Fight Announcer:
"And Otis lunges, attempting to pierce Milo's
defenses and ... Oh! That's gotta hurt!"
It is a joy to behold.
More Pet Blogging
- See the Friday Ark, featuring a compilation of today's pet blogging posts, over at The Modulator.
- Check the M&O Archives for previous Milo & Otis appearances (currently up-to-date through Sept 2005!).
- Carnival of the Cats, coming at you every Sunday.
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| Rosslyn Chapel exterior |
Because words are imperfect, every generation rewrites itself." --Deng Ming Dao (365 Tao)
Milo says: "Come hither..."
"...cuz I needs me a belly rub."
More Pet Blogging
- See the Friday Ark, featuring a compilation of today's pet blogging posts, over at The Modulator.
- Check the M&O Archives for previous Milo & Otis appearances (now updated through Sept 2005!).
- Carnival of the Cats, coming at you every Sunday.
How do you pick a 'Secretary General' for a group like this...?
Church That Reveres "Flying Spaghetti Monster" Finds Growing Following By Jim Beckerman The Record HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Unlike a certain other religion in the news, the First United Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster doesn’t object to cartoon depictions of the supreme being... ...In some pictures, He is shown reaching out to confer the blessings of life and happiness with what church members like to refer to as His “noodly appendage.” Flying Spaghetti Monster could be the next big thing on the pop culture menu...
[ Full Story ]
Now, on the surface, this seems to be a pretty good -- perhaps even overdue -- idea. But note that he is calling for representatives from "major religious groups." Aren't some of those "major religious groups" responsible for most of the problems they want to address. And didn't some of those "major religious groups steal traditions or ride rough shod over earlier, indigenous religious expressions? Perhaps the "major religious groups" -- and then the world -- would be better served if they looked to some of what they consider to beminor religious groups. Some of those minor religious groups are already organizing, and probably have much to teach their bigger brethrens. There is the World Congress of Ethnic Religions for example. Athiest sells soul to priest; he gets to keep it but must do homework ...
Rabbi Calls for 'UN of Religions' By Danny Wood BBC News, Seville Monday, 20 March 2006, 03:53 GMT The Chief Rabbi of Israel, Yona Metzger, has called for the creation of a world body with representatives from the major religious groups.
Rabbi Metzger was addressing the International Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace in Seville, Spain... The imams and rabbis at this conference, which opened on Sunday, say the world is in crisis and it is time they acted to restore justice, respect and peace...
[ Full Story ]
I like the fact that some of the reviewed priests actually appreciated Mehta's criticism. But I'm not surprised that most of them blew it off.
Atheist: Church isn't a bad place Suzanne Sataline / Wall Street Journal Sunday, March 19, 2006 He sold his soul on eBay to evangelical, who has him critiquing sermons and services.
A few weeks ago, Hemant Mehta posted an unusual item for sale on eBay: a chance to save his soul...
...When the auction stopped on Feb. 3 after 41 bids, the buyer was Jim Henderson, a former evangelical minister from Seattle, whose $504 bid prevailed. Henderson, 58, wasn't looking for a convert. He wanted Mehta to embark with him on an eccentric experiment in spiritual bridge-building. Mehta's mission: attend 10 to 15 services of Henderson's choosing and then write about it for Henderson's Web site, off-the-map.org, whose professed mission is "Helping Christians be normal." "I'm not trying to convert you," Henderson told Mehta. "You're going there almost like a critic. ... If you happen to get converted, that's off the clock."
[ Full Story ]
Crazy Pat is at it again, this time documenting the "101 most dangerous academics in America."
C'mon, Pat, you really have to face the truth: No professor in America is a more dangerous radical than you! From the "You should have seen the one that got away!" department...
Pat Robertson on College Professors: "You know some of them are killers!" March 21, 2006 Pat Robertson calls liberal professors “racists, murderers, sexual deviants and supporters of Al-Qaeda” Crooks and Liars has the video of Pat Robertson in another one of his "moments."
