Heading For Doomsday Say Clock-Keepers

Historians could likely determine when and where humans began to ponder on The End of The World As We Know It – when folks felt some inexorable urge to hang over the heads of humanity the demise of all existence. Today, perhaps, one could sit at a keyboard and monitor and search the Internet to explore that mystery.

Fortunately, or not, for the last 70 years, Western Civilization has had a metaphorical clock to measure the approach of extinction – the dire-named Doomsday Clock.  Thursday, clock-keepers alerted us that we are now at 11:57, three minutes til midnight, aka Doomsday. It’s a two-minute leap since the last move of the clock’s hands in 2012.

I’m not sure what purpose the metaphorical timepiece serves – to insure we all accept the inevitability of our collective demise despite our actions to prolong Life? Is it to signal us, like a football game’s 2-minute warning, that the Terminal Last Call approaches so that we can … what? Hunker down? Hug loved ones close? Launch some Kal-El into the vast depths of space?

Maybe it’s akin to that school teacher warning the class that everyone will get detention unless “you straighten up and fly right, Buster?”

It is discomfiting to realize humans may actually possess both the weapons and the will to demolish humanity.

Perhaps it’s akin to those dreamy notions of Nostalgia – everything was better in Times long past, only despair and death are ahead, and the Now is merely longing and regret and dread.

Congress Holds Hearings on Theology

Why is a House Judiciary Committee holding hearings on theology? Seriously, why? It can't be legal. Just look at the reality here - some Christian faith based attorneys want to warn Congressman their is a war on religion in America. 

The Chair Bob Goodlatte of the committee said:

"Indeed, the founding fathers feared the effect of government on the free exercise of religion.  In a letter dated June 12, 1812 to Benjamin Rush, John Adams stated that ‘[n]othing is more dreaded than the National Government meddling with Religion.’

And then he meddles with it.

Here is the video of Congressman Louie Gohmert demanding a pastor accept his view of Christianity. Why is this Congressional business?





That witness has his say afterwards:

"t got even stranger. Soon Gohmert was talking about a “Seinfeld” episode where the character Elaine became upset to learn that her boyfriend was a Christian. This led to the real zinger: “Do you believe in sharing the good news that will keep people from going to hell consistent with the Christian beliefs?”

How can these hearings be legal?

N.C. Lawmakers Seek To Establish State Religion

The good thing is that a horrible plan by a state legislature is not from Tennessee. It's from North Carolina - a new bill seeks to establish a single religion statewide.

"The proposed law, introduced earlier this week, states that the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment—which prohibits Congress from passing laws respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise of religion in America—simply does not apply to the states. The bill goes on to proclaim the sovereignty of the states in this matter while proclaiming that each state is free to make its own laws respecting an establishment of an official religion and that such an establishment cannot be blocked by either Congress or the judiciary.

"Joining in the fun, as a co-sponsor of the bill allowing North Carolina to establish an official state religion, is one of the most powerful members of the North Carolina General Assembly, GOP Majority Leader Edgar Starnes. Apparently, expecting a leader in so important a role to show some fealty to the law and the legal underpinnings of the nation is asking a bit too much when compared to the opportunity provided that elected official to score a few political points."

Tennessee Republicans Seek Theocracy

Tennessee Republicans make it clear in the current presidential primary race with their support for Sen. Rick Santorum - they want Tennessee to be a theocracy. Not that there were many doubts on that score.

The most recent MTSU poll results show the TNGOP supports Santorum by large margin - 40% for Santorum, 19% for Romney. Sen. Santorum is speaking at this moment at a private bible college, Crown College of The Bible. And he's been most plain over the course of his career and this current campaign stating that religion is the best and only guide for government.

So at least they have made clear their only their religious beliefs should determine governmental policy. If you hold a different view, not only are you wrong, you are damned.

Welcome to the new religious government of Tennessee.

Santorum also says if you want to go to college (like he did, for 3 degrees, like his children did) you are a snob. Odd then that today he's at a college. I must assume he means that if you get a college degree outside of a private Christian college, you are a source of evil and snobbery.

ET Blogger Oatney Says Obama is 'Greatest Evil'

According to one East Tennessee blogger, God will call us all to judgement and tops on his list will be whether or not you voted for Obama for president.

At least, that's about all I can discern from his most recent post:

"There is little doubt that Mr. Obama's election is the greatest singular evil that has ever befallen this country-but the die is cast."

He must have missed out that whole terrorist attack on 9/11. Who knew that American History began sometime around November 2008?

There's more to his post, as he talks about The End Times and his Catholic faith, and the Rapture and various other of his religious thoughts.

Another blog, by writer David Waters, tells of a Catholic priest in South Carolina, Rev. Jay Scott Newman, who refuses to offer communion to anyone who voted for Obama - and notes the odd hypocrisy:

"Newman is denying communion not to those who have conducted or received an abortion, and not to those who enact laws that allow for abortion, but to those who cast a vote for a candidate who supports abortion rights. In effect, he's saying that thinking is now mortal sin. He's saying that having an opinion is a mortal sin. He's saying that freedom of speech and thought is a mortal sin."

Is it now a church-goers duty to report on who they voted for or against in order to qualify for membership?

(HT:KnoxViews)

China Regulating Reincarnation

China's government says their approval and proper forms will be required for reincarnation. As goofy as the idea may sound, the story about their new 14-point program has a very specific goal:

"Because tulkus have a large influence in the Himalayan region, the Chinese government has frequently sought to control the process of identifying the boys.

The new regulations, which go into effect September 1, 2007, will make it illegal to identify the child reincarnation of the Dalai Lama without the approval of Chinese authorities."

In other words, China will try to make the currrent Dalai Lama the last Dalai Lama. And you thought your religious beliefs were being marginalized and removed from existence.