Have a Good Friday
Well, we have two Catholics who post here; close enough to a trinity.
If you want a really interesting history of Good Friday, check it out.
It’s funny. I’ve never been an atheist per se, but would still probably have to call myself an agnostic-ish person. Still, I can never help being a bit awed by religion at its purest, for a number of reasons. And, if there’s one thing that annoys me–secular, sinning ole me–or that I can just never get on board with, it’s the argument from hardcore atheists that religion and spirituality are a bane on mankind.
Of course, I’m not always thrilled with the counter-argument either, that atheism is a bane on mankind. I think both arguments miss the point. Man is a flawed, frightened, sometimes vile animal. That he nevertheless finds himself able, now and again, to rise above that and reach out for the divine, wherever he may find it, is the greatest salvation we’ve got.
Anyway, a couple of links for today:
Ed Morrissey at CQ posts about “neo-atheists”, but manages to meander a bit into a nice conservative message.
The on-going blogalogue between Sam Harris and Andrew Sullivan (Sullivan’s book, The Conservative Soul, is by the way one of the neatest personal Catholic meditations I’ve read).
Easter political cartoons. Because why not?
What can I say, I’m a sentimental sucker.
Incidentally, I’ve been house sitting for the last few weeks, and don’t have cable, or a computer, where I’m staying (my laptop remains a hunk of inert plastic–I really ought to repair that damn thing). Anyway, as with any place that has a TV but no cable, I get like five channels, barely, and one shining channel with absolutely perfect reception, some Christian network. So, late at night, I tend to find myself watching Christian broadcasting, for no other reason than that’s all I CAN watch.
I swear that stuff fucks with your head after awhile.
Comment by Brad — 4/6/2007 @ 8:35 pm
The Catholics are you and Adam, I assume? I just work for the church; I’m not actually a client.
You need to post at length on your observations of Christian TV. There’s literary gold in them thar hills.
Comment by Rojas — 4/6/2007 @ 9:07 pm
Yeah. I was raised Catholic, anyway. Was an alter boy, confirmed, the whole nine. Calling myself Catholic these days is a bit of a stretch, but it’s still in there somewhere.
Christian TV is actually not bad. They have some interesting history or missionary documentary stuff that’s perfectly watchable, and even some of the sermons are kind of entertaining. I’m secure enough in my spirituality that I don’t get ad hoc turned off by the fact that it’s Christian broadcasting.
Of course, for all the stuff that’s watchable, there’s plenty of stuff that’s just plain…evangelical. Well, it’s all evangelical, I suppose, but some of it is really head-thumping kind of stuff. Even that is weirdly hypnotic at 3 in the morning though. And now I’m noticing that I’m walking around with like this weird religious tick over the last week.
Comment by Brad — 4/6/2007 @ 9:26 pm
Religion is so perniciously stupid. I have to say that belief in god has to be one of the god damn stupidest, most insane things I’ve ever encountered in society. It’s frightening to me that people actually believe it…for absolutely no reason…at all. Ugh.
The only god is me, myself, and I. That’s got to be every sane person’s mantra. The world is yours, everyone else is just living in it.
Comment by weltschmerz — 4/7/2007 @ 2:23 am