Chuck Cliff

Well, if youall like Landover, you might also like Betty Bowers -- http://www.bettybowers.com/ It's gotten a bit glitzy for my taste since I first saw it some time ago, but if you get a laugh, what the heck.

Cynthia, This is something which is really difficult to speak about. On the one hand, I wouldn't want to injure anyones faith & if they have beliefs which they need to hold on to in order to maintain their faith -- fine with me! But don't ask us to teach in the schools that the Moon is made of Green Cheese On the other hand, the leaders who manipulate them! These people who are ready to provoke economic, military, ecological disasters -- who are ready to lead us into the mouth of Armeggedon and Ragnarok, saying it's okay, if you've accepted Jesus as your personal savior -- it's frigging obscene! It's like you know, when Jesus says, perhaps the Son-of-Man has to go this way, but woe to the man who brings it about. If that is so, how much more so those who wlecome and look forward to the realization of their Apocalyptic brain farts! Whoops, sorry -- I got carried away there, it's been a hard day here at work. BTW, it was Orcinus who alerted me on this angle to the SpongeBob flap http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/ (you have to scroll down -- it doesn't hotlink or whateer it's called) Along with Berg Berkowitz http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cf...fm?itemid=18407

Actually, there are some siniter undertones to Dobson's attack on Spongebob. What he is up in arms over is the "Tolerance Pledge" and the mention of being tolerant of gay people among many other minorities. The thing is, the pledge is not a product of the "We are Family Foundation" -- rather it was produced by Tolerance.org -- which in turn is a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The point is, Dobson is not interested in the character of cartoon characters, rather he is attacking the concept of secular tolerance which is a cornerstone of democratic society. Rgrds Chuck Cliff Denmark

C.S Lewis is a fascinating and yet sometimes quite irritating author -- my cousin dosn't like him much -- calls him an English schoolteacher, which is what he was, actually. I wouldn't tell anybody to read anything by Lewis -- the last five books of the Narnia series simply don't have magic of the first two. By the way, Aslan is a Persian word -- it means "lion" ;-) The Great Divorce is one very good book -- but I think the Screwtape Letters is somewhat overrated. Nobody mentioned Shadowlands -- I haven't read it myself, but the movie, with Anthony Perkins as Lewis is one really worthwhile movie. Regrds Chuck Cliff Denmark

An interesting thread. Myself, I've been through the mill, chewed up and spit out the grinder. I've been so far out where the crows don't even think about turning back - for three days I thought the world had been blown up, stuff like that. But that was years ago, in 1972 -- and, no, no drugs or dope were involved, just worrying too much about God and love, salvation and damnation. A lot of the books mentioned here are quite useful to some degree. Someone mention Tomas Merton, the only problem with him is that he wrote so many books and not all are easy to understand. Elaine Pagels should also be mentioned for an introduction to some of what was going on and coming down during the formative years of the Christian Vision But one book youall seemed to have forgotten is ECCLESIASTES. And that is right there in your Bible. That book much too much overlooked by preachers and other God-biz people who whistle Dixe and pass-off rubber checks in God's name. "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor riches for the intelligent, nor honor to the wise, but that time and chance fall upon them all..." "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for there is no work, nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, wither thou goest" And this is the infallible Word of God? I say that too many beliefs is a sign of too little faith. Rgrds