Footprints On The Moon

“Don't tell me the sky's the limit when 

there are footprints on the moon.” 

~ Paul Brandt

Zen Buddhist Monkeys Meditate For Marshmallows?!!

A recent 'New Scientist' article by Linda Geddes Zen-titled 'Monkeys meditate for marshmallows' informs us of the following scientific facts -

What would the Buddha have said? Monkeys have been trained to put themselves into a Zen-like trance – but out of desire for marshmallows rather than enlightenment. . . Two of the four monkeys tested learned to put themselves into this state within two training sessions; the others took four sessions to get the hang of it.

Without further ado here are a couple of my variations of the original I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER? Lolcat image, as inspired by this New Scientist article. Needless to say I *am* counting on Zen Buddist monks, and Buddhists more generally, to have a well developed sense of humor and hopefully get a chuckle or two out of these LOLmonks images -

Richard Dawkins Is An Idiot According To Deepak Chopra

At least that is what Concordia University's independent student newspaper 'The Link' is reporting in an article headlined -

“Richard Dawkins is an Idiot”

And subtitled - The Link Gets Deep with Deepak Chopra

Here is the comment that I just submitted to that article with some additional embedded hyperlinks to pertinent online resources -

Gotta love how Deepak Chopra disregards his own rather questionable spiritual advice about not blaming and criticizing people when Richard Dawkins is mentioned. . . ;-)

Besides being an intolerant and even somewhat bigoted anti-religious "idiot", the not so Bright professor Richard Dawkins *could* be described as an Atheist Supremacist. . .

end quote

Oh dear. . .

It seems that *someone* at my old alma mater Concordia University's 'The Link' has already "memory holed" my original comment, so I just resubmitted the comment exactly as it is presented here with the two embedded links and will post a screen-shot here for good measure.

Wow! They did it again already. . .

Here is the screenshot of my second resubmission of the comment and follow-up comment asking 'The Link" to refrain from censoring my legitimate comment on the “Richard Dawkins is an Idiot” article -

And here is the screenshot of Deepak Chopra's much ReTweeted Twitter Tweet asserting that -

"When you blame and criticize others, you are avoiding some truth about yourself."

And. . .

Just for some additional good measure here is the somewhat cheeky but well-meaning Tweet that I sent to Deepak Chopra regarding his name-calling of the pompous ASS* Richard Dawkins as an idiot. . .

"@DeepakChopra Forgive me for asking Deepak but, when you name-call Richard Dawkins an idiot, are you avoiding some truth about yourself? ;-)"



* ASS is my acronym for Atheist Supremacist Spokesperson :-)

We're Not In Kansas Any More U*Us Butt We *Could* Be In Kahn's Ass. . . :-)

Trust someone from Austin Texas aka "The Lone Star State" to go Googling around for a BIG rectal thermometer. :-)

A Christmas Story For Unitarians That Is Strangely Interconnected With Famous Unitarian Rod Serling *Star* Host Of The Twilight Zone. . .

Liberal Christian British Unitarian minister Rev. Andrew James Brown who is a University Chaplain to Cambridge University, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge Regional College and a Police Chaplain for Cambridgeshire Constabulary, blogged about the New Testament story/myth of the Magi aka Three Wise Men on his CAUTE blog today. Some of his words reminded me of an old science fiction short story by Arthur C. Clarke and I decided to post a cautionary comment about 'The Star' to this blog post. In searching for a web page or two to link to that would help Rev. Andrew James Brown and other Unitarian*Universalists to enter into a free and responsible search for the truth and meaning of not only my comment but the theological implications of Arthur C. Clarke's 'The Star' I discovered that a version of 'The Star' had been televised on 'The Twilight Zone' which of course was hosted by famous Unitarian Rod Serling. I feel that it is worthy of posting my comment here as a kind of Christmas story for Unitarian*Universalists albeit a somewhat "less than wonderful" one.

"To be faithful to the Christmas story and science is simply to keep looking for the new star and to be prepared to follow it *wherever* it leads, despite the profound challenges it will always bring to old ways of being and thinking."

