You are currently browsing the monthly archive for March 2008.
Sorry, folks. I realize the blog just got rolling here but I’ve been down sick for the last three or so days. As of now I’ve got a little project I’ve got to start rolling but I’ll be up and running here asap. 
I am the spite of anonymous irrationals
I am the horde of waterbugs from nowhere
I am your sudden, frustrating lack of ability to think
You know this is true.
Anonymity is impotence
Bugs squish
You can take a nap
But I’ll be here when you wake.
I am your random anxiety painting the walls
I am his look that you hope know you misinterpret
I am your hatred for that horror in the mirror
You believe every word I say.
Your anxiety belongs to you
Self-love is an illusion
Mirrors reflect nothing
But I do.
I am laughing at you.
I am only trying to help.
I am offering a respite in madness.
You trust me.
I’m laughing with you, not at you
I intend to destroy you
My madness doesn’t fade away
But I might.
Storms pass.
Winds calm and rain slacks to drizzle.
Terror fades, wounds heal, illness runs it’s course.
But I…
I step gracefully, stumble loudly
Watch my left hand, my right hand flickers
My eyes are bright with intent, my hair is wild
Watch you turn away…you’re such a coward
Let us rest from our dance.
I will crouch in the shadows, wait in the wings.
When we speak again you still won’t know
Am I evil or chaos?
If I told you, you couldn’t believe me
I lie so very well.
They shouldn’t be. Pastors, that is. Nothing wrong with being female.
Here’s my argument.
Old Testament:
Deborah was the only female judge among 13 male judges.
Miriam wasn’t even a leader, she was the sister of Moses and Aaron.
Huldah was the only female prophet mentioned in the bible out of dozens of male prophets.
For that matter the only women who can be considered in positions of authority throughout all of Kings and Chronicles are Athaliah and Jezebel. Yikes on both counts.
(Am I missing anyone here?)
So that’s one judge and one prophet. Later in the NT we find that women aren’t even excluded from prophecy any more than prayer (not that prophecy is a position of authority anyway), so that leaves one judge, Deborah.
Even if we were simply to accept out of hand that Deborah was a judge I would still point to the fact that David was not executed for murder and adultery, yet this doesn’t invalidate the OT laws. Likewise Deborah’s supposed judgeship wouldn’t invalidate the entire rest of the bible’s clear stance against the idea. If one statement in the bible contradicts every other then you’re either misunderstanding or the bible’s contradicts itself. Which is it?
New Testament:
Priscilla and Aquila are shown as active in the ministry but there’s no indication that either had any position of authority. They’re referred to as a “fellow workers” .
Acts 18:2 (New King James Version)
2 And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them.
Acts 18:18 (New King James Version)
18 So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow.
Romans 16:3-4 (New King James Version)
3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.
1 Corinthians 16:19 (New King James Version)
19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.
2 Timothy 4:19 (New King James Version)
19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.
The only verse referencing Priscilla and Aquila that can reasonably be held up to Paul’s clear statement is Acts 18:24-26 (see below). Even this does not indicate either were pastors, though admittedly it clearly shows two women taking Apollos aside and instructing him. This is probably the best argument for the idea but it still doesn’t hold up against Paul’s clear statement against women as pastors.
Acts 18:24-26 (New King James Version)
24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
Finally, Phoebe. Phoebe is referred to as a “servant of the church”. No indication that she was a pastor either.
Romans 16:1-4 (New King James Version)
1 I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, 2 that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also.
So women can’t do anything in the church?!
No, don’t be silly.
Women aren’t restricted nor singled out from prayer or prophesy.
1 Corinthians 11:5 (New King James Version)
5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved.
Women aren’t restricted nor singled out in relation to the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12
Women aren’t restricted nor singled out in relation to the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 (New King James Version)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Older women are to “admonish the young women”, so one could argue they are given some measure of authority over them. That’s really the only instance I can find where they are.
Titus 2:3-5 (New King James Version)
3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.
Paul:
Paul’s words on the matter are clear. There’s no getting around them and why would you even want to?
1 Timothy 2:8-15 (New King James Version)
8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; 9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. 11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15 Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.
