Every year, Catholic clergy invite the Supreme Court Justices to attend a special mass on the Sunday prior to the opening of a new term on the First of October. Here is an excellent article linked to in the title to this posting by our good friend Rob Boston.With regards to the problems of separation of religion and government, I have this to say. In my 55 years, I have only witnessed one religion in the United States of America. That religion is the worship of Money. I have never met a single member of the clergy of any religious organization that did not worship Money above all else. And of course, all politicians worship at the temple of the Golden Idol. And this is a Capitalist nation, one nation under Greed.
In previous years, some bishops have even used the mass to carp about the lack of tax support for Catholic schools.
So tell me if anyone out there knows, whatever happened to that sin of usury?
If thou lend money to any of My people, even to the poor with thee, thou shalt not be to him as a creditor; neither shall ye lay upon him interest. {Exodus, 22:24}
In The Divine Comedy Dante places the usurers in the inner ring of the seventh circle of hell, below even suicides. (Showing how cultural attitudes have changed since the 14th century, the usurers’ ring was shared only by the blasphemers and sodomites.)
OMG, we’re going to spend eternity with all the money changers and gays and lesbians.After Katrina, the Washington Post showed a picture of a Nun testifying on Capitol Hill for money. And don’t even get me started on all the tax breaks they enjoy and work the hardest to protect above all else. No children, there is a god. And everyone you know worships that god. It is the Almighty Buck. Now pray for more bucks to fall into your pocket. God bless.Peter Nuhn
Correction, the quote is from Exodus 22:25. :p
Off Topic, but interesting.
I learned on local news this evening that it is a FEDERAL crime to burn a church. The line between church and state is certainly a wavy one.
Godfree
A federal crime, eh?
Rats. I should think they would throw one a parade, instead. That IS a wavy line.
Peter,
Nobody worships the Almighty Dollar like the Catlicks. They’ve got it down to a science, as it were.
Godfrey,
But it’s still only a civil suit if you screw little boys in one.
Seems fair. (gag)
As long as we’re already OT, does anybody know how it is that the federal gov’t can charge you with a crime, and then the state can charge you for the exact same crime?
I would think that would fall under the double jeopardy statute.
Six justices went this year.
That was in 1993. Good for you, Ruthie! Good for you.
Ren
Even if they both charge you, only one of them can try you, I think.
Why, have you not been playing well with others?
I’m curious as to why the Feds haven’t arrested god since churches have been hit by lightning and burned to the ground.
It’s selective enforcement of the law, I tell you. We’re not safe until this menace is caught!
Karen,
Why yeth, I do play well with otherths. Thank you for athking. (lisp)
No, actually I was just curious about the Michael Vick case. While I think he should be hung by his testicles for the entire time he is in jail, I didn’t understand how the state of VA could pile on after the fact.
I have heard of other cases as well, but that is the one I had in mind when I asked.
Our dollar, who art elusive
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom bought
Thy fortune sought
On earth as it is in the Vatican
Give me this day, my daily bucks
And forgive those I trample on
As I destroy those who trespass against me
Please lead me further into heaven
Where the evil dollar is king
For thy is the dollar
The power and the glory
Forever and ever
Ramen.
Whats wrong with the almighty dollar? Capitalism rocks!
Alex,
For starters, it’s only worth 63 cents. It’s pretty bad when the Chinese liquidate their dollars to buy Canadian.
Ren,
From what I can remember about the Vick case, the feds are going after him for Conspiracy to run an illegal operation. But the state might still get him for the actual animal abuse.
Speaking as a Pit Bull owner, I’m glad to see the public backlash against his crimes. I just wish the backlash had come around years ago before they started legislating all this Breed-Specific bullshit like they have in Denver and Boston (two cities I’ll never spend a dollar in now).
Good gosh, dollars, dogs, dogma, and poetry (Bones, did you write that? I’m guessing so. Way cool, Bones) all in one thread.
I just read the linked Talk To Action post on the Red Mass, and I couldn’t get halfway through before my blood boiled through the top of my head and out my eyeballs. I’d never heard of this bullcrap before, and I consider myself to be an informed person on matters of Separation of Religion and Government. Seems I’ve been remiss in some areas.
Well, I guess it really comes as no surprise. The Catholic Church has had a stranglehold on America since the early 1700’s, and they’re just upholding their fine tradition of pissing on the First Amendment.
