Egad! It's an EASTER Bunny!

I thought it was tragic enough, that the Church let "bunny" be added to "Easter", without so much as a "peep" (continuing seasonal reference intended).  Not that the word Easter has any direct Biblical connection (its etymology is still disputed), but here in America, in recent times, we have used the word to refer to the Church's celebration of its most vital historical event: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And then somehow we let this critical holiday be watered down by springtime delights such as chocolate bunnies hopping through plastic grass to hide hard boiled eggs either out on the lawn or behind household nick-knacks, to be hunted down by basket toting, over sugared toddlers.  Yeah, we did that, to the Resurrection.  It could only be worse if the word Easter was never substituted in, and we were using, and had to be losing, more relevant descriptors like "Resurrection Rabbits" or "Empty Tomb Tomcats" that appeared once a year to make our kids search for hidden hairballs, or something.

But now our culture has taken the next step.  Schools and communities around the country are moving to protect the religiously uninitiated from the horror of paschal celebratories (Easter fans).  E______ Bunnies are OK, but only now if the religiously loaded and perplexedly offensive adjective (Easter) is detached!  You will soon hear only of "Spring" egg hunts, and "Spring" bunnies, as if somehow the bodily resurrection of the Savior of the world, the One who came determined to offer Himself and take the death deserved by all mankind, were actually equivalent to "spring".

I'm just venting.  This sign of the times, and this trend in our society to demean all things Christian may inhibit our culture's foregone acceptance and long past embrace of the faith, but it does nothing to impact the power of the cross in saving souls.  Within your own heart and mind, you know your failed standing before God.  Despite such cultural attempts to mollify supposed offenses from common use, I hope that you also somehow discover His willingness to forgive you because of Christ's sacrifice, and to welcome you home.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  1 John 4:9
Jesus Christ is still victorious.  His work was accomplished and His generous offer still stands.  He is still ready and willing to let His blood cover your sins, and your simple acceptance of this gift given in grace is all it takes for you to be received in heaven when you die.





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Did I hear correctly?  Hillary Clinton apologized to PAKISTAN?  Their troops fired on ours, repeatedly last year near the border, so guess what our army did:  We fired back.  Our efforts were more effective than theirs (a good thing if you are an army right?), and 24 Pakistani soldiers died.

We apologized.  Hillary Clinton, our Secretary of State, represents the Apologizer in Chief well enough.  I hope Mitt Romney might express a general regret that anyone had to die that day, but rescind the national apology and replace it with a matter-of-fact warning to Pakistan (and the rest of the watching and presently scoffing world) that we put the welfare of our own troops ahead of other's.






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Carrie Goes Under the Bus

Carrie Underwood.  What can I say?  I cheered her through to victory as one of the most obvious, most talented, most fitting American Idol winners way back....oh, some 6 or 7 years ago now.  Besides the great voice, of course, she is the classic "living doll", who could easily have made a living as a model.  Her career since "Idol" has been a wonder to behold, with one big hit after another; and every song she sang containing a great, or simply a fun, message.  Carrie's rendition of "How Great Thou Art" mesmerized all listeners, including a friend of mine who classifies himself as a "Humanist". He listened to her sing that most famous of Christian songs over and over again.

Now my dream of this otherwise Wonder Woman has hit the wall of political correct reality.  Carrie has come out in support of gay marriage.  Yes, a lot of people have done that.  And a lot of people seem to think that their Christian faith dictates that they accept all behavior, based on the correct understanding that they should accept all people.  God accepts all people, but requires that they accept Him.  An acceptance which means they accept His understanding of what is right and wrong (what is good for we individuals, as well as our societies).


During an interview with a British newspaper, Underwood said, "Above all, God wanted us to love others. It's not about setting rules, or [saying] 'everyone has to be like me'. …It's not up to me to judge anybody." She also objected to "people who use the Bible for hate," saying, "That's not how I would want myself as a Christian to be represented."


Agreeing with God, and the things He has said, is not about "setting rules, or saying 'everyone has to be like me'.  Nor is recognizing God's standard for us all "judging anybody."  And it is especially not using "the Bible for hate. 

Sorry Carrie.  I have loved watching your career develop, and your family prospering, and hearing you sing any old song you apply that wonderful voice to; but I wish you had thought about your position on this issue a little bit more.  I am sorry that you have chosen to have your "self as a Christian, to be represented" by a wishy washy, personal pick and choose, theology-by-feelings stance that fails to represent God's clear teaching on sin.










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Something's Wrong with Occupy

“They were anarchists,” he repeated.


“Yes?”


He paused. “We’re not really set up to cover the extreme Left.”










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P is for POLICY

Dog peed on the floor?  Form a committee and develop a POLICY!
Light bulb in the closet burned out?  Within a year, the new POLICY should be in place!
A store clerk hurt your feelings?  Call the advisory board; THEY will come up with a fix-all POLICY tomorrow!


Did you hear about the sex offender who molested his disabled roommate this week in some mental ward somewhere?  Sorry I can't remember the where or when exactly, but I heard that the administration was all in shock because "we have a POLICY forbidding sex offenders from rooming with...." what?  Victims?  Non-sex offenders?  So glad to hear that!


They said he wouldn't even be charged because they could not get a conviction on the mentally impaired sex offender.  I guess then, all they could do was establish a POLICY regarding his containment  (which was not followed).






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O is for OBVIOUS

Why do I hate to state the OBVIOUS?  Is it just me?  Sometimes a solution to a problem is so OBVIOUS that I pause after the question is posed, waiting to be sure it wasn't rhetorical.    . . . .  But eventually I realize, "Uh-oh, he really is asking me that."  And then being so pressed, I try to offer the answer as if I (too) am unsure and dismayed by the great dilemma. But here is where the whole 'trying to protect my friend from the embarrassment of looking stupid' backfires.  Since I posed my tentative solution so doubtfully, he thinks even his entirely off-the-wall idea has at least as much merit as my hedged bet; so now he stands taller and looks down with disdain, scoffing at the apparent gall I must possess to even dare speak in the presence of his austere wisdom!  But now, suddenly, my pride is backed into a corner and I want to announce loudly that he's a boneheaded imbecile for even considering that there might be more than one answer to 2 + 2, but that remark, just kind of seems too...obvious.  So I relent and withdraw and hope his newly empowered ego will at least wonder if my quietude might suggest that I'm being rhetorical.  It should be OBVIOUS!







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N is for NINCOMPOOPS

I apologize for using such a generic title.  Especially on a blog about 'venting', where the word NINCOMPOOP might often apply to the objectionable topic.  But I am doing the A to Z challenge in April and it fits today's need for an 'N' word.

The particular NINCOMPOOPS in question today work at Carrol University in Wisconsin.  In an effort to limit the continued use of hateful name-calling, a campus group built a small 'wall' for students to write all the horrible words used against them.  After collecting every vile term or phrase used to put someone down all in one place, the students were to gather together at the end of the week and 'tear down' the wall, thus eliminating prejudice forever!  Or something like that.

Instead, the collection of horrible terms was displayed on the edge of the campus, right across the street from a local elementary school!  Yes, they moved it back after complaints came in, but what were they thinking?!  One spokesperson I heard said that the words could all be discussed and then dismissed after such a profound collection was made on campus.  I wondered why they had to be gathered to be discussed, if their use was so prolific.  Why not just go ahead and discuss, without giving such display and prominence in the first place.

I'm sorry I posted this so late in the week.  Thursday was the day you could have stopped in and, for a small fee, taken a hammer to that wall of profanity, thus ending intolerance and strife forever!  I wonder if anyone wrote the word NINCOMPOOP on that wall.



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