Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

 from trade me

[From me]

Well Jesus did say He was the bread of life. Isn’t Pita unleavened too?

BTW: it is for sale!

[HT] Steve Thompson

[From Denver Post]

(From the author of the article not me:)

I don’t believe in the supernatural. This includes God (or gods). In the literal sense of the word, that makes me an a-theist (as well as an a-leprechaunist, a-goblinist, and so on).

Being an unbeliever in a predominantly Christian country can be a bit daunting at times, and I certainly understand the desire of my fellow unbelievers to speak out against hate, injustice, cruelty and prejudice, particularly when wrapped in a cocoon of religious rhetoric and passed off as love.

But the way some atheists go about it just makes me shake my head in wonder.

Take the recent flap in Olympia, Washington, where a seasonal message from the Freedom From Religion Foundation was erected next to the traditional Christian religious display in the Capitol building.

The message the FFRF chose to display was this: “At this season of the winter solstice may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”

The FFRF is run by Dan Barker, a former fundamentalist preacher who abandoned his Christian faith many years ago. His story, as told in his book Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist, is a fascinating one, and Dan is obviously a smart guy, but I cannot imagine how in the world he let this message get past his laptop, let alone out the door and encased in a plastic slab in the rotunda of a state Capitol building.

No wonder many people think atheists are an intolerant and crotchety group.

Read more here.

[From me]

This guy gets it.  There is no reason to be angry on either side.  If a person wants to not believe in God that is their choice.  However even Penn from Penn and Teller says you would have to hate someone not to tell them about Jesus if you believed in heaven and hell.  If I were an atheist I wouldn’t care what people did.  But because I believe there is a heaven that we can go to by giving our lives to Christ, I will continue to share my faith.  I would hate for anyone to spend eternity in hell.  It is their choice but it still make me sad.

What do you think?

[Times Online]

RESIDENTS of a model housing estate bankrolled by Hollywood celebrities and hand-built by Jimmy Carter, the former US president, are complaining that it is falling apart. Fairway Oaks was built on northern Florida wasteland by 10,000 volunteers, including Carter, in a record 17-day “blitz” organised by the charity Habitat for Humanity. Eight years later it is better known for cockroaches, mildew and mysterious skin rashes.

A forthcoming legal battle over Fairway Oaks threatens the reputation of a charity envied for the calibre of its celebrity supporters, who range from Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt to Colin Firth, Christian Bale and Helena Bonham Carter.

The case could challenge the bedrock philosophy behind Habitat for Humanity, claiming that using volunteers, rather than professional builders, is causing as many problems as it solves.

April Charney, a lawyer representing many of the 85 homeowners in Fairway Oaks, said she had no problems taking on Habitat for Humanity, despite its status as a “darling of liberal social activists”. She said the charity should have told people that part of the estate had been built on a rubbish dump.

Some residents dismiss their neighbours’ worries. Diennal Fields, 51, said people did not know how to look after their homes: “It’s simple stuff: if there is mildew, don’t get a lawyer, get a bottle of bleach.”

Read more here.

[From me]

Only in America can you sue over something you got for free!

What do you think?

[Las Vegas Sun]

It’s been claimed that images of Jesus Christ have appeared on everything from water stains to potato chips. Often those images fade. But one West Valley woman says she has had the likeness of Jesus in every one of her kitchen tiles for eight years.

Antonia Baker saw the image in the floor of her Lakes home for the first time three years ago during the Christmas season while she was recovering from surgery for an eye injury. Doctors said she had to keep her head down to allow her retina to heal. She wasn’t allowed to read or use the computer, so she had to stare at the floor for three weeks.

That much concentration led her to see an image that had always been in the 13-by-13-inch ceramic tiles, but had never been recognized.

“I never noticed for five years. I never even looked,” she said. “It didn’t manufacture itself. It was just always there.”

The image of Jesus from the waist up and facing to the left is the same in every tile, so it likely was made during manufacturing, she said. Baker bought the tiles about eight years ago from a shop that is no longer in business. However, it’s possible others purchased the same tile and could be walking on Jesus too.

Read more here.

[From me]

I know Jesus said He was the door, but the tile?