Sunday, February 5, 2012

Sunday Faith Blog; Atheist Holiday

this isn't true, but it's cute :-)
  
    A  FLORIDA COURT SETS
ATHEIST HOLY DAY
 
    In  Florida, an atheist created a case against Easter and Passover Holy days.  He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians and Jews and observances of their holy days.  The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.     The case was brought before a judge.  After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, "Case dismissed!"
 
   The lawyer immediately stood and objecting to the ruling saying,
"Your honor, How can you possibly dismiss this case?  The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others.
  The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays..."
    The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counselor, is woefully ignorant."     The lawyer said," Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."     The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fool's Day. Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.'  Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that, if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore,
April 1st is his day.
 Court is adjourned..."
You gotta love a Judge that knows his scripture!   
 
   I don't mean this as a slam to atheists;  they have their beliefs and that's fine!...I thought the story was clever.....



"I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life." 
John 6:47 

Please read THIS STORY on Yahoo's headline page........it seemed to fit here....changed lives are the best proof of faith that most of us know, but even these smaller events seem powerful somehow...
Have a really good Sunday, everyone.
z

73 comments:

sue hanes said...

Sounds like a True Story to me - Z

Ed Bonderenka said...

Reminds me of the story a few years ago (in Atlanta?) of a guy who shot some deputies and escaped his court hearing, got to an apartment complex and holed up in a woman's apartment against her will.
There was a large manhunt for him.
She was a believer and witnessed to him for hours about God's will for his life. He left and turned himself in.
Or the story I heard a woman from Texas tell on Focus on the Family of a guy that was on the lam for murder, kidnapped her in a parking lot, and took her hostage on the road. She witnessed to him for hours and he let her go and waited for the police (who expected a gun battle).
She remained in touch with him after he was imprisoned.
You cannot see the wind...

Brooke said...

Now that is funny! :)

WomanHonorThyself said...

good one Z! have a great Sunday my friend~:-)

Silverfiddle said...

That is witty. Thanks for the laugh!

Always On Watch said...

April Fools Day as Atheist Day! Perfect!

Z said...

Sue, I can only tell the truth and it isn't.

Ed...I remember that story very well, too........"You cannot see the wind..." is so so true. You can see the trees bend in the wind but the wind, you cannot see.! I was so embarrassed at a devotional I gave because I was rather new to stronger faith and talked about the wind in the trees and the Spirit, etc., not knowing that's a very well known metaphor!!

I'm glad the rest of you enjoyed the story, too! :-)

shoprat said...

Don't make my birthday an Atheistic Holiday. I guess Earth Day is theirs.

Bob said...

Ed: That story is true. The criminal escaped from the Fulton County jail after stealing the gun from an overweight, out of shape, don't-give-a-crap, I'm getting a paycheck Sheriff's Deputy.

The Fulton County Sheriff's office performance has historically been so good that their responsibility has been limited to guarding the jail and courthouse.

As usual, they failed miserably.

The book in question was, A Purpose Driven Life, which was being read by Ashley Smith, the unwitting hostage, who has written a book about her experience, Unlikely Angel: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero.

One of the people killed was a Homeland Security Agent who had the bad luck of having a nice SUV in his driveway, and was outside working in his yard at the time. This encounter was purely random.

Just thought I would remind folks of the story.

Ticker said...

Once you hear the truth then you will act upon it in faith.

sue hanes said...

Z - I know you tell the Truth.

It's ok.

I can handle the Truth.

sue hanes said...

Yes Ticker - and Love.

It's about Faith - and Love.

Z said...

Bob, I'd forgotten the book was the Purpose Drivel Life ('it's not about you', the Pastor writes, and then tells how it's ALL about you :-)
Still, there were positive things in it and it sure had its affect. ALl those details sound familiar but I didn't know a little of it, thanks.

Shoprat, sorry about that :-)

Ticker, we can only hope.

I've started attending a church where prayer comes first, people are forgiven and not publicly condemned (tho I'm not always against public condemnation), and good abounds. SO nice. Truth is important...grace, mercy...it's nice to be surrounded by it, it really is.

Ed Bonderenka said...

