The “religious” straddle the fence on abortion

In the 36 years since Roe V. Wade (January 22, 1973), abortion is probably still the most highly contested not only in the nation, but also in the Church.

No, really. Being “religious” or “spiritual” is of no consequence. To this day, only 40 percent want to make abortion illegal in “all or most cases”. As in, you know, way more than that.

Recently, the Pew Forum found that most religious traditions is either one side of the proverbial fence… or the other. Huh? Let’s see, biblical dogma says life STARTS at the moment of conception, not delivery. So, one would think the dark gray “illegal in most cases” would be blinding.

Nah, not in this uber-PC world in which we live! Folk think zygotes don’t have a pulse, and that stupid technology called sonograms is actually just one of those ViewMasters and it’s all fake. So, where would the majority of your “faith” fall – not just denominations, but those affiliations as well?

BTW, I need to renew my subscription to the “Watchtower”, because some of those folk know where they stand. See for yourself:

New report: Americans change faiths like their underwear

One of my most immense pet peeves is the inane question, “What religion are you?” Argh!

I understand people outside of the Church, and some of the lukewarm fish inside of it, don’t know – or don’t care – to understand the difference between denominations and religion. But, there is a huge difference.

And then add to the mix, “What faith are you?” Oy! I’m liable to go back to seminary and fasten a seat belt because my head is spinning like a drunk in the middle of Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras.

So says HiScrivener: Faith is an ardent belief in a deity. Religion is a codified doctrine to follow a deity. Denominations are defined by the methodology people choose to celebrate their deity.

According to this story in the New York Times, people are truly searching for a relationship with Jesus Christ, rather than fancying a stroll into some religious house of worship, apothegm and dunderheads.

For at least a generation, scholars have noted that more Americans are moving among faiths, as denominational loyalty erodes. But the survey, based on interviews with more than 35,000 Americans, offers one of the clearest views yet of that trend, scholars said. The United States Census does not track religious affiliation.

So, being a Zionist, can I wake up and decide to become an Orthodox Jew just to feel a little closer to God? Come to think of it, my pastor just doesn’t bring me into the Holy of Holies anymore. Perhaps, I watch my Gandhi DVD, get a little flummoxed at his stance for non-violence and throw away my crucifix to become Hindu. How about that? Besides that, I love hamburger and I get to worship cows. Nice.

Isn’t that what religion, faith and denominations are all about? Bowling for Jesus? A slot machine to insert your dimes and pray for all cherries, and DING DING, salvation is yours? Seriously! This world doesn’t seem to have a clue, and you know what Church? It’s possibly all our fault!

A journey all of us should fancy

Question: If we are the salt of the earth, does the way you live for Christ make folk thirsty for your faith, religion or denomination? Evidently, we still need water out there.

In the Pew survey 7.3 percent of the adult population said they were unaffiliated with a faith as children. That segment increases to 16.1 percent of the population in adulthood, the survey found. The unaffiliated are largely under 50 and male. “Nearly one-in-five men say they have no formal religious affiliation, compared with roughly 13 percent of women,” the survey said.

The Word of God in James’ letter tells us this:

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Here. Here. Those “orphans” and “widows” are not the homeless, the destitute and the maligned. They are not “Baptists,” “Catholics,” “Episcopalians,” and what not. They are people all of them – each with real issues who happen to warm a pew in a Baptist church, a Catholic church, an Episcopalian church or whatever megachurch they attend, or at least brag about attending.

Do you see the difference? The world doesn’t. Jesus did.

My prayer? I hope we all can begin to see this stark difference as well, and start to witness people throwing away their “church membership” cards and just appreciate being part of the Church as a whole.

Newspapers find its faith in the stars

What America really wants to read in print

Newspapers have been folding up its publications and heading down the information superhighway taking their toy online. Why? Most folk don’t enjoy the ink on their hands, so they read it online.

One such paper is fighting for their news fit to print is the Indianapolis Star. Looking at their budget and advertisers, they figure Christians suck and astrology gnosticism rocks, so here’s the story in their words:

The Prayer, a short ecumenical petition that is prayer at its most vanilla, has been a staple of the morning read for decades. It debuted on the editorial page in 1963. It moved to Page A1 in 1968 and moved to Page A2 in 2000. Yet in making the latest changes, the prayer was dropped. Eliminated. Interestingly enough the prayer’s longtime companion, a daily attempt at humor in 8-point type known as the Chuckle, kept its slot.

So, prayer is out of the classroom and out of tradition in Indy. However, according to WOW News’ Bible Belt Blogger, they kept the horoscope.

And if that wasn’t bloodletting enough, here’s an ironic piece of angst for Indiana’s largest daily. Their newspaper motto is A BIBLICAL VERSE: “Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

I suppose the publisher took his liberty to kill the only thing uplifting in that whole paper – crime is on the rise in Indy, their state economy is on the fritz and the Colts were bounced out of the playoffs. But hey, blow the dust of those Ouija boards and Tarot cards, I feel some mojo in advertising.

Pastor robs all those Peters to pay for his two Pauls

If you are a Christian, read this. If you are also a parent, think about this. And if you have ever been a pastor, feel this. Because it’s an odd place to be.

Meet Rev. Donald Armstrong.

This pastor from Colorado meets all three of the aforementioned requirements and ties it all together in one extremely odd way.

A Colorado Springs police detective said in an affidavit released Tuesday that the Rev. Donald Armstrong may have misappropriated $392,000 from a Grace Church trust fund. Police took financial documents and computers from the Grace and Episcopal Church in November after an 18-month investigation.

Heinous, right? Unforgivable, certainly. Why, in the name of all that is holy, would this pastor seemingly exorcise his faith and his fellowship? With this one twist:

Authorities say a pastor who is part of a theft investigation used money from a church trust fund to pay for his two children’s college education.

Oh. Well, uh, yeah. Sure. Um…

So, I’m pontificating actions like this are liable to make a preacher cuss, but then you stick his kids in the equation. What he did is wrong, without question. But his motives? Without reservation. Man, is the economy that bad?

What do you think? Inquiring minds want to know.

Refreshing New Study: Abstinence on the rise

No, you read that correctly – this isn’t a story about teen pregnancy or condoms passed out in school.

It’s about what you think should occur when teenagers are serious about their walk with the Lord – they keep their pants on, at least according to FOX News.

Religious teens lose their virginity later than those who are not religious — waiting on average three years longer than their peers, a recent study reported.

Huzzah! This “wait until marriage” thing isn’t foolproof, but at least it gives you a goal, right?

According to many, as also noted in the story, virginity pledges don’t matter. Curiosity killed more than the cat, it gave it catnip, caused it walk backwards and act like it has rabies… and then, you know, it died.

Janet Rosenbaum, a post doctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, wrote in this month’s issue of “Pediatrics” that those with strong religious backgrounds became sexually active at about 21 on average —regardless if they took a pledge to remain a virgin until marriage.

Being a teenager is tough enough, then add raging hormones to the mix, and that struggle becomes off the chain. That’s the thing about sex, it’s supposed to feel good and most teenagers think puppy love is the real deal, and as married folk know full well – it sooo is not.

Love, a true agape love, is about sacrifice, honor and selflessness… all of which is not included on a pre-pubescent tryst in the back seat of your Dad’s AMC Pacer. But hey, at least, the Christian teenagers have three more years to reconsider their options for dating, marriage and their profile on eHarmony.