Probe Launched by Child Protective Services of Infant Discovered in Barn

From Free Republic:

Bethlehem, Judea —Authorities were today alerted by a concerned citizen who noticed a family living in a barn.

Upon arrival, Family Protective Services personnel, accompanied by police, took into protective care an infant child named Jesus who had been wrapped in strips of cloth and placed in a feeding trough by his 14-year old mother, Mary of Nazareth.

During the confrontation, a man identified as Joseph, also of Nazareth, attempted to stop the social workers. Joseph, aided by several local shepherds and some unidentified foreigners, tried to forestall efforts to take the child, but were restrained by the police.

Also being held for questioning are three foreigners who allege to be wise men from an eastern country. The INS and Homeland Security officials are seeking information about these men who may be in the country illegally. A source with the INS states that they had no passports, but were in possession of gold and other possibly illegal substances. They resisted arrest, saying that they had been warned by God to avoid officials in Jerusalem and to return quickly to their own country. The chemical substances in their possession will be tested.

The owner of the barn is also being held for questioning. The manager of the Bethlehem Inn faces possible revocation of his license for violating health and safety regulations by allowing people to stay in the stable. Civil authorities are also investigating the zoning violations involved in maintaining livestock in a commercially- zoned district.

The location of the minor child will not be disclosed, and the prospect for a quick resolution to this case is doubtful. Asked about when Jesus would be returned to his mother, a Child Protective Services spokesperson said, "The father is middle-aged and the mother definitely underage. We are checking with officials in Nazareth to determine what their legal relationship is."

Joseph has admitted to taking Mary from her home in Nazareth because of a census requirement. However, because she was obviously pregnant when they left, investigators are looking into other reasons for their departure. Joseph is being held without bond on charges of molestation, kidnapping, child endangerment, and statutory rape.

Mary was taken to the Bethlehem General Hospital where she is being examined by doctors. Charges may also be filed against her for child endangerment. She will also undergo psychiatric evaluation because of her claim that she is a virgin and that the child is from God.

The director of the psychiatric wing said, "I don't profess to have the right to tell people what to believe, but when their beliefs adversely affect the safety and well-being of others—in this case her child—we must consider her a danger to others. The unidentified drugs at the scene don't help her case, but I'm confident that with the proper therapeutic regimen we can get her back on her feet."

A spokesperson for the governor's office said, "Who knows what was going through their minds? But regardless, their treatment of the child was inexcusable, and the involvement of these others is frightening. There is much we don't know about this case, but for the sake of the child and the public, you can be assured that we will pursue this matter to the end."

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Jim, Tammy Faye Bakker's Son Has Punk Ministry

From The Indy Channel

NEW YORK -- He's tattooed, multi-pierced and preaching God's grace to people who otherwise might be turned away from the church.


Jay Bakker, who rebelled after the fall of his televangelist parents, is a minister in the new reality series "One Punk Under God: the Prodigal Son of Jim and Tammy Faye."


The show, which airs Wednesday evenings on the Sundance Channel, is about the church he calls Revolution, which, notwithstanding his decade-long sobriety, holds services in an Atlanta bar.

The Church Website

Should be interesting. Just lock your wallets away while watching.:)

Remains of Apostle Paul May Have Been Found

From The Christian Post:

ROME (AP) - Vatican archaeologists have unearthed a sarcophagus believed to contain the remains of the Apostle Paul that had been buried beneath Rome's second largest basilica.


The sarcophagus, which dates back to at least A.D. 390, has been the subject of an extended excavation that began in 2002 and was completed last month, the project's head said this week.

Wow.

DUmmies: How can we stop christianity?

Hat tip, JB at CU, and the link to DUmmieland:

kdsusa (752 posts) Mon Dec-04-06 08:42 PM
Original message
How can we stop christianity?
Seriously. It's done more damage than I can possibly document in one post. It's certainly more evil than Satan.

Let's formulate a plan... How do we eliminate this virus from our planet?

