Some abstinence programs misleading
Really! no surprize.
These are the same type of people who attack evolution. These are the types who insert intelligent design programs into the public school system, one school board at a time.
Science and facts have no sway with religious fundamentalists. Science is part and parcle of our materialistic world, therefore evil. No doubt about it. If the facts don't fit, oh well. Don't worry about it. Stats lie and everyone knows it. The Greenhouse efffect isn't real, and if it is, again don't worry, Christ will return soon so we don't have to concern ourselves over such scientific mumbo jumbo.
Reasonable people can not reason with unreasonable people. So my goal is not to convince such people they are wrong, but reach out and educate those "agnostics" who vote.
Here is the article:
Report documents misstatements in curricula
Many American youngsters participating in federally funded abstinence-only programs have been taught over the past three years that abortion can lead to sterility and suicide, that half the gay male teenagers in the United States have tested positive for the AIDS virus, and that touching a person's genitals "can result in pregnancy," a congressional staff analysis has found. Those and other assertions are examples of the "false, misleading, or distorted information" in the programs' teaching materials, said the analysis, released yesterday, which reviewed the curricula of more than a dozen projects aimed at preventing teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. In providing nearly $170 million next year to fund groups that teach abstinence only, the Bush administration, with backing from the Republican Congress, is investing heavily in a just-say-no strategy for teenagers and sex. But youngsters taking the courses frequently receive medically inaccurate or misleading information, often in direct contradiction to the findings of government scientists, said the report, by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), a critic of the administration who has long argued for comprehensive sex education. Several million children age 9 to 18 have participated in the more than 100 federal abstinence programs since the efforts began in 1999. Waxman's staff reviewed the 13 most commonly used curricula -- those used by at least five programs apiece.The report concluded that two of the curricula were accurate but the 11 others, used by 69 organizations in 25 states, contain unproved claims, subjective conclusions or outright falsehoods regarding reproductive health, gender traits and when life begins. In some cases, Waxman said in an interview, the factual issues were limited to occasional misinterpretations of publicly available data; in others, the materials pervasively presented subjective opinions as scientific fact.Among the misconceptions cited by Waxman's investigators:• A 43-day-old fetus is a "thinking person."• HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can be spread via sweat and tears.• Condoms fail to prevent HIV transmission as often as 31 percent of the time in heterosexual intercourse.One curriculum, called "Me, My World, My Future," teaches that women who have an abortion "are more prone to suicide" and that as many as 10 percent of them become sterile. This contradicts the 2001 edition of a standard obstetrics textbook that says fertility is not affected by elective abortion, the Waxman report said.'Seriously wrong'"I have no objection talking about abstinence as a surefire way to prevent unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases," Waxman said. "I don't think we ought to lie to our children about science. Something is seriously wrong when federal tax dollars are being used to mislead kids about basic health facts."When used properly and consistently, condoms fail to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) less than 3 percent of the time, federal researchers say, and it is not known how many gay teenagers are HIV-positive. The assertion regarding gay teenagers may be a misinterpretation of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that found that 59 percent of HIV-infected males age 13 to 19 contracted the virus through homosexual relations. Joe. S. McIlhaney Jr., who runs the Medical Institute for Sexual Health, which developed much of the material that was surveyed, said he was "saddened" that Waxman chose to "blast" well-intentioned abstinence educators when there is much the two sides could agree on.McIlhaney acknowledged that his group, which publishes "Sexual Health Today" instruction manuals, made a mistake in describing the relationship between a rare type of infection caused by chlamydia bacteria and heart failure. Chlamydia also causes a common type of sexually transmitted infection, but that is not linked to heart disease. But McIlhaney said Waxman misinterpreted a slide that warns young people about the possibility of pregnancy without intercourse. McIlhaney said the slide accurately describes a real, though small, risk of pregnancy in mutual masturbation.Bush's backingCongress first allocated money for abstinence-only programs in 2001, setting aside $80 million in grants, which go to a variety of religious, civic and medical organizations. To be eligible, groups must limit discussion of contraception to failure rates.President Bush has enthusiastically backed the movement, proposing to spend $270 million on abstinence projects in 2005. Congress reduced that to about $168 million, bringing total abstinence funding to nearly $900 million over five years. It does not appear that the abstinence-only curricula are being taught in the Washington area.Waxman and other liberal sex-education proponents argue that adolescents who take abstinence-only programs are ill-equipped to protect themselves if they become sexually active. According to the latest CDC data, 61 percent of graduating high school seniors have had sex.Supporters of the abstinence approach, also called abstinence until marriage, counter that teaching young people about "safer sex" is an invitation to have sex.Alma Golden, deputy assistant secretary for population affairs in the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement that the Waxman report was a political document that did a "disservice to our children." Speaking as a pediatrician, Golden said, she knows "abstaining from sex is the most effective means of preventing the sexual transmission of HIV, STDs and preventing pregnancy."Nonpartisan researchers have been unable to document measurable benefits of the abstinence-only model. Columbia University researchers found that although teenagers who take "virginity pledges" may wait longer to initiate sexual activity, 88 percent eventually have premarital sex.Bill Smith, vice president of public policy at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, a comprehensive sex education group that also receives federal funding, said the Waxman report underscored the need for closer monitoring of what he called the "shame-based, fear-based, medically inaccurate messages" being disseminated with tax money. He said the danger of abstinence education lies in the omission of useful medical information.Some course materials cited in Waxman's report present as scientific fact notions about a man's need for "admiration" and "sexual fulfillment" compared with a woman's need for "financial support." One book in the "Choosing Best" series tells the story of a knight who married a village maiden instead of the princess because the princess offered so many tips on slaying the local dragon. "Moral of the story," notes the popular text: "Occasional suggestions and assistance may be alright, but too much of it will lessen a man's confidence
Dec 2, 2004
Colonia LeBaron in the Mexican state of Chihuahua
I wonder how many American Polygamist families are hiding in Mexico?
