Clipmarks | Beliefs Clips

To Follow God's Will?

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:19:30 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: I think all this nonsense really hurts the message of a religious revolutionary who brought transformation and wisdom, not doctrine.
There is a wise way and a foolish way; a broad way and a narrow one. Do people really think that one can "pray away gay?" It's so convenient to believe if one's orientation is heterosexual I suppose.
Oh well, back to the every day business of the dead burying their own dead.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

“God has given her the opportunity to serve,” he said. “And God has given her the strength to carry out her goals.”

“Believe me,” she said, “I know what I am saying — where God has sent me, from underneath the umbrella of this church, throughout the state.”

“The churches that Sarah has attended all believe in a literal translation of the Bible,” Ms. Kincaid said. “Her principal ethical and moral beliefs stem from this.”

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Some Jewish groups have raised concerns since the announcement of Ms. Palin’s selection to the Republican ticket that discussions in the Wasilla Bible Church might go beyond conservatism.

The church has also come under fire among some gay advocacy groups for promoting an upcoming Focus on the Family conference in Anchorage dealing with the so-called curing of homosexuality.

James Fallows on Biden

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:42:25 GMT

clipped by: lp97702
clipper's remarks: Fallows is smart and this piece is right on....Joe is on fire, he's real and very very good.

Clip Source: www.bloglines.com

The wages of cockiness

I mentioned just after Sarah Palin's speech that her tone of outright mockery toward Obama compounded the gamble represented by her selection as McCain's VP candidate. Her Limbaugh-style sass was likely to make the conservative base all the more enthusiastic, which has indeed happened. But it held the potential of mobilizing an opposite, larger base of people who had been tepid about Obama but didn't like the tone, beliefs, or qualifications of Palin - or, more important, who were concerned about what this last-minute selection revealed about McCain's deliberative process and weighing of risks.

Tags: biden, palin

Sarah Palin’s Family Values Aren’t Mine!

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:30:40 GMT

clipped by: ninja1105

Clip Source: www.dominickevans.com

I can’t stand Obama. I think Joe Biden is a poor excuse for a politician. Plagiarists don’t sit well with writers, even if I’m only writing until I can get through film school. I don’t think Obama can change anything. I don’t think he has the skill to fix jack shit. He can’t fix what Bush has done and he’s the most inexperienced presidential candidate ever second only to Bush.

But….I hate Sarah Palin. I don’t mean I dislike her. I HATE that stupid bitch. I cannot stand her. She is the biggest hypocrite on the planet. John McCain made a huge mistake in picking her as his running mate. He wanted the “Hillary” supporters and the Evangelicals all in one vote, but seriously, he’s about to alienate both groups thanks to choosing this woman.

I agree that USUALLY a politician’s kids should be off limits, but:

-When a person is trying to force “beliefs” on a nation that do not even work in her own home she is a fuckin’ hypocrite

Tags: sarah palin, john mccain, barack obama, joe biden, political choice, family values, voting, book banning, pregnant, bristol palin

University gets attention for pagan recognition

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:28:23 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: "House, while not a pagan himself, said it is essential for his friends who share these beliefs to get the same respect as followers of other faiths."

Clip Source: media.www.marshallparthenon.com

Marshall University's recognition of Paganism has garnered media attention on a national level and abroad.

Paganism is a religious movement that consists of many different religions such as Wicca, the mystical traditions of Kabbalism, Native American shamanistic traditions and religions from the African Diaspora like Voodoo. Last year, Marshall recognized pagan holidays as a reason for excused absences, producing a great deal of interest.

"I conducted a search a few weeks after the articles hit and found that while there was some small negative response, the overwhelming response was very positive from people of all religions and none," said Marty Laubach, professor of sociology and faculty advisor to the Marshall University Pagan Association said. "The story was picked up internationally. It was seen as an example of American openness and religious pluralism."

"I think it's kind of strange, all the attention it's gotten,"

Tags: university, pagan, religion, belief, wicca, holiday

Opening Minds

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:44:31 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman
clipper's remarks: "Those who teach our children science have a duty to reveal the workings of nature – even if it means challenging their faith"

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Should science teachers in Britain challenge their students' religious beliefs? Is it their right? Is it even their duty?

I say yes. This is (amongst much else) what education is for; to teach children how to think for themselves. And thinking for yourself is challenging, especially if your previous beliefs were based on dogma and ancient books.

In his recent TV series, The Genius of Charles Darwin, Richard Dawkins visited a London secondary school, took a mixed bunch of kids out fossil hunting on the beach, and then came back to the school to talk to them and their teachers.

