Alaska Governor’s Appointee Wants to Send People to Jail for Adultery

‘Limited government’ is code for ‘unlimited government’
Wingnuts • Views: 25,560

Here we see the “limited government” Republican Party in all its glory, as Alaska Governor Sean Parnell appoints a religious fanatic to the panel that nominates state judges — a fanatic who wants to see Alaskans go to jail for extra-marital sex.

JUNEAU — Gov. Sean Parnell’s appointee for the panel that nominates state judges testified Wednesday that he would like to see Alaskans prosecuted for having sex outside of marriage.

The candidate, Don Haase of Valdez, also admitted under questioning by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that his official resume failed to disclose his leadership role in Eagle Forum Alaska, which advocates for social conservative issues. He most recently was president of the organization, but resigned when he learned of his nomination, he said.

Haase, picked by Parnell for one of three public seats on the Alaska Judicial Council, said that he wouldn’t let his personal beliefs influence which candidates he’d approve for judgeships.

Jump to bottom

177 comments
1 HC4BO  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:09:23am

He must've had a bad experience ...

2 jamesfirecat  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:09:42am

Government so small it can fit in your bedroom!

Or the back seat of your car as the case may be....

3 Sheila Broflovski  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:10:30am

What did Jesus say about the adulterous woman?

4 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:12:19am

Creeping Sharia has become the GOP platform.

5 Charles Johnson  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:13:06am

"Oh sure, I'm completely nuts and want to impose 15th century punishments for things that are none of my business -- but don't worry! I won't let my personal beliefs influence my picks for judges."

Good freaking grief.

6 okonkolo  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:15:06am

re: #2 jamesfirecat

Government so small it can fit in your bedroom!...

brought to you by the people whose unobtrusive government can get into a woman's cervix, so it's not surprising.

7 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:15:17am

Maybe Parnell can call up Bristol Palin as a witness.

8 theheat  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:16:13am
Haase, picked by Parnell for one of three public seats on the Alaska Judicial Council, said that he wouldn’t let his personal beliefs influence which candidates he’d approve for judgeships.

Sorry, but the last freak from Alaska that said that has proceeded to do exactly that: fundie 24/7, promoting that value system in all aspects of life and government.

Beyond being dangerous religious fanatics, they're terrible liars. They really, really suck at it.

10 allegro  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:20:18am

What is the penalty for out of wedlock sex that he proposes? Fines? Jail? Stoning? Burn at the stake? Does this include men too or just the evil vixens who lure them into these unholy encounters?

11 mikefromArlington  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:20:36am

15th Century solutions for 21st Century problems.

Why not!

12 darthstar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:21:06am

Of course he wouldn't let his personal beliefs get in the way...never in a million years. Asshole.

13 allegro  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:21:33am

re: #11 mikefromArlington

15th Century solutions for 21st Century problems.

What problem? Sex is good... marriage, not so much sometimes.

15 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:22:18am

Chastity Belts will be government issued upon the onset of puberty, with only Federally appointed purity minders given the keys.

16 darthstar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:23:11am

re: #14 Killgore Trout

Eagle Forum Alaska is currently Closed for Maintenance

That's a good way to avoid paying for the bandwidth of thousands of hits from people coming to mock you.

17 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:23:16am

Hmm, if you jail adulterers won't that put them in one place so that it will be easier to find partners for future endeavors of adultery?
/

18 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:25:12am

re: #17 oaktree

Hmm, if you jail adulterers won't that put them in one place so that it will be easier to find partners for future endeavors of adultery?
/

2 words, Genital Cuffs.

19 The Left  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:25:18am

re: #17 oaktree

Hmm, if you jail adulterers won't that put them in one place so that it will be easier to find partners for future endeavors of adultery?
/

I always wondered the same thing about sex addiction treatments.

20 mikefromArlington  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:25:54am

re: #13 allegro

What problem? Sex is good... marriage, not so much sometimes.

Not a problem in my eyes, in his.

21 aagcobb  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:32:27am

We can trust wingnuts not to inject their religious beliefs into public affairs. Just look at the fine job the Texas State Board of Education has done!
/

22 SanFranciscoZionist  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:32:51am

re: #3 Alouette

What did Jesus say about the adulterous woman?

You see, he just didn't want her stoned. If they'd jailed her, that would have been ok...

//

23 Tigger2  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:33:50am

Some of these candidates are starting to sound like the Taliban.

24 theheat  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:33:54am

re: #22 SanFranciscoZionist

Stoning is so 2010.

25 Walter L. Newton  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:34:26am

re: #23 Tigger2

Some of these candidates are starting to sound like the Taliban.

No... more like Hitler.

26 Nevertires  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:34:42am

re: #4 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Every day these idiots appear more and more like the Taliban.

27 SanFranciscoZionist  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:35:08am

re: #17 oaktree

Hmm, if you jail adulterers won't that put them in one place so that it will be easier to find partners for future endeavors of adultery?
/

I assume the male and female adulterers will be separated. Of course, the gay adulterers will be a whole different problem.

28 Nevertires  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:35:14am

re: #26 Nevertires

re: #23 Tigger2

I type too slow...

29 wrenchwench  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:35:20am

So Alaska could be more backwards than Mexico.

MEXICO CITY — Adultery may be a sin, but it soon won't be a crime anymore in Mexico.

The Mexican Senate has repealed part of the Federal Criminal Code that made cheating on a spouse an offence punishable by two years in prison.

Senators voted Friday with 69 in favour and one abstention to get rid of a law they said was never enforced but remained on the books.

Pablo Gomez of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party said the law was part of a legal construct that historically allowed men to hold women as property.

The change already passed the lower House of Deputies and now goes to President Felipe Calderon for his signature.

Hmmm...

30 SanFranciscoZionist  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:35:41am

re: #25 Walter L. Newton

No... more like Hitler.

Hitler was opposed to premarital sex?

31 Killgore Trout  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:38:18am

re: #30 SanFranciscoZionist

Hitler was opposed to premarital sex?

Interesting question but I doubt it. I think Adolf only married Eva Braun near the end.

32 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:38:34am

re: #23 Tigger2

Some of these candidates are starting to sound like the Taliban.

What do you mean? One is a group of misogynistic religious fundamentalists convinced of their own moral superiority, while the others are...

Never mind.

33 theheat  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:38:42am

re: #30 SanFranciscoZionist

Only with women. Hitler was in the closet. But he was too weird to even be gay gay. A self loathing closet case, with just enough Jewish ancestry to live in perpetual conflict.

