We are led to believe that the nut jobs in other countries are indicative of the people as a whole.  These comments would certainly not support that.  As a matter of fact, I thought it was interesting to read just how much like us some of them are.  Many of the comments are clearly written by residents of Pakistan as evidenced by a variety of nuances in the use of language and thoughts, yet the point of view was not much different from we would expect from our next door neighbor, a soccer mom, or a teacher in our child’s school. 

ABBOTTABAD: 

It may have been a mere misplaced dot that led to accusations of blasphemy against a Christian eighth-grader, whose miniscule error led to her expulsion from school and uproar amongst local religious leaders.

Faryal Bhatti, a student at the Sir Syed Girls High School in Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) colony Havelian, erroneously misspelt a word in an Urdu exam while answering a question on a poem written in praise of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The word in question was ‘laanat’ instead of ‘naat’ – an easy error for a child to make, as the written versions of the words are similar.

According to the school administration and religious leaders who took great exception to the hapless student’s mistake, the error is ‘serious’ enough to fall within the realm of blasphemy, Saturday.

Spelling out her punishment

On Thursday, Faryal’s Urdu teacher was collecting the answer sheets from her students when she noticed the apparently offensive word on her pupil’s sheet. The teacher, Fareeda Bibi, reportedly summoned the Christian girl, scolded her and beat her. Her punishment, however, did not end here. When Faryal’s class fellows learnt of the alleged blasphemy, the teacher brought the principal’s notice to the matter, who further informed the school management.

In the meanwhile, the news spread throughout the colony. The next day, male students of the POF colony school as well as certain religious elements took out a rally, demanding the registration of a criminal case against the eighth-grader and her expulsion from the area.

Prayer leaders within the community also condemned the incident in their Friday sermons, asking the colony’s administration to not only take action against Faryal but her entire family. In the wake of the increasing tensions, Managing Director POF Colony Havelian Asif Siddiki called a meeting of colony-based ulemas and school teachers to discuss the situation. The girl and her mother were asked to appear before the meeting, where they explained that it was a mere error, caused by a resemblance between the two words. The two immediately apologised, adding that Faryal had no malicious intentions.

In a move that was apparently meant to pacify the religious elements clamouring for action against the teenage ‘blasphemer’, the POF administration expelled her from the school on Saturday. Faryal was not the only one who got in trouble for her spelling error, however, as her mother, Sarafeen Bhatti, who was a staff nurse at the POF Hospital Havelian for several years, was immediately transferred to POF Wah Cantonment Hospital.

To read the rest of this story, click here.

Read more: The Capistrano Dispatch – Capistrano Couple in Legal Battle for Hosting Bible Study in Home

HOUSTON – At least two members of Congress have called for the termination of the director of Houston National Cemetery amid allegations of religious censorship.

“I am deeply troubled by the allegations that were brought to my attention when I met with members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in Houston,” said U.S. Rep. Ted Poe (R-Houston).

Poe called for Arleen Ocasio’s firing days after several groups in Houston sued the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The lawsuit claims Ocasio told them to stop saying “God bless you” at the funerals of veterans.

Ocasio came under fire in May after a Houston pastor claimed she asked him to edit the words “Jesus Christ ” out of his Memorial Day prayer service.

The federal government changed its position after the pastor sued the Department of Veterans Affairs and a federal judge interceded.

“They’re experiencing the grief of having to bury a loved one and it’s really hard to have to deal with static when they’re already dealing with so much negativity,” said Trey Gonzales, director of Veterans Funeral Services. “I think that there [are] a lot of people upset with the way things have been happening across the street and I think that the change is inevitable and I think it will happen.”

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Houston) told KHOU 11 News he supported Congressman Poe’s call for Ocasio’s termination.

“This is shocking,” he said. “[It is] really abhorrent to our veterans that they can’t have a proper military burial and not refer to God or Jesus Christ.”

To read the rest of this story, click here.

