Oct. 6-7, 2007, weekend

A DOCUMENTARY ON SEXUAL ISSUES

This past Thursday here on the blog I wrote about hearing Dr. Jack Rogers speak about his book on homosexuality and the Bible. Now comes word of a new documentary that covers some of the same material, but from the perspective of Christians who have gays or lesbians in their families. The film is called "For the Bible Tells Me So," and it opens Friday nationally. And I've just learned it will be shown tonight, Sunday, in Kansas City and again tomorrow night and Tuesday night. For details, click here. Whoever gets to see this first among you blog readers, please give us a review. And for more details about the film, click here.

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FOR GOOD SPORTS

The Vatican plans to sponsor a football (Americans: read soccer) team. Fine, as long as the guy in the net doesn't have to be called the Holy Goalie.

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BLESSING THE ANIMALS

The great religions all have stories about animals.

From the creation stories in Genesis to Noah's Ark to the donkey on which Jesus rode on Palm Sunday to the horse the Prophet Muhammad rode for part of his Night Journey, religion and animals intersect in countless ways. Indeed, Christians call Jesus the very "Lamb of God."

But not a lot of attention gets paid to how to draw on religious traditions to find ethical ways of treating animals.

Now, however, the Humane Society of the United States has decided to change that. It has created a new program it calls, simply, "Animals and Religion." The society says its mission to protect animals "Is consistent with the collectively held religious principles of mercy and compassion." For a more detailed press release about the program, click here.

One of the interesting things on the society's "Animals and Religion" Web site, to which I've linked you, is a collection of statements about animals from various religious traditions. Is there one there from your faith community? And do you agree with it?

I know that some people use religious principles having to do with animal protection to justify vegetarian diets, though there's plenty of debate about that. And I know some aninal rights activists get a reputation for going way overboard, even valuing non-human animals over humans. I view that position as being in serious tension with the biblical witness and with most religious traditions.

But the intersection of religious principles and animal welfare is rich with layers of meaning. And surely it's worth some thought from religious leaders.

P.S.: At 7 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday, Oct. 9, on HDNet, "Dan Rather Reports" features an interview the former CBS News anchor did with the Dalai Lama. You can see a clip of it at this site.

To read my latest Kansas City Star work, click here. (My Saturday column this weekend looks at two traditions having to do with politics and religion.)

Comments

[Joe Barone]

From the very first (Genesis 1 & 2 and Psalm 8) the Bible has assigned human beings a role in caring for the earth and the animals.

[Patricia]

OK, Bill. We're "onto" you. I know you chose that football story just so you could make the quip. Thank you. Everyone can use a little humor on Saturday. It's cleaning day, after all.

[Dolores Lear]

Bill.
Enjoy your tongue in cheek humor.

Remarks about eating animals for food. Did Humans eat animals with blood in them, after the Fall, or after the Flood.
All Bible verses KJV.

Genesis 1:28-30. "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you evey herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yeilding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so."

Then came the Fall of Humans to the Body Birth of Cain and Abel, and all Humans up to Noah's time, and to today.
Genesis 7: 1-3. "And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shall take to thee by seven, the male and his female: of the beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth."

This seven clean animals and fowl, is not taught in the Noah Flood stories today of two by two of each species. Wonder what the clean beasts and fowl were. The Flood also lasted over 1 year, not 40 days and nights, which is not usually taught.
When it is accepted that it was the Noah/Atlantis Planetary Flood, then Noah's Ark can be accepted as big as the Titanic Ocean Liner, projected by the measurements listed in the Bible.

After the Flood Noah set up an Alter for sacrifice. I wonder if this was a practice by the Civilization before the Flood.
Genesis 8:20. "And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar."

Genesis 9: 1-7. "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely your blood of your lives will I require: at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man: at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. And you, be ye truthful, and mulitply; bring forth abundantly in the arth, and multiply therein.

Was Genesis written by the same person, or translations by different persons with added verses? Should Humans eat, or not eat the meat with blood in it?