(Mostly, he was insane,)

35 AK-47%  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:39:26am

He would've busted Bristol Palin? Wonder how Mama Grizzly woulda reacted to that...

36 Walter L. Newton  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:40:55am

re: #34 GNIDAthe#seCond

Don't Worry America, Canada is Taking Charge of Libya

Stop pimping your blog on the main topic pages... jerk.

37 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:40:59am

So if an Islamist practicing taqiyya posing as a Christian uses the Bible to enact Sharia law, is it still against God's plan?

38 McSpiff  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:41:40am

re: #35 ralphieboy

He would've busted Bristol Palin? Wonder how Mama Grizzly woulda reacted to that...

She repented before the Lord. If its good enough for Huckabee...

OT, but this blog is starting to warp me. I didn't know the Canadian Governor-General's name the other day. Had to look it up.

39 AK-47%  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:41:54am

re: #31 Killgore Trout

Interesting question but I doubt it. I think Adolf only married Eva Braun near the end.

My favorite scene from "The Downfall" was when the Justice of the Peace makes iot through the Russian shelling to marry Adolf and Eva.

He sits down at the table and states "According to law, I am required to ask the following question: are you both of pure Aryan descent?"

Goebbels intervenes and tells him to just get on with it...

40 Killgore Trout  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:43:32am

re: #39 ralphieboy

My favorite scene from "The Downfall" was when the Justice of the Peace makes iot through the Russian shelling to marry Adolf and Eva.

He sits down at the table and states "According to law, I am required to ask the following question: are you both of pure Aryan descent?"

Goebbels intervenes and tells him to just get on with it...

It really was a fantastic movie.

41 wrenchwench  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:44:29am

re: #38 McSpiff

She repented before the Lord. If its good enough for Huckabee...

OT, but this blog is starting to warp me. I didn't know the Canadian Governor-General's name the other day. Had to look it up.

I had to look up my own name.

/It wasn't the blog, it was the roofers. Who are still at it.

42 Big Steve  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:44:36am

Adultery a jailable crime....hum.....I would like to see the ex of Big Steve do the perp walk.

43 Nevertires  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:44:48am

re: #34 GNIDAthe#seCond

re: #38 McSpiff

Me too. I know the US Speaker of the House and many other names but my own Governor General ... umm ... Google to the rescue.

44 Shiplord Kirel  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:45:13am

Ok, fundies, let's get it over with and just outlaw sex completely. After all, who among you has not had some kind of difficulty related to sex? It is potentially messy, expensive, time-consuming, dangerous, and a serious distraction from our real business of praising God and accumulating a serious portfolio. It has also been the downfall of many, many godly men (and some women) who let themselves be tempted.

There is the reproductive angle of course, but modern science is steadily advancing toward the point at which clean, predictable asexual reproduction can replace the ad hoc processes of the past. Abolishing the disgusting, not to mention, arduous practices of the flesh could well encourage and accelerate further progress in this area.
Too bad you are the same morons who reject modern science.

45 iossarian  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:45:20am

re: #37 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

So if an Islamist practicing taqiyya posing as a Christian uses the Bible to enact Sharia law, is it still against God's plan?

HEAD ASPLODE

46 AK-47%  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:45:39am

Newt Gingrich would not be able to visit Alaska again, either...

47 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:46:25am

Several prominent conservative experts are inquiring as to the status of "rent boys" under the proposed example.

48 Sheila Broflovski  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:46:33am

re: #40 Killgore Trout

It really was a fantastic movie.

Though I am fed up with all the lame YouTube spoofs.

49 Shiplord Kirel  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:47:26am

re: #46 ralphieboy

Newt Gingrich would not be able to visit Alaska again, either...

It's a long way from the Appalachian Trail anyway....

50 theheat  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:47:32am

re: #46 ralphieboy

He's been pandering to the religious right a little while now, so he has his Get Out Of Jail Free card at the ready.

51 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:47:41am

re: #48 Alouette

Though I am fed up with all the lame YouTube spoofs.

I thought Youtube purged them due to copyright issues?

52 lawhawk  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:48:29am
Gov. Sean Parnell’s appointee for the panel that nominates state judges testified Wednesday that he would like to see Alaskans prosecuted for having sex outside of marriage.

Paging Bristol Palin and Levi Johnson... who not only had sex outside marriage, but a child born out of wedlock. Doubt that Grizzly mom Sarah would take too kindly to seeing her cub prosecuted under that law.

53 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:48:41am

re: #44 Shiplord Kirel

Ok, fundies, let's get it over with and just outlaw sex completely. After all, who among you has not had some kind of difficulty related to sex? It is potentially messy, expensive, time-consuming, dangerous, and a serious distraction from our real business of praising God and accumulating a serious portfolio. It has also been the downfall of many, many godly men (and some women) who let themselves be tempted.

There is the reproductive angle of course, but modern science is steadily advancing toward the point at which clean, predictable asexual reproduction can replace the ad hoc processes of the past. Abolishing the disgusting, not to mention, arduous practices of the flesh could well encourage and accelerate further progress in this area.
Too bad you are the same morons who reject modern science.

A uterine replicator would open up a whole lot of possibilities...

54 theheat  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:51:06am

re: #10 allegro

What is the penalty for out of wedlock sex that he proposes? Fines? Jail? Stoning? Burn at the stake?

Fed to polar bears.
Shot from helicopters.
Stand next to a caribou on an episode of Sarah Palin's Alaska.

55 The Left  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:51:07am

re: #49 Shiplord Kirel

It's a long way from the Appalachian Trail anyway...

Heh. Appalachian Fail will live on in infamy.

56 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:51:18am

re: #53 oaktree

A uterine replicator would open up a whole lot of possibilities...

in bed.

57 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:51:52am

re: #54 theheat

Fed to polar bears.
Shot from helicopters.
Stand next to a caribou on an episode of Sarah Palin's Alaska.

Just stand in front of it. You'll be perfectly safe.

58 NervyNews  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:51:53am

re: #36 Walter L. Newton

Stop pimping your blog on the main topic pages... jerk.

Is that all? What else would you like me to do or not do, %&^*@!?

59 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:52:31am

re: #58 GNIDAthe#seCond

Is that all? What else would you like me to do or not do, %&^*@!?

A foot massage would be nice right now. Thanks.

60 HappyWarrior  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:52:42am

Small government! and Individual liberties!
Okay, snark aside, how on earth does he expect to enforce this and also does he realize that he would be a total waste of resources to do so.

