A priest, a rabbi, and a Greek Orthodox layperson went to the hospital the other day and a Methodist minister dissed all three with religious slurs.Sound like the start to another religious joke? Think again. Congress is seeking an IG probe over the head (a Methodist minister named Rev. O. Ray Fitzgerald) of the Spiritual Ministry Department of the National Institute of Health’s religious bigotry.The priest and the rabbi filed EEOC complaints against the Department of Health and Human Services who oversees NIH and the Greek Orthodox layperson is suing HHS.The Secretary of HHS Mike Leavitt called in outsiders to investigate but Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NJ) on the Appropriations Committee has placed money in HHS’s budget to conduct an IG investigation. Reps. Dan Burton (R-IN), Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Rep. Rothman in a letter to Secretary Leavitt stating he needs to do more to remedy religious discrimination at NIH.Got the joke yet? Religion has no part whatsoever in our government. Way too divisive in Health and Human Services for sure. Way too divisive throughout all of history for that matter. Anytime you employ any religion in a society as diverse as ours, you are asking for trouble. Peter Nuhn
Thanks fairydogmother! I don’t have time for a very thoughtful response at the moment. However, I think the David should have the pull string where he says:
8 May his days be few;
may another take his place of leadership.
9 May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.
10 May his children be wandering beggars;
may they be driven [a] from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor seize all he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
12 May no one extend kindness to him
or take pity on his fatherless children.
(Psalm 109:8-12)
WHEEEEEE!!!!!!
Again we get the troll, telling us there is no separation of church and state. It in no myth. It was a founding theme of our country.
I am very concerned by this administration’s, refusal to honor our constitution. I doubt there will be any recall of these “religious” measures taken by Shrub and Friends. It is still political suicide to speak publicly against Christianity.
I hope that I am shown wrong, I hope that our country will be restored. I just have little faith in our population.
Peter, I think is plain and simple economics and it is far from the “religious believes”, it has always been an excuse to either control peoples or for personal gain, which it is control. The ministers and sinisters are afraid of loosing their jobs. It is common in history to see similar problems. Akhnaten, the ancient egyptian pharaoh, did not become monotheist just because his “spiritual feelings told him that there is only one god” but because he waisted too much food and state wealth feeding so many priests and families for free; thousands of gods and too many priests for each god. And when the priests heard the news of monotheism they may have reacted the same ways as Rev. O. Ray Fitzgerald. The priests’ agenda is to keep themselves going. The sad part is that our money is at stake. And it is our society’s fault, our own fault, for being so lethargic in political education and “school” education.
We live in a free democratic society, I hope, and that’s the price we may be paying = the right to ignorance.
spanders
you don’t mind loose women but your wife does hehe.
phreedm
point out one verse that says the gov’t of usa and church should be mixed.did not jesus warn against hypocrites who wear their religion on the sleeve for all to see.you are commanded to practice your faith not rub it in peoples faces.do you agree or disagree with this reading of the scripture.
reason, once again, I love your posts
If there was only a way to get more push behind Ron Paul. He would do Goldwater proud.
Richard
http://lifewithoutfaith.com
spanders
glad it made you laughed.and no i’m not trying to pick on phreedm but every christian who has made a positive impression on me.was one who simply practiced their faith the louds one always ended up having some dirty secret coming out.
i would like to add i was also impressed by a jewish family and a atheist i knew each was firm in living what they believed buy not showoffs or pushy.it is something how your conduct can influence others long after you are dead with out you knowing it at the time you are around those people.
“I remember well the days before the country went jesus-crazy”
Oh yes, Godfree, and what wonderful days they were. I remember studying evolution in school with no controversy, complaints, or protests. My peers did not even discuss religion; we just did our thing. Churches were small and quaint, and not even so bad to attend on occasion because people weren’t fanatics. When J. Witnesses came around, everybody got a laugh out of it, indiscriminately.
And best of all, belief in gawd was never an issue, if you did, whatever, if you didn’t, whatever.
So am I…
But I can guess…it’s called “liberal christianity”…
Comment from: jshanewhit
Since you know this as fact…then please explain why the bible is used in the very courts that claim the myth…?
Comment from: reason
Hmmm…I know you’re not kidding…are you asking for a verse from the bible that mentions the USA?
you are commanded to practice your faith not rub it in peoples faces.do you agree or disagree with this reading of the scripture.
phreedm
when i talk about faith being rubbed in folks faces i don’t me you personally.we are inundated by religon in this country but how much is true belief.i think the difference between you and i is that i suspect that many are faking it.that preacher caught in bristol with whiskey offered to perform oral sex on a policeman don’t tell me he hasn’t been a phoney.
phreedm
i agree that this nation has a christian cultural heritage and that we should honor it but the founders who belonged to christian churchs on purpose created a secular republic.secular doesn’t mean no religion it just means the public square is neutral.we mix religion/state and we will and up like lebanon,iraq,yugoslavia i don’t want us to become another killing field.
phreedm,
You can call it “liberal christianity” or whatever you choose to call whatever you believe, but it is clear to me that your “liberal christianity” is exactly the thing that has been going on for untold ages. You believe what you think the bible says, the catholics believe what they think it says, the baptists believe what they think it says, the church of christ group believes what they think it says and on and on right down to the snake handlers. Of course that word “believe” should be changed to “know” because every derned one of you KNOWS you’ve intrepreted it correctly. And most of you believe that it’s your way and anybody else is doomed to hell.
I would think it would scare the pants off of you–knowing how vengeful your god can be when he isn’t in the ‘god is love’ mode–for fear that maybe you’ve made that one fatal misintrepretation somewhere along the way. Or to put it another way, maybe your brand of “liberal christianty” isn’t right on the money. Oh well, it’s your hell, you burn in it.
Comment from: reason
I totally agree…the public square is neutral…not a vacuum meant to be void of any religious expression…
Comment from: reason
There are imposters in any walk of life…
How many times have I heard that churches are full of hypocrites…?
Yes and…? What did you expect to find…?
Matt. 9-12
We’re all hyporites…both believers and non-believers…it’s human nature…
Comment from: GodFree&Glad
Not at all…it’s called “Grace”.
Now as for different denominations believing in different things…
Got any examples to discuss…?
Placenta,
Why yes, I just happen to have an example right here:
http://www.jesuscreed.org/?p=2568
Ren
Just when IS the Pope going to start handling snakes, anyway, I wonder?
Karen,
He already does, only he doesn’t call them snakes, he calls them Cardinals.
Phreedm,
Speak for yourself.
Made precisely in the image of your God, eh?