I knew the book, just not a Warren fan. But it had a positive effect there.
There's a DVD out called "When God's People Pray".
http://youtu.be/Qecl7vq8PmM
Pretty good for small group study.

Bob said...

Z said, " I don't mean this as a slam to atheists; they have their beliefs and that's fine!."

Well, why not slam atheists? What, exactly, do the atheists believe?

We know what they don't believe, but where is their commitment in any belief at all?

What, if any, is their idea of creation. Do they believe in Space Aliens, random molecules bouncing off each other, or some other randomly occurring event.

Do atheists really believe random is even possible? Here's the inevitable Wikipedia blurb on randomness, taken from someone else's dictionary, "Having no definite aim or purpose; not sent or guided in a particular direction; made, done, occurring, etc., without method or conscious choice; haphazard."

I can accept the idea that creation is random, provided I can figure out WHO unleashed this randomness.

The real belief of atheists is that they are self-created. Isn't it?

Anonymous said...

"I don't mean this as a slam to atheists; they have their beliefs and that's fine!...I thought the story was clever....."

Indeed it is....I wonder why the pukes at the aclu didn't demand his hanging or removal from the bench?

But the point is ...atheists have a belief...it's zero beliefs....is that a belief?

sue hanes said...

I was thinking this morning - I like to see Sinners get up there and give Testimony - Seriously - I think that's good for the Soul.


Let it all out - you know what I mean.

Bob said...

Ed: Thanks for the link. I watched the intro video, and will take some time later in the week to watch the rest.

Gotta get the Super Bowl in , today.

Go Eli!

Z said...

Ed, I'm not a fan at all, either....Warren seems to be going in a direction many Christian pastors are going in...and it's not inspiring unless you're looking for an inclusiveness that squeezes Jesus right out of the picture, right?
I will check out your link in a minute, thanks!

Bob, I get you TOTALLY, but I don't want to offend anyone. And we're not going to change the hearts of atheists here; they've probably read C S Lewis if they have an ounce of curiosity about their non-faith, just to see what's up with him and why he changed from staunch atheist to staunch believer, even when his dear wife died so young.
If they can read HIM and not be inspired, reading Z's SUnday Faith Blog probably won't help....though I believe I HAVE had a blogger come to much stronger faith because of my blog and another blogger's input and that's something I am so honored; by it really is humbling.
"self created"...I guess so.

I JUST returned from hearing a sermon (I'm on PST!) about how a certain Christian high school tries to remind its students that GOD is the center of everything, that science, math, art, they all are getting away from GOd and how sad that is for our kids. Very inspiring talk. It's not a pushy reminder, it's just there, in all their young Christian teachers, in chapel (which is mandatory even for the non Christians, as is Old Testament and New Testament studies which are UNBELIEVABLY fabulous, and the kids LOVE those discussions)...it's THERE, you don't have to be TOLD about GOD. He's THERE.
(I'm there quite often, too, so I know this is true)

Sue, we're ALL sinners....a good pastor sure doesn't need to say he is, his people know it, right? And it's how they handle their sin which is important; not by hiding behind it, getting rid of those who question his actions, gossiping, etc...
I'd go to a church with a gay pastor if I knew he wasn't acting on it.

Z said...

http://afticker.blogspot.com/


THE ABOVE LINK IS OUR BUDDY TICKER'S BLOG....HE'S VEERING OFF POLITICS AND GETTING MORE INTO FAITH DISCUSSIONS AT HIS BLOG NOW....I RECOMMEND YOU GIVE IT A TRY; HE HAS A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE AND A GOOD HEART AND I BELIEVE WE CAN ALL LEARN FROM HIM AND EACH OTHER IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. GIVE IT A TRY! YOU'LL BE BLESSED, I PROMISE! :-)

Bob said...

Impertinent said, "But the point is ...atheists have a belief...it's zero beliefs....is that a belief?"

I try not to argue religion , or lack thereof, with people, but I have yet to elicit what atheists believe. I guess you could say that zero beliefs is believing in something, but is it equivalent to believing in nothing, or is it saying that their thinking has taken in all possibilities, and they didn't find an answer?

