I do follow Scripture!!!

This is a copy of letter of response that I posted in a local newspaper. The letter that I wrote was in support of Abortion and Same-sex marriage. It had some responses in turn, but one stated that I did not follow scripture in my ideas or that I was too influenced by modern culture.


In approving of abortion and homosexuality, I am not departing from scripture. I am just interpreting scripture with the tools that I have been afforded by modern scholarship. I agree with Mr. Pynaker in that “God’s does not change” but I will have to add that our understanding of Him/Her does as we are only human and continue to evolve.

With this being said, scripture does not specifically condemn abortion. What we have are scripture verses condemning murder and out of this we conjecture that God wants us to protect the life of a fetus, but nothing outright reproaching what we have as the modern practice of abortion.

It is with this understanding that I cannot condemn the practice of abortion. As a Christian, I am required to love the person who has had an abortion, to meet her needs and give support in any way that I can. I do this because we are all sinners and I have no right to judge or condemn anyone because they do not live up to my own standards of what I deem to be righteousness or better yet self-righteousness.

As for homosexuality, scripture is very ambiguous as to its condemnation. It is unfortunate that we have to rely on those who translate scripture to interpret the vague words into an English equivalent. There is no word in Hebrew or Greek for our modern understanding of the practice of homosexuality. The words that are used could best be translated as, male temple prostitute or one forced into submission by another male. All forms of condemned homosexual practices in scripture have to do with Temple worship or rape; there is no modern understanding of homosexuality condemned in scripture.

Yes, I do admit that my interpretation of scripture meets the needs of a post modern world but this has been done throughout the history of theology started by the apostle Paul and carried on by Luther, Schleiermacher, Tillich and more recently Brueggemann.

As we gain more knowledge about our world, we need to be willing to move forward and meet the needs of humanity surrounding us. If we are not willing to change, Christianity will die. But if Christianity continues to breed ignorance, prejudice and hatred, maybe, just maybe this might be a better thing for humanity.

Because of my love for the church, I will continue in my search for truth, love and acceptance.

God the Devil and Bob

Do to some good old fashion right-wing Christian pressure this evil show only aired four episodes in the US. But fear not good followers God the Devil and Bob can be found online. Check out this video and tell me what you think.

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v409449GAEyZWJ8

Comic Books Best

Do to the recent nonsensical success of one of the worst comic books movies that has ever touched the screen (Spider Man), I thought it prudent to give my list for
"The Best Comic Book Movies Ever Made".


20) Dick Tracy

19) Constantine

18) Batman (1989)

17) Blade II

16) Howard the Duck

15) Robo Cop

14) The Crow

13) Road to Perdition

12) V for Vendetta

11) Ghost World

10) Blade

9) American Slender

8) X-men

7) Sin City

6) 300

5) Blade Trinity

4) Batman Beginnings

3) History of Violence

2) X-Men 2

1) Donnie Darko

LIMBO

Pope Benedict XVI has recently reversed centuries of traditional Roman Catholic teaching (though never an official position) on limbo. This new examination came about due to the high number of miscarriages and abortions in the world today. While the new decision does bear some weight and in fact calls into question the Church’s traditional acceptance of baptism being a “wiping away of original sin” the Pope now sees original sin in a new light; namely that we are also born into grace. But where some have suggested a complete reversal this does not really seem to be the case.
Most interestingly this new proclamation does not altogether reject any of the official beliefs of the papacy but instead suggests a heightened awareness for the possible forgiveness and acceptance for lost children by their Heavenly Father. Rather than a complete reversal the announcement suggests that instead of waiting at the boarders of Hell (in limbus) there is “hope”. While many Catholics now see the official finding of the Vatican council a relief they may be jumping the gun a bit. In truth this is not as a wholesale rejection of Limbo but rather a moving of people from the boarders of Hell to the boarders of Heaven (at least as far as Limbo is seen). Through vaguely stating these new finding it seems that Limbo is in fact in limbo itself. But what the Catholic church has now successfully done is that it has engaged itself in the mysteriousness of Gods ways. No matter what else is said in the next few days, it is reassuring to see that the Church sees grace in a whole new light.

The Book of Moron (i)

On April 26, 2007 the Salt Lake Tribune in Salt Lake City Utah printed an extremely important article. It seems that a Utah County Republican Don Larsen presented a resolution asserting that loose U.S. boarders and the highly publicized immigration problems are in fact “the work of Satan”. In his resolution Larson claimed that illegal immigration is the devils “plan to destroy the nation”. What is even more interesting though is that after personally distributing nearly 1,500 copies of his presentation Don Larsen seems not to have lost any political backing. Because of this Larsen is not backing down. In an interview given to the Tribune Larsen stated, "In order for Satan to establish his 'New World Order' and destroy the freedom of all people as predicted in the Scriptures, he must first destroy the U.S.,".

