Thank God

So as I sat staring at my blogs, only one thought can come to my mind. Thank God this is finally done. As I said in my first blog, I really don't like writing about my feelings or do I really think people want to read them. This blog assignment i had turned out to be harder than I thought. It seemed to take me forever to find something that wouldn't bore me enough so I could read the whole article and then after that I had to write about it. I did enjoy finding some of those videos though and speaking of Bush. As I am on my last blog I would like to look back at everything I have learned. I feel like I have learned a lot since I did not have any prior knowledge of any other religions or that much political background. I am a political science major but I like the animal rights class and stuff like that. I feel more educated and hopefully I started to sound more educated too. I really did enjoy Lobdell's class and it has proven to be one of the more beneficial classes I have taken here at UCI. I feel now like I can debate in religious talks and political ones. I feel like I know more about Romney than he does. I got to see how religious some leaders are and it really does scare me. I hope that in the future our leaders have a faith but are not ran by it. I have nothing against religion but I believe it plays too big of a role. Look at all the major wars in history and religion can play to some part of it. In closing, thank you for taking the time to read my blogs and I hope it was beneficial. As I finally finish I am thankful for taking this class and learning as much as I did. I am forever changed.

Jesus Juice

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-huckabee2dec02,1,7091858.story?coll=la-politics-campaign&ctrack=1&cset=true

Conservatives have a new guy to look up to: Mike Huckabee. He is the governor of Arkansas for the last 10.5 years. He is a Southern Baptist that proclaims his faith is foundation for all his decisions believing in what is right and wrong. He is hoping the be a Republican presidential nominee. HIs faith is the main reason for this article though. They keep bringing his South Baptist background to all his policy-making since he was a southern preacher. He is anti-abortion and anti-gay rights but definitely loves to tax people so already I don't like him. He kind of is like Bush. He lets his faith rule him. I have nothing against faith but why does your faith have to dictate my life. He may be a great but I have already shut him off since he can't be logical and let that play a role in his decision making. From the article he has many accomplishments but can he really credit them all to his faith and nothing to his own rationality. Are rationalist a minority in our country? I hope not. Rationalist keep us alive. Huckabee could be a great leader, but he needs to tone the faith down. Be faithful but don't impose it on everyone else.

Gay Hotel

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/world/americas/03argentina.html?ref=world

Gays are finally accepted in Buenos Aires. They have made a hotel entirely designed to accomidate gays. It's nice to see a country to accepting of gays and I wish our nation could be more accepting. This country used to jail gays but not holds the most gay rights. They even had the first World Cup for gay soccer players there. Buenos Aires has a Catholic descent but they still believe in people's right. I believe being gay is a biological thing and why should you be punished for how you feel inside. This country is so anti-gay and so bible crazy that they won't let gays have any rights. We can learn a thing from Buenos Aires and really accept people for who they are. As a country ran by money, you think they would love gay money but I guess they think they are better.

An Increase In BC

So you may ask, how does birth control have anything to do with religion? Let me answer you. It has everything to do with it. How come birth control used to be cheap and now all of a sudden its expensive? Look who is in office, Mr. Bush. I am not saying he did it himself but he probably approved or started this change. Birth control is a necessity. With the higher prices on birth control, girls either switched to the morning after pill (which in multiple doses is not healthy for you) or nothing at all. Kimberly Martinez of some Abstinence group thought this was a great thing. She thinks without birth control, girls will stop having sex. Wrong, they will just keep having it but not the government may need to pay for her abortion. Abstinence is some Christian thing so this increase can relate back to that. If we didn't have such a religious right in our government, this increase would never happen. They think it is abuse of our insurance companies but insurance companies should be there to help us, not make a profit. We should really follow the French and have socialized insurance.

Chuck Norris on the Bible

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7czRrFNRQO0&feature=related

Chuck Norris is on a tangent now. He appeared to be speaking for the bible being taught in public schools. Why Chuck why? Is everyone Christian in public schools??? Does everyone have to waste even more time and teach kids of something they may not need in the future. Spend that time and teach more math. Most people still can't add. Why is Chuck making a commercial to promote this. What is it to him? I find it stupid. I went to Catholic school and I hated bible classes. Now imagine you have that class in high school. Already so many people ditch class, this would only increase that amount. Go back to fighting in movies Chuck and leave the public schools alone.

Bible and Romney

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/us/politics/01romney.html?ref=politics

So basically on Wednesday's night Republican presidential debate, Romney was asked if he believed every word of the bible. He sort of tip-toed around the question but said, “I believe the Bible is the word of God, absolutely.” He didn't want to answer the question directly because he doesn't believe every word but that would of made Christians mad and that is who he is trying to appeal to. I hate how he can't answer honestly (or for that fact, no one ever answers honestly) what he really believes. Has our nation really come down to this where we can't really speak our true feelings. Do we really have to mask everything to make everyone happy? Can we not stand out and stand up for what we really believe in? So what, he is Mormon. Get over it. Does that mean he will trying to get everyone to have multiple wives - No. That's his personal life and has nothing to do with how he would run the office. The only guy that really infused his faith on the world in Bush. His right-wingedness doesn't like abortion, gay rights, or stem-cell research. All things that are against his faith to him. if I want to get an abortion, I don't want Bush telling me I can't. Is he going to pay for the hospital bills, food, clothes, and the personal trainer to get me back in shape - No. Unless you are going to help everyone with your faith, leave it alone. It is just faith and nothing else.