Hat tip to People for the American Way for their coverage.
[ Full Story ]
Nietzsche proclaimed, "God is dead," way back in 1882. So I suppose it was only a matter of time until someone finally offed the devil (only took 124 years). But here's what I don't understand: If Mortalman actually succeeded in killing the devil, and Satan is no more, then ... what exactly explains the fact that Dick Cheny is still sucking down oxygen? Hey, I'm just asking!
'Angel' Claims He Killed Devil African Eye, via News24.com, South Africa Mar. 22, 2006 Zinkie Sithole www.news24.com Nelspruit - "I have killed the devil. He is dead. I killed him on February 18 this year," says Seuntjie "Mortalman" Nhleko, who claims to be an angel. The 22-year-old, who lives in Zwelisha outside Nelspruit, said on Wednesday: "People say I'm crazy, but I hear God's voice inside me that tells me that I have a special purpose."
Nhleko said his rebirth as "Mortalman" took place on February 4 last year. "While I was praying, I heard a voice that told me not to be afraid. "It told me I would change forever and that all the people in the world were my children, including Jesus," he said.
[ Full Story ]
[T]he word "abortion" is not in any indigenous language, but the practice of terminating a pregnancy to preserve a woman's health is part of basic medical knowledge and was traditionally a decision left to the woman. -- Charon Asetoyer, Native American Women's Health Education Resource CenterYou can get more details and pertinent links over at Jason Pitzl-Waters' The Wild Hunt Blog: Tribal Sovereignty vs. Christian Patriarchy. It's all worth reading. (Thanks for posting on this, Jason).
Today's quotable comes from Roethke's best-known poem, In A Dark Time. For more samples of his work, dig into the following URLs:
Bacon Brothers in Concert
Healing thoughts are needed but again for my boys. Milo and Otis are both dealing with raging bacterial infections in their plumbing systems. Our vet is working overtime to help us figure this all out but it just keeps getting worse. The boys are both on medication but it is only halting the infections so that they aren't suffering horribly. Our next step is probably an internist, who can hopefully get us some answers and some solutions. I fear that we will have gone through all we did and they will have to be put down. The infections just don't get better - only worse. It is very sad and my boys just don't deserve it (but then who really does deserve to be sick). Anyway, any healing thoughts you can send along would be most appreciated.This would not be a Friday Pet Blogging post without a photo or two, so to help you focus on the recipients of your prayers (should you be so inclined to offer up a healing thought or prayer to the god/dess of your choice), here are our sick little boys:
Milo
Otis
More Pet Blogging
- See the Friday Ark, featuring a compilation of today's pet blogging posts, over at The Modulator.
- Check the M&O Archives for previous Milo & Otis appearances (now updated through Sept 2005!).
- Carnival of the Cats, coming at you every Sunday.
A fraternity for Druid's celebrates its first anniversary...
Carving of 'northern god' found BBC News Last Updated: Saturday, 11 March 2006, 16:00 GMT A 2000-year-old carving of a so-called "northern god", adopted by the Romans for protection and good luck, has been uncovered in Northumberland.
The 40cm high figure, holding a shield in one hand and spear or sword in the other, was discovered near Chesters Fort on Hadrian's Wall.
The image is thought to be that of CocidiusExperts say the find is exciting as it helps shed light on how people used local idols for protection. The carving is thought to be that of Cocidius, a Romano-British warrior god...
[ Full Story ]
Security, Religion, and Politics of two tribal peoples with equal claims on ancestral lands...
Student organizes his own alternative fraternity By JULIA O'MALLEY Anchorage Daily News Published: March 13, 2006 John Wilcox, a 'super senior' at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), was denied membership in Sigma Epsilon last year. And so, Phi Omicron Delta -- UAA's first and only local fraternity -- began and will celebrate its one year birthday in the fall. ...The fraternity, now officially a corporation, has about 13 active members, a secret handshake, and a raucous tradition of attending UAA sporting events with body parts painted green and gold. The brothers are seeking recognition from the university, which doesn't have provisions for a local fraternity. Wilcox explained the idea was to create kind of an anti-fraternity, eschewing flowery secret oaths and partying in favor of a stripped-down brotherhood concept almost like a support group...
