For the Bible Tells Me So is a 2007 documentary directed by Daniel G. Karslake. A MetaFilter FPP linked to the entire doc on Google Video. Over the past couple of days, I watched all 1 hour and 39 minutes and it's extremely good.
For The Bible Tells Me So is about homosexuality and its perceived conflict with religion. I touched upon these themes over four years ago in God Hates Shrimp. If you want to upset me, share with me clips of religious leaders using the Bible to promote hatred. Everyone has their hot buttons, and the use of the Bible as a weapon is one of mine.
I realize it's a lot to ask, but if you have an hour and 39 minutes click here and check out a great doc that puts it all together. If you're a parent, you likely know the power of unconditional love, and this will strike a chord.
I have no idea what my six year old son or three year old daughter's sexual preference will be, and I'm proud to say it doesn't matter. The love I have for them, far too strong for words to adequately describe, is most definitely unconditional. It is without conditions or limitations.
I have an important message for my Roman Catholic friends, especially my Roman Catholic friends across Latin America. I just got off the phone with Pope Benny, and he told me something I have to share with you all. He says it's okay to use condoms.
I realize the official stance out of the Vatican is that all forms of contraception are bad, but that's a rule meant to be broken. Benny realizes abstinence isn't realistic and that 1.7 million people across Latin America are infected with the HIV virus or full-blown AIDS, and he thinks that sucks. Condoms protect against the HIV virus and if used in all relationships will fix this epidemic good. Benny wants that for you. He just told me so.
You won't read this in the mainstream press, as this was an exclusive Toronto Mike chat with the Popester, but you can trust me. Condoms are A-OK. Use them, screw like rabbits and enjoy life. You're still a good Catholic.
Buffalo Boy sent me a link to a story about a creationism museum opening in Petersburg, Kentucky. The 60,000 square foot facility was designed to refute evolution. It shows humans and dinosaurs co-existing and explains that earth was created by God only 6,000 years ago.
I've written about creationism before and I could write a lengthy diatribe about how silly and unfounded it all is, but I won't. You see, it's too easy. Picking on creationists and pointing out that the bible can still be relevant to believers even if not taken completely literally isn't much of a challenge.
It really is like shooting fish in a barrel, and there's not much fun in that.
Pope Benedict XVI is pissed at us. With seven Ontario bishops in attendance, Pope Benny let them know Canadian laws supporting same-sex marriage and abortion has excluded "God from the public sphere". He's also pissed at Catholic politicians here in Canada who are apparently ignoring the values of their religion, yielding to "ephemeral social trends and the spurious demands of opinion polls."
On a more positive note, Pope Benny admits we're a tolerent, freedom loving country. “In the name of tolerance your country has had to endure the folly of the redefinition of spouse, and in the name of freedom of choice it is confronted with the daily destruction of unborn children,” he said.
It's more of the same old, same old, and hardly newsworthy. Pope Benny wants control of our legislature so he can push his intolerent agenda while taking away rightful freedoms from many Canadian citizens. Here's hoping Bill C-38 holds up during a free vote in Parliament this fall. Then, Pope Benny can stick both our tolerance and freedom in his pipe and smoke 'em both.
This is my 4597th entry. I've sat down at a computer 4597 time to throw down thoughts on something or other or share some detail about this or that. Of my 4596 previous entries, my personal favourites are those written in blood, sweat and tears. These are the entries where I truly give of myself, throwing my innermost thoughts on the screen just to see what sticks. More often than not, these entries have been about losing my religion.
There's a gaping space between my heart and soul, between what I want to believe and what I've grown to accept. More often than not, words fail to adequately articulate this internal struggle. There are things I believe, things I certainly do not and a mountain of values and ideals I've gingerly filed under "undecided". For over fifteen years I've been slowly but surely losing my religion, garnering the nerve to share a slice of this descent several times. These are the entries I wrote for myself and I've read and re-read them over and over again.
Until now, these thoughts were scattered. I had resisted giving them their own category for fear they'd appear juvenile or even pathetic to those not privy to the inner workings of my psyche. I've finally overcome this hesitation and given these entries a permanent home at http://www.mikeboon.com/losing_my_religion/.
I've written a great deal about my stuggle with Catholicism. They pound this stuff into you when you're young and highly impressionable and as you age and begin to question basic truths the lines between but you believe and what you think you believe begin to blur. At least, that's what happened to me.
