( Trigger Warning, rape, graphic descriptions of violence (especially following the link). )

[20] Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Steubenville and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous [21] they are literally going to make me come down there ( Read more... )

Strategy in electoral politics is sometimes portrayed as 'too complex for the public to understand' but as I see it there are only two ways to fail a two-party election: Not getting enough votes for your guy, and too many votes going for the other guy.

Given that simplistic and crude premise, the other day, severinpgh asked me with respect to strategic ( Read more... )

So ABC news has this story, about a Catholic priest refusing to give communion to a gay bereaver at her mother's funeral, but oh wait it gets better worse, he leaves while she reads her eulogy, and refuses to attend the burial, asking a substitute priest to take over..

( Read that, and let's pray. )

Lent is a penitential season for the Church. It's supposed to be a time for prayers acknowledging one's failings, accepting one's own responsibility in how shit is heading in the wrong direction, and turning actively toward God to try to fix it ( Read more... )

(16) Just then Mitt Romney came up to Jesus and said, “Rabbi, what good deed should I do to earn eternal life?”

(17) and Jesus didst snark, saying to him, “What am I, God's page boy? Go ask God if you really don't know how to be good. But since you came all this way to ask, I'll put on my Teacher Voice and say that if you want to get into that ( Read more... )

( Read more... )

The awful thing about statistics -- that you can make the numbers say whatever you want -- is also the crux of its virtue.

It is particularly useful when working with small but significant changes.

For example, when we hear that 8 students have been bullied into suicide in one of Congresswoman Bachman's Minesota school districts in the last two ( Read more... )

In today's installment of How To Be A Christian, we will again strive for enlightenment by examining how Not to be one ( Read more... )

Friends:

I need some help.

I need suggestions for what sucks about me how to improve myself. Tell me what you don't like about me. What you wish I'd change or fix. What items need attention to make me closer to how awesome you think I *should* be. You don't even have to know me very well ( Read more... )