Sleepless in Midland

No chaplains in Texas execution chambers

In the U.S. we don't discriminate against others because of their religion. And the U.S. Supreme Court extended that doctrine to prison death chamber by staying an execution in Texas because the prison system couldn't supply a Buddhist chaplain to be in the execution room with the condemned prisoner.

So the TDCJ had a choice -- supply a Buddhist chaplain or ban all chaplains. Here's thehill.com: Texas to bar all chaplains from execution chambers:

The high court ruled that this constituted religious discrimination and gave the state the option of allowing chaplains of all religions or banning them from the chamber entirely.

Under new procedures issued Tuesday, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) says clerics may "observe the execution only from the witness rooms,” effective immediately, according to the Tribune. 

"TDCJ Chaplain(s) will continue to be available to an offender until they are transferred to the execution chamber. The chaplain will also be present in the viewing room if requested," TDCJ spokesman Jeremy Desel told the Tribune.

Sounds like a reasonable response.

Death row conversions probably arouse skepticism, but it also seems likely a person who knows he/she is about to die might seek solace in religion. And there's no reason to deny that to a prisoner. Having a chaplain in the execution room, however, shouldn't make that much difference.

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2:44 PM 4/5/2019

What if Ilhan Omar is part of Islam's grand plan?

The tolerance Democrats have for the recent antisemitic remarks of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) sounds very wrong to most Americans. We've had "diversity is our strength" drilled into our skulls so long that it's numbing. So maybe that's why Democrats seem deaf to intolerance by those who seek to discriminate against Jews.

If one watches enough of the confirmation hearings when the appointee under consideration is a Christian one comes away with the feeling that there's a high degree of Christian-phobia out there. Now we can add Jew-phobia to that list, too. But when it comes to Islam, it's as if their minds are so open their brains fell out.

Anyway, to the point. Maybe Ilhan Omar is part of Islam's grand plan. Let's revisit James Mitchell's book, "Enhanced Interrogation" where he recounted some of his conversations with Jihad mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Here's an excerpt (bold added for emphasis):

"It would be nice," he said, if al Q'ida or like-minded Islamists could bring America to its knees with catastrophic attacks, but that was unlikely to happen; "not practical" is the wording he used. From his perspective, the long war for Islamic domination wasn't going to be won in the streets with bombs and bullets and bloodshed. No, it would be won in the minds of the American people.

He said the terror attacks were good, but the practical, way to defeat America was through immigration and by outbreeding non- Muslims. He said jihadi-minded brothers would immigrate into the united states, taking advantage of the welfare system to support themselves while they spread their jihadi message. They will wrap themselves in America's rights and laws for protection, ratchet up acceptance of sharia law, and then, only when they were strong enough, rise up and violently impose sharia from within. He said the brothers would relentlessly continue their attacks and the American people eventually would become so tired, so frightened, and so weary of war that they would just want it to end.

"Eventually," KSM said, "America will expose her neck to us for slaughter."

Ilhan Omar and a few others are leading the attack on the American system. The long plan would have American citizens and non-citizens adopting Sharia law voluntarily. However, the only uncertainty at this point is which alternate system will ultimately prevail.

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3:17 PM 3/8/2019

Is Amy Coney Barrett's religion a cult?

Dianne Feinstein seems to embody the anti-Christian aspect of many Democrats. And as Mona Charen observed in Amy Coney Barrett's 'Cult':

Sen. Dianne Feinstein famously reproved the nominee by intoning that "the dogma lives loudly within you, and that's of concern."

To be fair to Feinstein, unless there's more to it, she avoided using the word "cult," a word which most us us associate with David Koresh, Jim Jones, L. Ron Hubbard and religious groups that demanded allegiance to some central figure and strict obedience to the rules promulgated by that central figure.

But Ms. Barrett's religious preference doesn't seem to be out of line with the other Christian churches. Looking at the church's website, People of Praise, one comes away with the impression that its members are caring, generous, and very welcoming of others. Love one another is not all that threatening.

To hear Democrats, it's tempting to conclude that they think Christianity poses some sort of a threat. On the other hand, the mention of Islam triggers a dogmatic and distorted notion of tolerance. Freaky.

That said, Ms Barrett is probably not likely to get the nomination. President Trump prides his unpredictability. But he's probably tempted to try to skip anyone who has already riled up the loudest Democrats.