[ Full Story ]
Evolutionary psychologists in the God-killing business (sort of)...
Two Narratives: Reflections on the Israeli-Palestinian Present Speaking of Faith by American Public Media March 9, 2006: An Israeli Perspective March 16, 2006: A Palestinian Perspective As Israel prepares for a critical election and Hamas forms a Palestinian cabinet, we explore the difficulty of reaching resolution in a land that its inhabitants, on both sides of the conflict, consider holy. Our guests in this two-part series, Israeli and Palestinian, identify deeply with the story and suffering of their own people. They are also individuals who from across tumultuous recent history have reached out to the other side. They find themselves embittered at the failure of the Oslo peace process, reeling from recent events, and uncertain about the future. We explore their unresolved questions and despair, and probe the deep longing for peace that remains within each of them and how they are imagining a future within new political realities.
Israeli View Download (mp3, 53:18) | » Stream (RealAudio, 53:00)Palestinian View Download (mp3, 53:18) | » Stream (RealAudio, 53:00)
[Podcast Help]
And in honor of St. Patty's Day, read about the real St. Patrick. Oh, but maybe you should try your hand at the Beliefnet St. Patrick's Day quiz first, and see how much you already know...
The God Fossil By Julia Reischel Article Published Mar 9, 2006 (Posted by Science & Theology News March 16, 2006 Most Americans who accept evolution think God created it. These scientists think they can prove the opposite. Since the 2004 publication of their experiments, Bering and Bjorklund have been ignored by all but a small group of theorists and experimental psychologists. And talking to Bjorklund, the more cautious of the two, you'd never think that their findings are any threat at all to traditional religion. "Humans have evolved this tendency to look for explanations, to look for causes," he says in a characteristically dispassionate way. "This ends up giving meaning to life. It forms how we think about the world. Religion and spirituality emanate from it." But Bering, now a professor in his own right at the University of Arkansas, sounds ready to burn down a cathedral. His hunger for the answers to his mother's questions barely sated, his goal is nothing less than to prove to the world, once and for all, that God is a "cognitive illusion" — a figment of our imaginations...
"We've got God by the throat, and I'm not going to stop until one of us is dead."
[ Full Story ]
Thanks for stopping by. I have not had much feedback on the This Week in "God" feature, so I don't know if my regular readers (all two or three of you) like it at all. Does it take up too much space? Would you prefer to see each story in a separate post, if only to make it easier to comment on them individually? Let me know your thoughts. I would like to make this a regular thing here, and I am interested in dialogue about the stories.
The Real Saint Patrick Author Maire B. de Paor Interviewed by Manya Brachear Posted Mar 17, 2006 @ Beliefnet.com Though shamrocks and snakes weren't part of his ministry, the saint touched hearts across a spectrum of beliefs. Kidnapped as a teenager, Patrick was smuggled to Ireland and enslaved. He became a shepherd and prayed for his release for six years. Once freed, he returned to evangelize his pagan captors. Until recently, many believed Patrick was a barely literate rustic. In her book, Paor seeks to uncover the true "poet and apostle" Patrick as revealed through his two major literary works, the Confessio and the Epistola. During her first visit to the U.S., Paor talked with Beliefnet's Manya Brachear about the life behind the legend...
[ The Interview ]
-- William Saroyan, (1908-1981) American author whose stories celebrated optimism in the middle of trials and difficulties of the Depression-era. Saroyan worked tirelessly to perfect a prose style, that was full of zest of for life and was seemingly impressionistic. The style became known as 'Saroyanesque.' His memory, style, and works are celebrated by the William Saroyan Society.
That Hasidic Reggae Singer By Michael Kress, Beliefnet.com Matisyahu is hip, black hat and all, but is he just a pop-scene oddity?