61 lostlakehiker  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:52:57am

Sharia law is no more attractive in its Christian incarnation than in its Muslim incarnation. Questions of good and evil can, and must, be held distinct from questions of legal and illegal.

We do not forbid gluttony or pride. These are at least as serious a cause of mischief as adultery. Humans aren't meant to live like ants, where everything that is not compulsory is illegal.

62 wrenchwench  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:54:50am

re: #61 lostlakehiker

Humans aren't meant to live like ants, where everything that is not compulsory is illegal.

I knew ants had social organization, but I didn't know they had a legal system!

63 SanFranciscoZionist  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:56:47am

re: #31 Killgore Trout

Interesting question but I doubt it. I think Adolf only married Eva Braun near the end.

I'm sure he considered himself a special case in any event.

64 The Left  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:57:29am

re: #31 Killgore Trout

Interesting question but I doubt it. I think Adolf only married Eva Braun near the end.

Only a few hours before their joint suicide, in the bunker, I believe. Less than a day.

65 SanFranciscoZionist  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:57:47am

re: #35 ralphieboy

He would've busted Bristol Palin? Wonder how Mama Grizzly woulda reacted to that...

I'm sure the kids would have just said they were going to get married, and that would have been all right.

66 Walter L. Newton  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:57:48am

re: #58 GNIDAthe#seCond

Is that all? What else would you like me to do or not do, %&^*@!?

A polite suggestion that you take you blog pimping to the "LGF Pages" was made by Alloutte on the last thread. Traditionally that's where people link to their own blogs and editorializing. Evidently you didn't take the advise or hint.

67 lawhawk  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:58:07am

re: #58 GNIDAthe#seCond

It's usual and customary for off-topic links to go in the spinoffs or to create pages, particularly in the first 100 comments. Exceptions for breaking stories of course, and the overnight dead threads allow more flexibility.

68 lawhawk  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:59:07am

re: #59 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Just as long as it doesn't tickle or anything... /vincent vega

69 theheat  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:59:15am

re: #61 lostlakehiker

Sharia law is no more attractive in its Christian incarnation than in its Muslim incarnation.

That's why you see so many hundreds of thousands of Christians here in the States denouncing the radical Christian politicians each and every day, and refusing to vote for them, when the pols try to go all pro theocracy.
//

Yeah, I know, I shouldn't have gone there. And yet...

70 NervyNews  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 10:59:20am

re: #59 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

A foot massage would be nice right now. Thanks.

I give a great foot massage - but a good foot massage often leads to one thing...

71 Shiplord Kirel  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:00:18am

re: #62 wrenchwench

I knew ants had social organization, but I didn't know they had a legal system!

They must. Ants work all the time, obey their divinely-ordained superiors, and abstain from sex unless they are recognized leaders. Besides, you hardly ever see an ant cruising down the street blasting hip-hop through the neighborhood.

72 NervyNews  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:00:47am

re: #66 Walter L. Newton

A polite suggestion that you take you blog pimping to the "LGF Pages" was made by Alloutte on the last thread. Traditionally that's where people link to their own blogs and editorializing. Evidently you didn't take the advise or hint.

I didn't see Alouette's comment. I'm not intentionally trying to make you miserable either. Sorry.

73 JeffM70  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:01:08am

At least from a religious point of view it has some consistency. These guys call homosexuality a sin based on one reference in Leviticus, but God evidently considered it far less of a sin than adultery which not only made Leviticus but the 10 Commandments as well.

74 iossarian  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:02:38am

re: #67 lawhawk

It's usual and customary for off-topic links to go in the spinoffs or to create pages, particularly in the first 100 comments. Exceptions for breaking stories of course, and the overnight dead threads allow more flexibility.

It's also one thing to link to an OT article, and another to link to one's own blog, especially when that blog post is nothing more than a link through to the original article.

75 NervyNews  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:05:52am

re: #74 iossarian

It's also one thing to link to an OT article, and another to link to one's own blog, especially when that blog post is nothing more than a link through to the original article.

I see the spinoff thing now. Will utilize it going forward. Thanks for advice.

76 NervyNews  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:07:47am

re: #67 lawhawk

I see the spinoff and create page option. Thanks for the advice.

77 Gus  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:10:26am

Republicans.

78 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:11:11am

My stress squeeze ball just ruptured. I'm now saddened.

79 Gus  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:11:20am

Guess this means that McCain, Sanford, and Gingrich should have been sent to jail.

Right?

80 iossarian  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:14:04am

re: #79 Gus 802

Guess this means that McCain, Sanford, and Gingrich should have been sent to jail.

Right?

IOKIYAAR

81 AK-47%  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:14:05am

re: #79 Gus 802

Guess this means that McCain, Sanford, and Gingrich should have been sent to jail.

Right?


If they touch Alaskan soil, yes...

82 Gus  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:15:21am

re: #81 ralphieboy

If they touch Alaskan soil, yes...

Thanks God we have Republicans to provide us with moral guidance and a model in which to live.

83 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:17:45am

re: #82 Gus 802

Thanks God we have Republicans to provide us with moral guidance and a model in which to live.

There is no God but Reagan and Limbaugh is his prophet.

84 jaunte  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:18:12am

re: #10 allegro

What is the penalty for out of wedlock sex that he proposes? Fines? Jail? Stoning? Burn at the stake? Does this include men too or just the evil vixens who lure them into these unholy encounters?

The evil vixens can be identified by the way they dress, so are easier to prosecute...

85 HappyWarrior  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:18:49am

I wouldn't be shocked if he himself has or has had sex outside of marriage before. Those who scream the loudest about morals usually aren't the most of moral people.

86 Nevertires  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:19:16am

From everything that we are seeing I seriously try to imagine what is coming next?

I think we could make a pretty good betting pool based on the next frontier for what will be legislated or outlawed by these fools.

Either that or a really depressing drinking game.

I am trying to envision their thinking..."Ok - we've gone after women, scientists, GLBT community, immigrants.. who's next and how do we control them?"

87 iossarian  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:20:06am

re: #84 jaunte

The evil vixens can be identified by the way they dress, so are easier to prosecute...

They are also less likely to be owners of the local businesses that you have dealings with, so it is less of a problem for you to put them in jail.

88 allegro  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:20:38am

re: #84 jaunte

The evil vixens can be identified by the way they dress, so are easier to prosecute...

Oh yes, like that wicked 11 year old who dressed like she was 18 and thus forced all those men to have sex with her.

