Natural Wonder Fellowship

North Carolina is at it again. Their legislators are not happy that Arkansas, Tennessee, maybe Georgia, or a few other states yielded to pressure over that pesky Constitution. They're moving forward (for now anyway) getting ready to display The Ten Commandments in their schools . George Carlin addressed this issue years ago, from a reality perspective not a rights issue (my right not to be bombarded in my public school with your religious dogma) nor a constitutional separation issue.  As an aside in the discussion, can anyone tell me why your god is so insecure? Why does 'god' need people to write his stories and tell other people how to live or worship and tell other people what this particular 'god' wants? Why? How impotent is this 'god' of yours? 

All good things come from 'god', but all bad things are your own fault. Don't be concerned, let 'god' handle your problems. Don't think, let 'god' take care of everything. It's all part of 'god's plan'. Lay all your problems at 'god's' feet. 'God' works in mysterious ways. 'God' is beyond our understanding. 'God' is love.  Somehow, the above self-contradictory summary makes sense to some people. I'm not one of those people.  We are a plague upon the face of the earth. My daughter hates it when I say that, hahaha. Really though, we have been destroying ecosystems for construction or farmland since we learned how. We have created oases where there was only desert. We have poisoned water and air and land with our noxious discharges. We have stolen habitat from other life forms so that many no longer exist, and many more are teetering on the brink of extinction, thanks to us. We have done this and worse

I recently saw on Quora, someone asked: "Do you think Biden needs to "prove" that his 80 million votes are legal as Trump has demanded?" One of the 'answers' just tickled me. The below response from Han Wu is too, too perfect, far too accurate...  The person who came up with a stupid statement need[s] to prove it, not the other way around. So let me give you an example of how this works: Trump: “I think your wife is not human. She’s actually three sheep in a trench coat.” Biden: “That is ridiculous, and you are stupid.” Trump: “Well, prove that she’s not actually three sheep in a trench coat.” Biden: “I have been married to her for forty years. I can testify that she is human.” Trump: “Oh yeah? Post a naked picture to prove it.” Biden: “Why don’t you post your wife’s naked picture.” Trump: “Deal! Here it is! Look how big her tits are.” Biden: “That… was a rhetorical question. I don’t have time for this garbage anymore.” Trump: “I got ya! You can’t prove that

This is written on Jan 9, 2021.  I know I've previously written on Churches and Presidents , but the ongoing travesty is bearing fruit. The poison of nationalism, especially the so-called Christian Nationalism, has been spreading for years. It has only gotten worse since TOB* was elected president. He was "selected by god" say the preachers. "God uses flawed people to do his work" say the pious. "We know his flaws, he'll grow into the position" said the faithful. "He's a 'baby Christian'" said the ministers. Meanwhile, TOB declared brown immigrants "invaders" and followers of Islam "terrorists" (it didn't hurt any that most of them were brown-skinned). The self-declared "Law & Order" president has furthered the rift among the American people. Protestors of seating Kavanaugh and inaction on global warming have been detained, ticketed , maybe even arrested. Protestors in the Black Lives Matt

Hello Friday. Now what are they doing!? Haven't big tech and big pharma done enough? Remember the issue with the chemical compound dihydrogen monoxide? It's still happening! Dihydrogen monoxide is in the lakes, streams, and rivers in the east, and there's a severe clean freshwater shortage in the western U.S. Now they're talking about  the potential for that element to play a big role in decarbonization! A billion-dollar industry, but future estimated profits are even bigger. Why hasn't anyone done anything? Where are the protesters? Don't you care about your children's future?   In the same way TheOrangeBuffoon won the November election 'if you ignore' about 7million votes, and in the same way opening the Alaskan Wildlife Preserve to drilling rights was 'for the good of the country,' and the same way 'don't think, accept on faith' is a doctrine for life -- you too can become a sheep. The virus is a hoax, and masks don't work

Hello Thoughtful Thursday. It's January 14, 2021. I've been wracking my brain trying to see how so many people can be so easily mislead in so many matters. That sounds a bit pompous I guess, but to think, to truly believe that there is a supernatural being who cares how you live or love, or that TheOrangeBuffoon has any interest beyond his own, or that the moon landing was faked... is just ludicrous. In spite of all the evidence to the contrary some people actually believe these things. I often extol people to just think, to examine the evidence, to seek answers other than the pat answers from those in their own circle of people who think as they do. I wonder if I've been wrong; if I'm expecting too much?  I ran across the work of Piaget not too long ago. Jean Piaget developed theories of human intellectual and cognitive development in the 1930s. He described 4 stages of a child's development. Beginning with object permanence (something hidden from a baby is gone a

