The Headbanger Theologian

Servant leaders?

I haven't written anything yet about the 15 British soldiers that have been captured by Iran. However, an interesting article that I came across after reading this post changed my mind.

It's right that the government and media should be concerned about the treatment the 15 captured marines and sailors are receiving in Iran. Faye Turney's letters bear the marks of coercion, while parading the prisoners in front of TV cameras was demeaning. But the outrage expressed by ministers and leader writers is curious given the recent record of the "coalition of the willing" on the way it deals with prisoners.

Turney may have been "forced to wear the hijab", as the Daily Mail noted with fury, but so far as we know she has not been forced into an orange jumpsuit. Her comrades have not been shackled, blindfolded, forced into excruciating physical contortions for long periods, or denied liquids and food. As far as we know they have not had the Bible spat on, torn up or urinated on in front of their faces. They have not had electrodes attached to their genitals or been set on by attack dogs.

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While I suppose it is humiliating for these soldiers to be paraded on TV like that, it does kind of guarantee that they aren't being harmed. Think about, will the Iranian government do any harm to people it plans to show on world-wide TV? If I was in their situation, I would take a little humiliation over any amount of torture. Call me crazy.

Speaking of humiliation. What do you think it would take for this whole crisis to come to an end? According to Iran, all they want is an apology from Britain for entering their waters. Now I don't know if the British were actually in Iranian waters or not. I have read conflicting reports on this matter and frankly I don't really care that much. Let's assume, however, that they were not in Iranian waters.

If all that it would take is a simple apology to get these people freed, why not do it? Who cares if you have nothing to really apologize for and who cares if it is humiliating for you. I would say a little humiliation is worth saving 15 lives, wouldn't you? I would apologize all day if it meant saving one life. I'd be sorry for everything from the high price of gasoline to the low quality of free Internet porn. Who cares? Let's get these folks home.

Now, I know what you are thinking. What if they don't let them go? As bad as that would be, it is still worth the risk. Wouldn't the world suddenly be galvanized against Iran? Wouldn't Iran lose sympathy from just about everyone including their allies? And again, the chances of Iran harming these sailors and marines would be greatly decreased. Plus, if you are a politician like Tony Blair, you could reap the rewards of suddenly being in a very difficult situation. The British Governments Spin-Meister's could really paint a glowing portrait of their Prime Minister then, couldn't they?

The sad reality is that a little humiliation is not worth saving 15 lives. Ironic, isn't it? Considering the time of year it is. Tony Blair and George Bush are both professing Christians. This being Passion Week, the celebration of the greatest example of servant leadership the world has seen, it seems a fitting time for Tony Blair to take one for the team. Unfortunately, servant leadership is the last thing we have seen when it comes to the Iraq War.

Rather than prizing the lives of his soldiers, George Bush concocted dubious reasons to send them into harms way. Rather than using his position as a US ally to call President Bush on this folly, Tony Blair went along with it. Sending his own soldiers into a war zone for no good reason. I pray that this folly won't be extended to the point that 15 lives are lost for an apology left wanting.

I finally get it

As senator turned actor Fred Thompson considers a presidential run, his Christian credentials are being questioned by Dr. James Dobson, a major voice among Christian conservative voters.

"We were pleased to learn from his spokesperson that Sen. Thompson professes to be a believer," said Nima Reza, a Dobson spokeswoman. "Thompson hasn't clearly communicated his religious faith, and many evangelical Christians might find this a barrier to supporting him."

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I never understood how George W. managed to become President of the United States. The rather dubious 2000 election outcome aside, I had no clue why a country made up of basically intelligent people would pick this guy not once but twice. Sure maybe George is basically a nice guy, but his incompetence is so glaring it practically blinds you if you look directly into it. Then I read the article quoted above.

It is because he is a Christian. His past accomplishments, intelligence, or content of character don't matter. As long as he cops to believing in Jesus, and most importantly, gets an endorsement from Pope James the First of Focus on the Family he is in. What a sad state of affairs this is. You probably won't be surprised by this if you have read this blog for awhile, but I blame the church.

Churches don't encourage their congregation to be free thinkers. What churches expect is that you will agree to what is written in their statement of belief or some other similar document, their particular interpretation of the Bible, and in some cases, their political affiliations. And it is a trickle down thing.

It starts with the James Dobson's of the world. They have their ideas and understanding of the Bible and they expect everyone to agree with it or else they are basically not a Christian. Pastors buy into it and in turn expect the same thing from their congregations. The congregation members expect the other congregation members to think the same things they do. On and on it goes. Before you know it, George Bush is "divinely" chosen to lead the country.