//spittin and hissin

89 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:21:14am

re: #83 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

There is no God but Reagan and Limbaugh is his prophet making profit.

Fixed that for you.

90 Sheila Broflovski  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:21:40am

re: #10 allegro

What is the penalty for out of wedlock sex that he proposes? Fines? Jail? Stoning? Burn at the stake? Does this include men too or just the evil vixens who lure them into these unholy encounters?

Brand them with the scarlet A

91 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:22:33am

re: #84 jaunte

The evil vixens can be identified by the way they dress, so are easier to prosecute...

Perhaps a dress code should be enforced, making sure they do not tempt men with their wicked ways.

92 allegro  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:23:21am

re: #91 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Perhaps a dress code should be enforced, making sure they do not tempt men with their wicked ways.

Excellent time to invest in a hajib manufacturer.

93 AK-47%  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:23:44am

This legislation will help create jobs: selling beards to women so they can also participate in the stoning...

Otherwise known in Alaska as Mama Grizzly Beards!!!

94 jaunte  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:24:30am

re: #91 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Floor length parkas
Image: 3506728627_d9d4433ba3.jpg

95 Gus  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:25:33am

re: #91 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Perhaps a dress code should be enforced, making sure they do not tempt men with their wicked ways.

Large rectangular frame wire glasses. Hagar slacks. White short sleeve shirt. Short well trimmed hair parted from the side. No facial hair.

96 Gus  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:26:36am

re: #94 jaunte

Floor length parkas
Image: 3506728627_d9d4433ba3.jpg

That there looks like a paraphillia of sorts! Better call the GOP. ;)

97 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:26:38am

re: #92 allegro

Excellent time to invest in a hajib manufacturer.

Too foreign. We'll market them as purity smocks.

98 Fozzie Bear  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:27:06am

I would be willing to bet Don Haase is having an affair or three. It's ALWAYS the guys with major skeletons in their closets that champion this type of 'cause'.

99 Gus  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:27:32am

I think the GOP should just bite the bullet and open up their very own church.

100 Achilles Tang  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:27:59am

re: #82 Gus 802

Thanks God we have Republicans to provide us with moral guidance and a model in which to live.

I just heard one on MSNBC, congressman from Ohio, saying that when people wear their religion on their sleeve one knows what their morality is, but others have no fundamental morality and must make their decisions on a case by case basis.

Honestly, when I was younger and uninvolved in politics I'm sure that anyone talking like that would have been dismissed as a fool.

Today he is still a fool, but not labelled as such. I doubt even a rational Democrat congressman will be willing to call him out on his untouchable religious views.

101 aagcobb  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:28:02am

re: #86 Nevertires

The Jews are an oldy but a goody. Right now the fundies love Israel, but Beck has taken a stab at bringing back that good ole' time anti-semitism.

102 SanFranciscoZionist  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:30:15am

re: #73 JeffM70

At least from a religious point of view it has some consistency. These guys call homosexuality a sin based on one reference in Leviticus, but God evidently considered it far less of a sin than adultery which not only made Leviticus but the 10 Commandments as well.

However, from a Biblical standpoint, sex between a married man and a single woman is not adultery.

103 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:30:21am

re: #95 Gus 802

Large rectangular frame wire glasses. Hagar slacks. White short sleeve shirt. Short well trimmed hair parted from the side. No facial hair.

Challenge accepted

104 Sheila Broflovski  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:30:43am

re: #101 aagcobb

The Jews are an oldy but a goody. Right now the fundies love Israel, but Beck has taken a stab at bringing back that good ole' time anti-semitism.

Ban kosher slaughter! Circumcision! Zionism is racism! End Apartheid and Occupation!

//but that's a moonbat thing

105 Sheila Broflovski  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:31:41am

re: #102 SanFranciscoZionist

However, from a Biblical standpoint, sex between a married man and a single woman is not adultery.

Sex between two unmarried people is also not considered adultery.

106 AK-47%  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:31:44am

re: #102 SanFranciscoZionist

However, from a Biblical standpoint, sex between a married man and a single woman is not adultery.


But from the Republican standpoint, oral sex with a single woman still falls under the heading of "high crimes and misdemeanors".

107 SanFranciscoZionist  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:31:52am

re: #104 Alouette

Ban kosher slaughter! Circumcision! Zionism is racism! End Apartheid and Occupation!

//but that's a moonbat thing

For how long?

108 Fozzie Bear  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:32:12am

re: #102 SanFranciscoZionist

However, from a Biblical standpoint, sex between a married man and a single woman is not adultery.

Then what technically qualifies one as an adulterer in the biblical sense?

109 aagcobb  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:32:14am

re: #104 Alouette

I would only be slightly surprised if Beck tried to link George Soros to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

110 Sheila Broflovski  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:32:45am

re: #109 aagcobb

I would only be slightly surprised if Beck tried to link George Soros to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

You mean he hasn't already?

111 jaunte  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:33:19am

re: #102 SanFranciscoZionist

However, from a Biblical standpoint, sex between a married man and a single woman is not adultery.

You may have discovered the driving principle of a ton of socon politicians.

112 Sheila Broflovski  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:33:27am

re: #108 Fozzie Bear

Then what technically qualifies one as an adulterer in the biblical sense?

A married woman, doing it with another man.

113 Eclectic Infidel  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:34:12am

Honestly, that's just about as un-American as one can get. With the exception of the deeply religious or prudish (or both), most of us, men and women alike, appreciate the opportunity to test drive our potential partners/lovers before jumping into the long haul. In my opinion.

114 webevintage  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:34:46am

re: #100 Naso Tang

I just heard one on MSNBC, congressman from Ohio, saying that when people wear their religion on their sleeve one knows what their morality is,


If only the followers of Christ actually acted like they were followers of Christ. This world would be such a nicer place to live in....
/

Its gotten to the point that the more "religious" a lay person is the more likely it is that I'm not going to trust that person.

115 AK-47%  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:35:44am

re: #113 eclectic infidel

Honestly, that's just about as un-American as one can get. With the exception of the deeply religious or prudish (or both), most of us, men and women alike, appreciate the opportunity to test drive our potential partners/lovers before jumping into the long haul. In my opinion.

Pre-marital sex among engaged couples has always been more-or-less tolerated, it is said to be one of the reasons for the tradition of the engagement ring: as a security payment in case the groom-to-be runs off and leaves the family with "damaged goods".

116 webevintage  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:35:52am

re: #106 ralphieboy

But from the Republican standpoint, oral sex with a single woman still falls under the heading of "high crimes and misdemeanors".