Romney is back

Romney is back and he is hear to talk. It is decided that on Thursday, December 6th he will address the nation with their concerns on his faith in Texas. This was pretty close to where John F. Kennedy did his speech nearly 50 years ago. His speech will be called "Faith in America," which will “share his views on religious liberty, the grand tradition religious tolerance has played in the progress of our nation and how the governor’s own faith would inform his presidency if he were elected.” I think it is about time. Most people said they wouldn't vote for a Mormon candidate so he needs to show the people what they are missing out on. It's sort of ironic since he really didn't want this election to be on his faith but it is. This nation is always fixated on the unimportant things. Because of peoples stupidity is why Bush is in office. If Al Gore was president the world would of been much better. No global warning for one thing and probably no war. But back to Romney. I can't wait until his address and plan to watch it. Hopefully it will be beneficial and not destructive. (You may find this article on the New York Times website and I am not sure where the speech will be aired).

A Challenge for the Future

What if my child wants to become a member of the Islamic faith? First I would ask why? If his or her answer is well thought out I would support them. I was not brought up with a overwhelming religious background. This was good and bad. I probably would not have done a few things if I was a little more religious, but hey, what are you going to do? But back to the topic. The Islamic faith is strong. There is much debate and scandal in the news about it, but the core of the Islamic faith is not the extremist attention grabbing topic you see on the news. How many of you know exactly just how many Muslim families work and live right besides you? There values are similar to the Christian faiths with one obvious difference. In a Muslims eyes Jesus was not God’s son but just another prophet such as Muhammed. This one ideal I think is the largest challenge for Christians to get over. If you compared the two religions after that there is actually much similarity and I challenge all of you to educate yourselves on that.

Choices

What are the politics of religion when it comes to marriage? If the husband is Jewish and the wife Catholic, should one convert? Or should the children of this marriage be brought up to have an appreciation and a choice for themselves? It is difficult to control who the one is that you love. I personally believe that the children should have a choice. But think about what your personal religion is. Did you choose it? Most likely not. Most likely your parents passed it on to you. Are today’s children more mentally capable of that type of choice? I think so. At least I hope so. Children of this era are much more capable of such a choice. I am sure we have all spoke to that five year old that made us feel young. Of course not all children are at this level, but the maturity of all kids is becoming a much shorter phase. There was an episode in 7th Heaven that dealt with this issue and it was very educational. I still remember if 5+ years later. All children should get that choice and really decide if any religion is right for them.

Virgins

How can one man kill innocent people for his religious beliefs? For the promise of a large number of virgins waiting for him in the afterlife? Speaking of this belief I saw a humorous play on it, I believe on Family Guy. They showed an extremist blow up some people then when he got to heaven he did have virgins waiting for him, just not the type he expected. He found a bunch of pimple faced computer geeks playing Dungeons and Dragons. That was hilarious. But back to the topic. Where does a group get off killing fellow members of their society for religion? That is not appropriate and will never be accepted. What point does it serve? They are just killing some many innocent people. If you want to kill yourself then go ahead but don't take away that choice from someone else. I hate suicide bombers because they take away that choice. How can you justify killing all those people to yourself. I will never understand.

Food for Thought

I think separation of church and state is a good thing because in America we have so many different religions represented. How could we ever decide which religious beliefs to follow? If we all believed in the exact same ideals it would be easy to include some more conservative values in our laws. Some would say that our laws are plenty conservative, but the extremists will beg to differ I am sure.

Back to the Disgusting Perverts

Catholic Priests and the continuing stories about the molestation of young boys. How am I supposed to have faith when there are so many instances of such sinful acts? I know that God will forgive them, but should he? To me, if I was one of those molested I would feel just as horrible as someone that lived through the holocaust. And I do not believe that there is anyone that feels that Hitler should be forgiven. Are these two acts equal? When you compare the forced intercourse of a young boy to the forced starvation and humiliation of the young Jewish prisoners; there is at least room for debate. That debate if done by a holocaust survivor and a rape survivor I am sure would be intense. (Please do not assume I am comparing rape to murder. I did clarify ‘holocaust survivor.’) It is just sad that both these things happened and I wish they hadn't. The world is a messed up place and hopefully the right punishment will happen to those inhumane people.

How can I tell if I really love something? I cannot tell anymore if the new thing I must work extra hours to obtain is something I can really use or just another waste of money that will be subordinated by the new product a month from now. I am off the topic of religion, but my point is still on. What I am saying is that with every new interpretation of religion or the more that I learn about it, makes me question if there is something better or if I should just appreciate what I have. Did my parents pick the correct religion for me? Is being of the Catholic faith all that great? I've been learning about other religions lately from the media and in class and some have great points and some have not so great points. After learning these other ideals, I'm starting to become more agnostic. How do I know which religion is right and which one should I choose?