Their primary position is that if the idea cannot be proven empirically, then it is not true. This is a fallacy in that they have posited Science as their belief system.

Believing in science as an ultimate authority has its problems. We all know that many scientific hypotheses are falsified every year because of new discoveries. What happens to your belief system when that system proves you a fool for believing in it in the first place?

I believe it boils down to proof or no proof, and faith or no faith. Somehow, you have to balance this spectrum of ideas.

Z said...

Ed, I'm not clear...where's the prospect for a study in that short DVD? Is that an intro to something bigger?
I love what the guy said about how prayer is touching God with one hand and the person you're praying for with the other.
And I know what he means about feeling darkness before he spoke. I've had that even in a church office experience...twice. I had to literally BACK OUT because of something I felt. I hesitate to even type that here because it was so troubling. But, it's my truth.

I have seen Church meetings where prayer was not done and things went badly...and still no prayer was done, and things went worse. scary stuff, isn't it.

Z said...

May I just say that it really warms my heart to see great political bloggers during the week here exhibit such smart faith on my Sunday faith blogs.....
You're a GREAT BUNCH of people and I am HONORED to have you here. thank you

Anonymous said...

Bob..

" I guess you could say that zero beliefs is believing in something, but is it equivalent to believing in nothing..."


Well Bob...as I see it...if my glass is empty...there's nothing in it...it's empty and I have...nothing.

Is that still...something having nothing?

:-)

Z said...

Imp, one can still believe in the GLASS :-) (I think there's something very 'heavy' in my observation, but I'm not sure! HAAA!)

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

"Imp, one can still believe in the GLASS :-)"..

Yes...but it's an empty vessel....like the soul...do you still have one if it's empty of beliefs?

It contains nothing...from it one cannot quench their thirst or fill their needs, can one?

And someone correctly noted that science doesn't have the answers either. If we thought it did....then long ago we'd still adhere to a flat earth. Among other scientifically erroneous convictions.

Ticker said...

Thank you Z for the kind words and for the recommendation. I will try to live up to the expectations that your words provided. It is something that I have felt I needed to do for a long time now--get away from the political for it was very stressful and even tiring when I spent a lot of time researching and putting together something that was not only political but educational regardless of which critter was being ridden, the elephant or the donkey. I will not be posting every day since this too takes some time to research, study and contemplate on before I can post. Sunday Music Time will continue but I hope to be more on time than I was today. Went to a new church today and then took the better half out to dinner. It is a beautiful day here in McDonough.

sue hanes said...

Z - 'we are all Sinners' -

'and fall short of the Glory of God.'

Z said...

Imp: "Yes...but it's an empty vessel."
Man, that is EXACTLY what I was thinking but couldn't articulate...bravo.
Yes, it is a very empty vessel...very sad.
And no, an empty vessel can quench no kind of thirst...well said, Imp.

Ticker...enjoy your beautiful day..it's gorgeous here in LA, too.

Anonymous said...

And if it's empty Z...how can you fill anothers glass if you have nothing to share with your fellow man?
Aren't beliefs to be shared too? To spread a good word...to pay it forward...to help others with prayer and give to those who have less?

If your pockets, soul / vessel is empty...how can you help another who really needs it?

Zero is zero.

Kid said...

Plus, don't they have every other day of the year that isn't recognized as a religious holiday?

Z said...

Kid, as far as media, etc., atheists sure DO have every other day...well said. Teaching our kids God's dead, etc.

Imp...as I read your most recent comment, I got to thinking about what Obama wants to do as far as bringing the rich down via taxes, etc...insulting them, attacks against capitalists...etc etc.
When those people are 'empty', ..they'll have nothing to give as they do give now...

Anonymous said...

"what Obama wants to do .."

That's when we'll all know there are two very different countries that won't be folded into one.

I was listening to a radio show today that said that a person making 60K a year has less disposable income than a family of 4 at the 'poverty" level. That they qualify for over 30k in benefits from food to housing.

Thus the claim that with the entitlements out there and readily available...IT DOES NOT PAY to work.

Who pays those entitlements???

None of us are uncharitable or mind giving....but we're being robbed and driven into poverty ourselves.