I'm scared. It scares the crap out of me that you could have the most qualified person in the world, a person (notice I didn't say man) of great intellect, conscience, and character who would lose out on the presidency because they are not a Christian. Who is to say that a Muslim, Hindu, Jew, Buddhist, or even atheist wouldn't do an amazing job of running the country? If the most important qualification that a person needs to be the president is to be a Christian and go to church once a week, well it suddenly isn't hard to see why the world is in the mess it is in right now.

I hope that with time more Christians will discover the emptiness of that lifestyle. In the meantime, I guess we have to just hope that the next person Dobson picks is a person of conscience and integrity. Someone who will look at the State of the world and seek to use their power to bring the world into a better place.

A guy can dream can't he?

Warrant issued for Bemba

Congo's state prosecutor has issued an arrest warrant for high treason against former rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba, a presidency official said.

The battles, the first in the city since landmark election last year won by President Joseph Kabila, started on Thursday when Bemba's forces defied a government order to disarm.

"This is a rebellion ... He has committed high treason," Antoine Ghonda, roving ambassador attached to Kabila's presidency, told Reuters. He said the state prosecutor had issued a warrant for Bemba's arrest.

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When I read this story the first thought that came into my mind was that I had to tell Mushi. Mushi is a friend of mine from the Congo. We have spent many hours talking about his homeland and he has tried to help me understand the complicated web of events that lead to the Congo erupting in civil war. I know from what he has taught me that Bemba is one of the chief architects of that chaos.

When I saw him and told him the news, you could see the emotion welling up inside him. He had tears in his eyes and a smile on his face as he gave me a high five. "Bemba is a bad man. He is responsible for the deaths of many, many people" were his words to me. I knew that this would be important news to him, but I underestimated just how much it meant.

How could I truly understand what it means? I cannot even begin to fathom the horrors that Mushi has witnessed. The murder of his parents and countless others. The year in the jungle hiding from rebels. The four years spent in the Kakuma refugee camp. How can I know what it means to have your world shattered?

He has told me about the day his life changed several times, but I have never seen family members executed or heard gunshots aimed in my direction. Without living through it, one cannot truly know what it is like to experience something like that. I feel lucky that he has shared what he can with me. His story is an important one. It is a privilege to hear it.

There are some things that he won't talk about. He has decided to let some of the demons of the past remain there. I can't blame him. Part of me wishes though that we could sit down and put his story, his whole story, to paper. It would be an amazing and powerful book. More than that, I believe that Mushi has earned the right to tell his story. He deserves to tell the world what happened to his family.

That, however, is a discussion for another day. Today is a day to celebrate. Today a bad guy is being brought to justice.

AFRICOM

Via I came across this article.

When the Bush Administration recently unveiled its new African military command – AFRICOM – Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Theresa Whelan said that the initiative was aimed at “promoting security, to build African capacity to build their own environments and not be subject to the instability that has toppled governments and caused so much pain on the continent.”

While I reading the article I began to consider the reality that the new "cold war" (though I suppose that this one is actually "hot) for the US is not going to be against terrorism. Instead it is going to be focused on ensuring that they are able to get their hands on as much of the world's oil supply as possible. The war against terrorism will just be the camouflage that they use to disguise their true intentions.

Then I read this money quote at the end of the article:

There is also fear, according to Nigerian journalist Dulue Mbachu, “that increased U.S. military presence in Africa may simply serve to protect unpopular regimes that are friendly to its interests, as was the case during the Cold War, while Africa slips further into poverty.”

Enough said.

A portrait in courage

he Appeal Court on Monday upheld the four-year prison sentence given to an Egyptian blogger who had been convicted of insulting Islam and Egypt's president, court officials said.

The sentence imposed on Abdel Kareem Nabil, 22, last month had been widely condemned by local and international rights groups as a bid to curb free expression.

Nabil, who used the blogger name Kareem Amer, was an unusually scathing critic of conservative Muslims. His frequent attacks on Al-Azhar led the university to expel him in March 2006 and caused prosecutors to bring him to trial.

The judge in the original trial found that Nabil had insulted the Prophet Muhammad with a piece he wrote in 2005 after riots in which angry Muslim worshippers attacked a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria over a play deemed offensive to Islam.

