Existential Ennui

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Tag Archives: Franklin Graham

“I Think There are a Couple of Pages Missing From His Bible”

21 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by Sherry in Election 2012, fundamentalism, GOP, Humor, Media, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Satire, The Wackos, What's Up?

≈ 9 Comments

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Election 2012, Franklin Graham, Girl Scouts, Newt Gingrich, Pat Buchanan, religious right, Religious Wackos, Rick Santorum, wacko media wonks

So said Mike Barnicle on Morning Joe today of Franklin Graham.

And he was right.

While I am not a fan of his father’s, there is no need to belabor his shortcomings at the age of 93. Franklin, however, is another story. He is a religious bigot of the first order, and rather proud of it.

He couches much of his language in the “proper” Christian rhetoric. He proclaims himself a “sinner” which is offered to show proper “humility”. He refuses the word “judge” and prefers to “take people at their word” but let their “actions speak for themselves”, all the while reminding folks that “there are all kinds of ‘Christians’ claiming to be followers of Jesus.”

Why he came on Morning Joe today is anybody’s guess, but he was not treated kindly in his bigotry. He was asked about whether he believed Obama was a Christian, and returned with the usual “He says he is, I have no right to judge.” He insisted that he must be judged by his actions. And his actions, Franklin argues suggest a decided Muslim favoritism.

The proof?

Why, America’s complicity in the downfall of Mubarak in Egypt! Dictator though he may have been, he protected Christians in the country, and the protection of Christians matters. It is inconsequential if Mubarak treated opposition Arabs rather poorly. Those people have no right to freedom when Christian lives are in the balance!

When Graham was asked whether Santorum was a Christian, he responded with an enthusiastic “Yes!” This prompted Willie Geist and John Heilemann to grill him incessantly over his double standard. He kept on smiling while assuring everyone that he has spoken with Santorum and he believed his faith real. On the other hand, President Obama admitted to him that he had not attended church until he began working in Chicago and local leaders there told him that he would have little credibility if he didn’t involve himself in the churches.

Graham left it there, implying that Obama’s Christianity was a matter of convenience, rather than the more likely catalyst for perfecting his faith.

When asked about Gingrich, Graham admitted that he has some “marriage” problems, but was also a Christian and had the “makings of a good candidate.” As to Romney? He unbelievably and audaciously lied, “he’s a Mormon, and most Christians don’t think Mormons are Christians.”

Pressed again on his double standard, he reiterated that the way one lives one’s life is the defining standard. Clearly Santorum and Gingrich are “good candidates” while Obama has “favored Muslims” over Christians. End of story.

Graham has attempted to be smarter in his lying at least. When asked about his infamous remark that because Obama’s father was Muslim he “carried the seed of Islam”, Graham now disclaims that he said that. No, he claims, Islam claims that. The quote is below. You decide.

“I think the president’s problem is that he was born a Muslim, his father was a Muslim. The seed of Islam is passed through the father like the seed of Judaism is passed through the mother. He was born a Muslim, his father gave him an Islamic name.” Franklin continues to say, “Now it’s obvious that the president has renounced the prophet Mohammed, and he has renounced Islam, and he has accepted Jesus Christ. That’s what he says he has done. I cannot say that he hasn’t. So I just have to believe that the president is what he has said.”

I am happy that Graham supports the GOP. We sure don’t want no more Jeremiah Wright’s in our camp do we?

¶

I bet you didn’t know that President Obama had “radical environmental policies” did ya? So radical that Santorum’s screech-owl, Alice Stewart, got confused and called them “radical Islamic policies” by mistake. She called in to correct that little Freudian slip real quick. Or is that just Santorum code speak? 

Newt knows his audience. Speaking in Oklahoma, he made fun of the President’s call for smaller cars as one way to combat our oil dependency. “You can’t strap a gun rack into a Volt,” Newters cried. And you can’t put lipstick on a pig either. Oops, that’s been taken.

Newt likes to shock. “Defeating Barack Obama becomes, in fact, a duty of national security. Because the fact is, he is incapable of defending the United States.” Wave the flag Newtie. All that’s missin’ is the bible.

Republicans can be such wet blankets. An Indiana legislator by the name of Bob Morris, refused to sign a 100 congrats to the Girl Scouts, because as he sees it they are a radicalized group who promote abortion and homosexuality. Does this mean no cookies Mr. Grouch? The Family Research Council thinks their campaign against the GS has resulted in lower cookie sales. Grown men beating up on little girls. Nice.

There are those who think it’s a darned shame that Pat Buchanan was turned out of MSNBC. The Right Wonkers are claiming that it is because Buchanan as a conservative voice. No, actually it’s because Pat couldn’t keep his hate buttoned up like he is supposed to. Read his ten most egregious racist remarks here.