In the words of Jim Carroll, I was a Catholic boy. I attended mass every Sunday, was baptized as a baby, got my first communion in grade two and was confirmed in grade seven. From junior kindergarten through OAC, I attended Catholic schools and learned about the faith as part of the curriculum. As a teenager, with a developed mind that always looked as deeply into matters as possible, I began to question the foundation upon which the religion I belonged to was built. In my early 20s, I became overwhelmed with this sense I was being hypocritical when I practiced Catholicism, as I fundamentally disagreed with a great deal of the doctrine espoused from the Vatican. I stopped going to mass, even on Christmas Day and Easter.
The funeral I attended this morning included a Roman Catholic mass. As I sat in the pew with a number of friends who were not Catholic, I wondered to myself whether I would participate in the mass as a Catholic or non-Catholic. As the service opened with Amazing Grace, I was still unsure, and then my body went into auto pilot. I found myself participating as a Catholic, kneeling when it was time to kneel, joining in with the Lord's prayer and even taking communion. Even as I found myself resonding in this manner, I couldn't tell if it was because I wanted to or if it was because the customs and routines had been so impressed upon me in my youth my response was a reflex action. I still don't know, but it definitely has me thinking.
There's no natural ending to this entry. I'm really just thinking out loud. I may be a lapsed Catholic, but I haven't given up my membership in the club.
Way to lead the Catholic church into the 21st century, Benny. Some of us are desperately hungry for a sign of enlightenment from your institution. Instead, it's the sameoldsameold.
Today, in his first major ruling as Pope, Benny imposed restrictions on homosexuals entering the Catholic priesthood, saying men must first overcome any "transitory" gay tendencies. Anyone can be a priest, so long as they're celibate, single, male and heterosexual. Homosexuals are not welcome in the Catholic priesthood. This is as outrageous as barring someone because of the colour of their skin or, dare I say it, their gender.
Rocked by sexual abuse scandal, it seems to me Benny is happily roasting gay men as their sacrificial lambs. After all, all gay men are pedophiles, right? Of course, everyone knows that!
What the hell is going on in Kansas? The Kansas Board of Education approved new public-school science standards today that promotes the teaching of creationism.
The board rewrote the definition of science, so that it is "no longer limited to the search for natural explanations of phenomena". Here in Toronto, such concepts seem ass-backwards, but all I need to do is re-read this entry form November 2004 to remind myself that 37% of Americans want the teaching of 'evolutionism' replaced outright.
I was floored then and I'm floored now. Religion is fine and dandy if that's your cup of tea, but as soon as you start to take the Bible literally you're in reverse. Black + white = danger. We must maintain our sight so that we can detect all fourteen shades of grey.
Lets see, first I attended St. Cecilia's Elementary School before switching to St. Pius X Elementary School where I graduated to Michael Power / St. Joseph's High School. Then I registered at St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto. You'll note a lot of saints in that list. I was definitely a Catholic boy.
I still remember being afraid to tell my Grandmother that Taryn wasn't Catholic. She was all about Irish Catholic pride and prejudice. I was baptized, received Holy Communion, got Confirmed and attended mass every Sunday. Throughout this period of my life, I only knew of one Pope. He was my Pope and today he may die.
I've been having an internal battle with Catholicism for about ten years now. I was raised with it, and will always want to accept it for what it is, but the actions and inactions of the church have painted me into a corner from which I dare not escape. I entitled this entry "Lapsed Catholic" because for all intents and purposes that's exactly what I've become. I no longer practice the religion.
I first publicly acknowledged this struggle a couple of years ago when the Vatican urged Roman Catholics to unite in a campaign against gay marriages and gay adoptions. How could I ever support such a hateful organization? In August I was again embarrassed when the Pope stated feminism weakens family and promotes homosexuality. I could go on, but it's just bumming me out. There's the church's views on birth control and abortion to name a couple more. I'm a lapsed Catholic because there is no alternative for me. I truly have no choice.
I have no doubts Pope John Paul II is a good man. Unfortunately, as the leader of the Catholic church he failed me. Time has marched on and this world has progressed everywhere except in the Vatican. John Paul II could have brought the Catholic church into the 21st century kicking and screaming, but this was not part of his agenda. Instead, he continued to dictate ideologies from long ago and lost me in the process.
It will sadden me when I read he has passed. It saddens me even more that he forced me to lapse.
I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools my entire life. Never once was it suggested to me by a priest or teacher that the theory of evolution was anything but accurate. We were explicitly taught that the bible should not be taken literally, but contextually. When it's written that Eve came from Adam's rib or was moulded by God from clay it's symbolic of a spirit, not a literal account of how mankind came to be.
