Intellectuelle

True Woman Manifesto: A Response is up at HEvencense. This is part one of a three-part response. Parts two and three to follow.

Posted by Kristine at 2:16 PM | Permalink | Worldview Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) | Stumble It!

Spotted in DC, 2008's year-end pro-atheism campaign:

Just be good for goodness' sake? What for?

As a kid, I loved watching the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon. One time, He-Man and the good guys enlisted the aid of the evil Skeletor to save Eternia from a giant meteor(?). Skeletor agreed reluctantly. In the middle of bad guy/good guy banter, Skeletor asked, "haven't you wanted to do something evil?" to which He-Man replied, "haven't you wanted to do something good?" The world of cartoons of my childhood almost always represented good and evil as a great universal dualism where the good people were the happy ones that always triumphed over evil, the winners in conflict (probably to avoid un-PC theism). And who doesn't want to be on the side of winners? That's how the DC bus stop slogan "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake" comes across to me. Good--an end unto itself. Simplistic, child-like, a morality without reason, without ultimate justification, just because.

Yes, well, I'm not a kid anymore, and neither are the atheists trying to campaign anti-God. Let's put things into perspective with a few parallel altruisms:

Continue reading "Why Believe in Atheists?"

Posted by Letitia at 1:45 AM | Permalink | Worldview Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) | Stumble It!

I haven't set foot inside a commercial movie theater since 1993. No, I'm not kidding. Ticket prices, higher priorities, other interests and an utter lack of interest in most of the junk Hollywood cranks out these days disguised as "movies" have kept me away from theaters for years. So you know something unusual - maybe even remarkable - drew me into the theater today to see the comedy/drama Marley and Me.

Truth is, I wasn't planning on seeing Marley and Me - or anything else. But my husband and older sons were on an all-day youth group outing, leaving me home with our youngest. Josiah wasn't exactly jumping for joy about being left behind. So I called the local cinema center on a lark, got the usual unintelligible recording, but deciphered just enough of it to catch something about a family and a yellow Labrador retriever. I've been a sucker for yellow Labs ever since Old Yeller. In fact, our good dog is a yellow Lab. So Marley and Me was a no-brainer.

We bought two matinee tickets and walked into a theater that was two-thirds full, oppressively stuffy, and had the soles of my shoes sticking to the floor. I almost turned around and walked out. Only reason I didn't was because I didn't want to disappoint Josiah. I'm glad I stayed. Marley and Me was a pleasant surprise.

Continue reading ""Marley and Me""

Posted by Kristine at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Film Comments (3) | TrackBack (0) | Stumble It!

For Christmas I received a copy of Bill O'Reilly's latest book, A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity, in which he describes the influences that have shaped his life. (For the record, I rarely watch or listen to O'Reilly, although I appreciate his ability to call BS for what it is.) The book is entertaining despite less-than-smooth writing, especially for nuggets like this:

...let's be honest: politics in America is a money play full of charlatans and crazed ideologues. Once in a while a person of true principle emerges, but the media usually quickly destroys that candidate because honesty always, and I mean always, collides with ideology. (p. 7)

At Marist College in the spring of 1971, the anti-war movement was in full swing, with "boycotts and demonstrations and sit-ins." Student O'Reilly "couldn't keep up with the outrage du jour and didn't even try." (p. 22)

I can relate to that.

One day, nearly everyone cut class. To O'Reilly and a few others who did show up for Professor Peter O'Keefe's history class, O'Keefe

put forth the view that the dissenters, the anti-war "movement," brooked no dissent themselves. (p. 23)

Is this not true of dissenters in general? "They had morphed into bitter, anti-American automatons..." Perhaps there's a right way, and a wrong way, to right wrongs. In the section titled "The Eternal Struggle," O'Reilly reminds us that

to attempt to right wrongs means conflict, and you will suffer. Most people are afraid of that suffering, so most people sit it out.

...life is a constant struggle between good and evil...refusing to choose [a side] puts one in the evil category by default, because bad things will then go on unchallenged. The German people during the Nazi era demonstrated this better than anyone else. Most...stood by and allowed incredible atrocities because they were either afraid or apathetic.

...But most evil is not as obvious as the work of Hitler and his pals...most bad people, out of cowardice or self-interest, attempt to disguise their evil.

This, he says, is why he created The O'Reilly Factor. To him, the "most frustrating part of life" is "seeing evil individuals continue to harm people with impunity," and he wants to do what he can to hold them accountable. Although at times he does so, in my opinion, with too great a vengeance, and sees things a little too black-and-white, I commend him for his willingness.

