Carlene

Did you know that Ron Jeremy has a degree in special education? It's good to have a backup plan, but dang....that might give "meet the teacher" night a whole new meaning.

As Tigger says...GMTA (great minds think alike). Well....sometimes.

Mine, too, Sue, but my portfolio, which today is worth less than $200,000, was valued at $311,000 at the end of 1999.

Allah is our God, too. We just worship him differently. And, of course, we squabble over the fine points - like whether the Bible (and which Bible) or the Koran or the Torah is the proper, divinely inspired rule book, and which prophet/Messiah is the true messenger of God's word.

Sorry...miscommunication. I thought, when you said I was quoting stuff like I was a Baptist, that you meant I was impersonating one. I was not trying to tell you what Baptists believe - only that the Baptists I know do not believe suicide is unpardonable. Maybe you are a different breed of Baptist than the ones I know. If memory serves me correctly, there are different types of Baptists, correct? One group, as I recall, are called "Feet Washing Baptists". And there are "Hard Shell Baptists", "Southern Baptists"....probably many more. I meant no disrespect to any member of any Baptist congregation. The information about the KJV of the Bible was in response to your posts. You initially said that maybe my (Baptist) friends used a different Bible and I said not likely, since they are a bit rabid on the subject (that the KJV is somehow more "holy" than any other, in spite of its history). You, in turn, said I needed to explain my remarks, so I did. Whew! I hope we have that all cleared up!

Sorry, but I take exception to that. I have attended church regularly my entire life. I have given my time, my talent, and my money. I have read the Bible many times over, taught CCD (religious ed for Catholic children), lectured, served communion, visited shut-ins and prayed my little heart out - on my knees, I might add. I was instrumental in starting a grassroots, multi-denominational ministry in Tarrant County, a ministry which is still in operation after 23 years. But I have never felt "prompted" by the Holy Spirit. I have never been "saved". But according to Billy Graham I'm not going to heaven! Amazing! I did not realize Rev. Graham had such lofty connections.

Please refer me to the post where I "quot[ed] stuff" to you that indicated I was a Baptist? And in addition, just to clarify the record, I wrote a separate post that said I apologize for any confusion; I am not a Baptist. How much clearer can I possibly get? Is there anyone on this board who thinks I am a Baptist? Or that I have misrepresented myself as a Baptist? Or who believes I might be masquerading as a Baptist for some evil and subversive reason?

The Bible did not drop down from heaven, bound in leather and printed in the King James version, with Christ's words in red ink. The Bible was a work in progress for hundreds of years - a work of scholarly monks and priests, all of whom were "Christians", which in their time meant Catholic or Orthodox, depending on where they lived. In 1611 the King James Bible was first published, in response to the Protestant movement, which sought to make it more appealing to the masses by translating it into local vernacular. In the process, a number of books from the "old" (Catholic) Bible were discarded. My good, staunch, and otherwise intelligent Southern Baptist friends prefer to believe that the King James version of the Bible carries God's personal seal of approval. Even though there is no discernible or historical reason for them to believe so, other than the notion that the men who translated it were "inspired by God" - something that not even those involved in the process dared to claim. There are many, many ancient texts and scrolls that were never formally included in any version of the Bible. That does not make them less valuable. From a historical standpoint alone, they are invaluable. From a religious perspective they are both inspirational and fascinating.

No, thank God.... Sorry if I gave anyone the wrong impression. I am not a Baptist. I am Catholic. My only reference to Baptists was that I live in an area where Southern Baptists outnumber just about everyone else and I have a lot of Baptist friends.

Like that's going to happen! My Baptist friends are good people, don't get me wrong, but even the smartest among them are blind to historical fact, which tells us that the King James Bible is NOT the "original", nor is it a complete, unaltered guide to redemption.

You forgot to include a reference to the Scripture which supports your statement. Matthew and Luke both define the unpardonable sin as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and specifically say that blasphemy against the Son of Man (Jesus) is pardonable. Billy Graham is NOT a Biblical source, much as I hate to be the one to tell you.