"Muslims revealed their true ugly face and appeared to all the world that they are full of brutality, barbarism and inhumanity," Nabil wrote in his blog. He called Muhammad and his 7th century followers, the Sahaba, "spillers of blood" for their teachings on warfare -- a comment cited by the judge.

In a later essay not cited by the court, Nabil clarified his comments, saying that Muhammad was "great" but his teachings on warfare and other issues should be viewed as a product of their times.

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This is terrible. I pray that Abdel is freed. I pray that this story will get so much international publicity and outcry that Egypt will be forced to do the right thing.

I think that Abdel and I are a lot alike. From his writings that I have had the opportunity to read, it seems that he was advocating for Islam what I advocate for Christianity. Namely, understanding scripture in its context an doing away with the aspects of religion that are intolerant. The difference being that he faced jail for the things he wrote and the worst that I can expect from my writing is a couple of angry emails.

I admire Abdel for his courage to say the things he believed no matter the cost. I don't really know if I would be able to do the same if I faced the consequences he has. I really hope he gets out of jail soon.

What is better, to heal or to hurt?

New Rule: If you don't think your daughter getting cancer is worse than your daughter having sex, then you're doing it wrong. Last year, science came up with a way to greatly reduce cervical cancer in young women. It's a vaccine that prevents women from getting HPV, which is a sexually transmitted disease that acts as a gateway to the cancer. And the vaccine is so good, it could wipe out HPV.

Now for the bad news: Not everyone is pleased with this vaccine. That prevents cancer. Christian parent groups and churches nationwide are fighting it. Bridget Maher -- no relation, and none planned -- of the Family Research Council says giving girls the vaccine is bad, because the girls "may see it as a license to engage in premarital sex."

Which is really a stretch. People don't get the vaccine for typhoid and say, "Great, now I can drink the sewer water in Bombay." It's like saying if you give a kid a tetanus shot she'll want to jab rusty nails in her feet. It's like being against a cure for blindness because it'll encourage masturbation. It's like being for salmonella poisoning in peanut butter because it'll discourage weirdos from spreading it on their ass and calling the dog.

And yet, the anti-vaccine folks seem to think that if a teenage girl feels a little prick, she's gonna want to feel a whole lot more. But HPV shots don't cause promiscuity. Tequila shots do. Everything your kids buy is sold to them with sex. The vaccine doesn't make them want to screw: MTV does. And hormones. And having moron parents they want to escape from. Hey, when you're 15 years old, breathing encourages sexual activity.

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Granted, this article was pretty tongue in cheek but I think it does a good job of getting the message across. I am a dad to two girls, the thought of them engaging in pre-marital sex, or sex at all, makes me want to puke. A lot. However, if this vaccine can save them from cancer I think it is a good thing.

We have to step back and ask ourselves an important question right now. If we fight against girls getting this vaccine are we really going to be able to stop teens from engaging in sex? The answer is that we won't. What we will accomplish is to open girls to harm. Really, this argument is a red herring. Even with the HPV vaccine there are still a lot of sexually transmitted diseases for girls, and boys, to be concerned about. What is really happening here is religious people fighting to maintain an uninformed world-view. This isn't anything new. Religious people putting their customs before the healing of their fellow human beings has been happening since before the time of Jesus.

One time when Jesus went for a Sabbath meal with one of the top leaders of the Pharisees, all the guests had their eyes on him, watching his every move. Right before him there was a man hugely swollen in his joints. So Jesus asked the religion scholars and Pharisees present, "Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath? Yes or no?"

They were silent. So he took the man, healed him, and sent him on his way. Then he said, "Is there anyone here who, if a child or animal fell down a well, wouldn't rush to pull him out immediately, not asking whether or not it was the Sabbath?" They were stumped. There was nothing they could say to that (Luke 14:1-6 The Message).

Just like the Pharisees who thought it was wrong to heal on the Sabbath, Christians today feel it is wrong to help save women from getting a cancer that is caused by an STD. There really is no difference between the two, they are both selfishness dressed in false piety.

In memoriam

Captain America has undertaken his last mission — at least for now.

The venerable superhero is killed in the issue of his namesake comic that hit stands Wednesday, the New York Daily News reported. On the new edition's pages, a sniper shoots down the shield-wielding hero as he leaves a courthouse.

It ends a long run for the stars-and-stripes-wearing character, created in 1941. Over the years, some 210 million copies of Captain America comic books, published by New York-based Marvel Entertainment Inc., have been sold in 75 countries.

