The 93-year-old Graham said the Bible is clear in that Gods definition of marriage is between a man and a woman. He urged voters to cast ballots for the amendment on May 8.
Interesting. Isn’t the bible also clear that his god doesn’t want him to eat shellfish or pork? His own training center has a recipe on its website for pork tenderloin!
Here’s how they try to weasel out of it:
In Acts 10:9-16, Peter was informed by God through a vision that he was not to reject the use of certain animals for food on a religious basis. The apostle Paul also writes, “For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:4).
“Everything God created is good.”
Interesting.
via WLOS ABC13 :: Newsroom – National News.
UPDATE – Ugh, here’s the ad. Doesn’t anyone else think it’s weird that they say “vote for marriage,” when what you’re actually doing is voting against marriage?
Wow… we all know that this amendment is based in hate, but this… this is… I don’t know what to say.
According to the alternative Yes! Weekly, which picked up the remarks from freelance journalist and activist Chad Nance, Jodie Brunstetter told a poll worker in Winston-Salem, N.C. Monday that the reason her husband “wrote Amendment 1 was because the Caucasian race is diminishing and we need to uh, reproduce.”
Well, there you have it, folks. She couldn’t even find a way to apologize or deny it correctly:
Right now I am a little confused myself because there has been confusion here today about this amendment where it is very simple. The opponents are saying things that are not true and there has been a lot of conversation back and forth.
Right now I have some heat stroke going on. Um there has been lots of confusion.
…
Me:
You’re not going to be able to explain it?
Brunsetter:
Well, it’s a little hard.
You’re damn right it’s hard. What a shame. I’m sickened. This is worse than I ever imagined.
via Wife of North Carolina’s Amendment One sponsor says husband motivated by race | TPM2012.
From Minister To Atheist: A Story Of Losing Faith : NPR.
Kudos to NPR for this story and the ones they are planning to air later. It’s about time those of us with no faith get some positive coverage in mass media.
This is the first in a series of stories on losing faith.
Teresa MacBain has a secret, one she’s terrified to reveal.
“I’m currently an active pastor and I’m also an atheist,” she says. “I live a double life. I feel pretty good on Monday, but by Thursday — when Sunday’s right around the corner — I start having stomachaches, headaches, just knowing that I got to stand up and say things that I no longer believe in and portray myself in a way that’s totally false.”
MacBain glances nervously around the room. It’s a Sunday, and normally she would be preaching at her church in Tallahassee, Fla. But here she is, sneaking away to theAmerican Atheists’ convention in Bethesda, Md.
Her secret is taking a toll, eating at her conscience as she goes about her pastoral duties week after week — two sermons every Sunday, singing hymns, praying for the sick when she doesn’t believe in the God she’s praying to. She has had no one to talk to, at least not in her Christian community, so her iPhone has become her confessor, where she records her private fears and frustrations.
“On my way to church again. Another Sunday. Man, this is getting worse,” she tells her phone in one recording. “How did I get myself in this mess? Sometimes, I think to myself, if I could just go back a few years and not ask the questions and just be one of those sheep and blindly follow and not know the truth, it would be so much easier. I’d just keep my job. But I can’t do that. I know it’s a lie. I know it’s false.”
But, of course, even the occasional positive story about atheism will bring complainers out of the woodwork:
Really? Several minutes on a pastor turning atheist, complete with people cheering as she tells them she plans to burn in hell?
I don’t see why several minutes of this is a bad thing. It’s a very interesting personal story…
As a Christian myself, I am not a mindless sheep. I’m a college-educated professional who has asked hard questions about God and always found Him to be loving and present. Furthermore, I know dozens of other people who could say the same thing. And, Ms. Lily continues, I am very troubled that NPR broadcast would seem to me to be a very biased and even hateful story clearly aimed at those of us who love Jesus.
That story was hateful? I’d love someone to tell me how.
Steven Anderson(ph) of Lakeview, Georgia, echoes the wishes of many listeners who wrote. He says, please consider, as you always have, both sides, whether it be atheist believer, gay, straight or whatever. Let me hear some stories about people who come from both sides of the argument.
As far as I can tell, a search for the word ‘atheist’ on npr.org shows this story, 4 from March about the big atheist meeting in DC… a total of 25 stories containing the word atheist since April 1. Since *May 1*, there have been 30 stories with the word ‘christian.’
This is pretty cool. Sometimes, I like feeling small and insignificant:
Most likely, the whole thing will be over 10^(10^26) years from now. By that time all matter could have collapsed into black holes, depending on which group of particle physicists ends up being right. Not that we’ll really care, 10^(10^26) years is fascinating number on its own, and responsible for my new favorite footnote on Wikipedia:
The True History of the Distant Future – Tested.
Pair that with this “Scale Of The Universe” interactive tool for a really nice feeling of scale
This is good news, but there is plenty of bad news. Polls show that while support for Amendment One dropped quickly over the last few weeks, it hasn’t dropped much at all in the last week. This probably means that the only hope we have for defeating it is making sure everyone who is against it votes against it and hoping that low turnout is in our favor.