How tolerant of them.

Moonbats use child to attack religion.

Found on HotAir:

DUmmies hear of our little secret from Stossel, all hell breaks loose

Well, our little secret has hit the big time. John Stossel let it out last night on 20/20. No word yet on if he'll donate to the cause of repairing the resulting exploding DUmmie heads:

Update:

If anyone has a YouTube (or similar site) video of the interview mentioned in 9119495's post, I'd like to see it. Thanks.

namvet73 (200 posts) Thu Nov-30-06 08:32 AM
Original message
Stossel claims Conservatives more Generous than Liberals
Stossel got my ire up when, on a 20/20 Special "Greed in America" that aired 11/29/06, John Stossel started the show by pointing out that Conservatives give more to charities than Liberals because liberals expect the government to do it.

I don't believe it, but I haven't found anything to debunk it with facts. I found nothing on mediamatters.org yet.

I know my mother watched that show and would like to have some answers for her after she starts up on liberals.

Stossel Page: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Stossel /

Sorry if this was already posted, but I could not find it.


originalpckelly (1000+ posts) Thu Nov-30-06 08:33 AM
Response to Original message
1. Gee that's odd...
Edited on Thu Nov-30-06 08:33 AM by originalpckelly
considering how the conservative rich people in our country have screwed the poor so bad the poor pay more a percentage of their income in taxes than do the rich.


MannyGoldstein (1000+ posts) Thu Nov-30-06 08:40 AM
Response to Original message
2. The Evidence Says Otherwise
http://blueworksbetter.com/CharitableGiving


goddess40 (1000+ posts) Thu Nov-30-06 08:43 AM
Response to Original message
3. Don't you want to know what kind of drugs he's taken
These right wing reporters are absolutely disgusting - spewing "fact" to support the continued pillaging of America.


indepat (1000+ posts) Thu Nov-30-06 10:19 AM
Response to Reply #3
24. Herr Stossel is right, far right: conservatives have sprinkled far more treasure on the wealthiest
and large corporations than liberals have ever sprinkled on the :little people."


a kennedy (693 posts) Thu Nov-30-06 08:45 AM
Response to Original message
6. Yeah, he was on The View yesterday too.........you should have seen
Elizabeth's eyes open when he said that......just what the little conservative wanted to hear. Oh and she got invited to the White House for some shindig, said her husband couldn't attend so she's taking Rosie O'Donnell instead!!

9119495 (1000+ posts) Thu Nov-30-06 08:46 AM
Response to Original message
7. Don't waste your time on Stossel. A funny story...
Stossel offers up his right-wing propaganda videos for free to any classroom that requests them. The plan is probably to get teachers to jump at the chance to show a video instead of teach (which I'm sad to say a few in my profession actually do). I requested one of the videos immediately...and promptly destroyed it with a hammer. One less Stossel video to go around.

He also claimed the robber barons were good guys in one of his piece of shit books. He went on the Daily Show to promote it and more than any other time I've seen, Stossel got his ass handed to him. Stewart generally seems to think if a guest is willing to come on the show, they are worthy of respectful treatment. I guess that night he thought Stossel's bullshit was just to far from reality not to be dealt with.

Despite my best efforts, the DUmmies have found our little secret!

Oh noes! We might have to donate to the cause of piecing back together all of those exploding heads!

paagal kutta (1000+ posts) Tue Nov-28-06 03:18 AM
Original message
clearly this is bullshit.
i refuse to believe conservatives are more generous than those with liberal, inclusive views. so how is this author dude claiming otherwise?

Link to Real Clear Politics. Damn you Thomas Sowell! We ought to make you pay to repair these sploded heads!

MonkeyFunk (236 posts) Tue Nov-28-06 03:24 AM
Response to Original message
1. I think this has always been true...
but remember, they count churches as "charities".