1) Was this because women were uneducated? Then who among Jesus own disciples were educated? What were the educational requirements anyway? I don’t see any reference to such a thing at all.
2) Was Paul only speaking of wives and husbands? I’ve read that the Greek words Paul uses here could refer to wives and husbands but the general meaning of the words are woman and man. I’ve also read the same Greek words are used here:
1 Timothy 2:8-10 (New King James Version)
8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; 9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.
Can “men” here reasonably be said then to refer only to husbands? And “women” only to wives? Obviously no.
3) Was this exclusive to the women of Ephesus (Paul was writing to the church in Ephesus, after all)? Well, Ephesus was home to the temple of Artemis, a goddess. Consequently, women were the authority in that temple and so already were commonly accepted as religious authorities there.
4) Was this because of the temple of Artemis, a backhanded slap at that temple by disallowing women pastors in Ephesus? No mention of that. If that was Paul’s intention, surely he would have plainly stated so. How else could those he was writing to be expected to deduce the reasons for this? Of course he would have specifically mentioned this was his reasoning if that was the case. And all that not even addressing how silly the whole idea is in the first place.
It would seem the reasons for Paul to have said that women were restricted for pastorship in churches is for the reasons he plainly stated:
1 Timothy 2:13-15 (New King James Version)
13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15 Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.
1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:6-9 use masculine pronouns. There’s just no getting around that.
I’ll let this one stand on it’s own.
Many thanks to www.abort73.com for putting this out there. God bless ‘em!
So what happens when your enemies kidnap and kill your friends and you respond with raising “a strong and sorrowful cry”, begging them to play nice?
DUBAI (Reuters) – Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden threatened the European Union with grave punishment on Wednesday for publication of cartoons mocking Islam’s Prophet Mohammad.
In an audio recording posted on the Internet coinciding with the birthday of Islam’s founder, bin Laden said the drawings, considered offensive by Muslims, were part of a “new crusade” in which Pope Benedict was involved.
“Your publications of these drawings — part of a new crusade in which the Pope of the Vatican had a significant role — is a confirmation from you that the war continues,” said the Saudi-born militant leader, addressing “those who are wise at the European Union”.
You are “testing Muslims … the answer will be what you shall see and not what you hear.” (more)
Yup, you guessed it. They become emboldened and come at you all the more fiercely.
I pray the Pope learned his lesson. Not much point in making dreadful mistakes if you don’t learn from them.
Well, okay, it’s no more evil than anything else in the world. I got your attention though, didn’t I?
But I was watching t.v. the other day and I noticed something…every kid on t.v. has a computer. Every one of those computers has internet connection. Every one of those computers is in the kid’s own room. Now that struck me odd because it seemed so crazy. Why the heck would you give a kid access to the internet in the privacy of their own bedrooms?!
Now I kinda already knew this but it’s one of those things that suddenly strike you as completely insane, you know? I hadn’t really thought about how common this was before then. So I asked my neighbors the next time I was chatting with them in the yard about their kid’s computer. Yup, he has it in his bedroom. I asked my step-son if his friends had their computers in their bedrooms. He had to think a bit but eventually pointed out that he talked to two of them on the phone about something on the internet and both times they were in their bedrooms looking at it on their computers, so it would seem so.
Odd to realize something you already kinda knew but never really realized. We’re probably the only folks we know with kids who have a family computer in the living room. Now I say “family computer” but my step-son mostly uses it. It’s really his computer in the living room. We have one of our own (this one, in fact) in our bedroom.
Now, why do we have his computer in the living room? I could point out the obvious but let me illustrate instead. This issue first came up way back many eons ago (last November) when I had won the rights to redecorate the house. The way I figured it, if I was going to be spending the most time in this house (renting properties doesn’t require a lot of “away time”) then I would be keeping the house up while he worked. It followed that, as the house is largely my responsibility, this afforded me significant leeway in such things as arranging furniture or the color of the walls. These sorts of things all have a direct impact on home maintenance.
By which, of course, I meant that men shouldn’t be allowed to keep house. They’re generally bad at it. No, not all of them of course. But most. Mine is, for sure. And besides all that, I’m female. I have a genetic predisposition towards nesting. It wouldn’t be logical for anyone else to keep this house in shape and deprive me of satisfying that impulse.
