A Walk Through Their Scripture

Matthew 10:34-39 quotes Jesus as saying he didn't bring peace, but a sword. He clearly states he will set people against their own family.

Luke 12:49-57 gives a slightly different quote, same statement though.

Exodus 32:25-29 has a real beauty. Moses declares God's command that this group of folks go out and kill brothers, companions and neighbors. When 3,000 are killed at this instruction they are declared to be blessed and ready to enter the priesthood.

And some of these people have the gall to refer to my Goddess as a demon. To say her teachings are evil or dangerous. (Special thanks to Chris P. for grouping those verses together on his blog, saving me some research time.)

A little over a year ago, Arthur B. Roberts posted in response to one of my posts. In it he claimed that all paths could not be true (which I didn't claim) because the Christian teachings and those of the Koran contradict each other to a volatile level. This is true, and many try to sharpen the divide by pointing to some hostile teachings in the Koran. Yet there are some areas here that a lot of the Christians try to ignore in attempting to point the muslims out as the only violent ones. Sure, he quoted verses saying to kill infidels, but hey, how exactly does that stack up with "If you kill your family I will give you a cookie?"

I look at the various sides and I really don't get it. How can either of these camps step up and call me evil? Call my Goddess evil? Seriously? This is an interesting quandary (for me) about life, or something close to it.

A Mother And A Cross

She stood on the hill and watched me approach. The moon was barely past new, so while She was clearly visible, Her surroundings were mostly hidden by the night. I stopped a couple of feet away from Her.

"Such respectful distance you alway keep." She said. "Accompanied by frequently disrespectful language. One might think it would work so much better if you would come closer and be a little more polite."

I shrugged, not really having thought of the issue of distance. I took a step forward, but found myself stopping again. Even as I was embarrassed, her face lit up in a smile.

"That is some significant progress." She said. "So tell me what it is you wish to speak of."

I looked around and then looked back to Her. "I had thought that when I sought you this time I would find you in the cave again."

"Liar." She chided.

Startled I started to tell Her that I had in fact expected we would be there. Her laughter cut me off. "I know you did. But that isn't what it was you wished to speak of."

I laughed. "Is the proposition, the subject, so silly that joking and laughing is the natural result?"

Her face turned serious. "Quite the contrary. Serious enough that a little levity might help."

"You know why I am here." I stated, rather than ask.

"Of course. Haven't you heard me calling you for several days?"

"I have." I admitted. "So lets discuss it."

She waved a hand over Her shoulder and the light extended from Her far enough to highlight the cross standing behind Her on the hill. Its presence startled me. "But why would it surprise you? It is what she wanted us to discuss, isn't it?"

"It is." I admitted, "But..."

She laughed again. "But what? Am I a vampire in your mind? Did you truly expect that being in its presence would have some destructive or diminishing effect?"

"Of course not. But it seems just a little wrong."

"Wrong? Why?" She turned as if studying it. "It is wood. A structure of sorts. It holds no power to banish me. Nor do I oppose its existence. It being here as an illustration has its purpose."

"Why would we have to observe a giant cross in order to discuss it? Why couldn't it just be a conversation?"

The lights dimmed on the cross. "Does its presence bother you?"

"Yes." I admitted.

"Insecurity?" She asked. "Does the symbol truly bother you so?"

"It isn't simply the symbol itself. It is specifically the large cross on the hill. It clearly points to the crucifixion issue." I pointed out.

The hill went dark and She wandered down and away from it. Passing close enough that the dress She wore brushed my ankle. I waited until She was several steps ahead of me.

"It doesn't really, you know." She called back. She stopped when I stopped following. A smile spread across Her face. "Now you understand." She said approvingly.

"Only partially." I pointed out. "I understand why we can't walk off this hill, not why we had to be here to begin with."

"The one who posed the question is not going to have a favorable opinion of me either way." She pointed out. "So your comfort is a valid issue."

"No, the hill it is." I answered.

The light was suddenly gone at the bottom of the hill and rose up behind me. I turned to see Her back at the cross. "So, we discuss. Where do we start?"

"Well it seems like you may have hit close to what her question was with your comment." I responded. "And frankly it dosn't exactly make sense to me. That symbol, particularly in such a setting evokes such thoughts of crucifixion in many."

"I didn't say it didn't." She replied seriously. "I said it does not clearly point to crucifixion. I am well aware of the perceptions out there, just making a point."

"Which was what?"

"That if you were on the hill at the time in history, this object would have been nowhere to be seen." She waved at it in dismissal. "It is a stylization. But that is only peripheral to what she wants of me. Are you going to approach the questions, or should I pick and choose?"

"She quoted verse that stated that the enemy could not bear the sight of the cross, couldn't lie in its presence, something like that. Maybe both. I don't recall the verse off the top of my head, but I do know that one of the thought processes seemed to be that you couldn't ensnare me in lies in the presence of that object."

