Twelve Steps for Recovery from Fundamentalism

http://www.bigmamaschurch.org/

There are a few of the steps I disagree with here, especially No. 12, which flies in the face of Chief Joseph's advice on minding one's own business a few entries below.

As to whether God is patriarchal or not, I think it says in the Bible (the words of Jesus Christ Himself, you can't miss them) that God is a spirit.

God is a loving spirit. I happen to know this personally because of a Near-Death Experience I had not too long ago.

I went to the Baptist Sunday School yesterday and a heavy-set white woman made the comment with a mocking, condescending sneer in her voice, "People today say 'Gawd is love.'"

Yeah, they do. Maybe because it's in the Bible also.

These are "Bible-believing" Christians? That's what they keep telling me.

Okay, if they don't want to believe in a loving deity, that's okay by me. I just don't want them to unleash their judgmental, fearmongering, wrathful deity (aka Lucifer) on me in the form of their false messiah, Dubya.

Maybe my corpulent friend would be more comfortable worshipping The God of Hellfire that her "too, too solid flesh would melt, thaw and resolve itself into a dew."

I am coming full circle in my beliefs about the dangers of fundamentalist religion. I used to deride a girl in high school who went to the same Baptist church I sporadically attend these days. In those days I worshipped Bacchus. I was pretty high on myself most days also. But being somewhat bipolar there were also quite a few days of self-loathing as well. At any rate, if I had a dollar for the number of times I derided that girl to her face as a "fundamentalist," I'd be more easily able to pay for my retirement. At first she didn't realize I was trying to insult her. To an extent, it is really a blessing to be uneducated. Ignorance is bliss and all that.

Chief Joseph for President. Hail to the chief. I know you're out there somewhere, Chief, or there wouldn't be people channeling you. And unlike Governator Schwarzenegger, you are a native American.



Nez Perces Chief Joseph & Red Thunder pose with Edmund S. Meany, Washington, ca. 1903
Photographer
Curtis, Edward S., 1868-1952
Photographed
United States--Washington (State)--Seattle
Available Info On photo:
Left to Right
Chief Joseph and Red Thunder wearing headdresses, with Edmund S. Meany (called Three Knives by Chief Joseph)