21 Legitimate Questions for People of Faith

Posted on April 20, 2012 by admin

Here is a list of some questions which people should ask themselves prior to saying they believe the Bible and that it’s the word of God or a revelation from God:

Which creation story do you believe, the one starting at Genesis 1:1 and ending at Genesis 1:31 or do you believe the other creation story at Genesis 2:4 through 25? Since they are different from each other, why do you believe the one over the other?
Do you believe in talking snakes as is claimed in Genesis 3:1? And how do you think snakes traveled prior to Genesis 3:14 when the Bible god cursed the talking snake so that it had to then travel on its belly?
Do you think it was right for Abram, aka Abraham, to pimp his 70 year old wife Sarai, aka Sarah, to the Egyptians as is reported in Genesis 12:11-16? Do you think that it was right for Abraham to pimp his 90 year old wife Sarah to Abimelech king of Gerar as the Bible claims in Genesis 20:2-18? Are these family values we want to teach our children?
Do you really believe God, the Creator and Designer of the entire Universe, would order Abraham to kill his only son just to see if Abraham feared God enough as the Bible claims at Genesis 22:1-12? If so, why?
Do you believe in witches and, if so, do you believe we should follow the command allegedly from God found at Exodus 22:18 to kill witches?
Do you believe in talking donkeys? Numbers 22:28-30 claims there was a talking donkey.
Do you believe homosexuals should be put to death as Leviticus 20:13 orders?
Should Exodus 21:17 be followed which demands children who curse their father or mother should be put to death?
Should Hebrews/Jews be allowed to keep Gentiles and their children as slaves to be owned and passed on to their children as an inheritance as is taught at Leviticus 25:44-46?
Did God chose the Hebrews/Jews “above all people that are upon the face of the earth as Deuteronomy 7:6 teaches?
Do you believe God wants Israel to be “on high above all nations of the earth” as is claimed at Deuteronomy 28:1? If so, why?
Do you believe Isaiah 60:12 which claims any nation that will not sever Israel “shall be utterly wasted”?
Should people who do work on the Jewish sabbath be killed as is ordered and was done at Numbers 15:32-36?
Do you think Psalm 137:9 which reads, “Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones” reflects the will of God, or even a healthy mind?
Do you think Jesus was wrong when he attacked the Jews for not following Old Testament law requiring them to kill their children if their children curse them as is found at Matthew 15:3-7?
Do you believe in the Bible zombie story as told at Matthew 27:52-53 which says that when Jesus died people came out of their graves and hung out in the graveyard for about 36 hours until Jesus got his resurrection at which time the living dead then walked into Jerusalem and “appeared unto many”?
Do you believe in Satan, devils and demons? Do you believe Jesus exorcised demons as is claimed at many times in the New Testament?
Do you believe Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead as is stated at John 11:1-44?
Do you believe Christians can do greater works than what is said Jesus did as Jesus is claimed to had said at John 14:12?
Do you believe women should be subservient to men as is taught, among many other places, at 1 Corinthians 11:3?
Should we fear God? Do you agree with Hebrews 10:31 which states, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”? Shouldn’t we love God and not fear God?

The number of questions all sincere people must ask themselves regarding their religious beliefs are much greater than this mere sampling. However, this is a good solid place to start.

Read the entire article here

Gay rights activists see Mormons softening attitudes toward their community

Posted on April 19, 2012 by admin

By Dan Merica, CNN

Washington (CNN) – Kevin Kloosterman, a former Mormon bishop, said he “came out” last year – just not in the way that many people associate with coming out.

“I came out and basically made a personal apology to (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) folks for really not understanding their issues, not really taking the time to understand their lives and really not doing my homework,” Kloosterman said in an interview with CNN.

Though not speaking on behalf of the church, the then-bishop stood in front of a crowd of gay and straight Mormons at a November conference on gay and lesbian issues in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is headquartered.

Donning a suit and tie, Kloosterman was visibly shaken, struggling to find the right words as tears welled up in his eyes.

“I’m sorry – deeply, deeply sorry,” Kloosterman told the group in a speech that was captured on video. “The only thing I can say to those of you who have been so patient, and have gone through so much, is for you to watch and look for any small changes with your loved ones, with your wards (Mormon congregations), with your leaders. And encourage them in this repentance process.” Read More…

New Study finds those who are homophobic maybe suppressing homosexual tendencies

Posted on April 13, 2012 by admin

According to recent studies, conducted by a team from the University of Rochester, the University of Essex, England, and the University of California in Santa Barbara found that homophobia could be a form of self-hatred and individuals who discriminate against homosexuals, could be gay themselves.

Richard Ryan, a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester, says homophobic people may have a discrepancy between what they are consciously aware of and their unconscious attraction to same sex partners. These people are more likely to come from authoritarian homes. If a parent insists their child is heterosexual when they are not and tell them they are only good if they are heterosexual, the child may grow up to hate what they are and show it by discrimination and hatred towards gays and lesbians. Read more…

Almost a third of Americans are non-religious, per recent Gallup poll

Posted on April 9, 2012 by admin

Gallup reports that nationwide, 31.5 percent of Americans are non-religious, meaning for purposes of the poll that religion is not important to them and that they rarely attend religious services. The poll is for the year 2011. The polling agency reports,

Gallup classifies 40% of Americans nationwide as very religious — based on their statement that religion is an important part of their daily life and that they attend religious services every week or almost every week. Another 32% of Americans are nonreligious, based on their statement that religion is not an important part of their daily life and that they seldom or never attend religious services. The remaining 28% of Americans are moderately religious, because they say religion is important but that they do not attend services regularly or because they say religion is not important but still attend services.

