Religious Rights Report
The Toys for Tots charity turns down a donation of bible verse spouting Jesus dolls; children everywhere sigh in relief.
Retail giant Wal-mart has switched sides in the "Christmas war," swapping the (supposedly) politically correct "Holidays" for "Christmas." So now shoppers can be sure their Walmart brand Nazi T-shirt is a Christmas gift, not a "holiday" gift...
Jesus and Mary Sightings
I would assume a Virgin Mary appearing in a gold nugget is a rare event. In any case, it's a sure bet it will do better on Ebay than this image of a dog's rear end.
Groaners
It's probably not a good idea to snark at the use of the Greek "Celt" and follow with a claim they were "Gaia centric."
"We are very careful about that: some of our donors are scared to death about nudity"
Lost Art
A pair of priceless paintings by Renaissance master Fra. Angelico have turned up on a dusty corner of the home of an elderly woman. The paintings, which were hung behind a door, were valued at about $800 before their true origin was discovered.
Weird
The Taipei airport's giant penis sculpture causes a fuss. Airport art finally gets interesting, of course it wouldn't last!
More than you ever wanted to know about the toilet habits of the ancient Essenes.
Grouchoghandi rounds up some instances of the number 23.
Tax collectors in India send out the castrati.
Poor Al
The much maligned Aleister Crowley is villainized twice in holiday season movie fare, first as the inspiration for the latest James Bond villain*, and as a plot device in the horror movie Puritan (whose house is haunted because-surprise- Crowley once summoned the Devil there. How original.)
*Which I guess is fitting
Comments
I have mixed feelings about the Swastika. I think it is time we remove the strong emotional hit it gives everyone and take it back as just one more symbol. The Nazi’s perversed it, it was a great Chinese Symbol for life and eternity, or whatever. People should stop cowering in the face of bigoted onslaught, and take back the things stolen from them (like the Christ stolen by the fundamentalists and literalists that are using the image of Jesus to attack other people.)
My son had a swastika tatooed on his arm when he was influenced by the Neo-Nazi’s in prison and it used to make me sick to see it. He tried to camoflage it with leaves into looking like a flower vine, but it is still visible. I have since realized I believe in only the One, the Unity of all Life, and Love, and that evil does not exist except as a stop on the way to enlightenment and eternity. God Bless everyone. Happy Thanksgiving. Stardust
It’s an interesting thing, these symbols. I had to get used to seeing swastikas everywhere as a lot of my neighbors are Hindu. I have to admit the first time I saw a row of cars with Swastikas on the hoods, I was a bit shocked, it’s just a flinch reflex, I guess. Nowadays, I don’t th8ink I notice them very much…it’s all context I guess.