Entries Tagged 'Just My Opinion' ↓

My family, at least – this says it just about perfectly.

Catch your breath,
Hit the wall,
Scream out loud,
As you start to crawl
Back in your cage
The only place
Where they will
Leave you alone.
‘Cause the weak will
Seek the weaker til they’ve broken them.
Could you get it back again?
Would it be the same?
Fulfillment to their lack of strength at your expense,
Left you with no defense;
They tore it down.

(Chorus):
And I have felt the same as you,
I’ve felt the same as you,
I’ve felt the same.

Locked inside
The only place
Where you feel sheltered,
Where you feel safe.
You lost yourself
In your search to find
Something else to hide behind.

The fearful always preyed upon your confidence.
Did they see the consequence,
when they pushed you around?
The arrogant build kingdoms made of the different ones,
Breaking them ’til they’ve become just another crown.

Refuse to feel anything at all,
Refuse to slip,
Refuse to fall.
Can’t be weak,
Can’t stand still,
You watch your back ‘cause no one will.
You don’t know why they had to go this far,
Traded your worth for these scars,
For your only company.
And don’t believe the lies
That they have told to you. Not one word was true
you’re alright, you’re alright, you’re alright.

I recently read an old (2003) article written by Congressman Ron Paul (posted on Reddit), in which he discusses his concern over the danger of “The Christmas Spirit” being lost, “..because of perverse court decisions, years of cultural indoctrination,  which is the fault of the elitist, secular “Left”, who have managed to drive religion from public view.”  Many things he said were quite.. err…entertaining in their notions, but one bit caught my full attention:

“Most noticeably, however, the once commonplace refrain of “Merry Christmas” has been replaced by the vague, ubiquitous “Happy Holidays.” But what holiday? Is Christmas some kind of secret, a word that cannot be uttered in public? Why have we allowed the secularists to intimidate us into downplaying our most cherished and meaningful Christian celebration?”

I ask you: How many people do you know?  Now, how many of them are Christians?  Jewish? Muslim? Buddhist?  Shinto?  Atheists? I’ll bet many of you can say a lot more than you really realize.   I’m pretty sure that a Buddhist wouldn’t respond to “Merry Christmas” as he/she is celebrating Mindfullness Day, or those who are Zuni & Hopi who are celebrating the Shalako Festival.  The Sufi might get upset if you said Merry Christmas to them, as they mourn the death of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali.  And I’m quite positive that people of the Jewish faith would respond to a Merry Christmas with a Happy Hanukkah.

As a practicing Atheist, I hardly wish anyone a Merry anything, but I have always given and responded with “Happy Holidays” — How the heck do I know what religion a person is?? It isn’t as if they wear a band on their arms (Been there, done that and we all know the hell that happened).  It is presumptuous and rude to assume that every person you see in the month of December is Christian.

I do celebrate Christmas – We have a tree and everything.  I make good food, we listen to carols, we wrap gifts, and exchange them on Christmas morning, while the yule log plays on Channel 2.  I wish my son a Merry Christmas and I love the songs “Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel” and “Little Drummer Boy”.  I also love “Carol of The Bells”, “Jingle Bells”, and the way Schubert’s “Ave Maria” fills the very air with musical light. But what I don’t do is celebrate the religious aspect of Christmas.

Christmas, for me, is more akin to Thanksgiving day.  It’s a day to celebrate my family and friends, to say thank you to them for sharing their lives with me.  To “rejoice” in the fact that our lives are good, and happy, and that we are together.  I’m going to keep saying “Happy Holidays” because it pleases me. Oh, and uh.. here is a little WII game, and some socks, wrapped in pretty paper under a dying pine tree, lit with pretty lights and decorated with fat little Santas and Gingerbread ornaments.  Just enough make the house smell lovely, to piss off the cat, and leave pine needles to find come June.

But back to Mr. Paul’s question, “But what holiday?”.  Here is a list (incomplete, I’m positive), of the holidays celebrated in the Month of December, for the year 2008.  Do you think, Mr. Paul, that everyone on this list wants to be greeted by a “Merry Christmas”?