Larson, you sir are right on the money. I believe that is an exact quote from the book of dumb, dumb. Maybe that’s in the Mormon book of Moroni but I can’t say that I’ve ever read that verse before.

Beer

35 billion gallons of beer sell worldwide each year. It is over a $330 billion industry. And yet… one must be the best. But which one is the best of all? It is an interesting question; no doubt personal perception plays a role. Still, is the most popular beer really the best? How many people do you know that have tried Speckled Hen or Hop Head (and these are just some of the easy to pronounce and more popular ones)?

Certainly popularity does play a role, but people that are limited by few experiences should recognize the restrictions or their scrutiny. If Coors or Molson is the most exotic beer you’ve tried in the last few years you might just have to admit your limitations. And while I am not the most erudite of drinkers I do think that I have something special to offer you and I do believe that I have explored this world to an extinct far more diverse than is the average. And what precisely do I think I might have to offer my good readers? Well… faithful followers I, HaKohen have come to the following conclusion - Innis & Gunn – Oak Aged Beer is my personal favorite and is perhaps more importantly the greatest beer in the world.

In my humble opinion, you may not be able to find it at your local store, but you should certainly take a look.

Check ‘em out at http://www.innisandgunn.com/index.htm

It is well worth it!

He'Brew

Sorry to say that this one isn't available in Canada just yet! But that hasn't stopped these guys from shipping throughout most of the US. Perhaps soon we too can get a taste of thie new Jewish Beer... or as they call it He'Brew.

http://www.shmaltz.com/

Church?

I was thinking about something recently. I was thinking about how stupid church goers can be today. Today’s “contemporary” evangelical pastors think they’re so smart. They set up huge stages with “worship bands” and choreographed lights and have little skits to keep people interested. They perform an act and make God’s church into a theater and his ministers into little more than jesters. The pastor will speak to everyone from a seated position up at a little coffee table so that even in crowds filled with hundreds of people, each person is meant to feel as if they are sitting right across for him at some hip new overpriced coffee shop. It’s all just a little too hygienic for me. Where is the reverence? Where is the room for people to interact or discuss?

Near my home town in Kansas a church called Grace Point is the perfect example. If you go to their webpage you’ll find all the same kinds of images you’d see at any other “contemporary” church website. It has catchy slogans that don’t really mean anything like “Church for people who don’t like church” (in reality this means a gathering of believers that don’t like believers gathering). It shows a causally dressed minister who talks about “relevance” and “authentic community” and basically any other buzz words that happen to be floating around this year.

Now I’m sure that this church has some wonderful things going on and I’m sure that pastors like these truly believe in what they are doing but I just can’t understand it.

What has happened to us? I wonder what people in third world churches think when they see this? What is the difference between these mega-churches and old cathedrals built with gold and marble statues? Do people really look at this from their place in secular society and say, “wow, look at that light show… Jesus must have died for my sins”? Why do ministers keep feeding the people exactly what we think they want and nothing of what they need? Does church really need to be a “celebration service” every week? What about Good Friday? Is there no room for pain in our churches today? Do we really need church to be fun and entertaining all the time, cause to be honest I think if I wanted to be entertained I’d much rather go see a movie than go see a heavily diluted presentation of Christianity.

If you are reading this and you haven’t been to church in a long time then my advice to you is to go to the smallest church you can find. Find a mainline church that has intensely thought through its worship or find a new emerging church that is attempting to do the same for a new generation (one where you have input). But whatever you do –stay far, far away from personality cults and churches with a lot of money to spend and seemingly nothing better to do with it then build onto their already gigantic sanctuaries or hire specialty pastors for every conceivable type of person. If the church you go to has a minister for bisexual Asian, non-English speaking immigrants with missing toes, get out now!

Christian Heritage Party

As I have recently returned from a trip up North, I could not help noticing all the signage for the Christian Heritage Party as I traveled along the road. Now, as strong believer in the democratic process, I have no problem with the propagation of their beliefs. What I do take issue with is spreading their message with the name Christian Heritage Party, more specifically the words Christian & Heritage
First, I have a problem with the name Christian in any party because Christianity holds such a broad spectrum of beliefs that to say that all Christian believe in the same policies of one party would be absurd. Not all Christians believe that same sex marriage is wrong! Not all Christians believe abortion is murder! Not all Christians believe that the Capitalism of the west is a blessing from God! So to use the name Christian in a political name is quiet offensive to us that do not hold your views
Second, the word Heritage in the name insinuates that it is founded on long standing Christian principles. Christianity has been evolving since day one and it continues to mature today. We no longer support slavery, crusades, or segregation and not all Christians supported these practices when they were commonly accepted as OK. So it is impertinent to assume that your political beliefs are based on the Heritage of ALL Christians. We all come from varying backgrounds and Heritage’s; therefore, we all have a different heritage.
It is with this that I believe it would be better suited to call your political party the Ultra Conservative Fundamentalist Party or maybe the Minority View of Christianity Party, but please be considerate of your fellow believers that do not hold your view, and do not market yourselves as the Christian party. Please do not try and include all Christians within your belief system for we are quite diverse in our beliefs and function better because of it.