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1:00 PM 7/8/2018

The absurdity of an atheist Navy Chaplain

Atheism isn't really a belief, it's a disbelief.

I attended a lecture on religions around the world in the context of hospice service a few years ago. The speaker made a casual remark that atheists made the decision to be atheists, and that was their choice. That stuck with me, because I don't think atheists actually make a decision about. The theory of the "God gene" is out there, and that makes more sense. Some have it, and others don't. Those who have it are more prone to believe in a supreme being.

When people are admitted to hospice care they are asked about religion, and if they are religious, chaplains are assigned to them. The chaplain could pray with them, discuss the afterlife, or talk about whatever they wish to talk about. Patients who are non-religious would not get any of that. So I guess the aforementioned decision would occur when they answered the admission questions.

I don't believe there's an anti-God gene, but for some reason or other, there are atheists who seem to despise religious people. That, I believe, explains why an atheist is suing to become a Navy Chaplain. It isn't that he wants to preach to atheists as much as he wants to thumb his nose at traditional religion.

Anyway, here's the inspiration for this discussion:
Navy Moves Closer to Approving Atheist ‘Chaplain’ -- Secular humanist Jason Heap sued in; and
Should a 'secular humanist' serve as Navy chaplain? Absolutely not.

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2:19 PM 3/15/2018

Hillary Clinton might follow Chuck Colson's path -- she could have a worse role model

Emma Green gives the subject a sympathetic touch in Hillary Wants to Preach. Or more to the point, she wants to preach to us. It seems like a natural progression, after all, she was defeated by a basket of deplorables, so the least she could do is try as she might to redeem them.

A less sympathetic take on it comes from Ben Shapiro in Pastor Hillary Wants to Preach to You wherein he reminds us of our typical skepticism of pious progressives who use religion for political purposes. An even less sympathetic take comes from Scott McKay in Our Sunday Visitor, The Church Lady.

OK, we could bash Hillary's dalliance with religion until the lambs come home. But it brings to mind another converted sinner, Chuck Colson. He was one of Nixon's cronies who actually did time in the slammer for crimes committed in the Watergate matter. He underwent a jailhouse conversion and went on to found The Prison Fellowship which actually does some real good in the world. Hillary Clinton would do well to emulate Mr. Colson.

Let's take a breath before repealing the Johnson Amendment

The Johnson Amendment, according to Wikipedia, is this:

The Johnson Amendment is a provision in the U.S. tax code that prohibits all 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations from endorsing or opposing political candidates. 501(c)(3) organizations are the most common type of nonprofit organization the United States, ranging from charitable foundations to universities and churches. The amendment is named for then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas.

Some are celebrating Donald Trump's proclamation to church groups that he intends to abolish it. For example, see Trump Is Right. Churches Should Be Free To Express Themselves Politically.

That's probably the right thing to do -- free speech should be available to everyone. The focus now is on Christian churches. However, it's useful to remember that it would to apply to all religious groups.

Jihadists take the long view toward taking over the U.S. The visionaries among them realize that terror attacks by themselves won't do it. But think they will weaken our will, and eventually with enough pressure from all directions, our government will capitulate with the people's consent.

Imagine this scenario. An oil rich middle eastern country donates large amounts of money to Mosques around the U.S. That money gets channeled into political campaigns. Eventually they can get enough Islamic sympathizers in the government to bend the law toward Sharia.

So am I being Islamophobic? Well, if Islamophobic means the fear of being subjected to Sharia law, then yes, I'm Islamophobic.

4:14 PM 2/6/2017

Belief that extraterrestrial beings exist on earth may be a substitute for religion

Not everyone believes that humans might possess a "God gene" or "religious gene." But it's a compelling theory, i.e., a gene that predisposes us to believe in a supreme being and that pushes us toward spirituality. If it's valid, then some have it and some don't. And some may have a mutated version.

My own extrapolation of the theory is that a mutated form of the gene compels some people to believe that extraterrestrials are living amongst us and possibly even rule the country or maybe even the whole planet. Everyday religions are just too bourgeois for believers, there has to be something exceptional for them.

Maybe we think those people are just crazy. But as anyone knows who tried, telling them that does not get the desired result.