Ragin’ Rick likes WWII analogies to Hitler when he thinks about Obama. Like Newtie, it’s your patriotic duty to get rid of the pretend President:

“Remember, the greatest generation for a year and a half, sat on the sidelines while Europe was under darkness,” Santorum said, going on to explain why Americans delayed entering the war. “We’re a hopeful people. We think, ‘Well, you know, it’ll get better. Yeah, he’s a nice guy. I mean, it won’t be near as bad as what we think. This will be okay. I mean, yeah, maybe he’s not the best guy after a while, after a while you find out some things about this guy over in Europe who’s not so good of a guy after all … ‘”

Oh such a collection of dopes.

 

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Patting Myself on the Back

21 Saturday Aug 2010

Posted by Sherry in Barack Obama, Democrats, Essays, fundamentalism, Humor, Media, Muslim, Non-Believers, Paleontology, racism, Satire, science, teabaggers, The Wackos, What's Up?

≈ 7 Comments

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atheists, Barack Obama, Fox News Channel, Franklin Graham, fundamentalists, Muslims, nature, paleontology, Politics, racism, Republican, science

The truth is, I believe in dressing well, even for a day at the computer. As you can see, even a hat is de rigueur in my world.

I went on yesterday about veiled conspiracies to subvert the economic recovery by corporations (banks and otherwise), giving up short-term gains to insure a Republican victory this November. I think I’m mostly right.

Veiled or unveiled, I suspect they don’t much care at this point. Fox certainly doesn’t after it’s gift of a cool mill to the GOP. They don’t bother any more with even a pretence at “fair and balanced.”

Why? Oh quite simple really.  They know that their simple-minded audience can’t add two and two and come up remotely close to a correct answer. They can and do lie at will. The right doesn’t listen to the left, preferring to roll in the swill of their moral rightness on everything. Their base doesn’t care one whit that they are playing politics, in fact they agree with it. Just as they agreed with Fox’s promotion of all things tea partyish.

Why I disagree with parts of the next article, especially as to who is owed all the blame, I think there is something to be said for RCP’s article The Lost Promise of Barack Obama. Democrats bear a good deal of blame for their own downfall, which seems more and more likely this November.

 Nobody can get a snark on better than our friends at Urantia Sojourn. This one particularly struck me as both cogent and well researched. The branding of all non-whites as “other” is reaching epidemic proportions in America. Will we stop it before it is too late?

It seems to me that part of being responsible as a human beings is to be willing to criticize yourself, as American, Democrat, religious believer, etc. Being an apologist is simply dangerous, and once discovered takes all the power from your voice. The must read of today is this one: [note that this link is weird–the text is half way down, it looks like a Pakistan military site, but the full text is in a comment–3quarksdaily had no better linkage]

Harvard University offers an award known as the Robert F. Kennedy Public Service award. It’s first Muslim recipient and only second South Asia one, went to Mir Ibrahim Rahman. His remarks are food for deep thought for all of us in the US. They were made at Harvard Commencement. As I said, the text is embedded in a comment I believe, but still it is worth the effort to get to it.

Goodness knows I’ve had my problems with atheists. The NEW ones at least. I find them about as irrational and pompous as fundamentalists. More and more I keep finding that many equate, and frankly always have, the rabid atheist with the fundamentalist. Both talk of certainty about things that are anything but certain.

A great post by Reza Aslan at the Washington Post lays this out extraordinarily well. Much thanks to Mystical Seeker at Find and Ye Shall Seek. Much whine from the atheists in the comments.

The profession of butcher is older than we thought! At least 800,000 years to be exact. Ha! And to think that butcher shops are going out of style and have been for decades now. You would think that they would be revered places, beginnings of our illustrious history as tool makers and users. Read it all at Butchering Dinner 3.4 Million Years Ago.

And then there are times when it’s very embarrassing to be a Christian–when you have to be in the same religion as Franklin Graham. This Muslim hater is beyond the pale. Even his father had enough sense to at least apologize when caught being anti-Semitic. The son now drivels on about how Obama came from “Muslim seed” and “says he has accepted Jesus Christ”.  What a piece of work.

Amy Sullivan has a most interesting take on why polls claim that 1/4 of Americans “think” Obama is a Muslim. Worth your time to read this one.

Meanwhile, James Taranto, writing for the Wall Street Journal (Murdock’s baby remember) writes a convoluted piece that suggests that liberals do these polls all for the purpose of calling the right names for their beliefs, and in the process fail to do it, but make themselves look mean and small for calling out the right wing nuts. Understand that? Neither did I. If you got to comments you will find that ALL believe Obama is a Muslim there. Too funny.

And that’s a wrap.