Words For Thought

How does one believe in religion if one has a formal education? What is the main thing that a formal education teaches us? Question everything. And what does religion ask us to do? Have faith. Religion expects us to believe and accept that what is in the “Book” whatever your personal book is. How are we to keep accepting that we go to heaven when any scientist will tell you that when you die, you are eaten by bugs and processed back into the Earth? I think it makes those of us who have nothing else to believe in feel good inside to believe there is something else than this battle for social status and constant achievement for more, whatever ‘more’ is. I too am plagued by always wanting the next comsumerist item that corporate America shoves down out throat. But will we ever just realize what life is really about? And if we realize it, will we act on it?

Funny Funny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSSwKffj9o

So I was searching the web trying to find something funny about religion for my blogs. I like to make people laugh. George Carlin makes some pretty valid points in his rant about religion. It talks about how God is all willing and can do many things but he needs one thing... money! Isn't that sort of funny. How home the church is always trying to take money from us. Does God really need it? They make $100,000 a year through the basket that gets passed around during the sermon alone. George Carlin is right, that is bullshit! We give money to an imaginary man hopefully so we can go to heaven. Look at the world today, does it look like a God is guiding us? Look at the war, it's terrible. Carlin brought up another funny topic. Everyone prays for anything or everything. They do it on one day, Sunday. God's day of rest. That sucks for God huh? Carlin came up with some good points. He is going to worship the Sun now, doesn't seem that crazy. At least you can see it.

Ok I have done research on the Islamic religion enough to understand that the prophet Muhammed is not to be portrayed in any physical form. Obviously, everyone knows that now. Even in ancient artwork of his stories his face is left blank. I understand the reasoning and purpose. But what about when some school children name a teddy bear with his name? I just heard about the volunteer Western school teacher that has been placed in jail for letting her students choose the name of the classroom mascot and when they chose Muhammed, she was arrested. (Thank you Howard Stern once again for giving me News with Robin Quivers). These acts are the kind that push the West away from acceptance and adaptation of Islam. To any Westerner, I think even some Islamic Westerners, the act of putting a volunteer school teacher in jail is beyond extreme. It is plain crazy. Being reprimanded and asked to change the name would have been much easier. For those who do not understand the serious nature of this act, this punishment is just wrong. In my opinion it actually goes against Islamic law. Sharia law clearly says that these laws are intended solely for those of the Islamic faith. So where do authorities get off enforcing these laws on a non-Islamic person? This is very upsetting. I know they were trying to giving her 10 years in jail and 40 lashes in the beginning but that has changed. She got sentenced to 15 years in jail. I know some are trying to pardon her now.

Gobble Gobble

Turkey. No, not what you just had your fill of for Thanksgiving. I am speaking of the nation here. Turkey is a nation that is the West’s great hope for having a secular Middle Eastern country. The West believes that if Turkey can have a successful secular nation, then there is hope for the rest of the Middle East. But is Turkey the best choice for a shining example of a secular state? Have you ever heard of the Armenian Genocide? Ya, that was the Turks. They tried to completely wipe off the Armenian culture from the face of this planet. To this day they have not admitted to causing that genocide. As an Armenian it deeply hurts me that a nation could not face their consequences. Don't get me wrong though... I have a house in Turkey and I love going there. But do they deserve to receive all of the praise they do? Well…I think what it comes down to is that they are the best shot we have or maybe the only one.

Separation of Church and State

Separation of Church and State. Back to this topic. Islamic Law or Sharia says that there can be no separation of church and state. In the United States and most other Western nations this is unfamiliar to us-somewhat. In the West, our laws are as well open for interpretation, which is why we have the judicial system. Since they are open to interpretation, it makes us hard to really know what is right and what is wrong in some cases. Just look at all the disputes in history. This is why we have judges. But, judges are there so that they assure that religion or politics are left out of the decision. (Some don't do that). The United States would be much different if this was not true. What if all people still did not have equal protection under the law. We all know what happened before equal rights practices were undertaken in this country. It was not pretty and not fair. I believe that this is some of the worry that Westerners have about non-secular states.

The Quran

The Quran. As a Westerner, the Quran, as for most Westerners, can be a topic of great confusion. Even for most members of the Islamic faith there is a disconnection between the actual interpretations of the text between different followers of Muhammed. We saw that with out Muslim speaker who told us how some Muslim interpret the Quran in different ways. Those people are the ones that really ruin the name of the Quran. They take it too far. From what my limited amount of education can tell, the Quran has so many interpretations and this is one reason for the conflict between some Islamic nations. So if there is more than one interpretation of this religious text of such difference that it can cause violent conflict, how can the rest of the world accept that Islamic law can be incorporated into national law? Will groups within the same borders be governed by laws that may or may not be associated with laws interpreted from one groups understanding of the Quran? This may be irrational for the West to accept and I don't think we will every accept it. Many believe we are a Christian nation and I don't think it is going to change just yet.