Some of what he discovered in his travels was truly shocking

science teacher who honestly believes that the world was created by God a few thousand years ago

Once you get it that's that! How can you go on believing that God created humans in his own image when you can see, because you really understand the principle, that nature's cruel and wasteful selective process can create all that design without him?

Unquestioning respect?

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:03:15 GMT

clipped by: Angie66

Clip Source: scienceblogs.com

#164

Posted by: zy | September 3, 2008 12:54 PM

I decided years ago I have NO respect for the culture of Aboriginees because of its many taboos that fall the most heavily on women. Aboriginal Australians are free to protect their beliefs and way of life, to pursue claims to regain and protect their native lands, and of course to exercise the free speech that is valued by their opressor's culture more so than their own. No way, however, am I going to regard their beliefs, practices or artifacts with hushed awe. Unlike an acquaintance of mine who decorates her home with a number of Aboriginal-themed items (not authentic as far as I know), I have a distaste for those motifs, due to my unwillingness to glorify a culture that places such rigid strictures on its women.

Yes Ladies, He's Single

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:31:27 GMT

clipped by: Playhouse933

Clip Source: www.metro.co.uk

Man turned cat is world's ‘most modified man’

Catman is world's 'most modified man'

Museum openings are usually pretty muted affairs – but not when you invite a man who can turn himself into a cat and someone who thinks he is a lizard.

Stalking Cat, aka American computer repair man Dennis Avner, 50, is the world's 'most modified man' and has had surgery to create a feline cleft lip and a flat, upturned nose.

He has also had tiger stripes tattooed on his body and fixes synthetic whiskers to a piercing through his lip every day.

With a contortionist along for good measure, and a mini Elvis, few guests at the launch of tonight's newest exhibition space in London should be bored – at least not with the entertainment.

Stalking Cat says it is his Native American beliefs that have driven him to transform himself into his totem animal – a tiger.

Palin Book Banning Story

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:55:01 GMT

clipped by: dewitte
clipper's remarks: Link to a Time story about Palin trying to ban books and threatening to fire a librarian for not helping her.

Clip Source: www.time.com

Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." That woman, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor.

Tags: palin, library, ban

Quotes from Palin's radical extreme Church and it's Pastor

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:34:35 GMT

clipped by: TJColatrella
clipper's remarks: Is this so different from Obama's Rev. Wright..?

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

The church runs a number of ministries providing help to poor neighborhoods, care for children in need, and general community services. But Pastor Kalnins has also preached that critics of President Bush will be banished to hell; questioned whether people who voted for Sen. John Kerry in 2004 would be accepted to heaven; charged that the 9/11 terrorist attacks and war in Iraq were part of a war "contending for your faith;" and said that Jesus "operated from that position of war mode."

Moreover, she "has maintained a friendship with Wasilla Assembly of God and has attended various conferences and special meetings here," Kalnins' office said in a statement. "As for her personal beliefs," the statement added, "Governor Palin is well able to speak for herself on those issues."

And if the political storm over Barack Obama's former pastor Jeremiah Wright is any indication, Palin may face some political fallout over the more controversial teachings of Wasilla Assembly of God.

Tags: palin, religion, assembly of god, separation of church and state, jesus, war, republicans, theocracy, armageddon

How bad can it get?

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:00:21 GMT

clipped by: patden
clipper's remarks: Just when you thought .....

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

The Worst Vice-Presidential Nominee in U.S. History

No doubt John McCain will get some women to vote for him who wouldn't have otherwise, and even some independents. But he will also probably lose as many Republicans uncomfortable with a woman on the ticket - let alone a woman with so little experience as Sarah Palin. Not to mention that the choice will cause many undecided Democratic women to be aghast and push them back to following their Democratic beliefs. And further, it will lose all the independents who look at the GOP ticket and say "This is who I'm supposed to give my vote for the next four years to lead and protect America??" It may even appeal to right-wing evangelicals for her strong pro-life stance and get some to vote - but that position and others related to it are specifically what loses even more women voters. And men. Ultimately, the nomination will lose far, far more votes than it gains.

But this is not the reason the decision is so terrible.

Tags: politics

Palin, aside from being a woman...

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 15:10:13 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: Obviously a lot has been said about the fact that McCain picked a woman as his VP. That is no doubt an interesting fact that can be interpreted in a few different ways. But putting that aside, i think the facts that matter most are those in this clip.

These come from a comment by debbyski and i think they represent the reasons people will or won't support her.

I would certainly be shocked if anyone who voted for Hillary would support Palin based on these specific differences in beliefs and policies.

