The intent of this blog is to promote human equality, human progress, human peace and justice, and optimism. To accomplish this, to encourage the discussion of ideas after identifying and discovering problems, and then creating positive solutions for "we the people," in order to provide for the "general welfare" and "domestic tranquility" of America now and its "posterity" into the future. To encourage an emphasis on separation of religion and state for all, no matter if this is for those "of faith" in a Maker / Creator (Deists, God-loving people, Christians, various people of spirituality) and atheists or agnostics.

Archive for the ‘Religion’ Category

A Church’s Negative Role Model

The Roman Catholic Church stood complacently by as Adolph Hitler took countless lives and plunged Europe into a war.  Let me remind folks that the opposite of love is complacency, not hatred.  Hatred was what the masses of people had to contain as it raged inside them, particularly the European Jews, among other groups.

The Roman Catholic Church never excommunicated Hitler or Mussolini, either.

As a Protestant, I don’t believe in excommunication because it’s done by a bunch of men who believe they are gods in the flesh.  My grandmother, the daughter of a Methodist pastor, always reminded me of this when she said, “judge not lest you be judged.”

Like the Methodist Church (unfortunately), the Roman Catholic Church remains steadfast in insisting that being gay is a sin and turning to look the other way at promiscuous sex in the heterosexual community.  Ironically, these churches endorse promiscuous homosexual sex, too, as many in the gay community attempt to reduce promiscuity by encouraging monogamous marriages.  Makes sense, right?

The kicker in all of this is the Roman Catholic practice of excommunication.  It encourages the hatred which can fester and grow in homophobic men (and perhaps women) who are uncomfortable with their own sexuality.  How?  Because Hitler avoided excommunication while gay pastors and men do not.  The message from this heretical church is this.  You can murder and steal (and do other things), therefore breaking the 10 Commandments.  The church does not care.  But be a homosexual (like there is some kind of choice – NOT!), and we will go after you.  Then the people who witness this idiocy within the church feel they can be nasty to their fellow human beings who are gay.

Peace be with you.

Douglas Cornwell

Tioga Herald

Category:

Commentary, Religion

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The Final Message from the Crystal Cathedral

It was good to see Robert Schuller, II, on the Hour of Power this morning.  A great message.  It is also good to see Robert Schuller, III, as well.  Sad to see the last service in the Crystal Cathedral.

The message from Schuller was good, especially the positive message about the concentration camp and the “fleas.”  Nazi guards do not like fleas!  Hallelujah

I have not been able to locate the “affirmations” which are supposed to be on the web.  The affirmations I recall from this morning, but wish to include a comment.

Affirmation about “we are residents of God’s universe” and another about “confessing our sins to another human being” (example of 12-step AA program used, as well as what the Roman Catholics do).  Schuller chided Martin Luther for objecting to “confessions to the priest,” saying Martin Luther’s objections were “throwing out the baby with the bath water.”     I  don’t agree about this one.

The “faith and works” discussed by James, the brother of Jesus, supposedly mean the “works” we do to counter our sins, so was rejected by Martin Luther.  That is not the message I was taught.  That is not the message written by a Lutheran theologian in a book about James, the brother of Jesus.   The “faith and works” are what we, as Christians, should do to make life better for “God’s people” who are made in God’s image and are loved by God.  Protestants have removed the “confessional booth, ” due, I believe, to this reason.  We are able to meditate and pray to GOD about our sins, and are not REQUIRED to go to a fleshly “mediator.”  Even Jesus Christ becomes our “spiritual mediator.”  Obviously, we have an OPTION to go to another person and confess our sins, but we are not REQUIRED to do so.

Besides, how many wealthy ones and Mafia bosses actually care about their sins, when they should?  The message about original sin and confession is designed to create fear and intimidation in the hearts of the less advantaged who are then “bridled” in slavery to fleshly “gods” called wealthy humans!  Is this not true?

Robert Schuller (II):  just because you got $57.5 M from the Roman Catholics (and turned down an offer of $59M from Chapman University), don’t sell the Protestant faith totally down the tubes.  Sad to know the Romans will be occupying the Crystal Cathedral.

Douglas Cornwell

Tioga Herald

Category:

Religion

The Hour of Power episode this morning (Aug. 11, 2013), broadcast the last service in the Crystal Cathedral.  It was touching and positive as Rev. Robert Schuller (II) gave the message.  More on that.

In reviewing this situation I ran into an article about the sale and wish to offer my comments, as I did on the Christian Post.

I am disappointed that the Crystal Cathedral was sold to the Roman Catholic diocese in Orange County, CA, especially after reading the article published in the Christian Post ( Luiza Oleszczuk, “Robert Schuller trusts Catholic Church with Crystal Cathedral,” Christian Post, Dec. 21, 2011, http://global.christianpost.com/news/robert-schuller-trusts-catholic-church-with-crystal-cathedral-65365/), explaining that the RC bid was NOT the highest bid. This article does not explain why, but many of us would like to know.

On the other side of the coin, the Roman Catholic Church would never take a second-level bid.  Why do these Protestants do this?

I have watched the Hour of Power many times off and on, since its inception in 1980.  Most of the time it has been sitting with my dad in Melbourne, FL.  I recall the message around 1982:  “When times get tough, the tough get going.”

It is not a televangelist movement, but a teaching religious experience, touching on many issues which we face in life.  It is based on God’s love, not on the fear and intimidation imposed by judgmental religions like the Roman Catholic faith and many conservative Protestant faiths.  So it is very sad to see the church being sold to a church which remained silent towards the atrocities of Adolph Hitler, never excommunicating the man, yet today excommunicating people who have NEVER murdered, let alone performed genocide.

When people should have spoken up, they did not.  Only a Lutheran pastor named Dietrich Bonnhoffer did.  It was not the fleas which got to him, either.

Douglas Cornwell, Tioga Herald

Category:

Commentary, Religion