An Intro

Hmmm... is it reasonable to involve religion with politics? To some countries the answer is yes, but to countries like the United States we say that being secular is right. But does our current President leave religion out of his political decisions? As we all know the answer is no. Bush has been heard saying that he has to go pray to figure out what he should do about his Iraq debacle. In our Pledge of Allegiance the concluding line includes the statement ‘One nation, under God.” So why are we trying to force Middle Eastern countries such as Iraq to become secular? Are there good reasons for this? That is what I would like to explore in this section of my blog.

Conan has a stalker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRtB3mNlzR8

Conan O'Brien has a stalker. Can you guess who???? I'll give you a hint... He works for a higher authority. That's right, it's a Catholic Priest. Are you surprised? Yeah, me neither. I heard this story on Howard Stern (where I hear all my news) and everyone laughed about it. The priest is David Ajemian and he has been stalking Conan since 2006. He refers to himself as "Your Stalking Priests" in his threatening letters to Conan. How can a wack job like this be allowed to be a catholic priest?!?!? They need screening tests or something. This guy has followed Conan from California to New York and thankfully he got arrested. He tried to get out of by attempting suicide but the judge did not fall for that and he is set to have a court hearing in February. Hopefully he doesn't get out of it and goes to jail or something. Who calls themselves a stalker to the person they are stalking... weird. Are the Catholics the only religion with this problem? It seems like it.

Catholics in Alaska

I have read Lobdell's article about the Catholic priests in Alaska. It's sick that Joseph Lundowski raped so many boys in Alaska and the Catholic church isn't even trying to make these victims feel any better. He nearly raped all the boys in the village but only 28 men have come forward. He would just pulled down the pants of these little boys and just penetrate them. I am so disgusted by this man. He would engaged in oral sex on them also which was the least harmful of all his things. He would force them into sex with himself and other children and told the it was the only way into heaven. What a sick bastard. How vicious can you be to do this to little boys especially so unexpectedly. He thought he held such authority that he was allowed to do this. it is so upsetting and I was almost in tears when I read this article. It was so graphic. I knew about the catholic priest scandals but nothing has hit me as hard as this article. The only thing the Catholic Church can give these men is money and $10,000 isn't enough for everything Joseph did. He was a sick pervert and thankful he has already passed. What a dirty man...

Catholics...

I'm a Catholic and I can't be more ashamed. After hearing all those horror stories in class about the Catholic priests, I am in disgust. I went too all those Catholic functions and thank god I hadn't blossomed yet because I would of been raped. The speakers that we had made me wonder if I knew anyone that had been molested from these disgusting priests. I asked my brothers but they said no. I wonder if they are telling the truth. I am just really disappointed with priests. How can they molest little boys?!?!? That is soooooo wrong. First they start with making boys feel bad for masturbating or thinking about sex or whatever and use it against them to molest them. The catholic diocease needs to regulate them better instead of just moving them around. They are really ruining the children and making them messed up. No where in the bible does it say rape children and it is so hypocritical that people in power would do this. Priests are someone in our community that people look up to and they shouldn't be. This really makes me rethink my faith because I don't want to be part of rapists or even worst, pedophiles.

Mormons on South Park

I just watched an episode of South Park where they talk about the Mormon religion. They talked about the how John Smith founded the religion and really poked fun at it. They kept calling him dumb and I felt really bad for Mormons during that episode. I wonder if everything they said about John Smith was true. It's South Park so probably not... Did he really transcribe the golden plates through a hat and couldn't duplicate them? I'm going to research that and see what the truth is. Anyway, during the episode the Mormon family was so nice and didn't try to push there fate on anyone but Stan somehow got wrapped in it. Later though he gets mad and yells at them. The Mormon family didn't do anything wrong and it sucked that they got yelled at anyway. They didn't deserve that and if that is what really happens to Mormons daily I feel bad for them. That episode had to suck for the Mormons.

Bad News for Romney

The leader of a polygamist sect called the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormonism) , Warren Jeffs, is going to jail. He was known for being an absolute ruler and became famous for getting some sort of marriage with Mormon men followers and underage girls. Which also caused for him being sent to jail. Even though Warren Jeffs and Mitt Romney may not know each other, this does not help Romney out. Mormonism is already controversal which his campaign already that this added publicity will only push him farther away from the office. I feel anymore news that has to do with anything on his faith, good or bad, will bring him down. It's sad that religion can be a determining factor for someone's vote instead of just see what the person has to say or can do. Even though polygamy is not practiced anymore, anyone ignorant of current traditions of different religions will not know this. I don't think most Americans research before they vote so this can only hurt Romney.