There's a difference between protesting, or simply waging war, and holding someone accountable. A protest is usually a lot of show with little true engagement, a social endeavor that builds solidarity (or clique) via negative opinion. And to wage war in protest against another war, well...one war-monger is the same as another. But accountability holds someone to a standard, with the assumption that harm is caused when the standard is missed. This, it seems to me, is the only way to prevent further harm.

Posted by Bonnie at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Books Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) | Stumble It!

I. Intro
As Dr. Phil got his big break by rubbing elbows with Oprah Winfrey, so has Eckhart Tolle, one of the nation's superstar spiritual gurus in the latest (re)incarnation of the New Age Movement. A New Earth (ANE) is Tolle's latest book, first released in 2005 but only receiving enormous attention last January via Oprah's Book Club. Because of her promotion, it skyrocketed onto the New York Times bestseller list and remained there for double-digit weeks.

Are you looking for happiness in life? Do you want to end suffering both personally and globally? Do you want to start now? Like any self-help and/or pop inspirational manual, ANE claims that anyone can achieve happiness and banish suffering beginning the moment you read and comprehend Tolle's message.

II. Chapters and Summary
The book contains nine chapters and an excessive number of subchapters all explaining why Tolle's view of the universe is better than yours and how his propositions are the key to finding happiness.

Tolle lays out his view of the ego, the emotive part of a person responsible for negativity and negative emotions. Specifically, the ego is the drive to preserve a greater opinion of ourselves than we ought to have. He describes the "pain-body" that each person possesses. The pain-body is a kind of glutton for punishment that causes us to repeat cycles of emotional pain in an attempt to seek revenge for personal slights.

Using a generous sprinkling of Zen philosophical terms, he describes how people can divest themselves of personal pain, resentment, and conflict by changing one's perspective on your involvement and attachment to the material life most people embroil themselves in. He says that you must gain awareness and understanding of your self, remove yourself emotionally from all your life's situations (to a degree), and take peace from your existence, not your circumstances.

The result of gaining such awareness is that today we can begin living life anew with fresh eyes and a more mature confidence in ourselves, his version of a new heaven and a new earth (hence the title of the book).

So see that this unhealthy behavior is bad for you, the world, the universe. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. The end?

Continue reading "Book Review: A New Earth (Eckhart Tolle)"

Posted by Letitia at 2:18 AM | Permalink | Books Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) | Stumble It!

a.k.a. the Jollyblogger, who has just made known that he has cancer of the colon...a shocking thing to see on my Facebook homepage this morning. But that's the beauty of this technology -- it's probably the fastest way ever for an individual to get the word out. Pastor Wayne says that the odds are in his favor, but he knows he is in the hand of God, not "the hand of odds."

I've been following Jollyblogger since I first discovered blogs, and had the privilege of hearing him speak at the first GodBlog conference. He's a man of great intelligence, thoughtfulness, and humor. Maybe he will, as he is able, blog about his experience in the days to come; I am sure he will have powerful and encouraging things to say.

God bless you, Pastor Wayne, guide the medical team who will care for you, and give you and your family peace, comfort, and strength to meet this time.

Update: Pastor Wayne has posted the results of his visit with the surgeon today; additional tumors were found on his lungs and liver. He will go under the knife tomorrow morning and begin chemotherapy thereafter. Please continue to keep him and his family in your prayers.

Posted by Bonnie at 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) | Stumble It!

I really should read Steyn more often. We're in the fast lane to Bailoutistan, he says,

General Motors now has a market valuation about a third of Bed, Bath & Beyond, and no one says your Swash 700 Elongated Biscuit Toilet Seat Bidet is too big to fail...

...General Motors, like the other two geezers of the Old Three, is a vast retirement home with a small money-losing auto subsidiary.

Opponents of capitalism and those who resist change both might well be reminded that "nothing is forever"...

The big railroad barons smoking cigars and enjoying pheasant under glass in the dining car on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe thought Henry Ford was a schmuck. Who'd want to ride around in that thing? Next thing you know, everyone's getting their kicks on Route 66

...and that's the "beauty of capitalism." There's both good change and bad change, I suppose, and neither can be avoided. Consider Gov. Ah-nold:

Ah, California. The Golden State! To a penniless immigrant named Arnold Schwarzenegger, it was a land of plenty. Now Arnold is an immigrant of plenty in a penniless land...And when Gov. Girlyman has run out of state taxpayers to fleece for his ever-more-bloated bureaucracy, he'll go to Washington to plead for a federal bailout of Cantaffordya.

Here in my own dear State of New York, Governor Paterson is proposing tax hikes of unprecedented proportions not to mention that Caroline Kennedy slip into Hillary Clinton's soon-to-be-vacated seat in the Senate. Maybe it's time to move?