There cannot be any good outcome from this...distribution of the wealth.

Kid said...

Z, I just saw this place on the food channel. I wish it was closer, I'd sure like to try their food.

LUKSHON

They have a really interesting looking chicken wing. They take the meat off the wing then reassemble it on a bone to look like a lollipop. Yum.

Ed Bonderenka said...

Z: The link was a teaser for the DVD available from Amazon. I didn't look at the other videos, they may be a continuation as Bob alluded to.
IMP: "a person making 60K a year has less disposable income".
That's me. I'm trying to figure out what we're doing wrong. We live modestly.

Catherine Moore-Barry said...

I'm not even going into my thoughts on atheism. I just know that I came close to death a few years back, and I know God is there and he hears my prayers. No one will ever change that.

Great joke Z! Made me smile.

Z said...

Kid, that's only 20 minutes from my house; sounds fabulous!

Imp...that's exactly what ROMNEY MEANT when he said the VERY POOOR have safety nets, isn't it. They don't have to worry...

ED BONDERANKA has to worry because he's making just enough money NOT to get the freebies...not that he'd take them, of course........

THis is a sick country in need of a backbone again........
Jesus said there will always be poor amongst us and that we should help our brother....But it feels like we should help our brother to help himself, not make him dependent..

Catherine, it's stories like yours which give us occasional doubters courage; I think we ALL have stories about how we KNEW GOD WAS WITH US in various ways.......your sharing helps. thanksxx

Kid said...

Z, Let me know how it is. It Looked fabulous.

Kid said...

Z, PS, I've only seen Cincinnati on the food channel Once. And it was a place that was specializing in several kinds of Grilled Cheese sandwiches.

Pray for me please...

Good thing my wife can cook.

Bob said...

GIANTS WIN!

Z said...

Kid, I won't be going any time soon....traffic at dinner time's prohibitive and I don't have many lunches free, but I'll try :-)

As for Cincinatti...if you don't LOVE grilled cheese sandwiches, I'm quite sure we could never be friends (joking, but..) I hope you at least LOVE Mac'n cheese?
Aren't you known for GREAT chili, too? Oh, but wait...you put chili on SPAGHETTI, don't you, in Cincinnati! :-)
You must have some super upper crust restaurants, no?
Well, I happen to love Diners Diners and Dives, so this LA City girl has gourmet tastes and down-home tastes :-)
Glad your wife's such a great cook!

Bob...kind of a Tom Brady fan here (I'm a girl and love basketball..so what do I KNOW? but he's so cute :-)
I did watch, believe it or not....and I did enjoy the game VERy much, I have to admit.

Z said...

Bob, the idiotic Yahoo homepage has had a pic of Tom Brady on the top of the headlines throughout the game.....But, since the game ended, NO MENTION OF SUPER BOWL RESULTS, and it's been at least 15 minutes now since the end of the game.
The internet tech is either a huge Brady fan or they're just plain as dumb as I've always thought Yahoo was (not to be unkind, of course!)

Kid said...

Z, OK, No pressure.

I don't mind grilled cheese, but Only? ah...

Mac and Cheese? Oh yes. We make it with velveta, cheddar and Asigo and have some sliced Italian sausage on the side. The Asiago was a recent and tasty changeup.
I cook a little also. Italian and Mexican dishes.

The best place I've been to here is The Precinct, where you will spend around $200-300 for a good steak, lobster, and some wine. I like the Collingsworth.
There are a couple other similar, but that's about it.

No where to get really good food at everyday prices. Chicago would be my town for that. If you don't serve fantastic food there, you don't stay in business.

Well, I hope we can be friends :)

Kid said...

PS - Now that I look at the Precinct menu, I'm going to have to try the Rib Steak next time. "Jeff Ruby's Jewel"

Anonymous said...

Who won?