Mormons lead a happy life

After researching Mormonism and reading the articles presented for us I feel like Mormonism is not as scary as it seems. Before taking this poly sci class, I did not know a thing about Mormonism and did not think too much of it. After learning their culture and traditions, Mormonism is actually a good religion. First of all their networking is amazing! The generally care for one another and really try to help each other out. It seems that once you are a Mormon, you a Mormon for life. My sorority has great networking but nothing compared to this. Mormons seem to have great family values. I feel like parents are really involved in their children's lives and vice versa. They really try to keep them together based on faith and have plenty of programs to keep them together. It's nice to see that. Also Mormons become their own god after death. Who wouldn't want that? The only thing that I think is not a great thing in the Mormon church is no birth control. I know catholics believe that too but you see more Mormons actually following that. My brother best friends had like 5 kids that last time I saw him and that financially has to be quite a burden. Despite just having a lot of kids, Mormonism seems like a good thing. I don't feel threatened at all by it and it's better to know about different religions than to just disapprove without trying.

Romney's Mormon Question

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1619552,00.html

This article I found quite interesting by Nancy Gibbs. Unlike the others where the mostly list of the same stuff, this one gave new information about Romney and Mormonism. She wrote, "It is about what our faith says about our judgment and how our traditions shape our instincts." This quote automatically made me think of one authority figure, George W. Bush. He bases his activities on his judgment through faith and his born again nature is definitely the tradition that shapes his life and indirectly ours too. What if you are a different religion... do you really want some guy dictating you on his beliefs. This is further proof why it is necessary to have a separation of church and state. No more then ever since this country is changing. The US is a mold of many different cultures and pretty soon the minorities will be the majority. Anyway back to the article... Besides telling us a little about Mormonism, Gibbs gives us more of a background on Joseph Smith (creator of Mormonism). He ran for president in 1844 ad "was murdered by an angry mob." Doesn't seem like anything is really changing now. Romney wants to run for president but the angry mob is not the Christians and they will not let him. It kind of seems to me that Mormons are a little power hungry. Even Smith had a successor, Brigham Young, who has the most famous Mormon college named after him. Even though these Mormons are a secretive group, still everyone knows who they are. They are those sets of kids the bike to your house and try to read you their bible. Since us non-Mormons or "gentiles" as we are called can't do it ourselves. I feel like they are always trying to push their religion on me and it gets frustrating.
Romney's inspiration, Dwight Eisenhower, was very religious. He "saw the addition of 'under God' to the Pledge of Allegiance and IN GOD WE TRUST to dollar bills and declared that "our form of government has no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious faith and I don't care what it is." He's seems pretty outspoken and stands his ground. Maybe that is why he is Romney's inspiration since Romney needs to excel in those areas. He's needs a backbone and stop flopping around. He's obviously a little delusional because he thinks, "the American people want a person of faith to lead the country. [He doesn't] think Americans care what brand of faith someone has." Can he not tell from all the articles about him that it is an issue. We already have someone with faith running our country and that sucks. How is another very faithful person going to do much better. He will be just like Bush and no vote for the things we really need like stem cell research because it goes against his faith. We need someone that will disreguard their personal feelings and really do what is best for the country. Enough religious nuts, lets get someone rational for once!

No holidays, that is just insane!

http://www.newsweek.com/id/41889

I read Newsweek's article "Mitt's Mission" about Mitt Romney and I was really surprised. They really dug into the Mormon culture and everything about it. So I will be discussing it here. Mitt was brought in the Mormon faith and "believed each person lived as a spirit with God before the creation of the world." So wow that be a lot of spirits everywhere. It could be true but i don't really think so because just look at our population, it's growing every second. There are "Mormon rules against swearing, against the consumption of alcohol, coffee, and tea, against extra- and premarital sex." Omg those rules are harsh. I've broken every one of those repeatedly. I wouldn't even be allowed 100 feet of their chapels or whatever they call it. I can't believe people follow those rules. They are so strict and so easy to disobey. How can you not drink tea??? It makes you feel better. Another weird thing is "proxy baptisms or baptisms for the dead." I can't imagine touching a dead body. That would be sooooo gross. I wonder if the proxy baptism is done the same way a regular baptism is done. I know it's is part of their cultural but I know at funerals I always cry and the body is sealed in a coffin, looking at the person would make it so much worst. There are stuff about missionaries and positions in the church but everyone else most likely have some extent of that stuff. Romney states there are "commonalities between Mormons and Christians" and i can see of that but most of it isn't like that. Christians don't do half the shit that Mormons do and they are definitely not as secretive. That sucks that no one can really see what they do if you do not join. Kind of sounds like a cult... ohhhh and also they don't celebrate holidays!!!! what is up with that??? i can't imagine not dressing up for halloween, or getting presents on christmas, or be romanced on valentine's day. That enough will make a lot of people not want to join. Maybe they should get rid of that and then maybe more people would join their cult. No holidays, that is just insane!

