Friday, October 27, 2006

The biggest loser.

Another Republican voice says what many true conservatives feel: I hope we lose. I share her feelings. When Tuesday roles around, I am sure that I'll have mixed emotions, yet in the end I believe that the current congress does not deserve to rule again unscathed. Some of the bloodshed is undeserved. As Noonan points out, the real target is the President. But congressional Republicans deserve blame for not standing up to him.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

On Karate Kid

One thought on the Karate Kid movies before I give you my one link for the day:

Didn't John G. Avildsen (the director of Karate Kid I, II, and III) realize that he was poisoning Karate Kid I, when in II we learn that Ali (yes, with an I) has fallen in love with some football player from UCLA? I could have dealt with that, though, because Daniel found Kumiko, and she was an exotic beauty with a good heart. But then we learn in III that that relationship doesn't work out either.

This is the most compelling reason why III should have never come into existence. The most compelling reason it should have, of course, is the inclusion of Thomas Ian Griffith and the re-inclusion of Martin Kove. Why settle for one bad sensei when you can have two? They were not enough, though.

I blame Avildsen for the rise in movies with a cynical view of love. With Karate Kids II and III, he taught audiences that movie love does not, in fact, last forever. Damn you, Mr Avildsen. Daniel Larruso and Ali Mills should still be together.

On to the daily link.

For you text messangers out there who want to spread the good news via texting, here are some verse translations for you. This was the winning verse.
Luke 6: 20-23:
Hpy RU por; da kngdm is yrs! Hpy RU hngry; U wl Bfild! Hpy RU sad; u wl lol! Hpy RU whn ppl h8 U Bcos of da Lrd! B gld&dnce 4jy Bcos a gt prz is kpt 4U in hvn.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Staying Out of the Booth

I found this article interesting. He talks about why evangelicals may stay out of the voting booth come november. His main point is that there are theological reasons why evangelicals may not vote.
Broadly put, the theological case for the religious to steer clear of politics, or at least to avoid believing that the accumulation and exercise of earthly power should be one’s focus, lies in words Jesus spoke to Pilate. “My kingdom is not of this world …” he said to the proconsul, a point echoed by St. Paul, who said that, for Christians, “all are one” in Jesus, and that God favors no nation or class or race or sex. “We have no lasting city,” writes the author of Hebrews, “but seek the city which is to come.” Politicians can be false gods; for believers, the argument goes, there can be no other god before God.
The kind of pietism he refers to is making somewhat of a comeback. Greg Boyd, the prominent (or should I say notorious- due to his openness theology) theologian and pastor recently wrote a high profile book on the subject.

If it turns out that exit polls confirm that evangelicals stayed home on Nov. 2, I wonder if this is going to be the angle pursued by the media. Are they going to write stories about how Mark Foley and other abuses of Republican power turned off christian voters? Because the reality might not be that evangelicals turned sour on political power. It may be (and the article hints at this) that Republicans didn't use their power enough when it came to the issues that evangelicals care about, such as abortion, same-sex marriage, etc.

This brings about the next question: will the Republicans and the Pat Robertson's of the world learn the right lessons, from what seems like certain general defeat, if they misunderstand why they lost?

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Introducing: DeityPhobia News


News Bulletin
_______________________________________________________________________________________Show Show Me the Mammon!
By Ryan Bleek
DeityPhobia News

Houston- The Eye of the Needle Investment Group announced on Friday the creation of its Tithes & Offerings Promised Blessing Income Fund, or TOP-BIF. The mutual fund claims up to a 1000% return on investment. "A lot of people tell me, ‘Mike that’s crazy. You can’t possibly beat the market by that much’," says the fund’s creator Mike Ridley. "That’s true if we were simply investing in corporations. But God’s arithmetic is different." TOP-BIF uses its investors’ assets to finance churches’ building funds, buy satellite time for televangelists, and to tithe to various mega-churches.

Ridley says he came up with the idea for TOP-BIF after he personally experienced the rewards of giving. "I was in church one Sunday when, just before they passed the offering plate around, a businessman gave his testimony. He said that after he started tithing his business started to thrive. When the plate came around I knew I should give, cause I needed money too." On his way home from church, Ridley claims, he found a wallet with $500 inside. "It must have been someone’s rent money or something. Either way, it was proof that God really does reward our faithful giving. I knew I was onto something huge. That’s where the vision for TOP-BIF was born."

When asked if there are studies to back up his claims of incredible investment returns, Ridley replies that the evidence is "purely, but solidly" anecdotal. "If you want to hear some incredible stories about God’s financial blessings, just visit a church that is in the middle of raising funds for a new building." According to Ridley, the results are 100% consistent. "The testimonies are always the same. If you give to God, God will give to you."

What, says Ridley, is the best part of investing in Tithes & Offerings Promised Blessing Income Fund? "It’s all in complete obedience to the Word. I could pull out verse after verse that refer to the Lord’s blessings. I haven’t read the whole Bible myself, but it seems from the sermons I hear that pretty much the whole idea of it is that God really wants to bless us. The easiest way to make God bless us is to give. That’s why I created TOP-BIF." And the greatest part for investors is that the blessings always seem to be denominated in US dollars.

If anyone would like to write a satire article for DeityPhobia News, write me at Ryan@DeityPhobia.com