But resurrections are not unknown in the world of comics, and Marvel Entertainment Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada said a Captain America comeback wasn't impossible.

Still, the character's death came as a blow to co-creator Joe Simon.

“We really need him now,” said Simon, 93, who worked with artist Jack Kirby to devise Captain America as a foe for Adolf Hitler.

The superhero was spawned when a scrawny arts student named Steve Rogers, ineligible for the army because of his poor health but eager to serve his country, agreed to a “Super Soldier Serum” injection. The substance made him a paragon of physical perfection, armed only with his shield, his strength, his smarts and a command of martial arts.

In the comic-book universe, death is not always final. But even if Captain America turns out to have met his end in print, he may not disappear entirely: Marvel is developing a Captain America movie.

Via

What a bummer. He will be back though, mark my words.

Drowning in celebrity

On February 3, 2007 at 12:55am, CNN reported on what is probably the most damming global warming report to date. The highlights are as follows:

• Scientists release a 21-page report strongly linking humans to climate change
• Report scientist: Evidence of warming on the planet is unequivocal
• Scientists predict global temperature increases of 3.2-7.1 degrees F by 2100
• Sea levels could rise between 7 and 23 inches by the end of the century

The implications of this are enormous, however any impact this report could have had on the general public’s perception of this problem was nullified six days letter when Anna Nicole Smith died. Between the legal fiasco over Smith’s burial and Britney Spears’ bald head, the report on global warming has since faded into oblivion.

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Last week I was listening to talk radio here in beautiful Saskatoon. Charles Adler was interviewing a guest and discussing the possible impact of global warming. The gist of the show was that they felt there was nothing to worry about. More than that, they felt that we couldn't take steps to fight global warming because estimates put the cost to our economy of doing so at 1 billion dollars.

While Mr. Adler does lean to the right in his ideology, it isn't just the right that seems to want the global warming issue to go away. CNN leans to the left in my opinion, especially when compared to their competitor Fox News. It is obvious that they would much rather spend days dissecting the death of Anna Nicole Smith and the downward spiral of Britney Spears than really reporting on this global warming study.

In all honesty, I believe that CNN's reticence to properly share this report with the world springs from the same place that the right's guffawing at the entire issue of global warming does, a fear of economic impact. The west is enjoying a great run of prosperity right now. CNN is reaping this reward as much as anyone else through their advertising revenue. We might really be able to do something about global warming, however, it will be expensive to do so.

According to this UN study, a "worst case scenario" projects a rise in global mean sea levels of 95cm by the year 2100. To quantify this in human terms, this worst case scenario would affect 72 million people in China and 71 million people in Bangladesh (among others). Granted, this is a worst case scenario. Let us assume for a minute that this projection is half right. That leaves 71.5 million people affected. A quarter right? 35,750,000 people. What if this report is only one eighth correct? 17,875,000 people. Remember the terrible tsunami that hit South Asia on boxing day 2004? By comparison "only" 3,500,000 people were affected by that great tragedy.

We are kidding ourselves if we think that the cost of fighting global warming is greater than the cost of the damage global warming will do. Let's not forget that the cheap labour we rely on to build our plasma TVs and other gadgets is centered in places like China and Bangladesh. Without that cheap labor force that we exploit, the costs of our goods will rise significantly. This many people being displaced would also cost us billions in humanitarian aid.

The greatest lesson we can learn from 9/11 is that we are not insulated from what is happening in other parts of the world. New York seems to be, and is, a world away from Kandahar but on that terrible Tuesday we learned that the world is a lot smaller than we think. If that many people are affected by rising sea levels we too will be affected.

I can understand why people worry about the cost to our economy. I don't want to lose my job either. There is something, however, that is more important than short term monetary concern. Rising sea levels and climate change could lead to catastrophic loss of life. Continuing to neglect and destroy our environment will leave a terrible legacy for our children and grandchildren.

A hypothetical situation

Here is a hypothetical situation for you.

A business is facing several class action lawsuits because of negligence on their part. They spend four years in court using every legal means at their disposal to try and stop these lawsuits from being brought to trial. Despite the best efforts of their well paid legal team, they are unable to make the charges against them go away. At just before midnight the night before the first trial is set to begin, they file for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection claiming that the losses they face in these trials exceed their assets current value of $100 million.

This is a significant move because with the business in chapter 11, the lawsuits they face cannot go forward. With one brief, electronic filing this business is able to do what their high priced lawyers were unable to do despite four years of hard work. They stopped the trials from happening.

