Inflatable Church

This is the perfect solution for all of you who can’t decide whether to get married in a church, a garden, your backyard, at the beach or on the shores of a mountain lake: an inflatable church!

Inflatable Church

This beautiful structure can be yours today! Go ahead – click on the link – and buy yours now.

Nota bene: One Get-Out-Of-Hell-Free Card awarded to Doc Bushwell.

– the chaplain

 

Poverty’s Jungle

Upton Sinclair’s aim in writing The Jungle was to call attention to the terrible plight of laborers in early 20th century America. His accomplishment was to call attention to the disgusting processes employed by an unregulated food industry to acquire livestock, slaughter it, can it and ship it to dinner tables across America. While Sinclair’s initial readers didn’t seem to grok the human costs of industrialization, they certainly understood the health risks posed by an unregulated food industry and demanded that the government take action to reduce, if not eliminate entirely, those risks. Sinclair’s book did a lot of good, it just wasn’t the good that he intended it to do.

The story (like Mario Puzo’s The Godfather (was Puzo inspired by Sinclair?)) opens with a wedding reception. Sinclair uses this scene to introduce the reader to his characters and their culture. The bride and groom, their family members and various other attendees are Lithuanian immigrants who have arrived at the Chicago stockyards in pursuit of the American Dream. After the wedding feast, Sinclair follows his characters as they find jobs in the stockyards, purchase a home, have children, endure work slowdowns and unemployment, lose their home, health and loved ones, and slowly accept that the American Dream that drew them to this country was not going to be realized in their lives. Jurgis, the newlywed husband, begins the story with confidence and vigor, endures tragedy and hardship, leaves the stockyards to take up migrant farming, gets involved in petty crime and beggary, and only finds renewed hope when, at the end of the tale, he accepts and preaches the gospel of Communist socialism. Marija, a family member who emigrated with Jurgis, begins as a proud, hard-working woman and ends as a morphine-addicted prostitute. She doesn’t find salvation in any ideology; like many other characters throughout the story, she simply resigns herself to her tragic fate. In Sinclair’s capitalist jungle, there is only one way to redemption – and it’s not Jesus Christ.

The Jungle, having inspired the reform and regulation of the American food industry, was a significant book in American history. Looking at what has transpired since its publication in 1906 (and recollecting that Sinclair’s primary concern was to uplift the poor) and observing the plight of the American poor today, one can only wish that he had accomplished his primary mission more successfully. To cite just one example of how America’s poor continue to suffer, nearly 48,000,000 (roughly 16%) of 303,824,640 people living in the USA in 2008 had no health insurance. This, in my view, is outrageous. I’m not convinced that the wealthiest country on the planet cannot do any better than this to promote the health of its citizens. I believe we have just lacked the political will and compassion to do so. Lack of decent health care services is not the only issue that matters to the poor (homelessness and absurdly low wages are just two of many others one can cite) but it is a critical one. Left unaddressed, particularly as baby boomers age, the human and financial costs of a dysfunctional health care system could cripple the American economy within 20 years (perhaps far less).

Speaking more broadly, it’s time for us to recognize that the plight of the poor in America is not “their” problem or “someone else’s” problem; it’s our problem. It doesn’t matter whether the issue is health care, education, obscene wage gaps or something else. Living in a society committed to equity entails sharing burdens as well as benefits. Upton Sinclair’s jungle didn’t disappear with the rotten cattle and swine of the past century; it’s still with us. Our task is to tame it.

– the chaplain

 

Who’s Hiding in Your Jar?

As you’re all aware, Jesus shows up in many unusual places: potato peelings, cheetos, pancakes, candy bars….

Did you know that he expanded his repertoire recently? Yes, chapel-mates, Jesus, alleged son of God (the jury is still out on the paternity question (some say the jury is still out on the did-Jesus-ever-live-at-all question)), has now been spotted in a jar of marmite! The tricky holy dude hid in the lid, but he couldn’t evade the laser-sharp vision of Claire Allen. Claire even had the presence of mind to get her dad to snap a photo before Jesus could melt away. Way to go, Claire and Claire-Dad!

The Allens reported that they are eating the marmite, but saving the lid. Do any of you have any idea what the shelf-life of marmite is? How long will it take for mold to take over the lid and completely obscure the holy son’s visage? Will the lid start to smell raunchy? Will Jesus’ face hold firm or go all runny? What if the family dog (or cat) licks Jesus’ face? So many questions. The more I think about it, the happier I am that no deity has ever appeared to me; there’s no way that I would want to be responsible for preserving a holy relic for the rest of my life. In contrast to me, Claire is quite honored and comforted by Jesus’ presence in her marmite jar – well, more precisely, the jar’s lid. Our perspective is best summed up in Claire’s words:

“People might think I’m nuts, but I like to think it’s Jesus looking out for us.”

As you can see, Claire has spoken succinctly and accurately for both of us. She can continue thinking that Jesus-in-a-Jar is watching over her, and I’ll continue thinking – to put it as politely as possible – that her view of reality needs corrective lenses.

– the chaplain

 

Cardinal Christians

Vjack has written a couple of hard-hitting posts about the Roman Catholic Church’s coverup of nearly a century’s worth of child abuse in Ireland. All of you atheists can guess what happened – a Christian came along and tossed out the “no true Scotsman” fallacy. Yes, I know, it’s hard to believe anyone would say such a thing at an atheist blog. Nevertheless, it happened.