It will probably always be surreal to me that Matisyahu--the suddenly ubiquitous Hasidic reggae artist--is getting mainstream play on the likes of MTV and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and write ups in Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly. He's hip, even with his black hat and lyrics about Hashem and mashiach. Don't know what those words mean? You're far from alone. But spitting lyrics incomprehensible to 99% of the public hasn't slowed Matisyahu's march from sideshow act to commercial success story. (For the record, Hashem is a term for God, mashiach is the Messiah.)
[ Full Story ]
Man, that Matisyahu is the 'Dox, yo! (Or something like that.)
I can just imagine the recruitment posters:
Plaintiffs say Air Force recruiters told to use religion as tool By Patrick O'Driscoll, USA TODAY Fri Mar 10, 7:06 AM ET A vocal critic of Pentagon policies on religion in the ranks filed court papers Thursday alleging that an Air Force recruiter in New Mexico was asked "to use Jesus Christ as a recruiting tool."
Michael "Mikey" Weinstein, a 1977 graduate of the Air Force Academy, filed suit against the Air Force in federal court in Albuquerque last October. Weinstein and four other plaintiffs allege illegal proselytizing by evangelical Christian chaplains, officers and cadets at the Air Force Academy and throughout the service.
[ Full Story ]
Meanwhile, back at the New Age Rec Center...
How to Do Yoga With Your Soul By B.K.S. Iyengar From "Light on Life" by B.K.S. Iyengar (reprinted at BeliefNet.com) If you do yoga postures correctly (no cheating allowed), the practice can bring you closer to God.
In asana [yoga postures] and pranayama [breathing] practice, we should have the impression we are working on the outer to get close to the inner reality of our existence. This is true. We work from the periphery to the core. The material body has a practical reality that is accessible. It is here and now, and we can do something with it. However, we must not forget that the innermost part of our being is also trying to help us. It wants to come out to the surface and express itself...
[ Full Story ] [ Yoga: How-to ] [ Choose a Class ]
Altared Spaces By Joseph Gallivan Issue date: Tue, Mar 7, 200 Enrique Ugalde goes down on one knee and scoops up a precious necklace. It was given to him after he studied with a Huichol peyote shaman from Mexico — not an easy guest list to get on. Ugalde leans in and places it on the top level of his three-tiered altar.
A few minutes before, the altar was an old computer desk he found at the Goodwill bins for $10. First he covered the desk with a cloth he had lying around. Then he added a few glass-cased devotional candles and hid one of his surround-sound speakers underneath it. Sage smoke rises into the folds of the white parachute that covers his ceiling, and he gets to work...
[ Full Story ]
100 Dublin priests accused of abuse since 1940 Owen Bowcott, Ireland correspondent Thursday March 09 2006 The Guardian 350 children in one archdiocese affected. Church may sell property to pay compensation. The full extent of child abuse scandals threatening the Roman Catholic church in Ireland has emerged in a study by the archdiocese of Dublin which reveals that more than 100 of its priests have faced paedophile accusations since 1940.
