Tuesday, June 02, 2009

An Open Letter to Randall Terry and Friends, from The Devil

Dear Randall, and my dear Christian fundamentalists;

I don't know what to say about the recent sudden 33% reduction in doctors willing to treat a woman with a horribly damaged fetus or other dangerous complications of late-term pregnancy that Fred Clark and Doghouse Riley haven't already said better.

Or at least more eloquently.

What I can say is this.

Religion, and religious speech, or speech that is uttered in houses of worship, or by people who profess to have a special affinity for God, is and are accorded particular deference. It is seldom disputed, even more seldom refuted or mocked, by your fellow Americans.

By contrast, lack of faith, or A faith, or, worse, an open dismissal or contempt for religious sentiment is treated as a best a lack, at worst the sort of grievous moral failure that can and should prevent the holder from being elected to public office, teaching the young, or providing care for others from the troubled to the dying. And don't get me started about the way they treat MY worshippers...

Now I will be the first to admit that I am somewhat...unchurched. And that I usually consider religion at most a pleasant diversion that keeps credulous and gullible people occupied who would otherwise spend the time they spend in worship and worship-y activities in irritating or angering me. And I'm usually pleased to accept the credit for most human mayhem and malfeasance.

But not this time. Not this time.

This cowardly little man, who I will not aggrandize by naming, was actuated not by Me, or by the human emotions of lust, fear or greed, but by the promptings of your religious groups, and you religious people, people who have filled his and others' heads with the idea that Dr. Tiller was the moral equivalent of a Nazi SS death camp kommandant, that his actions - though medically critical for the survival and health of the grieving mothers (and no mother who has lost a baby that late could be anything but grieving) - were deserving of death.

Of course, the very churches and pundits and bible-wallopers who have ginned up this Crusade against Abortion (as if the completion of pregnancy was a sacrament right up there with communion and repentance, although Jesus himself in the Gospels speaks nothing about abortion and little about birth) will platitudinously deny that their thunder from pulpit and television had anything to do with this murder. They will blame me, wattling with anger that any of the Godless will dare to connect them with this conscienceless thug, while at the same time uttering mealy-mouthed half-praise for his deed as a "heroic but misguided" act of saving the unborn (superbly unmindful of the words of the apostle Paul, who wrote "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' says the Lord" (Romans 12:19).

And, as always, those of your fellow Americans who don't share your fanaticism but respect your "faith" will nod sagely and sadly, and let you pass. Again. And the war of words - and bullets, bombs and hate - will continue. Because you are People of Faith! People of God! Good People! Your hands may be bloody but your hearts are pure, right?

So. Now I have some words from your God (You may have heard that I'm partial to quoting Scripture? Heh. True.) They are these:
"For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; naked, and you covered me; sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me." Then the just will answer him, saying: "Lord, when have we see you hungry, and fed you; thirsty, and given you drink? And when have we seen you a stranger, and taken you in? Or naked, and covered you? Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit to you?" And in response, the King shall say to them, "Amen I say to you, whenever you did this for one of these, the least of my brothers, you did it for me." (Matthew 25:35-40)
After I helped boost your Christian brother Bush up to spend eight years as King Shit of Turd Hill, we heard a lot down here from you Jesus Jihadis about Abortion.

And public prayers.

And Ten Comandment plaques, Gay Marriage, Evil Islamic Terrarists, and America the Holy Bible Christian Nation where athiests and lib'rels and homos and heatherns were unfit to sit at the table with the Elect.

But y'know what we didn't hear so much from y'all?

Feeding the hungry.

Clothing the naked. Taking in the stranger. Visiting the prisoner. Comforting the sick.

So I'll make you a deal, a Deal with the Chief of all the Devils.

When every last, every single fucking, swinging-dick hungry American is fed by your hand. When every goddam stranger in this Strange Land is safe and encompassed, every last prisoner given hope, every nit-picking, phlegm-coughing sick person given loving care and tender rest.

Then I'll be willing to listen to our abortion shit with a straight face.

Because until then, my Real True Christian brothers, each and every one of you is just another phony, lying, canting, hypocritical sack of shit. And, what's more, I know that most of you won't stir a finger to help. Most of you anti-abortion zealots will travel across the country to protest Rove v. Wade, you'll bus across town to scream in the ear of a terrified 19-year-old running into Lovejoy Surgicenter, but you wouldn't cross the street to help a hungry derelict to a soup kitchen.

