My Mind, It is Boggled

From Slate, an article about Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signing into law this week an LGBTQ piece of legislation:

It allows religious landlords to evict gay and trans renters; permits religious employers to fire workers for being LGBTQ; allows adoption agencies—private and state-run—to turn away same-sex couples; allows private businesses to refuse services to gay people; allows clerks and judges to refuse to marry same-sex couples; and forbids trans students from using public school bathrooms that align with their gender identity. 

I guess I wonder, what threat, exactly, do these conservative Christians feel themselves under from LGBTQ people?  Those who are hard-wired to love differently than the traditional man-woman relationship?

Why should I care who someone else loves or doesn't love?  Why should I care what goes on in the bedrooms of the houses down the street?  

It's NONE OF MY BUSINESS.  I only care whether you treat others the way you would like to be treated.  I guess you might put that into the Bible and call that the Golden Rule and expect Christians to follow it or something.  Oh, wait....

More Saint Stuff...and Ultrarunning

From a different Catholic web site I've examined another list of patron saints and patronages.  You may recall my post of a couple weeks ago on this topic, here, which identified St. Sebastian as the Patron Saint of Athletes.

The web site linked above specifically expands St. Sebastian's reach to be the Patron Saint of Running:

"...as he was a centurion he was extremely fit and able to withstand long physical endurance."

And his feast day is 20 January.  Sounds like a great reason for a midwinter party or ultra run to commemorate the day and the person.

An Ultrarunner!  Yay!

The Patron Saint of....and Ultrarunning

I was looking for a list of patron saints (although I am not Catholic) to see whether there was one who was associated with trail work, hiking, etc.  Came up completely empty, other than the patron saint of Ecology is--of course--St. Francis of Assisi.

Anyway, the site I was searching is called MyCatholicSource and just to scan through the alphabetical listing of patronages is interesting.  Just within the "A" section we see that there are patron saints for:

Actors (St. Genesius)
Accountants (St. Matthew)
Ammunition Workers (St. Barbara)
Amputees (St. Anthony the Great)
Archaeologists (St. Jerome)
Auto Industry (St. Catherine of Alexandria)

Scrolling down, there are 3 patrons saints for Comedians (St. Genesius, Laurence, and Vitus), and the patron saint of Dog Bites is St. Ubald.

Not trying to poke fun here, but you just gotta smile at some of these!

The link to Ultrarunning?  On the Ultrarunning side of life the best fit would be the patron saint of Athletes, St. Sebastian.

However, note that St. Sebastian also doubles as the patron saint of Bookbinders, Unruly Children, Contagious Diseases, Enemies of Religion (against), Funeral Directors, Iron Workers, Lead Workers, Neighborhood Watch, Pestilence (against), Plague, Police, Potters, Soldiers, Surgeons, and Swans...so go figure.

Perhaps More "Golden Rule" Might be Appropriate?

I have watched with interest the poopstorm that is swirling in the state of Indiana under the leadership of Gov. Pence.

As long-time readers may recall, I've often  expressed my support for gay rights, as I have gay members in my extended family.  They are regular people, with all the hopes and dreams of any regular people, oh, and by the way, just happen to be wired differently than the majority when it comes to the objects of their love affections.

So to me, it's pretty clear.  The Indiana legislation is vile, and despite the "religious freedom" spin that the proponents try to put on it, it's thinly veiled bigotry.

I read a piece by Amanda Marcotte today that truly expresses my thoughts but in a way that is so much better than my words.  Here is an excerpt but you should go read the whole thing.

Up until recently, most of us seemed to understand that the best way to maximize religious freedom for everyone was to stay in your own lane: You can choose what to believe yourself, but if you start trying to force your beliefs on others, that is when a line has been crossed. And while conservatives grumbled about it, there was widespread acceptance of the idea that “force” meant more than just government force. An employer trying to force his employees to follow his religious rules, for instance, was violating religious freedom. A shop owner who refused to serve Jews would also be considered in violation (in most people’s eyes, at least). 