What brings this up now is possible support for the theory from, of all things, a movie review. The movie is "Arrival," a recent movie about visitors from outer space. See Close encounters with first-contact movies. Here's the pertinent part:

First-contact movies are a philosophical exercise masquerading as an entertainment, and one with profound spiritual implications. They’re a by-product of a culture that has been secularizing with growing speed for over a century, but they touch on every kind of theological idea and heresy, flirting with Gnosticism and imagining the aliens as both devils and gods – or even God. When made with intelligence and skill, you can feel the spiritual yearning in every shot, the desire for an answer even if – absent any actual aliens – we’re really just asking ourselves the question.

To the best of my knowledge there aren't any churches yet for worshiping extraterrestrials, unless it's the movie theater. But that's the beauty of the religion -- it doesn't require worship, penance, tithing, or anything but belief. In fact, apparently it doesn't even require belief, unless it's in your genes.

Church bells ring, children sing, and loud Muslim prayer calls blare out 3 times a day

There are millions of Muslims who probably don't hold any ill will toward non-Muslims. But there seems to be a lot of in-your-face about the Islamic religion. There are the costumes, the beards, and the be-headings. But before calling me Islamophobic, recognize that many ordinary Americans enjoy life just fine without a reminder three times a day that the sword of Sharia law hangs over our heads.

What brings this up today is the piece at Express.co.uk titled Major push for UK mosques to make loud call to prayer THREE TIMES a day. Apparently, a national petition to the UK government received over 25,000 signatures, to wit:

The petition has asked the Government to allow loud call for prayer at least three times a day in highly Muslim populated areas.

It says: “I believe it is the right time to experiment and allow highly Muslim populated areas with a loud call for prayer at least three times a day, not during anti-social hours.”

"Loud." Yeah, that's what you want in a quiet neighborhood. President Obama told us he thought the Muslim prayer call was the most beautiful sound he has ever heard. He would no doubt approve of this measure in his own neighborhood, although here in the U.S. about all he could do to the rest of us is try to shame us into accepting it. No thanks. Most of us would like to hang onto whatever peace and quiet we have.

Like a rusty nail to a magnet, Obama drawn to radical churches

Barack Obama is drawn to radical churches. He's like the binge drinker who can't resist the lure of a half priced happy hour.

Some say there's a religion gene that causes us to believe in some superior, unseen, power. That leads a number of people to attend worship services of a traditional variety. But like most genes, they don't impact everyone the same way. So we have Christians, Satanists, Snake Handlers, Hare Krishna, Radical Islam, and on and on.

Perhaps something happened to Barack Obama in his transition from global traveler to African American, and while Radical Islam wasn't yet a fixture, radical Jeremiah Wright taught a brand of Christianity that emphasized hatred over love and forgiveness.

Barack Obama, et ux, Michelle Obama, spent many a Sunday morning listening to a radical preacher curse America. Obama had to have absorbed some of it even if he didn't agree with it from the beginning. If he didn't love it, he tolerated it with much ease.

Now we learn he plans to speak at a mosque that has been associated with radical Islam. Anyone who says that Obama is Muslim is routinely ridiculed as an out-of-touch Islamophobe. Maybe he isn't Muslim. But he sure does exhibit a high degree of tolerance for extremist preachers.

NYT double standard on Catholicism and Islam -- it's so much fun watching them try to explain it

Progressives today are so open minded that they can tolerate their own contradictions.

Every conservative has probably had liberal friends or acquaintances who were so smart they could convince themselves of anything. It's fun watching them tie themselves in knots trying to explain it. Problem is, there's usually no umpire around who can call fouls or declare a winner.

Thank goodness we still have a free press in the U.S. so we can watch some of these things play out in public.

The matter that brings this topic to light today is the New York Time's double standard on display when they produce a photo of an art piece depicting the pope made of condoms. It's just a tad distasteful. But then we are reminded that the same NYT declined to reproduce the Charlie Hebdo cartoons that had the radical Islamists so worked up they went on a killing spree.

Charles C. W. Cooke provides the short version of NYT's twisted excuse in On the New York Times’s Hilarious Charlie Hebdo Double-Standard, as follows:

The answer: For the same reason that the Times is happy to print one and not the other — to wit, because one is insulting to Catholics and the other is insulting to Muslims. If you honestly believe that this is a question of artistic merit or the psychic state of the artist — “ooh, look at the brushstrokes!” — then I have a Greek investment opportunity to put to you.

Succinct, funny, and true. He gets bonus points for tying it in with that stunning exemplar of socialism, Greece.