So are vegetarians right, meat with the blood in it is not healthy. Does meat give us some of our inherited genetic diseases?
So where does cancer come from, that is epidemic today. We never had any blood relation that I know of, die with cancer, but it started in my generation and some have died. Is this a disease from nuclar waste?

Genesis is a fantastic book when read today, with our High Tech Knowledge of Colonization and Birth in an artificila Womb.

Jesus' Agape Love and Peace.

[Patricia]

Bill Moyers last night was focused on the end of times evangelical ministries and their relationship with Israel. There's more here, if you missed it.
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/10052007/profile2.html

One one of his pieces was on the Amish. The book might interest you, Joe Barone. "Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy" http://www.amazon.com/Amish-Grace-Forgiveness-Transcended-Tragedy/dp/0787997617

[truthnfacts]

I haven't posted on this blog for the past week or so but I have been reading the comments of others.
I believe this will be my last post. That will most likely make some of you very happy.
I find the blog, ( with the exception of one or two people ), to be saturated with contradiction, extreme judgement, hypocrites, political ignorance, ( supported by political mis-quotes ), and the mentally challenged.
It makes me further understand, and glad I am agnostic.
I see people who can read the bible and enter text taken from the bible.
I see people who change the bible.
I see people who change and or create their own science.
I will, however, continue to read the posts from time to time as it will help me to confirm my own sanity. It will also provide me with humor.
You may say I am being judgemental in my assesments but you see, since I do not subscribe to being a "Christian", I feel I can be judgemental without fearing the torment and fires of "Hell".
It has certainly been entertaining and I look forward to more of your lunacy and attacks.
Good day!!!

[Patricia]

Your column this week is great, Bill. I am so appreciative of having someone explain the divine liberty - divine order concepts. I was familiar with the latter but not the former.

This is really important food for thought, as we head into - or continue into - the 2008 election.

It prompts the question, "So did the conservative Christian religious leaders meet to discuss a third party candidate, because it's not looking like there will be a strong enough Divine order nominee from the Republicans?"

Or is it simply what James Dobson said on AM radio yesterday? That he can't vote for a guy who brought his mistress into the same house his wife was in?

[Dolores Lear]

truthnfacts.
What I post is what I consider the Bible to show religion is wrong, and Humans were 'in the beginning' Equal Clone Caretaker Helpmeets not mates.

And Humans were to Take Care of the Planet, not Kill it. I can not find any reason except Mis-bred Body Birth for the Original Sin of Equal male and femal Perfect Caretaker Humans to Unequal male and female Killers.

No one has given me a more valid reason for the Original Sin that is killing our Planet.

I only use the Chritian Bible as that is what I grew up with and learned for 49 years. And I do not think anyone else has given a better reason for all the Wages of Sin, than Mis-bred Body Birth, since we have had the sexual revolution and population explosion for the last 100 years, and the High Tech Knowledge of Colonization and Reproduction in a High Tech Womb.

So hope you will respond to my posts as you are moved. It helps to take your frustration out on me, as I do not take any offense, and you may say something that helps me to proved we are all Mis-bred Humans full of genetic hand-me-down diseases, that are not handed down in High Tech Reproduction. The Human egg and sperm make a Human no matter which way is used for reproduction.

Agape Love.

[Kansas Bob]

Hi truthnfacts,

When you say ...

"I find the blog, ( with the exception of one or two people ), to be saturated with contradiction, extreme judgement, hypocrites, political ignorance, ( supported by political mis-quotes ), and the mentally challenged."

... you make a somewhat accurate assessment of this blog, congress, Hollywood, most network/cable news programs, and most universities ... to name a few.

I guess the difference is that the dialog isn't muted and masked in inuendo and hidden agendas. The dialog may be all of what you said but would you rather it be bit tamer and civil? If so just help it to be that way :)

Bob

[Dolores Lear]

truthnfacts.
I also do not claim to be a Christian anymore, but a Child of God. But I do accept God our Ancestors and Jesus as the Physical Saviors, in the End Times of Life on Earth. You can believe this without belonging to a religion.

