American “Christians”, you are NOT being oppressed. Repeat, NOT BEING OPPRESSED.

Here is the latest in a flurry of non-reality-based memes on the subject:

How wrong is it? Let us count the ways:
Number A: they are free to say grace over their meal. Nobody ever said they couldn’t. But the meme falsely implies that they are bravely taking a stand against some mythical oppressor who seeks to stop their prayer. There is, of course, no such oppressor, but that fact matters not at all to the Fundagelicals.
Letter 2: see anybody there pelting these hard-working public servants with atheistic tracts? Nope. Most Americans don’t much care who you pray to, when, how or why.
Thirdly: assuming that the promulgators of this meme consider themselves to be Christians, they should read Rebbe Yeshuah bar Joseph’s words in Matthew:6. You know, the words about not being phony and ostentatious in their prayer.

Odds are, the people depicted had nothing to do with the meme: just people saying grace before a meal. Good on them. It’s their right to do so.

The problem is with the yahoo prostletyzers who are using this ordinary picture to try and enforce their wingnut agendas on the rest of us. This writer wishes they’d spend more time reading their Constitutions and less trying to subvert it.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Even though the Bible does not say December 25th is Jesus’ birthday…

Even though we were never told to celebrate His birthday,

Even though there is scant evidence to prove that Rebbe Yeshua Bar Joseph even existed,

Even though the Christmas holiday was created to help wipe out the pagan religions that competed with the new faith of Christianity,

And even though it has become a crass, obnoxious, commercialized and manipulative season that starts months before and exhausts us all by the time it is done with,

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas because for a while, people pay attention to their families, and friends.

Merry Christmas because for a while, people give a bit more to those who need help.

Merry Christmas because in today’s America, we really need something positive to celebrate.

Merry Christmas, because even the crankiest among us needs to lighten up for a day or so.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

“Popular” Does Not Always Mean “Good” or “Right”

Back in the Y-Zero-K Days, a whole raft of people told Pontius Pilate to crucify a rabble-rousing Rabbi from Nazareth. Whipped into a frenzy by the pundits and politicians and preachers of the day, the popular opinion was to kill a man who had never done a lick of harm to anyone. Today, of course, we know that they were wrong to do so.

Back in the last century, a skinny little Austrian with a good speaking voice managed to whip millions of people into a frenzy of hatred and embark upon a mission to rule the world. Millions upon millions of people died in the ensuing war, and we can see the horrible aftereffects to this day. Today, of course, we know that the German people and their allies were wrong to do so.

Today, we have lots and lots of people doing as the Pharisees and the Nazis did, and millions of people following along, whipped up into a frenzy against gays, our big-eared Prexy, immigrants, Moslems, women, and other folks. It is “popular”, and the “will of the people” to persecute these folks. We are told, for example,  that as a “Christian Nation”, the majority may impose its will upon the minority and do as we wish to them.

It would do us all well to remember the countless times in history when large groups of people have been conned into doing unspeakable things to their fellow man. In the future, people will regard us as unkindly as we today regard the gullible fools that enabled the Romans, the Nazis, the Klan, and other like-minded slimeballs.

Mr. B & C