"If all the gay organists quit playing on Sunday morning there would be silence in Christendom."Rev. Mel White, founder of nondenominational LGBT group Soulforce.

Over insured

I have been trying to figure out why so much money was coming out of my bank account. Somehow my car is insured by 2 companies. I wasn't paying close enough attention to the bank statement and just noticed that money was coming out TWICE a month for car insurance.
My agent and I figured out that the old company was still carrying and billing me. She is fixing it and said I should be getting a check for over $600.00

That is good news, the bad news is that it didn't stop a couple of bounced check fees.
Oh Well. I will pay more attention next time I get my statement.

Alliance Defense Fund

Yesterday I received a letter from the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF). I knew before I even opened it that it would be a letter that I would not like and that I would probably blog about it.

The headline on the outside of the envelope was
"The ACLU has finally met its match!".

The letter began:
"Do you believe the ACLU and its allies, who are trying to censor America's true Christian heritage, have too much power? Do you strongly object to their atacks on your values? Do you want to stop them?"

1. I don't believe the ACLU is trying to censor "America's true Christian heritage"
The USA was founded by Christians & non-Christians. America began as a secular nation because the founding fathers knew too well how abusive a State Church could be to freedom and to faith.

2. I do not believe that the ACLU & their allies have too much power.

3. I am a member of the ACLU because they support civil liberties.. those that are my values and those that are not.

4. No, I don't want to stop the ACLU, I give money to the ACLU.

Along with the letter asking for money, there was a big insert that headlined:
Banning the Ten Commandments

The flyer went on to discuss ACLU challanges to public posting of the Ten Comandments.

I am not always happy with some of the cases the ACLU takes to court regarding public religious displays. I have grown quite fond of public nativity scenes. These scenes are however more appropriate on church lawns than on courthouse lawns.

I believe firmly in the Ten Comandments and there are cases where they are probably quite appropriate on public display. I do not think that courthouses are the appropriate place for all 10.

I think that even most pure secularists and agnostics would agree with 6 - 10. This does not make them all appropriate in courthouses.

The first 4 have no place in government courts.

I. Do not worship any other Gods. In a nation with religious freedom there are people that worship in many different ways and not all of them have the same name for God nor worship the same god.

II. Do not make any idols. I imagine that some of the folks that are members of ADF have idols such as the bible or an elephant. What do idols have to do with our legal system anyway?

III. Do not misuse the name of God. Many of our courts ignore this one by having people swear on the bible.

IV. Keep the Sabbath Holy. I wonder how many of the ADF people work or shop on Sunday. There are faiths that have different days as sabbath. Which day whould be the "official" sabbath?

We don't even codify V. Honor your father and mother or X. Do not covet. If we did, how would we enforce them.

This leaves us with 4 commandments that could be appropriate for display in a courthouse.

Republicans lie at least as much as Democrats. The way the letter and flyer misrepresented the facts I would almost say that ADF has broken the 9th comandment.
I do think that the 9th commandment belongs in courtrooms, this is why we have laws against perjury.

Don't Kill and Don't steal are involved in a large percentage of the legal cases in our courthouses.
Don't assault didn't make it into the big 10.

Do not commit Adultery. I could do a whole blog on that one so I will skip it for now.

I sent them their Business Reply envelope with the fundraising insert letting them know that I am a member of the ACLU.

Doesn't do much.

a mindful distraction: Up From Methodism by Herbert Asbury

I was surfing around the blogosphere and found this interesting book review on mindful distraction. I think that I will have to check out the book.

The review also mentioned that Asbury didn't paint a very pretty picture of Southern Methodism. I suspect that there are plenty of folks in the Western Jurisdiction and the North Eastern Jurisdiction that would agree. I sometimes wish that we could kick out the Southeastern Jurisdiction myself. The South Central (in my observations)& North Central Jurisdictions follow the via media a little better the ones on the coasts.

I think that there are a lot of folks in the South Eastern Jurisdiction that would just as soon the Methodist Church was a little more like the Southern Baptists.

I know they are the largest jurisdiction, of which they love to remind the rest of us, but they also like to steamroll General Conference to their agenda.

I don't really think that the UMC is shrinking due to the liberal shift of the church. I know a lot of people that have left the UMC to the Episcopal Church because they feel we have shifted to the right. I also know people that have left the UMC for more conservative denominations. I think that we have spent too much time looking in at ourselves and not enough time looking out to the world.

Maybe we would be better off splitting yet again. If there were a progressive/traditional split than the two denominations could move forward with a distinct vision. Our lack of perceived vision has been a part of the problem.

I personally have felt that the "big-tent" aspect of United Methodism was one of the best parts of being in the UMC. People with quite different beliefs could come together and worship. I would like it to be this way, but I am growing quite tired of all the in fighting. I have no issue with the more literal folks being in the same church as me, I just wish they would quit acting like I am a blasphemer.

John Wesley said "though we may not think alike, may we not love alike" and I have long felt that this attitude was a big part of what makes the UMC such a great place.

I pray that we may all love alike.