I have never been so proud to be on the far left-wing. I don't have the highest regards for religion and this is why. Below is part of an article by Tim Grieve for www.salon.com
The real cause of Hurricane Katrina?
We reported last night on the cause of Hurricane Katrina... in the eyes of an anti-abortion group called Columbia Christians for Life. The storm, the group says, is God's way of punishing Louisiana for having 10 abortion clinics.
...that's what the Columbia Christians for Life were saying yesterday... now it seems to be saying that God sent Katrina after Louisiana to prevent Southern Decadence, an annual gay-themed bash that was scheduled for Labor Day weekend in New Orleans.
The Columbia Christians for Life forwarded to us a press release from a Philadelphia-based outfit called Repent America. In it, Repent America director Michael Marcavage explains: "Although the loss of lives is deeply saddening, this act of God destroyed a wicked city. From 'Girls Gone Wild' to 'Southern Decadence,' New Orleans was a city that had its doors wide open to the public celebration of sin. May it never be the same."
Yep, that's right (literally and figuratively). Leave it up to those god-fearing, bible touting far right-wingers to blame a natural disaster on gays and abortions. Out of all of the crazy bs I've heard come out of these people's mouths, this takes the cake. Way to go Christians, first one of your leaders calls for an assassination of a foreign leader (isn't that against one of ten commandments or something?) and now you have wacks saying crap like this.
You think maybe it's time to rethink this whole religion thing? And while you are thinking about that, think about this, that maybe the framers of the Constitution knew what they were doing when they put separation of church and state in it?
That's my view from the left.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Canadian Gypsy
Totally absurd.
2 - Bunny
No shit you're from the left. I wonder what the left would say if a Tornado ripped apart the campus of Oral Roberts University, or a forest fire burned down Bob Jones University.
Rhetoric from extremists is sadly predictable and predictably sad. So is the rebuttal from the opposition. That goes both ways, right to left and left to right.
For your information, the opinions expressed by a very small group in PA are exactly that: the opinion of a very small group. The majority of Christians in this country are busy praying for the victims and/or contributing in whatever way they can to the relief efforts. Only a few fringe fanatics are trying to play Monday morning prophets. Unfortunately, there are always fanatics on the other side looking to make an issue out of what most of us would never listen to anyway.
3 - Bird of Paradise
Hmmm. As a Christian conservative I have to distance myself from folks like the Columbia Christians for Life (whoever they are). Just to balance things up a bit, however, Robert Kennedy Jr., in an article on the Huffington Post today, ended his screed with this tasty morsel:
"In 1998, Republican icon Pat Robertson warned that hurricanes were likely to hit communities that offended God. Perhaps it was (Mississippi Governor) Barbour�s memo that caused Katrina, at the last moment, to spare New Orleans and save its worst flailings for the Mississippi coast."
Note: If you want to read my recent thoughts on Pat Robertson you can find them here
4 - The Bastard
The sad thing is although your one commentor says its a minority you have 64% of Americans believing Intelligent Design should be taught side by side with Evolution. Hmmmmm....I have one question for all you Designests, How on Earth did Noah get all those Dinasaurs onto that little ark of his. Nevermind two of each dinasaur he had to wedge zebra's in there somewhere too.
I predict the next Christian blockbuster hit he will work on will be "Jurassic Ark"
5 - The Bastard
Sorry, he being, Mel Gibson. It's early I need coffee!
6 - D L Ennis
Typical!
D L
7 - Baronius
I have never been so proud to be on the far left-wing.
Believe me, it's pretty fun to be on the far right and finally be able to say, "Look at those freaks!" while looking rightward.
8 - Matthew T. Sussman
"Way to go Christians"
Way to lump all Christians together.
9 - Maurice
Painting with a broad brush is not a good idea in politics or religion.
There are plenty of leftys making absurd claims (hole in the ozone!). Should we dis all leftys because of a few.
I would point out that more help for hurricane victims will come from the churches than any other source.
BTW I am not religious.