Here is the Fox News version of the story:  Military Funerals

Now these people definitely quote a lot of scriptures that I remember from my growing up.  But they missed one I remember my mother quoting.  It was something about how no man knows the time or day.  What’s up with that?

So what was your last meal?

Happy Easter

I tried to write this last night, but my internet connection got in the way so I shall now wish all you a nearly belated Happy Easter.  Hope your day has been joyous.

I have not been able to celebrate holidays for over a year now but made up my mind that I would celebrate Easter today.  However, I have had a severe headache for two days.

Last night Bill asked me what I was going to do for the day and I said I had been thinking about going to church but didn’t really feel like it.  I have to admit I really don’t care too much for my church but have been too lazy to look elsewhere.

Well I got a lecture from Bill that it is not about the church but about worshipping God and he said I had to go.  Moments later I received a text message from Bill’s dad asking me what I was going to do today.  I knew there was only one right answer to that question!   And then this morning Bill called to wake me up to be sure I was going to church.

I still had a really bad headache and did not feel like going.  As hard as I tried to get myself up, I just couldn’t.  I finally decided that I would sleep another hour and then go to the old people’s service at 11 a.m. instead.  By 10 a.m. my head still hurt, I felt groggy, and I did not want to go to church.  But, I knew I would be checked on and I couldn’t lie about it.  So I got myself going.

I finally got out of the house at 10:25 and needed gas to get into town so I knew I would be a half hour late.  I thought to myself I should simply go to a church in my community.  I think we have seven and they are all very, very small.  But I knew the Assemlby of God started at 10:30 and I would only be a minute or so late.

So I drove over to the church.  There were hardly any cars in the parking lot.  One of  the reasons I drive into Victorville is because I like the anoniminty of a very large church.  I drove around the parking lot again and decided I was being silly. So I parked and finally made myself go in.

As it turns out the sign out front was wrong.  Sunday services actually start at 10:45 so I was in plenty of time.  I was greeted by a lady whose first question to me was, “Are you here for food,” to which I said that I was not. I later learned that they hand out food to the needy after each service.  It’s kind of like Skid Row missions where one has to sit through a service before he or she can get food.  And there were clearly some individuals who only wanted the food in attendance.

It has been almost 40 years since I last attended a small country church, excluding the Navajo church I attended Gallop.  What a difference when everything is not run by a corporation.

The music consisted of two accounstic guitar players, who were obviously cowboys, and three other singers.  It wasn’t quite hymns and it wasn’t quite contemporary.  It also wasn’t quite in key.  I could not help but laugh to myself when after some semi-traditional music they broke out in what could be called honky-tonk except with religious words.

The pastor must be in his 80s.  Not long after he started, his wife had to bring him his oxygen.  He read in Mark from King James version about the loaves and fish.  I didn’t quite get the gist of what the rest of the sermon.  People would talk to him from the pews.  At one point someone asked if anyone had prayed for him.  The service was stopped while one of the parishoners led the congregation in prayer over the pastor.  From what I gathered he has been suffering from a serious illness.  The pastor’s wife interuptted him several times to expound on what he was saying.

I was feeling kind of badly because I really didn’t have anything to wear for Easter Sunday so I just wore my regular clothes that I would wear to work at the county.  Boy was I overdressed!  It was levi and t-shirts.

The entire African American population of my community was there, all five of them.  And both Asians who live there were also in attendance.  We have a significant Hispanic population, but without stereotyping, I suspect many of them were at the Catholic Church as I did not see a single Hispanic in attendance.  There were lots of people who didn’t have teeth, and since it’s Easter Sunday, let’s just say it wasn’t from old age.  I have been to churches where none of these people would have been welcome.

Honestly, as much pain as I was in this morning, it was still a blast.   I have always been a people watcher.  The most important thing, of course,was that you could tell that these people loved God.  It was, in a sense, what going to church is meant to be.  No one cared about how much money you have in the bank, the color of your skin, or how you were dressed.  It was all about worshipping God.  It was nice to go to a church where the people really cared about one another.