Smart Case Highlights Utah Polygamy
By PATTY HENETZ SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Despite the Mormon Church's century long effort to rid itself of the stigma of polygamy, high-profile cases like Elizabeth Smart's abduction have cast the church in an unfavorable light by linking it to the outlawed practice.
The Church disavowed polygamy in 1890 and excommunicates members who practice or preach it. But an estimated 30,000 polygamists whose beliefs are rooted in Mormonism live in Utah and other parts of the southwest, Mexico and Canada.
While most of them are consenting adults, living quietly, the region's history is littered with would-be prophets who, abandoning the traditional church, sought to lead their own polygamist groups or cults.
Among them, it appears, is Brian David Mitchell, the self-styled prophet arrested last week in Smart's abduction. An excommunicated Mormon, he wrote a rambling manifesto espousing the virtues of polygamy and may have kidnapped the teen to make her his second wife.
Mitchell's case is just one of several involving avowed polygamists with extremist or fanatical views. Among them:
- In August 2002, polygamist Tom Green was sentenced to five years to life in prison for a child rape that occurred when he took Linda Kunz, a 13-year-old girl, as his "spiritual" wife in 1986 when Green was 37. Green drew the attention of prosecutors when he appeared on a half-dozen nationally televised talk shows to defend his brand of polygamy.
- In 1984, brothers Dan and Ron Lafferty, who had formed a polygamist cult called School of Prophets, killed Ron Lafferty's sister-in-law and her baby because she agreed with Ron Lafferty's wife's decision to leave him.
- In 1979, Summit County, Utah, polygamist John Singer, who pulled his children out of public school, was shot by law enforcement officers for running away when they tried to capture him. His son Addam Swapp, who also became a polygamist, in January 1988 blew up the Marion, Utah, Mormon administrative center. Swapp was wounded after he led his clan in an armed standoff with police and was later sentenced to 15 years in prison.
- In the late 1940s, the excommunicated LeBaron clan established Colonia LeBaron, a polygamist colony in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. In the early 1970s Ervil LeBaron executed rival polygamists in Mexico and Salt Lake County. He died in prison.
Some experts say Mormonism will never be able to shed itself of polygamy - and the sects or cults that arise because of it - because the practice is linked inextricably to the church's founding.
"Polygamy is an albatross the church has been unable to rid itself of," said David Bigler, a former Mormon and historian on the church.
At a conference in October, Gordon Hinckley, the church's image-maker since 1935, issued a powerful reminder that the members' faith depended on the belief that God and Jesus Christ revealed themselves to founder Joseph Smith in 1820 on an upstate New York hillside when he was 14.
"Our whole strength rests on the validity of that vision," said the 92-year-old president.
It was Smith who, in 1843, also disclosed his revelation that polygamy, restored by prophecy from the patriarchal milieu of the Old Testament, was an essential ingredient of eternal exaltation on which the church would stand or fall.
Smith's teachings on polygamy remain in the church's four volumes of scripture. Section 132 says that "if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then he is justified; he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else."
Therein may lie a justification for Mitchell and thousands of so-called fundamentalist Mormons to defy mainstream Mormonism and establish sects where men take multiple wives, some as young as 12.
"They believe in Joseph Smith and polygamy," said Rowenna Erickson, 63, a former plural wife and co-founder of the group Tapestry Against Polygamy. "In order to gain their eternal salvation, they feel they need to live polygamously, because that is one of the higher laws, to get them to the celestial kingdom."
As for Mitchell, his manifesto includes apocalyptic ravings that crib from several books, including the King James Bible, the Book of Mormon and other Joseph Smith writings. The tract typed on a computer is dated April 6, 2002 - the Mormon church's birthday.
Mitchell, once a high local Mormon leader, was excommunicated several years ago for "activity promoting bizarre teachings and lifestyle" far afield of the church. Also excommunicated was Wanda Barzee, arrested along with Mitchell on Wednesday for her alleged complicity in Elizabeth's kidnapping.
Such discipline is not uncommon in the church's struggle with polygamous splinter groups who continue to keep multiple "sister-wives."
Yet the church also teaches that plural marriage will revive when Christ returns. And members are allowed a kind of polygamy in the belief that widowers who marry again may live with both in the afterlife.
Smart Case Highlights Utah Polygamy
By PATTY HENETZ SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Despite the Mormon Church's century long effort to rid itself of the stigma of polygamy, high-profile cases like Elizabeth Smart's abduction have cast the church in an unfavorable light by linking it to the outlawed practice.
The Church disavowed polygamy in 1890 and excommunicates members who practice or preach it. But an estimated 30,000 polygamists whose beliefs are rooted in Mormonism live in Utah and other parts of the southwest, Mexico and Canada.
While most of them are consenting adults, living quietly, the region's history is littered with would-be prophets who, abandoning the traditional church, sought to lead their own polygamist groups or cults.
Among them, it appears, is Brian David Mitchell, the self-styled prophet arrested last week in Smart's abduction. An excommunicated Mormon, he wrote a rambling manifesto espousing the virtues of polygamy and may have kidnapped the teen to make her his second wife.
Mitchell's case is just one of several involving avowed polygamists with extremist or fanatical views. Among them:
- In August 2002, polygamist Tom Green was sentenced to five years to life in prison for a child rape that occurred when he took Linda Kunz, a 13-year-old girl, as his "spiritual" wife in 1986 when Green was 37. Green drew the attention of prosecutors when he appeared on a half-dozen nationally televised talk shows to defend his brand of polygamy.
- In 1984, brothers Dan and Ron Lafferty, who had formed a polygamist cult called School of Prophets, killed Ron Lafferty's sister-in-law and her baby because she agreed with Ron Lafferty's wife's decision to leave him.