She smiled. "I am not sure of the cross is responsible, but I wasn't planning on starting some tradition of lying to you now anyway." She walked over and I cringed as She put Her hand on the cross. Her eyebrow arched.

"I know you won't burst into flames, it is just the crossed symbolism." I said.

Now She laughed again. "It won't taint me either, silly boy. It is a blessed symbol. I am not this demon she claims me to be. Why would it hurt me?"

"A blessed symbol?" I asked, confused.

"Of course. Most of these symbols derive their power from the faith of those who have reason to give them value. Enough of those exist. Crosses have long been held up as artifacts of religious or political existence."

With a wave of Her hand the sky was filled with many different variants of the cross. All shapes and sizes. There were even the swastikas pointing in both directions. She let me look at that one for a moment before She blinked it out. "Not all of them have been used for the greatest purposes though."

"So you don't have a reason to take issue with the cross?" I asked.

"Of course not." She said as they began to fade in the sky. "Not to say that I approve of everything they are used for. But then you knew I wouldn't have an issue."

"I did. Although I expected you to be more dismissive of the symbol."

"Now that's silly." She said, gesturing to the sky again. A circle appeared with a cross in the middle of it. The four lesser sabatts' names appeared next to the points where the cross touched the circle. Then it turned slightly, putting the cross at a 45 degree angle and a new cross appeared in the circle the points naming the four greater sabatts.

Before I could respond the circle faded, and was immediately replaced by another one. This time the cross appeared beneath it in the symbol for woman. Turning to comment on that to Her I saw Her dressed as an ancient Egyptian queen, Her arms crossed holding matching Ankhs.

"How old is the Ankh?" I asked Her.

She smiled and shifted back to Her previous appearance. "Much longer than the Christian faith has." She pointed out. As my mind started to process this She held up a finger. "Don't go there. In this case there is nothing borrowed. The cross is one of the simplest structures, and was an effective way to torture someone to death." She said this casually even as Her face darkened for a moment. "But the point is that the cross has been used as one form of life symbol or other for a much longer time than the crucifixion has been associated with it. If you leave the crucifixion out of it, the cross is a simple symbol. What power it has doesn't disturb me, it doesn't compell me. It won't save you."

"What of the crucifixion being necessary thing they harp on. The cross being the answer. Can you explain that to me? Just so I can see how it is held as a valid theory?"

The hill grew dark again. "She told you the verse."

"The cross is foolish to those who are not saved?"

"Do you need to be saved?" The night was dark enough that I could only see Her sillhouette.

"No." I replied as if the answer is obvious.

She laughed. "Then give them the chances they want to try to explain it to you, and don't worry about it afterwards. If all sides state that you will think it is foolish, why would you try to make sense of it?"

I thought this over, as I stared at the spot where the cross had been standing. Then I shook my head and went home.

Happy Thanksgiving

There is really nothing to this post beyond the title and something about life, or something close to it.

Pain For What Gain?

I can barely see out of my right eye. My hand hurts (minor in comparison to the following) and I have significant pain in my side. Too low to be oriented with rib damage, too high for any organ damage I can think of, but still significant. Perhaps muscle related. Relevance?

I broke up a fight today in a bar next to my place of work. Earning the trophies mentioned above. Still I am force to wonder about my actions and the above mentioned consequences. I broke up a fight that due to the one sided (that I could view) escalation will finish elsewhere. I know not the cause or who was right. I do know that the end will probably be unchanged, just delayed.

So I wonder. Was I right in getting myself hurt delaying something that will continue down the line? Or should I have minded my own business? My body says I will think of the latter choice as preferable in the morning. My heart says I did what needed to be done. My mind says there is no way with present information to assess the situation.

Off topic, unrelated to you folks, and undoubtedly a waste of type space. MC - I made notes for my response to comments on the last post, but I hurt too much to develop it tonight. For the rest of you, this is a highly irrelevant post, so please continue with your life, or something close to it.

Respect For A Human Being's Intelligence

The other day I was engaged in various religious and political debates and/or discussions with one ofmy friends with whom I frequently have such conversations. An interesting exchange took place that I would like to expound upon. First, however, is the advanced warning. Since I ruffled some feathers a little while ago I will warn people in advance this time. The comments that I made to him, which I will be relaying here due to their bearing on the entire post will be seen as offensive by some of you. No apology. Just fair warning.

He stated something to the extent that while the bible was not the foundation for me, it was a foundation for me as well. My response was that I gave the bible some credit because She wrote it. He found this comment offensive. (Go figure.)

I got to thinking about this later on, though, and realized that this actually didn't make sense. After all, we have had many conversations in which we have discussed a difference of opinion as to who is at the root of all that is, and this isn't offensive, yet the authorship of this book is a sore point? I would think the copyright on man would be a bigger issue than on a book.