But only if the man is a Democrat...

117 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:36:30am

Sarah Palin's History: Lifelong Unlicensed Hunter and Fisher


In December, after an episode of "Sarah Palin's Alaska," The Awl, along with many in America's hunting community, asked some questions about the former Governor's longstanding claim of being an avid and experienced hunter.

At some point, all hunters are inexperienced, and even experienced ones are often unsafe, but being unlicensed is more than just illegal, it's detrimental to natural resource efforts. Palin herself believes this, writing in 2010's America by Heart that "…it's important that we're managing our fish and wildlife resources for abundance in the Last Frontier."

Curious if Palin was licensed for her 2010 on-air caribou adventure, or, for that matter, any of her "lifetime of hunting" trips, we submitted an open records request to Alaska's Dept. of Fish & Game. Our request covered the years 1980 to 2010, from Palin's teenage years as "Sarah Heath" to today.

It turns out, Palin has pulled a number of licenses in the last 30 years. There are 12 of them, though not all of them strictly for hunting.

Our records request revealed that the former Governor has pulled one type AA-02 permit ("Resident Hunt") and five type AA-04 permits ("Resident Sport Fish and Hunt"). Since Alaska keeps its kill reports anonymous for some reason, it is unknown what she took or if the Hunting & Fishing-type licenses, the vast majority of Palin's permits, were used for sport fishing or for hunting.

Here is the entire report.

118 webevintage  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:37:21am

re: #108 Fozzie Bear

Then what technically qualifies one as an adulterer in the biblical sense?

Being Newt Gingrich.
/

119 dragonfire1981  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:37:25am

Are you there sanity? It's me, America.

120 Fozzie Bear  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:37:46am

re: #112 Alouette

A married woman, doing it with another man.

In this scenario, who is considered the adulterer? The woman, the man, or both?

121 Gus  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:38:18am

Here he is.

Don Haase

Don Haase is a 14-year resident of Valdez, AK where he resides with his wife, Heather, and their 5 children. Don works at The Valdez Marine Terminal and serves on the Alaska Republican Party Central Committee, the Valdez Planning & Zoning Commission, the board of Faith Harbor Fellowship, and the Valdez Friends of NRA Committee. Don has been a tireless voice for the right and for the unborn for many years. Don was recently appointed to serve on the Board of Eagle Forum Alaska.

PTL! Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump

122 SanFranciscoZionist  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:39:24am

re: #108 Fozzie Bear

Then what technically qualifies one as an adulterer in the biblical sense?

Sex between a man and a woman married to someone else.

Since the biblical world assumes plural wives and concubines, there is no reason a man can't have sex with multiple women, and this is not considered 'cheating' on his part.

However, there are other concerns, since sex with a virgin without permission of her family is its own issue.

The problem we're dealing with here is:

1. The Tanach assumes the social world of the tribal late Bronze, early Iron age.

2. The Gospels assume the social world of the Romanized first century.

3. The wingnuts assume that both of these documents will somehow reflect their own, rather culturally complex and distinct, social norms, and they recognize no formal tradition of interpretation that could link all of these things together for them.

This is why you need the Talmud, or canon law, or SOMETHIN'.

123 Our Precious Bodily Fluids  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:40:39am

re: #44 Shiplord Kirel

Ok, fundies, let's get it over with and just outlaw sex completely. After all, who among you has not had some kind of difficulty related to sex? It is potentially messy, expensive, time-consuming, dangerous, and a serious distraction from our real business of praising God and accumulating a serious portfolio. It has also been the downfall of many, many godly men (and some women) who let themselves be tempted.

Orwell Today:

The Party was trying to kill sexual attraction, or, if it could not be killed, then to distort it and dirty it.

The aim of the Party was not merely to prevent men and women from forming loyalties which it might not be able to control. It's real, undeclared purpose was to remove all pleasure from the sexual act. Not love so much as eroticism was the enemy, inside marriage as well as outside it... Sexual intercourse was to be looked on as a slightly disgusting minor operation, like having an enema. This again was never put into plain words, but in an indirect way it was rubbed into every Party member from childhood onwards. There were even organizations such as the Junior Anti-Sex League, which advocated complete celibacy for both sexes.

It was not merely that the sex instinct created a world of its own which was outside the Party's control and which therefore had to be destroyed if possible. What was more important was that sexual privation induced hysteria, which was desirable because it could be transformed into war-fever and leader-worship.

124 SanFranciscoZionist  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:40:52am

re: #115 ralphieboy

Pre-marital sex among engaged couples has always been more-or-less tolerated, it is said to be one of the reasons for the tradition of the engagement ring: as a security payment in case the groom-to-be runs off and leaves the family with "damaged goods".

An extremely high number of babies in early America were born less than nine months after the wedding. These weren't shotgun weddings, either, but it was assumed that after a couple had made their intentions clear, they might get started on a family.

125 AK-47%  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:40:58am

re: #122 SanFranciscoZionist

This is why you need the Talmud, or canon law, or SOMETHIN'.

This is why we have a Constitution. And a First Amendment...

126 Fozzie Bear  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:42:13am

re: #122 SanFranciscoZionist

It never fails to surprise me that people derive their morality from this book, when so many things espoused in it are clearly extremely immoral, oppressive, and hateful.

Religion is a terrible place from which to derive one's morality, imo.

127 Sheila Broflovski  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:43:42am

re: #126 Fozzie Bear

It never fails to surprise me that people derive their morality from this book, when so many things espoused in it are clearly extremely immoral, oppressive, and hateful.

Religion is a terrible place from which to derive one's morality, imo.

What's a better place? Movies? TV?

/

128 SanFranciscoZionist  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:44:15am

re: #120 Fozzie Bear

In this scenario, who is considered the adulterer? The woman, the man, or both?

Both. Leviticus 20:10--If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.

129 AK-47%  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:44:16am

re: #124 SanFranciscoZionist

An extremely high number of babies in early America were born less than nine months after the wedding. These weren't shotgun weddings, either, but it was assumed that after a couple had made their intentions clear, they might get started on a family.


In colonial times, before motorized transportation, when a young man came to call he would often stay the night.

And as central heating was not invented yet, it was not uncommon for unmarried couples to be put to bed together with a "bundling board" between them to prevent illicit contact.

I assume the most coveted bundling boards were the ones with knotholes in them...

130 Fozzie Bear  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:45:19am

re: #127 Alouette

What's a better place? Movies? TV?

/

Never! That would be insane!