- In 1979, Summit County, Utah, polygamist John Singer, who pulled his children out of public school, was shot by law enforcement officers for running away when they tried to capture him. His son Addam Swapp, who also became a polygamist, in January 1988 blew up the Marion, Utah, Mormon administrative center. Swapp was wounded after he led his clan in an armed standoff with police and was later sentenced to 15 years in prison.
- In the late 1940s, the excommunicated LeBaron clan established Colonia LeBaron, a polygamist colony in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. In the early 1970s Ervil LeBaron executed rival polygamists in Mexico and Salt Lake County. He died in prison.
Some experts say Mormonism will never be able to shed itself of polygamy - and the sects or cults that arise because of it - because the practice is linked inextricably to the church's founding.
"Polygamy is an albatross the church has been unable to rid itself of," said David Bigler, a former Mormon and historian on the church.
At a conference in October, Gordon Hinckley, the church's image-maker since 1935, issued a powerful reminder that the members' faith depended on the belief that God and Jesus Christ revealed themselves to founder Joseph Smith in 1820 on an upstate New York hillside when he was 14.
"Our whole strength rests on the validity of that vision," said the 92-year-old president.
It was Smith who, in 1843, also disclosed his revelation that polygamy, restored by prophecy from the patriarchal milieu of the Old Testament, was an essential ingredient of eternal exaltation on which the church would stand or fall.
Smith's teachings on polygamy remain in the church's four volumes of scripture. Section 132 says that "if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then he is justified; he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else."
Therein may lie a justification for Mitchell and thousands of so-called fundamentalist Mormons to defy mainstream Mormonism and establish sects where men take multiple wives, some as young as 12.
"They believe in Joseph Smith and polygamy," said Rowenna Erickson, 63, a former plural wife and co-founder of the group Tapestry Against Polygamy. "In order to gain their eternal salvation, they feel they need to live polygamously, because that is one of the higher laws, to get them to the celestial kingdom."
As for Mitchell, his manifesto includes apocalyptic ravings that crib from several books, including the King James Bible, the Book of Mormon and other Joseph Smith writings. The tract typed on a computer is dated April 6, 2002 - the Mormon church's birthday.
Mitchell, once a high local Mormon leader, was excommunicated several years ago for "activity promoting bizarre teachings and lifestyle" far afield of the church. Also excommunicated was Wanda Barzee, arrested along with Mitchell on Wednesday for her alleged complicity in Elizabeth's kidnapping.
Such discipline is not uncommon in the church's struggle with polygamous splinter groups who continue to keep multiple "sister-wives."
Yet the church also teaches that plural marriage will revive when Christ returns. And members are allowed a kind of polygamy in the belief that widowers who marry again may live with both in the afterlife.
Nov 23, 2004
po·lyg·a·my vs. gay marriage
When or if gay marriage (civil unions) is legal, what about polygamy?
As long as those involved are adults, wouldn't it only be fair to allow this also?
Sometimes I wish I had a sister-wife to help around the house. Maybe
Of course some polygamists can't seem to keep their hands off the teen-agers.
Thats another unpopular question. Why is sixteen the majic age for sexual consent?
In bibical times, a girl became a woman when men·stru·ation started. In nature this determines maturity, in ability to procreate.
But of course no one today likes to see their 12 or 13 year olds having sex. So it's more of a modern cultural restriction.
If I am for gay marriage, should I also support polygamy?
As long as those involved are adults, wouldn't it only be fair to allow this also?
Sometimes I wish I had a sister-wife to help around the house. Maybe
Of course some polygamists can't seem to keep their hands off the teen-agers.
Thats another unpopular question. Why is sixteen the majic age for sexual consent?
In bibical times, a girl became a woman when men·stru·ation started. In nature this determines maturity, in ability to procreate.
But of course no one today likes to see their 12 or 13 year olds having sex. So it's more of a modern cultural restriction.
If I am for gay marriage, should I also support polygamy?
Sliwinski, Montana's infamous po·lyg·a·mist has fled
This one offers up plenty to talk about.
First, the article says they think he may have gone to Mexico.
That reminded me of a book I read last year called "Under the Banner of Heaven"
In the book, there is a place in Mexico where American Morman polygamists live in peace, or in other words hide from the American authorities. I will have to check this book out again from the Library and find out which town it was.
I'm curious as to whether Montana would bother to have him extradited.
Sliwinski believed to have skipped country to avoid prosecution
By CAROLYNN BRIGHT - IR Staff Writer - 11/23/04
As Leah Comeau gets on with her life in Helena, the question on law enforcement officials' lips is: Where is Thomas Sliwinski?
Sliwinski has been on the lam since September after he failed to appear for a hearing to determine whether his suspended sentence for having sex with one of his young brides while she was still underage should be revoked."I no longer trust the legal system," Sliwinski wrote in a five-page letter addressed to Judge Jeffrey Sherlock in explanation of his decision to abscond. "I no longer believe in truth anymore."Sliwinski pleaded guilty to criminal endangerment last year in connection with a charge by prosecutors that he had sex with Comeau's younger sister before she reached the age of 16.Sherlock sentenced Sliwinski to 10 years suspended and ordered him to obtain sex offender counseling as a condition of that suspended sentence.
