Joe DeCaro

Islam

A Burka Barbie for Oppressed Muslim Girls Everywhere

from associatedcontent: "... For the Burka Barbie to work, Ken is going to need a makeover. Ken will have to become Khalid and have a traditional beard and turban and take to ordering Barbie around, forcing her to remain in bondage. Ken/Khalid would even sport an AK 47 typical of a member of the Taliban. "And just to complete the meme, GI Joe can show up, shoot Ken/Khalid, liberate Barbie, and allow her to get an education and go to work. That would be an unintended version of playing dolls that Burka Barbie might cause."  (3 hrs ago | post #1)

Islam

Good Muslim vs. Good American

Don't mind Abu -- he hasn't been himself since Maj. Nidal Hasan discovered he was really a jihadi and not a psychiatrist  (3 hrs ago | post #10)

Episcopal Church

Archbishop Duncan of the Anglican Church of North America on th...

from National Post: "In the year 2000 the Archbishop of Canterbury was second most important Christian leader in the world. In a short space of time that office has utterly been diminished. It shows that the British model of Anglicanism has failed. "He (Duncan) fully expects either a new 'Canterbury' to emerge in Africa, or that the old seat of Anglicanism will remain where it is, but future archbishops will come from the Global South — and be black and brown."  (3 hrs ago | post #1)

Islam

Good Muslim vs. Good American

from forums.ocala: "Theologicall y - no. Because his allegiance is to Allah, the moon god of Arabia. "Religiously - no. Because no other religion is accepted by his Allah except Islam. "Scripturally - no. Because his allegiance is to the five pillars of Islam and the Quran (Koran). "Geographical ly - no. Because his allegiance is to Mecca, to which he turns in prayer five times a day. "Socially - no. Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews ..." There's more; I don't agree w/all of them, but they're all interesting.  (7 hrs ago | post #5)

Islam

Another View: Fort Hood shootings show strain of war needs rene...

Not at all as it shows his motive. BTW, the soldiers Hasan killed didn't die on the front lines, did they?  (7 hrs ago | post #4)

Episcopal Church

Anglican split goes far deeper than gay dispute

from canada: "'There is an absolutely fundamental division over the nature of authority,' Jenkins, professor of history and religious studies at Pennsylvania State University in the United States, told Reuters by telephone. Widely varying views are the result. "While liberals base their beliefs on the New Testament’s message of love and inclusiveness, he said, Christians in Africa focus more on the Old Testament with its plagues, visions and healings watched over by a stern and demanding God. "'That corresponds more to the world they live in,' he said."  (7 hrs ago | post #1)

Episcopal Church

Church begins considering the work given to it by General Conve...

It's neither, and I'm still an (inactive) member of TEC as there's no provision for invalidating memberships.  (7 hrs ago | post #4)

Episcopal Church

"Handmaidens of Arbitrary Lawlessness"

That's your loss; this is one of the best articles I've seen on this subject, but it may be too long for you.  (7 hrs ago | post #3)

Islam

Somali woman stoned for adultery

As long as al-Shabab continues to administer Shar'ia in Somalia, the difference is life and death. BTW, shar'ia is based on ancient Arab tribal law that pre-dates the Qu'ran.  (13 hrs ago | post #21)

Islam

Another View: Fort Hood shootings show strain of war needs rene...

from statesmanjournal: "Although Hasan had never served in combat, he saw patients with mental health symptoms caused by the stress of war, such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress. It's not uncommon for caregivers to then experience some symptoms vicariously ..." Yet I don't recall redeploying soldiers exhibiting symptoms of yelling "Allahu Akbar" while shooting more than a dozen of their fellow victims.  (13 hrs ago | post #1)

Islam

Muslims to celebrate Festival of Sacrifice

from modbee: "In a related story, the Bible records that Abraham is told by God to take Isaac to a mountaintop, where he is to sacrifice the boy on an altar. "After Isaac is strapped onto the wood and as Abraham raises his knife to kill the boy, an angel tells him to stop, that his obedience has been seen. "Instead of Isaac, Abraham sacrifices a ram found caught by his horns in a nearby thicket. "In the Koran, however, the story begins with Abraham having a dream about sacrificing his son, Ishmael. Abraham tells the dream to his son and, in effect, asks, 'What do you think?' "A submissive Ishmael responds that if God has told Abraham to do this, he should obey. "When Ishmael is put facedown to be sacrificed (so that he does not have to see the knife in his father's hand), a substitution sacrifice is found, and so Ishmael is saved." Even in the Qu'ran, Ishmael is not mentioned by name as Abraham's intended sacrifice.  (13 hrs ago | post #1)

Islam

Muslims burn Christian shops

from timeslive: "The Christian man was being held on suspicion of indecently assaulting a Muslim female. The villagers claim she was aged 12, while security sources put her age between 18 and 30." Even at 12, she was still older than Ai'sha.  (13 hrs ago | post #1)

Islam

Saudi Arabia trying to keep costs low during the haj

Why is SA "constantly improving facilities for pilgrims" to the haj when it also discourages them from coming because of H1N1 concerns?  (13 hrs ago | post #1)

Episcopal Church

Vatican, Anglicans pledge to strengthen ties

from boston" "Williams’s visit to Rome had been long planned but the Vatican overture to conservative Anglicans, for which he received little advance notice, cast a shadow over the trip and raised questions about the future of relations between Rome and the 77-million strong worldwide Anglican Communion, which includes the US Episcopal church."  (13 hrs ago | post #1)

Episcopal Church

Last Episcopal church in city closing

A remnant much smaller than PB Schori ever envisioned, but a blind man could have seen this coming. There is more to this story than just the pains of a church in transition, judging by Schori's remarks abt numbers and children in another Topix TEC story: http://www.topix.n et/religion/episco pal/2009/... Schori is only now "doing the math," but she should have considered these demograpics before pushing her Spong-inspired agenda at the Anaheim Convention. As the "Power Church," TEC once exerted an influence disproportionate to its size, but its membership has been in a slow decline here for years simply from the the two or less children per household; between that, the economy and the exodus of four dioceses, I'm not surprised that "cities similar to Galion are going through a similar scenario."  (14 hrs ago | post #9)