Then my mind turned to a conversation MC and I had several months ago that, I think, addresses this situation. (Took me long enough, didn't it MC?) He and I were talking after my daughter was baptized, and he pointed out that many of those from both my family and Martha's likely have their own ideas about why we had her baptized. That many of them saw me as being rebellious or dabbling with this "false religion" but being unwilling to risk my own daughter in the same foolishness. As if I didn't take my own religion and belief seriously, or they arrogantly believed that somewhere deep inside I knew that I was wrong.

I think this kind of mentality, whether my anonymous friend realizes it or not, is at the root of the question of why this single comment is this great offense while the rest of the conversation isn't. Its as if he (and other similarly minded) sees it like my imaginary friend suddenly got delusions of grandeur. In this light, it seems that this comment shouldn't have been offensive to him, but rather his reaction along those lines should have been offensive to me. Moreso because there was no question as to what I meant when I said it.

This lack of question could point to several possibilities. One being that he knew already, or based on what he has pieced together about my beliefs thought he did, and thus his reaction would insinuate a dismissal of the possibility of a valid discussion of the position and a voiding of all such discussions we had thus far. The second would be that he dismissed the possibility that I was presenting a position at all, thus once again being the offender in this meeting of minds.

You see, the issue is that I wasn't presenting a new position at all. This wasn't an out of the blue remark. This was a continuation of positions I have held all along. Yet this one remark is the second most offensive he has ever heard.

Since my comments were a simple and logical extension of the position I have repeatedly presented, in response to his interpretation of my position, this comment should have been expected. Any offense should already exist and/or have been dealt with. Unless he was not paying attention in our numerous debates, or behaving like the other group mentioned and not giving me sufficient credit for having established beliefs.

The point behind this ranting about these two situations? I have been straight forward in dealing with you folks, and given credit even to those I disagreed with. It is you, Mr. "second most offended" that insulted me. It is you folks presuming why my daughter was baptized that insult me. Many of the rest of you who quietly presume this is rebellion or a phase insult me. Should you care? Not necessarily. Just pointing out that this flows both ways. Consider that particularly next time you want to say that I offended you. Ask yourself if my comments are a surprise, or are any different then what I have been saying all along. If you have any reason to be offended now when you weren't before.

Or don't. It's just one more choice in life, or something close to it.

Election Results

(Note: author is Mc)

*****Wanderer updates again: It is official. WE TOOK THE SENATE!!!!


**** UPDATE: Donald Rumsfeld has stepped down as defsec! This is like a birthday followed by a BONUS ROUND birthday! I'm so thrilled and excited right now that I did an extra ten reps on each one of my weightlifting exercises, and was ABLE to.

Google Image Search could not come up with a single picture of Geena for my original intention of simply posting it with the caption "I win."

We (that is, Democrats, from both Wanderer's and my perspective) captured the house and as of right now, the Senate is dead even at 49-49 with two races outstanding, Montana and Virginia. MSNBC.com shows both as having a slight Dem edge, 51 to 49 in one case and 50 to 48 in the other, with 99% reporting.

Of course these are not guaranteed to be accurate, but assuming it's a reasonable facsimile, by the time I wake up tomorrow we will have captured the Senate as well.

Unfortunately, Lieberman got in, so I don't know whether they're counting him as a Dem or not. If they are, then we're actually behind by one seat right now cause that guy is NOT a Democrat.

But, to stay on the positive side, the cabal that had been in power is now only in control of two of the three branches of government, so at least we have a foothold and maybe, MAYBE, please Joe Pesci please, have some oversight now. The coup d'etat that was either perpetrated, or in the midst of being perpetrated, by Rove and the neo-Con cabal (I hate to repeat myself but there's no better word) is hopefully now in its dying throes. I say this half intending irony (remember when Rumsfeld said the insurgency was in its dying throes in 2003?) and the other half completely serious.

The fight isn't over yet; we still have to save the executive branch from the coup in 2008, and defend the legislative from it. If we can get them both in 2008, then, finally, we might rest knowing the Constitution of the United States of America has escaped the mortal peril it's in now. Maybe we'll even have some new justices by then to replace the likes of Scalia. Maybe will be an incredible strock of good fortune and Alito will get hit by a meteorite by then, who knows. But gaining control is not all.

The most important part is still, and always has been, us. We as citizens must stay vigilant. We have to pay a lot more attention and devote a lot more attention than we have been. Until we get to a point where more people can tell you who their senators are than can tell you who Jennifer Aniston is currently fucking, we're NOT PAYING ENOUGH ATTENTION. Is it work to stay on top of it all? Yes, of course. Is it difficult and sometimes unpleasant? Absolutely. But it's your DUTY as a citizen. And I'm not talking about some hypothetical arbitrary "duty" like whatever stupid, wasteful, pointless crap they made me do in the Army, I mean duty in the sense that when you drop the ball and don't fulfill it, terrible things happen (see 2000-2006 CE.)