Earlier this year, Sliwinski was convicted of tampering with evidence in the criminal endangerment case and received a five-year suspended sentence to be served consecutive to his 10-year suspended sentence.Again, Sherlock ordered Sliwinski to obtain sex offender counseling.In June, prosecutors were notified that Sliwinski had terminated his therapy with counselor Kevin Wyse without the permission of his probation officer. Apparently Sliwinski disagreed with Wyse's recommendation that he move out of the home he shared with his children and Comeau's sister - the victim in the criminal endangerment case.Sliwinski was arrested at that time and prosecutors initiated the revocation process they hoped to bring to a conclusion this fall.At the time of the revocation hearing, Sliwinski communicated to authorities that his vehicle had broken down in Utah and he would be delayed. He never appeared in court again."I will go for the legal system is blind," he wrote in his letter. "It wishes no truth to be known. Perhaps they will try to catch me, but till that day comes, if it be one day or 100 years, no one will ever hurt, (undecipherable), or try to kill any of my family members."Lewis and Clark County Attorney Leo Gallagher said officials believe Sliwinski might have taken his family to Mexico to avoid prosecution.Comeau said it concerns her that Sliwinski remains under the radar of law enforcement, but she won't let her fears govern her life."I can't sit here and waste my time worrying," she said.She said she periodically receives letters from Sliwinski at her post office box, and although their contents portray her as an evil woman who destroyed the family, she lets her older children read them."I want them to grow up knowing him," Comeau explains. "I want them to come to their own conclusions. I fought those kinds of battles with my own father."Comeau said she has one regret about leaving the "The House of Thomas," and that is that she wasn't able to take her younger sister, Heather, and the rest of the family with her.Heather remained with Sliwinski in Craig, and is probably hiding out with him now.Comeau said she has come to the conclusion that she can't help someone who doesn't want the assistance, but she hopes her sister will muster the courage to leave Sliwinski one day."I miss her every day," Comeau said. "And I'll be here for her when she decides to leave."If you have any information about Sliwinski's whereabouts, call Crimestoppers at 443-2000.
First, the article says they think he may have gone to Mexico.
That reminded me of a book I read last year called "Under the Banner of Heaven"
In the book, there is a place in Mexico where American Morman polygamists live in peace, or in other words hide from the American authorities. I will have to check this book out again from the Library and find out which town it was.
I'm curious as to whether Montana would bother to have him extradited.
Sliwinski believed to have skipped country to avoid prosecution
By CAROLYNN BRIGHT - IR Staff Writer - 11/23/04
As Leah Comeau gets on with her life in Helena, the question on law enforcement officials' lips is: Where is Thomas Sliwinski?
Sliwinski has been on the lam since September after he failed to appear for a hearing to determine whether his suspended sentence for having sex with one of his young brides while she was still underage should be revoked."I no longer trust the legal system," Sliwinski wrote in a five-page letter addressed to Judge Jeffrey Sherlock in explanation of his decision to abscond. "I no longer believe in truth anymore."Sliwinski pleaded guilty to criminal endangerment last year in connection with a charge by prosecutors that he had sex with Comeau's younger sister before she reached the age of 16.Sherlock sentenced Sliwinski to 10 years suspended and ordered him to obtain sex offender counseling as a condition of that suspended sentence.
Earlier this year, Sliwinski was convicted of tampering with evidence in the criminal endangerment case and received a five-year suspended sentence to be served consecutive to his 10-year suspended sentence.Again, Sherlock ordered Sliwinski to obtain sex offender counseling.In June, prosecutors were notified that Sliwinski had terminated his therapy with counselor Kevin Wyse without the permission of his probation officer. Apparently Sliwinski disagreed with Wyse's recommendation that he move out of the home he shared with his children and Comeau's sister - the victim in the criminal endangerment case.Sliwinski was arrested at that time and prosecutors initiated the revocation process they hoped to bring to a conclusion this fall.At the time of the revocation hearing, Sliwinski communicated to authorities that his vehicle had broken down in Utah and he would be delayed. He never appeared in court again."I will go for the legal system is blind," he wrote in his letter. "It wishes no truth to be known. Perhaps they will try to catch me, but till that day comes, if it be one day or 100 years, no one will ever hurt, (undecipherable), or try to kill any of my family members."Lewis and Clark County Attorney Leo Gallagher said officials believe Sliwinski might have taken his family to Mexico to avoid prosecution.Comeau said it concerns her that Sliwinski remains under the radar of law enforcement, but she won't let her fears govern her life."I can't sit here and waste my time worrying," she said.She said she periodically receives letters from Sliwinski at her post office box, and although their contents portray her as an evil woman who destroyed the family, she lets her older children read them."I want them to grow up knowing him," Comeau explains. "I want them to come to their own conclusions. I fought those kinds of battles with my own father."Comeau said she has one regret about leaving the "The House of Thomas," and that is that she wasn't able to take her younger sister, Heather, and the rest of the family with her.Heather remained with Sliwinski in Craig, and is probably hiding out with him now.Comeau said she has come to the conclusion that she can't help someone who doesn't want the assistance, but she hopes her sister will muster the courage to leave Sliwinski one day."I miss her every day," Comeau said. "And I'll be here for her when she decides to leave."If you have any information about Sliwinski's whereabouts, call Crimestoppers at 443-2000.
Nov 19, 2004
What is a moral person? from Bozeman
This whole business of "culture wars" (a term that brings up only 315,000 links on Google) centers on fear - fear of change, fear that the rules aren't the same as those we learned as children. People brought up to believe that they are superior to others for some characteristic - race, nationality, gender, religion, sexual preference - feel insecure when they realize that acceptance of their innate superiority is not universally agreed upon in the wider world.While we're talking definitions, I'd like to try out my personal definition of a moral person. I believe that a moral person is one who cares about other people as well as herself, who feels responsibility as a human to help those in need, who aspires to leave the world a better place for having been in it, who wants future generations to share the beauty of life on this planet, and who counts the devotion and appreciation of friends as of higher value than bank balances.I also believe that it is perfectly possible to be a good and moral person without going to church, or without believing in God. It's simply not true that without religion, people have no guidelines for their behavior. We can be guided by our common sense (the world simply won't work if everyone is only out for Number One) and by our sense of common humanity. To the non-religious it is very clear that some religious people spend much of their energy convincing themselves that they are right and that other religious people are wrong.In the end I would have to say that moral values means valuing behavior policies that are good for my fellow humans. I don't suppose that would light up Karl Rove's billboard, but it works for me.Marjorie Smith is a Bozeman writer and editor and former member of the U.S. Foreign Service. She can be reached at yokoi@mcn.ne
God given freedoms???