Guestimating how many radical Islamists there are out there in the world

Barack Obama claims that 99.9% of Muslims don't agree with the religious interpretations that force Muslims into violence. With an estimated 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, that 0.1% who are radical still comes to a lot.

But Aaron Goldstein remembers that Daniel Pipes estimated that 10% to 15% of Muslims subscribe to radical Islam. Putting the calculator to work using the lower 10% number, he finds that the number of radicals is around 160 million. That's rather a lot. No wonder Obama wants to downplay that number. And no wonder Obama seems to be unable to address the problem.

Sharia in Philadelphia -- Mosque boss tried to chop of thief's hand

Here in the melting pot of the U.S. we are expected to tolerate all religions and their practices, however bizarre they might seem to those of us not indoctrinated in said religions.

But the Sharia law popular in some religions really takes it over the line. Check out this one at Phlily.com: Police: Suspected thief almost gets his hand cut off.

A leader at a West Philadelphia mosque was arrested for allegedly trying to chop off the hand of a member accused of stealing money from prayer jars, police said Friday.

The mosque leader was only partially successful as the machete was too dull to cut all the way through. One arrested and a warrant was issued for the arrest of an accomplice.

Let's give a one handed clap for religious tolerance.

Via bizpacreview.com.

MRT and Rock the Desert

This morning's paper (MRT) tells us that the organization Freedom from Religion Foundation made an open records request to the city of Midland, Texas, about the payout of $50,000 of taxpayer money to the promoters of Rock the Desert, the Christian rock concert. And the paper provides a convoluted explanation of why the payment is justified. Click City leaders: Rock the Desert receives funds because of visitors it brings to read it for yourself and note the link to download a PDF of the contract between the city and RTD where you can get to the nut of the agreement.

Basically, the contract says the city will pay RTD to hire and feed security and emergency personnel, put up porta-potties, and pick up the trash. So the city is paying them to do what any other concert promoter would be required to do, except the part about providing food. But there's also a vague requirement that Rock the Desert publish and distribute material promoting the city.

The excuse the city provides, according to the MRT, is that the city pays money to the promoters out of funds obtained through the motel/hotel tax on the theory that the promoters are bringing in outsiders to spend money in the city and not because of the religious nature of the event.

Sure there's the religion issue, but that's only part of it. What we have is the concept of taking money from one set of taxpayers and rather than applying it to real city needs, the money is doled out to handpicked businesses and individuals at the whim of the city council.

Nationally the trend is moving toward a smaller government and fewer government payouts, although there is obviously some very strong resistance to those notions. Nonetheless, the trend is there. Midland has always been a few years behind most trends, and this one seems to be slow in coming here too. But there's hope. There's hope.

So how did the MRT discover that an open records request had been made? The article says a few individuals had written to the MRT about it, although my tired eyes aren't keen enough to have spotted any such missives in the letters to the editor section. The article also mentions that a guy wrote a whole blog post about it at the Friendly Atheist. So maybe the MRT cruises atheist websites. Who knew?

There's also the possibility that one of the city council members alerted them to try to get their side out there in case a law suit gets filed. But that's conspiracy theory stuff, and we can't go there.

Whatever.

Post Script. Regular readers of this blog may recall This Town Needs More Atheists which noted how the council seems to bend over backward whenever a church asks them for something and which also noted the $50,000 contribution to RTD. Commenter Andy said he notified the FFRF about it. Others saw the post, too, that's for sure. This blog typically gets a few hundred visits per day, but that one post attracted almost 9,000 visits over a two day span.

This town needs more atheists

Granted, the hubbub over those harmless monuments with Bible quotes carved on them that are parked on various courthouse lawns is a little bit overwrought. We've watched those battles play out in recent years. And it's a monumental waste of money to try to force some municipality to remove them in the name of separation of church and state.

But it's another thing to hand over city property or taxpayer money to churches and religious groups. Our fair city of Midland, Texas, has done its share of church donations lately with the closing of two streets at the request of the Catholic Church, and more recently, the drastic reconfiguring of a neighborhood for the benefit of Midland Christian School.

The neighbors wished the city council could just say "no." They raised holy hell and got quite a bit of sympathy from some citizens. Others were probably thinking, "First they came for the Christian School neighbors, and I did nothing …"  But the council didn't budge.

So in perusing the city budget for 2010-2011 a line item jumps out at us like a hillbilly at a Sunday social. It's $50,000 going to Rock the Desert, the money grossing religious rock concert that takes place annually at the edge of town.

