Jessika noted that our Oklahoma legislature is now emboldened by Republican majorities to start pushing their religious agenda. We can expect to see a lot of batshit crazy from these people, to be quite honest. Guns for everyone, anti-gay legislation, and anti-evolution legislation (all from people who couldn't explain evolution at the point of one of their own beloved guns). Jessika's post was about wanting to post the Ten Commandments on the state capitol grounds. I suggested that this was one of those battles that I am tired of fighting. If Christian conservatives really think that posting their own idol will make us more moral or more Godly, then let them. This kind of magical thinking masquerading as "faith" drives me crazy, but if that is how they think, I can't stop them. And that Ten Commandments statue will not harm me. And if these people actually believed the Bible they use frequently as a weapon, it might make us a better people.
Jessika argued in the comments (along with several of her friends) that we need to oppose the Religious Right at every turn. Once they get their way with the monuments, then they will want more. This response to Scott Jones prayer makes me think that Jessika and her friends are right. Reverend Jones offered a prayer before the session, and 20 of these right wingers voted to not include the prayer in the House Record. Yeah, didn't want it in the record. The words "petty" and "stupid" come to mind. One of them, of course, said he did so based on his faith. He was joined, of course, by the great Sally Kern, who once famously said that gay people were a bigger threat to America than terrorism.
Ah, Oklahoma, and Ah, the RepublichristianNRA party. Doesn't it just fill you with the love of Christ?
Sigh.
BTW, Scott has a nice blog that I forget to read. He is a super nice guy, and usually responds to this kind of nonsense with a lot more grace and compassion than I do.
19 comments:
Un-be-lievable.
What strikes me about that prayer is that it is cobbled together mostly from commonly read scriptures and a prayer attributed to St. Francis.
But I'm not surprised that those who voted against including this prayer in the record wouldn't know that.
Wow.
Streak
See if you can call Ritze's office up, get him on the phone, and ask him to quote the ten commandments for you. I double dog dare you (yes, I jumped directly to the double dog dare). Then ask him if he'll support you in posting the beatitudes alongside. Or better yet, ask him if you can post the 5 pillars of islam, maybe some excertps of the buddhist eightfold path. All of this would, of course, be privately funded.
I'm thinking Ritze is maybe german for "tool"?
Later-BB
Scott Jones is a faggot. His "prayer" is an abomination to God, just as he is.
Streak,
You're a fag-loving infidel pretending to be a Christian. You're going to hell along with Scott Jones
Heh, If hell is populated with the likes of Streak and Scott Jones and heaven gets the Gary-types, I'm thinking Jesus'll be hanging out in the former (me too). Unwrapping Gary's statements a little makes me think he actually may be the one in danger of hell if, of course, you take the bible and Jesus' sayings literally. Ironic, ain't it:). BB
Yeah, I am not sure Gary gets the whole idea, since he just proved our point.
Sigh.
I bet you are right, BB, that this guy couldn't name the 10cs and probably thinks the right to carry is in there. All of this just makes me tired.
Streak- As a great diversion from the fatiguing post, iff you didn't catch this already, check it out. You can read the interview or click on the link on the left and down a little ways to listen. It was just on NPR a little bit ago.
Nels Cline, Alex Cline Interview: An Avant-Jazz Fraternity : NPR Music
BB
Correction- the audio feed is on the top. they just moved it.
BB
Thanks, BB, I will check it out. I did miss it, and I do love Nels Cline, and recently noticed that his new album is on Emusic.
With the Moral Mafia, give them an inch, they take a miles is appropriate.
I think the Scott Jones whose blog you linked is a different Scott Jones than the one whose prayer was censored (Scott H. Jones vs E. Scott Jones). I like E. Scott Jones's blog, too. One of my favorites is his ongoing "countries where I have more rights than I do in the Land of the Free" series.
The OK legislature has a very unfortunate double standard. I would just as soon see all prayers struck from the record, as I'm not convinced they're relevant, and I also wouldn't shed any tears if the practice of having invocations were discontinued. But if they're praying, and including some in the record, they need to include all.
Oh, I guess it is the same Scott. Neat.
As far as the prayer goes, it doesn't matter WHAT it said, what matters and this is the ONLY thing that matters, is that in their eyes the minister who gave it is 'flawed' and unacceptable. No matter what the prayer said, it is to be ignored.
The modern people of God feels like we must erect stone pillars in direct contradiction to His word not to, and the witness we give to the world is that we care more about cold granite than we do about living right and reaching out our hands to serve those with wounded lives as the Christ Who served us with His wounded hands.
Leviticus 26:1
'You shall not make idols for yourselves; neither a carved image nor a sacred pillar shall you rear up for yourselves; nor shall you set up an engraved stone in your land, to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God.
oh and ps,
I have always notice the tendency of those like Gary who RARELY link back to who they are when they make such nasty comments.
Eh, Gary's probably not even a Christian; he's the type who also leaves asinine fascist and/or anarchist comments on political bulletin boards and jokes about dissection on pet bulletin boards just to push people's buttons. He probably poses as a mean atheist on Christian blogs, too.
Why is the NRA getting lumped in with Christians? Many of the very conservative Christians I know are vehemently anti-gun. On the flip side, most of the gun nuts I know are not Christian and are very critical of their agenda. I guess I just don't see the connection beyond lumping together a bunch of groups you don't like.
I suspect Leighton is right, though if this is the same Gary tool from JP, he is a real nutjob.
Steve, your point is well taken, but I was writing in this particular context from Oklahoma politics. It is always the same people putting forward the idiotic legislation, whether it be to make churches allow concealed carry, or to allow concealed weapons on campus, or to not allow evolution, or to attack gays. In our conservative state, those I oppose see guns as handed down from God to Moses, just as they see God hating gay people.
I don't mean to lump them together, and suspect and would argue that you are right that outside the Bible Belt those interests are not so clearly intwined.
Streak, I really, really understand about getting tired of fighting the same battles over and over against them. There's days I don't even read my RSS feeds because I don't have the energy to hear anything bad. But I do believe if they get one thing, no matter how small, they'll continue to inch their way into every fraking corner they can until we're saturated.
Good point, Streak. I had realized after I made my post that I am not all that familiar with the politics in your state. There is some overlap between Christians and gun nuts, but the NRA, as a national organization, tends to stay out of the religion business.
I agree with Leighton in that prayer doesn't really belong in the record. What a waste of time.
Jessika, thanks for jumping in here. Like I said, this other event really makes me think you are correct.
Steve, yeah, we have a little different political scene down here. Our conservatives are really, REALLY conservative, and so are many of our Democrats.
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