A World Quite Mad

It seems that Harold Camping has emerged from hiding. It seems he's a bit embarrassed.

"Camping's PR aide, Tom Evans, told the L.A. Times that the group is "disappointed" that 200 million true believers weren't lifted up to heaven on Saturday while everyone else suffered and eventually died as a series of earthquakes and famine destroyed the Earth."

Don't you wonder about the sort of people who would be disappointed about something so catastrophic not happening? I don't particularly care for these fundies, but I don't want them to die or anything. *sigh*

The sad part is, there are some really gullible people in the world. Many people quit their jobs, spent their retirement and all their savings, and for what? For something that any rational person should realize is not happening.

If people would focus more on the here and now, rather than on some afterlife, or god, or whatever, the world would be a better place. If these people had spent all the money they did on feeding the hungry, or helping homeless veterans, etc., how much more good would that have done. The dogma that faith is more important than works is something that evangelicals should re-examine. That of course would require them to actually read the New Testament and listen to what Jesus and his followers supposedly said.

"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead." James 2:14-17

Why is a pagan like me having to quote the bible for these people? Shouldn't they know this? Apparently not.

Via Friendly Atheist:

A public school district in Louisiana ought to have their asses sued right off them.

"I was initially chosen to deliver the invocation, but I was recently informed that I would be giving a moment of silence. However, before I fulfil my obligation, I would like to say that I am of the Christian faith. Now I respect those who do not share the same faith that I do. But at this time I would like to give thanks to the god who has made the class of 2011 a great success..." (followed by a long prayer)

No. She didn't respect the beliefs of others, and neither did anyone who clapped in that audience. Neither did the school officials who failed to cut her mic and ask her to leave the stage. They violated the rights of other people to not have to be subjected to their drivel. I don't know who that girl is, but she has been done a great disservice by a community that has raised her to believe that respecting the rights of others is the same as trampling all over said rights.

If you don't like the fact that our public schools are secular, then send your little fucking spawn to a private school, where they can say prayers all day long and none of us give a shit.

This is your tax dollars at work, turning out good little morons who can't think for themselves or follow the law, or more importantly, do what is right.

edit:

Via Death and Taxes, the student who trampled all over Damon's rights is named Sarah Barlow. Shame on her. And shame on the entire town.

So, I've decided after a lot of posting at other people's blogs that I really ought to just start my own. This blog will be about politics and religion, and the massive disconnect that it causes between people. There are few other subjects that can get people so riled up and ready to burn and destroy things than those two subjects. It's as if people who are passionate about their party or their religion, the second they hear something that doesn't fit with what they want to hear, they shut their ears and scream bloody murder. It doesn't matter that most of the arguments put forth in no way effect them, it's enough that they perceive it as an affront to their public leader or to their god.

It also seems that there are certain powers that seek to divide us, the People of the United States, who are supposed to be in charge. Now, being the majority doesn't give you the right to run roughshod over the minority. Indeed, being the majority requires that you protect the minority, lest you lose all of *your* freedoms as well.