. . . there is absolutely no effort to prevent individuals from acknowledging God and praying in the public square, literally or metaphorically. Anyone can walk into any public square or public area and start to pray (just don’t interfere with what others are doing) . . . What is restricted is the ability of the government to acknowledge God and to “pray” in the public square. Read more . . .
. . . religion in politics is more like an insurance policy than a true act of faith. Professing allegiance to it seldom does you any harm, at least in Republican primary season, and can do you some good. It’s a question of prudence . . . Perry can be reasonably sure that the voting base of the theocratic right has picked up his intended message . . . The risks of hypocrisy seem forever invisible to the politicized Christians, for whom sufficient proof of faith consists of loud and unambiguous declarations. Read more . . .
By Madison S. Hughes (08.30.2011)
On 08.29.2011 I posted I posted a YouTube video on my blog titled, “Janet Porter Prays for Control of Government,” below which I penned the caption, “WOW! How disturbing is this? Religion should be criminalized before we find ourselves back in the Dark Ages.” As one may imagine, some found my caption as disturbing as the video itself. What follows is my response to a comment left by a fellow blogger. “dannyraysongs”responded to my comment as follows:
“I have to say that I’m also very disturbed by your comment Madison. It’s seems apparent here on your blog that you desire to get your message out. Are you really that naive to think that Christians, Jews and/or Muslims don’t desire to have more of their fellow believers in government positions? It seems quite apparent (or at least inferred) in your blog that you would like less devout believers (or atheists) in positions of government. Should we now police what people pray? Who would qualify to be hired as a Prayer Police Officer? I really do appreciate your talent as a writer, but I’m one of those right-wing Christians you obviously feel are so dangerous and deserving of criminal charges.”
I responded as follows:
By Madison S. Hughes (08.29.2011)
On 08.29.2011 I posted I posted a YouTube video on my blog titled, “Janet Porter Prays for Control of Government,” below which I penned the caption, “WOW! How disturbing is this? Religion should be criminalized before we find ourselves back in the Dark Ages.” As one may imagine, some found my caption as disturbing as the video itself. What follows is my response to a comment left by a fellow blogger. “jodaph970”responded to my comment as follows:
“Sure, it’s disturbing, but I also find your comment (“Religion should be criminalized before we find ourselves back in the Dark Ages.”) to be just as disturbing. Embracing a tyrannical dictation of what others should and shouldn’t do is the very antithesis of America.”
I responded as follows:
WOW! How disturbing is this? Religion should be criminalized
before we find ourselves back in the Dark Ages.
By Madison S. Hughes (12.16.2009)
While enrolled as a student in a graduate Poetry class, I was pleasantly surprised to find many peculiar, and fascinating aspects to modern American poetry. To begin with, I had a huge misconception of American poets as a whole. I was under the impression that American poets would not be anywhere near the caliber of their European counterparts. What I found was that not only were they, dare I say, probably some of the best poets in all of history, but additionally, the historical time frame of which they were part concerning class, race and politics was absolutely fascinating. My goal in this paper is to dispel some of the misconceptions others may have concerning American poets, and share some of the fascinating history of their time. Continue reading
The Most Hated Family in America is a TV documentary written and presented by the BBC’s Louis Theroux about the family at the heart of the Westboro Baptist Church. At the heart of the documentary is the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), headed by Fred Phelps and based in Topeka, Kansas.
The church bases its work around the belief expressed by its best known slogan and the address of its primary website, “God hates fags,” and expresses the opinion, based on its Biblical interpretation, that nearly every tragedy in the world is God’s punishment for homosexuality – specifically society’s increasing tolerance and acceptance of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people. It maintains that God hates homosexuals above all other kinds of “sinners,” and that homosexuality should be a capital crime.
See, ” Louis Theroux: Most Hated Family In America,” via Documentary Heaven.
NEXT month – on September 17 – a large-scale protest by secular groups against the Vatican’s persistent interference in politics is due to take place in London . . . Marco Tranchino, who is organising the Secular Europe Campaign, said: We want a secular Europe where there is room for everyone, whether they have a religious belief or not, where policy is directed only by elected politicians, not by priests who are answerable to no-one. Read more . . .
Always Question Authority 