Jonathan Stuckey, Bass

Happy Religious Freedom Day! Every January 16th, we celebrate the diversity of religious thought in the US. Religious freedom, to me, means the freedom of a wide variety of people to hold and express (in appropriate situations and contexts) an incredible variety of religious beliefs, or even no belief at all.

Religious Freedom Day celebrates the fact that the US has no “official religion.” The founders saw what happened in Europe when religion and politics mixed, and wisely drafted a constitution that erected a Wall of Separation between them.

So today, celebrate our religious freedom. Don’t let politicians (Mike, Mitt, W, I’m looking at you!) turn their offices into pulpits. Be glad you aren’t required to defer to a religion that is not your own. Happy Religious Freedom Day!

Today is HumanLight! Some info from the website:

In Western societies, late December is a season of good cheer and a time for gatherings of friends and families. During the winter holiday season, where the word “holiday” has taken on a more secular meaning, many events are observed. This tradition of celebrations, however, is grounded in supernatural religious beliefs that many people in modern society cannot accept. HumanLight presents an alternative reason to celebrate: a Humanist’s vision of a good future. It is a future in which all people can identify with each other, behave with the highest moral standards, and work together toward a happy, just and peaceful world.

I’m celebrating. Are you?

My wife and I put up a holiday tree last night. Of course, she calls it a Christmas tree. We’ve been sending out our holiday Christmas cards this week. Sigh. sometimes I feel like Kyle on South Park. It’s tough to be a Humanist on Christmas. I’ll just have to pretend it’s really HumanLight. Maybe, if I disbelieve hard enough, the Happy Human will appear and give me a present!

Most religions throughout history have espoused some version of an ethic of reciprocity, also known as the “golden rule.” The Christian version is, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” While that’s nice, it’s an incitement to action. It requires people to do unto others, whether those others want to be done unto or not.

My version of the ethic is more passive: “Don’t do unto others what you would not want them to do unto you.” My version implicitly contains the idea of leaving people alone. I like that much better.

There’s more on the televangelists under senate investigation here and here.

I can’t get enough of  the webcomic Russell’s Teapot. A child attempts to apply logic to the bible. Hilarity ensues!

Be sure to read through the archives; they’re a scream.

I’ve seen these personal adornments (bracelets, t-shirts, etc.) asking “What Would Jesus Do?” I think the more important, more relevant question is “What Would YOU Do?” Jesus lived — if he lived at all — approximately 2000 years ago. Societal rules were different back then. For instance, Jewish law (which Jesus presumably grew up following) says that eating shellfish is an abomination. So is preparing meat and dairy products in the same area.

I would like to know what contemporary Christians (not Jesus, who lived — if he lived at all — approximately 2000 years ago) do in situations where they they encounter such blatant disregard for the scriptures. Why aren’t Fred Phelps and his ilk protesting Red Lobster? Why is the biblical prohibition against homosexuality so much more important than the prohibition against shellfish? Aren’t they in the same book? What would Jesus do? What Would YOU Do? Especially now in the Christmas season‽

By the way, Happy Holidays!

A great post over at Rationally Speaking:

Unquestioning ideological commitment is the real enemy, be that in favor of a religion or political position, in reverence of a prophet or a political leader. Ironically, I think our tragic tendency to fall for facile ideological brainwashing may be the result of the fact that, despite our literature, science, and technology, we are still little more than a species of social chimpanzees – and we instinctively align ourselves with the alpha male, regardless of how much stupidity and suffering may result from it.

The full post is here.

A Catholic diocese is evicting a Unitarian Universalist congregation because they made the grave error of inviting a gay rights speaker to give a talk. I just have to wonder what they are afraid of.

This would have made a great Thanksgiving blessing. This was in the service today at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus:

As we move through this year of transition and joy, we remember with gratitude the power of our living heritage which moves through time like a clear running creek, refreshing us with the sweet draughts of courage, hope, justice-making, peaceful living, ever deeper honesty, and more truthful loving. And so, we kindle this light in thanksgiving.

At this point in the service, they light a flaming chalice. Pretty neat, I think.