Just a day after Laurel and I joined the Unitarian Jihad, Senate majority leader Bill Frist demonstrates why this campaign against religious extremism is needed so badly.
The New York Times reports that Frist, my least favorite U.S. senator (especially after he outrageously dared to “diagnose” Terri Schiavo’s condition from videotapes and medical records) “has agreed to join a handful of prominent Christian conservatives in a telecast portraying Democrats as ‘against people of faith’ for blocking President Bush's nominees.”
Senator Frist, I have some news for you: there are lots of “people of faith” who are pleased that the Democrats are preventing a few unqualified nominees from getting lifetime appointments to a federal judgeship.
I am one of those people. It isn’t necessary to be a Christian to be a person of faith. There are many varieties of faith. Some don’t even have a name, not being associated with an organized religion. These might well be the truest faiths.
It’s a strange conception, this notion of Christian right’ies that only people who have a belief in God exactly like theirs have high moral and ethical standards. The New York Times article says that Christian conservatives consider that the battle over the nominees is part of a 30-year culture war.
I don’t understand what culture and religion have in common. I’ve always thought that the eternal God and all things divine were far above ephemeral cultural comings and goings. But if the Christian right wants a culture war, we of the Unitarian Jihad are prepared to fight for truth, justice, and the universal way.
Universal. Not Christian, not Islamic, not Jewish, not Buddhist, not Taoist, not anything with an “ian,” “ic,” “ish,” or “ist” attached to it. The American government represents everybody. Christians are part of that everybody, but just a part. No part should be able to run rough-shod over the whole, even if it is a majority part.
I have no problem with politicians who have strong religious beliefs. I do have a problem with politicians who don’t recognize the relativity and subjectivity of those beliefs, mistaking them for absolute commandments From On High. No, they’re just beliefs. And they have to be rationally defended in the court of public debate just like any other beliefs.
The most annoying characteristic of religious fundamentalists like Frist and his Christian allies is their sense of entitlement. “Because I believe it, it must be so.” No, it doesn’t. Again, your beliefs are just beliefs. You may believe that Terri Schiavo should have had her feeding tube reinserted, abortion is a sin, and gays shouldn’t marry. Fine. Just remember that other people have valid reasons for believing differently. Argue about your differences, but don’t claim that you have a direct line to God.
The first communiqué of the Unitarian Jihad says it nicely:
Beware! Unless you people shut up and begin acting like grown-ups with brains enough to understand the difference between political belief and personal faith, the Unitarian Jihad will begin a series of terrorist-like actions. We will take over television studios, kidnap so-called commentators and broadcast calm, well-reasoned discussions of the issues of the day. We will not try for "balance" by hiring fruitcakes; we will try for balance by hiring non-ideologues who have carefully thought through the issues.
Sounds good to me. Bring on the Jihad.
U*U Jihad® is a radical splinter group of Unitarian Jihad. Screw committees U*U Jihad® is an Army of One dedicated to kicking hypocritical U*U bU*Ut U*U WORLD*wide. . . ;-)
Press Release: A CoU*UrageoU*Us Pre-daU*Un AssaU*Ult On The Fortress of Complicit Silence by a *crack* regiment of U*U Jihad® GU*Uerrillas!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: The Dagger of Sweet Reason
Address: Somewhere in Soviet Canuckistan aka Soviet CanU*Uckistan
Phone: 996-273-EYES
email: [email protected]
Web Sight: U*U Unitarians
In a daring pre-daU*Un raid U*U Jihad® gU*Uerillas made a direct assaU*Ult on the U*U infidels' Fortress of Complicit Silence (aka the U*Unitarian ChU*Urch of Montreal) on SU*Unday December 18th, 2005. U*U Jihad® forces approached from U*Uhat is pretty mU*Uch the trU*Ue North strong and free, bU*Ut which in *Montreal-ese* is habitU*Ually referred to as *east*. . . Completely U*UnU*Uitnessed by seemingly U*Uitless, and apparently even U*UnaU*Uakened. . . U*U eyes oU*Ur coU*UrageoU*Us U*U Jihad® gU*Uerillas first reconnoitered the battlefield by marching aroU*Und in a complete circle in very tight formation. U*U Jihad® gU*Uerillas then made one giant step for a man, or even a trained ape. . . and then resolU*Utely, tenacioU*Usly and even qU*Uite stU*Ubbornly advanced throU*Ugh knee deep U*U *snow* towards the trU*Ue north bU*Ut habitU*Ually referred to as *east* side of the Fortress of Complicit Silence aka the U*Unitarian ChU*Urch of Montreal.
In order to soU*U confU*Usion amongst the infidel enemy U*U Jihad® gU*Uerillas made a feint to the right aka west aka *north* in Montreal-ese and then proceeded to perform a flanking manoU*Uvre by marching in a very wide circU*Ular formation back towards the east aka *south* in Montreal-ese. At the apex of this mU*Uch wider circle U*U Jihad® gU*Uerillas sU*Uddenly came to realize that they were U*Up against an all bU*Ut completely *impenetrable* U*Uall of oU*UtrageoU*Usly sincere U*U ignorance: U*Uhich is apparently U*Understood to be *strength* by totalitarian U*Us. . .
