Levon Helm at Newport Folk Festival 2008 (photo credit WFUV Flickr Creative Commons non commercial)
Rock musician, actor and author Levon Helm is being remembered by many people since his death last week. Some are of those people famous and some like me, not. When I saw Levon Helm in The Last Waltz, it changed my live forever.
But the memories are strong. Share your remembrance of Levon if you like. Continue reading
Bob Dylan Saved, but not yet
I’ve heard it “all before and I know the score.”
The world is not ending nor will some religious people get raptured to Heaven.
There is a lot of work to do, here there and everywhere.
All the religious people who want things to come to a climactic end aren’t going to force God’s hand, despite trying to get some action for almost 2,000 years. Continue reading
Mother's Day, the ideal family somewhat of an illusion (photo Megan Cooley, about.com)
The heat is on in the media to celebrate Mother’s Day.
For many sons and daughters, Mother’s Day is not a happy time for a thousand reasons.
A little creativity can turn it around and put a smile on your face and on the face of a mother.
Haven’t got a mother who you can spoil, cherish or take out to diner? Continue reading
God speaks to Moses from the burning bush The Ten Commandments
By Stephen Pate – To almost 4 billion Christians, Muslims and Jews, God is the great “I AM.”
He is the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob. He is the God that influenced the world, especially the Western world I was born into.
Last night we watched a bit of The Ten Commandments on TV. I wanted to hear God speak those words again to Moses from the burning bush.
“And He said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Continue reading
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert @ebertchicago, the esteemed movie critic of the Chicago Tribune and the famed Siskel and Ebert show, has discovered Twitter in a big way.
A prolific journalist, Ebert has become an even more prolific tweeter who seemingly suffers from insomnia as do I.
It’s not so much insomnia as a life long desire to watch late night movies like the Ninth Gate on television. Continue reading
Jehovah's Witnesses supporting same sex marriage
The California decision by United States District Chief Judge Vaughn R Walker reversed Prop 8′s ban of same-sex or gay marriage in the state.
Part of the legal argument FOR gay marriage comes from a 65 year old Supreme Court ruling that granted freedom of religious expression to Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Walker said that the majority opinion does not eliminate fundamental rights for a minority.
Ironically Jehovah’s Witnesses ban same-sex marriage. They disfellowship or shun any member who openly participates in same-sex acts or relationships.
The reference by Judge Walker to West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette will have the Watchtower Society scratching their heads. “How did we help those wicked sons and daughters of Sodom and Gomorrah?” they will be asking themselves.
Jehovah's Witness, been there got the t-shirt
The right-wing protestant sect is more likely to participate in the break up of a family than holding it together contrary to their public relations messages.
Holidays that most people associate with family – Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Birthdays – are acutely painful for ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses. They are reminded each year that their family does not want them. In time, they learn to form new relationships and family groups but there is always a place in their hearts that hurts.
On Friday night at Churchill’s I ran into a young friend who was still nursing the hurt of being brought up in a Jehovah’s Witness family. When he decided to strike out on his own, his mother and father ostracized him. To add insult to injury, a Montague elder Gerry Deveau disfellowshipped him. Continue reading