Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Dinosaurs, dictators and Nicolae’s film festival

Dinosaurs, dictators and Nicolae’s film festival

Last updated on: June 7, 2012 at 3:41 pm by Fred Clark

Dinosaurs, dictators and Nicolae’s film festival 2012-06-07T15:41:52-04:00 Fred Clark

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Charles Kuffner links to this article on dinosaur sculptor Keith Strasser and says, “I want to be a designer of dinosaur sculptures when I grow up.”

That’s an excuse to tell this story:

During the 2004 election, when I still lived in Delaware County, I volunteered with Move On, knocking on doors in Everybody’s Hometown. We coordinated at the home of another volunteer — “Dino” Don Lessem. Lessem is a popular author and dinosaur expert whose career includes, among other things, consulting for the Jurassic Park movies.

Remember the raptors from those movies? Several of stood on Lessem’s front lawn. The dilophosaurus that ate Newman sat on his front porch.

The directions Lessem gave us to his house were the same as the ones he gave to the Patch reporter: “It’s a house with red shutters. And there’s a big dinosaur out front.”

Turnout in the borough was over 90 percent on election day in 2004, and my precinct went 2-to-1 for Kerry. Dino-power.

(Oh, and if you’re visiting Everybody’s Home Town, don’t miss Dino Don’s Dinosaurium.)

* * * * * * * * *

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov is a ridiculous idiot.

That’s easy for me to say. Well, obviously, “Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov” isn’t easy for me to say, but what I mean is that I can easily mock this eminently mockable man without having to worry about any repercussions.

It wouldn’t take any courage for me to list all the honors and awards the “protector” of Turkmenistan has bestowed on himself and then snarkily retort: “The only title he is still missing is ‘Buddha.'”

But it did take courage for the anonymous Turkmen wisecracker who left that comment on a Russian news site.

Berdimuhamedov controls the press in Turkmenistan, which “ranked 177th in a list of 179 [countries] in Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index.” He controls what the people of his country can and cannot say about him

But, as Global Voices reports, web-savvy Turkmen have figured out how to leave untraceable comments on websites outside of Berdimuhamedov’s control.

Voices’ roundup of their comments provide a fascinating peek into a closed society. It also provides a powerful reminder to be grateful for the privilege I have to mock my own government officials with impunity. If you, too, enjoy such freedom, do not let it go to waste.

* * * * * * * * *
Historian and author John Fea has been touring to promote his book, Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? Fea is a professor at Messiah College, an evangelical school here in Pa., so his publicity efforts have involved a lot of Christian radio and evangelical churches.

Fea recounts some of the highlights from his travels in a Patheos column, “On the Road With Christian America“:

A conservative talk radio host in Orange County, California asked me if the founding fathers would have opposed the placing of American flags near gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. (There was apparently a news story dealing with this issue at the time of my interview). When I said that I did not know, he went off on a tirade about how liberal history professors were destroying this country. …

A Christian radio host asked me to define George Washington’s position on abortion. …

After hearing me talk about Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? at Colonial Williamsburg, a man asked me if Messiah College “was still a Christian college?”

At the same lecture, a woman wanted to know if I believed in “collective salvation like Barack Obama.” …

I began a talk at an Arizona mega-church by asking the audience of 200+ evangelicals to raise their hand if they thought that America was “founded as a Christian nation.” Nearly every hand in the room went up. (I have since learned not to start my talks in this fashion).

* * * * * * * * *

Andi Cumbo discusses her “Five Elements That Make a Book ‘Good’ to Me.” I thought about cutting and pasting the entire thing here, retitled as “Five Elements at Which the Left Behind Series Fails Utterly.”

The Transylvania International Film Festival last weekend in Nicolae Carpathia’s hometown of Cluj did not include the films Left Behind or Left Behind II: Tribulation Force. (The latter was a digital, direct-to-DVD production, so can we call it a “film”?)

But if anyone was looking for some End-Times entertainment, there’s been more than enough recently to keep the “Bible prophecy” maniacs as manic as ever:

“Rockefellers and Rothschilds Unite,” the Financial Times reported, delighting John Hagee.

The Bilderberg Conference brought the leading lights of the Illuminati together in Virginia, sending Jack Van Impe into a frenzy.

And the Law of the Sea Treaty has resurfaced, causing Tim LaHaye to make his “O-face.”

If that’s not enough to keep the anti-Antichrist brigades happy, they can always just fall back into hating on Muslims.

* * * * * * * * *

Alvin McEwen challenges Alveda King to put up or shut up with her lies about Bayard Rustin. She shuts up.

McEwen also reports on a book that “blows the lid off of gay link to black gospel music.” Was that lid ever on?

And while I’m linking to Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, McEwen makes another excellent point. The religious right is predictably freaking out over the supposed moral calamity of C-list superhero Northstar’s same-sex wedding. But they’ve never made a peep in protest of the morality of the Punisher.

In the last few years, The Punisher comic book has been the showcase of, shall we say, repulsive actions, all viewed in living color including but not limited to: Eviscerations (i.e. disembowelments), cannibalism, rapes, immolations (i.e. setting people on fire), close-ups of violent shootings, death by snakes, piranhas, sharks, polar bears …, beheadings, the destruction of an entire island by a nuclear bomb, a tossing of a gangster from the top of the Empire State building … castrations …

But not once, I repeat, not once has any religious right group raised anything resembling anger, outrage, disgust, or downright shock over any of these things.

It’s not that the religious right approves of such things, mind you. It’s just that condemning the Punisher’s ultraviolence doesn’t bring in as many fundraising dollars as condemning Northstar’s wedding does.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

June 7, 2012

'I will not let you go, unless you bless me'

Next Post

June 7, 2012 Birthday presents

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category class warfare evangelicals Iraq Left Behind Mammon music Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many books are in the Bible?

Select your answer to see how you score.

27 66 70 39