One of those be grateful damn it letters.
Let us not abuse God-given freedoms
I don't want to start another slogan, but it was interesting to observe that what was talked about least in the presidential debates was really a dominate issue in the election.Ellen Goodman has brought to our attention that the top "issue on voters minds was moral values" (Missoulian Nov. 9). She says, "The entire moral vocabulary is now a wholly owned language of the religious right."Obviously our nation is divided over the definition and living out of morality. "Values" is a corresponding word that seems to be used to shed light on the subject. I think it actually obscures the true meaning of morality. What is morality? Briefly defined, morality relates to principles of right and wrong, or to a standard of right behavior.In the '60s and '70s a great change came in thinking concerning morals. It was called the "new morality." The moral foundation that supported our society was challenged and everything became relative. "If it feels good, do it!" became the motto. The Ten Commandments were challenged, along with anything else that smacked of being absolute. Religion and philosophy became fuzzy, as the nation underwent a tremendous upheaval in our society.The Beatles proudly announced, "We have become more popular than Jesus!"Thankfully, people are coming to their senses again. There are some absolutes in the world, even moral, and God is not dead, as he was proclaimed back then.It was God who gave us our freedoms in this nation and it is only through his grace that we shall keep them. May we not abuse that freedom.Lester R. Johnson, Victor
Let us not abuse God-given freedoms
I don't want to start another slogan, but it was interesting to observe that what was talked about least in the presidential debates was really a dominate issue in the election.Ellen Goodman has brought to our attention that the top "issue on voters minds was moral values" (Missoulian Nov. 9). She says, "The entire moral vocabulary is now a wholly owned language of the religious right."Obviously our nation is divided over the definition and living out of morality. "Values" is a corresponding word that seems to be used to shed light on the subject. I think it actually obscures the true meaning of morality. What is morality? Briefly defined, morality relates to principles of right and wrong, or to a standard of right behavior.In the '60s and '70s a great change came in thinking concerning morals. It was called the "new morality." The moral foundation that supported our society was challenged and everything became relative. "If it feels good, do it!" became the motto. The Ten Commandments were challenged, along with anything else that smacked of being absolute. Religion and philosophy became fuzzy, as the nation underwent a tremendous upheaval in our society.The Beatles proudly announced, "We have become more popular than Jesus!"Thankfully, people are coming to their senses again. There are some absolutes in the world, even moral, and God is not dead, as he was proclaimed back then.It was God who gave us our freedoms in this nation and it is only through his grace that we shall keep them. May we not abuse that freedom.Lester R. Johnson, Victor
Seventh Day Adventist and Santayana
The Missoulian has seen quite a few letters like these, mostly by those frustrated by the last election.
Story on religious leader was irresponsibleWhy did the Missoulian give a full-page spread Nov. 6 to the founder of the Seventh-day Adventist sect? She was not qualified to say anything sensible about anything at all - not the age of the earth, not what anything means or is. She was so profoundly ignorant that there was no way she could know her ignorance. In a real sense she was not sane, just as George W. Bush is not sane, just as he is profoundly ignorant."The Truth is a terrible thing. It is much darker, much sadder, much more ignoble, much more inhuman and ironical than most of us are willing to admit, or even to suspect." George Santayana, "The Last Puritan" p. 250What Santayana says in that quotation explains (reveals?) why George W. Bush was re-elected.Lee Enterprise (its editors) is deeply, deeply irresponsible.
J F, Missoula
Story on religious leader was irresponsibleWhy did the Missoulian give a full-page spread Nov. 6 to the founder of the Seventh-day Adventist sect? She was not qualified to say anything sensible about anything at all - not the age of the earth, not what anything means or is. She was so profoundly ignorant that there was no way she could know her ignorance. In a real sense she was not sane, just as George W. Bush is not sane, just as he is profoundly ignorant."The Truth is a terrible thing. It is much darker, much sadder, much more ignoble, much more inhuman and ironical than most of us are willing to admit, or even to suspect." George Santayana, "The Last Puritan" p. 250What Santayana says in that quotation explains (reveals?) why George W. Bush was re-elected.Lee Enterprise (its editors) is deeply, deeply irresponsible.
J F, Missoula
No one has the right to define marriage
Another letter to the editor from the Missoulian
As I was driving down Reserve Street (which is in itself a nightmare) I was dismayed and offended by the message on the sign of Glad Tidings Assembly of God Church. It read, "Marriage, One Man One Woman." I was disappointed by the reaction of our country to the issue of gay marriage. While the government claims to be "fighting against people who hate freedom" that same government is limiting the freedom of people in our country.They are limiting the freedom of people to love. We have had a long history of hate and segregation. The issue of defining marriage is one that no one has the authority to define. Particularly the government. Remember the separation of church and state? People cannot use the Bible as a basis for defining marriage. The Bible had numerous models of marriage. Jesus, single; Jacob, many wives. There is no model of marriage. Marriage is a commitment of love, loyalty and promise. How can we as a freedom-loving people be trying to define who can make that commitment?I am speaking from the perspective of a woman who has found love with a wonderful man. Beyond whether anyone is white Christian, black Baptist, European Jew, Iraqi Muslim or gay American citizen, we are all human beings. It is time we promote a society of love and compassion instead of a society of prejudice and discrimination. It is time to stand up for the freedom the government keeps claiming we are fighting for in Iraq. Once the government starts defining our moral values and becomes a religious state we get nearer to a tyranny.