I take exception to a couple of things here... I think it's just WRONG for any mortal human to make such a sweeping statement - as if he were God's spokesperson. I can think of many instances where a person might be pardoned, even if he/she died "in unbelief". I do not believe in the whole you-must-be-saved thing. I do not need to be saved. I am not in danger. Christ paid the ultimate price for my sins (and yours). He died on the cross. I am "saved" by virtue of his sacrifice. Otherwise, Christ died in vain. You can go to heaven even if you've never said a prayer in your entire life, or set foot in a church, or read the Bible. Christians today seem to be a whole lot pickier about the whole idea of salvation than Jesus was, or at least it seems so to me.

Where shall I start? First of all, the CIA is not a politically appointed position. The same CIA people who warned Clinton also warned Bush. The difference being that Clinton DID try to do something about it and was whipped up on BADLY by the Republicans. Bush, on the other hand, did nothing. Bush is and always has been best buds with the Saudis, and who were most of the 9/11 terrorists? Saudi nationals....imagine that. As for attacking "areas believed to be involved with the cells"....do you mean Iraq? Because that's who we attacked. But Iraq had ZERO to do with 9/11. What's wrong with that picture? Osama bin Laden is a God-fearing Muslim who prays regularly and asks God's guidance for his decisions. What's your point? Oh, please tell us where we might read about this. Obviously you have access to some reliable source that the rest of us are not privy to. Please share!

Does it cause your Christian parents grief that you are an Atheist? I think it would trouble me. It troubles me that two of my children do not attend church, unless you count funerals, baptisms, weddings, confirmations, etc. Can an Atheist (or an Agnostic) go to heaven? I truly don't know. And fortunately, it's not my job to decide. I very much dislike discussions that finger-point in terms of who's "bad" or "good" and who's going where after we all die. I firmly believe that most people are deserving of heaven. I think you have to work at it, over a lifetime, to get banished forever to the "pains of hell", as we Catholics used to call it. But from a strictly scholarly (ha!) point of view....a person who never believed in God at any point in his/her adult life cannot commit the unpardonable sin, as I interpret the Scriptures. As for any hypocrisy on God's part, I think you are underestimating one of the most fundamental teachings of Christ - forgiveness. But forgiveness requires true repentance. And only God knows whose remorse is genuine and whose isn't. And for those whose repentance is only lip service, or self-serving, or of the moment - those people will not be forgiven. They may THINK they are forgiven, but they aren't. And they will eventually learn the difference. Edited to add... I don't believe that doubting God's existence is blasphemy. Everyone, particularly people who tend to be logic-driven, has doubted. It's the person who believes but chooses to denounce God anyway that sins, not the 20 year-old college student who thinks he/she might have all the answers.

I read a lot. I read my local paper, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, every day. I subscribe to Newsweek and Reader's Digest, and I watch CNN. I also belong to many online forums. I first read Sureya Sayadi's article in conjunction with the CodePink movement - something that caught my eye because of its obviously feminist core.

First off, let's be clear on the fact that I'm definitely NOT a biblical scholar. But the spin the Catholic Church puts on this particular piece of dogma is that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit essentially means denying the Holy Spirit, and doing it deliberately, and being aware that that is what you are doing. In other words, if you're drunk or otherwise impaired, it won't count. If you are young, joking, angry, etc, it won't count. It has to be deliberate and defiant. If you don't know any better, it doesn't count (in other words, if you were never taught the concept of the Holy Trinity in the first place). So it's pretty much impossible for a non-believer to commit the unpardonable sin. Or even a half-believer. Some people believe that it means the continual rejecting of the Holy Spirit's promptings to accept Jesus Christ - living in a state of blasphemy, if you will. Swearing with regard to Jesus, the Son of Man, is not an unpardonable sin, per both Matthew and Luke. "God dammit" is not an unpardonable sin - that's taking the name of the Father in vain, but you can get a pass on that one, too. Profane language does not constitute blasphemy. Blasphemy is the defaming of God's name - basically denying the existence of God. I only posted this because I was shocked to see that someone else mentioned suicide as the only unpardonable sin. My church, a long time ago, would not allow suicides to be buried in hallowed ground, but they never considered it an unpardonable sin. The official word now is that suicides are troubled people acting outside their "right minds". They are afforded all the same rites of the Church as anyone else. Obviously, committing murder, adultery, etc is not okay with God. Those are serious (mortal) sins, but sins which can be forgiven. Edited to add... The Catholic Church teaches that there are degrees of sin (gray areas, as it were). Small sins are called "venial" sins and serious sins are classified as "mortal" sins. Both can be forgiven, but the punishment for mortal sins is, of course, more sever than the punishment for venial sin. Just as your parents would have grounded you for the weekend if you hit your brother, but the consequences for drinking and driving would have been MUCH more severe.