But in the past few years, we’ve witnessed a dramatic and surprisingly successful effort to redefine “religious freedom” to mean “empowering Christian conservatives to force their dogma on the non-believers.” It really started when the HHS passed a regulation requiring insurance plans to cover contraception without a copay. Many conservative employers revolted, claiming their religious freedom should allow them the right to deny workers coverage of procedures or medications they don’t like. 

Materially, it was no different than an employer claiming he cannot practice his religion freely without being able to go to his employee’s house and take away any books he disagrees with that she bought with her paycheck. It was arguing that an employer’s “religious freedom” requires him to force his beliefs on his employee and try to manipulate her compensation in order to get her to live by his religious rules, regardless of her own beliefs. But the Supreme Court bought it and now the door is open.

When is forcing your faith “religious liberty” and when is it just being a dick?

Also, I wonder in the zeal for "religious freedom" how the Golden Rule got bypassed: 

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

The Shoe is on the Other Foot

Since I just posted yesterday about footwear, I may as well continue the thread today.  Of course, today's post is not about literal footwear.

Via Digby (back in April 2014), a novel twist by the religious left of putting the shoe on the other foot, or some such analogy.  I love this:

In a novel legal attack on a state’s same-sex marriage ban, a liberal Protestant denomination on Monday filed a lawsuit arguing that North Carolina is unconstitutionally restricting religious freedom by barring clergy members from blessing gay and lesbian couples.

Digby's analysis: You mean to say that Christian clergy who support gay marriage believe they have a right to exercise their religious freedom too? Well now, that’s a conundrum, isn’t it? After all, nobody has ever said that conservative Christians should be compelled to go against their beliefs and legally marry gay couples. But these laws are very definitely telling these liberal Christians that they cannot. Indeed, in North Carolina they criminalized it, holding clergy legally liable for performing the ceremonies.

See, religious freedom cuts both ways.

Unpopular, But Equally Valid per the Constitution

Courtesy of The Raw Story from a couple weeks ago:

 

 

The Satanic Temple, a religious group based in New York City, on Monday unveiled their design for a monument they hope to erect at the Oklahoma Statehouse.

The 7-foot-tall monument would include a goat-headed Baphomet figure sitting cross-legged on a stone slab, flanked by two smiling children. The monument would also include quotes from poets Lord Byron and William Blake.

“The monument has been designed to reflect the views of Satanists in Oklahoma City and beyond. The statue will serve as a beacon calling for compassion and empathy among all living creatures. The statue will also have a functional purpose as a chair where people of all ages may sit on the lap of Satan for inspiration and contemplation,” spokesman Lucien Greaves explained.

The group offered to donate a monument last month, after State Rep. Mike Ritze (R-Broken Arrow) and conservative Christians were allowed to erect a Ten Commandments monument on the statehouse grounds.

Lawmakers in Oklahoma, however, have insisted that the Satanists should not be given the same treatment as Christians.

“This is a faith-based nation and a faith-based state,” Rep. Earl Sears (R-Bartlesville) said. “I think it is very offensive they would contemplate or even have this kind of conversation.” 

But....that pesky First Amendment to the Constitution says:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

 

 So, the Satanists or Muslims or the Ku Klux Klan or skinheads or anybody else that may be espousing unpopular (i.e., non-majority opinions) certainly deserve equal protection to express their views. 

We just can't say that because the U.S. is historically a Christian nation we will allow Christian symbologies but none other.  Wrong, and it takes an extreme case like this one to point that out.

Religious (Catholic) Quirks in the Media Age...and Ultrarunning

Seems that the Vatican is trying to become "with it" or "hip":

In its latest attempt to keep up with the times the Vatican has married one of its oldest traditions to the world of social media by offering "indulgences" to followers of Pope Francis' tweets.

The church's granted indulgences reduce the time Catholics believe they will have to spend in purgatory after they have confessed and been absolved of their sins.

