Out of the mouths of babes (Psalm 8: 1-2)

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it will be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District if the city doesn't change a proposed same-sex marriage law, a threat that could affect tens of thousands of people the church helps with adoption, homelessness and health care.

Does this strike anyone else as a little tone deaf and not entirely in the spirit of goodness and angels and Christmas miracles and all of that?

The Church’s complaint centers on a new city ordinance that would require religious organizations to obey city laws prohibiting discrimination against homosexuals.

Basically, the Church is threatening to end their financial and managerial assistance to tens of thousands of impoverished DC citizens (many presumably its own congregants) because Church officials may no longer be permitted to discriminate with impunity against a specific segment of the city’s population.

Again, doesn’t this strike you as just a little bit mean, regardless of how yucky they find gay people to be? Doesn’t the collateral damage that would result from this decision (hungry children, closed homeless shelters, and a decrease in health services to the elderly) seem like less than a measured response?

A little harsh even?

The equivalent of fire-bombing an entire city in order to destroy one bullet factory?

And in the same week that the Church throws its hissy fit comes news of ten-year old William Phillips, who has defied school policy by refusing to pledge allegiance to the flag as a means of protesting the illegality of gay marriage, stating, “I really don't feel that there's currently liberty and justice for all.”

How does one kid get it while so many do not?

Old fashioned book burning: Follow-up

The North Carolinian book burning went off last week without a hitch, and I have yet to hear back from minister to whom I sent a copy of SOMETHING MISSING for review.

Did it go up in flames along such heretical texts as modern translations of the Bible and books by Mother Teresa?

Was it well received and placed along side the King James Bible, the only true Bible according to these book-burning religious fanatics?

Or was it simply ignored, recognized for the bit of authorial amusement that it was meant to be? 

I wish I knew.

Old fashioned book burning

A Baptist Church in Canton, NC is hosting a good old fashioned "Halloween book burning" in order to purge the area of Satan's works, which include all non-King James versions of the Bible, popular books by many religious authors and even country music.

In all fairness, I am not religious (and could do without most country music) and therefore am less concerned about the burning of religious texts than I am books like Huckleberry Finn, but it would seem to me that the burning of any book is a little ridiculous and just flat-out stupid.

After all, why would anyone want to engage in a practice that is synonymous with the Nazis?  What’s next?  Tiny little mustaches and three day jaunts through Belgium?  

According to the church’s website (which was taken down once the media reported on how stupid these people are), attendees will also set fire to "Satan's popular books" such as the work of "heretics" including the Pope, Mother Teresa and Billy Graham.

Again, I’m not a fan of the world of religious literature (though I have read The Bible in its entirety three times , which is more than can probably be said for most of the FOURTEEN parishioners of this lunatic church), but is the burning of Mother Teresa’s book really necessary?

The best news of all is that in addition to burning books, the church will be serving "bar-b-que chicken, fried chicken and all the sides."

Apparently doing the good Lord’s work can make a lunatic hungry.

In an effort to probe this congregation’s line of thinking a little deeper and achieve a better understanding of their lunacy, I will be mailing them a copy of SOMETHING MISSING today, requesting a close reading of the text and some expert analysis in order to determine if my book is also Satanic in nature.

This should be fun.