Would Jesus support health care reform?

Posted on April 7, 2012 by admin

By John Blake, CNN

(CNN) – He was a healer, a provider of universal health care, a man of compassion who treated those with preexisting medical conditions.

We don’t know what Jesus thought about the individual mandate or buying broccoli. But we do know how the New Testament describes him. The Gospels are filled with stories of Jesus physically healing the most vulnerable and despised people in his society.

References to Jesus, of course, didn’t make into the recent U.S. Supreme Court’s hearings on the constitutionality of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Yet there is a moral dimension to this epic legal debate:

How should the nation help its “least of these,” an estimated 50 million Americans who can’t afford health insurance, as well as those who could go broke or die because they can’t afford medical care?

Religion’s Demand for Obedience Keeps Us in the Dark Ages

Posted on April 3, 2012 by admin

Is it just me or does the religious jargon we hear spewing from the mouths of the Conservative Christian right, make you say “What the…?”. How can the same people that sell the “What Would Jesus Do” trinkets say that all are not worthy of adequate health care or food? Is that really what Jesus would do? Jesus feed everyone! Jesus healed everyone! Whether they could pay or not! Whether they believed the same theology or not!! And how in the good name of all that is good, can war be of God? Are the republicans setting themselves up to be the “Saviors’” of the US? Cause I just ain’t seeing it folks! What do you think?

The most fervent advocates of religion in the modern world are also the most deeply inculcated with the mindset of command and obedience, which has dangerous consequences.

Source: How Religion’s Demand for Obedience Keeps Us in the Dark Ages

Why the Right Wing is Wrong When it Comes to Sex

Posted on April 2, 2012 by admin

If prescribing to dogmatic absolutes worked, then the most conservative Christian red states wouldn’t have the highest rates of teen pregnancy, divorce and porn consumption.

“The world is a different place now,” sighed my staunch Republican Christian mom over the phone recently after I hesitated to accept her Facebook friend request, knowing my daily riffs on sex and gender controversies counter her beliefs. Yes, times have changed! Turns out the sexiest man on the Enterprise isn’t Captain Kirk, but equality activist, Mr. Sulu, who married his boyfriend of 21 years and wields searing humor against institutionalized homophobia, including posting a YouTube “It Gets Better” video telling young queers, real or perceived, ignore the loser bullies and don’t kill yourself.

Source: Culture Warriors vs. Sex for Pleasure: Why the Right Wing is Wrong When it Comes to Sex

A Song For Trayvon

Posted on April 1, 2012 by admin

20 Things You Need to Know About the Tragic Killing of Trayvon Martin

Decatur UCC Live Stream with Congressman, John Lewis!

Posted on March 26, 2012 by admin

Decatur UCC Streams services live on the internet every Sunday! We here at LLEQradio.com would like to make that available to you!!

Check out March 25th’s historic service with Civil Rights Icon, Congressman John Lewis!!

Watch live streaming video from decaturucc at livestream.com

But America Always ‘Needs a Jesus Guy!’

Posted on January 13, 2012 by admin

January 9, 2012 – By Mitchell S. Gilbert

With Michele Bachmann out of the race, any literate person who follows the news should quickly be able to figure out that only two remaining Republican Presidential candidates would dare invoke Jesus’ name into a campaign event. If we tell you it wasn’t Ricky Perry, can you guess who it might have been?

Caller to local radio show: “We don’t need a Jesus candidate; we need an economic candidate.”
Presidential Candidate: “We always need a Jesus guy! We need someone who believes in something more than themselves and not just the economy. When we say God bless America, do we mean it or do we just say it?”

Did you figure it out? That’s right, it’s the same man who doesn’t believe that higher education is a right that all American youth are entitled too; the same guy who is quite sure that LGBT people are sinners by choice who don’t belong in the military and that people with medical problems should pay more for health care as punishment for the poor lifestyle choices they have made! If you identified everyone’s favorite simple-minded bigot, little-Ricky Santorum, your name will be celebrated in heavens above tonight! Mazel tov.

While no one is really all that surprised by Santorum’s invoking the name of Jesus, his doing so didn’t go over big with the folks at the Anti Defamation League who felt compelled to remind the blue-collar rabble-rouser from the industrial heartland of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (BTW, isn’t “commonwealth” a socialist word?) that there are more than a few American atheists and people who belong to religious communities (e.g. Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddists…etc) that don’t believe in Jesus. Apparently, little-Ricky doesn’t really give a damn about all those non-Christians who won’t eventually being joining him in heaven.

: True-blue little-Ricky fans pondering his virtues.

Abraham Foxman, the ADL’s national director, said in a statement that Santorum’s “Jesus candidate” remark was “inappropriate and exclusionary.” While we have no doubt that Foxman knows all to well that the former Senator would not have a platform to stand on or anything to say if he weren’t constantly invoking pre-20th Century Catholic values and doctrine, Foxman felt compelled to add that religious appeals to voters “are simply unacceptable and un-American.”

Oh really Abe? Tell that to a plurality of Americans who would love to see that popular Scandinavian-like depiction of the Semitic Savior prominently featured on American currency.

Source: http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/01/09/but-america-always-needs-a-jesus-guy/

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