Holidays – December 2008

• * 11/27 to 12/10: Hopi & Zuni Shalako Festival.
• * 11/28 eve to 12/28 eve: Dhu al-Hijjah.
• * 11/30 to 12/24 (OC 11/28 to 1/6): Advent/Festival of Lights.
• * 12/1: World AIDS Day–Day to pray for healing of all those suffering with AIDS and HIV.
• * 12/4: Yoruba/Santeria feast of Orisha Shango, Defender Against Evil.
• * 12/5: Day for meditation on Tantric Bodhisattva Goddess Red Tara, protector against evil and harm.
• * 12/6: Mindfulness Day–Zen Buddhist day for mindfully seeing and acting with compassion for the poor and oppressed.
• * 12/7 eve to 12/8 eve: Eid al-Adha–Muslim day of sacrifice to the one universal Deity for the good of all.
• * 12/7 eve to 12/15 eve (12/14 peak): Geminid Meteor Showers, to remind us all that God is our Almighty
• * 12/8: Rohatsu–Zen Buddhist celebration of the Buddha’s enlightenment.
• * 12/8: Christian feast celebrating St. Anna’s conception of Blessed Mary.
• * 12/8: Death day of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1111), Sufi saint who taught about unity of the soul with the one universal Deity of 99 names and attributes.
• * 12/11 eve to 12/13 eve: Feast of the Immanent Feminine Divine Spirit–honoring Goddess as Maha Devi Shakti (Hindu), Allat Ruh Sakinah (Old Arabic-Sufi), Eloah Ruach Shekhinah (Jewish Kabbalah) & Holy Spirit Wisdom (Christian). * 12/12 (11:37 a.m. EST): Full Moon (Snow/Fire Moon).
• * 12/12: Baha’i feast honoring the one Deity as Masa’il–Mystery.
• * 12/12: First Appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of God and Mother of the Oppressed, at the former shrine of Aztec Moon Goddess Coatlicue (Mexico 1531).
• * 12/13: Feast of the Light-bringer– honoring Goddess as Juno Lucina (Old Roman) & Lucia (Old Swedish); merged with the Christian feast of St. Lucia.
• * 12/14: Christian feast of St. John of the Cross (d. 1591), whose suffering–for advocating church reform–generated mystical union with Deity.
• * 12/15 (A 1/25): Old Egyptian festival of Neteret Amenet-Rait-Mut, the primordial Great Mother.
• * 12/15: Death day of Fr. Pavel Florensky (1943), Orthodox Christian mystic who taught that Holy Wisdom is Our Mother, the Holy Spirit, third part of the Holy Trinity.
• * 12/15: Day the Catholic Church silenced Fr. Matthew Fox for teaching Creation Spirituality (1988); day to mourn the silencing of all religious dissenters and reformers.
• * 12/16 to 12/24: Christmas Novena/Las Posadas–Christian remembrance of the journey of Blessed Mary and St. Joseph to Bethlehem and their taking refuge in a cave-stable.
• * 12/17: Yoruba/Santeria feast of Orisha Babalu Aye, Healer of Deadly Diseases.
• * 12/17: Day to give thanks to our God for the air we breathe.
• * 12/17 to 12/23: Saturnalia/Opalia–Old Roman festival honoring God Saturn (the weak Sun) & Goddess Ops (the fallow Earth); celebrated with gift-giving, revelry, and abolishment of all class distinctions.
• * 12/17 eve to 12/24 eve (12/22 peak): Ursid Meteor Showers, to remind us all that God is our Almighty.
• * 12/21 (7:04 a.m. EST): Winter Solstice/Solar New Year–Marks the beginning of Winter and the shortest day and longest night of the year; celebration of the darkness with dancing near the hearth fire.
• * 12/21 to 12/22: Festival of Evergreen Trees; merged into International Arbor Day. Celebrated by planting trees and hanging wreaths (symbols of eternal life).
• * 12/21 to 12/25: Old Romano-Egyptian festival of Goddess Isis giving birth to God Horus.
• * 12/21 eve to 12/29 eve: Hanukkah/Festival of Lights–Jewish festival commemorating a victory in their struggle for religious freedom and rededication of the second Temple of Jerusalem to Elohim. Menorah candles are lit.
• * 12/21 to 1/9: Hopi & Zuni Soyala New Year Festival of purification and renewal. Homes are cleaned, fires doused, and personal restraint is observed.
• * 12/22: Taoist festival honoring Wang-Mu/Empress Mother, Mother of Compassion and Wisdom, and manifestation of the Tao (Cosmic Power of Creation and Destruction). Also celebrates the peak of the feminine Yin half of the year and the Shen of Earth, North, and Winter; prayers are made for rest and renewal, and offerings are made to the Cosmos.
• * 12/22: Tohji-Taisai–Shinto rite honoring Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Storm God Susano-o angered Her, and She withdrew into a cave until enticed out with music and dance.
• * 12/22: Beginning of Capricorn (the Goat).
• * 12/22: Birthday of Lily Montagu (1873), who co-founded Liberal Judaism in 1902. She was the first Jewish woman to serve as lay minister, both officiating and preaching.
• * 12/24 eve: Mother Night– Christian vigil for the laboring Blessed Mary.
• * 12/25 (OC 1/7): Christmas– Christian celebration of Blessed Mother Mary giving birth to Child Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.
• * 12/25 to 1/5: Yule–Old Anglo-Teutonic festival honoring Freyr and Freyja (Deities of Fertility) and the new-born Balder (God of Light), son of Frigga and Odin. Celebrated with evergreens, fires, and feasting.
• * 12/26: Day commemorating the death of Zoroastrian Prophet Zarathustra (551 BCE). Zoroastrians worship by making offerings to a sacred fire.
• * 12/26 to 1/1: Kwanzaa–Festival celebrating positive African traditions; emphasizes unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
• * 12/27 (7:23 a.m. EST): New Moon.
• * 12/28: Day the Endangered Species Act. The day to mourn those creatures already extinct.
• * 12/28 eve to 1/7 eve: Muharram/Muslim New Year (Year 1430) & A’ashurah.
• * 12/31: Oharai/Grand Purification Festival–Shinto rite exorcising evil from the world.
• * 12/31: Yoruba/Santeria festival of Orisha Yemaya, Mother of the Sun and Moon.
• * 12/31: Baha’i feast honoring the one Deity as Sharaf–Honor.
• * 12/31: Feast of Father Time, who ultimately overcomes us all.
• * 12/31 eve: New Year’s Eve–Vigil for the new year; night for self evaluation and resolving to better oneself.

