Christian Universalism- The Beautiful Heresy

Buh-Bye TypePad- Why Blogger is Better than TypePad

I am in the process of moving my blog (back) to Blogger.  I switched to TypePad a couple of years ago for the ability to customize things more.  I pay for TypePad (as much as I would for a full blown hosted website) and I'm not getting my money's worth.  In the years since TypePad has not gotten any much better and Blogger has improved tremendously.  Considering I pay TypePad, I am appalled that I cannot call them or contact them directly for any type of support (everything is done through a "ticket").  TypePad cannot remember who people are when they are supposed to be able to log in for two weeks at a time.  And, the biggie, TypePad does not give people a way to email subscribe to comments. I've asked them over and over again to give me this basic and free feature offered on Blogger and I never get the impression they get it.   Even WordPress doesn't give you that without a plug-in (which you have to pay to host to use).  So, buh-bye TypePad.

Political Polls

Today I had the pleasure of being asked to take part in a  political "survey".   I sometimes wonder where these numbers come from.  Now I have a little better insight.  Taking this survey was actually kind of fun.  I was tempted to lecture the pollster on how leading the questions were (and how misleading the results would be). But, I realized he was just a guy doing his job.

Reason #5,674 why I can't vote Republican

Up until this year I have not declared a political party. I did declare in the Ohio Democratic Primary so that I could vote for Barack Obama. 

I choose to remain "independent" even though I usually vote Democratic.   There's something about declaring myself to be either Republican or Democrat I find just wrong.  My standing joke is "Republicans are evil and Democrats are stupid."  However, here is another in sea of reasons I just can't pull the lever for the Republicans.  For sale at the Texas GOP Convention:

 

Why I do not spell out God

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time surely you've noticed I use G-d instead of God. It's not because I'm superstitious nor do I think it blasphemous to say or type God since it is not God's name anyway.  I'm not sure if I've explained this before.  But, I'll try to explain it now.

How I Was Most Hurt By Organized Religion

Jim Palmer asked six very interesting questions his blog and said to choose one to answer for a conference he's attending. The questions are:

1. I left organized church because…
2. Is following Christ the same as being a “Christian”?
3. For me, religious detox has involved…
4. The main way I feel judged by or don’t feel like I fit with most “Christians” is…
5. What’s most important to me now about my relationship with God is…
6. How was I most hurt or wounded through my involvement with organized religion?

I thought these were great questions.  I chose number six to answer for Jim.  Here are my thoughts on it. I tried to limit myself to three paragraphs and no more than five minutes. These are my unedited thoughts.

Help put an end to unjust drug laws

Some people wonder what Reverend Jeremiah Wright meant when he talked about our government treating blacks unfairly with sentencing laws.  Here is an example and something you can do about it.  Should people be doing crack?  Of course not.  But, is it fair to treat a user of crack the same as a dealer of cocaine?

A Dialog About Hell

I can't add anything to this. It's just so well done!

http://www.christianheretic.com/2008/01/dialogue-with-evangelical.html

Holiday Cookie Recipe

Tequila Cookies

1 cup of dark brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup of granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups of dried fruit, such as dried cranberries or raisins
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila (silver or gold, as desired)

Sample the Cuervo to check quality.

Take a large bowl, check the Cuervo again, to be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.

Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the Cuervo is still OK, try another cup just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Pick the frigging fruit off floor.

Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver.

Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Check the Jose Cuervo.

Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.

Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner.

Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the dishwasher.

The Truth- Upside Down

From my friend Kevin over at Transmillennial. Don't get impatient. Watch the whole thing. About three minutes long.

Let's Say Thanks...

I just found out about this website.  Take a moment to check it out.

http://www.letssaythanks.com/