And I'm laughing, for I know what your buddy God has planned for your sorry asses:

Then he shall also say, to those who will be on his left: "Depart from me, you accursed ones, into the eternal fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you did not give me to eat; I was thirsty, and you did not give me to drink; I was a stranger and you did not take me in; naked, and you did not cover me; sick and in prison, and you did not visit me."

Heh.

I'll be seeing you. Soon, I hope.

Very truly yours,

The Devil(A Proctor & Gamble Corporation. Visit us on the Web at http://www.churchofsatan.com/!)

13 comments:

Rick98c said...

Absolutely awesome.

Publius said...

Oh, man, now you've done it. You're going to burn in hell. And I'll be there to keep you company.

Did you ever think about how tough it is getting older if you remember lots of stuff and keep educating yourself? You're just a kid, Chief. I'm more than ten years ahead of you in the department of dealing with just how much the society in which we live is governed by voodoo.

It's amazing that a nation that's so afraid of the boogeyman was able to put a man on the moon 40 years ago and has proven to be so capable of so many marvelous intellectual feats.

You know who's going to win the battle for supremacy amongst the various tribes on the planet, don't you? It won't be the good old USA, nor will it be the adherents of Islam. God-shit will kill both of us. Won't be Western Europe or Russia because of demographics. Won't be South America or Africa, both because of God-shit and fundamental inability to get it together.

Yeah, it's Asia. God-shit doesn't even enter into the picture with these boys, plus they're smart. The yellow races will win. If Americans are lucky, they'll be allowed to go to church and continue watching American Idol and other such pap for the masses.

sheerahkahn said...

Hmmm...first off Chief, I think you were less channeling the devil and more channeling G-d.
But I'll let you choke...er, chew on that a bit.
;)

The thing about extremism is that Satan is all for it, and as C.S. Lewis said, "Satan doesn't care which extreme you pick, as long as you pick one."
Which brings me to the subject of abortion and my...damn I hate to claim this asshole as my side of the asile but since he's saying he's all christian and such I guess I don't get to pick.../sigh

/facepalm

Abortion is wrong, and yes it's a form of murder, and thusly I'm opposed to it.

/shrug

Now, before you ban me forever, and consider me little more than a frame shift higher on the evolutionary DNA scale than this cretin allow me this one statement.

I am a follower of Y'shua, and thus I have had to come to accept the duality of my existence in this world.
One of which is that the world does what it does, and that banging my head on the keyboard is a whole lot more productive in changing people's minds than screaming things at them.
That was suppose to be a funny, but true statement.
So, to my point...hmm...in essence abortion has been around for thousands of years, and no amount of legislative writ is ever going to change that, but for some...that just doesn't sit well with them...for whatever reason, there is so many they have I've given up trying to figure it out, so I began to think for myself and ask myself what to do I do as a follower of Y'shua?
I think Y'shua would be the first to say to a pregnant woman heading to the clinic, "Hey, it's okay, have a little faith, there is no need for you to panic. There is hope! Trust me!"
And if she decided, "no, no, no, no, I can not, will not do this!" I feel/believe/think Y'shua would say, "okay, this is your decision, but you know, I'll be here when you want to talk about it. I care about you, please know that."
Because when we look at the world as it is with all the people in it we are really, truly, an amazingly beautiful species; and in the same breath, completely and unreservedly, totally fucked up beyond all recognition at the same time.
Which has led me many times to tell people whom I talk too that we are human, it is our excuse and our condemnation.

We all have choices to make in this life, and this guy...whatever his name, choose poorly.
But from your vantage, you may think, "but sheer, the asshole killed a man!"
And I would say, yes he did, and for that a price must be paid.
The moralists in our country will draw all sorts of compariative lines which will dumbfound you to silence.
Trust me, I've argued round and round with them.
But there is one thing they cannot argue against...eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, by the Law they choose to live and act, by the Law they will be judged and punished.
This man killed another man, acting on his own accord, and not of the accord of the state, so he must give up what he has taken from another.
These "Christians" really dig the OT rules bit, forgetting that Christ was about Grace, Mercy, and Forgiveness.
A lot of those whom speak about Christ know little about him, not because there is nothing to know, but because their hearts were never interested in knowing him in the first place.
What they were interested in is getting the right formula to get people to follow them, their idealism, and if Christianity is the cart that will get people to follow...so be it.
The same with any other religion...which makes this whole damnable thing sad...and...oh..so..very, very human.
/depressed

Lisa said...

I cannot countenance anyone who claims to know the One True Way.

If a Christian wishes to walk the path of his God, that would demand mercy and compassion. Wrath would be a Deadly Sin, and murder would violate a Commandment. Not very godly.

