James Watkins on MLK Day, hate speech, pro-life issues, . . .

JAMES WATKINS' HEAVY TOPICS WITH A LIGHT TOUCH

I have a dream
that one day this nation
will rise up and live out
the true meaning of its creed:
"We hold these truths to be
self-evident: that all men
are created equal."

January 15, 2008: Webzine
heavy topics with a light touch

• Top topic: Jesus on racial, gender, religious and social prejudices

• Hating people who hate is, well, hateful

• Indian Christians warned to 'covert or die'

• King's niece asks, 'How can dream survive?"

• Last issue's heavy topics with a light touch

• Presidents, prophets and politics

• "Right to life" also civil right issue

• Ten years ago today: Drudge dredges dirt on Clinton

• Top ten most popular sites at jameswatkins.com

With a kabillion sites you could visit, thanks for stopping by here! I hope you'll come back regularly for constantly updated humor; commentary on sex, society, the supernatural; and, of course, my plot to overthrow society as we know it. (Please save this page as a "favorite," then tell a friend.)

Thursday, January 24, 2008
hating people who hate is, well, hateful

The death of actor Heath Ledger, best known for playing a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain, is prompting some truly hateful online posts. First, Fred Phelps, best known for his "God Hates Fags" website:

[Westboro Baptist Church] will picket this pervert's funeral, in religious protest and warning: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked." Gal. 6:7. Heath Ledger thought it was great fun defying God Almighty and His plain word; to wit: God Hates Fags! & Fag-Enablers! Ergo, God hates the sordid, tacky bucket of slime seasoned with vomit known as 'Brokeback Mountain' - and He hates all persons having anything whatsoever to do with it.

Then, I received this unsigned email addressed to Phelps:

How disgusting of you and any other followers who condemn people of any kind. God is the only person who can judge anyone! I want you to know that you to have a great home in HELL waiting for you! God loves everyone and even a monster like you. The only different is on judgement day you'll have a nice warm place to burn for the rest of your miserable life for being an EVIL seed! May you burn in HELLS Fury and feel the pain you have caused to some beautiful HUMAN BEINGS, of which you are not! Rest in HELL!

Hmmm? I'm not sure which one is more hateful. And that's my point: hating people who hate is, well, hateful. God is not pleased with either response!
• God hates www.godhatesfags.com
• God loves homosexuals, but is "bent out of shape" by their behavior
• Hate is not Christian

Wednesday, January 23, 2008
indian christians warned to 'covert or die'

Christians in India’s Orissa state, where four Christians were killed and 95 churches were burned over the Christmas holiday, are being warned by Hindu fanatics to “covert or die.”

Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), a Bangalore-based Christian advocacy group, and All India Christian Council (AICC) report “large scale communal violence against churches” throughout the state. The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) of India has accused Hindu fundamentalists of “organized and pre-planned attacks” against the Christian community.

The state requires police permission before citizens can change religions. It was also in Orissa that in 1999 Australian missionary, Graham Staines and his two young sons were burned alive in their vehicle following a Bible study.

• Article from Christian Post
• My report from India (February 2000)

Tuesday, January 21, 2008
bill clinton: 'i had a dream'

While the speaker at Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem was preaching about Martin Luther King's dream, the former president was having one of his own!
(Photo from www.nypost.com)

Monday, January 20, 2008
king's niece asks, 'how can dream survive?'

"If the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is to live, our babies must live. Our mothers must choose life," his niece told a San Francisco audience estimated at 25,000 Saturday. The rally to observe the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion on demand, featured a civil rights theme.

"How can the 'Dream' survive if we murder the children? Every aborted baby is like a slave in the womb of his or her mother. The mother decides his or her fate."

King deeply regrets her two abortions. "I pray often for deliverance from the pain caused by my decision to abort my baby. I suffered the threat of cervical and breast cancer, and experienced the pain of empty arms after the baby was gone. And truly, for me, and countless abortive mothers, nothing on earth can fully restore what has been lost, only Jesus can."

• King's complete message [off site]
• Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech
• See post below for more on this issue

Friday, January 18, 2008
'right to life' also civil right issue

Monday commemorates Martin Luther King's birthday, but the day before Sanctity of Life Sunday focuses on 46 million human beings who will never have a birthday. That's the number of unborn babies aborted—and denied their rights—every year worldwide.

Today, we look back at the treatment of blacks and wonder how fellow humans could have tolerated such physical and emotional abuse. I pray that some day, we can look back at my generation in equal wonder on how the world could have tolerated these deaths.