Mormon Week... with our leading man Mitt Romney!!!

http://www.newsweek.com/id/41889

I'm going to talk about the political issues here. Well first of all, it took me forever to figure out what LDS stands for (Later-day saints, for everyone else that is as confused as I was). I'll quote what interest me and talk about it. Well in the beginning the reporter speaks of how he went to the church that used to be the mormon church that Romney went to when until he was 10. When the reporter asked Romney about it, he replied with "Oh yeah, I don't know where that is." Why would Romney lie about. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me so why is he denying it. Something sounds fishy to me and makes my support for him lower. I know he doesn't want to talk about religion but he does not have to lie about it. Like the reporter said, "Nothing is more politically vexing or personally crucial for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney than the story of his faith. Romney really is promoting himself as a business man. I don't blame him. President Bush relies on faith to guide him and look where that has brought us. Next, "only 45 percent of registered Iowa Republicans say America is ready for a Mormon president." That really sucks how low that is. His religion has nothing to do with his presidency and no religion test is needed to be the president. I wish people would read more and better educate themselves on these topics. Regardless, Romney appears to be a "glossy and robotic candidate who will say anything to get elected and believes nothing in his heart." That is so harsh. Romney may have flip-flopped his sides before but that quote is still unfair. He is only acting that way because he does not want to talk about his religion. Can't we respect the guys decision? Not according to Kirk Jowers, he believes, "If you choose not to talk about the church and focus solely on Romney's business and political abilities, you deny the public an opportunity to know him as intimately as the public demands of its front runners." Yeah i see that but it is not anyone's business what you do in your private life. Clinton should of said none of your business when Monica blew him. Who cares? She wanted to do and no one forced her. I just hate how much reporters are making Romney talk about Mormonism. "Romney made clear that questions about his faith were out of bounds, and from the start, his faith was all anyone wanted to talk about." I couldn't of said that better. Maybe its all this talk of his religion that makes him appear flip-floppy from being a "social moderate to win election in liberal Massachusetts," to be a "social conservative to be viable in the primary race." I do agree with the article though and I think he changed his position to be better suit his target audience which is something we don't want in a future president. I didn't care when he did not talk about his religion but i do care that he is changing his political stand point. The last thing we need is a wishy washy president.

Use condoms.

check out this video, its way funny

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2gLlBv_SrZw

No matter what religion you are, use condoms.

Who Can Forget Ann Coulter?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2wnPHFSdrME

Of course I had to comment on this also. She is so right-winged and so focused on being a Christian Rupublican. She wants us all to be Christian and she believes that will make it much safer. I know plenty of Christian kids that do criminal acts and they don't make me feel safe. She is completely nuts. She says many out there things like Bill Clinton is a homosexual, and more recently, Christians are the "perfected Jew." I'm not even Jewish but wow, she offended a lot of people. She tries to back-track herself out of her offensive comment but does not do a very good job. How does she make a living? I can't believe people actually read her stuff. That just shows you how fucked up we are as a society to accept her as being a good standing public figure. I wonder if this will further her career or stop it. Judging by her already great support, this will probably just catapolt her even bigger with her outspoken and offensive attitude Imas got kicked out of broadcasting and so should she. She really is crazy and not deserving of her fame

Which Presidental Candiate Should You Pick

Check out this website, you fill out a questionaire and it tells you which candidate you should vote for.

http://www.selectsmart.com/president/2008.html



So i participated in this website and they ask you 24 questions including your stance on marjiuna, abortion, environmental issues, gay rights, etc. After submitting all my answers Barack Obama was my highest scoring candidate with 74% followed by Al Gore (not announced but I would definitely vote for him) (70%), Dennis Kucinich (never heard of him) (69%), and John Edwards (65%) with Hilary Clinton trailing at 10th place (56%) and Stephen Colbert at last place with 15%. This website let you pick how much of significance each issue has with you to better weight your decision. I have been considering Barack Obama lately and I'm glad to see this website reinforces. Of course, I will not only relay on this site. Only thing that sucks with this site is you don't know what position they oppose from you. If it was abortion, stem-cell research, or gay rights then I would not vote for them. Those issues are only a problem because of religious views and nothing else. Who has the right to tell a girl that she has to have a baby. Are they going to pay for her baby and personal trainer :) ? It is so stupid that the government thinks they have that right. We are already overpopulated as it is. Let people that can't bring a new life into a loving and stabile environment not have the kid. That simple. Gay rights is a tough on for me because I think there is nothing wrong with gay people and I think it is biological but i think civil unions are enough with the tax benefits. It shoud be the same as marriage but just called different. Stem cell is a major one because it saves lives. How simple. Why would anyone want to stop that? Human life is more important that some religious belief. Those issues are definitely the most important to me.



Howard Stern had some other good sites for this too if you want to check him out

Bill Maher's Take on Constitution Day

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7jdtLTIzZWo

First of all, I love Bill Mader. He makes politics interesting to watch and makes you feel smart. Sort of like Jon Stewart but more professional. And the fact that they curse on that show is even better.

Bill Mader talks of how the constitution says that you don't have to past a religious test to be in the government. I never knew about it but I would never assume that you would anyway. No where in the constitution does your religion have anything to do with how you will run a country. Maybe someone should of told John McCain that... I'm actually starting to believe that maybe Obama is the best choice for us. We may start to do better. He doesn't think God led us into war like George W. Bush does. It would be nice to have a sane person in office or what Bill Maher says, "a rationalist." I am a rationalist and don't get caught up in what religion has brought us into to. Us rationalist only constitute 20% of people under 30 and it should be way more. We can make a difference and change this country for the better. Any presidental candiate would be better than Bush. Even Rommey with his holy underwear as Bill says. That his belief and he can believe whatever he wants but I'm not believing that. With all this research on religion with our candiates, its really urges me to research more on them and make a educated decision on who i should vote for. Our president should be voted on ambition, sanity, and stability among other things, regardless of religion. That is what the constitution intells.

