I urge anyone and everyone to pass this on.
Kennedy's address to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association nearly half a century ago on September 12, 1960 at the Rice Hotel in Houston, TX (this link includes the television broadcast and the transcription) is more enlightened than anything coming from any source anywhere in the United States whose specific purpose is not secular in nature. It completely takes my break away.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Friday, July 04, 2008
www.fostl.com
I'M BEGINNING TO WRITE A NEW SEGMENT ON THE www.fostl.com WEBSITE TITLED, ODDLY ENOUGH, "BEGINNINGS" TO INTRODUCE NEW FREETHINKERS INTO THE FOLD. PLEASE READ ALONG AND COMMENT (MY VERY FEW READERS) AS YOUR THOUGHTS MIGHT HELP ME TO SHAPE THIS SECTION.
AS YOU KNOW IT'S OKAY AND CERTAINLY PREFERRABLE NOT TO BELIEVE, BUT IT'S NOT ALWAY EASY IN OUR SOCIETY TO TRUST OUR SKEPTICISM. HOPEFULLY THIS WILL BE A GOOD GUIDE. HERE'S MY BEGINNING...
When I was young, I was surrounded by Christians. I didn't know why I didn't believe. I thougth there must be something wrong with me. I thougth I wanted to be a Christian because I wanted to be a good person. This was odd, however, since I already was a good person. In fact some of my friends did really awful things at times, things I would never do to myself or to others, and they were Christians. I also never bought the concept of hell. Eternal torment. Eternal torment for killing, I maybe sort of could get, but for simply not buying a bridge some guy was trying to sell me? There were too many questions. Too many inconsistencies. And the rationalizing asside, I still couldn't believe even thought I kept trying.
Well, maybe you're feeling some of these things. Maybe entirely different things. It doesn't necessarily matter how or why you've gotten to this point, you're here and you're reading these words. I plan to do my best to set this up as guide for people searching. I'll tell you at the outset that I most definitely don't have all the answers, but I'm going to do what I can to provide some insight into my long, arduous, sometimes painful and often humorous journey. Hopefully it will help you to miss a bit of the anguish and enjoy a bit more of the insight.
I'll work with as much structure as possible, but much of this will be stream of consciousness, gaining more form (revision by arduous revision) as I go along. Please check back often and please visit my blog if you will, as I'll mirror this discussion there, so you might comment or as questions to help form this into something useful for you, me and future visitors to the site.
Thanks. I'll begin typing again tomorrow and everyday I'm able thereafter!
AS YOU KNOW IT'S OKAY AND CERTAINLY PREFERRABLE NOT TO BELIEVE, BUT IT'S NOT ALWAY EASY IN OUR SOCIETY TO TRUST OUR SKEPTICISM. HOPEFULLY THIS WILL BE A GOOD GUIDE. HERE'S MY BEGINNING...
When I was young, I was surrounded by Christians. I didn't know why I didn't believe. I thougth there must be something wrong with me. I thougth I wanted to be a Christian because I wanted to be a good person. This was odd, however, since I already was a good person. In fact some of my friends did really awful things at times, things I would never do to myself or to others, and they were Christians. I also never bought the concept of hell. Eternal torment. Eternal torment for killing, I maybe sort of could get, but for simply not buying a bridge some guy was trying to sell me? There were too many questions. Too many inconsistencies. And the rationalizing asside, I still couldn't believe even thought I kept trying.
Well, maybe you're feeling some of these things. Maybe entirely different things. It doesn't necessarily matter how or why you've gotten to this point, you're here and you're reading these words. I plan to do my best to set this up as guide for people searching. I'll tell you at the outset that I most definitely don't have all the answers, but I'm going to do what I can to provide some insight into my long, arduous, sometimes painful and often humorous journey. Hopefully it will help you to miss a bit of the anguish and enjoy a bit more of the insight.
I'll work with as much structure as possible, but much of this will be stream of consciousness, gaining more form (revision by arduous revision) as I go along. Please check back often and please visit my blog if you will, as I'll mirror this discussion there, so you might comment or as questions to help form this into something useful for you, me and future visitors to the site.
Thanks. I'll begin typing again tomorrow and everyday I'm able thereafter!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
A quick story I simply have to reiterate...
I had to reiterate this quick little story that will hopefully make you all smile. I spent much of yesterday sandbagging in Winfield, Missouri. Sometime around Noon a military helicopter flew overhead with Governor Matt Blunt aboard to survey the flooding situation. For the record, Governor Blunt is a conservative republican of great faith. Word soon came through the ranks that he'd be landing and speaking to news reporters and such. Sure enough, the helicoptor soon landed on the other side of the high school from where we were all working. Personally, I'm not a fan, I didn't vote for him and I'm glad he's not seeking another term, so with that in mind, I continued to work unphased. After a time, the sand-bagging line suddenly stopped (as often happens for one reason or another), I set down my bag and turned around to grab my water bottle, when who is walking directly toward me but Matt Blunt followed by a deluge of reporters, cameras and the like. Our eyes meet and he stretches out his hand and we shake. Him in his button down oxford shirt, neatly pleated pants and finely polished leather shoes; me in my work boots, cargo shorts and sand spattered 'GODLESS LIBERAL' imprinted shirt!
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