Here I go again…

Note: Yes, I’m sounding off again. If you are a conservative Christian who still thinks our current president is a secret Muslim and you vote based on whom you think is the most Christian choice, then you probably won’t like what I’m saying here. On the other hand, that’s exactly why I think you need to read this today. So no alternative websites offered to you today. Just keep reading. I can pretty much guarantee that God wants you to know this. 

I have finally reached my breaking point with posts on social media about how we need a president who believes in God in the White House, or about the 'need' to bring back God/Christian values/Jesus to America. All the while extolling the joy that will come of living in a country that has freedom of religion as long as that religion is nominally Christian.

Enough people. Let’s look at a couple of facts:

• Adolf Hitler based his genocide aimed at the Jews on his Christian (actually Catholic) upbringing and education. One article I read tonight on this said that the German Social Christian movement, which influenced Hitler’s beliefs strongly resembles the Christian Right movement in America (http://www.nobeliefs.com/hitler.htm). So, this man, raised as a Catholic, who wanted to be a priest, committed one of the most heinous acts of genocide in history aided and abetted by the Christians of his country. Who joined in all in the name of religion.
• America may have been founded on Christian values, but by virtue of the fact that our constitution does guarantee freedom of religion, that means in actuality America really is not a country of any specific religious belief. Or it should not be by the law of the land. 
• Fanatics exist in virtually every religion out there. Evil exists. It is not exclusive to any one religion. In every religion, including Christianity, there are those who will turn the teachings of that religion to their own evil purposes. Christianity does not hold the franchise on virtue and goodness. Neither does any other religion. 

Going on from there, a few personal observations:

• While I am myself a Catholic, I respect all faiths and prefer to not stereotype those of different beliefs based on the lunatic fringe element of their faith. And there are lunatic fringe elements in every single faith that exists.
• I also firmly believe that those who feel God will reward them with the joys of heaven for killing others in His Name have a big, hot surprise awaiting them. Since I was taught in my religion classes that the fifth commandment prohibition against taking life also covers actively (or passively) hating another human being, hating any one simply because they are a Jew, Muslim, Catholic, Atheist, Southern Baptist or what have you is therefore a mortal sin.

So, have you figured out where I’m going with this yet or do I have to spell it out for you?  Just in case…here’s the deal:

As I see it, posting anything or saying anything that implies in any way shape or form that any religion or belief system is the ‘right’ religion or belief and that other religions or beliefs are lesser or wrong and that their believers should be disenfranchised or eliminated from the face of the earth is an act of hatred, and therefore a mortal sin. If you are guilty of this, stop right now and sin no more. Then, and only then, will the world (and America) be a better place.

Disclaimer: No, I’m not perfect or claiming to be perfect. I’m actually quite a bit less than perfect. And I freely admit it. But I do have a fairly well developed worldview of good and evil. And right now I’m seeing way too much evil in how people are using religions of all types to justify hatred on a global scale. And that worries me greatly. Hence this: my version of a wake-up call.

Miscellaneous Mischief

For my dear conservative or apolitical friends, you might want to skip this one. Yes, I'm going on a tear. A long overdue tear. So, following my tradition of giving you something to read that won't offend you, I offer up tonight Emotions with Jon Hamm. A brilliant bit of online craziness created by Tricia, who is a rising creative marvel. Loads of people love this blog (well, maybe not Jon Hamm, but hey, his loss). So enjoy and come back to me soon.

Now, on with my rants...er points of view...

Bye bye Rick: Act II.  Rick Sanctimonious – er Santorum, finally saw the writing on the wall and bowed out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Which leaves only three options: The Newt, Ron Paul, or Mitt. Given that Mitt has about ten million more delegates than The Newt or Ron Paul, it's pretty obvious that in November, republican voters are going to have a the choice of a man half of them are convinced either isn't a US citizen or a Christian (Muslim being the predominant thought if you can say these people are thinking) or both or Mitt who is a Morman. Depending on just how desperate they are, they may just go for the Morman.

Disclaimer: I personally don't care if our president is a Christian, Jew, Morman, Hindu, Muslim or atheist as long as he does have the ability to lead our country, which I really don't think any of the current crop of Republicans do, except for maybe Ron Paul. And I feel obligated to point out here for the uneducated that technically, there is absolutely NO requirement that an American president be a Christian (aka a member of a Protestant or if no attractive Protestant is a viable choice, then a Catholic). It's called freedom of religion people. We can worship as we please. And that right to worship as we please extends to the President of our country.

Speaking of Ricks, it seems that Texas Governor Rick Perry has decided that Texas legislators should be required to take an oath of loyalty to his policies. Or some such nonsense. Since I just love it when the governor of our state makes us look like a bunch of idiots for electing him over and over again, I want to thank all those who continue to make His Holy Hairness' reign possible. Do us all a favor during the next election y'all: Forget to renew your voter registration cards and stay home so we can finally vote this bozo out of office. Oh, and also any bozo in the Texas legislature who is stupid enough to vote for this stupid loyalty oath of Ricky's.

Next up, our intrepid secret service agents, who seem to have forgotten that scouting out the local prostitution options in preparation for a presidential visit to a foreign country stopped being necessary after Clinton left the White House. What truly amazes me is how these guys got caught: by being so cheap that they 'shared' a prostitute thinking that they were going to get the two for one deal. So, the prostitute called the police, who then called the US embassy on these bozos. So, not only were these guys stupid enough to actually hire prostitutes and take them back to their hotel rooms where they had classified info laying around, but they were cheap stupid bozos.

Finally, no rant on the idiocies of the week would be complete without the ultimate idiot of the week: Ted Nugent. I just don't know what to say here. The mind boggles at how Nugent's mind works, or rather, doesn't work. I'd advise Mr. Nugent to stick to music, but based on what I know about his musical skills, I'm not sure that's a viable option. I certainly don't have any of his music (if you can call it that) on my iPod. So, maybe the best advice I can give him is to crawl under a rock and hope that his most recent outburst will be taken for the random ravings of a lunatic. Because I'm betting that the secret service would love to have a reason to take Ted into custody and look like the good guys bringing a gun-toting, serious threat-making lunatic to justice right now in order to detract people's attention from that little problem in Columbia.