2 years ago
I was surfing around trying to make up a fancy-schmancy reason for calling this blog “slumber-powered” and came across this engraving by Francisco de Goya. It’s called The Sleep of Reason Creates Monsters (which is the translation of the Spanish on the table).
As I’m reading more about scientific skepticism, I’m starting to believe that truer words have seldom been turned into fine art.
Prosperity for whom?
Newsoftheweird.com brought this one to my attention.
As Easter approached, the ad ran repeatedly on the Inspiration Network: David Cerullo, clutching a Bible, told viewers they, too, could receive prosperity, physical healing and other blessings God gave the ancient Israelites.
All they had to do, the televangelist said, was send $200 or more.
This is called “prosperity theology”. It boils down to “give a preacher money and Jesus Christ will give you even more money than you gave originally”. I didn’t realize Jesus could act as an investment banker or money manager. Doesn’t this “theology” run counter to the Bible? What was that about rich men and camels and the eyes of needles?
It gets worse, though.
Much of the money sent by people … is now funding the City of Light, a 93-acre campus in northern Lancaster County, S.C., where the network’s plans include a sophisticated training and broadcast center.
Taxpayers also are helping to pay for it. Eager to bring jobs to a county with 19 percent unemployment, South Carolina offered the network incentives worth up to $26 million to land the campus – a deal that has been questioned by economic development experts.
Whoa, horsey! Tax dollars are paying for a religious institution? Isn’t there something in the Constitution about this?
Does this mean that the Pastafarians or followers of the Invisible Pink Unicorn can get cash to build research centers and television networks? That would only be fair.
Read the story at the Charlotte Observer.
Been watching a lot of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! lately. I don’t always agree with them, but they’re usually quite entertaining and provide some food for thought. Here’s some highlights of the funnier bits. Warning: There’s a lot of profanity here.
In “your experience”?
Another bit of WTF for your thinking pleasure:
“A justice of the peace in Louisiana who has drawn widespread criticism for refusing to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple says he has no regrets about his decision. “It’s kind of hard to apologize for something that you really and truly feel down in your heart you haven’t done wrong,” Keith Bardwell told CNN affiliate WAFB on Saturday.”
He also said that in his experience, interracial marriages don’t last.
What sort of marriages do last in this country in this day and age? Isn’t the divorce rate something like 50%? Who else does this self-righteous “public servant” deny marriage licenses to?
Civil marriage is between people who want to join their lives and who are, hopefully, in love. It’s not his business to judge who is or isn’t worthy. And I wish more of the government and public would realize that.
I want this bit of Latin on a t-shirt.
(reblogged from riaria, who reblogged from apolaustic, who reblogged from ache)
via beautifulillusions