I prefer comic books for my moral framework. /

131 Fozzie Bear  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:45:55am

re: #130 Fozzie Bear

(My serious answer would be secular humanism)

132 Nevertires  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:46:10am

re: #129 ralphieboy

Wincing at thought of splinters!

133 lawhawk  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:46:40am

re: #127 Alouette

Well, since it's beer'o'clock, I propose that Beer is the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems. /homer j simpson

134 Sheila Broflovski  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:47:27am

re: #131 Fozzie Bear

(My serious answer would be secular humanism)

That just begs the question. Secular humanism is also a religion.

135 aagcobb  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:48:26am

re: #134 Alouette

Um, no it isn't.

136 Sheila Broflovski  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:49:17am

re: #135 aagcobb

Um, no it isn't.

Sure it is. They have congregations and everything.

137 The Left  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:49:38am

re: #134 Alouette

That just begs the question. Secular humanism is also a religion.

No it isn't. It's a belief system. Not every belief system is a religious one. Secular humanism certainly isn't.

138 Fozzie Bear  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:49:48am

re: #134 Alouette

That just begs the question. Secular humanism is also a religion.

A religion that doesn't attempt to examine whether there is a god or not, and doesn't make any claims about the supernatural is a different sort of thing. I'd argue that it is a religion the same way a volcano is a toaster. Both get hot and can make bread brown, and that's where it ends. Similarly, both secular humanism and religion address issues of morality, and that's where the similarity ends.

139 Donna Ballard  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:50:26am

Ya know it never fails to amaze me just how many "I am holier than thou" types are out there... Taliban, Christian Fundamentalists, Sharia Law Muslims, and on and on.Round and round we go, where it stops... Kinda makes ya wonder how the heck they come up with some of this stuff, nightmares maybe?Of course you all know that it'll be a case of "Do as I say, not as I do" type thing. It always starts out as such idealism and ends up as persecution of those that don't agree. Talk about the inquisition all over again... *sigh* can I quite the human race yet?*sigh* face palm...

140 Lidane  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:50:27am

re: #91 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Perhaps a dress code should be enforced, making sure they do not tempt men with their wicked ways.

Body length veils complete with mesh over their faces, just to be sure. We can't take any chances of those evil women tempting men or anything. =P

141 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:50:30am

re: #130 Fozzie Bear

Never! That would be insane!

I prefer comic books for my moral framework. /

I place my faith in the God-Emperor and leave it at that.

142 Fozzie Bear  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:50:35am

re: #136 Alouette

Sure it is. They have congregations and everything.

So do school boards. That doesn't make school boardism a religion.

143 Lidane  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:51:16am

re: #142 Fozzie Bear

So do school boards. That doesn't make school boardism a religion.

Unless you're on the Texas State Board of Education. =P

144 Fozzie Bear  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:51:35am

re: #143 Lidane

Unless you're on the Texas State Board of Education. =P

well, played, ma'am.

145 SanFranciscoZionist  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:51:41am

re: #125 ralphieboy

This is why we have a Constitution. And a First Amendment...

Well, yes. I was thinking of this only in terms of religion. From a secular legal standpoint, this is total bullshit.

146 Fozzie Bear  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:51:44am

re: #144 Fozzie Bear

one too many commas.

147 Kragar  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:53:09am

re: #146 Fozzie Bear

one too many commas.

Commanist.

148 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:54:31am

re: #140 Lidane

Body length veils complete with mesh over their faces, just to be sure. We can't take any chances of those evil women tempting men or anything. =P

Isn't body-length mesh seasonal in Alaska anyways due to the mosquitos?

;)

149 Achilles Tang  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:55:12am

re: #108 Fozzie Bear

Then what technically qualifies one as an adulterer in the biblical sense?

If the act is lustful.

150 aagcobb  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:55:33am

re: #136 Alouette

Well you could knock me over with a feather. There are jewish secular humanist congregations. But are there secular humanist congregations for non-jews?

151 The Left  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:56:00am

re: #148 oaktree

Isn't body-length mesh seasonal in Alaska anyways due to the mosquitos?

;)

I read that as "Isn't body length meth seasonal in Alaska" and did a doubletake. Upding either way!

152 Eclectic Infidel  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:57:14am

re: #126 Fozzie Bear

It never fails to surprise me that people derive their morality from this book, when so many things espoused in it are clearly extremely immoral, oppressive, and hateful.

Religion is a terrible place from which to derive one's morality, imo.

I have maintained this for a long time. I will also say that religion is a grand example of relative morality. Something to do with an all-loving deity more than happy to condemn its same creations with eternal torment.

153 Sheila Broflovski  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:58:20am

re: #150 aagcobb

Well you could knock me over with a feather. There are jewish secular humanist congregations. But are there secular humanist congregations for non-jews?

I'm sure the Jewish congregations will admit non-Jews. Conversion may not even be required.

154 Achilles Tang  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:58:53am

re: #136 Alouette

Sure it is. They have congregations and everything.

I'm curious. What is your definition of a religion?

155 Sheila Broflovski  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:01:12pm

re: #154 Naso Tang

I'm curious. What is your definition of a religion?

Everybody has their own definition.

MRS. CUDDY: "Are you going to convert to Judaism when you marry my daughter?"

HOUSE: "I'm an atheist."

MRS. CUDDY: "Judaism is not about believing in G-D. It's about family and belonging."

CUDDY: (face-palm)

156 Gus  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:01:19pm

Secular humanism isn't a religion but there are branches of humanism that could be considered religion. By way of the Unitarian Universalists:

Humanism is a non-theist tradition that focuses on human potential and emphasizes personal responsibility for ethical behavior. Modern day Religious Humanism is largely derived from the writings of early American Unitarian Humanists, including Joseph Priestley, Thomas Jefferson, and John Haynes Holmes. Today, Humanism among the largest spiritual identity groups within Unitarian Universalism.

Rev. Sarah Oelberg describes Humanism as including the following values:

"Showing love to all humans is a worthy goal.
Immortality is found in the examples we set and the work we do.
We gain insight from many sources and all cultures, and there are many religious books and teachings that can instruct us about how to live.
We have the power within ourselves to realize the best we are capable of as human beings.
We are responsible for what we do and become; our lives are in our own hands."

More information about Humanism from a Unitarian Universalist perspective is available in the pamphlet "The Faith of a Humanist," and in the following UU World articles. UU World magazine is published in behalf of UUA congregations to help its readers build their faith and act on it more effectively in their personal lives, their congregations, their communities, and the world...

