Sunday, August 26, 2007

Mother Teresa - she was human after all

I've always found Mother Teresa an interesting figure. She worked tirelessly for the less forutunate, a true bodhisattva. I'm always stuggling to find some usefulness in Christianity, and she's been one of the few positive influences I've found (Martin Luther King Jr is another). At least her initial intentions were good. Her celebrity may have brought some difficulties for her regarding the management of charitable contributions, and I disagree with her stands on abortion and divorce, but I think most must admit her work for the world's hungry eclipses these indiscretions. And now we have the opportunity to read the intimate thoughts of this woman. Over the last 50 years of her life she struggled with her faith - wondering why God and Jesus ("the absent one") were missing. She felt the isolation and silence of this vast universe and questioned the existence of the Christian God.

I look forward to reading the words of this compassionate woman. I'm paticularly interested in how she was able to look into the eyes of suffering and death day after day and never seem to wear out or give up on humanity. Most of us can only handle a few weeks before we must retreat into our happier existence away from it all. Maybe it was because of this, seeing how no God was there to help those who needed it most, realizing that only people can help people, that she began to question her faith.

Maybe her secret testimonies will help enlighten more people to work for peace, and to end much of the needless suffering on this planet. Maybe this will be her true legacy.

Friday, August 24, 2007

There They Go Again!

So the Christians are persecuting the GLBT community once again. And in Ft. Lauderdale of all places. Did Naugle run for mayor just so he could attack the community there? So Naugle invited his fellow homophobic hateful christians to a pow-wow in the sunshine state to vocalize their unwarranted fears about who's doing who in the public bathrooms. They remind us again that God created HIV to get back at gay men (I guess lesbians have the green light from God) - but then over a third of people getting HIV these days are heterosexual women - so what's their sin? So eveyone in the world that has a bad thing happen to them, or a disease that slowly kills them must be getting their just deserves for some evil? I guess that explains Reagan's alzheimers. I can only begin to imagine the death in store for Bush for all the innocent blood he's shed. Doesn't this line of thinking seem just a bit ridiculous to these people? How mean spirited they are!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

ACLJ (American Center for Law and Justice) NOT!

As I flipped through the channels on my Zen player, searching for NPR, I landed on a local Christain channel (not that these people have any right to claim Christ as their teacher). What I heard was a "report" on the "situation" on the Gaza strip where "Christians" are being forcibly converted to Islam (wait a minute - aren't they both the same God - or is Allah God's evil twin brother?). But regardless of conflicting dogma between these two radical sects, innocent human lives are being sacraficed. The facts are that Isreal is an illegal occupier of Palestine. For 40 years the people of Palestine have watched their homes and farms bulldozed (with them inside if they failed to comply). They've lost their ability to work, or even visit their family in the neighboring village due to checkpoints. The Isreali's have dissected this land into a bloody jigsaw puzzle (and I mean bloody in a literal sense). And they've done it with American tanks, planes and bombs.

The most ironic bit is that the group sponsoring this terrorism by Isreal is the American Center for Law and Justice. I laughed at their title, since there is no truth to any of it. They do not represent my American truth. They certainly don't work for justice for human life and dignity. And I have no idea who's law they're enforcing. Didn't Jesus say to love your enemies? But then their God is a genocidal, insecure, childish ruler (much like the American President) so I guess it's his Old Testament rules they intend to enforce. I have to laugh and be cynical, or I'd cry. This really could be Heaven on Earth if only it we didn't have the Jews, Muslims and Christians to contend with. I often wonder what the world would've been like if that first gathering of Jewish leaders had created a loving and peaceful God instead of this violent one. But then they wanted to rule the world so what good would that be. And with the help of ignorant Americans it looks like they will.

I heard a woman call in, saying how her visit to Bethlehem had really "brought the Bible to life" for her and that she'd felt completely safe her entire trip. She then followed saying we should give the Isreali's more money. Yikes. Does this woman regularly condemn her neighbors to a life of terror? Does she have no compasion for the Palestinian child, mother, brother or father? It makes me wonder if Christians are really human at all? She probably would've been a slave holder in the good 'ol days, whipping them regularly for daring to be born with dark skin. She is human, just deluded and ignorant but unfortunately not stupid or poor. In one sentence this woman is saying how great it was to be near the place her saviour, Jesus, was born and in the next she says it's okay to lay waste to her "enemies", the same ones Jesus instructed her to love (as if she was ever harmed by a Palestinian). So I guess I know now who her Jesus would bomb. She would have been one of the blind Germans spitting on the Jews as they made their way to the ghettos. And maybe it's that Holocaust guilt that allows her to overlook the suffering and genocide of the Palestinians.

In 2003 I wrote this piece for Other News and it seems just a relevant today. Still Americans are clueless while so many suffer. It's not really Americans fault - they're just too damned lazy to learn the truth (and if it isn't on Fox News it just couldn't possibly be true).
U.S Derails the Middle East Road Map

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Vice, Virtue

Vice, Virtue. It's best not to be too moral. You cheat yourself out of
too much *life*. Aim above morality. If you apply that to life, then
you're bound to live life fully.

This is a quote from Maude, a character in the movie Harold and Maude.  Ruth Gordon played her in 1971.  I was recently reminded of how much I enjoy this movie.  A previous love introduced me to this movie and I'm grateful.  Maude has many quips to share on just how precious life is and what a waste it is to let it slip through our fingers. 

I've been so fortunate in my adult life - I've seen so much, done even more - I've experienced life with all my senses just as Maude would say I should.  I guess that's part of why I fight for justice, I want everyone to have the opportunity to be a daisy, unique in a field of daisies.  If only everyone cherished life like Maude.

Cat Stevens did the sound track for that movie, and I found myself wondering what Yusuf Islam has been up to.  Did he still have the passion for music, and a spirit for peace?  I found this video on YouTube which answered my question.  It's from the 2006 Nobel celebration.