Anais Nin once said, “I write emotional algebra” and when I read it, I was struck.  Yes, I too write emotional algebra.  In whatever I write, there are unknown factors parsed throughout my expressions.  Sometimes these factors are dependent, and sometimes they are independent variables – but they are crowded inside those parenthetical signs.  Sometimes these factors will contain imaginary factors – those pesky units which must be squared before they enter the realm of the real world.  My emotional algebra will never contain tautologies but will always appear complex.  Read at your own peril.  Read deep or drink not.  Watch for signs and pay special attention to the contrapositives.  And always verify in order to prove your understanding.  QED

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Religious Freedom means Freedom FROM Religion as much as it does Freedom FOR Religions.  With that in mind, I would like to rant about the Catholic Church.  To condemn the Catholic Church is not the same as condemning all religions.  Why?  The Lutherans do not try to impose their beliefs on the actions of society.  Nor do the Episcopalians, nor do the Baptists (usually), nor do the Mormons, nor do the Christian Scientists.  But the Catholic Hierarchy does.

And here, I will make a distinction between the Catholic Hierarchy and the Catholic congregants.  So what is said about the abusive behavior of the Catholic Hierarchy does not necessarily apply to the individuals who are Catholics.  The individuals believe in contraception.  The Hierarchy does not.  The individuals I know do not feel their beliefs should be imposed on all of society.  The Hierarchy does.  Just as the Hierarchy is different from other religions and other denominations, so too is it different from the individuals within the church. 

Freedom of Religion means that one is free to believe whatever they want.  Freedom of religion does not mean they are free to do whatever they want including actions contrary to what is best for society.  We allow people to believe in Voodoo as a religion, but we do not allow them to sacrifice goats and chickens.  We allow Mormons to believe what they want, but we do not allow them to practice polygamy.  We, as a society, will allow the Catholic Hierarchy to believe whatever they want, but we will not allow them to impose their beliefs in such a way that it dictates the actions within our society.  The Catholic Hierarchy does not have the right to tell me what to do or to determine what does or does not happen to me.  Their beliefs cannot be used as a reason for society’s laws or practices.  There may be a correlation between a religion’s beliefs and the laws of society, but there must not be a cause and effect relationship.  A religion may believe in monogamy or not believe in murder which may be in accord with the laws in society.  But the reasons for the laws are not because of the religious beliefs – there is only a correlation and not a cause and effect.

If one takes off their blinders of provincialism and look at other countries and how they are governed, they will see the practice of Secularism.  (Norway,Sweden, even the Catholic countries of France and Austria).  Secularism does not try to do away with religion.  It allows religions to flourish and promotes Freedom OF Religious Beliefs.  However Secularism does not allow the laws and actions of society to be the result of religious beliefs.  No religious belief is used as a reason for a law, nor are exclusions based on religions allowed.  Everyone, regardless of religion, is treated equally.  Good Governance is based on doing what is best for all of society – not what is best for any one religion.

The approach besides Secularism is Pluralism which tries to accommodate to many and all religions.  This is impossible and should not even be considered a rational approach.  Under Pluralism, each religion tries to grasp more power than all the others and chaos reigns.  And this is what happens here in the US with our Pluralistic approach.  And the Catholic Hierarchy are hell-bent to obtain as much power and influence over our society as possible.

The Catholic Hierarchy needs to learn their place.  When John F. Kennedy ran for President and became first Catholic President, he was very careful to explain that he would not be taking orders from the Vatican in his governance.  What happened to that?  Now we expect the Bishops from the Vatican to order our Government around and tell it how it should enact its laws.  (For example, I give you Newt Gingrich.)  The Catholic Hierarchy should butt out of our Government and be happy that they are allowed to believe whatever they want to believe.  I am not a Catholic and I do not appreciate the Catholic Hierarchy trying to tell me what to do, or how to do it, or influence what others can and cannot do for me.  As far as I’m concerned, the Catholic Hierarchy is anything but Christian and should be ashamed of itself for its actions.  It is a shameful institution.

It seems that every time that I reach a point where I think I can tolerate religious fanatics, something comes along to convince me that I don’t want to.  Like the Catholic Bishops insisting on imposing their beliefs on contraception even after they were told that the Catholic institutions wouldn’t be reponsible for the distribution.  They can’t seem to realize that they are free to believe anything they want to believe, but the do not have the right to impose their beliefs on the actions by society. 

And then, just as the smoke begins to clear from that mess, I come across with this idiocy of how these crazies have found the Virgin Mary in the knot of a tree.  How is a rational person supposed to put up with such lunacy?  Below is the link to the article about this “find” and following are several of the comments that people made after reading this.  Their comments are a riot.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/09/virgin-mary-guadalupe-tree-houston-garden-oaks_n_1266811.html?ref=religion

“I believe. I believe. I have seen the tree and I believe.” Oh my god. (Take your pick – Roman, Greek, Norse, Hindu, Christian, Jewish, or Muslim.) Are the high schools of the United States really churning out these nincompoop­s? Don’t we teach kids at least an ounce of critical analysis? And these stupid people are the people who will be voting for the President of the US.  OMG.  It’s enough for someone to disbelieve in Democracy.

 This is one more reason why people cannot take religion seriously.

 He ought to paint a big smiley face on it.

 kinda looks like a vagina to me…. oh wait… that is my religious icon!!!!

 This idiocy is why many people have turned away from religion. They make a mockery of God. Where is truth in seeing images in trees. Why don’t they teach where we are in the stream of time; what worsening world conditions mean? How people can better their lives, etc. But no, let’s look at a tree?????

 I suppose its better this way. Otherwise, you’d have a virgin who looks like a tree. Hey – maybe that’s why she’s still a virgin?

 I’ll see your Virgin Mary tree and raise you one Christophe­r Hitchens driveway stain.

 Folks like these make it so easy to be an atheist. Must every crooked potato chip, rust stain , pizza slice or tree knot be a sign of the divine? Are these people so desperate? Aren’t the plastic/po­ttery depictions of whatever saint happens to be in favor this week — made in China — sufficient­? Don’t drag some poor tree into your madness…­.

 Are these folks Druids?

 It looks more like some Muslim woman in a burka.

 it’s amazing how pagan christians actually are…

 What Wood Mary Do?