Fundamentalist Christians frequently like state that God is pro-life, because God is pro-family.

Usually, the verse, Jeremiah 1:5  will be cited. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."  And a whole string of random and unrelated Bible verses that are cherry-picked at will, dismissing or ignoring the context of each verse altogether, will be pushed as if they were God' admonishing directly against abortion. Like this person has done.

Of course, if anyone spends a moment to read the full verse (or any of the ones usually cited) you'll notice that God is addressing the priest Jeremiah before the womb - he does not offer a prohibition against abortion. In fact, the 220 or so laws from which the 10 commandments are typically culled from - there is not one mention of God prohibiting abortion. It's rather conspicuously absent that in Jeremiah, God makes no warning against Jeremiah not being born. Also, do you actually believe that it was Yahweh boasting about Jeremiah, and not Jeremiah boasting about himself? (By the way, this is still a simple rheortical device. Bill O'Rielly stated something very similar just a few scant months ago.)

All that Jeremiah is stating that he was destined before birth, designed as a creature of God, to be a great prophet. Abortion, was furtherest from his or Yahweh's concerns.

It's also strangely absent that out of the Six things that God hates and the seven things which are detestable to him, abortion is not mentioned at all. Funny that. 

As I've stated before I read the Bible literally. Something which, literalist –  the fundamentalist, only does when it's to hate the gay, or the non-believer. Divorce your wife and tithe? Of course, that's fine. Everything else, is left up to interpretation when it plays exactly into their bigotry.  

But that's not to say that God is not concerned about infants, children and the little ones.

Nope.

What does God say?

• Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones. (Psalms 137:9)
• And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. (Exodus 11:4-5)
• And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. (Exodus 4:23:)
• I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. (Leviticus  26:16)
• I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children , and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate. (Leviticus 26:22)

If that's not enough for you, read the SAB's accounting of all of God's cruelty and murder. Also, check out Gary DeVaney's The God Murderers.

On DeVaney's site he puts God on trial and gives quite a list of God's murderers in the Bible. Men, women, children, newborns, animals, baby animals, whole families, whole civilizations - whole worlds, included.

But one of my favorite examples of God's love and his respect for children is the example from 2 Kings 23-24.

Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!”

So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the LORD. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths. 

God sends ferocious bears to maul and probably kill 42 children because one of his followers was teased! Why? Because he was bald as the hair on your head! Damn that's hardcore!

But surely MC, that's the Old Covenant. God sending his son to die on the cross instead of simply forgiving humanity, shows just how pro-life and pro-family he is? He killed his son as a sacrifice to Himself did he not? That's love! That's the New Covenant!

Well, if you think demanding the death of one's own son for one's inability to forgive is love, then there is not much I can do for you. You are sick and twisted up inside.

But what about that New Covenant, anyway? What does Jesus say about family and it's importance to him?

"Do you think that I came to bring peace on earth? Not at all, I tell you, but rather division! (Luke 12:51)

But tell us Jesus, division among who?  He reasserts this message in Matthew again.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's foes shall be they of his own household.” (Matthew 10:34-36)

Jesus refutes the New Covenant.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill."

Of course, believers squirm all over this. They hem. They haw. They defend God and Jesus at any cost because they've taken Pascals Wager and forever their reason is squandered, dominated by fear.

And they defend God because their internal relationship with Jesus has become an idol-construct of their mind, a reflection of their selfish, prideful egos.

Last night humankind's savior was born!

A child born of man and god to "repair the breach" between God and humanity.

A being as perfect as God his Father. Who is simultaneously, God the Father. A divine being who is perfectly created like Adam – the first man, that somehow in his perfection was easily fooled and tempted to sin.

But never mind that, Jesus is now here. He has come to die for our sins, because God so loved the world he had to send his only begotten son. Of course, instead of sending chattel, God could just forgive – no, blood must be had and be had from the veins of the innocent.

Therefore today, celebrate the birth of the divine-chattel. And in a few months you can celebrate his torture death and rejoice in the blood and torture that is God's love you've come to respect, admire, and uncritically approve of.

And you dare to accuse atheists of arrogance and being ethically inferior?

Please.

While Barack Obama's former pastor was criticized by the right wing for condemning US domestic policy where the plight of African-Americans are concerned, we find that Republican VP pick, Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin shares many of the same views as a Christian Nationalist would. Any outrage from the right wing? Nope. She's just a drone in their army.

As a drone, Palin adheres herself to every right-wing belief in the denial of reality. Anti-science - creationism in the public schools. America the Christian Nation - the state should force you to worship one God and pay for it. As a "feminist" she is for freedom of choice - freedom of government to choose mandatory pregnancy for women. Even if that choice was made for them by a rapist. Anti-gay - of course.

