Rousing speech by Bono.

Tags: [Bono, u2, Data.org, AIDS, poverty, NAACP, RWRW]

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I applaud Pete for taking the issue of life seriously, but I think he needs to understand that an opinion piece in the Onion is not meant to be taken seriously. Find serious opinion pieces to pick apart.

The Onion is entertainment only. If you read the site more often, you’d find that this humor site is meant to be equal opportunity offensive, even if it does lean to the left. If you link to the Onion for credible news, then I wonder if you would have something to say about this recent opinion piece in the Onion: “There’s no way I’m saving that guy” by Jesus Christ.

Tags: [The Onion, humor, opinion, pro-life, abortion]

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Original Post 02.01.06 @ 12:02 pm

I wish I had the time and money to spare. Bono is speaking this Friday at the Nation’s Capital Distinguished Speakers Series, which is being held in Washington DC. As I’ve stated on this site before, I am a big fan of Bono because he exemplifies WWJD. As you may or may not be aware, he’s an activist affiliated with the One Campaign, to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. He is someone I look up to and wish I could hear his words of challenge and inspiration.

UPDATE

The day before this event, Bono spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast. A transcript of his remarks can be found here. However, what he said needs to be watched - it’s powerful. Mark my words, Bono will eventually win the Nobel Peace Prize, and rightfully so.

[ Runtime: 21:40 | Please make sure you have the latest version of Macromedia Flash installed on your computer to watch this video. To download it, please visit: http://www.macromedia.com ]

Tags: [U2, Bono, National Prayer Breakfast, One, One.org, activism, WWJD, AIDS, poverty]

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For my devotions this morning I read an interesting passage in the book of Mark. Specifically, Mark 5:1-5:17 struck me:

Mark 5:1-17 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)

The Healing of a Demon-possessed Man

1They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.[a] 2When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil[b] spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. 4For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

6When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” 8For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you evil spirit!”

9Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

Two things struck me about this passage. First, Jesus showed mercy to the demons! If Jesus shows mercy to servants of Satan, how must we behave towards those who are against us? Second, I was struck by how Jesus spared these demons and honored their request, yet He knew that these pigs would die. It appears that He places a higher regard to (evil) spirits than the “beasts of the field.” PETA would have protested his actions for sure.

Tags: [PETA, Jesus, Demon, Bible, demon possessed, spirit, mercy, merciful]

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This is one of the craziest stories I’ve read in a while - a judge who does not believe in administering justice:

“Burlington, Vermont — January 4, 2005

There was outrage Wednesday when a Vermont judge handed out a 60-day jail sentence to a man who raped a little girl many,many times over a four-year span starting when she was seven.

The judge said he no longer believes in punishment and is more concerned about rehabilitation.”

Tags: [statutory rape, rape, crime, criminal, judicial, justice, judge, rehabilitation, Vermont]

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Genres, genres everywhere. I thought it was bad enough when I felt the need to classify Christian music to a level of specificity that matches mainstream music…

Music>>Rock>>(Christian) Rock>>(Christian) Alternative Rock

Now we see the following…

Movies>>Horror>>Slasher>>(Gay) Slasher

Movies>>Western>>(Gay) Western

It seems that the homosexual agenda is trying to get its claws in absolutely everything, even when sexuality has no bearing on a genre. What does sexuality have to do with a slasher movie? I can understand a homosexual love story, which Brokeback Mountain appears to portray. However, it seems very difficult for me to buy a homosexual love story that takes place in the 1960s in Wyoming, of all places! Sure, it’s possible, but this is nothing more than the homosexual agenda trying to normalize the lifestyle to the extreme.

Tags: [Hellbent, Brokeback Mountain, homosexual, gay, homosexual agenda, genre, film, movies]

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I recently commented on Kanye West’s antics, and W.C. Varones pointed out another gem when West took part in the Live 8 festivities in Philadelphia. Here’s what he said to MTV:

“[t]he concept of AIDS alone—what my parents always told me, who are activists—is that it was a man-made disease in the first place that was placed in Africa just like how crack was placed in the black community to break up the Black Panther Party.”

I do not deny that racism exists in America. However, I have a hard time accepting some of the recent claims. What concerns me most is that it seems that these claims only fuel the fire of racism - they are destructive (not constructive) criticisms. I do know of friends who believe that the reaction to Katrina was racist, but I just cannot get to the heart of this belief.

In contrast to Kanye West, U2 is such a class act. Despite criticism from more ignorants like Mos Def, U2 performed a phenomenal rendition of “One” with none other than Mary J. Blige for the Hurricane Relief Benefit: Shelter From The Storm. So, instead of introducing divisive dialogue, U2 preaches a message of coming together, a message that became that much stronger when Blige joined in. Here’s some of the lyrics from the song:

One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life
With each other
Sisters
Brothers
One life
But we’re not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other

One…life

One

Here’s the kicker. Despite Kanye West’s criticism of white leadership and Mos Def’s criticism of Bono for “turning his back” on the Hurricane Katrina tragedy, Kanye West will be opening for U2 on the December leg of their North American tour!

Tags: [Kanye West, U2, Mos Def, Mary J Blige, Katrina, Hurricane Katrina, racism]

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I’m not very familiar with Kanye West, except that I know he has won a few grammy awards and he has created a foundation to battle school dropout rates.

Any respect I had for the man has since fizzled after hearing his remarks on last Saturday night’s “A Concert for Hurricane Relief” seen on NBC. West’s remarks appeared to be racist, in my opinion. Here’s a few ignorant notables spoken by West:

“George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”

America is set up “to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off as slow as possible.”

“I hate the way they portray us [African Americans] in the media. If you see a black family, it says they’re looting. See a white family, it says they’re looking for food.”

“They’ve given them permission to go down and shoot us [African-Americans].”

For me, the highlight of the concert was hearing Tim McGraw sing “More Power to Ya,” a Christian song written and performed by Petra on their 1982 album with the same name. Petra was the first Christian rock band I listened to. I appreciate the band because they were trailblazers in the genre of Christian rock and heavily influenced many of the bands I listened to in the future (and still do).

This is where the rubber meets the road. As Christians, we are commanded to help the poor and needy, the fatherless and the widow. Please send contributions to the Red Cross.

Tags: [Red Cross, Tim McGraw, Petra, Christian rock, Christian music, Kanye West]

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I’ve been reading Sean Penn’s San Fransico Chronicle diary of his June journey to Iran. He gives us a glimpse of his antisocial personality when he says in his day 3 post

“I am a reasonably social person, but that isn’t to say that I have been in a group or a party of more than four or five people without the support of alcohol in as long as I can remember.”

Tags: [Sean Penn, Iran, diary, Islam, Muslim]

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Sorry. I’m a bit late to the game on this one. NARAL of Washington threw a “Screw Abstinence” party on July 14th, indicating that

“abstinence-only-until-marriage initiatives…promote dangerous misinformation.”

Can someone please tell me what misinformation provided in such programs is so dangerous?

Tags: [NARAL, abstinence, Bush, faith-based, faith based, abortion, pro-life, pro-choice, sex, activism]

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