Friday Night Guitar To Rule Your Face

I'm in a mellow mood tonight, enjoy Canada's Fist Lady of Guitar, Liona Boyd.

A Liberal, Progressive Church in America? Logic Fail

Reuters again.

The U.S. Episcopal Church gave its clergy the go-ahead on Friday to bless some same-sex unions, such as civil partnerships in states that legally recognize them, setting the stage for further conflict with the wider Anglican world.

I was raised Anglican, and can vouch that the Church of England is pretty tame compared to some other religions.

The drama is unfolding against the backdrop of America's wider debate over sexual orientation issues, such as gay marriage, child adoption by same-sex parents and the status of homosexuals in the military.

According to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, the United Church of Christ is alone among major U.S. Christian denominations in officially recognizing gay marriage. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America may decide in August to sanction same-sex marriage as well.

Polls consistently show gays and lesbians enjoying growing acceptance in American society. But fast-growing faiths in the United States such as many evangelical Protestant churches and the Mormon church regard homosexual relations as sinful and proscribed by scripture.

Yay, for progress. But something in the back of my brain tells me that this is a business decision by the Episcopal Church.

I'm also reminded of this quote: "Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine."

In related news, our first local Gay Pride Parade is taking place on August 1st. I have a couple of friends attending, and I'm thinking about showing my support and take it in.. maybe take a few photos and blog about it.

Columbus may have know of the New World in advance

Reuters reported yesterday, that the 15th century Vinland Map, is the real McCoy and has been radio carbon dated to 1440.

Controversy has swirled around the map since it came to light in the 1950s, many scholars suspecting it was a hoax meant to prove that Vikings were the first Europeans to land in North America -- a claim confirmed by a 1960 archaeological find.

That would be the find at L'Anse aux Meadows, on Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula.

The Vinland Map is not a "Viking map" and does not alter the historical understanding of who first sailed to North America. But if it is genuine, it shows that the New World was known not only to Norsemen but also to other Europeans at least half a century before Columbus's voyage.

Photo of the Norse settlement replica, a few hundred feet from the actual archaeological site.
L'Anse aux Meadows photo taken by my good friend Lionel, during his visit two years ago.


Lionel getting his "viking" on.

Old Testament - Torah - Short Version

In the beginning of this story, a man named Adam and his wife Eve are kicked out, or leave on their own, a town named Eden.. for being atheists. They saw the tricks of the town leaders and their stories about god(s), for the lies that they were, and how those lies controlled the public to the leaders' advantage. They founded a new town elsewhere which gave in to superstitions a generation or two later.

Elsewhere, a man named Noah raised livestock near a river. Noah was a bit odd, for, as others had small boats in the river, he also built a raft near his barn. One day the river flooded its banks, and all the villagers lost their livestock. Except for Noah, who was able to save enough goats, sheep, and chickens to repopulate his flocks in a few years.

Sometime later, an illusionist named Moses travels between Egypt and the Dead Sea, performing his tricks and acquiring these and many other stories from all over the lands, including stories from the silk and spice roads. He writes these down, edits, embellishes, and makes sure to add some wonderful stories about himself for good measure. He's likely an opium user, as he has a penchant for talking to shrubbery.

Others add to these stories over the years, and intertwine some allegory, some local history, some moralistic messages, and some bat-shit crazy fiction.

Then a strange thing happens... people start believing these stories, despite all the crazy fiction, and then somebody decided to take advantage of those fools and their easily parted money.

The End.