Z said...

http://www.pacificdiningcar.com/dinner.html

Kid, of COURSE we're friends, I love that :-)

The Pacific Dining Car is very similar to your PRECINCT...but they don't have the prices on the site menu, imagine? I know a friend took me to dinner there on my birthday and the smallest filet mignon, I think it was 8 oz was $38 with NOTHING WITH IT...a ball of steak on the plate, no potato, nothing! Oh, maybe a little julienned veggies, but nothing else.. it was good, we split it, but $38 worth? na.
There are PLENTY of REALLY expensive places around here, but you can get really good food at reasonable prices.

http://wilshirerestaurant.com/team/

The black chef at THE WILSHIRE (above) was on the Food Channel show where they have a competition between two chefs for a new restaurant job..I'm delighted she's still there and hope to go there soon, it's five minutes from my house and I've never tried it! Mostly because it's across the street from my favorite Mexican restaurant! http://www.allmenus.com/ca/los-angeles/33497-casa-escobar/menu/

Z said...

NEW YORK GIANTS, Imp

Kid said...

Z, I love it too. intellectual connections (I hope) are few and far between :)

OK, I could find a meal at the Pacificdiningcar. But as indicated it wouldn't be often.
Scallops and the Artichoke look interesting, I'd pick the Prime Rib there. (Come to think of it, I did have a rib steak at another Ruby steak house and it was the best steak I've ever had-fwiw)

Never been to the Wilshire? Wild horse wouldn't keep me from trying that place...

Mexican? OMG. I lived in Glendale-Phoenix-Tempe for 20 years prior to Cincinnati.

Los Dos... La Parilla Suiza..., La Pinata (I'm still trying to duplicate their Chicken Fajita. I'm close - If I get it I'll post it. And the Margharita)

Kid said...

PS - Reasonable dining in Phoenix Area were Black Angus. Best Prime Rib, and oddly enough a chain - El Paso. Great BBQ. Really good. Everyday prices.

Z said...

Kid, The Wilshire is very snobby and "Hollywood"....I have some very wealthy friends and nobody I know goes there, weird, huh? But, the lot's full of Rolls' and Bentleys, etc... It's the young and 'up and coming', I think.
A very close friend is an actress and she mentioned she and her husband (an even better known name than hers) might take me there some time...I'm going to hold them to it :)

I ADORE Mexican food.....don't cook it at home, unless you count enchiladas cooked in a big baking pan for a lot of people...that's kind of 'gringo' cooking...but I love gringo Mexican, too!

Catherine Moore-Barry said...

Cincinnati is a great place. It's called the Queen City. It is nestled on 7 Hills on the Ohio River. It was one of our Founding Father's who helped name it when it was a settlement... named for Cincinatus, the gentleman/farmer who was call on to save Rome from invaders. Anyway they have fantastic chili and GERMAN fare. Cincinnati has a huge German population, so if you want really awesome German fare... you'll find it there. Cincinnati is a very neat city.

Kid said...

Z, Ah, Ok, well that might put me off a touch. I'd have to try it though. Hope you enjoy if and when.


I posted my chicken fajita recipe a while back. It's not too bad but not perfection either.

Kid said...

Catherine, Thanks. I don't know a ton about the place, but I had heard it was very German and was originally named Zincinnati. For curiosity sake.

Z said...

Kid, I find most fajitas swimming in too much juices...I like it rather on the dry-rub side :-) Peppers, onions, chili powder..??

Jan said...

Z..when you said what you did about grilled cheese sandwiches, it made me smile, because it reminded me of something that my son said when he was about four years old.

He said to me, "Mom, will we eat when we go to Heaven? I told him that I didn't know, for sure. He then said, "Well, if we do, what will we eat?" I told him that I wasn't sure of that, either, but I was sure that whatever it was, God would provide it for us. He then said, "Whewww..I sure hope God knows how to make grilled cheese sandwiches." :)

Z said...

Jan, your son has good taste!

My mother's secret about grilled cheese is now going to be blown: Use jack cheese and put very finely chopped parsley into it before grilling...not much parsley, just enough :-)
It cuts the richness and is DELICIOUS in it!

cube said...

Heh heh. A wise judge indeed.

BTW thanks for your Mom's secret of the grilled cheese sandwich. I will have to try it. There is nothing better than a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup. Yum.

Z said...

cube, wait till you taste JACK instead of cheddar with tomato soup! Just a teaspoon of very finely chopped parsley, I'd say...
mmm

Kid said...

