Jonathan H. B. Lobl

St. Jude is the Catholic saint of the Impossible and Lost Causes. I don't know about the Hospital administration.

Oh, I get it. It is still in my nature to be nice -- and polite. The trouble is, I'm getting grumpy in my old age. I see no reason to put up with crap. My ability to put up with smug, ignorant preaching is vanishing. OOps. Did I say that out loud?

Obviously, I pressed the wrong button. What follows is my response to Reverend Dave. Jonathan

I understand. You're a kind person. You don't want to be mean or cruel or disagreeable or rude or confrontational. You don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. What about your feelings? What about your integrity? There is no reason to accept the vocabulary off the pious. There is no reason to be impolite, but neither is there a reason to cede the intellectual or moral high ground. If the pious don't respect you, there is no point in engaging. The ULC is for all of us. Even me. Even you. There is no need for humble pie.

That's an interesting turn of phrase. Is faith a gift? Is it given? Do you really want it? I'm not challenging. I'm asking. There seems to be a few invisible assumptions here.

One of my senior centers is run by Catholic Charities. It's a good place.

Alright.

If I may -- a side issue. Genesis 1:16 King James Version (KJV) 16 "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also." "He made the stars also." The stars were an afterthought? Billions and billions of stars -- countless light years away. "He made the stars also." That is one big time after-thought.

The thing I enjoy most about being an Agnostic minister, is saying -- "Never trust the clergy.". Some get it. Some don't.

Never. You're a gentleman. We have friendly conversations. Not arguments.

My Hassidic friends taught me a few things quite well. Better than they knew. This is not a Humanistic Jewish story. Not even Reform or Orthodox. This is Hassidic humor. I'm going with my own understanding on this one. Your Islamic example is an interesting one. My mother has three regular Home Health Aides. Two of them are Muslim. They are kind, loving women, who would never harm anyone. For all that, I don't think either one of us should plan a vacation in Saudi Arabia. It would be suicide. The Muslims who do think that Atheists should be killed are running the show there. In fact, Saudi Law conflates Atheism with terrorism. The penalty for terrorism is death. Do not expect them to parse out the distinction, between Atheists and agnostics. If you go there, the government will kill you. They will do so in the name of Allah and Islam.

The point of this story, as recited by Pastor Dave, is that the "Master" is praising Atheists. No. He's not. He is deepening the student's insult by building on it. The person generally referenced as "the Master" is the Bal Shem Tov -- Master of the Good Name. The founder of the Hassidic movement. I used to have Hassidic friends. I know what Hassidim think of Atheists. It is deeply part of the culture -- and expressed by Psalms which are quoted to prove the point. Yes. Hassidim also disdain Reform Judaism. *Also, it is a song. Songwrites are known to put emotional impact ahead of accuracy. Its kind of their thing". Yes. It's a song. Bigots intent on spreading defamation -- through music -- are seldom concerned with accuracy. I am not insulting Atheists. Atheists are not insulting Atheists. "The Master" and his "clever student" are insulting Atheists. In case it needs to be said -- Pastor Dave is also not insulting Atheists. It is clear to me, that Pastor Dave thinks that "the Master" was making a compliment.

An insult disguised as a compliment, is still an insult. We must consider the cultural/Scriptural back drop for this particular insult. Psalm 14:1 King James Version (KJV) 14 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. Psalm 53:1 King James Version (KJV) 53 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. Really? Atheists are not so bad? They can even be a good example for the pious? The context itself can be seen in the "clever" question. "One clever student asks “What lesson can we learn from atheists? Why did God create them?” The intent is clear enough. Why did God create them? The clever student might have been asking why God created fleas. The clever response from the "Master" is not a compliment. It deepens the insult. Even these corrupt, abominable people can be a good example. Which part of any of this, is not defamatory?

I find myself being irritated by this type of open mindedness. Along the lines of -- Maybe you're not a totally disgusting abomination." Gee. Thanks.

Much of the time, I can laugh or I can cry. Most of the time, I choose laughing.

It happens. All is well.

Unless it's a real pill. Best make sure it's not a dose of LSD. Seriously, I have a suspicious nature. Did you ever play Paranoia? ""The Computer is your friend. Always trust the Computer."

Nobody said that it was your sense of humor, keeping you alive. It might be your wife's sense of humor, that is keeping you alive. I suggest that you keep her laughing.

I don't compartmentalize humor. It's simply part of the whole.

In normal dream states, we have sleep paralysis. This is what is abnormal about sleep walking. Shouting requires breath control, which is overcome by the sleep paralysis. Oddly enough, I have also discovered that I was dreaming, when I couldn't shout. Or strike. The effect was wrong. I became suspicious.

Back in the sixties, it was common to say -- "Question authority". I go past that. I question if things don't seem real. Sometimes, it's a dream. It's a philosophic stance. I take seriously, the proposition, that we are lost in illusion. I question. I test.

Thank you. When I have a lucid dream, I must do some finger counting.

I've had plenty of dreams where I was in a library or school of some type. My brain can fake read a sign. It can't read a book in a dream. That's how I test to know if it is a dream. Maybe I have a more suspicious mind than you do. Sometimes, I feel compelled to put reality to a test. I am Agnostic.

I didn't expect to need to ask. If the Earth is flat, where is the edge?

It sounds like a call for objectivity. Interesting, but generally elusive.