Peace.

[Mel]

truthnfacts,

"I will, however, continue to read the posts from time to time as it will help me to confirm my own sanity."

Thanks, but even we're not that talented.

[Dolores Lear]

I also think the Jews are looking for a Physical Savior, Messiah in Hebrew for Jews, Christ in Greek for Christians, in the End Times, and they are not Christians.

I do not remember from reading, so I am not sure about Muslims. They may believe in the Messiah also, but if so I do not know what they call him.

[Just Thinking]

truthnfacts wrote: "I find the blog, ( with the exception of one or two people ), to be saturated with contradiction, extreme judgement, hypocrites, political ignorance, ( supported by political mis-quotes ), and the mentally challenged."

I know, truthnfacts. I just wish everyone could be as exceptional as me. You'll be missed.

[Just Thinking]

Dolores wrote: "What I post is what I consider the Bible to show religion is wrong, and Humans were 'in the beginning' Equal Clone Caretaker Helpmeets not mates."

I think, Dolores, that you are the one that truthnfacts refers to as "mentally challenged."

[Dolores Lear]

J.T.
I would hope that truthnfacts would say what he accepts as the Source of Life on Earth.
I think the common belief is in Evolution, for Athiests. My new Knowledge is for Atheists. I do not believe in a God like I did in religion, and do mouth worship, to a supernatural
God, and Jesus was always a Brother to me, not a God.
I do not call the GOD that made the Temple of LIFE, the God as a person worshipped in temples made by Human Hands.

I think I have made clear the Source of LIFE that made invisible and visible elements of the Universe, I call GOD just for reference against the God that created/Colonized Life on Earth, that is the basis for the Trinity Gods, in three Persons. Both GOD and God have Eternal Life, only God has Eternal Life in Physical Form. I do not know if GOD can ever been known.

I use the Bible to show some of the past History of Earth, in 6000 years, not millions of years. I guess this holds back Athiests from accepting a 6000 High Tech timeline. And I do not know what holds back Christians, except religious teachings to question losing their Eternal Life After Death, if they do not believe. We have been so poisoned by Religion, that High Tech Science is the bad guy, and the only way they have been the bad guy was using High Tech to make nuclear bombs for Life After Death, instead of making a High Tech Womb for Perfect Life After Birth.

Since we now have High Tech Reprodtion and know how to Colonize a Planet, Humans can also, in time, do what the God did on Earth in the beginning. Only we cannot have Eternal Physical Life after Birth yet, and I am afraid we will not get there, or colonize another planet, before we blow up our planet with our hate and killing and misuse of our High Tech for Death, instead of using it for LIFE.

I do not know what hope Atheists have for the future, but My Hope is now for Eternal Physical Life After Birth, not After Death.
I have not heard any good explanation for Life After Death, or for the old supernatural explanation of God and God in Genesis, wusing the supernatural of High Tech Knowledge that we have today.
I believe in civilizations of Humans with Eternal Life After Death on planets and in spaceships, and I accept that God and Jesus prove Everlasting Life After Birth. They are Alive out in Space, in Physical Bodies. God for more than 12,000 years Earth time, and Jesus 2000 years Earth time.
So I cannot look forward to Life After Death until someone can convince me there is Life After Death, except to be born again with the same elements that die on our planet. So if I die before I get the Pure-bred Body, I will look forward to the next Physical Life After Death like Christians, only I know it will be on Planets and Spaceships, that are called a somewhere out there Heaven in religion.

Agape Love and Peace.

[Dolores Lear]

Oh Oh. I made a bad typo.
I said I believe in civilization of Humans with Eternal Life after "Death" on Planets and in Spaceships.

I meant Eternal Life After "Birth" on Plants and in Spaceships.

