The Binary Circumstance

In this YouTube video, Father Michael Pfleger, a Catholic priest who likes to preach like a black preacher, rants about white entitlement and Hillary Clinton at Barack Obama’s Trinity United Church. (This clip is longer than what I’ve seen on TV.) Obama has denounced the comments, as one would expect.

Something tells me this message will not help to unify America. Just a hunch.

The Obamas reported something like $4 million on their 2007 tax return, mostly from his books. Some of us “entitled” white folks won’t make that much in our entire lifetime.

The Obamas have since resigned their 20-year membership in Trinity United Church of Christ.

By accident last night I discovered that Julia Sweeney who played the gender-ambivalent character “Pat” on Saturday Night Live, has a blog.

She talks a lot about atheism and religion and recently posted about the recent raid on the LDS ranch in Texas.

She pointed out how frightened the children must be.

The children are caught between a rock and a hard place. They’ll clearly want to be with the families and their community because that’s all they know but at the same time their parents are teaching them nonsense, raising them in slavery and shutting them off from the outside world, a classic characteristic of an abusive, controlling relationship.

Lately I’ve been remembering how much terror I felt as a child being brought up Catholic and being taught by nuns who continually reminded us how we were going to Hell if we didn’t do what God wanted us to do, which coincidentally was always what they or the church wanted us to do.

I’ve certainly dealt with the issue many times before so I don’t know why it’s been on my mind so much lately. Maybe because of the LDS raid or the fact that I recently read a book about the history of the LDS church.

I feel for the kids too.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Religion is built on delusions and is therefore a form of mental illness. Religion forced on children is child abuse. Terrorizing children into obedience is wrong. Destroying their ability to think rationally with religious dogma is wrong as well. (See my book.)

The Dalai Lama is in Seattle and there are several big events scheduled while he’s here. The biggest event took place yesterday afternoon at Qwest Field.

When most people think about being compassionate they run straight for their emotions, looking to help somebody that they feel pity for.

For me, compassion is nice but it doesn’t solve a lot of problems, it doesn’t cure diseases or eradicate poverty. It might make us feel better and it may assist in the healing process, but holding rational premises does much more to solve individual and global problems than just feeling compassionate.

If you want to be compassionate, fill your mind with rational ideas that are supported by evidence. All the ideas that you hold that are not supported by evidence will ultimately create problems for yourself and many others as well.

Knowledge is the seed of compassion.

There is nothing to be known about things that aren’t there, so stop wasting your time and your brain cycles thinking about ideas and concepts that are not connected to reality. Religious delusions prevent people from solving problems because they require that the mind disconnect from reality. In order to solve problems you must connect to reality. That is where the solutions lie.

ABC’s Good Morning America did a segment on Barack Obama’s church and pastor this morning. They explained that Obama has belonged to the same church for over 20 years. I found it interesting because the church and the fiery, angry, racist pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, seem to represent such a sharp contrast to Obama’s political persona.

Brian Ross’ ABC segment is worth watching as well as this video about the church, Trinity United Church of Christ in general, and Rev. Wright’s sermon comparing Obama to Hillary Clinton.

As anybody who read my blog knows, I’m always nervous when people start speaking for God especially when “God’s” message puts them above others because they see themselves as victims.

When God is on your side because you’re a victim, it pretty much guarantees that you’ll always want to be a victim so that God will love you more and keep you on His side.

There’s also this from the Washington Post:

Barack Obama is a member of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ. Its minister, and Obama’s spiritual adviser, is the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. In 1982, the church launched Trumpet Newsmagazine; Wright’s daughters serve as publisher and executive editor. Every year, the magazine makes awards in various categories. Last year, it gave the Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Trumpeter Award to a man it said “truly epitomized greatness.” That man is Louis Farrakhan.

I can’t say whether Sen. Obama shares all of Rev. Wright’s views, I doubt that he does. But I think it says something about him that he’s remained loyal to the church for so many years. I also assume that like most members of churches, he has donated money to his church over the years providing financial support for the pastor’s message and actions.