More Religious Bullshit . . .

OH, THOSE CRAZY EPISCOPALIANS . . .

Pittsburgh's bishop is on the hotseat for continued efforts to split his diocese from the Episcopal Church, according to national church sources. Representatives of the Pittsburgh Diocese will soon vote on constitutional amendments that would start the process of splitting from the national church.

Stuck-in-the-middle-ages Bishop Robert Duncan, of Pittsburgh, is among the leaders of a conservative U.S. group that believes the Episcopal Church is abandoning the primary authority of Scripture, which this group interprets as condemning homosexuality. Well, this asshole got a a little wakeup call from the Episcopal powers that be, Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori: "If your course does not change, I shall regrettably be compelled to see that appropriate canonical steps are promptly taken to consider whether you have abandoned the Communion of this Church ... and whether you have committed canonical offenses that warrant disciplinary action." Supposedly, Duncan could ultimately be deposed from office and declared to have abandoned communion with the Episcopal church.

Gee, I'll bet Duncan's really shaking in his boots now! How scary! For Christ's sake, let the asshole haters go and align themselves with an overseas Anglican leader. Enough with the drama, already.

OH, THOSE CRAZY BAPTISTS . . . A/K/A ONE GOOD REASON NOT TO LIVE IN TOPEKA (DIRTY SHITHOLE), KANSAS . . .

Remember the Westboro Baptist Church and it's infamous leader, Rev. Phelps? Well, they're back in the spotlight again with more wild antics that resurrect the debate: "is this a religious group or a f*#%ing cult?" Yes, this is the "God Hates Fags" group who insists that the deaths of U.S. soldiers in Iraq is divine punishment for the tolerance of homosexuality in the U.S. And they were just ordered to pay $11 Million to the father of a deceased soldier in Maryland for picketing the soldier's funeral.

Now one of their leaders, Shirley Phelps-Roper, is back in court for flag mutilation, negligent child abuse, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and disturbing the peace. Seems Phelps-Roper allowed her 10-year-old son to stand on the flag while protesting at a soldier's funeral in June. Okay, shouldn't this group be on the Jerry Springer show? But not to worry, the good ole ACLU is keeping this trashy entertainment saga alive by appointing attorney Bassel El-Kasaby as Shirley's lawyer. Other legal experts expect the $11 million judgement to be overturned and the current case to be dismissed based on first amendement issues and the Supreme Court's ruling that laws forbidding flag desecration are unconstitutional.

OH, THOSE CRAZY IOWA CHURCHES . . .

A county judge in Iowa recently overturned the state's same-sex marriage ban, so 1,200 zealots, including Baptists and Catholics, showed up at a rally to sing "We Shall Overcome" in an effort to persuade the Iowa Supreme Court to overturn the judge's decision. Gee, wasn't "We Shall Overcome" a civil rights anthem? Well, the judge's ruling was stayed while the Iowa Supreme Court reviews the matter before ruling . . . which could take up to two years. Meanwhile, the state's Roman Catholic dioceses, are calling for a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as solely between a man and a woman. Gee, how about putting some Catholic officials in jail for covering up all the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests?

I guess I'll never fully understand the insane, nonsensical world of organized religion.