Southern Baptists back Palin despite view on women’s role

RALEIGH, N.C. — Within the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, a woman may not lead a church or a home. But prominent Southern Baptists see nothing wrong with Sarah Palin serving as vice president — or perhaps even commander-in-chief someday.

In other words: A woman can run the White House, just not her own house.

Republican presidential nominee John McCain’s selection of the Alaska governor as his running mate — the first female on the party’s ticket in history — has thrilled conservative Christians. It also has led Southern Baptist congregations and seminary students to confront their beliefs about the role of women in leadership.

Interpreted from Scripture, the teachings on women are held close in thousands of Southern Baptist Convention churches where millions worship. Among them: “The office of pastor is limited to men,” and a wife should “submit herself graciously” to her husband. Earlier this month, more than 100 Lifeway Christian Bookstores — a retail chain affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention — pulled from the shelves a magazine featuring five female pastors on the cover.

Yet many in the denomination say the nation’s second-highest leadership post is an apple to the pulpit’s orange. Palin’s potential work in a McCain administration — or even as president in the event of McCain’s death — would be separate from her family life with her husband, Todd, and their children.

Full Article

Posted in Political, Spiritual | Comments Off on Southern Baptists back Palin despite view on women’s role

Canned Bacon

A.V. Club opens and eats a can of bacon with video to prove it.

Read about and watch the event here.

Posted in Goofy | Comments Off on Canned Bacon

I’m Catholic, staunchly anti-abortion, and support Obama

I found this commentary a bit captivating and thought I would share.  It comes from Nicholas Cafardi, a high profile anti-abortion Catholic legal scholar.

You can read it in its entirety here, but below are some highlights, and it’s the last highlight that I list that continues to stick with me:

  • I believe that abortion is an unspeakable evil, yet I support Sen. Barack Obama, who is pro-choice. I do not support him because he is pro-choice, but in spite of it. Is that a proper moral choice for a committed Catholic?
  • Despite what some Republicans would like Catholics to believe, the list of what the church calls “intrinsically evil acts” does not begin and end with abortion. In fact, there are many intrinsically evil acts, and a committed Catholic must consider all of them in deciding how to vote.
  • Obama’s support for abortion rights has led some to the conclusion that no Catholic can vote for him. That’s a mistake. While I have never swayed in my conviction that abortion is an unspeakable evil, I believe that we have lost the abortion battle — permanently. A vote for Sen. John McCain does not guarantee the end of abortion in America. Not even close.
  • Let’s suppose Roe v. Wade were overturned. What would happen? The matter would simply be kicked back to the states — where it was before 1973. Overturning Roe would not abolish abortion. It would just mean that abortion would be legal in some states and illegal in others. The number of abortions would remain unchanged as long as people could travel.
  • The right to abortion is guaranteed by the federal judiciary’s interpretation of the Constitution. And while the president appoints federal judges, the connection between a president’s appointments and the decisions rendered by his appointees is tenuous at best. After all, in 1992, five Republican-appointed justices voted to uphold Roe v. Wade in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Yet on other intrinsic evils — an unjust war, torture, ignoring the poor — I can address those evils directly by changing the president.
  • There is a difference between being pro-choice and being pro-abortion. Obama supports government action that would reduce the number of abortions, and has consistently said that “we should be doing everything we can to avoid unwanted pregnancies that might even lead somebody to consider having an abortion.” He favors a “comprehensive approach where … we are teaching the sacredness of sexuality to our children.” And he wants to ensure that adoption is an option for women who might otherwise choose abortion.
    Obama worked all of that into his party’s platform this year. By contrast, Republicans actually removed abortion-reduction language from their platform.
Posted in Goofy | Comments Off on I’m Catholic, staunchly anti-abortion, and support Obama

How Friendly Are You?


Your Friendliness Score is 70 (Friendly)


No doubt about it, you are a good friend and a friend to many.
You’re one of the first people your friends call when they have news.

You are quite popular, and your circle of friends is always growing.
And while you are always making new friends, you are careful not to leave your old friends behind.

While you are a great friend, you’re not perfect. Sometimes you slip a little.
Make sure to listen to your friends and make time for them. Occasionally they feel a little neglected.
Posted in Goofy | Comments Off on How Friendly Are You?