:)

Hope you all read that wrong since I say Eternal Life After Birth so often.

Peace.

[Just Thinking]

What color will you paint your compartment of the spaceship where you will eternally live, Dolores? Will they flush the toilet into outer space? After eternity, will space just be filled with toilet flushings?

[Dolores Lear]

K.C. Star, 10/6/07. Faith Section.

Bill has a good article about government and religion.
"When we try to rewrite American history to say it always had been a divine order country (read "Christian nation"), or that it always has been a sacred liberty country (read "rugged individualist" tradition), we not only distort the past but we block the road forward. So let's pay attention over the next year and encourage the candidates to work toward the healthy balance between those two traditions. Otherwise we're just asking for trouble."

I think we are beyond just asking for trouble, we are knee deep in trouble, with our nuclear bombs.

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"Atheists On The Rise" By Jacqueline L. Salmon and Mary Jordan.
"Those who don't believe in God are finding strength in numbers in public and political areanas."
"Despite atheists' increased vocalism and visibility, it seems that the rest of America isn't buying in. In a nationwide poll last year by University of Minnesota researches, Americans rated atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants and other minority groups in "sharing their vision of American society". They also associated atheists with everything from criminal behavior to rampant materialism. According to a recent USA Today/Gallup Poll, more than half would not vote for an atheist for president."

There are not that many rich athiests in the USA. Most of the materialistic citizens, are the billionaires who are usually Christians or Jews.

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"Voices Of Faith"
"My Spiritual Life Is Stagnant, How Can I Increase My Faith"
"Examine teachings" By Lama Chuck Standford, Rime Buddhist Center & Monestary: "Faith manifests itself in our everyday actions - as evidenced by Mother Teresa's actions. If you are dissatisfied with your level of faith, you may, in fact, be dissatisfied with how you are relating to the world."
"Basis a gift from God" By The Rev. R.L. Baynham, pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church, Kansas City, Kan.: "Life without God is a perishing emptiness and a lost of fulfillment intended for all of creation. Life with God opens opportunities to walk in harmony with our creator and mankind. The more we yield to God, the more we are able to share with our neighbor high-quality living and a respect that values life."

Whee are the people that values Life? We are all busy getting more than our Brothers/Sisters of Life or off fighting with our Brothers/Sisters of Life. This is not the Christian Lifestyle that Jesus taught, of Equal Sharing of the Earth's Resources and Turn The Other Cheek.
How can anyone feel safe with all the nuclear bombs all over land and sea? What kind of a Lifestyle is a result of being armed to the teeth, and so many starving and homeless, on a planet with over 6 billion people? What is overload of our spaceship Earth? Is the Only Way to control this runaway population, is with a nuclear war?

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"Remembering Lord's Supper" By Billy Graham.
"A. While churches differ in their understanding of the Lord's Supper, they all seek to give it a central place in their worship. - The Lord's Supper tells us about the greatest event in human history: Jesus' death for us."

the Greatest Event was Jesus was Alive in a 'regenerated' Pure-bred Physical Body and went out into Space in that Physical Body and will return in that Physical Body. He is Alive, not Dead. And no one on Earth dies and goes to where Jesus is with God the Father also Alive in a Physical Body. They will return Alive in the same Eternal Living Physical Bodies, at the Judgement Day of the Killing of Life on Earth.

May the Peace that Passes all understanding in the Fallen Killing Nature Bodies, be in our near future before we blow up our Home Planet.

Jesus' Agape Love and Peace is Coming to Planet Earth, I hope before we blow up our Home with our Nuclear Hate Bombs.

[Dolores Lear]

J.T.
The color of my compartment will be pink, my favorite color.

Back before so many countries had nuclear bombs, there was all kind of neat High Tech equipment projected, with robots doing the cleaning. All steamlined and Cleanliness was most important.
I am sure with our Ancestors advanced High Tech there are toilets that handle that with little waste for storage, They do not throw their waste out into space, like we do in our atmosphere, and on the land and sea.
The saying, Cleanliness is next to Godliness' is true.