In the process of moving a few things around to where they so clearly should have been placed to begin with I naturally noticed the computer in the living room. When I made my case to my husband that the computer should be moved into his son’s room, since it was taking up room in the living room, he thought about it for a minute then sat down at that computer and showed me why.
(For those among you with an insatiable curiosity, here’s a homework assignment: go Google the word “rimjob”, something your average twelve year old might hear discussed at school, wonder as to the meaning of and decide to go research on the net. Now click any four randomly chosen links there on that first page. Once you’re finished vomiting in disgust and had a moment to collect yourself, I’ll point out that curiosity killed the cat.)
Now Matthew has a boss, a single mother, who constantly complains that her teenage son uses the computer to look at porn while she’s at work. Sometimes, he looks at it while she’s at home and she stumbles across him doing that. She loved to complain about Net Nanny and the various other programs she used to try to block that stuff from her son’s computer. Nothing seemed to work. He was constantly getting at it.
Matthew’s argument was the obvious one. He’s a teenage boy. Of course he’s going to get at it. You can’t stop any motivated human being from getting at anything they’re truly motivated to get at. This brings to mind the old saying (attributed to Lincoln, I think?) that all an assassin requires to succeed in assassination the president is a willingness to sacrifice his own life in the process. The truth of this being obvious: humans can achieve anything they are truly motivated to achieve. Teenage boys are extremely motivated to get at some porn.
The liberal thinking here is, as always, since you can’t stop them then help them do it properly. Matthew’s boss moved her son’s computer into the living room. He continued to view porn, even when she and her mother (the kid’s grandmother) were right there in the living room watching t.v.
Now, why did this not work? Well, as I’ve insinuated, she’s a liberal bonehead. She doesn’t spank her kid and can’t even bring herself to “ground” him. She bitches and whines and generally does nothing. So of course her teen son views porn with her right there in the room.
Now, why does this approach work for us so well and not for her? Because Matthew will spank his son if comes across something pornographic, even by accident, or even dares try to use that computer when someone else isn’t in the room. Consequently, his son is twelve and has never been caught looking at porn on the computer. I can’t even find any traces of his doing so on the sly when I look and he’s not nearly computer savvy enough to cover his tracks. It just doesn’t happen.
Yes, it’s true that you can’t stop people from doing anything they are truly motivated to do. You can, however, set the price for it just a tad higher than they are willing to pay. The reason why it requires the willingness to sacrifice one’s own life to assassinate the president is because all those folks who’s job it is to protect him have set that price just that high. Consequently, you rarely have anyone even try to assassinate the president despite that fact that any given president typically has a fairly good percentage of the populace who despise him enough to kill him.
Our son most probably has a strong desire to view porn. He is, after all, practically a teenage boy (he’s twelve). At the same time he knows exactly what pornography is, a tool to make money hand over fist by appealing to the single greatest weakness men have: sex. It’s a manipulation of the male sex drive that progressively and increasingly assaults their sexuality, until it utterly perverts it. Like drug abuse you have to have more and more, steadily increasing in perversity, until you reach your baseline level of perversion (usually somewhere around kiddie porn and rape fantasy). Sometimes you even get a serial killer who learns to appreciate the art of sexual torture and raping a woman to death.
Our son also knows his father will tan his hide if he catches even a hint that he’s been looking at such things. And he knows exactly how I feel about these things as well. To aid him in resisting this impulse, we put his computer in the living room where he can’t get at it with anything like privacy. Most of the time he has specific sites he goes to for homework research and games. If there’s anything else he needs to find, he never fails to grab one of us to help him look it up.
Consequently, he doesn’t look at porn on the net.
If you’re a parent and your kid has their own computer/internet set up in the privacy of their own bedroom…then you’re an idiot. Girl or boy, doesn’t matter. Have you seen “To Catch a Predator?” Hello? When exactly did you get so stupid?
Go protect your children. You didn’t have kids so that they can make you happy. You had kids so that you could raise them to be healthy, happy adults. This is your job. Go do it.
VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Benedict XVI issued one of his strongest appeals for peace in Iraq on Sunday, days after the body of the kidnapped Chaldean Catholic archbishop was found near the northern city of Mosul. The pope also denounced the 5-year-long Iraq war, saying it had provoked the complete breakup of Iraqi civilian life.
“Enough with the slaughters. Enough with the violence. Enough with the hatred in Iraq!” Benedict said to applause at the end of his Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square.
On Thursday, the body of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho was found near Mosul. He had been abducted on Feb. 29.
Benedict has called Rahho’s death an “inhuman act of violence” that offended human dignity.
On Sunday, Benedict praised Rahho for his loyalty to Christ and his refusal to abandon his flock despite many threats and difficulties.
He recalled Rahho’s death as the Catholic Church opens Holy Week, the most solemn week in the liturgical calendar in which the faithful recall the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
Benedict said Rahho’s dedication to the Catholic Church and his death compelled him to “raise a strong and sorrowful cry” to denounce the violence in Iraq spawned by the war that began five years ago this week…(source)
Now, let’s get this straight right up front. I love Catholics. They are by brothers and sisters in Christ. Nevertheless, they are no less prone to dumb than any other Christians and entitled to no more slack.
What the Pope said:
I was compelled to “raise a strong and sorrowful cry” against the “inhuman act of violence” of Rahho’s death and “appeal to the Iraqi people…reconciliation, forgiveness, justice and coexistence among tribal, ethnic and religious groups.”
What the Pope should have said:
Luke 22:36
Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.”
Just as Jesus said when violence was imminent. If you don’t have a sword, sell your clothes and buy one.
Pope Benedicto is a politician.
So, I say:
Benedicto, you’re a knucklehead. Be the voice of God you claim to be and encourage these poor people to defend themselves!
I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in a long, long time. I sincerely wish I had caught this guy when he was on television! Aw, man. Did I miss out? Yes, I did.
You can catch this guy on the radio now, which is available here: (Kgov.com)
If you’ve never heard of Bob Enyart, then you absolutely have to watch this.
Adults say the darnedest things, Part I.
Adults say the darnedest things, Part II.
John 7:24 (NKJV)
24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
1st Corinthians 6:2-3 (NKJV)
2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?
1st Corinthians 2:15-16 (NKJV)
15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Luke 12:56-57 (NKJV)
56 Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time? 57 “Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?
Dumb Christian: Oh, but we can’t judge! Jesus said not to judge!
Not-Dumb Christian: Did He? Where is that?
Dumb Christian: Matthew 7:1
Not-Dumb Christian: Oh. Well, let’s take a look…
Matthew 7:1 (NKJV)
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.
Not-Dumb Christian: Well, that certainly seems to support your argument. Let’s look at the context, though…
Matthew 7:1-5 (NKJV)
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Not-Dumb Christian: Well, who was Jesus talking to?
Dumb Christian: …
Not-Dumb Christian: It’s right there in the 5th verse. First word…
Dumb Christian:…
Not-Dumb Christian: Here, I’ll read it. “Hypocrite!”
Christians, you have been lied to. What else did you expect letting other men tell you what God has said? Look to your bibles with your own eyes!!
CHICAGO (AP) — At least one in four teenage American girls has a sexually transmitted disease, suggests a first-of-its-kind federal study that startled some adolescent-health experts.Some doctors said the numbers might be a reflection of both abstinence-only sex education and teens’ own sense of invulnerabilty. Because some sexually transmitted infections can cause infertility and cancer, U.S. health officials called for better screening, vaccination and prevention.
Only about half of the girls in the study acknowledged having sex. Some teens define sex as only intercourse, yet other types of intimate behavior including oral sex can spread some diseases.
Among those who admitted having sex, the rate was even more disturbing — 40 percent had an STD.
“This is pretty shocking,” said Dr. Elizabeth Alderman, an adolescent medicine specialist at Montefiore Medical Center’s Children’s Hospital in New York… (More)
Isn’t this what we were all told Sex Ed would prevent? Weren’t we told that school teachers taking over the role of parents in teaching about sex would prevent exactly this? Those darned parents, they just didn’t understand that approaching sex education the right way wouldn’t encourage kids to have sex! It would merely encourage those that were going to do it anyway to do it safely! Those darned parents! Old fashioned prudes who just don’t understand their kids as well as we do!