U*U Jihad® gU*Uerillas continU*Ued on their merry way in their U*U flanking manoU*Uvre before coming to realize that they had gone jU*Ust a bit too far in their confU*Usion soU*Uing U*U flanking manoU*Uvre and were now actU*Ually marching aU*Uay from the infidels' Fortress of Complicit Silence, aka the U*Unitarian ChU*Urch of Montreal. Immediately U*Understanding that they had qU*Uite U*Unintentionally and potentially dangeroU*Usly exposed the *rear* of their formation to a possible infidel assaU*Ult from *behind* oU*Ur brave U*U Jihad® foot soldiers did an immediate aboU*Ut face and retreated U*Uhence they had came from. OU*Ur coU*UrageoU*Us U*U Jihad® geU*Urrillas came to the genU*Uinely qU*Uite U*UnfortU*Unate realization that any U*U Jihad® assaU*Ult on the U*U Fortress of Complicit Silence, aka the U*Unitarian ChU*Urch of Montreal, approaching from the trU*Ue North strong and free woU*Uld inevitably rU*Un U*Up against a trU*Uly hU*UmongoU*Us, as U*Uell as remarkably *thick* U*Uall solidly constrU*Ucted from impenetrable bricks of calloU*Us U*U indifference mortared together with the high-strength Crazy glU*Ue of obstinate U*UillfU*Ul ignorance. The *rear-gU*Uard* of U*U Jihad®'s *crack* gU*Uerilla assaU*Ult forces performed a genU*Uinely coU*UrageoU*Us defensive rear-gU*Uard action to help to *cover* their retreating fellow U*U Jihad foot-soldiers by laying mines in the path of the infidel enemy as the strategic retreat of *crack* U*U Jihad® gU*Uerillas proceeded with complete and U*Utter sU*Uccess!
The U*U Jihad® propaganda department, aka The Ministry of TrU*Uth, is trU*Uly and genU*Uinely pleased to be able to trU*Uly, and indeed most veracioU*Usly, report to the whole wide U*U World that there were absolU*Utely no casU*Ualties amongst oU*Ur still resolU*Ute and totally U*UndaU*Unted *crack* regiment of highly trained and experienced veteran U*U Jihad® gU*Uerillas. Aerial reconnaissance of this trU*Uly and genU*Uinely historic U*U Jihad® assaU*Ult on the Fortress of Complicit Silence, aka the U*Unitarian ChU*Urch of Montreal, was performed by an U*Unmanned drone of the U*U Jihad® Air*Force, which was actU*Ually piloted by a trained ape!
Completely and U*Utterly U*Undoctored overhead photography of the *corpse-cold* Unitarian*Universalist battlefield is now being made available for the whole wide U*U World to see, and possibly even for the edU*Ucational and entertaining vieU*Uing pleasU*Ure the whole wide *real* world as well.
Vive la RevolU*Ution!
Allah prochaine,
The Dagger of Sweet Reason
PB2U*Us
Posted by: The Dagger of Sweet Reason | December 18, 2005 at 04:29 PM
I came to this site due to the words wu chi, only to find out, that apparently no one knows wu chi. The above statements have nothing to do what so ever with wu chi. Its the same old story with religion who claimss that their God is Omnificent . Omnipotent . Omnipresent . But seems that they have to tell their God in prayers about the situations here on earth, or help him by harming those with different ideas or no idea about a God. In their preaching, they imply that the Holy Spirit can't deliever the truth unless it is from their own Holy Books. Their God can't do certain works, so they have to take over this doing. Or That their God is this, but isn't that. How can you people use these three Omni's above unless you do not know the complete meaning.
What would it mean to you, if, the two words in any language were taken away or never existed. These two words are Yes and No.
I know of no religion that hasn't had their God say whoops, my bad many times since their teachings were started. From your writings, I can truely say. "You do not Know".
I'm talking to the author of this site. I could care less if you printed this or not.
Posted by: Jay Brown | August 23, 2009 at 09:25 AM
Jay, this post isn't about wu chi. But the post I wrote a few days later is. See:
http://hinessight.blogs.com/church_of_the_churchless/2005/04/wu_chi_empty_fu.html
I'm pretty familiar with Taoist philosophy. What do you disagree with in the above post, "Wu chi, empty fullness"? I love to discuss wu chi, so let's have a conversation.
I've been studying Tai Chi for about five years. As I said in another post, "wu chi" is heard a lot in my classes, since it is the balanced ready position from which the tai chi movements begin. See:
http://hinessight.blogs.com/church_of_the_churchless/2007/11/nowhere-to-go-n.html
I'm curious. You say that you can tell that I don't know. I'd surely agree with that. Who does know the ultimate truth of the cosmos? Do you know? If so, leave a comment about what this knowledge is. I, and others, would be interested to know what real Knowing is, for sure.
Posted by: Blogger Brian | August 23, 2009 at 09:56 AM