In a 21-minute documentary produced by WRAL-TV in Raleigh, host David Crabtree makes a remarkable statement regarding the attitude of North Carolinas business community when it comes to the hotly debated Amendment One.After showing differing arguments on the proposed change to North Carolinas constitution from families and religious leaders, Crabtree offers viewers a glance at a letter to legislators, signed by 75 chief executives, expressing opposition to the amendment.“We tried to find a CEO who supports Amendment One to interview,” Crabtree says in the video. “We worked with the two lead organizations campaigning for it, the North Carolina Family Policy Council and the North Carolina Values Coalition. They could not find a pro-amendment CEO willing to be interviewed for this documentary.”
via WRAL unable to find CEO to go on record in favor of Amendment One – Charlotte Business Journal.
In a word, yes. It’s unfortunate, and I don’t think they should be able to, but legally, they can:
The IRS has published Revenue Ruling 2007-41, which outlines how churches, and all 501c3 organizations, can stay within the law regarding the ban on political activity. Also, the ban by Congress is on political campaign activity regarding a candidate; churches and other 501c3 organizations can engage in a limited amount of lobbying including ballot measures and advocate for or against issues that are in the political arena. The IRS also has provided guidance regarding the difference between advocating for a candidate and advocating for legislation. See political and lobbying activities.
So although I’d like to see churches lose their carte blanche 501c3 statuses unless they are actually able to prove they deserve it, while they have it, they can still support (or not support) Amendment One and other such issues. They just can’t support specific candidates.
I already knew Franklin Graham, like his father, was a closed-minded dolt. This makes it worse, though. Do these people not understand that gay marriage is already illegal and that this amendment will primarily hurt children and people who get benefits from domestic partnerships (most of whom are heterosexual)?
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Rev. Franklin Graham has recorded a message supporting a proposed amendment to North Carolina’s constitution that would limit traditional marriage as the only recognized domestic legal union in the state.
The pro-amendment Vote FOR Marriage NC released late Friday the audio message from Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham and head of the Samaritan’s Purse organization in Boone.
Franklin Graham asks listeners to “take a stand on God’s definition of marriage” between a man and a woman and vote for the amendment on the May 8 primary ballot.
via Franklin Graham backing N.C. marriage amendment | North Carolina News – WXII Home.
Yesssss! Keep it up, North Carolina! Keep me proud to live here!
Opponents of Amendment One, a proposed change to North Carolina’s state constitution that would only ensure legal recognition for marriage between a man and a woman, have long contended that as voters learn more about the measure support for it will drop. There is now mounting evidence to corroborate that claim, so much so that the amendment may be facing an improbable defeat.Over the last month, there have been indications that the tide is turning — typified by both a groundswell of opposition toward the amendment and a confluence of events that have stymied its support. The latest proof that the race is tightening came earlier this week, when the Democratic-leaning and Raleigh-based Public Policy Polling PPP released the results of a survey showing that 54 percent of likely voters intend to vote for Amendment One, while 40 percent are opposed. That’s still a strong majority to be sure, but it also represents the lowest level of support that PPP has found for Amendment One since it began polling last October. Perhaps most promising for opponents is the shift in opinion among North Carolina Democrats, who were were divided over the issue in PPP’s survey a month ago. The latest poll shows only 38 percent of Democratic voters support the amendment, with 56 percent opposed. Additionally, support among African-American voters — an historically socially conservative voting bloc — has dropped by ten percent over the last month.
via North Carolina mariage amendment is losing support | TPM2012.
http://www.mrob.com/pub/ries/index.html
ries (or RIES, an acronym for RILYBOT Inverse Equation Solver) takes any number and produces a list of equations that approximately solve to that number. Let’s try it with the answer to the question of live, the universe, and everything:
ries 42
Your target value: T = 42 www.mrob.com/ries
x+7 = 7^2 (exact match) {64}
l(l(x)) = 1/p+1 for X = T – 0.0239208 {76}
q(x+p) = 4+e for X = T – 0.00628193 {78}
x/5^2 = e/f for X = T – 0.000235975 {85}
q(x)-f = 9.C(1) for X = T + 0.00018202 {93}
5vx-1 = q(2/f) for X = T + 1.74556e-005{99}
1/(x+7)^2 = (1/7)^4 for X = T + 7.10543e-015{100}
e = base of natural logarithms, 2.71828… A v B = A root of B
f = phi, the golden ratio, (1+sqrt(5))/2 p = pi, 3.14159… C(x) = cos(x)
l = ln, natural logarithm or log base e q = square root
–LHS– –RHS– -Total-
dead-ends: 177399 243344 420743
expressions: 13265 19005 32270
distinct: 8066 8517 16583 Memory: 832K
Total equations tested: 68698122
RIES is presently featured on xkcd
It’s also fun to do with birthdays. Let’s try mine:
Your target value: T = 1981.0507 www.mrob.com/ries
xL5 = 2+e for X = T + 4.75828 {74}
3vx = 4.p for X = T + 3.35101 {71}
q(x/e) = 3^3 for X = T + 0.576753 {81}
x^S(2) = 9^p for X = T – 0.0873835 {86}
l(x)+6 = 5.e for X = T + 0.0525041 {87}
q(x)+q(p) = 2.e^p for X = T – 0.00572433 {95}
q(x/l(x)) = e^e+1 for X = T – 0.00236667 {100}
Catholic bishops denied communion to Kennedy & Kerry b/c of support of choice. shouldn't they do same to Ryan & backers of his plan?—
Gen JC Christian (@JC_Christian) April 26, 2012
