a soapbox  screaming at people, or on TV trying to con money out of you. They'll probably just smile at you when you pass them on the street. They may wish you a good morning, and actually mean it. Rarely will you ever hear them preach.

The Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 was not so much a debate between Science and Religion, as it was a debate between the Fundamentalists and the Modernists.  The Modernist are the intelligent Christians that we see everywhere, but don't recognize them as Christians, just nice people who are polite and courteous. And they actually do outnumber the Fundies, but are too modest to tell you that.

Modernists believe the Bible is an Allegory, especially the Old Testament, and most of all the book of Genesis. "Allegory" may not be a word you learned in school, but it's a good word to know and understand. It's not a giant reptile we find in the swamps of Louisiana. Here is the dictionary definition;
1. The use of characters or events to represent ideas or principals in a story, play, or picture.
2. A story, play, or picture in which such representation occurs.
(Greek - allegorein, interpret)

The Fundies, by contrast, believe the Bible is the unerring Word of God, meant to be taken literally in its modern English translation, if not the King James Version. An intelligent person who has actually read the Bible knows such a notion is completely insane.

Allow me to demonstrate. If you have a Bible, open it to the first page. Genesis chapter one, page one. If you don't have a Bible, never mind, just read this.  On the FIRST day God created LIGHT.
"And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night."

Jump ahead to the FOURTH day, and we find that God created the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. Okay, does anyone see an error yet?  How did there get to be a day and night on Earth before there was a Sun? If you can answer that, see if you can explain how all the plants God created on the THIRD day managed to grow and cover the Earth without the Sun.

And we're not even finished with the first page yet. After all the birds, fish, and animals God created Man, and He created him Male and Female! (Gen 1:27) Thus as how God created all the animals so that they could multiply.
Somehow we managed to miss that.
Moving on to Chapter Two, we find the story of Creation retold in a more condensed version, with considerable differences that some of us have managed to ignore, not the least of which is that this time when God created Man, he created only a male, and decided to add a female sometime later. Perhaps we should have given that a little more thought also.

To the Modernist, there is no conflict here, as this is allegorical. The book of Genesis was written by humans. Inspired by God as they may have been, they were still ancient humans with a limited knowledge of science, and were doing the best they could with what they knew.

I went to a Catholic school and this was explained to us in the 7th grade when they taught about the Neanderthal Man and the Cro-Magnon  Man. "Which one was Adam?" was a question that was often asked. Catholic school teachers were able to explain this to kids barely into adolescence, but modern Fundamentalists still have a problem with it.

The Scopes Trial, I was told, had settled that argument long ago, when people didn't know any better like we do now, and now we must move on with our new scientific knowledge. After all, God gave us intelligence, and it must have been for a reason.

Yet when I was college I was surprised to learn that "Creation vs Evolution" was still being debated. I wondered how modern people could be so primitive, especially if they were college students. I participated in the debate on the side of evolution thinking this wasn't a fair battle, so maybe we should go easy on those poor Creationists. Our side presented all kinds of scientific facts  from Ichthyology to Herpetology to Ornithology to Primatology to Anthropology and all fields of Zoology amounting to stacks and stacks of facts. The other team had only Genesis to present their case.  What we thought was a sure win resulted in a tie. Our instructor told us we deserved to win, but the judges ruled it a tie under pressure from the state, as we are a state funded school and this is the Bible Belt.

I have been hoping to find vindication for my fellow students ever since, and today I believe I found it in  the Bible itself, the same medium used by the opposing team to support their argument. I recall it was Mark Twain who said "The best cure for Christianity is reading the Bible."

So remember this, boys and girls. If you believe in Evolution, it doesn't necessarily mean you're not Christian, it just means you're not stupid.

Does this gun make my butt look big?

Overheard; a conversation among friends getting ready to go out on a shopping trip.

