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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 07/12/2007 : 12:43:43
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Another twist in the Bible-thumper's panties. It seems that an Hindu chaplin is going to give an opening prayer to Congress, and the American Taliban is all a'twitter over it. Bush's religious right friends say Hinduism is not the kind of religion the Founding Fathers had in mind for America
by John Aravosis (DC) · 7/11/2007 05:49:00 PM ET
The group publishing this slur on Hindus is none other than the American Family Association, one of the biggest religious right groups and a big supporter of the Republicans. The AFA is made up of equal opportunity bigots: they slur gays, Catholics, Hindus and just about everyone else who isn't a conservative Christian fundamentalist. Their vision of America is a country made up of Southern Baptists, or at least a nation in which everyone has to live under laws that conform to Southern Baptist preachings.
So now they're upset that a Hindu chaplain may join the myriad of other faiths that have been permitted to open the Senate with a prayer. And why not? If we're going to ban religions we disagree with then I'd like to start with anyone claiming to represent Christian fundamentalist Republicans. Their bigotry and hatred doesn't represent my God - for example, Christian fundamentalists call Catholicism a "Satanic counterfeit," do you really think that represents the Founders' thinking? So if we're starting a list of religions we're going to ban from the Senate because we don't like them, let's start with America's own Taliban, the people who have raised banning non-Southern-Baptist religions to an art form.
I am not going to link to these bigots, but here is their action alert, asking folks to contact the Senate in order to get the Hindu chaplain banned. |
Open the link for the asinine action alert.
I have the solution to all this ridiculous dischord, back-biting, and outright demagoguery: no more opening prayers in Congress. If our elected representitives feel the need to pray, fine, but don't let them organize and make a ceremony out of it.
Simple, no?
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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JEROME DA GNOME
BANNED
2418 Posts |
 Posted - 07/12/2007 : 13:07:21 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by filthy
I have the solution to all this ridiculous dischord, back-biting, and outright demagoguery: no more opening prayers in Congress. If our elected representitives feel the need to pray, fine, but don't let them organize and make a ceremony out of it.
Simple, no?
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Agreed!
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What a man believes upon grossly insufficient evidence is an index into his desires -- desires of which he himself is often unconscious. If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way. - Bertrand Russell |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2007 : 14:04:12 [Permalink]
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I am going to predict that some of the most self-righteously sanctimonious of fundy senators will make some kind of offensive demonstration against the Hindu prayer. Maybe stand up together and march out of the Senate chamber with their noses high, while singing, "Onward, Christian Soldiers." I also predict that whatever action they take will make them a laughingstock. They'll look like the ignorant, bigoted theocrats they are.
Yeah, I'm with your solution, Fil. And it'll come to pass, once the first Wiccan chaplain is allowed to do an invocation.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2007 : 15:10:24 [Permalink]
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| Do they sign up somewhere to do the opening, or is someone in charge of deciding who gets to do it? Or perhaps, do every member get a slot which they may abstain if they don't care for it? |
Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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Boron10
Religion Moderator
USA
1266 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2007 : 15:55:22 [Permalink]
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You all remember this conroversy, right? The outrage over a Hindu prayer seems similar to the outrage over a Muslim swearing on the Qur'an rather than the Bible.
Although, the precedence for non-Christian Invocations had been set in 1991 when this man delivered an Islam invocation for congress....
Edited for clarity |
| Edited by - Boron10 on 07/12/2007 16:18:35 |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 07/12/2007 : 17:32:54 [Permalink]
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Well, as might be expected, a smattering of scumbags did it. Christian Right Activists Disrupt Hindu Chaplain In The Senate
By Eric Kleefeld | bio
Today was a historic first for religion in America's civic life: For the very first time, a Hindu delivered the morning invocation in the Senate chamber — only to find the ceremony disrupted by three Christian right activists.
We have video of the astonishing scene, and we'll be sharing it with you shortly.
The three protesters, who all belong to the Christian Right anti-abortion group Operation Save America, and who apparently traveled to Washington all the way from North Carolina, interrupted by loudly asking for God's forgiveness for allowing the false prayer of a Hindu in the Senate chamber.
"Lord Jesus, forgive us father for allowing a prayer of the wicked, which is an abomination in your sight," the first protester began.
"This is an abomination," he continued. "We shall have no other gods before You."
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And so forth...
I've heard of this bunch of religo-nazis but didn't know they were based in NC. But then again, we seem to have a fair nunber of asshole organizations here, blighting an otherwise excellent state, and sometimes it's hard to keep track.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2007 : 20:43:33 [Permalink]
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For one thing, they're screaming about "the Hindu God," singular. Boy, will they be mad when they learn them Hindus have a whole posse of 'em!
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Robb
SFN Regular
USA
1223 Posts |
Posted - 07/13/2007 : 09:39:13 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by filthy
I have the solution to all this ridiculous dischord, back-biting, and outright demagoguery: no more opening prayers in Congress. If our elected representitives feel the need to pray, fine, but don't let them organize and make a ceremony out of it.
Simple, no?
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I agree. They should be able to pray but we do not need a ceromonial prayer. Also, these are probably the same people that would want prayer in school and say if someone does not want to pray the don't have to. All the congressmen have to do is not pray when the Hindu prays. |
Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. - George Washington |
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Boron10
Religion Moderator
USA
1266 Posts |
Posted - 07/13/2007 : 09:41:54 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
For one thing, they're screaming about "the Hindu God," singular. Boy, will they be mad when they learn them Hindus have a whole posse of 'em! |
Well, that depends on who you ask. The Hindu pantheon can be sometimes considered (like the Catholic Holy Trinity) aspects of Braman. So, in one respect, they are not wrong. |
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Dude
SFN Die Hard
USA
6891 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2007 : 00:03:58 [Permalink]
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The Hindus also believe that humans are all a part of a larger universal consciousness. Atman is Brahman and all that.
All in all I'd say that (just ignore the whole evidence and no cow-eating thing for a minute) that Hinduism is one of the most internally consistent religions out there.
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Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson
"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin
Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth |
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The generosity of the religious right.