McCain Buried Himself in a Hole

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DCv-ONLH1Js

This McCain's interview with Beliefnet on who he thinks should run our nation. He tries to be respectful of all religions and tries to keep a neutral ground but when asked his personal beliefs, he sticks to Christian. Even though it does not sound as bad as other racial groups make it out to be, it is still offensive. There might be more that cut out but he seems to just stick with his fate. He believes the US was founded on christian ideals and thinks someone of that background should run the country but we shouldn't disregard someome as a candidate if they aren't Christian. it seems like he is contradicting himself a bit. He knows there is a seperation of church and state but when he talks about a Christian president, the seperation is lost. Worst could of been said, but I see how Jewish and Muslim people are offended. The US is blend of many different religions and cultures and who is to say if one religion is more influencial then the other. We already have a Christian president that is ruining our country so maybe a Muslim one can do better. It would not take much. He needs to stop relying on religious votes to win a presidental election and actually show us what he can do. Now he is pretty much known for this interview with beliefnet. Everything anyone says gets linked to the internet and most likely, youtube. He should not be saying comments that will infuriate the people he needs to support him. His comment was stupid and he is getting the consequences of saying something offensive. By my judgement, he is not going to be president

Please Check Out Loose Change!!!

Recently I stubbled upon this video from youtube

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7E3oIbO0AWE

I suggest you really watch it. It's extremely long (79 minutes) but just watch a little bit and you'll get the jist. It's about how 911 was actually planned and staged by our government. It tells you how government officials were told not to ride any plans on 9/11, how there is no scientific proof that a plane hit the pentagon, how bombs blew up the world trade center, and much more. I'm not really surprised. I used to have a teacher that worked for the government say that bombs blew up the world trade center and I thought he was crazy. But after watching the video, I believe he was right all along. The evidence is so apparent and brought to you in a way that makes it easy to understand. The US government really start a war on fake acquisations just get more oil and why do they try to hide so much from the American public. I don't want to give too much away on this video because it is worth watching. Watch it and let me know what you think.

George Bush Does Not Like Black People

There has been recent coverage and support of the California Wild Fires. Acutally a lot of it. People have been donating a lot of money, there has been plenty of aid for all people threatened by the fire, and even public officals have visited and tried to help. Now I may be wrong, but I don't remember as much being done when their was the New Orleans tradegy. I know celebrities endorsed it and tried to raise money, which might still happen for California (I doubt it though, since most people are rich where it did happen), but what I'm talking about is how George Bush has handled the situation. He came to California pretty early and tried to rid of us of our worry but I don't remember him being as attentive with the New Orleans tradegy. Is it because they are black? We all remember Kayne West's quote and if you don't (http://youtube.com/watch?v=zIUzLpO1kxI). Everyone thought he was being crazy, but was he actually right? It seems like there is more help for us Californians then there was for New Orleans people. Are we a society that is still racist and continues to belittle African Americans? It seems unfair to them, they are still citizens of our nation. I feel more people were eager to aid with the wild fires then with the flooding in New Orleans. More people died and lost their homes there so shouldn't they deserve more aid. I know what happened to California was horrible since some of it was a natural disaster and some of it was arson, but it isn't worst then what happen in New Orleans. Who cares what celebrities almost lost their houses in our golden state, we should focus on the working class people that make our nation what it is. I may be completly wrong, and if I am correct me, but it seems like our incident had more support then the worst tradegy in New Orleans

Bush's Faith Brought America to Hell

I've just read "Faith, Certainity, and the Presidency of George W. Bush," and i definitely learned a lot. He relies completely on faith and not of analysis or research. I'll just state it, I've never been a fan of George W. Bush (or Bushy how i like to say to seperate the two Bush(s)). I'm not a big fan of war and we shouldn't of gone to war. Who knows if terrorist really did it (check my post with "loose change" in it). So back to Bush... he's not a great president and after reading this article, it definitely confirms my assumptions. He doesn't listen to anyone and gets angry at them if they do not side with him. He seems arrogant. I'm sorry but if God is telling you to do the actions that he is doing, God does not look very good. Maybe something great will happen in the end of all this chaos, but so far the future does not look bright. We have lost so many innocent lives to Bush's "faith." He went to Harvard Business School but still did not learn to think. This makes Harvard not look so great (go UCI!)... He believes everything he is doing is great and does not see any fault in his work. He won't even speak to the men he used to look up to because now they don't agree with him. It is just sad how our county has turned from a budget surplus to a budget deficit along with everyone else bad that has happen. I blame George Bush and I don't blame myself. I wasn't 21 at the election so I couldn't vote, but I did volunteer that day to work the polls. He got voted in only because of his faith. People need to stop having sex with their cousins or whatever they do in the southern states (no offense) and really research this guy. The fate of our nation is in our hands. Do you really want a guy that believe Switzerland really did not have an army to lead us? He could not read one History book and realize that? He does not believe in the seperation of church and state, which is in the Constitution. He does not pay attention to way our nation was founded and just goes to beat of his own horn. It's disheartening to realize we put this guy in office for 2 TERMS!!! one was enough. i wish al gore was elected because he cares about our environment on a whole and would not be troubling himself with a war we should not be fighting. If time could go back...