Precious was the peacemaker, the considerate one. Whether dealing with Chad's bullying or Toes' crotchety-ness or her litter-mate's epilepsy or Princess' and Taylor's jealousy or Minnie's bouncy energy, she was the soother, the companion, the comforter, the friend -- or she would just ignore if they were not receptive at that moment. She wasn't great buddies with any of them, but she was soother to all. She had lost a lot of her chubby self over the past year or so. Of course, blood tests were "normal". We knew she had given up a week or so ago when she decided to not eat and not drink any longer. I've been able to keep her going for a while with lots of special foods, coaxing, and an appetite stimulant prescription ear goo, but she was tired. She will "lie in state" in the family room for a bit, so the rest can see understand what's happened. She'll be buried later today, up on the tree line near those who went before. Precio

The anniversary of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor naval base in 1941. A "surprise" attack. Three days later, the United States still hadn't taken measures to respond, besides talk maybe. Germany and Italy declared war against the United States, then the United States responded with its declaration of war.   I started this post about 20 minutes ago. I think the actions of TOB supporters yesterday reminded me so much of the "surprise" attack before I was even born that my mind did that weird thing it does occasionally. Today is Thursday I knew because I'd posted my ongoing 'Thoughtful Thursday' piece. Today is January 7 of a new year, not Dec 7 of last year. The "surprise" attack on the Capitol Building by TOB supporters yesterday was too similar to the "surprise" attack by the Japanese almost 80 years ago. It wasn't really a "surprise" at all, or shouldn't have been anyway. Just as we could have noticed the te

Hello Thoughtful Thursday. The "Christian Nationalist" agenda has undertaken its boldest step yet. Following their loving god's message "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword"; "For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against..." Even in your own house, if they don't look like you or think like you, they can be discarded. "If you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one" (so you appear to be a typical band of sword-wielding zealots, per the apologists). "I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? …" (Luke 12:49). This hatred of "other", the brown-skinned, those who don't think or believe like you, those who dare demand equal rights (how dare they!) is not new to TOB's reign. It's been happening for years. TOB's audacity and open display of narcissism only exacerbated it, carried it to the extr

I am deeply conflicted right now. It's 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, January 6, 2021. The votes in the Georgia senate races are still being counted. It is close, very close. One has been called for the democrat, Warnock. The democrat (Ossoff) is leading, by a tiny margin, in the other.  Reuters  is checking for results every 30-seconds. I saw no change in the numbers since 9:43 a.m. I'm certain I want no more of Trump's (henceforth TOB) Toadies in the government. But I'm not certain I can trust the democrats with lopsided control of both the executive and legislative branches of our government.  I can't trust the republicans to not lie; I've found them lying too, too often. But every great once in a while, I'll see a story on Fox News that sounds like it might be actual news (as opposed to some weird conspiracy story) but haven't yet seen on Reuters or WaPo. I go searching and sometimes find, "under the fold" or in a sub-section, coverage of that event

I don't believe being a minister is defined as preaching the gospel. I believe that to minister is to care for, to help, to teach. I've done that most of my life, long before I was ordained. On the ministers' board I frequent, I often post questions or comparisons of bible quotes, and sometimes I mock church doctrine. A fellow minister posted directly to me a link to a video. I don't remember in response to what, if anything. It's entirely possible it was a response to my asking for evidence or explanation of some dogma or another. It's rare that anyone will actually answer any questions I pose, so I was interested in seeing this video. I'd never seen the video nor heard the points made but I was delighted. I didn't know that anyone had ever addressed the "darkening of the sun" nor the "shaking of the earth" nor the "opening of the graves" except to call it a metaphor or parable or simply demand I accept it "on faith&qu

Hello, 2021.  We can make this a better year than last year, hahaha! Don't we say that same thing every new year? Last year was a doozy from this point of view. Will we still think it's been the "worst year ever" in a decade or so? Or will we instead remember other "worst year ever"? The assassination of a president and massive civil unrest in the 1960s? The shameful presidential abuse of power and presidential resignation of the 1970s? The mini stock market crash of the late 1980s? The terrorist attack on U.S. soil in 2001 led to wars and murder of foreign nationals on foreign soil, by our government. Giant military and local police buildup, restrictions of individual rights, and privacy violations continued through the 2000s? There have been many "worst" years prior to this one. We've always managed to make it better *this* year. There are many ways we can be better. Let's continue that tradition.