I have been reading some really interesting stuff from my favourite blogs lately which is why I have not had the chance to update both my blog and private diary. That and, of course, the life sucking nature of my job. Anyway, here are some of them.
Islamic Homosexuality in Indonesia? by Brian
Indonesia is such a baffling country. At times it seems like the hardline Muslim faction is taking control and is successfully imposing repressive Sharia laws on the populace. Yet at the same time Indonesians are not Arabs and their traditional laid back tropical island culture is not well suited to the bleak outlook of your typical austere desert dweller.
Read rest here.
Always Asking "Why" by Catherine Noble-Beyer (author of Wicca For The Rest Of Us)
If there is only one piece of advice I can give to religious seekers, it would be this: never stop asking yourself why you do what you and believe what you believe. (...) Any ritual without purpose is pointless.
Read rest here.
Religious Interpretation of Biology by Catherine Noble-Beyer
I returned home to Detroit this week to visit friends and family. Among old acquaintances I caught up with was a friend who spoke at some length about the agonizing choice he made a few years ago to give a son up for adoption.
The process included choosing the adoptive parents from a list of candidates hoping to adopt. Some of the choices were easy for him. As an example: he immediately weeded out anyone who said God had made them barren specifically in order for them to adopt his baby. He didn't want his child being raised in that sort of atmosphere.
Read rest here.
The Sad Fate of Child-Witches in Nigeria by Brian
The people of Nigeria have sunk to a new low. The Invisible Pink Unicorn has the details on the sad tale of Nigeria's so called Child-Witch problem. It seems that quite a number of parents are beginning to blame their problems on their own children, who they claim are either witches or demon-controlled in some way. Many such children are murdered outright but the survivors, these outcast children, are filling the shelters.
Read rest here.
Update on Nigerian Child Witches by Brian
In case I didn't point it out strongly enough in that last post, these atrocities are being directly caused by Evangelical Christians who are being manipulated by their pastors and prophets. It also really needs to be pointed out loud and clear that Sarah Palin's Nigerian pastor friend, the one who anointed her for public leadership, is one of the ringleaders of this anti-witchcraft movement and that Sarah Palin herself applauded the story of his chasing a witch out of town.
Read rest here.
