Goodbye Mr. Carlin, your work will continue to inspire many generations of freethinkers to come. I love the fact that my kids can still experience you on Thomas the Train. You will be sorely missed.
I opened the door today to find several young guys with backpacks on my porch. The oldest looked to be in his late 20’s while the youngest could have been 14 or 15 years old. They asked me if I knew Jesus. Heh. I said “I know him very well.” They seemed pretty happy about that. Then they asked if he was my lord and savior. “Nope, not at all.” I don’t think they realized what they had gotten themselves into. I don’t think they expected me to know just as much, if not more, about the Bible than they did. They tried many of the tired old arguments for the existence of God. Like the good old argument from design, the moral argument, the argument from personal revelation, the argument from goodness, the cosmological argument and even the classic appeal to emotion. It was pretty fun. They even had pamphlets from Way of the Master (including the million dollar bill), the Lee Strobel “Evidence of God” pamphlet and even a Chick tract en espanol! All in all it was a pretty good time. I gave them the links to my MySpace page, this blog and the Biblical Errancy page. So if you guys are reading this, welcome! Stay a while and feel free to comment. I’d love to keep our conversation going!
Starbix
“Don’t Panic.” -Douglas Adams
As my family and I were leaving our local Wal-Mart (Don’t hate me, I shop where my wife says to shop) we stopped at a canopy-covered table where two women were getting people registered to vote. I had been meaning to reregister as I didn’t want to keep voting at the place near my parents’ house. As we were talking I noticed that they were both wearing buttons proclaiming that they were proud democrats. This was a bit of a relief for me as the Central Valley is one of the most conservative parts of California and especially because most of the people who hang out in front of our Wal-Mart are extreme right-wing crackpots. I felt freer to talk since they obviously weren’t the typical Tulare County resident. In the course of the conversation I made mention of being an atheist. The woman I was talking to questioned me further about it to make sure she understood me correctly and I confirmed that I don’t believe in any gods. What she did next caught me off guard. She asked me to stop talking about it. She did it not because I was offending her, but rather because she was going to cry. She was so worried about me, a total stranger, going to Hell that it caused her real emotional distress. She didn’t condemn me for my lack of belief or say that I was a bad or immoral person. She didn’t pass any judgment on me. She was simply worried for my well-being. This was a person who genuinely cared for the welfare of her fellow man. This encounter left me with mixed feelings. I was happy that she accepted who I was and didn’t judge me for it, but I was also moved by her concern for me. I only wish more Christians would follow her example and truly love their fellow man for who they are: black, white, man, woman, young, old, believer or atheist. I hope she took comfort in the fact that she showed a committed atheist that some Christians really do care about others no matter what.
And this is why I will definitely not be voting for McCain.
He blatantly ignores the fact that Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli, which was approved unanimously by the Senate and signed by President John Adams, states that “the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion“
Via Queer Visalia’s blog:
As you already know, on June 17, gay and lesbian couples around California will be obtaining legal marriage licenses for the first time in history! You too can participate in this historic event by joining your fellow Tulare County couples at the County Courthouse to get YOUR marriage license!
When: June 17, 2008
7:30am - 3:30pm
Where: Tulare County Clerk’s Office, in Courthouse
First floor Rm. 105
221 S Mooney Blvd
Visalia, CA 93291
What: Bring yourself and your sweetheart, photo ID and your check book to apply for your official marriage license. Also, if you’ve ever been divorced or dissolved a Domestic Partnership, bring proof of that, too.
Cost: $92 for the license
You can also make an appointment for the clerk to do your civil ceremony by calling 559-730-5000. They do ceremonies only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
We do need to locate people who are licensed to do weddings in California, who would be willing to be available at or near the courthouse on the 17th. It would be good if they would volunteer their services for this special day. If you are, or know of, such a person, please call me at 559-756-0725. I have limited access to the web right now, so please call and not email.
Even if you are not getting married on that day, please join us at the courthouse for the celebration! We’d love to see a huge crowd of supportive people cheering local couples as they get their licenses!
See you there!
Jamie
Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend as I will be working. I would, however, be pleased to offer my services to anyone needing someone to officiate at their marriage.
Here’s some same-sex marriage news:
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — As same-sex couples prepare to wed in California later this month, one county clerk in the conservative Central Valley plans to sidestep the state’s legalization of gay marriage by not performing any ceremonies.
Ann Barnett plans to stop performing ceremonies for all couples in Kern County as of June 14. She will issue the new gender-neutral marriage licenses as required by law on June 17, but refuses to preside over any ceremony because of space and staff constraints, she said in a statement.
Barnett’s announcement came after she received advice from county lawyers that she could not refuse to marry only couples of her choosing.
Barnett, who also got advice from the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative Christian law firm, did not return multiple requests for comment on Friday from The Associated Press.
Another Central Valley clerk, Merced County’s Stephen Jones, said Friday he would end all ceremonies too, but he later retracted his statement after coming under pressure from county officials.
Jones told the AP that he was reversing course after negotiations with the county resulted in approval of another clerk position to perform weddings and some additional space. The small office performs 500 weddings a year.
“On the 17th I expect to be absolutely bombarded,” Jones said.