Are you sure there’s not another planet I can move to?
Celeb
Yes but talk to Everdunce. He thinks there is real potential in Flatland.
I’m not sure about that, having witnessed the constant begging for money that Adventists do from their pulpits. The last I knew Adventists top all other denominations in the percentage they give to their church.
Just last night I caught him, beat him up, and took his lunch money.
“Gold, n. A yellow metal greatly prized for its convenience in various kinds of robbery known as trade. The word was formerly spelled “God”–the “l” was inserted to distinguish it from the name of another and inferior deity.”
–Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary.
So much for “God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). The capitalistic christians of today would probably trample Jebus to death trying to get to it!
antaresrichard,
Don’t you mean they would trample baby jeebus, in an effort to get at his frankensense, mirrh, and gold?
alatham,
Thanks for the clarification. That would make sense, since they are not charging him with the same crimes, just with crimes involving the same set of actions that warrant attention in the first place.
Just finished reading the Red Mass article and this, quite frankly, scared the bejeebers out of me….
Wuerl asserted, “Politics and faith may mingle, because believers are also citizens. Church and state are home for the very same people.”
Yea, sorry Bishop Wuerl, but Church is not my home….and not all citizens are believers. Scary to think someone with these beliefs is mingling so closely with the Justices….
By the way, Dawkins has a nice piece on the Washington Post’s On Faith site entitled “Logical Path from Religious Beliefs to Evil Deeds” http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/richard_dawkins/2007/10/for_good_people_to_go_evil_thi.html
Ren, check out the Wikipedia entry for “double jeopardy” and look under the subheading “exceptions to double jeopardy.” It’s been a while since I learned that stuff in Civil Procedure, but the Wiki entry seems accurate as near as I can remember.
Don’t start talking smack about usurers. I believe one of our resident xians is a usurer by trade.
CapitolAtheist,
Thanks for the link, that’s a nice short article.
Why is it called a Red Mass anyway?
Alex
It’s a red mass because the clerics wear red vestments. The article doesn’t say if their shoes match or if they click them together to make wishes.
Red Mass sounds like a communist blood ritual…
I reckon the dollar is the god of many ministers, this time in the form of Home Dept gift cards:
http://home.bellsouth.net/s/editorial.dll?pnum=1&bfromind=7406&eeid=5445839&_sitecat=1522&dcatid=0&eetype=article&render=y&ac=1&ck=&ch=ne&rg=blsadstrgt&_lid=332&_lnm=tg+ne+topnews&ck=
alex
I just get an error message with your link.
Rusty,
Thanks. I’ll do that.
Karen,
LOL. I thought you were going with the gay-fashion-critic shtik, and you hit me with Dorothy.
Alex,
Or something you have removed at the hospital.
Or a Black Sabbath Album.
Rusty,
Why does this not apply to O.J.? His trial may not have been a fraoud, but it certainly was a scam.
you frauds are jealous of the catholic church because it preachs the truth.open your hearts and your wallets.faith is about taking chances something you angry unhappy atheists don’t have the courage to do.if you believed in something bigger than yourself maybe you would have morals.atheism=homosexuality most likely the source of your unhappiness.
Thanks for the WP link to Dawkin’s answer to the On Faith question.
More of his answers can be found starting here:
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/richard_dawkins/
Man, talk about grabbing people’s interest. 692 comments is incredible.
I thought I had posted on this earlier, but I don’t find it now. At the Newsweek/WP “On Faith” site, you can find “Muslims Speak Out”.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/projects/muslimsspeakout/index.html
These are supposedly “moderate” Muslims, but reading their apologies for Islam, you soon find that they are completely delusional like the “radicals”.
Like xians too, they love to cherry pick their “sacred” texts and then give their “correct” interpretation as opposed to the “false” one of the radicals.
As I have pointed out before, all such interpretations are equivalent because there is no standard by which to judge the truthiness of one or another.
bernarda
and you are not delusional i suppose.god is real just take out a dollar bill and look at him.
reason,
George Washington is god?
666,
No, that is his eye staring down at you from above the pyramid. It’s just one of the ways he fulfills his omnipresence obligations.
You DO have a dollar bill on you, don’t you? It is required by law!
I have a dollar bill taped above my marital bed, so God can ensure I only have sex for procreation reasons, and only in the missionary position.
Ren,
(chuckle)
Not really sure I want a peeping tom right in my bedroom!