Here is where I ramble and pontificate about all things spiritual/theological/philosophical in my life.
Feel free to discuss, but please keep it civil.
Why I do What I do, and an Apology to Hurt Friends
Recently in a post I made through Facebook about Voter ID laws in North Carolina, a rather puzzling exchange took place with a friend of mine. Puzzling to me at least. After Section 4 of the VRA was dismantled, North Carolina Republican Lawmakers took advantage of their new freedom from Department of Justice oversight, and put forth new voting laws. Already being angry at the GOP/Conservative SCOTUS Justices who overturned the section, I blasted off a link to a ThinkProgressive.com article on it. I don’t usually use them because of their angry and purely anti-Conservative tone, but I was pissed and it was the first thing I saw on the subject. I ended the post by calling the lawmakers “Damn evil GOP bastards”. Which given what they were trying to do I thought was merited. Evidently, I didn’t make it clear as to who I directed my insult towards. I didn’t understand why my friend (who lives in North Carolina) go so upset and took my insult personally. I wasn’t talking about her at all, but the actual people who submitted and voted for the legislation. I tried to argue the points of why these laws have nothing to do with fraud and everything to do with suppressing opposing voter turnout. My brilliant wife explained to me that my friend most likely thought I was referring to either Republicans in general or NC Republicans in particular. My brilliant explanation didn’t work even though my facts are sound on the subject. When she thought she was being insulted, none of that mattered a bit. This led to a conversation with said brilliant wife, and some thinking on my part as a result. I wanted to first and foremost apologize to any and all my friends that I have offended in the past over posts, especially on Facebook. If you are on my friends list and can see a post, then deep down inside I do not want to offend you. My goal is to make people think. I firmly believe that a combination of facts and inspiring words can change the ideas and hearts of people. This, IMHO, is how we progress society and see love and justice for all. It is why I post things that are not just personal updates and geekiness. At the core of my personality, I am an activist who needs people and ideas to fight for. I often think this is what attracted me to “Professional Ministry” and the whole church leadership gig. That, however, is the subject of another post. I firmly believe with all of my heart that any and everyone is entitled to their views and opinions on any subject under the sun. I may disagree with you, but you can hold any version of reality you see fit. How does that play out with my activist core though? How can I respect other’s views and still fight for something I feel a moral imperative too? It becomes a balancing act that I completely mess up at times. Unfortunately in my zeal to defend the ideas and people I hold dear, I can insult, belittle, and offend those who oppose them. Some of which I consider friends. For this, once again, I sincerely apologize. How do I try and minimize this?...
read moreHow I Lost Faith in the “Pro-Life” Movement
Here is a good read about one young Christian woman’s journey into and out of the “Pro-Life” movement. With all the crap going on in some Red states nowadays (Texas, Ohio, and North Carolina), this article is very relevant. I’m not going to say much about it, because she does a great job of telling her story and pointing out the inherent self contradictions of the movement. I have not been a fan for many years of Pro-Life techniques and tactics. Since leaving the Church, I see little to no value in what they are doing. Keep in mind, there is a huge difference between opposing abortion and being “Pro-Life”. In many ways, the two are not even related because of how the Pro-Life movement interacts with the political landscape. Like most Progressives, I believe that abortion should be safe, legal, and rare. What is the best way to prevent an abortion? It’s to stop unintended pregnancies before they happen. Study, after study, has shown that where contraception is available, inexpensive, and coupled with proper sexual health education the abortion rates are lower. So why do so many in the movement oppose these proven methods if their real goal is to “save babies”? Libby Anne reveals why in: How I Lost Faith in the “Pro-Life”...
read moreBible Translation is Messy, but Inerrancy is Crap
This is more for those who are Theological Geeks or adhere to the quest for “original autographs” of the texts to base their “Inerrancy Theology” of the original languages on. (If you didn’t follow that sentence, then this may bore the crap out of you) Bible translation is always both an exercise in turning words from one language to another, as well as making theological choices. Any English Bible you read has been influenced by the translators understanding of the original language, as well as their theological framework (if you deny this, then you don’t understand how translation works, or handle snakes and insist that Jesus translated the 1611 KJV as the only Authorized one). It is better to learn the original Koine Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew languages to understand them, right? I will give you that with Greek, but Hebrew/Aramaic may be another story altogether. When I was in Seminary, my Hebrew class was based on the Masoretic text which are used for pretty much all Protestant “Old Testament” translations. Stick with me, it’s that complicated. I was taught in Seminary that the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures) was inferior, and the Masoretic texts were the “Original Texts” for the sake of “Inerrancy” and “Divine Inspiration” reasons. Here is the rub though, the oldest pieces of Masoretic texts we have, date from the 9th Century AD and the oldest complete edition is from the 10th century AD. Yes, that is correct. The “Old” Testament many hold as “perfect” is based on “original” texts written 900-1000 years AFTER the “New” Testament, and several thousand years after their purported original authorship. Enlightening isn’t it. Then we have the Septuagint. It was translated in the 2nd century BC and the earliest complete copy we have dates from the 4th Century AD and we have bits of it as early as the 2nd Century BC. That is a full 500-600 years earlier than the “authoritative” Hebrew texts. That bit of historical oddity was explained by the fact that much of the Septuagint lines up with the Masoretic texts. Where it doesn’t, the Masoretic was taken as the original source even though it was newer than the Greek translation. It trumped the Septuagint if there was a difference. Funny thing happened on the way to 1948 though. A shepherd boy found some clay jars in the West Bank that contained documents that would become known as The Dead Sea Scrolls. In the pots were writings collected from 408 BC to 318 AD. Among them are parts of almost every book in the Hebrew scriptures…in HEBREW. This means that we have manuscripts that are about 700 years older than the oldest Masoretic text fragments. When we compare them to the Masoretic texts and the Septuagint, some interesting things pop up. Much of them are inline with both, but there are some textual variants. For some of them, guess which version they line up with? That’s right, the Septuagint not the Masoretic texts. If you keep in mind that it wasn’t until around 100 AD that the OLD Testament was Canonized, this shouldn’t be surprising. Unless, of course, you adhere to semi-mystical magical doctrine of Biblical Inspiration/Inerrancy. Then it challenges your assumptions, and basis for the original text. So who cares right? From this fascinating article (emphasis theirs): That means...
