Past trials have not been telecast. But their will be a group representing the best research(Biblical, social and scientific), testimony on church law, and, perhaps, a fundamentalist component. She will likely be found guilty.

Methodism is growing in countries where obedience to authority is considered a virtue.

The bland in Christ. The UMC is set up to encourage and reward the person who follows the company line. It is not so much conservative as it is committed to the bureaucracy. Many leaders want to support gay ordination but don't have the stomach for the fight that will follow. So DADT is the way they want to go. Periodically some pastor or congregation decides to take action. But the church w...more

The bland in Christ. The UMC is set up to encourage and reward the person who follows the company line. It is not so much conservative as it is committed to the bureaucracy. Many leaders want to support gay ordination but don't have the stomach for the fight that will follow. So DADT is the way they want to go. Periodically some pastor or congregation decides to take action. But the church will deal with the trial and not much will change.less

I was with a retreat group this past weekend. Most were Catholic and it was led by a Franciscan. The opinion of Olmsted is that he is a rigid guy who listens to no one. St Joseph still receives support from the Catholic community and most local Catholics believe the hospital made the correct decision. Olmsted is supported by Chuck because Olmsted had a meeting in support of the Manhattan Decla...more

I was with a retreat group this past weekend. Most were Catholic and it was led by a Franciscan. The opinion of Olmsted is that he is a rigid guy who listens to no one. St Joseph still receives support from the Catholic community and most local Catholics believe the hospital made the correct decision.
Olmsted is supported by Chuck because Olmsted had a meeting in support of the Manhattan Declaration. Most people around here do not know what that is. The ones who do protested the meeting.less

Prayer is legal in school. Prayer organized, defined and imposed by state officials is not.

Yeah and then there is the issue of how much water to use, how old you have to be, etc.

I speak for myself. Always have. So don't lie about me philomath. Most fundamentalists have no idea how easy they are to read in person. So please tell me where I am wrong. I thank God that Jesus and I are not bound by the collection of dogma, prejudice and fear that some pass off as Christianity.

Tell me the absolute truth of Creation(as opposed to its symbolic meanings), and be sure to include the absolute truth behind all the OT scriptures you try to avoid.

Angela, thanks to the science of DNA, you can actually find out if Johnzon is your brother. If Johnzon will cooperate.

Yep, it is amazing how our Republican legislators manage to endure a socialist health care program. But they make sure none of the rest of us have to suffer from all that imposed health care.

If Obama wore a red band on his arm they would say he was promoting Red China. But I will take your word that the pastor does not have a communist intent.

It is interesting how much CP wants to advertise this church. I imagine that hundreds if not thousands of evangelical and fundamentalist churches have opened up in American in the past 12 months.

Connor says have a little faith. In fact there is very little faith in his view. Fear of what is being discovered, fear that folk will no longer see absolutist religion as having all the answers(it doesn't but it's preachers can never admit it), drives their attack on science. God says, fear not.

Auschwitz, hmm, have you ever read Elie Wiesel, or Victor Frankl? A moral compass will not work if is forced to always point to one dogma and declared broken if it does not. Richard Rohr, speaking on the Enneagram concept of personality, says that Germany is full of folk who live in anxiety and desire a leader, someone who will tell them the truth the should believe for relief. Others like Hitle...more

Auschwitz, hmm, have you ever read Elie Wiesel, or Victor Frankl? A moral compass will not work if is forced to always point to one dogma and declared broken if it does not. Richard Rohr, speaking on the Enneagram concept of personality, says that Germany is full of folk who live in anxiety and desire a leader, someone who will tell them the truth the should believe for relief. Others like Hitler strike at anything that causes anxiety(other nations, other races, other political groups). Fundamentalism shares this need for a sense of safety through unquestioned obedience to the leader. Fundamentalist leader strike at science which continues to explore and experiment and cause the dogmatics so much anxiety.
Rhor (I had dinner with him last night), says that after his book was published, he feared that Germans would be angry when he lectured there. In fact Germans loved his work and agreed with his assessment.
The Jews were scapegoated as a cure for the anxiety post WWI. Fundamentalists scapegoat gays and scientists because of the anxiety over change being felt by those most likely drawn to rigid religion.less

"B - Kind of like how "scientists" have been deluding the gullible masses with the theory of evolution for the past 150 years?" Or the way they have deluded the masses with vaccination, organ transplant, space flight, cancer treatments, growing of new organs, exploration via the Hubble telescope. But it is all part of the vast conspiracy to assault the most sacred writings from Genesis. I w...more

