Tinky Winky, please try not to smile so much

Jerry Falwell has died.

The gays and abortionists are behind this one, I know it.

Oh, Ted, Ted, Ted...

It's always a little surreal when my hometown makes the national headlines.

Another reason my church rocks

Outside-the-box thinking. I really like this idea -- I've never really seen why state marriages and church marriages should be, well, "married" to each other. I think it's appropriate for the church to define marriage however it sees fit. If this doesn't line up with the state's arbitrary requirements for contractual rights and obligations, well, that's for the lawyers to worry about, not the clergy. Personally, I'm a fan of this proposed new approach.

Muahahahahahahahahaha

Looks like Xenu won this round.

I hate bigotry in any form

I hate religious bigotry, and I hate anti-religious bigotry.

I just wish that more people than me and the religious right got worked up about the latter. Because, frankly, they're not my favorite company to keep these days.

I'd post more but I'm just too pissed off after reading the illogical, high-minded drivel that is Professor Stone's latest post. I usually agree with him on a lot of things, so it's disappointing to see him take such an immoral and unconstitutional position.

I just wish that supposedly intelligent, educated people would learn to think for themselves rather than swallowing the anti-religious party line.

Uh huh...

Apparently the only people who have seen little Suri Cruise are fellow Scientoligsts -- no outsiders allowed, including the King of Cinema himself, Steven Spielberg. Perhaps the conspiracy theorists among us have been on to something all along? Seems awfully strange to me that a couple whose existence appeared to depend on the paparazzi would suddenly shun it once their supposed biological child popped out. But hey, that's just me, living here in crazy old RealityLand.

"Hm" and wide, "hm" and wide...

Two big things happened in the Anglican/Episcopal church yesterday.

New Hampshire consecrated a gay bishop. The article I link to quotes Anglican church leaders bemoaning Gene Robinson's consecration as "tear[ing] at the fabric of our communion at its deepest level."

Also yesterday, the Episcopal church elected Katherine Jefferts Schori as the presiding bishop for the United States. Rev. Jefferts Schori will be one of only three women serving as bishop of an Anglican province (the Anglican Communion is comprised of 38 provinces). A priest in the article is quoted as stating he is shocked an saddened by her election.

As a Christian and an Episcopalian, it saddens and frustrates me that culturally-ingrained sexual mores have so overtaken and overpowered the church that its true message is obscured. Here's a newsflash: there's no such thing as a perfect Christian. Every priest and every parishioner sins multiple times a day. Leaving aside the debate of whether things like fornication and homosexuality are even sins at all, why do conservative church leaders treat them as though they're the only sins that matter? What about the greed, pride, and hypocrisy that run rampant in most conservative churches (at least, most conservative churches of which I've been a member)? As Jesus said, it's time to ignore the mote in your brother's eye and take care of the beam in your own. Even *if* conservative leaders are correct, and homosexuality is a sin, and priests should not lead homosexual lifestyles -- so what? Doesn't the Bible say that all things work together for GOOD for those who love God and are called according to his purpose? (Hint: it does). Maybe instead of worrying about the theological dogma that divides us, we should be focusing on the message of salvation which unites us.

But I guess that would mean humbling ourselves and allowing God to work through other imperfect vessels instead of praying loudly in public and thanking God that you are such a "good" Christian who is not like those sinners. Silly me.

Seems fitting somehow

Yesterday was bright, sunny, beautiful, and warm. It felt like spring had arrived. Friends in Colorado, Chicago, and New York confirmed their nice weather, as well.

Today it's gloomy and gray and sad. And I realize, it's Good Friday.

I'm suddenly in the mood to go to church.