RE, Missoula
As I was driving down Reserve Street (which is in itself a nightmare) I was dismayed and offended by the message on the sign of Glad Tidings Assembly of God Church. It read, "Marriage, One Man One Woman." I was disappointed by the reaction of our country to the issue of gay marriage. While the government claims to be "fighting against people who hate freedom" that same government is limiting the freedom of people in our country.They are limiting the freedom of people to love. We have had a long history of hate and segregation. The issue of defining marriage is one that no one has the authority to define. Particularly the government. Remember the separation of church and state? People cannot use the Bible as a basis for defining marriage. The Bible had numerous models of marriage. Jesus, single; Jacob, many wives. There is no model of marriage. Marriage is a commitment of love, loyalty and promise. How can we as a freedom-loving people be trying to define who can make that commitment?I am speaking from the perspective of a woman who has found love with a wonderful man. Beyond whether anyone is white Christian, black Baptist, European Jew, Iraqi Muslim or gay American citizen, we are all human beings. It is time we promote a society of love and compassion instead of a society of prejudice and discrimination. It is time to stand up for the freedom the government keeps claiming we are fighting for in Iraq. Once the government starts defining our moral values and becomes a religious state we get nearer to a tyranny.
RE, Missoula
Scripture doesn't endorse candidates
Another thing I will be doing in this blog is post letters to the editor written by our fellow Montanans.
They will most likely be those written with progressive leanings, but I may also post some of those written by the local religious right. I try and write letters to the editor in response to thier favorite topics such as eviserating evolution, blaming all of our social ills on "secular humanists", school prayer and the best of all, thier perceived persecution. I will respond to them in this blog and if I manage to get a letter published in the newspapers I will post those also.
From the Missoulian
Scripture doesn't endorse candidates
I happen to agree with Jim Hogan's take on "cultural Christianity." He said that Augustine appealed to texts in the Hebrew Bible "asserting that God supports and blesses the use of violence." Augustine also had "modified or adjusted the teaching of Jesus to fit the socio-political environment of his day."In contrast to Augustine, he proposed that we as Christians should "base our vote on the teaching of Jesus in the written Gospels." Specifically he pointed out that "engagement in war was in direct conflict with the example set by Christ and his unequivocal teaching against violence or retaliation of any kind." He also said that he had "been transformed by the Sermon on the Mount." Is it a modification of Scripture to use the teachings of Christ in the written Gospels to support a modern-day political agenda? To answer that, we need to see that Christ taught more than non-violence. He was a Jew with an allegiance to the Law of Moses just like Joseph, Mary, Elisabeth and Zachariah. They lived in the occupied territories controlled by a foreign conqueror. The Romans even had troops stationed in Jerusalem. In spite of that fact, Christ still proclaimed that the kingdom was at hand. After his resurrection his disciples still looked for that restoration of the kingdom to Israel. Indeed he said he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.Augustine chose those passages of Scripture that supported his view. Devout religious people of all kinds do this. Scripture was never meant to be used as a political grab bag - reach in and pull out whatever supports your view.
WS, Missoula
They will most likely be those written with progressive leanings, but I may also post some of those written by the local religious right. I try and write letters to the editor in response to thier favorite topics such as eviserating evolution, blaming all of our social ills on "secular humanists", school prayer and the best of all, thier perceived persecution. I will respond to them in this blog and if I manage to get a letter published in the newspapers I will post those also.
From the Missoulian
Scripture doesn't endorse candidates
I happen to agree with Jim Hogan's take on "cultural Christianity." He said that Augustine appealed to texts in the Hebrew Bible "asserting that God supports and blesses the use of violence." Augustine also had "modified or adjusted the teaching of Jesus to fit the socio-political environment of his day."In contrast to Augustine, he proposed that we as Christians should "base our vote on the teaching of Jesus in the written Gospels." Specifically he pointed out that "engagement in war was in direct conflict with the example set by Christ and his unequivocal teaching against violence or retaliation of any kind." He also said that he had "been transformed by the Sermon on the Mount." Is it a modification of Scripture to use the teachings of Christ in the written Gospels to support a modern-day political agenda? To answer that, we need to see that Christ taught more than non-violence. He was a Jew with an allegiance to the Law of Moses just like Joseph, Mary, Elisabeth and Zachariah. They lived in the occupied territories controlled by a foreign conqueror. The Romans even had troops stationed in Jerusalem. In spite of that fact, Christ still proclaimed that the kingdom was at hand. After his resurrection his disciples still looked for that restoration of the kingdom to Israel. Indeed he said he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.Augustine chose those passages of Scripture that supported his view. Devout religious people of all kinds do this. Scripture was never meant to be used as a political grab bag - reach in and pull out whatever supports your view.
WS, Missoula
Montanan named President of NARAL
I saw Nancy in Helena this year when she came to Helena to speak for the group People for the American Way. http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/.
People For the American Way Foundation is a premier source of vital information for policymakers, scholars and activists nationwide on the Religious Right movement and its political allies. We also engage in legal action as needed to protect or restore the rights and liberties of Americans. As a 501 (c) (3) designated organization, contributions to People for the American Way Foundation are tax-deductible.Over the past two decades, People For the American Way Foundation has worked to ensure that the promises enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are made real for all Americans. We have provided citizens with the means to engage their friends, neighbors, and elected officials in substantive conversation about how the values of freedom, fairness, and respectful pluralism are reflected in our local communities and national policies.Since its establishment, People For the American Way Foundation has been committed to countering the forces of social discord and fragmentation with an affirmation of “the American Way:” respect for diversity; freedom of thought, expression, and religion; equal justice; and a sense of community. Please visit the links to the following programs to learn more about our innovative efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and energize citizen participation throughout America:
By BOB ANEZAssociated Press
HELENA -- Nancy Keenan, a former Montana legislator and superintendent of public instruction, will be the new president of the national abortion rights organization known as NARAL-Pro-Choice America.
Keenan, 52, assumes her new duties Dec. 1, replacing Elizabeth Cavendish, who has been interim president since May.
A native of Anaconda, Keenan takes over NARAL -- formerly called the National Abortion Rights Action League -- at a time when the group sees what it calls "unprecedented threats to women's rights in the courts, in Congress and in state legislatures across the nation."