Downtown Hound (1000+ posts) Tue Nov-28-06 03:26 AM
Response to Original message
2. As someone who has been homeless and worked with the homeless
I can tell you that I have never seen a single Republican volunteer his or her time or money to help. NOT ONE. Every one who ever donated or volunteered was a liberal.

This article is complete and utter bullshit.


Gwerlain (326 posts) Tue Nov-28-06 03:27 AM
Response to Original message
3. Oh, you mean like...
all those rich bastards figuring out how not to have to pay any income tax? So they're giving all my tax money to jebus. Lovely.


walldude (1000+ posts) Tue Nov-28-06 03:30 AM
Response to Original message
5. Oh please, they really want us to believe that whole
"trickle down" theory. Make the rich richer and they'll pass it on down to the poor. Gimme a break. This is how they donate money. Barbara Bush gives $40,000 dollars to help victims of Katrina. The stipulation is that the 40 g's goes to Neil's software company. Yeah what a generous lot they are


Mythsaje (1000+ posts) Tue Nov-28-06 03:47 AM
Response to Original message
6. Aren't charitable donations tax deductible?
Doesn't that translate into MAKING THE GOVERNMENT PAY FOR IT ANYWAY?

Or am I just losing it?


flyingfysh (814 posts) Tue Nov-28-06 06:37 AM
Response to Original message
7. they are counting churches as charities
So fundamentalists who tithe to their churches are throwing off the statistics.


EST (1000+ posts) Tue Nov-28-06 07:36 AM
Response to Original message
9. Sowell is a black republican.
Similar to a Jewish Nazi.
He's nuts.


zbdent (1000+ posts) Tue Nov-28-06 09:55 AM
Response to Original message
11. Maybe because liberals are likely to give to charities (especially legit ones)
just for the sake of trying to do some good, whereas most "conservatives" usually give to charities (esp. ones that are purely there for RW causes, or "fronts" for "charitable organizations") only to the point where it makes a difference on their tax return ... and once they reach the minimum donation for the maximum tax relief, they stop ...


nuxvomica (1000+ posts) Tue Nov-28-06 11:10 AM
Response to Original message
13. I'd really like to see the breakdown
If you ignore donations to religious groups, conservatives may not give so much. The same could probably be said about environmental groups and liberals. Even if conservatives give more than liberals for purely humanitarian causes, the issue is beside the point. No charity can have nearly the same positive effect as progressive government policies and investments. What's the point of giving to a soup kitchen if I turn around and vote for someone whose agenda is to increase the number of people who need to visit that soup kitchen?

Philanthropy Expert: Conservatives Are More Generous

I know this is a little bit dated, I just wanted to hide it from the DUmmies, whose heads might explode if they see this (they have this holier-than-thou belief that they are the most compassionate people on earth, despite never doing a damned thing for anyone but themselves). What better place to hide it than here?:) From BeliefNet:

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse University professor Arthur C. Brooks is about to become the darling of the religious right in America -- and it's making him nervous.

The child of academics, raised in a liberal household and educated in the liberal arts, Brooks has written a book that concludes religious conservatives donate far more money than secular liberals to all sorts of charitable activities, irrespective of income.

In the book, he cites extensive data analysis to demonstrate that values advocated by conservatives -- from church attendance and two-parent families to the Protestant work ethic and a distaste for government-funded social services -- make conservatives more generous than liberals.

If you go to DU, you'll see some of them claiming that Jesus was a socialist- that he advocated the redistribution of wealth. The conservative Christian position is that Jesus message was to individuals, not the government. That is why, despite the spin the extreme left puts on it, conservative Christians are among the most generous and nice people you will ever meet.

May we question their patriotism now?

You have to see see the latest DUmmie FUnnies. Our little KOmmies can't find a good thing about America (in Bolshevik Red in honor of PJ-Comix):

Calling Bullshit on America
by One Pissed Off Liberal
Mon Nov 27, 2006 at 03:22:14 PM PST
(crossposted from the frontpage of MyLeftWing)



Our nation, culture, and political system are all steeped in lies, contradictions, distortions, and propaganda – in other words, bullshit! It has taken me much of my life to shed the misconceptions and outright lies that have been drilled into me from birth, to develop and fine-tune my bullshit detectors, to learn to see anything with any clarity at all.




