A Blessed Nativity

"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, 'God with us.'"

-- Matthew 1:23

"Prepare O Bethlehem, for Eden has been opened for all!"
-- Orthodox Hymns in preparation for the Nativity

Have a merry humbug?

My good friends at the Freedom from Religion Foundation are at it again, further exacerbating our hyper-sensitive world here in Washington State, where having certain beliefs is apparently tantamount to a threat upon the livelihood of others.

I've previously blogged about their proselytizing billboard campaign. This time they have a "religionless" display at the Washington State capitol in Olympia, along with a Nativity scene, a Menorah, and an Xmas tree (apparently the Hindus, Muslims and Buddists et. al, are out of luck).

The lack of foresight that can't seem to recognize or understand the difference between a religious display like a Menorah and an atheist article that openly disparages religious belief astounds me. This FFRF display is nothing short of socially acceptable bigotry.

According to this article, the FFRF manifesto, er . . . vendetta, uh . . . I mean display (yeah, that's it) at the capitol turned up missing within a few hours of being put up. The FFRF quickly replaced it, along with plans to include the well-known religious directive, "thou shalt not steal." Seriously, FFRF? It's easy to imagine that the inclusion of this commandment (held as sacred by more than one major religion) was meant to further ridicule religious belief but you seem oblivious of the contradiction here. I thought the purpose of religion was to brainwash? Now you use it to your advantage, even in jest, when necessary?

I find the foundationally contradictory nature of your organization unfortunate (I would like to note that while I do not share in the belief, I accept atheism as a valid belief system). I find the increasing acceptance of the FFRF in our society at large to be a disturbing trend and, as it bodes for the future, more than a little scary.

Another worthwhile quote

"I have seen pride lead to humility. And I remembered him who said: Who hath known the mind of the Lord? The pit and offspring of conceit is a fall; but a fall is often an occasion of humility for those who are willing to use it to their advantage."

-– St. John Climacus

And another reason to cry, Glory to God for all things!

Sex sells

During this time of the year I am reminded of several things, not the least of which the rampant consumerism of our culture. Most have probably seen the recent story of a Wal-Mart worker in Long Island who was trampled to death by a horde of shoppers anxious to get their mitts on one of the limited number of flat screen televisions.

Here in Seattle we like our coffee. In addition to the chains like Starbucks and Tully's, we have small coffee stands in what seems like every other parking lot. The latest trend around Lynnwood seems to be the "soft-core porn" coffee-stand business model, with names like "Java Jugs" advertising baristas in lingerie and others stands announcing, "sexy barista babes."

I am not making this up.

Dostoevsky

the moment you make yourself sincerely responsible for everything and everyone, you will see at once that it is really so, that it is you who are guilty on behalf of all and for all. -- Dostoevsky

I was reminded recently that in order to be convinced that evil exists in the world one only need commit themselves to obey the commandments of God, to pray, to be merciful, pure in heart, poor in spirit, peacemaking and love their enemies. When I attempt to humble myself before my brothers and sisters I need little convincing that evil is alive and well in the world both without, and even more disturbingly, very much alive and well within.

Danielson

My own idea on what it means to be a "Christian artist" has fluctuated over the years. An interesting entry into the discussion of this topic is found in the 2006 documentary, Danielson: A Family Movie, which chronicles the story of a family that started a band when the youngest member was 11, built a following in the independent music scene, toured worldwide in support of records produced by Steve Albini, and eventually were eclipsed in popularity by one of its backing instrumentalists (Sufjan Stevens). Most interesting to me about the Danielson famile is their music itself, which I can only attempt to describe as a joyfully abstract Vacation Bible School soundtrack.

The video for "Idiot Boksen" can be viewed below; I apologize that a portion of the right side of the video is cut off due to the formatting size of my blog.

Exclusive election day analysis

I have often wondered what the purpose is of putting down that thin tissue paper on the toilet before being seated. It seems to me to be rather noisy, uncomfortable and unnecessary. I have noticed the high frequency with which those in my particular office use the "Discreet Seat" tissue paper before what I would assume is either a bowel movement or a well-choreographed attempt to avoid work. Call me old fashioned, but I for one do not have any qualms about sitting my bare behind on a toilet seat with no other barrier, "Discreet Seat" or otherwise.

Studies show that a much larger percentage of germs are found on the average desk than the average toilet seat.*

*I do not have a citation for this particular claim, but I did read it somewhere.