The image is eerily familiar: a bearded young man with flowing curly hair. After lying for nearly 2,000 years hidden in a cave in the Holy Land, the fine detail is difficult to determine. But in a certain light it is not difficult to interpret the marks around the figure’s brow as a crown of thorns.

The extraordinary picture of one of the recently discovered hoard of up to 70 lead codices – booklets – found in a cave in the hills overlooking the Sea of Galilee is one reason Bible historians are clamouring to get their hands on the ancient artefacts.

If genuine, this could be the first-ever portrait of Jesus Christ, possibly even created in the lifetime of those who knew him.

Discovery: The impression on this booklet cover shows what could be the earliest image of Christ

The tiny booklet, a little smaller than a modern credit card, is sealed on all sides and has a three-dimensional representation of a human head on both the front and the back. One appears to have a beard and the other is without. Even the maker’s fingerprint can be seen in the lead impression. Beneath both figures is a line of as-yet undeciphered text in an ancient Hebrew script.

Astonishingly, one of the booklets appears to bear the words ‘Saviour of Israel’ – one of the few phrases so far translated.

The owner of the cache is Bedouin trucker Hassan Saida who lives in the Arab village of Umm al-Ghanim, Shibli. He has refused to sell the booklets but two samples were sent to England and Switzerland for testing.

A Mail on Sunday investigation has revealed that the artefacts were originally found in a cave in the village of Saham in Jordan, close to where Israel, Jordan and Syria’s Golan Heights converge – and within three miles of the Israeli spa and hot springs of Hamat Gader, a religious site for thousands of years.

To read the rest of this story, click here.

Probably six or seven years ago now, my mom and I had lunch at the Olive Garden in Victorville after having dropped off my car for service.  I was driving a loaner.  After lunch we exited the restaurant and got into the car.  I started the vehicle and attempted to back up.  The car wouldn’t move no matter how much I applied the gas.  I checked my emergency brake to be sure it was up, made sure the vehicle was in reverse, and checked my mirrors several times.  I could not understand why the car would not back up.  I finally turned off the engine and got out of the car.   As I walked around to the back of the car, I spotted a toddler standing against the rear bumper.  The baby’s father spotted it about the same time and came running across the parking lot.  I have no other explanation as to why the vehicle would not back up.

Anyway, this video has nothing to do with that story.  I just happened to be listening to my “The Altr and the Door” CD and the song reminded me of a few people.  Enjoy:

The blog has been amazing that way.  I have met a lot of people because of it—sometimes that has been a real blessing and other times not so much so, like ET.  But overall it has been a great experience, especially when I finally get to meet someone who I have corresponded with for a couple of years and probably talked with on the phone.  That happened the other week with the person responsible for bringing the whole Doreen Boxer situation to light.

Then sometimes I hear about someone who reads the blog and it makes me cringe.  That also happened a couple of days ago.

My old timers know my father was a minister and I was raised Pentecostal.  I have really struggled with my faith for the past few years.  And it has showed in some very dramatic ways on the blog.  So imagine my dismay when a friend told me he was meeting with his pastor, who happens to pastor the largest church in the high desert, and the subject of iePolitics came up.  Seems the pastor reads the blog on occasion.  Oops.  I would like to say I cringed just a little, but in reality, I cringed a whole heck of a lot.

So, I’m thinking to myself I should spend more time listening to my Casting Crowns or Third Day CDs and less time to John and Ken!   I always used to write a Sunday post and took some criticism for it but decided to get back to it just a bit.  So, for this Sunday, I came across this video that could be said to be political and religious at the same time:

Summary:  The sinking ship known as the Southwest Riverside County Tea Party Citizens in Action Group spurs ignorance and causes further damage to Tea Party and GOP image.  July 30^th plans to protest the existing Temecula mosque shows SWRC Tea Party is spurred by hatred of Islam.  By bringing dogs to mosque grounds, singing in protest of belief that Muslim women are forbidden to sing, and with local pastor claiming that the mosque will increase presence of Muslim extremists, group proves to be out of touch with reality.

