Metal Dad - Hardcore for Life

This Is So Wrong On So Many Levels

Tags: Defective Theology, Fish, Politics, Religion

News You Can Use

Associated Press reported earlier today that evangelist Franklin Graham’s invitation to speak at a Pentagon prayer service on the National Day of Prayer May 6 has been rescinded by the U.S. Army because of comments he made years ago about Islam. Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham, in 2001 described Islam as “evil.” More recently, he has said he finds Islam offensive and wants Muslims to know that Jesus Christ died for their sins. The Associated Press report quoted Army spokesman Col. Tom Collins as saying Graham’s remarks were “not appropriate.”

First of all, Christians (and I am one) should be praying in their homes and churches for the Pentagon to focus only on defense and cease its offensive wars instead of wanting someone to pray at the Pentagon for anything. Christians should avoid the Pentagon like they avoid a brothel, an abortion clinic, or a strip club.

Second, if Christians want Muslims to know about Jesus then they should send missionaries to the Middle East instead of soldiers.

All I can add is "Amen and Amen."

Hat Tip to Laurence Vance

Technorati Tags: Christians and War, Franklin Graham, National Day of Prayer, Pentagon, Politics

Can't They Get Their Story Straight?

"Mojib Latif is a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the group that set the panic off with its 1996 report on global warming. According to Hudson, Latif concedes 'that we may indeed be in a period of cooling worldwide temperatures that could last another 10–20 years.'"

I think this whole global warming, climate change crapola is a good example of the near-religious fervor held by many folks who look down their noses at people of faith. The global warmng crowd believe what they believe no matter what common sense or real science tells them.

Technorati Tags: Climate Change, Global Warming, Liars and Thieves and Fools

I Had A Great Idea

 I'm going to apply to the National Endowment for the Arts for a grant which I'm confident they will provide once they recognize the provocative, cutting edge nature of my proposed piece of work. I will take a figurine of the prophet Muhammad and put it into a jar of camel urine and name this work, "Piss Muhammad." I am quite sure that the elite of the art world and Hollywood celebrities concerned about artistic freedom will defend my right to offend a large portion of the world. It's art after all and I have a right to be funded by the tax dollars of ignorant folks who don't understand art.

Technorati Tags: Art, Islam, NEA

Political Picture of the Day

Now Playing: Hellbastard - In Grind We Crust - Death Camp

Technorati Tags: Bitter, Barack Obama, Guns, Pictures, Politics, Religion

Film and Fundamentalism

As we often do, my eldest son and I rented a boatload of movies this past weekend. He is quite the cineaste. I can always count on him for interesting facts and opinion about some aspect of the film we are watching. He is taking a film class at college right now but he's always been intrigued by movies. When he was about seven or eight years old he watched Kurasowa's The Seven Samurai with me. I was surprised but pleased that a long, subtitled, and serious film held his attention even at that young age.

We finally saw There Will Be Blood which we liked immensely. A viewing of The Mist later that evening, which is based on a Stephen King novella, got me thinking about depictions of Christians, especially of the "fundamentalist" sort, in films.

A definition of terms may be in order here. A fundamentalist is simply one who holds to the fundamentals of the Christian faith. And we could go round and round on what the fundamentals are. The term arose out of the fundamentalist/modernist debates in the early 1900s. Unfortunately a lot of cultural baggage gets associated with the term: "I don't drink, don't smoke, don't chew and don't go out with girls that do." I've come to believe that the fundamental question is: Who is Jesus Christ and what did His death accomplish? We can talk about all manner of peripheral issues and even disagree about many or all of them but disagreement does not give me the right to decide whether or not you are a Christian. That province belongs to God alone.

There have been many positive depictions of faith in film: For all its cinematic shortcomings Chariots of Fire showed a man who stood on principle and personal conviction even when it placed him in direct opposition to king and country; Tender Mercies depicted how faith and family helped a flawed, troubled man come to terms with his past and failings; To End All Wars showed how faith could help men retain their dignity and survive an incredibly horrific situation.

The depiction of the egomaniacal, manipulative leader of "The Church of the Third Revelation" in There Will Be Blood was multi-dimensional compared to the cartoonish, apocalyptic, millenarian nutjob in The Mist, who seemed to be there mostly as a convenient target for the disdain of the audience.

Now Playing: Lydia Lunch - Memory and Madness - Wet Nurse in the Trauma Unit

Technorati Tags: Faith, Family, Film, Fundamentalism, Theology

Huckabee Supporters Get Warning Letters

From Associated Press:

"DES MOINES, Iowa -- Iowa pastors who support Republican Mike Huckabee for president have received letters warning them that getting involved in politics could endanger the tax-exempt status of their churches.

Several pastors who have publicly backed Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister who has support from many evangelicals, said they have received the letters, which have no return address. They have arrived in the weeks leading to Thursday's precinct caucuses.

Two letters were sent to the Rev. Brad Sherman, of Solid Rock Christian Church in Coralville. The first arrived a couple weeks ago and warned that he could be prosecuted for his support of Huckabee.

"I just laughed. No one lands in jail for this," Sherman said. "Somebody is trying to intimidate Christians from getting involved."

A second letter came Wednesday. It alleged that the Internal Revenue Service is looking for churches that back candidates in violation of tax rules and mentioned Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, a Republican who has sought information about spending by high-profile ministries."

Someone needs to send a memo to 90% of the Black churches in Metro Chicago where shameless politicking has been a time-honored tradition. Democratic candidates routinely make the rounds during election season. Personally I don't really care. I find it interesting that Democrats who are usually so courageous in defending the "wall of separation between church and state" have no problem jumping over it when their interests are at stake.

Although I loathe the twisted theology of Bob Jones University, I respect them for their commitment to principle. When the Federal Government threatened to revoke their 401(c) status if they did not repudiate their ban on inter-racial dating, they told them to go ahead.

Technorati Tags: Bob Jones University,Politics,Church and State,Brave Democrats,Huckabee

Mises Quote for the Day

"It is justifiable if ethics and religion tell people that they ought to make better use of the well-being that capitalism brings them. . . . But it is irresponsible to condemn one social system and to recommend its replacement by another system without having fully investigated the economic consequences of each."
Mises - Theory and History, p. 343

Technorati Tags: Economics, Ethics, Mises, Religion, Inspirational Quotes

Making an Appeal to the Practically Minded Heathen

H/T Purgatorio

Technorati Tags: Humor,Church Signs

Get All Exorcised Over Halloween

 This was too good to pass by. The absolute final word on Halloween.

Letters from Kamp Krusty: The Krusty Sage: Get All Exorcised Over Halloween

Technorati Tags: Halloween, Krusty Sage, Religion