The government has powerful tools with which to manipulate our views, circumscribe our information, and mold our opinions (including the MSM and all the propaganda arms of the government itself) – and they use them with great zeal. The full extent to which the ruling class wants to hoodwink the rest of us cannot be overestimated. Their worst fear is that we will learn the truth.



My personal view is that only the truth finally matters, and that only the truth can set us free.

I’ll just touch on some highlights to make my point. Please feel free to add any bullshit I overlook to the pile.

Slavery was bullshit.



Manifest Destiny was bullshit.



Union busting was (and remains) bullshit.



Segregation and racism was (and remains) bullshit.



Duck and Cover was bullshit.



MKULTRA was bullshit.


The murders of JFK, RFK, and MLK were bullshit.



The Gulf of Tonkin Incident was bullshit.



The entire Vietnam War was bullshit.



The Chicago Democratic Convention of 1968 was bullshit.



The massacre at Kent State was bullshit.



Watergate was bullshit.



The Reagan Presidency was bullshit.



Iran/Contra was bullshit.



The reign of Bush I was bullshit.



The stolen election of 2000 was bullshit.



9/11 was bullshit.



Invading Iraq was bullshit.



Tax cuts for billionaires was bullshit.



The joining of church and state was bullshit.



The trashing of our environment is bullshit.



Healthcare in America is bullshit.



Corporate ownership of our politics is bullshit.



The stolen election of 2004 was bullshit.



The Drug War is bullshit.



Screaming ‘Support our troops’ while cutting funds to veterans’ programs and sending them into harm’s way for bogus reasons is bullshit.



The fascist takeover of America is bullshit.

Scrooge lives and he posts at the DUmp

All I can say is Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year:

Cyrano (1000+ posts) Sat Nov-25-06 04:06 PM
Original message
Holidays are bullshit. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, et al.
Edited on Sat Nov-25-06 04:36 PM by Cyrano
And let's throw in July 4th, Veteran's Day, Columbus Day, New Year's Day, and any other "holiday" you choose. Many of these days
are no more than days off from school or work. But what do they represent?

Christmas: The day that Christ was born? Easter? The day he arose from the dead?: New Year's Day: The day on which many western civilizations celebrate the 365th (or, if you count leap year,
the 366th day on which the Earth made another rotation around the sun.)

Many, many moons ago, a friend told me that 99% of virtually everything is bullshit. He was far wiser that I realized at the time.

But the biggest piece of bullshit of all time is Christmas: Yesterday marked the "starting line" of Christmas, THE GREAT CHRISTIAN HOLIDAY. Yesterday, everyone who could walk, crawl, limp, or sprint attacked the stores like they were giving away (depending on your desires) Brad Pitt, or Angelina Jolie look-a-likes.

Thanksgiving? A long trip, driving, or flying to spend time with
our families, trying to find something to say after not hearing from each others for years. (A little mercy on this one. Many did go out of their way to go home again.)

And then there's our patriotic holidays. July 4th, Veteran's Day, Flag Day, and all the other so-called days on which are meant to make us feel "patriotic" while turning off our minds and our power of critical thinking. I ache for everyone who has ever lost a son, daughter, mother, father, brother, sister, or meaningful other in any war. But, and trust me on this, our government doesn't give a flying fuck about your loss.

And what about Thanksgiving? All it was originally, was a prelude to mass murder committed on native Americans by Europeans who were going to establish an empire from sea to shining sea. (At the time, the invaders didn't know how far their empire reach.)

So forgive me if I don't join in your holiday celebrations. But if I may, I'd like to give you my view of what we should be celebrating. -- Oh, what the hell. I can't say it any better than John Lennon did when he wrote "Imagine."