As a child it seemed very sensible to me that science and religion could co-exist and were not mutually exclusive. In one class we would discuss single-celled organisms and how they evolved into human beings over millions and millions of years and in another class we would discuss the Book of Genesis. How is it that 37% of Americans would rather the theory of evolution not be taught in school because it contradicts their preferred theory of creationism?
Poor Haley Waldman. She suffers from a rare digestive disorder and cannot eat wheat. It's time for her first Holy Communion but the Catholic doctrine demands that Communion wafers, like the bread served at the Last Supper, have at least some unleavened wheat.
Even trace amounts of wheat could kill little Haley. She took a rice Communion wafer in place of the regular Communion wafer as the spirit is the same but her first Holy Communion has now been declared invalid as a result. The Catholic church will not recognize her first Holy Communion until she risks her life and takes a wafer with unleavened wheat.
Please. These are silly rules from the church and put in place by men. They can be changed just a little for such extenuating circumstances, can't they? I'm 100% certain the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit would be perfectly fine with Haley taking a rice Communion wafer in place of a wheat one. I have no doubt at all.
Once again, I'm embarrassed by a stand taken by the Catholic Church. This really pisses me off. I was raised Catholic but have been forced to collapse because their doctrine is so out of touch with my personal values and beliefs. If you want to read more about this personal predicament, peruse "Catholic Boy", an entry I wrote exactly one year ago yesterday.
An article in the Sunday Herald entitled "Pope: feminism weakens family and promotes homosexuality" explains the most recent cause of my frustration.
A damning critique of modern feminism from the Vatican yesterday was published with the blessing of Pope John Paul II. The 37-page document, On The Collaboration Of Men And Women In The Church And In The World, accuses the feminist revolution of "antagonism" and of creating a spirit of competition between men and women.
The Pope will send the report to every Catholic bishop in the world. It marks another move by the church to solidify traditional family life and Christian values.
The report says: "Faced with the abuse of power, the answer is for women to seek power. This process leads to opposition between men and women...which has its most immediate and lethal effects in the structure of the family."
It goes on: "In order to avoid the domination of one sex or the other, their differences tend to be denied...[this] has in reality inspired ideologies which, for example, make homosexuality and hetero sexuality virtually equivalent, in a new model of polymorphous sexuality". It then calls for the fundamental differences between men and women to be recognised.
I am a lapsed Catholic because I have no other choice. I hate it, but the total hypocrisy of the alternative would be far too much to bear. Seriously, what choice do I have? Reports like this that are blessed by the Pope and shared with every Catholic bishop in the world are designed to limit and judge. I liked this quote from Erin Pizzey, founder of the international women's refuge movement: "I don't think the Catholic Church - whose own priests and bishops cannot marry - is in a position to make such statements. It is one of the most emotionally illiterate organizations I know, and they need to put their own house in order first."
Today is Good Friday. Good Friday is celebrated as the anniversary of Christ's crucifixion.
If someone comes up to me and asks me what religion I am, I tell them I'm Catholic. I was certainly raised Catholic. I've been baptized as such, I've had my first communion and confirmation, and I always attended Catholic schools. I used to attend mass every Sunday and I never ate meat on Good Friday. When I vote, I vote for a school trustee for the Separate School Board. When I tore my ACL, I had them list me as Catholic in the database.
The fact of the matter is, I disagree with a great deal of what the Catholic church stands for. I fundamentally disagree with so much of their agenda, I've essentially become a non-practicing Catholic at this point in my life. I touched on this back in July.
Having said that, my faith is strong. I believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. My issues are with organized religion which too often is used as a means to spread hatred. I see and hear people hiding cowardly behind the bible to condemn those who are different to the depths of hell. I'm simply not comfortable with that. I've become a rather non-religious person.
I'll chat with Jesus today, but it won't be in a church. The hypocrisy of it all would be crippling.
Few things irk me as much as people using the Bible to promote hatred. There are a number of people opposed to same-sex marriages because it violates God's law. These people will use the Bible as a their proof and refer you to passages in Leviticus that refer to men lying with men.
A major news story of late is that Dubya endorses an amendment to the Constitution banning gay marriages. That's right, Dubya wants a change made to the Constitution of the United States of America that discriminates against homosexuals. Dubya is all about satisfying the conservative Christian right and it's frightning. The Bible, a book written hundreds and hundreds of years ago, contains homophobic text and now there is a groundswell of support to reserve the sanction of marriage for those who were born heterosexual. This guy is a sick hate-monger but the majority of voters south of the border seem to like him. That's just as scary.