For even more resources and to connect with other Unitarian Universalist Humanists, please visit the website of the HUUmanists.

And if we go the the HUUmanists website we find:

Formerly The Friends of Religious Humanism, an affiliate organization of the Unitarian Universalist Association, the HUUmanists was founded by Edwin H. Wilson, Lester Mondale, and others in 1962 as the "Fellowship of Religious Humanists" to advance humanism within the Unitarian-Universalist denomination and to promote religious humanism in general.

Our stated purpose is:

“To enhance, promote, practice and enjoy humanism in liberal religion, and to provide a continental organization for those who consider themselves humanists within the UUA. To this end, HUUmanists shall defend and protect freedom of thought in Unitarian Universalism, arrange programs, forums and lectures, encourage humanist writing to give voice to humanistic values, encourage the establishment of local humanist groups, maintain a humanist presence on the internet, and hold discussion groups, seminars, workshops, and conferences…”

What we offer is a chance for you to join in our search for the meaningful life without dogma and using the best tools of both mind and heart, both reason and compassion.

157 The Left  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:03:02pm

re: #156 Gus 802

Secular humanism isn't a religion but there are branches of humanism that could be considered religion. By way of the Unitarian Universalists:

And if we go the the HUUmanists website we find:

I think there are some quaker sects as well that admit atheists and agnostics.

158 Fozzie Bear  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:05:04pm

I think the fact that you can be a humanist as well as a christian/jew/muslim/etc reveals that it's not a religion as such. I would posit that one identifying factor of religion is exclusivity.

159 SanFranciscoZionist  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:05:40pm

re: #155 Alouette

Everybody has their own definition.

MRS. CUDDY: "Are you going to convert to Judaism when you marry my daughter?"

HOUSE: "I'm an atheist."

MRS. CUDDY: "Judaism is not about believing in G-D. It's about family and belonging."

CUDDY: (face-palm)

I like Mrs. Cuddy. I like Cuddy, too.

And I think it is hilarious that House missed Mrs. Cuddy because it didn't dawn on him that she could be a Jew by choice.

160 SanFranciscoZionist  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:06:49pm

re: #158 Fozzie Bear

I think the fact that you can be a humanist as well as a christian/jew/muslim/etc reveals that it's not a religion as such. I would posit that one identifying factor of religion is exclusivity.

Except that Buddhism and Taoism, or Buddhism and Shinto, often share adherents.

161 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:07:01pm

re: #156 Gus 802

Secular humanism isn't a religion but there are branches of humanism that could be considered religion. By way of the Unitarian Universalists:


And if we go the the HUUmanists website we find:

You do know that UU is considered the boogeyman by a lot of fundamentalists? They're the wedge in the door of secular humanism infecting and destroying Christianity.

Best laugh I ever got was a Catholic friend of mine telling me the story about his aunt believing that Unimart (a convenience store chain) was a UU Front that was somehow corrupting good religious (e.g. Catholic) folk in Western Pennsylvania.

162 Aye Pod  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:07:35pm

re: #158 Fozzie Bear

I think the fact that you can be a humanist as well as a christian/jew/muslim/etc reveals that it's not a religion as such. I would posit that one identifying factor of religion is exclusivity.

Yep. Plus the fact that it doesn't have any Gods, revealed scriptures or prophets, and just isn't a religion.

163 Gus  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:08:51pm

There isn't one humanist standard. Just like there isn't one atheist, Jewish, Catholic, Buddhist standard. At least in a modern pluralistic society.

164 Fozzie Bear  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:09:51pm

re: #160 SanFranciscoZionist

Except that Buddhism and Taoism, or Buddhism and Shinto, often share adherents.

Good point. this is getting more and more like trying to define pornography.

165 Achilles Tang  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:10:14pm

re: #155 Alouette

Everybody has their own definition.

That kind of makes a discussion about what is religion meaningless, unless you want to discuss your particular definition.

166 The Left  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:11:02pm

re: #161 oaktree

You do know that UU is considered the boogeyman by a lot of fundamentalists? They're the wedge in the door of secular humanism infecting and destroying Christianity.

Not just fundamentalists either. the guy who shot up that UU congregation had a manifesto 'Kill all liberals" and chose the UU meeting because he considered it a place where liberals gather.

Knoxville Unitarian Universalist church shooting

During the interview Adkisson stated that he had targeted the church because of its liberal teachings and his belief that all liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country, and that he felt that the Democrats had tied his country's hands in the war on terror and they had ruined every institution in America with the aid of major media outlets. Adkisson made statements that because he could not get to the leaders of the liberal movement that he would then target those that had voted them into office. Adkisson stated that he had held these beliefs for about the last ten years.

167 Gus  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:11:28pm

re: #161 oaktree

You do know that UU is considered the boogeyman by a lot of fundamentalists? They're the wedge in the door of secular humanism infecting and destroying Christianity.

Best laugh I ever got was a Catholic friend of mine telling me the story about his aunt believing that Unimart (a convenience store chain) was a UU Front that was somehow corrupting good religious (e.g. Catholic) folk in Western Pennsylvania.

Found out about them through a friend in San Francisco. I think he was either an agnostic or a deist. Don't remember which. But they were open to anyone.

168 Sheila Broflovski  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:12:58pm

re: #165 Naso Tang

That kind of makes a discussion about what is religion meaningless, unless you want to discuss your particular definition.

My point is that people who claim "all religion is bad," conveniently craft their definition of "religion" to exclude their own belief system.

169 Achilles Tang  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:16:20pm

re: #158 Fozzie Bear

I think the fact that you can be a humanist as well as a christian/jew/muslim/etc reveals that it's not a religion as such. I would posit that one identifying factor of religion is exclusivity.

Just my personal view, but it helps me navigate; I think there are philosophies of life and there are religions. Philosophies can be hard to define consistently, but religions, IMHO, are those that have a belief in deities or spirits.

The latter tend to have their own word for philosophy, since they use terminology only meaningful if there is a belief in those same deities or spirits, and they call it theology.

170 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:16:56pm

re: #167 Gus 802

Found out about them through a friend in San Francisco. I think he was either an agnostic or a deist. Don't remember which. But they were open to anyone.

My mother and aunt were regular UU attendees. Church attendence was optional for us. My sister took part (and I'm not sure if she belonged to a congregation in Colorado or not.) My brother and I did not, and I think neither of us ever saw the need for it as a necessary/desirable additional social group.