I know a lot of Baptists, and I've never heard of this. All my Baptists friends agree with my church on this one....that the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Matthew 12:31-32 says, "And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." Luke 12:10 says, "And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven."

We have similar issues sometimes, partly because Cheyenne isn't my MIL's biological grandchild. My MIL thinks she should be Cinderella. She doesn't complain to me (of course) but my DH gets his ear bent frequently. His mom will drag him down the hall to Cheyenne's room, throw the door open in a grandly dramatic gesture, and say, "Just look at that mess!" My DH just shrugs and tells her to keep the door closed and she won't have to look at it. My MIL will load the diswasher (she really does try to be helpful), but she leaves Cheyenne's dish or glass or whatever in the sink. It's her little statement. Even though she will stand at the table while my DH finishes his lunch, so she can grab his dishes and wash them....so he doesn't have to get up. After all, retirement is hard and playing golf 4 or 5 days a week takes a lot out of anyone.

Me, too! My mother-in-law came to live with us about 3 years ago. She will be 87 in April. And I have a 14 year old granddaughter living with me, too. I'm either dealing with middle school drama or bowel issues. Help! I'm the filling in a multi-generation sandwich!

Then how do you know there are any? Does all your information regarding world affairs come via the TV?

What, exactly, are the "good" things going on in Iraq?

