For the Japanese it’s a mixture of Shinto and Buddhist religions. Shinto seems relatively harmless, and even helpful, with the focus on family, nature and cleanliness. They could lose the worship of deities and dead ancestors, though. Buddhism is less a religion, but rather a self-help, clear-out-your-mind sort of thing.
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Buzz Thomas thinks that we take the Biblical command to multiply too literally. He thinks that we are being environmentally irresponsible by having too many babies. I have a beautiful new grandson, so Buzz can just buzz off.
He cites the Aztec religion, with their own self-destruction, as a lesson for modern-day religion, which supports large families and shuns abortion.
Each new person requires more food, water and oxygen. At the same time, each is producing more carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane (the big culprits of global warming).
Give me a break! Maybe he would have us kill off a few folks in order to keep an acceptable number.
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I passed a church billboard today that read, “GOD ANSWERS KNEE-MAIL.” That is fast becoming your backup position if you lose your internet connection. The latest of the online prayer groups is Dear God, an Australian based site that lets you air your petitions to the Almighty, by whatever name you want to call him/her. Obviously, the greatest audience is among young people. Most of the old folks probably regard it as “of the Devil.” But the kids are always looking for new ways to personalize their Creator.
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Just down the road from me in Newport Tennessee, on any given Sunday, snake handling can be observed at Edwina Holiness Church with Signs Following. Did I mention that they were poisonous snakes? And Pastor Jimmy Morrow doesn’t just preach while holding them; he catches them for the services. In fact, he knows just about everything there is to know about them — especially copperheads.
Phil Colclaugh, the curator for the department of herpetology at the Knoxville Zoo has checked Pastor Morrow out and found him to be the real deal. Apparently, the key to handling the deadly critters is that you first have to be anointed. Once that happens, any church member, man or woman, can pick them up without injury. Of course this excludes children, due to the fact that faith and Child Protective Services will lock horns.
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