And what if *wherever* that new star, or indeed rediscovered and/or resurrected "less than new star", leads you to causes profound challenges to current ways of thinking that have "less than pleasant" implications Andrew? You might want to read Arthur C. Clarke's science fiction short story 'The Star' written way back in 1955 to get *some* idea of what I am talking about here. Trust "famous Unitarian" aka "famous U*U" :-) Rod Serling to try to put a positive spin on the Twilight Zone's televised version of 'The Star'. . .

Who is to say that the "new star" in the east, that allegedly heralded the birth of Jesus Christ, wasn't a supernove that wiped out an alien civilization? But there are other "news stars" closer to home that have rather disturbing implications.

One of them turned 64 this year. . .

Is This Richard Dawkins' Most Idiotic Quotation? Or Is It Just His Most Stunningly Ignorant Quote About Religion?

"Many of us saw religion as harmless nonsense. Beliefs might lack all supporting evidence but, we thought, if people needed a crutch for consolation, where's the harm? September 11th changed all that."

Just asking. . .

Come to think of it. . . World famous "fundamentalist atheist" if not Atheist Supremacist Richard Dawkins' apparent belief that religion is just "harmless nonsense" lacks supporting evidence.

Freedom From Religion Foundation Atheist Bus Campaign Ads As Ad*Busted By The Wonderful Wizard Of U*Us

Most of the Richard Dawkins quotes are unmodified exact quotes. A few quotations have been slightly tweaked for the purposes of parody and satire, not that the completely unmodified Richard Dawkins quotes aren't hilarious. . . :-)

All of the Richard Dawkins quotations in the Ad*Busted Freedom From Religion Foundation FreeThought Bus Campaign ads, as well as the first Mark Twain quotation (which was of course deliberately taken out of context to make a point or two), are courtesy of the official RichardDawkins.net website. ;-)

You Know aka U*U Know

Just saying for some reason. . .

Are Rev. Dr. Timothy Jensen And Robin Edgar A Couple Of 97% White Albino Skunks Stinking Up The Interconnected Interdependent Web?

Just asking Google. . . :-)

Of course it doesn't hurt to ask Google another question or two.

Are The Seven Principles Of Unitarian*Universalism Good Enough For The Emerson Avenger?

Kinda looks that way. . . :-)

Just a little reminder for U*Us -

The Seven Principles Of Unitarian*Universalism

There are seven principles which Unitarian*Universalist congregations affirm and promote:

* The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

* Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

* Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;

* A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;

* The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;

* The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;

* Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Did You Mean Henry Louis Gates Race Hypocrisy?

Apparently so. . .

Will Unitarian Universalists Bring Guns To Church To Engage In Some U*Unilateral Disarmament?

I a UU A Way Of Life blog post rhetorically asking 'Should Unitarian Universalist ministers encourage their congregants to bring their guns to church' reacting to a BBC news report about Louisville Kentucky Pastor Ken Pagano telling/asking his parishioners to bring their unloaded guns to New Bethel Church in Louisville for a July 4th themed church service celebrating the right to bear arms, Brockport NY U*U David G. Markham asked -

WWJD - What would Jesus do?

and then went on to say -

Considering the 6th principle of Unitarian Universalism which is the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all, and the first principle which is the respect for the inherent right and dignity of every person, I think that Rev. Pagano's practice of bringing handguns to church is morally and ethically challenging.

Here is how I responded -

Come to think of it David. . .

Maybe Unitarian*Universalist ministers *should* encourage their congregants to bring their guns into U*U churches. U*Us could put a whole new "spin" on this idea by encouraging U*Unilateral disarmament as it were. . .

Hopefully if U*Us take up this idea they will be kind enough to give credit where credit is due unless there is proof that someone else put forward this idea and made it public before I did.

BTW I do respect people's right to own guns so no undue pressure should be put on congregants to U*Unilaterally disarm but for those who want to do so as a form of protest against America's gun culture this could be a PR coup for U*U churches and even the UUA. Why I am "giving away" such a good idea to U*Us is beyond me. I must be feeling generous this afternoon.

Simply put, it should be a matter of individual choice, and those U*U congregants who choose to exercise their right to bear arms should not be excluded or otherwise discriminated against by their fellow U*Us who do choose to U*Unilaterally disarm.