Marge: "I can't decide which assault rifle to take. Does this AK-47 go with my purse? How about the M-16?"
Tess: "Honey, nothing goes with that purse! You so need to get a new one."
Violet: "I don't know. Maybe with the right belt, but then you'll need to get a new holster to go with it."
Marge: "Well you definitely want your belt and holster to match."
Tess: "I was thinking of a purse with a bandolier shoulder strap, and maybe a compartment for carrying extra clips."
Violet: "You never know when you'll need extra clips!"
Joanne: "Well if you're going to carry an AK-47, you have GOT to have some nice boots to go with that!"
Tess: "Honey please! That's a Russian rifle! If you want to look more American you should go with the M-16!"
Violet: "Yeah, but there's something about the AK that says you mean business!"
Joanne: "You got that right! Now about the boots..."
Marge: "I was thinking something like English riding boots."
Violet: "With a knife sheath on the side?"
Joanne: "Now THAT would be kicking!"
Violet: "What do you think of this M-1 Carbine?"
Tess: "A little out-dated, but still practical."
Marge: "I like its clean lines and low profile. It will go well with nearly any outfit."
Joanne: "Definitely! Now help me pick out a sidearm. Do you like the .45 or the 9mm?"

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/06/guns-target-open-carry-texas-women-corpus-christi

Brittanee's 5-Year Anniversary Vigil

It was the weekend after Easter in Myrtle Beach, SC, but for some, this weekend was just as special. Friday April 25 was the 5-year anniversary of the day Brittanee Drexel went missing in 2009.
The date was commemorated with a candlelight vigil.



http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2014/04/24/4186405/brittanee-drexels-mother-still.html

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2014/04/25/4188428/dozens-remember-brittanee-drexel.html

And here we have the latest from YouTube about Brittanee  Drexel, with eight minutes of images to show you just how big an event it really was.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOuD2jUkpqg

It lasted through Saturday as well. This is just a very small sample of the many news reports that have been churning out continuously throughout the weekend. It is now Sunday evening, and I'm sure that more will come after I close here, but let me finish with my favorite picture of Brittanee while she was still with us.

Something Rotten in Connecticut - Part Two

It reads like a Stephen King novel.
But it's the news, which makes it even scarier. This really happened, and it hasn't been absolved yet. Not even close.
It is hard to decide which question should be asked first, as there are so many of them, but I'd like to start with;
Why is Connecticut treating victims like criminals?
and
Why are suspected killers treated like VIPs?

The parents of a missing person have been sued by the suspected killer (or someone who knows the killer) for putting up posters of their missing son, which she had been tearing down, and had admitted in court to doing so. The police and town officials see nothing wrong with what the poster ripper was doing, and even overlook the fact that she was littering. This person claims that the displaying of the missing person posters are causing her "mental anguish."
Guess who got arrested?

Tales of Bizarro World!, you may be thinking. They're doing everything backward!
How are they getting away with it? Is this the expected norm for this region of America?

http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20140410/missing-waterbury-mans-family-to-appeal-52666-judgment-against-them-for-defamation-emotional-stress

Now I promised to stick with the facts here, and I intend to keep that promise.

It is well established that the former girlfriend of the missing man is now or has been in a relationship with a local politician, for both have admitted to it in court.
The local politician has never been considered as a suspect.
To say why would be stating an opinion.
I'll just stick with the facts.

I will encourage anyone reading this to draw your own conclusion, and to form your own opinion.
Just promise me one thing, That you will read the whole story and know everything that happened before you decide what went wrong in Woodbridge, Waterbury, and all nearby towns in Connecticut.
Oh, one more thing please.
Decide what would be the right thing to do to in compensation to the grieving parents.
I'd like to hear what you come up with.

--------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE 4/14/14
I have just found this YouTube video, and I want everyone to see it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZeRcUsfRAU

Something Rotten in Connecticut

Well Folks, I thought I have already seen my fair share of the most incredible and outrageous crime cases one can imagine to be happening in America. I thought nothing would ever shock me again when it comes to corruption in the courts.
I was wrong.
The case of Billy Smolinski Jr. is the most extreme example yet.
I knew something was very, very wrong with this case the first time I read about it.
And the more I looked into it, the more wrong it appeared!
I'm still wondering how the town of Woodbridge CT allowed such a thing to happen.