Heightened tension between Islam and self-proclaimed American Patriots are on the rise. With the Ground Zero mosque protests inciting nation-wide Islamophobia paired with accusations of Tea Party racism, it’s no wonder that one of the biggest battle grounds that brings these two heavyweight issues face to face is in our own backyard – Temecula, California.

The city of Temecula has a Muslim demographic. The Muslim demographic have long since had a place of worship.  However, they needed time to raise funds to convert a basic warehouse like structure into a proper mosque.

While that doesn’t necessarily mean minarets, it does mean having a center that allows Muslims to have a building with a layout that has functionality – just like any center, religious or not, would need in order to be an effective use of space.

Muslims from the Temecula mosque took the time and effort to raise the money and they have a right to convert their makeshift warehouse mosque into something that makes sense and is in keeping with local ordinances.  As far as I know, there are no zoning issues or other complications. There is no local history of association with fringe radical groups or suspicious individuals.

more at: http://qudosi.com

What strikes me most is the hatred I hear in people’s voices as they talk about an “abomination unto God” all the while discussing the importance of honoring God and living a righteous life.  I have to wonder if these people realize how hateful and bigoted they really sound.

I do not take issue with those who don’t agree with the homosexual lifestyle when their disagreement is based on Biblical principles.  But those same principles teach us not to hate our brothers and sisters.  And what I see is hatred for the person, rather than for the action.

I have written in the past about being raised Pentecostal, which certainly does not condone the homosexual lifestyle.  But at the same time, I have a lot of good friends who are openly gay.  I cannot hate them for that.  And the one question I have for those who think all gays are bound for hell.  What happened to God’s forgiveness?  I hate to break it to all of you, but if He isn’t forgiving, then every last one of us is headed for exactly the same place.  Except for those whose dying breath is to ask for God’s forgiveness, every one of us will have a lot of fast talking to do on Judgment Day because we all sin, intentionally or unintentionally, every day and most of us don’t ask for forgiveness after every little sin.

But whether homosexuality is a sin or not, is forgivable by God or not, or is normal or perverse, is not the point of this post.  The real point is that all of those self-righteous Republicans do not have a clue just how many of our most respected Republican leaders are closet homosexuals.  Right here in San Bernardino County, many of our highest-ranking Republicans, past and present, are guess what?  Gay. That’s right.  And you don’t even know it.  You talk trash right in front of them.  That is pretty shameful, if you ask me.  And really Christian-like, huh?

Perhaps, if Republicans would stay out of people’s bedrooms and spend more time trying to be a bit more compassionate, we would once again regain our glory as a party.  Yes, Republicans are picking up ground, but “Decline to State” is picking up even more ground.  Most families in this country share the core values of the Republican Party but far less are comfortable enough to want to be labeled “Republican” if it means being labeled a bigot.  We are our own worse enemies.

Republicans do not have to compromise their core values to be more inclusive.  They only have to act with compassion rather than hate.  That seems to be a lesson they cannot learn or accept.

]]> http://iepolitics.net/2010/05/24/iepolitics-it-is-time-for-republicans-to-stop-with-the-bigotry-duplicity-and-self-righteousness/feed/ 5 http://iepolitics.net/2010/05/09/iepolitics-obama-on-religion/ http://iepolitics.net/2010/05/09/iepolitics-obama-on-religion/#comments Sun, 09 May 2010 13:19:26 +0000 Administrator http://iepolitics.com/?p=2641

Mildred, the church gossip, and self-appointed monitor of the church’s morals, kept sticking her nose into other people’s business . . .

Several members did not approve of her extra curricular activities, but feared her enough to maintain their silence.

She made a mistake, however, when she accused Frank, a new member, of being an alcoholic after she saw his old pickup parked in front of the town’s only bar one afternoon.