Witches return to German forests Mail&Guardian Online - 10 March 2006 04:40 PM Original Posting May 12, 2005 Walther Rosenberger | Berlin Witches have returned to the German forests, dancing naked in groups under the full moon and calling to their gods. The covens vary in size and in how seriously they take their calling, but the numbers are rising, particularly amongst the young. Their religious ideas are described as "pagan" rather than Satanist, and many of the older practitioners have a history in the environmental movement, where they learnt a passionate love of nature. In some cases this has led on to a belief in the natural powers of the forests. The women are convinced they can work magic. "The witches' scene is experiencing a powerful revival," says Lutheran theologian Hansjoerg Hemminger. He says the covens range from "girlie witches" to the so-called "Wicca" covens. Wicca is an old Anglo-Saxon term for a group of witches. Christian theologians are inclined to see the latter as a manifestation of a new heathen movement. The women tend to be members of associations like the Pagan Federation or the Stone Circle... [ Full Story ]
Put religion under the microscope Connected.telegraph Daniel Dennett Filed: March 7, 2006 Like other animals, humans have built-in desires to reproduce and to do pretty much whatever it takes to achieve this goal. But we also have creeds, religions and faith, and the ability to transcend our genetic imperatives. We often find human beings setting aside their personal interests, their health, their chances to have children, and devoting their entire lives to furthering the interests of an idea that has lodged in their brains. 'People may well have come to love religion independently of any benefits it provides them' This fact does make us different, but it is itself a biological fact, visible to natural science, and something that requires an explanation from natural science. How did just one species, Homo sapiens, come to have the extraordinary perspective that religions can give to people's lives? My view of the evolution of various features of religion is definitely just a theory or, rather, a family of proto-theories, in need of further development. In a nutshell, this is what it says: religion evolved, but it doesn't have to be good for us in order to evolve. (Tobacco isn't good for us, but it survives just fine.)...[ Full Story ]
Neighbors object to Scientologists' offer to buy 1912 building Charlie Goodyear, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, March 9, 2006 San Francisco's North Beach, the city's bohemian quarter, has said "no" to chain stores through zoning laws to preserve the quirky, colorful character found in its cafes, clothing shops, bookstores and nightclubs. Now, some merchants and the supervisor whose district includes North Beach are eyeing a new land-use restriction to block a real estate acquisition being considered by the Church of Scientology, whose religious marketing practices strike some as inconsistent with the neighborhood's live-and-let-live ways... [ Full Story ]
iPod ... iPurr ... Feline Fine!
More Pet Blogging
- See the Friday Ark, featuring a compilation of today's pet blogging posts, over at The Modulator.
- Check the M&O Archives for previous Milo & Otis appearances.
- Carnival of the Cats, coming at you every Sunday.
Be sure to keep an eye out for the documentary, called The Family That Walks On All Fours. According to this article, the program is supposed to air on BBC2 on Friday, March 17. As far as I can tell, my cable company doesn't carry the channel. So I am hoping someone here can help me out by taping the show for me.
Time-warp family who walk on all fours by BEN FARMER, Daily Mail 08:31am 7th March 2006 An extraordinary family who walk on all fours are being hailed as the breakthrough discovery which could shed light on the moment Man first stood upright. Scientists believe that the five brothers and sisters found in Turkey could hold unique insights into human evolution...
[ Read More ]
Elephant theory in Nessie search BBC News Monday March 6, 2006 Unexplained sightings of the Loch Ness monster could have been elephants enjoying a swim, a scientist has said. Neil Clark, curator of palaeontology at Glasgow University's Hunterian Museum, spent two years researching Nessie. He said they could have been circus elephants, as fairs visiting Inverness would often stop on the banks of Loch Ness to give the animals a rest. The trunk and humps in the water would bear similarities to some of the most famous Nessie photographs...
...Asked whether he believed in the Loch Ness monster, Dr Clark said: "I do believe there is something alive in Loch Ness."...
[ Read More ]
The kirpan is pictured here; and you can read about it and other Sikh requirements here and here (much more detail). I wonder if there are other groups who could make a case for carrying a blade as a religious obligation. For example, Heathens (AKA: Asatruar, Odinists, etc.) hold the writings of the Hávamál in high regard (Hávamál means "Sayings of Hár"or "Sayings of the high one"). And stanza 38 seems to advise people to go armed when going about their regular business:
Supreme Court allows Sikh daggers in school By Randall Palmer Thu Mar 2, 12:32 PM ET OTTAWA (Reuters) Multiculturalism and religious freedom trumped safety concerns in a Canadian Supreme Court decision on Thursday that will allow orthodox Sikh students to carry traditional daggers to school. In its decision, the court noted that Sikh orthodoxy requires the wearing of the daggers, known as kirpans, even though they are banned from airplanes and some courtrooms....