The remissions got a bad name in the Middle Ages because unscrupulous churchmen sold them for large sums of money. But now indulgences are being applied to the 21st century.

But a senior Vatican official warned web-surfing Catholics that indulgences still required a dose of old-fashioned faith, and that paradise was not just a few mouse clicks away.

Read the whole story here.

The nexus to Ultrarunning?  Now, if instead of time off Purgatory, if we could get time off the interminable middle part of some of our long runs, now that would be a breakthrough I could endorse.  Might be enough for me to reactivate my dormant Facebook account.

 

The Pope...and Ultrarunning

I get why the Catholic Church (1.2 billion members) and its new pope are a big deal in the world. 

But I can't help but nod in agreement when I read the following (this was First Draft quoting Simon Hoggart).  Bolding is mine, for emphasis:

We used to say de mortuis nil nisi bonum (don't speak ill of the dead), but that's all changed with warts-and-all obituaries. Now we are incredibly nice instead about people who've just been promoted. Take the new pope. He seems to be an astonishing man of parts. Questions have been raised about his relationship with the vile Argentinian junta, but at the same time he is a plain-living revolutionary, having come from outside the Vatican curia, bringing a breath of modest fresh air from the new world. Yet nothing will change. He is against contraception, abortion, divorce, gay marriage and female priests. It's as if Lenin arrived at the Finland station in St Petersburg, announcing, "Comrades, I bring thrilling news! Things are going to carry on much as before!"
 

The link to Ultrarunning?  Just a simple analogy.  There have been uncounted discussions over the years on the Ultra List and other places about runners who complain about a particular race director's rules.  But the bottom line is that the race director gets to make the rules for their race.  Duh! 

If you don't like those rules, you either work to get them changed, or take your entry fee elsewhere, literally voting with your feet to run a different race.  

So it is with the Catholic Church.  The policies above are incompatible with my belief system, so I'm not a Catholic.  It's not that hard.  But despite the fact that the new pope seems likely to pursue policies that reflect genuine concern for the downtrodden and for nature--both good things--the point of the article quoted above is that no matter how kindly or good a man Pope Francis is, he still presides over a very conservative entity that does not recognize the full agency of women.  And for me that's the ultimate dealbreaker.

 

The Rapture

I surf the web too much, it seems.  And I love my pets.  Plus my sense of humor is warped and twisted, and I especially seem drawn to things that poke fun of mainstream whatever.

This site made be blow coffee out my nose:

You've committed your life to Jesus. You know you're saved. But when the Rapture comes what's to become of your loving pets who are left behind? 

Eternal Earth-Bound Pets takes that burden off your mind.  

We are a group of dedicated animal lovers, and atheists. Each Eternal Earth-Bound Pet representative is a confirmed atheist, and as such will still be here on Earth after you've received your reward. Our network of animal activists are committed to step in when you step up to Jesus.

Note: Business must not have been very brisk.  The page states "This service cancelled due to lack of clients. Thanks for all of your interest & excitement over the past three years."

 

Lesbians vs. the Religious Right...and Ultrarunning

The passing of astronaut Sally Ride last week, and her posthumous coming out as a gay woman, made me think again at how unimportant one's sexual orientation is.  What truly matters--as Dr. Martin Luther King said--is the content of one's character.

Anyway, I thought back back to an office setting where I once worked.  This was pre-headphones, and PCs were equipped only with a set of small speakers.

As you might imagine, in a cubicle situation you had to be very cognizant of your sound levels so as not to disturb your co-workers.

Anyway, I was listening to a k. d. lang CD on my PC, needing to play it loud enough to drown out the religious radio station sounds coming from the adjacent cubicle.  The irony of it all still brings a smile to my face.  It was a lesbian versus the religious right.....and, thankfully, the lesbian was winning.