Z, Fajitas. Chicken breast cooked whole in a pan (or slowly on the grill in aluminum foil) to retain the juices, then tossed on the grill momentarily for grill marks.

Onion, a little green bell, majority red bell pepper sliced into strips, cooked hot and quick (sauteed I guess) so they stay crunchy.

Steam some flour tortillas, slice the chicken breast into 'little finger' size strips and serve. Hope it's all done about the same time.

Of course there is home made pico de gallo (diced tomato, jalapeno, couple types onion, cilantro), salsa, cilantro, lime and lemon on the table to season to taste.

One tip for the pico de gallo is to use Roma tomatoes as they are fairly easy to dice into small cubes.

I like Herdoz medium salsa.

Jose Cuervo on the rocks.

I probably missed something. Oh yea, Refried Beans with 4 cheese mexican melted on top!

There is a mexican hot sauce, Cholula, that isn't hot but has a lot of flavor. I'm going to try some of that on the chicken as it cooks next time.

Geeez, I'm hungry now.

Anonymous said...

Geeeez.....now the foodie channel?

sigh...I suppose sharing recipes is better sometimes than trying to change a world that's so FU'd to the point where we might as well just...eat.

Kid said...

Imp, Each of us has but our one vote, and rarely a candidate we really want to vote For.

That's the way I look at it anyway.

Gotta find some solace, harmony, peace, and Happiness! in this minefield of ignorance and dependence which is America 2012.

Anonymous said...

"Gotta find some solace, harmony, peace, and Happiness!.."


My thoughts exactly...that's what I meant...I think. Eat...drink...and be happier....so long as you don't live in NYC under a creepy Napoleon despot like...BloomTurd?

Kid said...

Imp, Yea, bloomberg is a RINOstic wonder in itself.

Can you imagine the Mayor of Hawaii, pushing for the creation of a Japanese blinckablank a half mile from Pearl in 1951? Good Lord!

Illustrates how far we've sunk.

Z said...

Kid, thanks...so you put nothing on the chicken or peppers during the prep or cooking but only at assembly do you use hot sauce or salsa?

sounds good!

Anonymous said...

Ok...OK...I'll join in.

I have baddest ass recipe for Jambalaya. Killer food. Loved by all. Yes...I too can cook. Now I'll take put up my Jambalaya against any burrito, taco or grilled cheese sandwich..anyday.

I guarantee ya....you'll be...ready to have more. When I was up in NC recently....I had to make it 4 damn times to feed all my siblings.

Kid said...

Z, No, so far everything is naked at serving time. I'm going to try the Cholula sauce on the chicken next time. Salsa always on the side.

Cholula is not hot at all - all flavor. And I may incorporate some Ortega green chilies.

Kid said...

Bad link on the Cholula. Just type it into google search for an image, por porvore - Gratias.

And "Quattro De Mayo !!" to celebrate our pResidents grasp of history and culture.

Z said...

Imp, I should put you guys to work at my food blog writing recipes down! :-) Mr. Z adored jambalaya...I like it, too.

I make a monkfish/black eyed pea/Italian sausage/bell pepper stew that people go ape for...love serving that!

Kid, I ADORE Ortega green chilies...they're terrific in quesadillas, don't you think? mmmm
Good one with "Quatro de Mayo!" :-)

Kid said...

Z, haha. On the Green Chilies, try them in a cheddar omelette !
First time I had them was at Del's restaurant in Tumcmcari, New Mexico Pretty darn good.

Z said...

Kid, I think the key is "ortegas with ANY CHEESE!"

Just the thought of biting into my fave Mex restaurant's quesadilla's warm crispy flour tortilla exterior and into that goooooey white cheese with those sweet/hot ortegas is enough to drive me over the bend!

What's that expression about giddyup and hitchin' you mentioned? THAT"S IT!!

MathewK said...

Nice story.

atheists cannot have their own day, since their claim to fame is a belief in nothing.

They have nothing to offer, nothing to look forward to, nothing to hope for.

If they ever have a day, what would it be for, nothing?

Unknown said...

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Chicken fajita recipe