This Christian explained that the Church officials who abused the children and the Church officials who engaged in the coverup were Cardinal Christians. I howled with laughter. The word is “carnal,” not cardinal. In evangelical circles, the phrase “carnal Christian” describes a person who has been saved, but is not yet living a fully committed Christian life (as defined by holier-than-thou Christians, of course). A carnal Christian is one who is still too attached to worldly, fleshly things and not attached strongly enough to spiritual things. A carnal Christian is saved, but just barely. Consequently, the testimony of a carnal Christian is weak because his or her life is not filled and overflowing with the Holy Spirit’s power, and the carnal Christian’s life is frustrated because he or she has one foot in the world and one foot in heaven, so to speak. The carnal Christian needs to surrender completely to God in order to experience fully the presence of the Holy Spirit and the abundant joy of the Christian life. So they say. Hey, don’t look at me – I didn’t make up this stuff, I’m just passing it along.

In short, the problem is being carnal; it has nothing to do with cardinals (except, of course, for those Cardinals who are carnal).

It’s probably too much to ask that the fundogelicals who comment on atheist blogs master their own Christian-speak before hurling it at heathen heads. Those inclined to do so can stop in at the chapel if they need help learning their lingo.

– the chaplain

 

My Mailbag

I’m going to open my mailbag just a tad and let you peek at two pieces of correspondence I received this week. Most of my mail isn’t nearly this interesting; like a good hostess, I’m sharing my choicest morsels with you.

#1: REFUSE NEW COINS
This simple action will make a strong statement. Please help do this.. Refuse to accept these when they are handed to you. I received one from the Post Office as change and I asked for a dollar bill instead. The lady just smiled and said ‘way to go’ , so she had read this e -mail. Please help out…our world is in enough trouble without this too!!!!!

U.S.Government to Release New Dollar Coins
You guessed it: ‘IN GOD WE TRUST’ IS GONE!!! If ever there was a reason to boycott something, THIS IS IT!!!! DO NOT ACCEPT THE NEW DOLLAR COINS AS CHANGE! Together we can force them out of circulation. Please send to all on your mailing list!!!

I deleted this one quickly. Shortly after deleting the message and returning to my inbox, I saw a response from someone else I know, a Christian, which explained that the phrase “In God We Trust” hasn’t disappeared, it’s simply been relocated from the face of the coin to the edge.

No doubt, some Christians will find this offensive because it isn’t “in your face” enough for them. Meanwhile, non-Christians of all sorts may be offended because the phrase is still somewhere on the coin. My preference is that it wouldn’t appear at all, but, I’m not going to refuse to accept or use the coins, which, regardless of their design, are far more cost-effective than paper currency. Yes, the added weight in my wallet is a hassle, but our country is hardly in a position to squander sparse funds printing paper currency when a less expensive alternative is available. I’ll adjust to the coins. I did it in Canada, I can do it again in the USA. Who knows, maybe “In God We Trust” will fall right off the edge of the coin the next time around?

#2: MIRACLE IN EGYPT
A Muslim man in Egypt killed his wife because she was reading the Bible and then buried her with their infant baby and an 8-year old daughter. The girls were buried alive! He then reported to the police that an uncle killed the kids.

15 days later, another family member died… When they went to bury him, they found the 2 little girls under the sand – ALIVE! The country is outraged over the incident, and the man will be executed. The older girl was asked how she had survived and she says:-’A man wearing shiny white clothes, with bleeding wounds in his hands, came every day to feed us. He woke up my mom so she could nurse my sister.’

She was interviewed on Egyptian national TV, by a veiled Muslim woman news anchor. She said on public TV,’This was none other than Jesus, because nobody else does things like this!’ Muslims believe Isa(Jesus) would do this, but the wounds mean He really was crucified, and it’s clear also that He is alive! But, it’s also clear that the child could not make up a story like this, and there is no way these children could have survived without a true miracle… Muslim leaders are going to have a hard time to figure out what to do with this, and the popularity of the Passion movie doesn’t help! With Egypt at the center of the media and education in the Middle East , you can be sure this story will spread. Christ is still turning the world upside down! Please let this story be shared. The Lord says,’I will bless the person who puts his trust in me.’Jeremiah 17

Please forward to all on your list and God will reward you abundantly Mark 8:38 which says,’Therefore whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and my Words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man shall also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels’.

Don’t worry if those you have forwarded will respond or do anything with this message, just fulfill your part and shake off your dust…!..

Jesus loves you…!

Since this one didn’t have links to any news stories, I quickly dismissed it as a rumor. Further investigation of my hunch has, thus far, confirmed my suspicions.

The thing that disturbs me most about this one is the obvious anti-Muslim slant. In my opinion, there are enough Muslims doing enough stupid stuff to discredit themselves and their religion without Christians making up silly tales about them. I wonder how many people got this email and grew just a little bit more suspicious of Islam? I have no love for any religion. But, suspicions of religion have to be grounded on good premises. Suspicions based on lies are not likely to lead to good conclusions. Based on my experience as a former Christian, and my personal knowledge of Christians I’ve known and still know, I suspect that this email is leading some people to draw some very bad conclusions about both Islam (evil, not “the right religion”) and Christianity (good, “the right religion” – and being persecuted again!).

While the first message simply strikes me as silly, the second one strikes me as sinister. And those, my friends, are two samples of the correspondence that makes its way to a chaplain’s mailbag.

– the chaplain