10 - Silas Kain
Will someone please tell me what the wingnut branch of Christianity has to say about the apparent sparing of the French Quarter? God smited the good folk and saved the wicked, perhaps? Imagine a small group of fanatics within a religion making it bad for the remaining believers! Hmmm. Right wingnut Jesus Freaks are to Christianity what Al Quaeda is to Islam.
11 - Matthew T. Sussman
You know who's to blame for this hurricane? Politicians. Lazy media. Self-righteous bloggers. Anyone who did not learn from 9/11 that we are the United States.
If it takes three more tragedies like Katrina to realize that we need to stand together as a country, then bring them on. No unilateral decisions. No partisan bickering. No finger pointing. No blanket assertions about groups.
12 - Margaret Romao Toigo
Yes, but how do the Columbia Christians for Life explain the lack of hurricanes, fire and brimstone in Massachusetts (the only state in which same-sex marriages are legally recognized)?
13 - eartherin
Haven't heard about the "hole in the ozone" theory yet, but I am increasingly irritated at the extreme Christian right minority's insistence that they know what God was thinking when he caused (insert human disaster here). I truly believe global warming is why we are seeing an increasing number of hurricanes lately, and that is not because I am the "far-left" but because I am a scientist, and it's against my creed to ignore good science when I see it. The evidence should be obvious to anyone who cares to look into peer-reviewed scientific literature. But instead we let the popular media shape what we know, because it's too much work to really think about possible causes of what's happening around us.
14 - Natalie Davis
Small group, yes. But widely held thought? Perhaps. The only reason Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell haven't said something along these lines is that they learned their lesson. Remember when Robertson, after 9/11, blamed the terrorist attack on gays and pro-choicers, and Falwell, sitting at his side, nodded in agreement? The Terrible Two have learned a little PR savvy in the interim, but it doesn't mean they don't agree.
15 - Nancy
Maybe we ought to revert to the good old traditions of sacrificing a significant leader to assuage the anger of the gods, hey? Hmmm...how about Bush? Or perhaps Roberts? They have lots of 'mana' & I'm sure would be perfectly acceptable to an Angry God.
16 - alethinos59
>>No shit you're from the left. I wonder what the left would say if a Tornado ripped apart the campus of Oral Roberts University, or a forest fire burned down Bob Jones University. <<
I believe any intelligent person would say, "Can I help?"
17 - with karate ill kik ur ass
all religians are bad.
18 - ss
Help rip apart the campus or help the victims?
Or can we do both?
I'd show up with a jack hammer and a bag of rice, just declare the emergency.
19 - John Bill
I did a satire piece recently about Pat Robertson blaming hurricans on this kind of thing. Truth is stranger than fiction.
20 - Silas Kain
If it takes three more tragedies like Katrina to realize that we need to stand together as a country, then bring them on. No unilateral decisions. No partisan bickering. No finger pointing. No blanket assertions about groups.
Gee, Matthew, I've been trying that approach. I even went so far as to come up with this idea of asking the 535 members of Congress (House & Senate) to ask the PACs that supply them with cash to, in turn, donate the money to the effort. If all 435 Reps and 100 Senators were to commit to this at $500,000 per campaign, we would raise $267.5 Million. Imagine taking a quarter of a billion dollars OUT of the hands of political campaigns and into healing and rebuilding!
You know what I've gotten for actually trying this? Nothing but silence or grief. When the hell are we going to learn that the partisan bickering is getting us nowhere? There are so many possibilities and opportunities before us in the wake of Katrina. Am I the only Goddamn person here who understands that?
21 - with karate ill kik ur ass
who the hell is pat robertson.i think we should go [edited:PC] the pope with his heatseeking vision and his silencer.
22 - with karate ill kik ur ass
whos with me?
23 - Nancy
I remember you did; prescient - like that guy that wrote a novel about the terrorist attacks on London. Has anyone been monitoring 700 Club? Has Robertson been gloating?
24 - Steve S
I'm not high enough on the chart in order to cause hurricanes. However, I am personally responsible for more than a few volcanic eruptions.
25 - Silas Kain
Oh, Steve, there are so many ways I want to take that commentary of yours. I think I'll just shut up.