Clip Source: clipmarks.com

is also anti-choice, pro-gun, pro big oil, opposes stem-cell research, wants to teach creationism in schools, also has ZERO FOREIGN POLICY EXPERTISE

Tags: sarah palin, mccain, vice president, politics

Barack Obama: Leap of Faith

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:51:39 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: but because they're confused about the roots of his politics.

Sen. Obama accumulated his victorious lead early with a liberal coalition willing to vote for him mainly for reasons of faith – upper-middle-class whites, black voters and young idealists -- all attempting to complete the civil-rights promise, answer the post-partisan appeal, or vote against the war and George Bush.

His coalition's limitations hit the wall in Ohio. Here Sen. Clinton discovered her Rosie-the-Riveter persona, and it worked. I watched her sell bread-and-butter policy before blue-collar crowds in Youngstown, Akron and Cleveland. She was tremendously good at it. He just wasn't. The Sunday before the Ohio vote, Sen. Obama abandoned Ohio. The way Hillary won in these crucial November swing states may have fatally damaged his candidacy.

His problem is that there is nothing in it (biography) to suggest he has spent any significant time thinking about these people other than as a political abstraction.

Clip Source: www.realclearpolitics.com

The U.S. presidency is a political office, and nearly all nominees for it had a record in politics to offer a basis for shaping a view of how they might conduct the nation's highest office.

By this most traditional of measures, the Obama candidacy is a leap of faith.

A New York Times article on his years at Harvard Law, where he was editor of the law review, said, "In dozens of interviews, his friends said they could not remember his specific views from that era, beyond a general emphasis on diversity and social and economic justice." A similar piece on his years teaching at the University of Chicago Law School said he notably did not participate in its intellectual debates.

Yet amid a universally described lack of clarity about Sen. Obama's experience and core political beliefs, it is now being said that if the people in blue-collar counties don't vote for him, they, and their nation, remain racist.

This is false. If they don't vote for Barack Obama, it won't be over his personal roots,

Tags: obama, political beliefs, experience, diversity, social/economic justice,

Look Closely, Doctor: See the Camera?

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:50:30 GMT

clipped by: einbar
clipper's remarks: Psychiatrists say that other movies whose characters are living in a unreal world or being watched by malevolent forces, including “The Matrix,” “Edtv” and even the film based on George Orwell’s “1984,” have come up in conversations with psychotic patients. But the premise of “The Truman Show” (“What if you were watched every moment of your life?” according to a promotional blurb) is strikingly similar to what patients describe as their own experiences.

Reinforcing their beliefs is the fact that in the movie, Truman is right about being watched and recorded at all times. Every other character is part of the conspiracy.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Look Closely, Doctor: See the Camera?

Psychiatrists say that some psychotic patients have identified with the main characters in “The Truman Show,” and “The Matrix.”

PSYCHOSIS in the 21st century looks something like this: You think your every move is being filmed for a reality television show starring you, and that everyone in your life is an actor.

Or you think you are under intense surveillance by an army of spies, whom you refer to as the “www people,” as in the World Wide Web, and they wiretap your furniture and appliances.

Those thoughts are from three case studies of what psychiatrists interested in the intersection of mental illness, culture and society are calling, respectively, Truman Show delusion, Internet delusion and climate change delusion; all of them a window, through madness, into the modern world.

With Internet delusion, patients typically incorporate the Internet into paranoid thoughts, including a fear that the Web is somehow monitoring or controlling their lives

accepting change

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:50:09 GMT

clipped by: bjkeltz

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Change is a shift in the story line, a letting go of the known, a leap in the dark. It is scary but it is also the very nature of existence--our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, ideas, even our relationships are as changeable as the weather or the seasons. As life never stands still change is inevitable, no matter what we do. Everything comes and goes; nothing is permanent. Without change in ourselves we become stifled and stagnant. Being with what is as it is, and integrating the reality of change is wonderfully liberating, like clearing away layers of dust and cobwebs to reveal a pristine beauty.

Tags: change, life

The Barackopolis

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:24:14 GMT

clipped by: pecksnif

Clip Source: curmudgeonlyskeptical.blogspot.com

Sneak Preview

The one we were waiting for is here with beliefs you can believe in!

Limbaugh today announced that the backdrop for Obama's acceptance speech, before 75,000 democrat cultists at Coors Stadium, will be columns replicating a Greek temple. The “Barackopolis” I am not making this up. Is it possible that the the messiah has missed the derision and scorn his haughty behavior inspires? Evidently yes. A Rush caller suggested that Obama's theme would be - "What if one of us was God?" I soiled myself, because it's something that fits exactly. You know what? It could still happen.

Tags: the haughty one