LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY cheap_laugh)

on the Religious Right

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LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY 1400scale)

(A bit off-topic, but sometimes we all need a little inspiration.)

In case this wasn't posted before, here is columnist Diana Butler Bass at Beliefnet chiming in on the Amish response to last month's tragic murder-suicide:

"Despite attempts to avoid this particular news, the stories of the Amish practice of forgiveness eventually captivated me. Their practice of forgiveness unfolded in four public acts over the course of a week. First, some elders visited Marie Roberts, the wife of the murderer, to offer forgiveness. Then, the families of the slain girls invited the widow to their own children’s funerals. Next, they requested that all relief monies intended for Amish families be shared with Roberts and her children. And, finally, in an astonishing act of reconciliation, more than 30 members of the Amish community attended the funeral of the killer."

Original article:
thttp://www.beliefnet.com/blogs/godspolitics/2006/10/diana-butler-bass-what-if-amish-were.html

How many here could do that?

Humbling.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY lullabypit)

I received an e-mail from a friend today - very smart guy, a former colleague I like and respect a great deal. He was forwarding on a piece from Ben Stein (actually, only part of it was by Stein - someone added some stuff to the end as it made the rounds) and thought it was worthy of passing on. The Stein piece and a fuller analysis of it can be found at Snopes.
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I have some issues with this, actually. Bear with me as I work through it.

Stein acknowledges that he doesn't like being pushed around because he's a Jew. Let's start there. I hear him loud and clear and don't blame him a bit. And we live in a society with plenty of anti-Semitism, so he has no doubt been on the wrong end of prejudice.

But - there's a huge "but" here - what about people who aren't Jews or Christians who don't like being pushed around for their beliefs? What if you're a member of a religion that the Christian majority either thinks is evil or false or maybe some of both, and there are actually some among them who believe that you should be put to death for those beliefs (folks who take this passage literally, for instance)?( Read more... )

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