Saturday, September 6, 2008

Sarah Palin is Insane.

Below is video of Sarah Palin speaking to graduates of the Master's Commission at her childhood church.

What's really freaky? She's praying that Iraq is a task from God, rather than, say, using her reason to discover whether it's actually the right thing. She thinks a pipeline in Alaska is god's will (but for some reason people still need to pray for it). And she thinks a police force and education are useless if people aren't "right with god".

Honestly? Education is worthless if you don't believe that there is a sky daddy who put his human creations in a garden with a tree that would give them knowledge of good and evil and told them not to eat from it (how would they know disobeying his command was wrong?); but then a walking, talking snake came along and convinced them to eat from it, and because of this all their descendents are marred with a sin that someone else committed; and to deal with this, sky-daddy impregnated a virgin with himself so he could sacrifice himself to himself as a payment, and after this sacrifice sky-daddy rose from the dead but will come back and put all those people who don't believe this cockamamie story through eternal torture.* But he's just and he loves you. Yeah. Someone's education certainly was worthless.

I know that probably appears a bit offensive to believers. But it's basically an accurate description of your garden variety fundamentalist christianity. If you're not a fundamentalist, then it shouldn't offend you, because you don't believe that. Sarah Palin does. And I'm all for people being able to believe what they want. But please don't tell me that belief in this rather extraordinary story that must be taken on faith is necessary for education to be worthwhile. Not only is that a gigantic non-sequitur, but it's insulting to anyone who has a desire to learn about the world but doesn't accept that the Christian bible is literal truth. Believe what you will. Your faith is your business. But don't insult our intelligence.



*Apologies for the run-on, but it just sounds better that way.

10 comments:

ShinyObject said...

How inspiring after a year of dedicating yourself to the Master's Commission, which appears to be "A Generational Call to Character", to be told that people "will be interested in Jesus Christ through you because of the way you look."
"Praise to the Lord" that I spent that extra few dollars at Abercrombie and Fitch or Hollister so that I can spread the word of Jesus.

Artemis311 said...

Good point, Shinyobject.

I have to admit, though, I did laugh at the "Red-headed sasquatches for Jesus" line.

ShinyObject said...

Let's see if I can spark some conversation. I know I enjoy the rare occasion when someone posts a clever comment on my own blog so I will try to return the favor (and try to be clever). Unfortunately I am fairly naive to the political climate so you will have to be a little forgiving.

I think your title that calls this lady insane is accurate (from this and a few other videos anyway). I don't want to make fun of everything she says but it's very hard not to. After all, she must have done something right if her son is getting a Jesus Fish tattooed on his calf.

The deeper problem here is that someone thought this would be a good vice presidential candidate. I am a little (more than a little) scared of what will happen when/if McCain can't make it the four years (after all he must be around 94) and we have this lady running one of the most powerful countries in the world while praying for God to watch over her very human and very willed decisions.

I think we sometimes take for granted that presidential candidates are smart enough to make decisions like this or that they at least have someone helping them do so. But if a recent article I read is true, and McCain really graduated 694 out of 699, then no explanation is needed. I knew a few people in school that graduated in the bottom of my class and I wouldn't want these people running the country.

Artemis311 said...

To be completely honest, shinyobject, I'm afraid that if we do get a conversation going about this, it will be a whole lot of nodding our heads in agreement. I'm 100% with you about this woman not being qualified to be president. She frightens me to no end. And McCain is no better.

Although, to be completely honest, I'm more afraid of their competence than their incompetence if they get elected. Given the state of SCOTUS and McCain's view on justices (and presumably Palin shares that view, given her level of religiousity), the two of them could significantly damage the court - and the US - for decades.

Artemis311 said...

Oh, and feel free to shamelessly self-promote your own blog here. I'd welcome it! :)

ShinyObject said...

You are going to force me to have to actually pay attention and stay current so that I can either "push your buttons" or find information you don't have. This might mean changing topics from politics to something else.
My blog is here. It is not nearly as politically charged as those in your sidebar or yours. But it looks like you could use something a little lighter.

Anonymous said...

When Sarah Palin asked that we pray that Iraq is a task from God, she was praying that what we did there, was the right and Godly thing to do. She was actually quoting, verbatim, two people that liberals love to love.. FDR, and John F Kennedy. It is interesting to note that Liberals have a problem with Sarah Palin being a Christian, and then turn around and continually shove Barack Obama's "Christianity" into everyone's face. I guess to liberals and atheists, then, it is OK to be a Christian, as long as you are the right kind of Christian. Hence we have Nancy Pelosi stating that Barack Obama is a "gift from God". Joe Biden throwing his Catholicism about like a frisbee, and no uproar from atheists. Some atheists say that Obama is not really Christian, but only plays that game, which then makes him a liar, but they seem to have no problem with him being a liar either. So which is it? Then we have the new Democratic talking point, mouthed by every Democrat on the scene today: "JESUS was a community organizer, Pontius Pilate was a governor." What the hell does that mean.Are they making Obama their new Jesus. Democrats invoking the name of Jesus, now there is a laugh. So, it is OK for liberals to invoke Jesus, but not OK for Conservatives to invoke Jesus.
I dearly wish that liberals and atheists would get it straight where it is they stand, because they seem to be all over the place.

Anonymous said...

You call Obama, this ghetto rabble rouser, qualified? And Joe Biden who does not know that there was no TV on 1929 and that Franklin Roosevelt was not president in 1929.

Artemis311 said...

theosophist97,

If you had read my post, you would have noted that my problem with Sarah Palin praying that this is god's plan is that this is NOT a proper way of going about things. We shouldn't do something and then pray that we are "on God's side" (per Lincoln). We should rely on facts and reason.

And don't lump atheists in the same camp with liberals. First of all, not all atheists are liberals. Second, most of the vocal atheists that I've heard are just as ticked about Obama pushing his Christianity as they are about McCain and Palin doing it. And I agree with them. So, rather than jumping to conclusions, I would suggest actually researching what atheists are saying. After all, jumps of logic aren't usually valid.

Artemis311 said...

Anonymous,

"Ghetto rabble rouser?" Sounds like someone has some biases they need to work out.