Friday, December 12, 2008

Musings on blasphemy

"But is it blasphemy to alleged blasphemer if they do not hold the words or the objects/beings in the subject sacred? Things to muse upon..."

The above is what I left as a comment in response to another gentleman who commented on Mule Breath's blogpost on the Rights of Man.

I believe the gentlemen have opened the door for thinkers to start using their heads for something besides banging on desks. Face it folks, nobody in the world agrees with each other. Hell, most people don't respect each other. It goes back to what I said about the War on Christmas. The adults in this world need to step up and act like adults. Nothing is going to be solved if we keep letting cultural and religious differences dictate our thoughts.

Does an average Wiccan care if the name of the Christian God is taken in vain in their presence? Would an average Muslim mind horribly if someone insulted the Jewish religion in their presence?

I don't know the answers, as I am not either Wiccan or Muslim.

What I do know is that my real response can't happen just yet. I need to think. I need to research and formulate an opinion before I start randomly pushing keys and puking into the blogosphere. I need to spend some time and read more about the background for the original post. I also know that I wish more people would take the time to do the same.

There is too much ick in the world today. I use "ick" because I feel it encompasses every bit and flavor of negativity out there. It boils everything down into a nasty reduction that when examined produces the gut reaction of "ick."

For all I know my thoughts as I digest more information may just end up reduced to "don't be a jerk." Or even "be nice." Neither of which is a really bad thing if you think about it. But this subject is definately worth spending some time thinking about. If nothing else perhaps it will open a door to a new way of thinking or a new subject to ponder.

Until then, here's a bit of what I fight to live by every day"

"In harm none, do what you will."

Something for others to ponder possibly.

4 comments:

Catzee said...

Effurrybody should be more like kitties an' just be themselfs an' let effurrybody else be theirselfs.

I'm glad yur sister is better!

MiniKat said...

You are so right, Catzee. I wish people were as smart as you.

Sharon said...

I recently heard an NPR interview with Frank Schaeffer and put his book, Crazy for God, on hold at the library. It sounds like he was honest enough to rethink his tradition, and I'm interested in reading more. Rethinking my tradition cost me all my "friends."

Mule Breath said...

MiniKat,

First I want to thank you for your insightful message here, and for the balanced comment to my blog [http://muledungandash.blogspot.com/2008/12/rights-of-man.html]. An open mind is a wonderful thing to find.

Just last evening I watched a documentary on FDR. The historians did an able job depicting how the toils and stresses of the job of President during depression and war weighed heavily on Roosevelt, and how it eventually killed him.

Throughout the documentary there was reference to FDR’s relationship and affair with Lucy Mercer. Although FDR abandoned that relationship, Eleanor’s reaction to the betrayal was to remain FDR’s wife only for public perception. FDR desperately wanted to regain the emotional attachment with Eleanor, but she could not forgive him. She remained wife only in name.

FDR’s 4th term had only just begun when he died. Eleanor was not with him, but Lucy Mercer was. When Eleanor arrived in California she was greatly displeased with this. Accompanying his body back to New York for burial at Hyde Park, Eleanor witnessed thousands upon thousands of Americans standing solemnly by the rail tracks to bid a final farewell to their President. The outpouring of love Eleanor witnessed caused a change of heart, and she finally forgave her husband.

Eleanor finally reconciled with her sense of betrayal and understood the feelings the people of America had for their President. She finally understood the sacrifices undertaken by the President in the name of greater good. She took her strong sense of humanity, augmented it with this new understanding, and set forth to make a difference in the world. The outcome was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

That was 60 years ago and we still haven’t achieved the dream, but we are much closer today than we were then.

“The struggle is far from over. As the Declaration’s custodians and beneficiaries, all of us must reclaim the UDHR, make it our own. While we are entitled to our human rights, we should also respect the human rights of others and help make universal human rights a reality for all of us. In our efforts lies the power of the UHDR: it is a living document that will continue to inspire generations to come.”

[http://www.un.org/events/humanrights/udhr60/index.shtml]