Humans have a few glitches. Their sense of superiority would be one of them. Unlike Sheerakahn, I do not think we are a particularly beautiful species. I've met few truly humble Christians; those who do good without contingency meet the bar.

Your choice of scripture is excellent. The bible does not advocate murdering abortionists, or anyone, for that matter. People get very messed up when they are seduced by martyrdom.

My last statement is rife with implication re. the very basis of Christianity.

FDChief said...

Publius: The only real hurdle I can see for the South and Southeast Asian nations is their governments have been and are ususally corrupt and/or authoritarian messes. The first Asian nation that gets that straightened out, though...

Sheerah: Frankly, I hold no brief with either dog in this fight. I suspect that both God and Satan are products of human needs, fears and emotions. Honestly? I have no idea. I have lived a fairly honorable, decent and upright life for fifty years without much truck with a deity. And I have done some pretty awful things without feeling the devil's hand on my shoulder.

My only point in this post was to point out (in the person of Satan, the Prince of Lies) that the people behind this murder profess to believe in a lot of good things that the God supposedly commanded them to do. and yet, when you look around, where is the Randall Terry "Operation Feed the Hungry"? Where is Bill O'Reilly thundering about how the fatcat owners of GM are turning people into the street without jobs? When do we hear from Newt Gingrich and Pat Robertson about their plans to help sick people get health care or people imprisoned by the foolish "War on Drugs" get decent jobs, lives and hopes?

I don't really care so much what people believe as what they do. But ISTM that the people who are behind this doctor's murder profess to believe in a lot of good things, none of which seem to activate them as much as this man's medical practice did.

Lisa: Well said, as always.

sheerahkahn said...

" Unlike Sheerakahn, I do not think we are a particularly beautiful species."

Lisa, if only I could show you what I see I'm sure I could get you to see the beauty in people.
It's a strange duality we all possess, and even now I'm laughing because I've been using that word, "duality" a lot lately in my discussions and explanations to people.
Duality of existence...hmm, perhaps I should blog about that...I'll have to think about it.

It's strange world we live in.

Chief, I know what you mean, but still, I have found that G-d often speaks the truth through the saltiest of pagans just to knock the pompous cleric off his self constructed pedastal.

Why should this instance be any different?

So, for me at least, truth is truth regardless of the source.

I know that will probably make your skin crawl a wee bit, but I'm sure you'll indulge me this moment of creepiness.

:)

basilbeast said...

But all the same, I love my home.

Sheera, I'm Orthodox Christian as you may know. My church's official position on abortion is with the exception of saving the mother's life, no.

antiochian.org/1178

This is not definitive, but I would defer to Mr. Aviator if decides to drop in. He's much more theological than I, I'd bet.

I offer this next part in love to a fellow Christian to another in the midst of the heathen here ( still love ya, though! :) )

But what would go through my mind in your Jesus and the woman who wants an abortion are things like this:

Jesus, why did you allow my child to be formed without a brain, spine, intestines, or hooked up to a dead twin?

Jesus, why did you allow my father, uncle, grandpa to beat me and abuse me and rape me when I was only ten? I prayed so hard for you to save me, but neither you nor anyone else came to help me.

Jesus, why did you allow me to miscarry?

There are lots more, I'm sure you could think of more.

But look at this story. There are Kansans and their outstate friends who would forbid helping the mother to be or her child.

firedoglake.com/2007/04/18/consequences-2/

CHS:I am posting a more extended excerpt than usual, because the article is behind a firewall. From the Journal of the American Medical Association (subs. reqd.)
/CHS

TBC

basilbeast said...

( begin quote )...Over the next two days, the power of modern pharmaceuticals is unleashed in an attempt to quiet her uterus and save the twins. In reality, this attempt is focused on the twin who is fully contained in the uterus, since the one who is almost inside the vagina has no realistic chance of achieving viability. The efforts are valiant -- these twins were conceived after 10 years of marriage -- and the desire is strong to salvage as much of this pregnancy as possible....