There's never an angry atheist around when you need one.

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P.S. Some of us were arguing against a hotel/motel tax when it was first proposed. Taxes are often characterized as highway robbery, and the hotel/motel tax lives up to that characterization quite nicely as it hits travelers who have no vote. The lack of sensible uses for the money demonstrates a compelling reason to repeal the tax.

There's room at the inn. But it's gonna cost ya.

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Welcome visitors from the Friendly Atheist. I'm so glad you're friendly. I was trying to make a joke with the crack about "angry atheist" rather than foment angry activism. But friendly activism? Awright!

A Texas constitutional amendment to ban courts from following Sharia law

Leo Berman, Texas representative from Tyler, introduced a proposal to place an amendment on the state ballot prohibiting courts from applying religious or cultural law. Via AmericanIndependent.com.

Although he denies it publicly, the amendment appears to be a response to some of the headline making rulings in other states where courts tried to exonerate a criminal with the excuse that his religion made him commit a crime. The Council on American-Islamic Relations opposes the amendment.

Texas elects its judges, so an outrageous ruling would likely get dealt with by voters. But there's always the possibility that in some outlying area -- Schleicher County for example -- cults might attempt to establish their own communities and eventually elect their own judges, sheriffs and district attorneys.

Here's what the Texas amendment would say:

A court of this state shall uphold the laws of the Constitution of the United States, this Constitution, federal laws, and laws of this state. A court of this state may not enforce, consider, or apply any religious or cultural law.

A similar proposal that passed overwhelmingly in Oklahoma was struck down by a Federal Judge. However, the Oklahoma amendment specifically referred to Sharia law. By avoiding a reference to a particular religion Mr. Berman hopes the one in Texas might succeed.

Actually, the wording of his amendment is a little sloppy.  A better worded amendment might read like this:

A court of this state may not enforce, consider, or apply any religious or cultural law that conflicts with the laws of the Constitution of the United States, this Constitution, federal laws, and laws of this state.

Environmentalism as Religion

This theory has been around for quite a while -- that environmentalism is like a religion for many people. Carpe Diem cites a Wall Street Journal article which points out similarities:

• A holy day -- Earth Day;
• Food taboos -- eat organic;
• Rituals -- recycling paper which supposedly saves trees;
• Belief systems based on something unprovable -- man made global warming;
• Sacred structures -- recycle bins;
• Proselytizing -- nonbelievers as sinners.

The Wall Street Journal article is behind a paywall, so read the summary at Carpe Diem.

Sights with cites -- the Trijicon Acog gun sights with Bible script citation

Apparently, Trijicon had been using a few alphanumeric characters in the model numbers of the Acog gun sight on military rifles which happen to be Bible verse citations. The example used in an NPR article is "JN8:12" as a reference to John 8:12. Photo example at NYDailynews.com.

This has some people upset, and one critic even claimed it could be used in al Qaeda recruiting. Really? "Join al Qaeda! Reason #1: The heathens use Bible citations on the sights they use to put a bulls eye between your eyes." I don't think they'll be knocking the door down to get in on that.

Not to worry. The company will be issuing kits that can be used to remove the offending characters. Source: NPR.

Let's just hope the complainers don't actually look down those scopes and see -- Gasp! -- cross hairs!

Would you buy into a religion with Bart Simpson making the sale?

Nancy Cartwright has been the voice of Bart Simpson on "The Simpsons" for the duration of that wonderful TV show. And from time to time we get wind of a movement by the voice actors to get more money for their work on the show. They always get it though, because the producers couldn't find any replacements.

So what does a wealthy voice actor do with all that money? In Nancy Cartwright's case, she gave away a whole boatload to the church of Scientology. According to the Daily Dish, it was $10,000,000. And it was tax deductible! Heaven only know what they will do with that money, try to recruit more donors, maybe.

So recently she was robo-calling about a Scientology event called the "Flag World Tour Event" on January 31 in Hollywood. (Missed it. Darn.) You can listen to the call at Village Voice or on go directly to Youtube.

"Hey, what's happening man, this is Bart Simpson. Hu hu ha ha ha! Just kidding, don't hang up. This is Nancy Cartwright... ."

Fortunately, The Simpsons' producers are trying to distance themselves and the show from this by denying any involvement. But personally, I'd like to get Ned Flanders' take on it. "Hi diddly do, Scientology ain't good for you."