I had a lovely email exchange with a potential writer for Blog Against Theocracy. He is a sincere, believing Catholic and was happy to participate, but objected to the timing of the blogswarm. I completely understand his position, which from my perspective appeared to be more about the writer's own spiritual practice this weekend rather than a judgment about other participants and their piety or lack thereof.
Blog Against Theocracy has always been held Easter Weekend. That is not a slam on Jesus or a silly way to put down religion or Christians. As many of you know, I am a believing Christian myself, although a great many participants to the blogswarm are not. Belief or not has nothing to do with supporting separation of church and state.
There are two good reasons to time the blogswarm during the Easter holiday. One, I admit, is the selfish motive that Easter Weekend is one of the two times a year when the media actually cover religious issues in the United States with a broad stroke.
The other reason, speaking as a believer, is that Easter is a time when what is divinely good triumphs over human will. If you look at Pilate as a purely secular leader (a stretch) and the Pharisees who demanded Pilate kill Jesus as the self-preserving conservative church of Jesus' day (not a stretch, not at all), it is possible to see the Easter story as a perfect allegory of a power-seeking Church and a pandering State's conspiracy failing utterly to destroy Truth and Reason.
If thinking along those lines interferes with what anyone feels is their right practice of faith during this weekend, post later or earlier and I'll be sure to include you. In any event I will be posting links starting tomorrow.
I have my Blog Against Theocracy written. I've written a bit snarkily about what it's like living in a theocracy, since Utah is a theocracy. I invite everyone who wants to live in a theocracy to move here. I do not set out to offend, though I am bound to do so. I hardly need an excuse like a Blogswarm to get uppity about the patriarchy that is religious fundamentalism. It seems to lean very right wingy, so that gives me the pleasure of skewering at least one republican crackpot. I can hardly wait.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I'll go over to Tengrain's place this weekend or not. Not because I don't like Tengrain; quite the opposite. They are an extremely talented writer whom I would do well to emulate.
ReplyDeleteIt's MY beliefs. I call this coming weekend Rabbit Sunday. I don't believe in God at all, and this voodoo stuff being peddled so furiously for one weekend, makes me moan in despair.
I'm not a registered Atheist or a registered anything. I simply break out in bitter laughter at the thought that these two wars. all the dead, this economic bombing of innocent people, many of whom are now homeless and jobless. is "God's Will." So's the dirt and oder that will accumulate on my body over the next month, so I can assume he'll remove it when it's "God's Will". Therefore I can do away with soap, water, and regular bathing.
Thus is the mind boggling ignorance of all organized religion.
Like Utah Savage, I don't set out to offend, but as soon as I speak my (dramatically) different views on this, Rabbit Sunday, the most farce filled of all days, I am attacked because my ideas don't conform.
Those people can kiss my.... chocolate rabbit.:) I've lurked here for some time; this post brought me out of the woods.
Without a doubt, this comment is not the path to fame and glory....but then I never wanted either of those. All I've ever wanted was to say exactly what I think, damn the torpedoes!
Thank You for giving me that opportunity.
Hi ya! I've posted but can't figure out the html thingy, so can't add it to the carnival site ; (
ReplyDeleteNot savvy in that dept, although I did try for about 20 minutes to find and figure out.
Cheers!
I believe the timing is justified. It lets the writers and readers see the opinions of others while seeing the media-at-large discuss religion from their own perspective. It will be interesting to see the variety of Fox"News" programing this weekend.
ReplyDeleteThe whole point of the USofA was to have a place where your beliefs weren't subject to the government, or even the will of the majority.
ReplyDeleteAn overly large part of the problem with the religious right is their perception that this creates a crisis in THEIR faith. They follow it because their leaders are bullies who say they speak for their God.
As if.
And these right wing jihadists dare call liberals "surrender monkeys"? Without good people surrendering their time and money to these bullies, they would be lost, not the other way around.
If you are Xtian and correct, there will, literally, be hell for non-believers to pay.
If you are Xtian and WRONG?
And have drawn the easily mislead into your wrongness? Have enabled the bullies to use your proxy for their own purposes?
Belief is a very personal thing. Fellowship is something unrelated to belief. Freedom and democracy are both the antithesis and cure.
Happy Easter Blue Gal. Whatever pleases you, tickles me plum to death.
I find it interesting that so many Christians get so emotional about a pagan holiday like Easter (aka Ester, Oestre, etc).
ReplyDelete