Bro. Hex

Just a couple of (mostly pointless) points (i'm bored!) (1) I'm sure that Rev. Rainbow didn't "intend" to suggest that Rabbio "was speaking for all Jews" (2) We Christians cannot "get it together" to agree on ANYTHING! (seems like)

. Fawzo says: "Do you think The Song of Solomon could skate under a PG-13 rating? " I say: Let's give it "a waiver"... Who are we to say that youngsters don't crave a bit of titillation there lives too? Everybody knows that kids read "dirty books" whenever they can get hold of them... I say "If our kids are gonna read a "dirty book" it should be the Bible!

It's that time again folks! Time to re-read, and celebrate, that Sacred Text... The Song of Solomon

. It's a joke folks... a very dumb joke (apparently!)

I am sick and tired of a bunch of foreigners telling us what to do, or what to believe. Lately I have been reading a lot about 2 Ephesians in the news. This is ridiculous. Not only is their number incredibly small, we don't even know if they are in this country legally! Why should we even CARE what a couple of Ephesians have to say? I say "round up the whole bunch, however many there are, and send 'em all back to EPHESIA where they belong!!!" ;>) Happy February Hex

. Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds (1985) / Music Video Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds (1985) / Music Video

. White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes and/or by Sonos

.But we Liberal Christians don't necessarily believe in Judgment Day. Every day is another judgment day. Every day we make our choices. Our "judgments".

Maybe you are confusing it with "Kamikaze"???

I am truly curious, Nestingwave, Which "original Aramaic writing" are you referring to in the above quote? These "95 Theses" of Martin Luther were, of course, originally written "in German". Are you suggesting that the 95 Theses were actually written "by someone else, in an earlier age"? Do you suggest that Luther simply translated from the Aramaic into the German language, the words of some other author? Can you identify the "original source"? Can you identify the "original (Aramaic) author"?

Pete, there are many reasons why any of us who call ourselves Christians, do so, and your reason for calling yourself one is "just as valid" as anyone else's. Some of the finest Christians who ever lived (we refer to some of them as "saints") had no formal education, and no depth of study whatsoever. Some were simple fishermen.

Pretty Woman http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBrbpWwWafQ

Coolhand, allow me to be so bold as to dare to speak for my fellow Liberal Christians: I will give you that "Absolutely!" that you were hoping to hear, and I will give it to you "in Spades"! Many years ago (40+ years, to be more precise), when I was earning my own way through college by working a 2nd shift factory job every summer, I had the good fortune to meet up with a fellow, more or less my own age, by the name of Monny Betts. The two of us were assigned to the same piece of machinery...a two-man job...during the summer after my junior year. We worked side-by-side all summer long. Monny (pronounced like Monte, but without the "t") was a fervent member of the Church of God. I was a Roman Catholic at that time. We took our breaks together, and we also would work "double-time" for an hour at a time, so that we could get so far ahead of our production quota that we could just "sit and talk" for maybe twenty minutes at a time. I never learned too much about the actual beliefs or rituals of the Church of God beyond the fact that it was a literalist bible-based denomination. But I learned something far more important: I learned that the Church of God was "central" to who and what Monny Betts was...and that I really liked and respected that person. So "YES", Monny's beliefs and understandings (his religious "opinions") are just as valid for him (as are yours for you) as mine are for me...in my view of reality. My fellow Liberals Christians and I do not believe that we "have any corner" on the right understanding of God or God's ways. God is "just to big" for any mortal mind to "even come close" to such an understanding. So, Cool, does my reply adequately answer your question, or am I "missing the mark"?

This is meant as a SERIOUS (not flippant) reply. Have you tried marijuana for relief of pain? It has been known to work when nothing else would. You are in my prayers. Hex

This is a FASCINATING summary, Pete. I will definitely have to find the +/- 4 hours to check it out for myself. Of particular interest to me are those portions of your post that I have placed in bolded text. Thanks for introducing this material! Hex P.S. Wasn't the direct quote (from Jesus, as translated by King James) as follows: "Thou shalt make up THINE own mind"

Wow!, Viet Nguyen, I don't know how you found this, but I REALLY APPRECIATE that you have shared it with all of us here. Thank you! Hex

Amen.

You have made some good points here, Splishy.

We like to think of Religious Freedom as an absolute, as an accomplished fact. But the fact-of-the-matter is that it is "a work in progress" and will always be thus.

I think that you are absolutely right, jba.

Is that a "veiled" threat ???

Gosh, what a good point. I guess Drew should just dare his boss to fire him, secure in the knowledge that "lawsuits are won every day". What spectacular advice! (Not.) Yes, the question was about "legality", but a bit of "practicality" never hurts. Drew may decide to act upon the information we provide. It is the least we can do to point out to him that the burden of proof may be his.

That's all well and good, but in "at will" States, an employer is NOT REQUIRED to state a reason for a firing. An employer would be an ABSOLUTE FOOL to go on record and say "I fired him for religious reasons"

If you are living in an "at will" State (such as Ohio, where I live), you can be fired "for any reason". While you are at work, your time "belongs to your employer". If you have scheduled "breaks", you can probably engage in "small talk" with co-workers, but I would be very careful not to be discussing religious matters "where it might offend others". It is quite possible that "someone complained" to your boss about your conversation, and that your boss is intervening to quell someone else's upset. Depending upon where you live, this could be perfectly legal. With regard to your "sacred ground" claim, it is entirely bogus from a legal point of view. It is a religious concept, not a legal one. Remember, as far as Native Americans are concerned "this is ALL Sacred Ground" and all us non-Indians are trespassers and defilers. So, unless you don't value your job, you should confine the religious discussions to your own time and/or somewhere that your boss isn't going to be hearing about it. He (or she) pays your wages, and owns your time (except for lunch and scheduled breaks). If you and your friend want to have such discussions, do it over lunch (out of the building, and off the premises), or in your car, or after work. This is just a word to the wise. It isn't smart to create conditions wherein your boss wants to be rid of you. If that's what he (or she) wants, there is almost always some "legal reason" for doing it.

It is that time of the year for Jews around the world: Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year of 5770, which begins Friday (tomorrow) at sundown. In the Jewish calendar, the most sacred time is the 10-day period from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, which this year falls on Sept. 28. Called "the Days of Awe," it is a time when Jews ask forgiveness for their sins and the sins of their community, from one another and from God. "When we think of New Year's resolutions in American culture, we have a tendency to think of proactive things we can do for self-improvement," said Rabbi Jack Moline of Agudas Achim Congregation, a conservative synagogue in Alexandria. "Whereas in Rosh Hashanah, the look is not forward -- 'How can I be a better me?' -- but a look back: 'How did I not realize my potential this year, and what do I need to do to correct that shortcoming and make sure that I am better able to fulfill the purpose for which I am in this world?' " I think there is something in this ritualized "looking back" that could benefit each of us, Jews AND Gentiles.