"B - Kind of like how "scientists" have been deluding the gullible masses with the theory of evolution for the past 150 years?" Or the way they have deluded the masses with vaccination, organ transplant, space flight, cancer treatments, growing of new organs, exploration via the Hubble telescope. But it is all part of the vast conspiracy to assault the most sacred writings from Genesis.
I was explaining Genesis to a group of 6th graders (and one mom) this morning. Amazingly they got what you cannot. Hang on to your piece of the true cross(or Noah's Ark) while the rest of the world moves forward. For those of us trying to fix the literalist heresy, time and science are on our side. Meanwhile, more and more fundamentalist kids grow up and decide they cannot remain locked in the intellectual and spiritual prison of fundamentalism. Unfortunately, many will never do the work to find a meaningful spirituality because of their hostility toward the dogma they were told was the only thing that would keep them from hell.less

Scientists are fallible humans. They frequently get things wrong in the course of learning and experimenting. They change with new discoveries even though as humans they may be very attached to old understandings. I wish fundamentalists were as good at change. Instead, the bulk of fundamentalists view change as an attack on their rigid dogma. Those who are changing, growing, making new discov...more

Scientists are fallible humans. They frequently get things wrong in the course of learning and experimenting. They change with new discoveries even though as humans they may be very attached to old understandings. I wish fundamentalists were as good at change. Instead, the bulk of fundamentalists view change as an attack on their rigid dogma. Those who are changing, growing, making new discoveries (scientific or spiritual) are immediately suspect for not maintaining the status quo. Many of these well intentioned folk are creating a church in which those who wish to know and explore the spiritual dimension of existence are least welcome.less

One more -- The speaker for the Virgin Lips program cancels be cause she has a cold sore.

5 Things That Cause Stress in a Leader(in the church) 1) Someone leaves a message with your church secretary confirming your reservation for the Gay Pride Cruise. 2) You are with other pastors viewing an explicit movie in a theater in preparation for denouncing the it in the pulpit when the manager of the theater announces, "There is an urgent phone call for Rev. Jones. 3) Your church treasures...more

5 Things That Cause Stress in a Leader(in the church)
1) Someone leaves a message with your church secretary confirming your reservation for the Gay Pride Cruise.
2) You are with other pastors viewing an explicit movie in a theater in preparation for denouncing the it in the pulpit when the manager of the theater announces, "There is an urgent phone call for Rev. Jones.
3) Your church treasures calls and asks if you really believe God will provide.
4) Your church treasure calls from Las Vegas and says, "I am believing God for all the financial needs of the Church."
5) Your church treasures stops calling.less

So philomath, you embrace change and growth? I await your move to spiritual adulthood. You don't practice rigid adherence to the doctrine you've been taught? You don't see the change offered by psychological insight as a threat to the black and white dualism of fundamentalism? It is pretty obvious from the threads that result in the most posts and the most angry attacks that hostility towar...more

So philomath, you embrace change and growth? I await your move to spiritual adulthood. You don't practice rigid adherence to the doctrine you've been taught? You don't see the change offered by psychological insight as a threat to the black and white dualism of fundamentalism?
It is pretty obvious from the threads that result in the most posts and the most angry attacks that hostility toward evolution and homosexuality are of greater concern than the teachings of Jesus.less

Save Kissing for Marriage, Says Virgin Lips Movement Opinion by Focus on the Family (May 06, 2009) in Religion And as a pastor, Dr. Mohler concurs. He says: As any minister who works with youth and young adults knows, the "how far is too far question" is a constant. The Virgin Lips Movement represents a determination to stop that train before it leaves the station, so to speak. Consider this: ...more

Save Kissing for Marriage, Says Virgin Lips Movement
Opinion by Focus on the Family
(May 06, 2009) in Religion
And as a pastor, Dr. Mohler concurs. He says:
As any minister who works with youth and young adults knows, the "how far is too far question" is a constant. The Virgin Lips Movement represents a determination to stop that train before it leaves the station, so to speak. Consider this: In the space of little more than a single generation, we have seen the breaking down of virtually every social and cultural support for sexual abstinence. ...Now, most young couples face the temptation of romantic contexts in which intimacy -- and this means sexual intimacy -- is a likely outcome. The Virgin Lips Movement represents a serious effort to push back against this expectation and to create boundaries that will protect virtue and honor marriage.less