I just came across a site entitled God Hates Shrimp. This site refers to a passage in Leviticus and a passage in Deuteronomy that claim shrimp, crab, lobster, clams and mussels are all an abomination before the Lord. The point is well made. If we're to take the passages that condemn homosexuality as a violation of God's law, shouldn't Christians join the crusade against establishments that serve such foods. Those who protest gay marriages should also protest Red Lobster.
Those who take the Bible literally and use it to promote hatred are dangerous. James is being taught that we are all equals and loved by God, regardless of race, religion or sexual preference. If James himself happens to be gay, I will be proud and honoured to support him at his wedding. It would make zero difference in my eyes.
There is much controversy surrounding an ABC News Special set to air tonight. "Jesus, Mary and DaVinci" is based on the bestselling novel, The DaVinci Code. The reason for the controversy is an assertion that Mary Magdalene was Jesus's wife who fled Jerusalem with his child following his crucifixion. Various religious organizations, including the Catholic League, are up in arms over these allegations.
Does it really make a difference if Jesus was married or not? If anything, doesn't this make Jesus more human and therefore, by extension, more of a martyr? I can better relate to a guy whose got a wife and kid and still has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Throw in a mortgage, car payments and student loans and Jesus Christ's heroics become that much more magnanimous.
Twenty-five years ago, Karol Joseph Wojtyla was chosen by the College of Cardinals to lead the Roman Catholic Church. The papacy of John Paul II had begun.
I'm a JP fan. Of course, he's the only Pope I've ever known, but his work on the international stage for peace and his bridge-building with other religions should be applauded. On his 25th anniversary at Vatican, Pope John Paul II deserves some props.
I actually fundamentally disagree with a billion and one things dictated by the Catholic Church (see July 31, 2003 / 19:54 EST). On everything from birth control, to same-sex marriages, to abortion and the role of woman in the church, JP and I butt heads. The Roman Catholic Church has a long way to go before they actually join us in the 21st Century. But, all in all, progression has been made. The Vatican has even published a document entitled Ethics In Internet. Now that's progress.
My strongest beef with John Paul is with the way he has devalued saint hood. Since 1978, John Paul II has beatified 1,314 people and canonized 476 saints. This is a greater total than all of the previous 262 Popes put together. It seems every other person you come across has been beatified by JP. How is that special?
Having said that, the Pope is going to beatify Mother Teresa tomorrow. If anyone in my lifetime deserves to be a Saint, it's her. In Mother Teresa's own words, "By blood I am an Albanian, by citizenship I am Indian, by fact I am a Catholic nun. As to my heart, I belong entirely to Jesus."
I was a good Irish Catholic boy. I went through the Catholic school system. I've been confirmed. Why does the Vatican always ensure I'm embarrassed of these facts?
The Vatican is urging Roman Catholics to unite in a campaign against gay marriages and gay adoptions. One bishop is even predicting that fellow Catholic Jean Chretien will burn in hell if he makes same-sex marriages legal.
This is frustrating. Why can't my church better pick their battles? Why devote such energy to this hurtful cause? I'm a fan of the Pope, but he should stay the hell out of our legislation.
I believe in the equality of all Canadians. My God believes in the same. The Vatican should double check the milk calendar hanging on the papal fridge. It's 2003 JP!
For the Bible Tells Me So is a 2007 documentary directed by Daniel G. Karslake. A MetaFilter FPP linked to the entire doc on Google Video. Over the past couple of days, I watched all 1 hour and 39 minutes and it's extremely good.
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I have an important message for my Roman Catholic friends, especially my Roman Catholic friends across Latin America. I just got off the phone with Pope Benny, and he told me something I have to share with you all. He says it's okay to use condoms.
Buffalo Boy sent me a link to 
Pope Benedict XVI is pissed at us. With seven Ontario bishops in attendance, 
This is my 4597th entry. I've sat down at a computer 4597 time to throw down thoughts on something or other or share some detail about this or that. Of my 4596 previous entries, my personal favourites are those written in blood, sweat and tears. These are the entries where I truly give of myself, throwing my innermost thoughts on the screen just to see what sticks. More often than not, these entries have been about losing my religion.
I've 
Way to lead the Catholic church into the 21st century, Benny. Some of us are desperately hungry for a sign of enlightenment from your institution. Instead, it's the 
What the hell is going on in Kansas? The Kansas Board of Education