Will UUA President Rev. Peter Morales Split The UUA? Does UUA President Peter Morales Insult U*U Christians?

Someone in the Commonwealth Of Massachusetts has been asking Google recently. . .

U*Us U*U World-wide are cordially invited to enter into a free and responsible search for the truth and meaning that may lie behind these questions by checking out the Google search results from the exact same intriguing Google searches made by someone in the Commonwealth Of Massachusetts who found their way to The Emerson Avenger blog in the last day or two. . .

morales may split uua

peter morales insults christians in uua

Here is the screen-shot of the pertinent web stats. I have whited out the ISP and other identifying information that might reveal exactly where this visitor came from.

R.I.P. Walter Cronkite - Believe It Or Not U*Us Walter Cronkite Is Yet Another Famous Ex-Unitarian. . .

World famous broadcaster Walter Cronkite died today. A quick free and responsible search to see if maybe just maybe Walter Cronkite was a Unitarian turned up the following information in a Christian Century interview titled 'Covering religion - interview with television journalist Walter Cronkite of 'The Cronkite Report' - Interview':

I come from a Lutheran family that turned Presbyterian in my boyhood. That was primarily because of the convenience of the Presbyterian church in our neighborhood in Kansas City. When I was ten we moved to Houston and my father swung all the way from the Lutheranism in which he'd grown up to Unitarianism. He helped found the Unitarian church in Houston in 1927 or 1928. I attended that for a couple years until I got into a Boy Scout troop that met in an Episcopal church. The church had a wonderful minister who was also the scoutmaster. And I suppose you can say he proselytized me. At any rate, I was much involved with the church, and became Episcopalian--and an acolyte. Later, when I worked for a paper in Houston, I was church editor for a while. The Episcopal House of Bishops met in Houston one year, and I became intrigued by the leaders of the church--fascinated by their discussions and their erudition. For a short while I though about entering the ministry. But that was a short while. Journalism prevailed.

end quote

So world famous television journalist Walter Cronkite was at least nominally a Unitarian for a couple of years in his preteen years in the late 1920s before being "proselytized" by a wonderful Episcopalian minister. Still, I figure that Walter Cronkite's two year stint as a bona fide Unitarian youth is enough for U*Us to claim Walter Cronkite as a famous Unitarian if not a famous U*U. . .

And That's The Way It Is U*Us.

Good Question! Can A Police Officer Be Under Citizen's Arrest In Montreal?

Someone from Ottawa Ontario was just asking Google today. . .

The Beatles Sing When I'm Sixty Four In Honor Of The 64th Birthday Of The Atomic Bomb. . .

When I get older losing my hair,
Many years from now,
Will you still be sending me a valentine
Birthday greetings bottle of wine?

If I'd been out till quarter to three
Would you lock the door,
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?

oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oooo
You'll be older too, (ah ah ah ah ah)
And if you say the word,
I could stay with you.

I could be handy mending a fuse
When your lights have gone.
You can knit a sweater by the fireside
Sunday mornings go for a ride.

Doing the garden, digging the weeds,
Who could ask for more?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?

Every summer we can rent a cottage
In the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear
We shall scrimp and save
Grandchildren on your knee
Vera, Chuck, and Dave

Send me a postcard, drop me a line,
Stating point of view.
Indicate precisely what you mean to say
Yours sincerely, Wasting Away.

Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine for evermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?

Whoo!



Might as well go whole hog with this. . .

So Just How Did Unitarians Embrace Emerson Anyway?

Someone from New York, New York, was just asking Google today. . .

Spiritual Practice And Paranoia. . . What's The Connection?

Somebody from Fair Oaks California just asked. . .

Here's one particular take on that concept/question. . .

U*U paranoia can result in an Alternative Spiritual Practice which in turn can result in even more U*U paranoia. . .

I guess it's a bit of a vicious circle eh U*Us? :-)

The Religion Of Our Time? Or Perhaps The UUA's Standing On The Side Of Love Campaign? Lisa's Empty Box Of Chocolates. . .

Who Would Have Thought?

That The Emerson Avenger gets top billing in Google in a search for: religious avenger