[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
I loved this album. It almost makes me want to go into the basement and dig it out before I move so I can rip it.
…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Relative Ways
It was October of 2002. The Beltway Sniper had just been caught and I, along with my friend Kate, were traveling to a local hippy hangout where we would then board a bus en route to Washington DC to attend a peace rally. We were running early so on the way we stopped at a used CD store. After perusing the selection for all of fifteen minutes I had settled upon 3 artists that I had kind of, sort of heard of before. I settled on …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead.
We rode in a chartered bus all night from Ohio to our nation’s capital and while my cohorts, many of them older, sang their favorite songs of peace and love and happiness there I sat with my red Sony portable CD player listening to a band called …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead.
James Dobson Doesn't Speak For Me.
As a Christian, I find it’s sad that I need to differentiate myself from James Dobson so much.
Dr. James Dobson recently attacked Barack Obama for a 2006 speech that Obama gave on his Christian faith. Does he speak for you?James Dobson doesn’t speak for me.
He doesn’t speak for me when he uses religion as a wedge to divide;
He doesn’t speak for me when he speaks as the final arbiter on the meaning of the Bible;
James Dobson doesn’t speak for me when he uses the beliefs of others as a line of attack;
He doesn’t speak for me when he denigrates his neighbor’s views when they don’t line up with his;
He doesn’t speak for me when he seeks to confine the values of my faith to two or three issues alone;
What does speak for me is David’s psalm celebrating how good and pleasant it is when we come together in unity;
Micah speaks for me in reminding us that the Lord requires us to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with Him;
The prophet Isaiah speaks for me in his call for all to come and reason together and also to seek justice, encourage the oppressed and to defend the cause of the vulnerable;
The book of Nehemiah speaks for me in its example to work with our neighbors, not against them, to restore what was broken in our communities;
The book of Matthew speaks for me in saying to bless those that curse you and pray for those who persecute you;
The words of the apostle Paul speak for me in saying that words spoken and deeds done without love amount to nothing.
The apostle John speaks for me in reminding us of Jesus’ command to love one another. The world will know His disciples by that love.
Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God’s will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all. Now this is going to be difficult for some who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, as many evangelicals do. But in a pluralistic democracy, we have no choice. Politics depends on our ability to persuade each other of common aims based on a common reality. It involves the compromise, the art of what’s possible. At some fundamental level, religion does not allow for compromise. It’s the art of the impossible. If God has spoken, then followers are expected to live up to God’s edicts, regardless of the consequences. To base one’s life on such uncompromising commitments may be sublime, but to base our policy making on such commitments would be a dangerous thing.
Barack Obama (via azspot)
I think Obama’s pretty much right on this one. I would only add the wrinkle that if I am opposed to abortion for religious reasons and seek to pass a law banning the practice, I can point ot the teachings of my church or evoke God’s will. I think the language of religion has every place in the public sphere. However, this method may be a poor way to build a consensus.
We do not have a majority religious tradition in this country—at least not a majority voting block. Catholics and Evangelicals may both oppose abortion, but they do so for very different reasons. If they are going to organize they will need to reach out to others, which means leaving room for a lot more ecumenicalism than some are comfortable with.
(via squashed)
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
“We’re gonna build something this summer.”
I’ve been listening to this song first thing every morning for the last month or so. It makes every day a lot better.
I cannot wait for this album. Nothing like The Hold Steady in the summer.
This is what I want my travels to be like…. someday.