Cutty Sark

Christians and Genetics

This one came in from brad (Said he wrote it for us but then put it on his myspace page...? Seriously man how old are you?)

Anyway Here it is:


We live in a world where the virgin birth in no more miraculous. The reality of the issue is that almost anyone can be a mother now and the new survival of five different tubule pregnancies makes it suggestible that a male could even carry a child. The topic of reproductive technologies and genetics is a very difficult one for me, but I do have some lines drawn in the sand.

Personally I find that Artificial Insemination (AID) is not immoral in and of itself. If seems to me that these implantations have nothing to do with adultery and to suggest so seems also to suggest that women commit adultery every time they visit the gynecologist. Though some complications exist with AID I see no reason to oppose it as an option and I find AIH to be even less problematic. This is not to say that I have no concerns when it comes to Artificial Insemination. In fact I do but my concerns do not lie with the "creation" of implanted fertilized eggs, but rather they lie with the discarded or unused eggs. In my view, as soon as the eggs have been fertilized; life has begun to develop. As such, anything that calls for the creation of fertilized eggs that could become little more than "medical waste" or "research material" is immoral because of the secondary outcomes. This means that Artificial Insemination is not wrong in and of it self but that some of the things that go along with it are. If Artificial Insemination would be done one egg at a time, I could not oppose it. (It seems the main problem people have with this is monetary and I do not see any relevance between cost and morality. It may cost more but the price tag is well worth the clean conscience.) Embryo Transfer is another interesting option but again I do not have any problems with the process per se. In stead I have a problem with the creation of life that will then not be allowed to develop to its full potential.

I have to say, though I find no real moral difficulties with these procedures, (save certain secondary concerns that could easily be eliminated) I would much rather opt for adoption. This is not because I see infertility as a sign. In fact, I see infertility as a medical condition and believe that much like cancer it should be treated wherever possible. The idea that people should accept there situation is ridiculous. This kind of position is a slippery slop that soon finds its way into trouble. Instead I merely favor adoption because adoption seems to be the greater good. Moses was adopted; Jesus as well. It is certainly a good option for Christians and I do not believe that waiting matters one bit. Impatient does not create morality.

Selective Genetics
For me it seems that the choosing of characteristics for you children is an error. The problem I find with this sort of thing is not that it is evil to want your children to be red headed or blue eyed or taller; it is in the issue of betterment. When we begin to believe that people can be better if only they hold certain characteristics, it shows that we have little respect for the differences in us as a people. In making an active choice to have a child without a handicap, we are essentially saying to all handicapped people that they are somehow lesser beings. This is not to say that we should not attempt to correct medical problems. In fact, if possible we should perform life saving surgery on unborn babies inside the uterus and this is of little difference from the illumination of disease causing genes in embryos, but it is a far step to get to eye color or height or even choosing what gender to have. In my view, these kinds of technologies carry with them great power. They could help us to eliminate disease, but the question comes in differentiating disease from discomfort; healing from "bettering".

The Problem of Certainty

As the war continues in Iraq, it should give us time to reflect on the travesty of fundamentalist belief which I believe is Certainty. It is with certainty that we are able to hold so dear to our own beliefs that we are willing to kill and abuse others who do not hold onto the same ideas. We blindfold the masses in emotional security about our way being the right way while vilifying those outside our own belief system. It has been stated, “Whenever a group of religious folk begin to believe they posses God’s truth, almost inevitability they become those who in the name of their version of that truth persecute, excommunicate, purge, burn at the stake, or justify cruel religious wars against any who will not salute their tradition or acknowledge their rightness in things religious.”
Both sides of this conflict have those who believe beyond a reasonable doubt that they are right in their fight. But in order for us to move ahead with the peace process in the Middle East both sides will have to admit that they are wrong and enter into an area that is difficult for all of to enter, which is uncertainty. Whether we are Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh or Agnostic, we have to be willing to set aside our own moralistic views and live by the spirit of our religion and that is to love God and to love our fellow Human. All religions have this same creed within their belief system but it is somehow ignored. We decide to live by the law or rules and not the spirit or ideal of our religions. As John Shelby Spong wrote, “Fundamentalism is so limited. This is surely why Paul wrote that ‘the written code kills, but the spirit gives life.’” Maybe it is time that we grow up and be willing to admit that we are wrong and that the other side maybe right. It is the only way that we will be able to find peace. Uncertainty is not to be feared but needs to be embraced in order for humanity to move forward.