By the way, I really thought that was excellent how you used the babies in yesterday's post. :)

Peace.

[Just Thinking]

Really, Dolores, isn't the thought of living in the physical universe forever a little troublesome? First of all, if you live in the same compartment for all of eternity, then you'd never get your security deposit back. And you'd definitely never get your cleaning deposit back, for a lot of reasons. You'd be pulling out an old cheeto from under a sofa cushion and you wouldn't know how many centuries old it would be.

Things just get old and decay, Dolores, in this physical universe. That's the way it is.

[Dolores Lear]

How do you know J.T. Been there?

The Earth is where things get old and decay. The Universe I am going to has a beautiful planet like Earth was 'in the beginning' all High Tech equipment, clean and green, and the High Tech Pure-bred male and female Helpmeets Take Care of their Planet, Colonize other Planets, and Take their turn visiting those planets.
At Home and Away keeping 'Eternal' Asexual Physical Helpmeets, in the Peacful Life on their Home Planet. The population does not overrun the living area, no Havenots, Killers, and they have turns at space travel, and at Home to keep their ages similar.

Nothing boring like living on a dirty polluted Planet like Earth with all the Inequality and Hate, Killing and War, and all the filth, disease and defective physical bodies. They Take Care of their Home Planet and their Spaceships, because they can 'see' with their High Tech equuipment, what a planet like ours is doing to our bodies and Eco System.

They do have High Tech equipment to keep track of us, when they are somewhere else or at home. All of this is what I think Science Fiction projects when they are not projecting killing humans and other types of Life also in spaceships and on Planets.

If there is that type of Killer Life out there, I hope to make it to the Peace Planet, Alive in a 'regenerated' Pure-bred Physical Body, with Jesus who also wants Peace and Equal Sharing, like religion teaches about Eternal Life After Death in Heaven. I want it for Eternal Life After Birth.

Peace.

[believestheBOOK]

Dolores, How do you know? Been there? You should have been a science fiction writer. What utter nonsense.

[Just Thinking]

But do they have cheetos, Dolores? Or have the hippies taken over?

Did you know that cheetos never lose their flavor. They lose their crunch, but years later they still taste just as good. Just blow off the sofa cushion dust and hair, and they're good as new.

What will the be source of protein, Dolores? You could clone politicians, because I think it's okay to eat lower life forms.

Will the original Adam and Eve be there, along with Ward and June and Wally and the Beave? If it's really far away, then maybe the original Lucy programs will start airing there about now. Wouldn't that fun. That's probably why they're so interested in this planet; they can see how intelligent we are from watching the Lucy's.

I think it's time for a nap now, and some tranquilizers.

[Dolores Lear]

Science fiction would not be written, if it was not in our genetic memory, just like the Gods and Angels that looked like Humans in religion and myth.

It's better to be busy, for Peace and Colonization, with a male Clone Helpmeet with Eeternal Physical Life After Birth, on a beautiful planet, than keeping busy for Killing and Pollution with a Mis-bred male mate on a planet with Death After Birth.

I used to wonder what we would do laying around on a cloud in Heaven, praising God, in Life After Death. Boring.
Now I Know there is a better Perfect Physical Life After Birth, and that is what my hope is on and nothing less that Eternal Life After Birth on Planets and in spaceships.

Anyway for me it is a better dream than the religious one i had. Whatever comes after Death I will face, if there is anything, like I have during this Fallen Life, so what will be will be.

Peace.

[Just Thinking]

See if they have a Holadeck, Dolores, because that's good for several seasons of pointless entertainment and bad writing.

[Just Thinking]

Dolores, will the spaceship people be able to take away mind sickness? And should bring a change of underwear for the trip?

I'm anxious to see this place that exists in our physical universe where things never decay and things never get old. I'll bet that there will be no scientists there, because none of them believe in that part of the physical universe where science doesn't hold anymore.