The story begins with Billy Smolinski, who went missing after breaking up with his girlfriend, over an affair with a well known elected official. While the parents of the missing person are going around the area putting up posters in attempt to find their son, the former girlfriend is following behind them tearing the posters down. For some reason which has never been explained, the ex-girlfriend feels threatened by these posters. And for reasons unexplained, she has the sympathy of the police and the town officials, even though she appears to be quite insane.

Why no sympathy to the parents of a missing son? As if the parents have not already suffered enough, they are subjected to further abuse  You would think the police would want to help them out, but they do everything that is not helpful. Eventually, the ex-girlfriend takes the parents to court and sues them for mental anguish.
And she won!

This has so many red flags it's ridiculous. But then more red flags appear, and more, and more, but the town of Woodbridge, and even the neighboring towns, somehow manage to ignore them all.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the more you learn about this story, the worse it gets!

To start you off...
http://happeninginyourownbackyard.com/?p=35#more-35
...and then we go to...
http://waterburyobserver.org/node/661
at which point we learn that three of the former girlfriend's children have died under suspicious circumstances..
http://cooljustice.blogspot.com/2009/03/more-bizarre-twists-leads-in-smolinski.html

And then, incredibly enough, it gets even worse.

To be continued.

Thousands March for Hailey Owens

More than 10,000 people showed up for a candlelight march in memory of Hailey Owens in Springfield, Missouri on Saturday.

No one expected this many people to show up in participation.
People had to bring their own candles. Streets were closed to motor vehicle traffic. All to remember a 10-year-old girl who was abducted and murdered. Her killer has been arrested,

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/10-000-people-march-remember-hailey-owens-article-1.1699060

This is how much the life of one child means to a family and a community.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2566241/Thousands-gather-pay-tribute-10-year-old-killed-abducted-walking-home-friends-house.html

What more can I say?

RIP Hailey Owens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU6Gdw4sItM

I AM DISGUSTED!

I have been wanting to say something about the Amanda Knox case for a long time, but couldn't decide how to say it. I mean, I try to be nice, you know?

The more I read about her arrest, the investigation, and the outrageous procedures that followed, the more incredible it became. Am I reading this right? Does this mean what it sounds like? Is anybody really that stupid? Sadly, the answer is yes to all.

It was difficult to swallow that any legal system in any nation could be that messed up. They had no evidence to even suspect her, let alone arrest her, and sure as hell not to convict her. All the evidence they actually DID have indicated the killer to be none other than Rudy Guede. Anyone with an IQ above 65 could figure that out.

The whole case seemed to be aimed at feeding a blood-thirsty media, which greedily devoured all the sensationalism it could create about satanic cults, evil freemasons, and out-of-control sex. Add that the prosecutor was a total asshat, and that  the Italian legal system didn't seem to think anything was wrong with abandoning all concept of reason, and you have a story so outrageous that any sane person would tend to think, "No, that can't be right."

By now, it seems the biggest mystery is; How did the Italian government get away with it?
Or why aren't they embarrassed about it?
Let alone; How on Earth did they find the AUDACITY to TRY THIS CASE AGAIN!
And then find her guilty?
It just blows my mind!

I could go on and on and on pointing out all the things they've done wrong with this case, and how they've done nothing right, but instead I'll spare my dear reader and just recommend this book.

http://www.amazon.com/Honor-Bound-Journey-Hell-Amanda/dp/1451695985/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391192860&sr=1-1&keywords=honor+bound+my+journey+to+hell+and+back+with+amanda+knox

Human Trafficking Awareness

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month

From what I've been hearing, there's a need for greater awareness of HumanTrafficking
Most of us  seem to think that such a thing does not happen here in America.
That's why I'm writing this, why this video was made, and why we have an awareness month.
This is not something that just happens "somewhere else" but closer to home than we like to think.
In Canada, Mexico, and even here in North Carolina.

Check it out.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/wral_investigates/story/10306854/