Inducing labor before membranes have ruptured, or before there is a maternal indication such as infection, is technically an elective abortion. This hospital, like most hospitals in the metropolitan area in which they live, has a strict no-elective-abortion policy, which forbids her obstetricians from rupturing her membrances and initiating labor. Women who want elective abortions go to Planned Parenthood; the ones who want to deliver full-term babies go to hospitals; and so the woman andher husband are told they cannot exercise that option at this hospital. The two of them, recent transplants from California used to a less faith-based practice of medicine, are shocked by this. Nobody wants this pregnancy more than they, they argue. The sole reason they are doing this is because the risks outweigh the benefits. Does the hospital require emergence of a frank infection before intervention is permissible? Is this in keeping with the highest standards of practice in modern obstetrics? Her obstetricians are sympathetic but helpless. Finally, they come up with a plan. The sole hospital that does not have such an abortion policy is a university teaching hospital several miles away. Telephone calls are made, a direct admission is arranged, and the woman's husband drives her to the teaching hospital, where labor is induced. The twins are delivered the next day. They are stillborn.

You might wonder, reading this vignette, how I happen to know so many details about this case, or even whether this is a fictional teaching case that so bedevils medical students. The unfortunate truth is that this is real life: I am the husband in this story.

But the greater tragedy here, to my mind, is the straitjacket that a religious worldview imposes on the complexity inherent within clinical medicine. Our world sometimes presents us with situations that cannot be simplistically categorized as pro-choice or pro-life, and other patients across the nation will be faced with decisions like the ones we made on that fateful day.

TBC

basilbeast said...

This is why hospital policies that originate in religion rather than science can be unhealthy and unsafe. Personal religious beliefs can and should guide the lives of clinicians of faith. The extent to which they guide a clinician's professional life is the clinician's personal matter, and I hope that clinicians will choose specialties and practice settings that ensure that patients receive needed care regardless of the clinician's religious beliefs. However, the extent to which these beliefs guide hospital policy is a matter of concern to all of us, whether we are patients or clinicians. The extent to which the US medical establishment succeeds in circumscribing the circle of influence of religion-based medicine will determine the quality of health care that phsycians can offer their patients. Clearly, irrespective of what religion each of us belongs to, this is the very least that our patients deserve. ( end quote )

CHS:That also goes for the people we elect to make our laws, and those elected or appointed to interpret them on the bench in our courtrooms.

There is a reason that Jane and I went to the mat time and time again with regard to both the Roberts and Alito confirmations. And with regard to politicians like Short Ride Joe. And why we asked vital questions of organizations like NARAL, which sat on a pile of cash instead of using it to push against the nominations of both justices.

Because women and their families, who are faced with the horrific, personal, and difficult decisions that this family had to face, should not have to deal with people on the outside of their lives deciding what is best for their moral welfare, with no context whatsoever of the individual details. Hard and fast rules do not often apply neatly in individual situations of life and death. And we ought to learn from this vignette, among so many others, that one person's moral certitude can make someone else's life that much closer to hell in the moment in which a split-second decision may be medically required.
/CHS

Back to me, BB.

Some years ago, I asked a doctor friend of mine if there was any good medical reason for last tri abortions.

He said no.

Apparently, he lied in my face.

SIGH!

Sorry Chief, for taking up so much space in trying to figure out blogger. Feel free to send me a bill. ;)

Pluto said...

I seem to recall back in 2004-6(?) there was a movement among the younger Christians to stop fighting the war on abortion and to start helping the homeless.

I think it was a reaction to the silly theory that Jesus wanted certain people to be rich.

The established hater-mongers had a difficult time figuring out how to argue against helping the homeless and eventually wound up just ignoring the movement.

If I had a little more time I'd post some references from Time and Newsweek, both of which did a pretty good job of covering the story.

Lisa said...

basilbeast,

Thank you for your extremely informative posts. Your voice is authoritative, unlike those of the pro-life moralists.


Sheerah,

I have seen the beauty of which you speak, and do not deny it. There is also an underlying beauty to all of life.

It is just that I do not think people en masse particularly beautiful. That appellation might go just as readily to a snow leopard, or a brown bear. We do not corner the market on beauty, particularly not in terms of our behavior.

sheerahkahn said...

"There are lots more, I'm sure you could think of more."

Maybe, but to what end?

All I can really do is say I'm sorry to hear of this.
My heartfelt sympathies and my sincerest prayers and hopes for things better for you and your wife.

But my faith says Y'shua is always there, and tbh, he's really the only one qualified to answer yours, ours, my question(s). I just wish he would answer yours...because I have my own "why?" question that I would like answered...I'm just afraid that I won't like the answer, so I don't ask it...I guess I'm truly that gutless when it comes to facing the truth.

basilbeast said...

Sorry friends, to have misled you. I tried not to. My drab life is not so interesting. The story is another family's posted at firedoglake, via Christy Hardin Smith ( CHS )

http://christyhardinsmith.firedoglake.com/

I suppose I should've just put the link up, much simpler.

..