Leaving in the field his arms, let no man go a foot's length forward; for it is hard to know when on the way a man may need his weapon.The Hávamál, which is believed to have been written around 800CE, is far older than Sikhism, a fairly modern religion (500+ years). And the basic tenents and practices of Heathenry were well-established long before any of it was written down, which makes it older still. But I'm willing to bet that the Sikhs have a slight edge in Western courts if only because they are more established (read: "accepted") and because they are monotheists. OK ... on to the next story! Updated 03/06/2006: Apparently, the original story was a hoax. Many thanks to Agora who posted a comment so that we could properly update this posting.
:::Sigh:::
Cartoonist's Daughter Huntedbothered by12 Jihadists6 to 8 girls Agora (agora.blogsome.com)[
Agora collects a bunch of entries regarding this story.Agnora has the full story here, and analysis here]
"A group of Moslem males have tried to get at the daughter of one of the 12 cartoonists who drew the cartoons of Muhammed at her school. The political spokesman of the Liberals, Jens Rohde, revealed this during an interview with TV-Avisen while explaining his and the Prime Minister’s attack on the business community in Denmark, charging that they have put profits over Freedom of Speech.""Four weeks ago, 6-8 Moslem girls showed up at the school of the daughter of one of the cartoonists, asking for 'the daughter of the cartoonist who had insulted their prophet'. They were turned away at the door."
If you want to see those cartoons, click here. But only if you really, really want to see them. And only if you have something resembling a sense of humor. Oh, and only if you are not easily offended. And if you ignore all my warnings, and you get all offended after viewing them, please do not complain to me. Thanks. From one backlash to another ... Apparantly, some people in Nevada are so enamored of Intelligent Design that they want their constitution to legitimize (er, I mean, allow for the teaching of) it:
Radford University Campus cartoon draws backlash By GREG ESPOSITO, The Roanoke Times © February 28, 2006 Cartoons depicting Jesus in a Radford University online student magazine have created controversy just weeks after Danish cartoons of the P rophet Muhammad touched off violent protests throughout the Muslim world. In his "Christ on Campus" comic strip, sophomore Christian Keesee has satirized what he sees as the hypocrisy of some churchgoing students, the greed of some televangelists and the commercialization of Christmas, among other things, in 12 cartoons he's published on Radford's Whim Internet Magazine. He has made his points with images of a cartoon Jesus being stabbed by Santa Claus, playing poker with other religious figures - including Muhammad - and punching a heckler who referred to him as a "glorified Easter bunny." Those depictions have sparked anger among many students, both Christians and non-Christians, and concern among administrators...
Nevada is a bastion of hard science, right? Right?? And for our final story, we'll tone the rancor down a bit while an exile visits home...
Nevada proposal raises evolution questions By Brendan Riley, Associated Press Writer CARSON CITY, Nev. --A proposed constitutional amendment would require Nevada teachers to instruct students that there are many questions about evolution -- a method viewed by critics as an opening to teach intelligent design...
Thanks for stopping by. Let me know if you like This Week in "God" ... and maybe I'll make it a regular thing.
Brother Thây: A Radio Pilgrimage with Thich Nhat Hanh Speaking of Faith by American Public Media March 2, 2006: Forcibly exiled from his native country, Thich Nhat Hanh is currently visiting Vietnam for the first time in nearly forty years. In 2003, Speaking of Faith took a radio pilgrimage with Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh at a Christian conference center in a lakeside setting of rural Wisconsin. Here, Nhat Hanh discusses the concepts of "engaged Buddhism," "being peace," and "mindfulness" with host Krista Tippett.
Download (mp3, 53:18) | » Stream (RealAudio, 53:00) | » Podcast
Milo surveys his kingdom...
...And, lo, he deemed it good ... and then promptly took a nap!
More Pet Blogging
- See the Friday Ark, featuring a compilation of today's pet blogging posts, over at The Modulator.
- Check the M&O Archives for previous Milo & Otis appearances.
- Carnival of the Cats, coming at you every Sunday.
