Tick Tock Sheptock

In case you don't follow the news and didn't see my first blog in three months yesterday, Pope Francis will visit the Untied States later this month. Though my church of the past 10 years is Episcopal (also called "Catholic Light"), I am all over this pope -- as are many non-Catholics. He epitomizes the anti-Capitalist principles of Christ -- which is surprising when you consider the fact that he comes from a country whose economic system is similar to ours. Then again, it's not so surprising when you consider the fact that Latin America has given us such saintly people as Oscar Romero and Hugo Chavez -- the latter being more of a revolutionary, and thus, more my type. I can appreciate the pope's penchant for confronting Capitalism -- even if he isn't calling for full-on revolution. That said, global Capitalism is the root of much social injustice and many other evils in the world . I don't know what the pope will say to Co...

I've often been bothered by how people distort scripture, science and the words of historic figures or deities in order to make the case for supporting their chosen lifestyle. I tell people to self-validate rather than twisting the words of God, Jesus, Martin Luther King, Jr. or the forefathers. After all, if you're already Hell-bent on living a certain way, why do you seek another opinion??? Your mind is already made up. I also worry that, when I've gone on to the next life, people will attribute beliefs and ideas to me that I never supported or that I was indifferent to. In this blog post, I intend to make my views very clear and unmistakable while creating a permanent record that will outlive me. Spirituality: I believe that God can best be described as the “God of Necessary Evils”. He told people to do good, swayed our circumstances in favor of us doing evil, came down hard on those who lived before Christ for not living up to His standard, required the blood...