"The stakes have never been higher," Keenan said in a statement Friday. "Every branch of the federal government is dominated by powerful opponents of choice."
She believes President Bush plans to make appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court who would vote to overturn the landmark abortion rights decision, Roe vs. Wade, in 1973.
"Years of progress on women's health, reproductive freedom and personal privacy are in peril," Keenan said.
Keenan has directed education policy for the Washington-based liberal advocacy group, People for the American Way since early 2003. She was Montana school superintendent for three terms, from 1989 through 2000, and spent three terms in the state House before that.
Keenan was an unsuccessful U.S. House candidate in 2000, losing to Republican Denny Rehberg by a 51-46 percent margin in a three-way race.
People For the American Way Foundation is a premier source of vital information for policymakers, scholars and activists nationwide on the Religious Right movement and its political allies. We also engage in legal action as needed to protect or restore the rights and liberties of Americans. As a 501 (c) (3) designated organization, contributions to People for the American Way Foundation are tax-deductible.Over the past two decades, People For the American Way Foundation has worked to ensure that the promises enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are made real for all Americans. We have provided citizens with the means to engage their friends, neighbors, and elected officials in substantive conversation about how the values of freedom, fairness, and respectful pluralism are reflected in our local communities and national policies.Since its establishment, People For the American Way Foundation has been committed to countering the forces of social discord and fragmentation with an affirmation of “the American Way:” respect for diversity; freedom of thought, expression, and religion; equal justice; and a sense of community. Please visit the links to the following programs to learn more about our innovative efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and energize citizen participation throughout America:
By BOB ANEZAssociated Press
HELENA -- Nancy Keenan, a former Montana legislator and superintendent of public instruction, will be the new president of the national abortion rights organization known as NARAL-Pro-Choice America.
Keenan, 52, assumes her new duties Dec. 1, replacing Elizabeth Cavendish, who has been interim president since May.
A native of Anaconda, Keenan takes over NARAL -- formerly called the National Abortion Rights Action League -- at a time when the group sees what it calls "unprecedented threats to women's rights in the courts, in Congress and in state legislatures across the nation."
"The stakes have never been higher," Keenan said in a statement Friday. "Every branch of the federal government is dominated by powerful opponents of choice."
She believes President Bush plans to make appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court who would vote to overturn the landmark abortion rights decision, Roe vs. Wade, in 1973.
"Years of progress on women's health, reproductive freedom and personal privacy are in peril," Keenan said.
Keenan has directed education policy for the Washington-based liberal advocacy group, People for the American Way since early 2003. She was Montana school superintendent for three terms, from 1989 through 2000, and spent three terms in the state House before that.
Keenan was an unsuccessful U.S. House candidate in 2000, losing to Republican Denny Rehberg by a 51-46 percent margin in a three-way race.
A CNN Evolution Email Alert
11/18/04 03:10 PM, ESTScientists in Spain announced Thursday that they've unearthed a 13 million-year-old fossilized skeleton of an ape that is quite possibly the last common ancestor of all the living great apes, including orangutans, bonobos, chimps, gorillas and humans.
in·tel·li·gent Design in Darby "Just say Noah"
This is a letter to the editor I wrote in response to the ID Theory "controversy" in Darby, Montana.
I used to live in Darby and my eldest brother & his family currently reside there.
2-26-04 (this one was published)
Where did that fantastic I.D. presentation come from as to persuade 3 out of 5 school board members into going against their own legal counsel? Type I.D. into an internet search engine and this can be found: Intelligent Design network, inc., Institute for Creation Research, Access Research Network, InterVarsity Press, and Remarks of Sr. Fellow David DeWolf to Darby, MT School Board from the Discovery Institute - A conservative think tank out of Seattle. These internet sites and associated links all point to how and why the Intelligent Design Theory scheme is the latest, greatest and effective ploy since creation science. They are not really interested in the scientific method. It’s just part and parcel of a religious political agenda. A main player inside the ID clan says they should not separate the political from the scientific. They purposely put the cart before the horse. The scientific community tries in vain to point out that the proponents of I.D. either display ignorance or deliberately misrepresent evolutionary science. So ID representatives bypass our scientific and educational professionals, and present ID first to religious groups then school boards where it’s easier to persuade the non-scientific community that ID is indeed scientific.
Since then, thanks to the Ravalli County Citizens for Science and the Darby community, the school board members who fell for this scam were voted out of office.
For more detailed information about The Darby Debacle see the National Center for Science Education http://www.ncseweb.org/default.asp They defend the teaching of evolution in our public schools. I've met a few of their people and was impressed with their efforts in defending not only evolution but The Scientific Method against religious fundimentalists.
I used to live in Darby and my eldest brother & his family currently reside there.
2-26-04 (this one was published)
Where did that fantastic I.D. presentation come from as to persuade 3 out of 5 school board members into going against their own legal counsel? Type I.D. into an internet search engine and this can be found: Intelligent Design network, inc., Institute for Creation Research, Access Research Network, InterVarsity Press, and Remarks of Sr. Fellow David DeWolf to Darby, MT School Board from the Discovery Institute - A conservative think tank out of Seattle. These internet sites and associated links all point to how and why the Intelligent Design Theory scheme is the latest, greatest and effective ploy since creation science. They are not really interested in the scientific method. It’s just part and parcel of a religious political agenda. A main player inside the ID clan says they should not separate the political from the scientific. They purposely put the cart before the horse. The scientific community tries in vain to point out that the proponents of I.D. either display ignorance or deliberately misrepresent evolutionary science. So ID representatives bypass our scientific and educational professionals, and present ID first to religious groups then school boards where it’s easier to persuade the non-scientific community that ID is indeed scientific.
Since then, thanks to the Ravalli County Citizens for Science and the Darby community, the school board members who fell for this scam were voted out of office.