The backlash in the two counties is not surprising. In 2000, 80 percent of Kern County voters supported Proposition 22, which required marriage be between one-man and one-woman. Merced County voters supported it with 77 percent in favor. The proposition passed statewide with 61 percent of the vote.
The state Office of Vital Records directed clerks in the state’s 58 counties to start using new gender-neutral marriage licenses once the Supreme Court’s ruling becomes final at 5 p.m. on June 16. The new licenses say “Party A” and “Party B” where “bride” and “groom” used to be.
Many counties, including Fresno, San Diego and El Dorado, said they would be conducting business as usual. Some, however, might stall through another loophole.
In its May 15 decision, the Supreme Court directed a midlevel appeals court to issue a new order legalizing same-sex marriage. The lower court had upheld the state’s one man-one woman marriage laws a year ago.
It’s not clear when the appeals court must comply with the high court’s order.
The clerk in Kings County has indicated he does not plan to grant the new licenses until the Court of Appeals takes that step, said Stephen Weir, president of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials.
Kings County has a notice on its Web site saying it does “not anticipate any changes in our current marriage license procedures until such time as the lower court’s implementation rulings take effect.”
Kings County Clerk Ken Baird did not respond to a call seeking comment.
All but a few counties offer to provide marriage ceremonies along with licenses. Contrary to the claim from Kern County that the ceremonies are a drain on resources, Weir, the clerk in Contra Costa County, said they make money.
“It is a financial plus,” said Weir, whose office makes $72,000 a year solemnizing marriages at $60 a pop. “It’s something you can do fairly easily, pays its own way and is a service you are providing to your customer.”
Meanwhile, at least one same-sex couple has signed up to get married in Kern County.
Whitney Weddell said the staff at the clerk’s office was friendly and helpful as she made the first appointment on Friday morning to get a same-sex marriage license on June 17.
“I kind of see the county clerk as a minor distraction. The Supreme Court ruled, and it’s the law and it’s a matter of her getting out of the way, which she did this morning,” Weddell said.
This is ridiculous, but unsurprising. I especially find it funny that she claims that they are not performing marriages any more because of budget concerns. The more people getting married = more money for the clerk’s office. Plus, I have a feeling that there won’t be too many churches in this area that will perform same-sex marriages, so that means a larger portion of the weddings will be held at the county building. All this is is someone’s personal beliefs interfering with the performance of their government job. The problem with letting people make these kinds of decisions based on their personal morals is the fact that if one person is legally allowed to then others can too and I can guarantee you that they won’t all have the same morals. That’s what’s great about having a neutral/secular society, or it would be if jokers like these would stop imposing their morals on everyone else.
Don’t Panic. That’s right! It’s Towel Day! A day to remember and celebrate the life and works of Douglas Adams. You sass that hoopy Douglas Adams? There’s a frood who really knows where his towel is. The proper way to celebrate Towel Day is to take a towel with you everywhere you go all day. That is, of course, assuming that you don’t already take your towel with you everywhere. I would like to present my own Towel Day pictures with my older son Sebastian. These were all taken on our shopping trip to K-Mart.
Happy Towel Day!
————————————————————————————–
Starbix
“Don’t Panic.” -Douglas Adams
The news just came in: California’s Supreme Court has made same-sex marriage legal! This has been a long time coming for what is considered one of the most liberal states in the Union. I look forward to the other states following suit. Some have said that this is just judicial activism that rejects the will of the people. The only problem is that the majority does not always get the last word in a democracy. The rights of the minority must also be upheld. If we always let majority rule then we may not have abolished slavery, granted interracial marriage, granted women the right to vote and many other decisions that were unpopular then and are now considered common sense. I would also like to take this time to do a plug: I am a Reverend in the Universal Life Church and am legally allowed to perform weddings. I am offering my services to anyone in the Tulare County area that is looking to have a non-faith based wedding. Yes, I realize that being both an atheist and a reverend is somewhat contradictory, but I am a big fan of irony. ;) Even though I am not gay, I do know many who are and I am extremely happy for them. We’ve f’d up marriage for long enough and I think it’s high time the LGBT community gets a crack at it.
Starbix
“Don’t Panic.” -Douglas Adams
All credit for this goes to the great Cuttlefish.
It’s time to raise our voice in prayer,
And pray to–well, there’s no one there.
No god to urge to do our bidding;
Go on and pray–just know you’re kidding.
It’s time to all sit on our asses,
And pray forgiveness for trespasses
(Or is that to forgive our debtor?
Who cares, as long as we feel better.)
It’s time we all embrace god fully,
Feel all righteous, good, and holy–
Or be some atheistic jerk,
Roll up your god-damned sleeves, and work!
It’s time to say “I do not care
To join you in this day of prayer.”
Sure, a day off looks like fun,
But there is work that must be done.
Our problems will not fix themselves
There is no god to send in elves
To do the work of human ranks
So… join, today, in prayer? No thanks.
Starbix
“Don’t Panic.” -Douglas Adams
 | Starbix on Teaching the Bible as His… |
 | scottch on Teaching the Bible as His… |
 | Jason on Teaching the Bible as His… |
| Starbix on I got to stretch my debating… |
| Starbix on I got to stretch my debating… |