Are these fires terriorist attacks???

With all the fires going around in california right now, one may think these are not all natural disaters. some are declared arson but who would really do that to so many innocent people. its sick that someone wants to jump on the band wagon of these fires and stage another fire when we already have so many. who would of ever thought anything bad could happen to orange county. i think it may be terrorist attacks. think about it, its a pretty good one... we cant stop them, its killing many homes and harming poor innocent animals, and runing our lungs. i wont be suprised if everyone dies from second hand smoke (knock on wood). the terrorist already killed many people in 9/11, whos to stop them now. the war is certainly not helping...



it may not be the terrorist style since a lot of people aren't killed at once, but its is still devesating. they already believe they are the chosen ones and do their suicide bombing not caring for the innocent people they are killing. i just think it is really sad how many people lost their lives when they didnt need to. i cant believe how religion can make people do that. but its not shocking, just remember the crusades and how many people were killed for religion. when will it stop and everyone be civil with each other. one of the fires is by my house and i remember driving home the other day and seeing the fire 100 ft away from me since the road was blocked off then. i drove by the same place today and it is devestating the looks of it now. trees and bushes are burnt and not including all the wildlife that has suffered and probably been killed. Orange county is even that bad, San Diego is horrible. Traffic sucks, there is smoke everywhere, work is canceled (which only sucks if u didnt want an unpaid vacation).

i just wonder if terrorist did start the fires because we would of never seen it coming and it has aleady screwed so much already. if religion can make people do all these bad things in the world, how come no one tries to stop it?

Lobdell's Article

I've just finished reading Professor Lobdell's article, "Religion beat became a test of faith." Some weird questions and comments arose as i was reading it. First of all, i have friends that go and went to Mater Dei. i really hope they got this raping thing under control because i have a lot of friends that have been raped and that is something that sticks with you for the rest of your life. it really is a sick thing and i cant believe priests commonly participate in that. you would think an adult man would know better. A quote that really stuck out for me was, "Keep your eyes on the person nailed to the cross, not the priests behind the alter." i find that very true. a priest is just a normal person trying to peach us gods teachings while trying not to rape us. we shouldnt care that much about it him but more about our savior if you believe that. i dont think the church should pass around donation bowls at every service. if people want to donate they will, but dont make it socially awkward if we dont put money in the basket. a armenian priest told my friend in new jersey after her brother died that funerals make the church the most money. Can anyone actually believe that?!?!?!?! she is crying because her only brother died and what the priests manages to say. plus the church was sneaky too. they left blank envelops in the church for people to leave money thinking it was going towards the affected family, not the church. i really hate how money hungry churches really are. esp what mormon churches do. Many mormons, "rigorously follow other biblical commands such as giving 10% of their income to the church." thats a lot of money the mormon church is getting. that 10% should be what you are putting in your saving accounts that go towards your children's education. i hate how churches relentensly try to always get money. how much money do they need? they make money at bake sales, weddings, funerals, weddings, and everything else. when will they say they have enough?

Blog Virgin

I'm Brigitte and I'm a blog virgin. I've never been one to really voice my opinions in a public place for all to read. First I rather tell people then spending typing it and second, i dont think anyone really cares. I know i pretty much don't. if its a close friend that is writing and something im interested in, then ill take a look but otherwise i wont even click on it. i guess it started from myspace with all those bulletins people wrote. i got so over seeing a new one every half a second and most were about stupid stuff anyway. thats why i never wrote any because they got annoying and i didnt want to become annoying which i probably am now. also peoples blogs can be used as blackmail against them or something since you are writing it. ive heard some horror stories.so on about the class, but just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself.

so... I am actually very excited to take this class. For years my co-worker and I have been saying we want to take a religion class to learn all the different religions, and hopefully this class will be pretty close, but I'll still take that other class eventually. So what im most curious is why the media focuses so much on religion. its kinda out dated and i definitely think our lives should not be centered around it, especially the tv. i hate when extremely right-winged religious nuts call the fcc and complain about everything. most of us dont care that janet jackson's nipple came out anyway... it was only for a half a second and your tivo could barely see it... i think its good to have some spiritual guidance in your life but not to center your whole life around it and especially try to make everyone else accept it to. i was raised catholic and then kind of went to christian and now i think im more agnostic. i think there is something out there but im not sure what. since im not 100% sure, im not going to go around forcing what i believe on everyone so why should people do that to me. no one can be a 100% if there really is a god or whatever so i believe it shouldnt be the main force that drives your life and actions. if you want to disagree then do but i think thats a legitamate favor to ask