For more detailed information about The Darby Debacle see the National Center for Science Education http://www.ncseweb.org/default.asp They defend the teaching of evolution in our public schools. I've met a few of their people and was impressed with their efforts in defending not only evolution but The Scientific Method against religious fundimentalists.
A question "In Heaven before Judgement Day?"
I read the news every morning, and one of the things I look at are the local obituaries. Many, maybe most claim the deceased has left this earth and gone on to join their heavenly father. Now, being a "true" Christian at one time and remembering what I was taught about the coming day of Judgement. I wonder about this contridictory blanket statement seen everyday in the obits.
The question I have is, how can these people claim to know for certain that the deceased is in heaven or even will go to heaven? Maybe the deceased had a dreadful secret and murdered someone? This is why I hate going to funerals, the clergy goes on and on about how wonderful the deceased is and how they are "in a better place" How can they know that for sure?
I had an elderly relative pass on recently and I went to her funeral. It killed me when the preacher pontificated over my dead great aunt like she knew her. If she really did know her, the preacher couldn't honestly claim my aunt is in heaven. I think, but I'm not sure my aunt was agnostic but def·i·nite·ly not a church going Christian.
I thought only God will decide who goes to heaven?
I was also under the impression that no one goes to heaven until Christ returns and all are judged? I thought that was why for centuries a Christian burial meant the whole body was interred awaiting resurrection. Cremation or organ donation ...was not an option in the "good ole days".
I almost resent having to go to religious funerals, it seems the clergy stands up there telling me that I too will die (maybe soon) and I had better hurry up and find Christ or else. The Clergy know they have a captive audience and will contain people like me at the funeral.
This is one of many reasons why I have became a Humanist Minister, funerals should be for the living not the dead. Funerals should be used as a tool for friends and family members to say good-by to their loved ones as a community and nothing more.
p.s.
I will comment often about the "good ol days".
The question I have is, how can these people claim to know for certain that the deceased is in heaven or even will go to heaven? Maybe the deceased had a dreadful secret and murdered someone? This is why I hate going to funerals, the clergy goes on and on about how wonderful the deceased is and how they are "in a better place" How can they know that for sure?
I had an elderly relative pass on recently and I went to her funeral. It killed me when the preacher pontificated over my dead great aunt like she knew her. If she really did know her, the preacher couldn't honestly claim my aunt is in heaven. I think, but I'm not sure my aunt was agnostic but def·i·nite·ly not a church going Christian.
I thought only God will decide who goes to heaven?
I was also under the impression that no one goes to heaven until Christ returns and all are judged? I thought that was why for centuries a Christian burial meant the whole body was interred awaiting resurrection. Cremation or organ donation ...was not an option in the "good ole days".
I almost resent having to go to religious funerals, it seems the clergy stands up there telling me that I too will die (maybe soon) and I had better hurry up and find Christ or else. The Clergy know they have a captive audience and will contain people like me at the funeral.
This is one of many reasons why I have became a Humanist Minister, funerals should be for the living not the dead. Funerals should be used as a tool for friends and family members to say good-by to their loved ones as a community and nothing more.
I will be asking many such questions concering Christian contridictions and other mystifying behaviors, but of course I really don't expect reasonable answers.
p.s.
I will comment often about the "good ol days".
Daily Newspaper reflections "Hilter in Heaven"
There was a CNN article this morning about the man convicted of the 1963 bombing of a church that killed four girls. He has died in Prison. I read the article and saw a quote from one of the victims siblings husbands. In it he said he hoped the murderer was "SAVED".
Here is an exerpt from the article
...The September 15, 1963, explosion killed Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, all 14, and Denise McNair, 11. Collins' sister, Sarah Collins Rudolph, lost an eye in the blast but her husband expressed sorrow that Cherry had died.
"I hope he was saved. I hope he repented," George C. Rudolph said.
Now being a humanist, this brings up a question. Does he really want to see this killer in Heaven? This is one of those things that bothers many of us freethinkers. Serial killers, rapists and the other such "evil" people can go to heaven as long as they confess and are "SAVED" Meanwhile someone like me who is a good law abiding citizen will never see the gates of Heaven because we don't "believe". Go figure.
Here is an exerpt from the article
...The September 15, 1963, explosion killed Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, all 14, and Denise McNair, 11. Collins' sister, Sarah Collins Rudolph, lost an eye in the blast but her husband expressed sorrow that Cherry had died.
"I hope he was saved. I hope he repented," George C. Rudolph said.
Now being a humanist, this brings up a question. Does he really want to see this killer in Heaven? This is one of those things that bothers many of us freethinkers. Serial killers, rapists and the other such "evil" people can go to heaven as long as they confess and are "SAVED" Meanwhile someone like me who is a good law abiding citizen will never see the gates of Heaven because we don't "believe". Go figure.
Nov 18, 2004
First attempt at Blogging
I am here because I saw a friend on the net who had started a blog and I thought I would give it a try. I always have so many things racing through my mind and now I have somewhere to "unload". I used to have a diary when I was younger. I enjoyed writing in it but stopped many years ago. Now that I'm older and have developed an interest in Religion/Politics my entries will be quite different from that of a teenager.
I look forward to being able to communicate in any way my opinions. Being a mother of two young children and married to a man who does not necessarily agree with me on many subjects, this will be a great way to express my so called radical ideas and thoughts without fear of alienating those I love. It hurts to be so misunderstood, maybe with this blog I can at least try and explain myself, if not to anyone I know, maybe to myself?
I look forward to being able to communicate in any way my opinions. Being a mother of two young children and married to a man who does not necessarily agree with me on many subjects, this will be a great way to express my so called radical ideas and thoughts without fear of alienating those I love. It hurts to be so misunderstood, maybe with this blog I can at least try and explain myself, if not to anyone I know, maybe to myself?
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