"Cutty Sark"

Strange Thought

Profound mental retardation
IQ Below 20

Severe mental retardation
IQ 20–34

Moderate mental retardation
IQ 35–49

Mild mental retardation
IQ 50–69

Borderline mental retardation
IQ 70–79

It is interesting to see how people treat each other. For example: Mental retardation is defined as someone with an IQ below 70. In this day and age, that means that these people are actually much respected and well cared for. It is looked down upon to mock people with disabilities. And if you were to do so you would be looked down upon by the general public. It’s true, it hasn’t always been this way, but today this is a general principle. On the other hand, what about people who score closer to the mid-80’s. Well, we see these people every day. They are often socially awkward. They work in our offices, provide our services and go through life relatively unnoticed. These people are the most despised people on earth. The truth is that these are the same people that are hated at your work. These people are generally described as “stupid” and nobody wants to be around them except of course for other “stupid people”. They do not complete tasks correctly. They preform at a sub-par level. They annoy.

It is strange to think that we have come so far and yet most of us dislike people we think to be “idiots”. It is culturally acceptable to mistreat them or talk about them with others. In fact, it is often a point of unity between other co-workers.

I wonder, could we learn to think of these people in a new way? What is it about human nature that says we must always place people into cast systems? It is an interesting question...

-Ha Kohen

New post from Loft

Okay so now Loft has also decided to send something in. I have got to figure out how to add you guys so you can post on your own.

So here it is a little article sent to me from Loft. I hope you enjoy it... byt remember it aint mine.
-Ha Kohen




So Joe Simpson, manager of daughters Ashlee and Jessica Simpson is at it again. No… he’s not praising the grandeur of his little girls “double D’s” again as he did back in GQ. Instead he’s sharing his pristine guidance on parenting with the world in order to further humiliate his daughter’s greatest competition. While Joe claims to “feel bad for Britney Spears” with all his ex-Baptist minister heart he also asserted that “I would never let that happen to my daughters”.

Well with all your daughter pimping skills aside and your newly found proficiency in applying Church whoreing to the secular music industry as well, I’d have to say that you are an ex-mega-church… mega-douche bag!

While I’m not a particularly huge fan of Britney Spears, I’m also not a big fan of kicking people while they’re down. And just exactly how many parents do you believe “let” this kind of thing happen to their children? As far as I can tell, you’re the most famous deadbeat dad I’ve ever seen and just because you still make a good living sucking up the loose change after the their quasi pornographic pictures are taken, that doesn’t make you the moral center of parenting. Your kids aren’t sexual commodities and nobody’s parents just “let” damaging things happen to their children… except for you of course. Screw off!

Not from me - don't blame me!

Well I guess an explanation is in order. The Realist was handed down to a new generation some time ago. A new group has been running the actual paper for some time now and the issues just have not made it to the online version because I was no longer involved. However, being one of the creators does have its advantages and Cutty Sark has agreed to send some things in from time to time (his idea). So I guess you should just keep checking in to see what’s going on. For now I’ll post a copy of what Cutty sent me as an e-mail. In the future he will have a space on the dashboard and will be able to post his own work. But for now you will just have to make due with me pasting it in. Enjoy!

-Ha Kohen





An Open Letter to the Church Growth Movement: By Cutty Sark

So… What’s up… you spoiled bunch of hoe-bags for God. You know, God doesn’t need a whole lot of conservative dicks pushing him like a box of old, broken toys at a garage sale! Jesus isn’t some shitty tasting medicine that needs to be force fed down peoples throats or diluted to fit everyone tastes. STOP TRYING TO MARKET THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE!!! I’m pretty sure that thinking God needs your help is what’ll get you put somewhere between Hitler and all those unbaptized Catholic babies in the lowest levels of Hell!

And another thing… what the hell is the deal with you guys hate’n on the TNIV? It’s your effing (like how I did that?) conservative translation; complete with all your pathetic conservative theological slants. You should be shoving copies up you anus for safe keeping just in case the mainliners decide to burn up all the competition. What’s so bad about gender inclusive language? Seriously? It’s not like they’re claiming Jesus had a vagina or something. The just want to make the Bible read more like it was originally. I’m pretty sure God isn’t male anyway! I’m pretty sure he doesn’t need a dick to piss with; I’m pretty sure he doesn’t piss at all or need to drink so He’d have to piss in the first place. Ah screw it that’s enough for now! No what – Screw you! And Grow Up, Ass-clowns!