read moreKnock it off already…
Marriage equality is an issue I wholeheartedly support. I’ve been advocating for it through social media for years now. The fact that Christianity seems to the be biggest enemy of the LGBT community is sad, frustrating, and a huge reason why I am no longer part of any church. I was so proud of both my home and adopted states, when their voters became the first to approve the right for same gender couples to marry last November in America. In Seminary, I was also told that a Liberal is defined as a someone who believed women could be pastors and that homosexuality is not a sin. I kid you not, dear reader, that was the answer the teacher gave me when I asked them define “Liberal Christian”. I guess I am guilty as charged if that is your metric. So along those lines, the Conservative Christian Church (CCC) has a long history of stating the Bible demands that God CLEARLY SAYS marriage is between one man and one woman. Having done nearly 15 years of academics focused almost solely the Bible, Theology, Church History, Exegesis and several other boring Greek/Latin terms spanning five distinct denominations, this baffles me. Are these people actually READING the Bible or just one or two passages that back up a preconceived notion? Or, as they like to call it, using Eisegesis to determine meaning. Evidently, I am not a alone in my puzzlement. Three Biblical Scholars in Iowa wrote an op-ed on the subject. I track with everything they said with the exception of this quote of course: So, while it is not accurate to state that biblical texts would allow marriages between people of the same sex, it is equally incorrect to declare that a “one-man-and-one-woman” marriage is the only allowable type of marriage deemed legitimate in biblical texts. If the Bible doesn’t give a one-size-fits-all definition of marriage throughout time (or a list of acceptable ones at the very least) then there is no reason to believe that the “text” wouldn’t allow for same sex marriage. It just doesn’t address an issue that didn’t exist a couple of millennia ago. Nitpicks aside, they make a very good point that I have been trying to make for years. If you want to oppose Marriage Equality, then that is your right, but you simply cannot say that: “The Bible says marriage is only between one man and one woman.” It is just not true. You MAY be able to make a case that certain authors expressed that sentiment, but it is NOT consistent through the whole of the Bible. You certainly cannot state that “GOD SAYS marriage is between one man and one woman”. Anyone who does, is inserting their interpretation of marriage into the mouth of God, or claiming some kind of special revelation. Neither of which should be done lightly or without potential dire spiritual consequences. It is the height of human arrogance and the worship of Systematic Theology over God. IMHO of course. The CCC is infamous for these assertions while also being vocal proponents of Biblical Inerrancy. They use the concept to charge others with heresy or blasphemy if anyone disagrees with them in the least. As if stating what God thinks on a subject with clear Biblical disagreement, doesn’t open them up to...
read moreWe are Separating…
This is post I made on Facebook on 8/12/2011. After 18 years together, we’ve decided to call it quits. It’s mostly me, but I am sure deep down she agrees it’s the best thing, and is a bit relieved. The tension and disagreements we’ve been having the past few years have to be wearing on her as they are on me. I know for many of you, this will come as a surprise, but for others it may not be at all. We’ve been struggling of late to find any common ground, and I am thinking we’ve reached the point where our differences have become irreconcilable. We just can’t live with each other anymore, and I don’t see either one of us changing that drastically. She has also been cheating on me for years, and I just can’t take her infidelity any more. But in truth, in her eyes, I haven’t been entirely faithful myself. I guess we are both hurting each other that way. I’ve tried to make it work…tried my damnedest but she isn’t willing to accept me for who I am. She demands I change my very core, and deny who I am just to be with her. In truth, she’s tolerated my personality and idiosyncrasies for years, and would never admit out loud that they profoundly affect our relationship in a negative way, but they do. She’s controlling, manipulative, and just plain nasty at times. She tells me who my friends can be, where I can go, and how I should feel about the important things in life…personal things…that are none of her blasted business. She’s also a hypocrite. Her “public” appearance is just a facade and a lie. She comes off as loving, kind, warm, and welcoming…but in truth, as soon as people are out the door, she rips them apart. Don’t get me wrong though, there were some good times, and I met some amazing people because of our relationship. I hope those friendships will continue once we separate…but I know many of them won’t. I think it would be just too awkward for many people to keep in contact with me. I’ll mourn the loss of those people in my life, but I know my true friends will walk with me through this. I think the hardest part for me will be trying to figure out who I am without her. We’ve been together nearly all of my adult life…since I was 19…and I’ve derived a lot my personal identity from our relationship. Not to mention all of the money I’ve sunk into our relationship, and the crushing debt it’s produced. I don’t think I will ever be fully divorced from her financially…she kind of ruined that part of my life. I’ll miss her at times, but I think at the end of the day, we’re better off going in our separate directions. We’ve been drifting….and at times running…in separate directions since pretty much the beginning of our relationship. This is really a formality in many ways. I hope the kids will adapt…I’m sure they will eventually. It will be hard, but I really have not liked the affect she’s had on them over the years. I am kind of looking forward to getting them away from her influence. I believe they will be better people in the long run with us no longer together. So with all that...
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