No, maybe there's hope:

Maybe Princess Caroline will be appointed CEO of GM and all will be well. Or maybe Bed, Bath & Beyond will put wheels on the Swash 700 Elongated Biscuit Toilet Seat Bidet.

Oh boy. "Hopey Changemas"!

Posted by Bonnie at 4:43 PM | Permalink | Fun Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) | Stumble It!

Molly @ Adventures in Mercy describes so very well the evasion, denial, and reality distortion undertaken by the person who abuses in Letters to an Abused Soul: When Love is "No":

What do you do when a husband (or a church leader or a friend) says he is sorry, even repeatedly, never actually explaining what it is he's sorry for, but expecting his general apology to result in your general all-encompassing forgiveness?

What do you do when he says you don't have a right to be angry, that you don't have a right to be hurt?

If you say that it hurt you, the abusive person feels you are threatening his experience, his truth, so he works to defend his version at all costs. Because in his mind, only his experience if valid, and yours is competition.

What do you do when the abusive person (the abusive church or parent or friend or spouse), changes the story, when he takes out what he did, forgets those violations of trust or refuses to acknowledge them...

In fact, what do you do when you realize you've been conned, regularly, repeatedly, by someone who is literally a mastermind at manipulating?

One of the most difficult tasks for the victim of abuse is getting out from under the abuser's "spell" -- that illusion of well-being spun around the abuse that, once the party lights are turned off, can be seen for what it really is: a web of lies and deceit. Actually, the deceit itself is a form of abuse, not to mention an illusion into which the abuser has probably also pulled himself. But when someone is mistreated, especially repeatedly or seriously, that person usually starts to feel crummy, as if he or she deserves the mistreatment. Or, more insidiously, she begins to doubt her own judgment, and so capitulates to the "stronger" personality of the abuser. But don't be snowed! Don't be fooled! Abuse is not to be tolerated, no matter how nicely it "spins" itself.

Posted by Bonnie at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Life Issues Comments (3) | TrackBack (0) | Stumble It!

So, are you a "true woman" according to the True Woman Manifesto?

Posted by Kristine at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Christian living Comments (4) | TrackBack (0) | Stumble It!

It was just a matter of time before America's PC-chicken would come home home to roost. A Pennsylvania couple made healines when a local grocery store refused to decorate their son's birthday cake with his name on it. The boy's name? Adolf Hitler Campbell.

Okay, so one might wonder why these parents would name their child after the leader of the infamous Third Reich. In their own defense, they claim that "Adolf Hitler" is just another German name plucked from their German heritage. Pretty innocent? Uh-huh. What about one of the other kids, the one they gave the middle name "Aryan Nation?"

Legally, parents can curse their children with objectionable names if they want (within limits, of course), but then to try act all casual and innocent about it for the newspaper is just disingenuous (I prefer to think of it as blatant SOB-havior).

But all right, back to the chicken - Are these people white supremacists? In my view, there's not much reason to name their offspring after Nazis unless they were. White supremacists are a hated minority here in the U.S. I would find it downright humorous and poetic should a case like the Campbells become a legal matter of discrimination that the ACLU would come to their defense. What a hoot!

(I know that the ACLU have defended white supremacists in various legal matters, but what would it look like on CNN?)

Posted by Letitia at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Race Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) | Stumble It!

Last night the women at my church finished the 10 week Beth Moore study "Living Beyond Yourself." The women were very encouraged by the content of this study and I'm pleased by the way it was able to connect us to each other. This isn't the kind of study that teaches women how to study the Bible or the topics contained in the study on their own, but overall I believe it accomplished its goal.

The last video session addressed how women can lack self control as it relates to the body. Whether obsessing over every bite or giving in to every indulgence, women are at risk in this media-driven culture to go one way or the other. This lack of respect of the body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, becomes the essence of idolatry. That's a solid message.

In offering a corrective, Beth talked about how we need to have a biblical perspective on the body, but I believe she erred in moving the listener too quickly into application. She said "you can't just think with the top of your head" you've got to apply the truths we know about God, ourselves, etc, and make them a real part of our lives. I certainly don't disagree with her in that regard. But does Beth overestimate her audience? I would suggest that in women's ministry and in the church more broadly, we equip few to think theologically--or simply logically--on any matter on their own. I believe to suggest otherwise is to miss the root cause of many of the problems in the evangelical community. Neglecting to teach women how to think will create a culture of quick fix therapy. But by cultivating the life of the mind in women's ministry, where I firmly believe it has become so necessary, women and their families will be equipped to live beyond their circumstances to the glory of God.

Posted by Sarah at 5:25 PM | Permalink | Sarah Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) | Stumble It!

Black People as Party Accessories

Posted by Bonnie at 12:17 AM | Permalink | Links Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) | Stumble It!