Congratulations and Kudos to RenewAmerica.com

By Dan J | Published: 2010 February 22

To be honest and fair to RenewAmerica, I preface this post with the disclaimer that the views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.

Congratulations!

Yes, I wish to heartily congratulate RenewAmerica.com for a magnanimous contribution to our society. Many institutions are either unwilling or unable to provide resources for the mentally or intellectually challenged so that they might have an outlet for their creativity. RenewAmerica.com has proven themselves both willing and able, particularly in the case of allowing individuals who, in my opinion, present evidence of not being well-grounded in reality a platform where they might express their screeds against science and reason.

One particular article on their site was recently brought to my attention in a blog posting at Pharyngula. The article mentioned is entitled “Evolutionism: the dying West’s science of magic and madness” and was penned by Linda Kimball.

From her very first sentence (after quoting Daniel Webster) she gives us evidence of her apparent misconceptions of reality.

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Sometimes Persecution ends in Death: Remembering Giordano Bruno

By Dan J | Published: 2010 February 17

410 years ago today a man was killed because of what he believed.

Giordano Bruno believed that the Earth is not the center of the Universe. He believed that our sun is but one of countless moving objects in our Universe. He believed that there are many worlds such as our own throughout the Universe. He believed that the stars we see at night are very much like our own sun. He believed that Mary, who Christians call the mother of Jesus, was not a virgin at the time of Jesus’ birth. He questioned Jesus’ divinity.

The Roman Inquisition found him guilty of heresy, for which he was burned at the stake at the Campo de’ Fiori in Rome.

Ten years ago today, Roman Catholic Cardinal Angelo Sodano described Giordano Bruno’s death as a “sad episode”. Cardinal Sodano continued to defended Bruno’s murderers, claiming that the inquisitors “had the desire to preserve freedom and promote the common good and did everything possible to save his life.”

I fail to see how the good Cardinal equates the preservation of freedom and attempting to save a mans life with attempting to force that man to deny his own beliefs. Violence and force are always used by such people when coercion by other means fails.

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How About Some Interesting Music: Die Antwoord

By Dan J | Published: 2010 February 11

I’ve been under the weather recently, which has left me tired and unmotivated. There are several things that I want to write posts about, but the text isn’t quite ‘flowing’ yet. I’ll get to those posts soon though. In the meantime, I’ll provide another musical interlude.

I’ve never been terribly fond of music which is lumped into the Rap or Hip Hop categories, though some of it I find quite likable. I recently heard music from a group called Die Antwoord. They are from Cape Town, South Africa, and something about their work keeps it running in my head at times.

Here is their track “Enter The Ninja”.

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Judith

By Dan J | Published: 2010 January 12

Maynard James Keenan has explained that this song is about his mother, Judith Marie Keenan, who was restricted to a wheelchair for the rest of her life after suffering a stroke. I appreciate the sentiments expressed in the lyrics. I can only hope that as time goes by, more Christians will examine some of the questions they raise.

This is Judith by A Perfect Circle.

http://www.dailymotion.com/videox8g077

Lyrics below the fold.

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“I love the country but I can’t stand the scene.”

By Dan J | Published: 2009 December 26

I’m often reminded of how varied people’s exposure to music can be. Twenty years is an eternity in the music industry. Those same years make a gap in musical generations that most people don’t bother to cross.

I don’t follow what I refer to as ‘pop culture”, so I don’t really know who most of the artists are on Billboard’s Top 40. I figure that ten years from now most people won’t remember most of those artists either, so it’s easier for me not to bother in the first place.

There are countless numbers of people who aren’t familiar with Leonard Cohen. He has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Lou Reed has described Cohen as belonging to the “highest and most influential echelon of songwriters”. I won’t even bother to delve into who Lou Reed is, for those of you who might be at a loss.

On February 19, 2009, Cohen played his first American concert in fifteen years at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. He’s 75 years old now, and continues to write and perform wonderful music. Here is Democracy, from his 1992 album The Future. Truly great music never goes out of style.

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Happy Crimbo! Life in a Northern Town

By Dan J | Published: 2009 December 25

Yes, Crimbo is nearly at an end, though the spirit of the day should remain with us at all times. Respect for our fellow humans [Remember: People deserve some amount of respect as a human being; ideas (like religion) do not deserve my respect.], treating others as you would be treated, and generally not being an asshole. There’s nothing inherently religious in any of that.

During the winter months, as at other time of the year, my musical tastes gravitate toward certain music that I associate with the season. That association may not mean anything to others, nor would it be easy to explain in some cases.

This song, though not a Crimbo song, is one that I enjoy listening to during the winter months in particular. It is a tribute to singer-songwriter Nick Drake, who died of an antidepressant overdose in 1974.

Here is The Dream Academy with their song Life in a Northern Town, on the December 21, 1985 airing of Saturday Night Live.

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