(Sorry that this was posted three times. I tried to get the first two deleted but failed. I tried to get moderator help, but they seem to be over-gorged on turkey.)

DUmmie sees van full of Christian Hispanics... It must be a fundie conspiracy!!!

Our little trip into the minds of the DUmmies takes us to this... Apparently, our little group of mental midgets believes that Rev. Falwell has decided that he just can't compete with the drug smoking hippies at the ballot box, so he'll just start a civil war. It doesn't occur that this may be a group of Christians en route to a worship service at another church...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=214x92596

Tolerant Amongst Us TM strike again.

I'm so glad that I know the majority of Americans can't be good Americans:

ck4829 (1000+ posts) Tue Aug-01-06 10:28 AM
Original message
Can a
Conservative Christian be a good American???
Edited on Tue Aug-01-06
10:33
AM by ck4829
Can a devout Conservative Christian be an American
patriot and
a loyal citizen? Consider this:

Theologically, no.
Because his
allegiance is to white, blonde haired, blue eyed Jesus.

Scripturally,
no. Because his allegiance is to the three of the Ten
Commandments that he can
remember.

Geographically, no. Because his
allegiance is to the place
where they plan to get raptured to.

Socially, no. Because his allegiance
to white Jesus forbids him to
make friends with Americans such as Gays and
Muslims.

Politically,
no. Because he must submit to Pat Robertson, who
calls for the 'godly'
fumigation of Non-Conservative Christians.

Domestically, no, because he
is instructed to turn women into 2nd class
citizens (along with every other
non-white person).

Religiously, no.
Because no other religion is
accepted by his god except Conservative
Christianity.

Intellectually, no, because he cannot accept the American
Constitution since it is not based on Biblical principles.

Philosophically, no, because the 'christian' Right does not allow
freedom of religion and expression.

Democracy and the 'christian'
Right
cannot co-exist.

Therefore after much study and Deliberation
....perhaps
we should be very suspicious of ALL CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS in
this country.
They obviously cannot be both good Conservative Christians and
good Americans.
Call it what you wish ...it's still the truth. If you find
yourself
intellectually in agreement with the above, perhaps you will share
this with
your friends. The more who understand this, the better it will be
for our
country.

In light of this is it possible to have a democracy
in the US?
The war is bigger than we know.

Oh No! A DUmmie's friend's wife becomes a fundie!

Anyone who has been following DU since the beginning of Israel's war with Hezbollah knows that they are perhaps more obsessed with the Rapture than the folks at the Rapture Ready bulletin boards. In this DUmmie thread, The Tolerant Amongst Us^TM discuss the ramifications and possible cures of fundiness:


The Sushi Bandit (1000+ posts)
Fri Jul-21-06 01:21 PMOriginal message
HELP: My friend's Wife is becoming a Fundie
Calvary Chapel is her church and he is worried that she will get to the point that she will try to convert him and other stuff. He needs thoughtful advice on the right way to deal with this very important issue in his life. He loves her dearly but it a little scared about it all.I'll share your thoughtful comments with him later today.Peace


Taverner (1000+ posts)
Fri Jul-21-06 01:25 PMOriginal message
Fuck I don't know what to say
Fundies are much like drug addicts. You can't reason with them, they are willing to sacrifice everything including the ones they love, friends and family for their "drug", and they don't quit until they hit rock bottom.All I can say is support your friend during this time - he'll need it.


ayeshahaqqiqa (1000+ posts)
Fri Jul-21-06 01:26 PMResponse to Original message
4. If she's not too far gone,
he might wish to take her to a Dances of Universal Peace. Basically, they are a form of moving meditation or "body prayer" that honors ALL the world's spiritual traditions. They employ simple dance steps and I've even danced with people totally blind and people in wheelchairs. If you are in Hawaii, which I assume from the flag, there are Dances done there. They can change one's outlook. Best of luck.http://www.dancesofuniversalpeace.org/ has more information, but the site isn't always up to date as to who is leading dances where.