You know.. what I don’t understand is this:

Why does anyone care what Barack Obamas religion is??

The facts and questions surrounding Barack Obamas religion are easy and simple to find.  A quick Google search brings up about 12,600,000 results for “Barack Obama Religion”.  There is an amazing amount of information and curiosity on the part of Americans about Obamas religion.  And I ask this, in real wonderment, why??

I’ll admit that this whole “religion” thing is baffling to me, especially as a.. a.. Born Again Atheist.  I was raised Catholic and once I hit 18 and moved out on my own, I left religion behind.  But I have tolerance for those who still believe, who still need and want religion in their lives.  I may not understand it, but it’s tolerated.  I have friends who are Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and who knows what else. My son’s best friend is Buddhist, and his other best friend is Muslim.  WTF is the big deal??

I ask this because, yet again, in my office, people were talking about the “fact” Obama is Muslim.    They still think, after 20+ months of campaign, and a win in the election, with all the information that has been put out there, that he is Muslim.  Right off the bat this just pisses me off.

The guy (we’ll call him John), who made the statement this morning (“Obama is a f***’ing Muslim”), looked at me as if I had 9 heads and a snake-like body when I said, “So what? That is why we have the Constitution.”  He clearly has no idea what the First Amendment is, except something about “Freedom of Religion”.  To John, Freedom of Religion means “Freedom to be a Christian.”

The United States Constitution, which grants two (2, duo, 1 more than 1!) clauses regarding religion:

“[1]Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, [2]or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; ”

[1]The Establishment clause prohibits

• the creation of a national religion
• the preference of one religion over another
• the preference of religion over non-religion.

The US Supreme Court ruled June 27, 1994, in Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet, 512 U.S. 687 (Case Law) , that “government should not prefer one religion to another, or religion to irreligion”.

[2]The Free Exercise Clause::

• or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”  (Case Law)

That means we cannot prohibit anyone from establishing, and/or practicing any religion, and we are not allowed to persecute for having no religion.

This is our law.  This is how our Supreme Court ruled on the First Amendment Of The Constitution of The United States of America. The Constitution does not say  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, UNLESS you are Muslim. ”

So tell me, what does it really matter?  Being a Muslim does not immediately put you into the same category of Fundamentalist Muslims.  There is a huge difference.  Does somebody being a Christian – A Baptist, say – get immediately put into the category of “Born Agains” or the Fundamentalist Christian Right?  In the same way, not all Mormons have 5 wives – not all are fundamentalist.

Do we only value our Constitution when it suits us?  Why should it matter if somebody is Muslim, Jewish, Catholic or Atheist?  Do we only get to exercise our freedom of religion, as long as it is Christian?

“But the Founding Fathers put “In God We Trust” on our money!!

In April 22, 1864, Congress passed an Amendment authorizing the motto “In God We Trust” to be placed on the two-cent coin.  It appeared on various coins throughout the years, and appeared on paper money in 1957. The phrase was eventually printed on all paper bills, superseding the motto “E Pluribus Unum” (From Many, One) adopted by the Union in 1782.  I say, let’s go back to E Pluribus Unum.

“But the Founding Fathers fled religious persecution, and were themselves religious!”

First, all but 8 of the Founding Fathers were born in America.  They didn’t flee anywhere. And second, take a look at what our Founding Fathers had to say on the subject of religion:

• “Question with boldness even the existence of a god.” – Thomas Jefferson (letter to Peter Carr, 10 August 1787)
• I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of… Each of those churches accuse the other of unbelief; and for my own part, I disbelieve them all.”- Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason, 1794-1795.)
• “During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution.” – James Madison (Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments, 1785.)
• “Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we called it the word of a demon, than the word of God. It is a history of wickedness, that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind.” – Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason, 1794-1795.)
• Every man “ought to be protected in worshiping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience.” – George Washington (Letter to the United Baptist Churches in Virginia in May, 1789)
• “That religion, or the duty we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience.” – Patrick Henry (Virginia Bill of Rights, June 12, 1776.)

I just shake my head, because there is no answer to this question.  And there is no solution to it, until people start to practice tolerance.  And from what I have seen here in my office today, I don’t know how or when that will really happen.