Well, color me slightly confused here. It seems that sex ed has not only managed to encourage kids to have sex in droves but apparently without practicing safe sex at all.
Wow. I totally didn’t see that coming.
And now we have one out of every four girls out there age 14-19 suffering from an STD. 40% among those who admitted having sex! And how many admitted having sex? Half of them!
18% with HPV. Yes, 18%. That’s almost one out of every five with HPV.
“Some doctors said the numbers might be a reflection of both abstinence-only sex education and teens’ own sense of invulnerability.”
Oh, yes. Of course. Obviously this is the result of teaching abstinence. That makes perfect sense. It certainly couldn’t have anything to do with politicians and activists deciding what and how to teach kids about sex.
I cannot appropriately express my utter rage at the sex obsessed freaks who brought us all to this. Nor at the wimps who knew better but didn’t fight them hard enough.
Reading back over Life by Fives I feel the need to explain my relationship with my mother’s memory. Since I just so happen to have an open letter I posted in an internet poetry forum last Mother’s Day that does just that, I’m dropping it in here.
Dear Mother,
I don’t remember you and I still miss you so badly I cry sometimes.
I despise my tears and I despise you a little for being such meaningless spilled milk.
And I ache.
I ache still for this missing jigsaw puzzle piece that’s stretched everything just a little to make room for a spot of glaring white memory.
I ache for this fill-in-the-blank that I love so much still without any idea why. I ache to know why I love you and if you were even worthy of it.
I ache wanting so badly to know that you’re not the graceful queen of beauty I can’t help but imagine you are.
I ache with fear that you weren’t every bit as f—ed up as I am.
And I’m afraid.
I’m afraid writing this.
I’m afraid to turn your eyes to me.
I’m afraid that your judgment will neither condemn nor approve.
I’m afraid that the sight of me will hurt you.
I’m afraid you’ll see nothing but just another thing – nothing to provoke anything from you.
I’m afraid there’s no love in you for me. No affection or appreciation.
I’m afraid of Nothing.
I’m afraid that our eyes will meet across this emptiness and we’ll discover such disparity between us that even the blood that ties us is severed by the awareness of it.
I hate you a little.
I do and I’m sorry.
And I won’t contemplate why tonight. My hates are too large and complicated to bother with most of the time and they never say anything good when I talk to them anyway.
And I have doubts that you deserve the effort.
But I still imagine laying here that you’re with me.
You kneel beside this bed and look at me and I can’t see a thing in your eyes.
Then you touch my hand and I see…whatever you have to show me. Anything. It doesn’t matter.
I just want to hold your hand and see you again.
I want those memories back.
I want to know what you feel like and what you smell like and why I love you so much it hurts that you’re gone.
I want a special memory of you that makes me smile.
I want to spit and curse at you and never hurt you at all.
I want to kiss your hair and breath you in again.
My lungs miss your scent. I know they do.
I think I want most of all to know that you’ve watched me all these years.
I want you to see every horrible thing that ever happened to me. Even the things I refuse to remember.
I want you to know that smell and that pain and exactly why I pulled both those triggers.
I want you to see every drop of blood I’ve spilled and every copper tang of madness I’ve tasted.
Every bitter shame and tittering wickedness.
I want my Mother to know the hell of my life.
And I want you to see what I’ve killed and thrown away.
I want you to see that I’ve broken my own hands.
After that and only after that I want you to see that I was able to be happy and content and accept it when my Father washed me clean.
Then I will tell you that I’m in love.
Then I will bring my husband to you so you can adopt him as your own and meet your grandchildren.
Then I’ll show you my home and read you what I have written on the threshold.
Then we’ll talk in the garden and watch the sunset and you can answer all these questions I’ve been saving for you.
And then when you know me and I know you…
Then I’ll tell you the secret I have for you.
I will to tell you that I learned to love without you there to teach me.
I hope you didn’t. I hope you never taught me.
I won’t allow that you ever taught me.
You did not. I will not allow it.
That is my gift to you for every Mother’s Day and my punishment for dying dishonored.
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