What would you think about this business? While their moral standing can certainly be questioned, you cannot argue their shrewdness. They certainly seem to be doing everything they can and are exploiting every legal loophole available to protect themselves. Frankly, in our capitalist society one can almost applaud their ingenuity, even if you are disgusted by their tactics.

The problem is, this isn't a hypothetical situation. Even worse, this isn't some multinational corporation. In fact, the entity in question isn't even supposed to be concerned with profits and assets, they are supposed to be concerned with shepherding people and bringing them into a relationship with God. The entity in question is the Catholic diocese of San Diego.

After four years of legal wrangling in the clergy-abuse scandal, attorneys for Bishop Robert Brom filed for Chapter 11 protection last night, making San Diego the largest Roman Catholic diocese in the nation to declare bankruptcy.

In a brief electronic filing just before midnight, the diocese said it had assets of more than $100 million and estimated debts of more than $100 million.

Brom's action halts the first trial, set to start today, of about 150 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse of children by 60 priests in incidents dating back decades.

Brom said in a statement: “We put money on the table that would have stretched our financial capability to the limit, but demands were made which exceeded the financial resources of both the diocese and our insurance carrier.”

The bishop, who said filing for bankruptcy was “not a cop-out,” added that the decision to avoid court was made “because early trial judgments in favor of some victims could so deplete diocesan and insurance resources that there would be nothing left for other victims.”

Plaintiffs' attorneys, who filed most of the cases in 2003, expressed outrage at the filing. The diocese and plaintiffs' attorneys failed to reach a settlement during two days of negotiations before a Los Angeles judge. Yesterday, some accused the diocese of negotiating in bad faith with a callous disregard for the victims of clergy abuse.

“(The bankruptcy) is nothing more than a cynical attempt to stop the truth from coming out,” said John C. Manly, whose Orange County firm represents 18 of the San Diego plaintiffs.

“It is ironic that a Catholic bishop would be allowed to seek bankruptcy protection in an attempt to deny justice to hundreds of children raped by priests,” Manly added.

In 32 years of practice, Giles said, he had “never seen such bad faith in negotiations. This is the only diocese in the country who destroyed records of their criminal priests in order to protect them.

“They are so afraid that, through a trial, we will finally explain to the public what was going on, they are going to hide behind this cowardly act of bankruptcy and try to make it sound like we're being greedy,” Giles said.

“If I were a Catholic in San Diego, I'd be embarrassed.”

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The sex abuse scandal of the Catholic Church has been heartbreaking for so many reasons. It is terrible to see how the acts of these sick priests have destroyed the lives of their victims. It is frustrating to know that the church did everything they could to hide the truth about what these priests were doing. It is angering to know that the church enabled these priests by moving them from church to church rather than dealing with the heart of the issue or allowing justice to be served. It is so sad to see how a place that was supposed to be about trust and refuge became a house of horrors.

You would almost be able to forgive the church for the sins of the past if they made steps to rectify them in the present. It is most unfortunate that this is not the case. Despite the fact that the world knows the truth about what happened, the church only half-heartedly admits any culpability in these crimes. Old habits die hard, just like in years past they seem more concerned with protecting the institution of the church than righting the wrongs. Even to the point of exploiting the legal system to their advantage.

I have no doubt that their are many wonderful Christians within the ranks of the Catholic Church. I am convinced that many of them would like to see the church do the right thing, even if it meant that the church as we now know it would cease to exist. However, this sentiment seems to missing from where it really matters, in the upper echelons of power.

Ann Coulter and the f word

Ann Coulter is in hot water over this comment she made at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Readers of this blog probably won't be shocked to learn that I am not a big Coulter fan. She is a Christian and that is great. However, the things she says are often a piss poor example of what a Christian should be. But then aren't we all piss poor examples of what a Christian should be?

The other day I referred to Jerry Falwell as a moron. Not exactly the best example of Jesus' command for us to love one and other.

Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other (John 13:34-35 The Message).

I wanted to write a post castigating Coulter for her hateful words, but that would have been too easy. Instead, I felt convicted to write a post confessing that I too have sinned against my fellow human beings and fellow Christians by calling them names.

This doesn't excuse Coulter or make what she said OK. Quite the opposite actually. It was very irresponsible of her to use that word to describe John Edwards. Especially when you consider that it is so charged with hate for many people. My hope is that she learns to voice her ideas without resorting to school yard name calling.

I promise to give it a try too.