My mother, if anything, was a secular humanist. She enjoyed singing in the choir, the socializing, and I presume the atmosphere that the congregation provided. And the memorial service for her was quite interesting since the members are asked if they want to make any statements about her and it's always good to here others state how well they liked your mother, thought she was a benefit to the community, and how much they would miss her.

171 Achilles Tang  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:18:51pm

re: #168 Alouette

My point is that people who claim "all religion is bad," conveniently craft their definition of "religion" to exclude their own belief system.

And that does not mean that one cannot be critical of religion without doing so from some other religion. The word becomes meaningless.

172 Fozzie Bear  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:19:34pm

re: #168 Alouette

My point is that people who claim "all religion is bad," conveniently craft their definition of "religion" to exclude their own belief system.

There are plenty of belief systems that definitely aren't religious in nature. That isn't to say that there aren't dangerous and flawed non-religious belief systems, but rather that atheism (and secular humanism) just aren't religions. They are something else entirely.

173 Slap  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:20:24pm

Unca Frank had his own ideas about this issue. From Wikipedia:

In a mockery of an Alabama judge's reference to Secular Humanism as a religion, the musician Frank Zappa, who was also a free speech advocate, established the "Church of American Secular Humanism."[38] The fact that the initials of the organization formed the acronym "CASH" was part of the joke. In 1981, the humorous columnist Art Buchwald wrote a piece entitled, "Secular Humanists: Threat or Menace?" In it, he poked fun at alarm about Secular Humanism.[39]

And here's the story of C.A.S.H.,, from KillUglyRadio's wiki:

Unused Press Release, 1987
"ZAPPA ANNOUNCES C.A.S.H. – CHURCH OF AMERICAN SECULAR HUMANISM"


Thousands of years ago, wise men predicted a NEW RELIGION would appear at the time of a unique planetary alignment called The Harmonic Convergence – THE PROPHECY HAS BEEN FULFILLED!

The ancient writings didn't mention a Nixon-appointed judge named Brevard Hand, but they should have.

His ruling in the controversial Alabama School Textbook Case provided the Final Sign From On High which led the unpredictable Mr. Honker to file articles of incorporation in the State of Alabama for C.A.S.H. – CHURCH OF AMERICAN SECULAR HUMANISM.

In deciding the case, Judge Hand ruled that 'Secular Humanism' was, in fact, an actual religion, and that the tenets of its faith were dominating the curriculum of Alabama Schools, thereby violating the civil rights of decent Christian folks who demanded 'equal time.'

The problem with this historic legal interpretation, according to some, was that there really wasn't a 'religion' called Secular Humanism ... and certainly no CHURCH of SECULAR HUMANISM.

Out of this desperate need, C.A.S.H. was created. Zappa reasoned that, if the Judge's ruling was upheld, Secular Humanism was entitled to the same benefits under U.S. law that every other religion enjoys: tax exemptions, awesome political power, unaudited expenditures of vast sums on real estate speculations, etc., so, in drafting the Tenets Of The Faith, he duplicated the actual language of the Judge's ruling, adding to it a few thoughts of his own. (THE COMPLETE LIST IS INCLUDED LATER.)

When asked to explain, Zappa paraphrased Oliver North, saying, "As a result of Judge Hand's finding on this matter, I sensed a need for the creation of an 'off-the-shelf, stand-alone, self-financing (religious) organization, capable of worldwide covert action.'

He also said, "If the Judge's ruling is struck down ... and, in fact, it should be, there is still a need for this church. The people of Our Faith refuse to be persecuted any longer by a fanatical fifth column, shoveling money in the direction of 'special friends' in Washington, D.C."

30 years later, Art Buchwald would probably be shaking his head in puzzlement....

174 lostlakehiker  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:28:29pm

re: #102 SanFranciscoZionist

However, from a Biblical standpoint, sex between a married man and a single woman is not adultery.

? The way it was splained me, in Christian reading, that, too, is adultery.

Wikipedia confirms your statement as it applies to traditional Judaic law. Different states and nations have had laws based on different definitions.

Wikipedia's article on adultery

Ancient China's law was quite strict. A man who strayed from his marital bed and got caught was for sure not going to be a repeat offender: Icky details follow.


eww

fair warning

Chinese husbands who committed adultery against their wives were punished with castration, required by ancient laws.[28] While men were castrated, women who committed adultery were punished by confinement. This punishment was the law during the Zhou dynasty.[29] The exact crime was called Gong, and referred to "immoral" heterosexual sex between males and females. The punishment stated- "If a male and female engage in intercourse without morality, their punishments shall be castration and sequestration [respectively]."[30] The Shu Jing documented this practice.[31] Castration was also a punishment for rape in China in addition to adultery.[32][33] In China, castration included removal of the penis as well as the testicles. Both organs were cut off with a knife at the same time.[34]

175 crush  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 1:09:56pm

If this were law would Newt Gingrich qualify for life imprisonment for three strikes?

176 Aye Pod  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 3:58:46pm

re: #168 Alouette

My point is that people who claim "all religion is bad," conveniently craft their definition of "religion" to exclude their own belief system.

You seem to think that not having a religion is...a religion. This doesn't make any sense, although I have come across it many times from creationists etc.

177 Varek Raith  Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:06:56pm

re: #176 Jimmah

You seem to think that not having a religion is...a religion. This doesn't make any sense, although I have come across it many times from creationists etc.

Not playing football is a sport!
;)


This article has been archived.
Comments are closed.

Jump to top

Create a PageThis is the LGF Pages posting bookmarklet. To use it, drag this button to your browser's bookmark bar, and title it 'LGF Pages' (or whatever you like). Then browse to a site you want to post, select some text on the page to use for a quote, click the bookmarklet, and the Pages posting window will appear with the title, text, and any embedded video or audio files already filled in, ready to go.
Or... you can just click this button to open the Pages posting window right away.
Last updated: 2023-04-04 11:11 am PDT LGF User's Guide RSS Feeds

Help support Little Green Footballs!

Subscribe now for ad-free access!Register and sign in to a free LGF account before subscribing, and your ad-free access will be automatically enabled.

Donate with
PayPal Cash.app
Recent PagesClick to refresh
Texas County at Center of Border Fight Is Overwhelmed by Migrant Deaths EAGLE PASS, Tex. - The undertaker lighted a cigarette and held it between his latex-gloved fingers as he stood over the bloated body bag lying in the bed of his battered pickup truck. The woman had been fished out ...
Cheechako
3 days ago
Views: 144 • Comments: 0 • Rating: 1