When you don't know what's going on you can't stop it.

When you don't know what's going on you can't even object to it.

And then we get stuck in Iraq and let a neo-Con cabal rise to power a la the Nazi party in the Weimar Republic. Thousands of Americans die needlessly and we bankrupt ourselves to the tune of nearly a trillion dollars.

That was a direct result of American apathy when it comes to politics and news.

Let's not let that happen ever again.

The Mourning Moon

The Mourning Moon became full at 7:58am EST today. It will rise over Rochester, NY at 4:45pm EST and will set tomorrow at 8:25am EST

Over Farmington, NM it became full at 5:58am MST, before setting at 6:54am MST. It will rise again at 5:09pm MST to set tomorrow at 8:11am MST.

The Mourning moon is a good time to remember what we have lost over the last year, much the same as with Samhain. It is a time where the harvests, and the thinning of the herds will have been reaching completion, and we prepare to last through the winter. As the weather becomes more harsh we work on simply surviving and continuing the fight. We remember those who didn't manage to continue the fight this past year for whatever reason. We look to the cold, dark days ahead, and with a little sense we look beyond them to when the days will stretch again and the weather warm once more. The Mourning moon is also referred to as the Frost moon.

The next Sabatt will be Yule on December 21st.
The next New Moon will be November 20th at 5:18pm EST.
The next Full Moon (Long Nights Moon or Cold Moon) will be December 4th at 7:25pm EST.

Election Day

For those of you who noticed that I made no mention of Samhain this year, I apologize, but I was too busy to make note of it here. Feel free to read through this rerun from last year if you need your fix.

I write now to remind all of you folks that election day is coming up. (November 7th if you don't already know.) I am not however reminding you simply so you know which day to vote, but also to remind you that your vote carries more weight as far as shaping the society within which we live if you keep yourself informed about the issues surrounding the various candidates.

I am paying attention to these issues, and I imagine it will not surprise you to know that many of the issues I am watching revolve around the "Marriage Protection Act" and related issues.

While you may not agree with the stance I take on this issue, I would hope that you at least have the sense to look at what I do as a result. I closely watch things such as the "HRC Score Card" as well as personally watching the agendas and associated actions of the people for whom I would or would not be voting.

The bottom line is that we should all be getting involved in the politics around us. These issues will affect all of us. You can say that you as one person won't make much of a difference. MC and I were discussing this very question tonight. As he pointed out, the reality of this is that one person doesn't make much difference. However, the only way the majority comes into existence is when a large number of single individuals decide to step forward to become part of the group. To help form the group.

The biggest difficulty that we all face is that our society is one of apathy and inertia. An object at rest stays at rest, particularly when it cares, but not that much. We need as many individuals as possible to step forward and become part of the drive. As I told him, I am no longer content to sit quietly by and just bitch to my friends about what should be seen. MC and I have a mutual friend who has already put me to shame. (I say me, not us, because MC was in the military at the time and wouldn't have had the option to become politically active as she did. I, however, could have.)

Whether you agree with me or not, you have a duty to stand up to allow the possibility that everyone who agrees with you will too. That a move could be made. For a government of the people and by the people, too many of the people are silent when it comes to decision time.

Much like now. Look at this administration. Look at its anti non-evangelical stance and tell me that there aren't a number of opponents who are simply too apathetic to speak out. Look at the fact that we aren't running a President of the United States out on a rail for suggesting, let alone pushing, legislation to treat a large group of his country's citizens like lepers, to be shunned and even outlawed. Tell me that we have a right to be proud of our democratic process when we don't put an immediate end to any attempt to terrorize our own people. To legislate on things that don't actually effect us. To put one religion down as law.

We are beyond the voting question here. Basic human rights are being thrown away and too many people are willing to look away because it doesn't effect them yet. History shows that this apathy ensures the scenario is only beginning. It has been said in the past that if you didn't vote, you have no right to complain. Voting alone may not be enough. Stand up and let the people around you know how you feel. Make your politics real and prominent so that people know how you feel and vice versa. Maybe then one side or the other will have an opportunity to help their opponent learn. Maybe then we can achieve some true success.

On Tuesday, don't go vote for your party or for the best commercial. Go to the booth knowing you did your research. Go in knowing that you made an educated decision for your future. Your decisions will mold the world that my daughter lives in, so vote responsibly. Vote for a world where she can see that there are still decent human beings. Forget the party and vote for what is right for the people. All of the people, not just the ones from your pew.

So there is my commentary (for this moment) on politics. Feel free to return to your regularly scheduled life, or something close to it.