Not all Kurds are "thankful" for what the US has done in Iraq. This was published in April, 2006 and as you can see, is quite bi-partisan. Hillary Clinton and George Bush: No Friends of the Kurds by Sureya Sayadi When Hillary Clinton was at Brown University on April 8 giving a speech on “Women Leaders,” I accepted an invitation from students to join their protest. Why would I, a Kurdish woman, protest Hillary Clinton? Hillary Clinton is a great supporter of the war in Iraq, and like many others in the U.S. government, has used the suffering of the Kurdish people to prove the moral righteousness of the occupation. But Clinton, like Bush, is really using the Kurds to justify her own political ends, and refuses to address our real problems—lack of adequate services, corruption, continued human rights abuses in the region, and the fact that our refugees cannot yet return home. And all of these problems are exacerbated by the violence raging throughout the rest of Iraq that is due, in large part, to the presence of US troops. I was born in Kirkuk, the major Kurdish city in Iraq. In 1974, when I was twelve, the U.S. government encouraged the Kurdish people to rise up against Saddam Hussein. My family joined the struggle against Saddam, but the United States betrayed us by signing the Algiers treaty with Saddam and Kissinger. My people were brutally massacred by the Baathist government, while the United States and other European countries helped Saddam procure the weapons and chemicals he used on us. The helicopters that bombed us while we were fleeing Kirkuk were US helicopters. My family fled Iraq and like most Kurdish people, they are now scattered around the Middle East, repressed by Iranian and Turkish governments that kill refugees on a whim, living in ghettos but forced to pay money to the governments that refuse to uphold their rights. Being a Kurd is very hard. We have no country; our homes have been bombed; our leaders have been assassinated; our people, millions of them, are living as refugees in countries that show them no kindness. Many people, including George Bush and Hillary Clinton, have said that the Kurds are the big winners in the war in Iraq, the great success story. And while we are thankful to be free of Saddam and the Kurdish areas are more tranquil than the rest of Iraq, I think the recent unrest in Halabja exemplifies the betrayal many Kurds feel. Halabja was the city in which Saddam Hussein gassed more than 5,000 of my people in 1988. In a protest on March 16, 2006 against the corruption of the current government, demonstrators burned down a museum dedicated to the victims of the gassing. Though this may seem strange at first, the protesters were making the point that the city has never been properly rebuilt, that most of the people living there are still poor. The survivors, many of whom are coping with genetic mutations and psychological trauma, have inadequate access to health care, housing and other basic services. The Kurdish government, portraying this incident as the work of fundamentalists, is trying to divert attention from the real problems—that the occupation of Iraq and the ensuing violence has left no time or money to concentrate on peoples’ needs. The 17-year-old Kurdish student who was shot in the chest point-blank by Kurdish guards was not a fundamentalist but a young man who cared about the well-being of his people. His name, by the way, was Kurdistan, and we should honor his death. Kurds are also upset by one of the fundamental contradictions in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East: the U.S. propensity to condemn one country's human rights abuses while turning a blind eye to others. While the U.S. government supposedly supports Kurdish rights by deposing Saddam, it still gives millions of dollars in aid to Turkey, a country actively repressing its own Kurdish population. No one embodies this paradox more than Hillary Clinton. I remember watching Clinton on Kurdish TV as she visited my hometown of Kirkuk in February 2005. She arrived surrounded by Kurdish guards and helicopters, and she sounded very concerned about the fate of my people. Yet, she also visited Turkey and expressed her admiration for Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, for his great contribution to humanity and praised Turkey for preserving cultures. That is like praising the American founding fathers for exterminating the Native Americans. Ataturk was the first person who banned the Kurdish language in Turkey, cutting out the tongues of those who spoke it in public. In 1991 Leyla Zana, a Kurdish member of the Turkish Parliament, committed the act that Ataturk made criminal. She dared to speak Kurdish during her inauguration. For that, she was called a terrorist, and later jailed for sedition. Leyla Zana was sentenced to 15 years in prison for merely speaking up for Kurdish rights. Amnesty International called for her release and in 1998 she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. We, the Kurds, had asked Hillary Clinton to sign a petition for Zana’s freedom, and to cancel her trip to Turkey in March of 1996 on the basis of this egregious violation of Kurdish rights by the Turkish government. Clinton refused to sign, and went to Turkey anyway. That’s why I say that Clinton is no friend of the Kurds. (By the way, George Bush helped free Leyla Zana after 11 years in prison, but only because he wanted to help Turkey in its bid to enter the European Union. And the “freed” Zana was still not allowed to promote Kurdish rights and her labor organization was disbanded!) So when I saw Clinton visit my hometown of Kirkuk, I thought, what are you doing there? You, who are just like the Bush administration in supporting the war and using the Kurds for political gain, you go to Kirkuk when I'm still displaced and my entire family is still scattered around the Middle East and around the world. Clinton goes to my home pretending there is great progress, but we Kurds can't go home because there are no jobs, no money, no policies to help the refugees return in any sort of orderly fashion. And with the fighting and violence throughout the rest of Iraq, we refugees are afraid to come home. Who wants to go back to a country that is chaotic and violent and occupied by 150,000 foreign troops? And if it were up to Hillary Clinton, there would be even MORE foreign troops in Iraq. This US occupation has also exacerbated ethnic tensions. Before, it was Saddam’s government that killed the Kurds, not common Iraqis. Now the US is producing hatred between Kurds and Arabs, and each are trying to get control of the oil wealth. We need to come together as Kurds and Arabs, as people of all ethnicities and faiths, to find solutions ourselves. As long as there are foreign troops in Iraq, there will be armed resistance, and the cycle of violence will not end. That’s why we need the US troops to leave. And we need the American people to stand up to those politicians like George Bush and Hillary Clinton who are responsible for this war. We need to tell them, loud and clear, to say End the Occupation of Iraq, Bring the Troops Home Now, No Military Bases in Iraq, and No War with Iran. And we need to rebuild Iraq and establish conditions for Kurds in the diaspora to return home. Then and only then should politicians like Hillary Clinton and George Bush talk about the Kurdish success story. Sureya Sayadi is a Kurdish refugee living in California. She was a member of the CODEPINK Iraqi Women’s Delegation that toured the country in March and will be part of the CODEPINK Mother’s Day vigil in front of the White House on May 13-14.

We didn't sign up for any special "protection" but they said we would not be charged for anything. An interesting note...I asked who takes the hit, the merchant or Visa, and they said it depends. If the merchant chooses not to ID or ask for a signature, they take the whole hit. If it's an internet purchase, Visa takes the loss.

Absolutely a no-brainer. And the only thing the warring factions of Muslims hate worse than each other is US....dirty non-believing infidels that we are.

I think it's pretty obvious that Athiests have an easier decision regarding abortion. They don't have the whole God/Bible thing to reconcile. The rest of us have to just do the best we can. To thine own self be true. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you." Jeremiah1:5