Palin was vetted as the McCain campaign vigorously asserts, but vetted for her appeal to right wing Christians. Right-wing Christian Nationalists and social conservatives are suspicious of McCain for vacillating on abortion and for his past negative statements against Christian Nationalists and social conservatives like Farwell and Robertson. In order to curry the favor of this niche of the conservative movement, and of people like James Dobson, Palin must be a bridge for McCain's past criticism.

As with many people in the U.S. political values are predicated upon religious beliefs. We learn these beliefs as children, encouraged by our parents and reinforced by our religious leaders. Palin has been a lifelong member of Wasilla Assembly of God.

In a video all over YouTube, Palin explains the significance of Iraq at Wasilla. She states that America's service men and women are "out on a task that is from God." This task is according to a "plan and that plan is God's plan." This is from a candidate who could be Commander in Chief someday. In this regard, she is no different than President Bush who said that God told, "George go and end the tyranny in Iraq."

Senior Pastor Ed Kalnins of Palin's church in a somewhat recent sermon stated "What you see in Iraq, basically, is a manifestation of what's going on in this unseen world called the spirit world." Basically, the Pastor is drawing an analogy between the War in Iraq is like a war on Christianity - their brand, of course. And the best way to defend Christianity in the United States is to war in Iraq. Why? Kalninis needs you to understand that when he assures you "Jesus called us to die... He's called us to die."

Al Qaeda's war against the United States is a Holy War. When you die for Allah you are awarded in heaven. Iraq, for the United States, has become a Holy War. And they wonder why we call them these Christian nationalists the American Taliban?

One of the more lofty goals for a Christian in their daily struggle against sin, is that they are encouraged to follow Jesus in all things. Jesus is assured to us as the most perfect example of how one should live a moral life on this earth. Often, Christians are reminded of Mark 10:21 where Jesus admonishes his disciples to "..go and sell everything you own, give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me."

According to Kalnins, following Jesus means  "... we can't even follow him unless you are willing to give up your life."

Apparently, the new route to heaven is through the treasured oil fields of Iraq.

In my relationship with my wife, I'm the head cook and bottle washer. I love cooking as it is really a creative and relaxing endeavor. I also have a thing for buying the latest kitchen gadgets.

Keep me out of Linen's N Things, in other words.

So this story, as you can imagine, caught my attention. Anna Pickard (no relation) observes that:

"And while there are an awful lot of novelty kitchen gadgets available out there, this has to count as our favourite piece of pointless tat this week. Until the next one comes along, of course. Can there be a more pointless kitchen implement in existence?"

Hell no!

I so have to get one of these! I can't think of a tat worth owning more. This pan will match my Sacred Heart Jesus Candle quite well.

When I was sulking around the Vatican a few years back, I did not have the chance to pick up a Popener. Yes, I was that broke and I was in more of hurry to see the Sistine Chapel. (Art History was a minor.)

Not this time - so God help me!

This is an interesting argument that I had not thought of before.

Americans United for Church and State Separation (AU) is in a legal battle with the Utah Highway Patrol Association for erecting 12-foot crosses on the sites where state troopers have died while on duty.

AU Director, Minister Barry Lind argues that:

"The cross is the preeminent symbol of Christianity... for the government to claim that the cross is a secular symbol is deeply offensive and betrays a poor understanding of religion and our Constitution.”

This current counter-lawsuit is on the heels of a 2007 ruling that the cross was no longer just a religious symbol but became a “secular symbol of death” after the group, American Atheists, sued on the grounds that this was a state preference of religion. These crosses are erected on public, taxpayer owned land. The court, instead of passing a ruling that would be inline with the First Amendment, decided to change the meaning of the cross.

"Roberts held up pictures of telephone poles and showed a clip from Ben Casey, the 1960s TV medical drama. In it, Dr. David Zorba uses the cross as a generic symbol for death."

I'm sorry, but no one, looks at the cross and thinks Dr. David Zorba and Ben Casey. Lind observes that "this conclusion is historically inaccurate, blind to contemporary realities, and offensive to believers and nonbelievers alike.” Christianity is the context of the cross. Unless you're from Mars, I don't see how you conclude it as anything but Christianity.

A secular authority should not be messing around with peoples faith, which this 2007 ruling now allows.The undeniable Christian iconoclast, James Madison makes the case in a letter to Edward Livington, "...that religion and Government will both exist in greater purity the less they are mixed together." The AU shares this long-established American view that government should not be in the business of interfering with the practice of religion by interpreting its meanings and significance.

This does not mean that we should not commemorate the sacrifice of these officers lives. If accommodations have been made for a Jewish officer, then why not accommodate the First Amendment? What about the non-religious or those of other non-Christian faiths? It's like teaching creationism in science class, should we then teach the countless other creation stories as well?

I would think that other Christians would support the AU in this, especially if they believe in the price that Jesus paid for sin. And if the 2007 ruling is correct, then already much of the meaning behind the cross has been lost.

So the question is, will you allow your government to secularize your religious symbols?

(AU Source)

(Newsweek Article)