However, I am reminded of one of Kurt Vonnegut's novels (maybe "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater" ?), in which he offers the opinion that one cannot share an irony--it simply cannot be done.  Vonnegut maintained that attempts to share ironies only meet with quizzical glances and half-raised eyebrows.....

The connection to Ultrarunning?  The very conservative, super-religious owner of the radio was for a time one of my best running buddies, despite our differences in opinion on the matter of gays.  We all have our blind spots, myself included, and it's wrong to define a life by a single act or attitude.

 

Tebowed

Close on the heels of my Survivor rant the other day (here), here's another.  Some NFL players have long demonstrated apparent religious thanks/reverence in the end zone after a touchdown. 

The action is now officially referred to as "Tebowing," after the Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, who took the practice to new heights in college and now in the NFL.

Well, the photo above was the predictable result from a game on Sunday.

Quote from an article on the game piece (also the image credit, CNSNews.com): 

Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch celebrated his sack of Tebow by joining the "Tebowing" craze, striking a prayerful pose near the prone second-year quarterback in the first half.

Maybe--probably--you really shouldn't mock somebody's religion.  But some dark part of me appreciates the irony.

 

"Confession: A Roman Catholic App"...and Ultrarunning

On the heels of yesterday's post involving Lucifer, another of my running buddies forwarded this about a new iPhone application:

Lame tech jokes aside, the makers of "Confession: A Roman Catholic App" say their software is seriously designed to help believers with the sacrament, and to help those who have left the church take a digital step back home.

Worry not, faithful Catholics: The $1.99 application, for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, is not intended to replace the confessional. Instead, it's designed to complement the act of confession, offering a "personal examination of conscience" (password-protected, of course) and a step-by-step guide to sin-confessing.

The app provides suggested acts of contrition and the "ability to add sins not listed in standard examination of conscience."

"Our desire is to invite Catholics to engage in their faith through digital technology," said Patrick Leinen, co-founder of Little iApps, developer of the Confession app.

And this one's got the church's seal of approval.

My complaint is that my buddy only suggested that our two Roman Catholic members check it out.  I was outraged at the snub, because I also am a prolific sinner.

The connection to Ultrarunning is that I curse extensively while trail running.  Stumble on a root?  Invectives pour forth.  Trip over a rock?  Expletives fly.  Actually bite the dust?  Then we're talking some serious blasphemy.

And not just for bad stuff.  When I see some delight of nature--a critter, a view, an insight into the natural world--I often say "Holy sh*t!!"  In a thankful, wondrous way, of course.

Of course, the type and volume of the curses are dependent upon whether I am alone or not.  I'm usually a saint when I'm with others, and a real, well, sinner when I'm alone.

 

Social Networking...and Catholicism

I think it's important to keep things in perspective, and to call out logical disconnects when they are evident in popular culture. Even if the one being called out is the Pope.

This is an article and observation I shared with my running buddies, two of whom are Roman Catholics. They laughed, and do still run with me.

Anyway, our Roman Catholic computer geek brethren can rest easy now. From the NY Daily News on 24 Jan:

On Monday, Pope Benedict gave his approval to social networking - while cautioning to not replace real friends with virtual friends.

The religious leader gave the blessing in honor of World Day of Social Communications on Monday, saying it created "a great opportunity" for users and encouraged social network users to adopt a "Christian-style presence" online.

"If used wisely, they can contribute to the satisfaction of the desire for meaning, truth and unity which remain the most profound aspirations of each human being," he wrote in a letter to followers.

///SNIP///

The pontiff himself does not tweet - or even use a computer, according to reports.

Gary here. Not everybody is impressed. On the science site, Pharyngula, that pointed me to the NY Daily News article, I laughed aloud at this comment:

"The Pope doesn't even use a computer, and apparently writes all his missives in longhand, with a quill, unless he's still using a stylus and wax tablet. Letting this antique make recommendations about your computer use makes as much sense as asking a mob of celibates to dispense sex advice, and no one would be that crazy, would they?"