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Lazy Blogging or Appropriating the Work of Others

27 Tuesday Apr 2010

Posted by Sherry in Art, Evangelism, fundamentalism, Immigration, Individual Rights, Interfaith, Latino, Muslim, racism, religion, social concerns, Sociology, Uncategorized

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Arizona, Art Andy Goldsworthy, Evangelical Christianity, Franklin Graham, Glenn Beck, immigration, Latinos, Liberty University, Mormons, Muslims, racism, social concerns

Okay, not really, it’s pretty much the usual short takes, which I haven’t done in a while, but it does lend to the idea that I’m really letting others do the talkin’ for me. Sometimes, (rare, I know) others actually say it better.

The weather is lovely in terms of the sun, but way cool, only 61 at the max today. Tomorrow I must shop before the next deluge which is due sometime Thursday or Friday.

I’m otherwise occupied with the usual stuff.

Actually, I’m not a bathroom hermit myself. Never have been, and never figured out how people can read in the darn place. My butt would get cold sitting there. I go in there for a reason, and get ‘er done.

So here goes, hope you find a thing or two worth your attention.

My first inclination is to say that such a beautiful sunset shouldn’t be wasted on a bunch of elderly dried up old prune faces, but that would be mean. My second inclination is that the entire state could easily be scraped into the Grand Canyon with room to spare.

But if you want to read a rather thoughtful  post about current issues in Arizona and Israel, slip over to read Matty Boy’s take on racism–yeah, now I got your attention don’t I?

I’m an adult, I know we usually take baby steps to correct the wrongs of the world, but for liver-lovin’ sake, has Arizona lost it’s mind? And beware sanctimonious remaining 49, it’s an infectious disease, make sure you get your immunization shots soon.

***

And if that only whetted your interest, then read on. Dusty, never one to parse a expletive when needed, offers some background into the admittedly racist history of those who pushed forward this ugly piece of law.

***

And then there is the political angle that this is all really a ploy to stop the rise of Democratic voting Latinos from living in the state and disrupting the Rethuglican look of things. Jill at Brilliant at Breakfast researches and brings you that story.

***

I’ve mentioned more than once my concerns about the rather blatant racism that is espoused throughout America against other Americans, namely Muslims. Not to say that we should reserve that for Muslims who are not Americans of course.

I was happy to hear that the Pentagon rescinded it’s offer to Franklin Graham to speak at the National Prayer Day ceremonies. The Reverend, son of the famous Billy Graham, expressed the usual racist claptrap in the name of God no less.

While VJack at Atheist Revolution was “disturbed”and “disappointed” that the President visited the elder Graham and also met Franklin, I pointed out in a FB entry that, well fundies would would have been just as disappointed and disturbed had Obama visited Dawkins or Hutchens. The point being, I guess intolerance is something that both fundies and atheists can have in common.

I’ve just started reading Sharp Iron, an admittedly evangelical conservative blog. I was pleased to see that Christian Beyer seems to agree that the Pentagon did the right thing.

Interestingly, Franklin claims that Muslims have a different God than his. That argument always seems odd to me, coming as it always does, from a  monotheist. If there is only one, well, however defined, the Muslim God is indeed the same God as the Christian God, and the Hindu, and the Shinto, and well, you get the picture.

***

I’ve been a believer that nature is God’s canvas upon which he creates the most beautiful of art for us, free of charge. Andy Goldsworthy, seen here in one of his creations, seems to agree. In fact he works in tandem with God (okay that’s my opinion of course) in creating some really beautiful pieces.

If your soul has been battered lately by personal or civic problems, then do stop by and take a look. I promise that you will come away feeling lighter and more at peace. Beauty is a gift of God, at least that is how I see it.

A H/T to Experimental Theology.

***

Liberty University, love child of the late Jerry Falwell, is back in the news as we mentioned a few days ago.

It seems they have invited the renowned intellectual and all around great expounder of Christianity, the one and only, Glenn Beck to be their commencement speaker.

You might remember Liberty from the fact that the Bushites enlisted a goodly number of their law graduates into the Justice Department, where they soon got in hot water by mixing their Repuglian politics with doing their jobs. We are guessing that ethics don’t play a big part in Liberty’s law curriculum.

Anyway, we pondered the incongruity of Beck, who is an avowed Mormon, being asked to speak at a ultra conservative evangelical university. You know, they often claim that said Mormons are not really Christians at all, and if you don’t believe me on that just ask Mitt Romney.

It all seemed mighty crazy, in any event. And I figured, crazy is as crazy does. Beck has called for a boycott of any church that does social justice ministry, and well, we figured Liberty must agree with all that anti-Jesus stuff too. (My Jesus is not their Jesus I would guess.)

Matt Kelley, pastor and blogger has a take on the issue, well worth your reading. And the usual H/T to Prof. James McGrath at Exploring Our Matrix for this link.

That’s it for today. A first–all links are to regular bloggers and I’m as always just amazed at the talent out there. Hope you find something to read!

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