• Is it a life or a choice?
• Is life valuable from the womb to the tomb?
• What did we learn from Terri Schiavo?
• Does genetic engineering promote life?
• Is capital punishment a pro-life issue?
• Are you pro pro-life?

Thursday, January 17, 2008
ten years ago today: drudge dredges dirt on clinton

Ten years ago today, a relatively obscure Web site reported that Newsweek had killed a story about President Clinton having a sexual relationship with an intern. The mainstream media waited five days before reporting that Clinton was being investigated in a possible cover-up of the affair.

Today, Matt’s Drudge’s Drudge Report, Monica Lewinsky and "citizen journalism" are household names. The president would eventually be impeached for lying to a grand jury. Here's how I covered the drama and resulting issues:

• The Sound of Monica musical [off site]
• Are bloggers journalists?
• Covering sex crimes: how much news is fit to print?

Wednesday, January 16, 2008
presidents, prophets and politics

Presidential contender Hillary Clinton has offended many in the black community by seeming to suggest that President Lyndon Johnson deserved more credit than Martin Luther King for civil rights legislation passed in the 1960s. "King's dream began to be realized when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964."

She's correct, of course, that the famed civil rights champion did not draft or sign the bill which legally ended racial discrimination. It's doubtful, however, that Congress and Johnson would have passed and signed the law if not for King's persistent preaching and protesting!

Throughout history, God has raised up men and women with no political power to challenge moral and social wrongs—from Nathan confronting King David concerning his affair with Bathsheba to Martin Luther King convincing Congress and the president that racial segregation was unjust.

Yes, presidents sign the laws, but prophets inspire them. Thank God for modern-day prophets such as King, Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II and Billy Graham!

• My thoughts on Mike Huckabee as candidate for prophet
• My thoughts on Billy Graham

Top topic: Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Jesus on racial, gender, religious and social prejudices

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?"

In five short words, Jesus overcame hundreds of years of prejudice based on social mores, race, gender, and much more! And here are some ways we, too, can overcome prejudices as we approach Martin Luther King Jr's birthday.

Social prejudices
Women came to gather water early in the morning—in groups. This woman seemed socially outcast to be coming to the well alone at noon. There was something very odd about her. Jesus broke other social norms by simply talking to a woman in public and particularly teaching a woman. Scripture notes that Jesus had many female disciples including "Mary (called Magdalene); Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support [Jesus] out of their own means."
• Top ten signs you may be prejudiced
• Hatred is not "Christian"

Racial and ethnic prejudices
Jews concidered the Samaritan half-breeds and as the text notes, "Jews do not associate with Samaritans."
• James Robert Watkins: soul brother
• Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream"
• Martin Luther King Jr's "Nobel Peace Prize" speech

Gender prejudices
Jewish men got up each morning and thanked God they were not born a dog, a Gentile or a woman. At that time, Women were considered "chattel" or property.
• Men and women are different
• Men and women are equal in God's eyes
• What was Paul thinking when he wrote 1 Timothy 2:12?

Religious prejudices
Apparently the issues of place of worship was also a barrier. The woman notes, "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." Jesus replied that is not physical location but the relationship with God that is most important.
• God is on our side—and theirs
• Having a relationship with God

Response
Just when I think—maybe—we're making progress, I get an email like this:

I THINK IT IS ABOUT TIME AMERICAN WHITE PEOPLE PUT THESE

BLACKS BACK IN THE REAR OF THE BUS!

Jesus, help us!

Tuesday, January 15, 2007
last issue's topics

• Top topic: Is United States church in decline?

• Candidates need a brain—and a heart

• Counselor diagnoses post-Christmas depression

• Cross-dressing doctor, author linked to drugs, porn, adultery, . . .

• Don't "Osama" Obama with terrorist email attack

• "Leave Britney alone!"

• New mug on Facebook

• "Prosperous future" . . . in foreign captivity

• Three new "Off the Wall" columns released

• Top ten signs presidential campaign in trouble

• Year in review

Tuesday, January 1, 2007
december's top ten sites

December ranking (November)>

1. Home page / blog (1)

2. The nativity story (2)

3. 'Jim Shorts' on holidays (4)

4. Top ten reasons I'm not divorcing my wife (5)

5. One nation under the Supreme Being of your choice (9)

6. The Twelve Sites of Christmas (—)

7. "Jim Shorts" on sex (10)

8. Is it a life or a choice? (6)

9. Women in ministry issues (7)

10. "Jim Shorts" on media (—)

And finally . . .
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