New links

I have decided to put some more web/blog links  list (on the lower right hand corner)on my blogsite that have been long overdue.

The Painful Truth, now under the domain John B (for some time now). A tough, no-nonsense type of guy who gets the job done. I also put the website where anyone can have their own personal download of The Ambassador Report by the late John Trechak put together in digital form by The Archivist. Those who are still trapped in the Armstrongist nonsense today can still find liberation and peace of mind (and sanity) that HWA was not God’s Apostle and God have nothing to do with the WCG (as an organization) in the first place—dispite that these archives of reports are at least 9 to 33 years after the fact.

I have mentioned Aggie’s Purplehymnal Weblog but have never got around putting on my list of links. Now it is. A note of caution: at this time she (Aggie) is taking a break from new posts until the Passover season (April 2oth). I believe she working on a project (called Weinland Watch) on exit counselling members and/or associates of Ron Weinland’s ultra-conservative fundamentalist XCG splinter at http://weinlandwatch.wordpress.com/. Note about Mr.Weinland, I heard him speak at the Feast of Tabernacles during my years in the WCG. For some reason, there was one sermon on “The Healing of The Mind” I couldn’t  find inspiration (I even tried to listen to the tape for a second time and was still not inspired). Ironic that there are those who disagree. It is my hope and prayer that Aggie CAN convince these people otherwise.

There are a fair numbers of ex-WCGers (or ex-XCGers for that matter) that are now atheist. Don’t let anyone tell you that they are  a monolithic group. Some are very kind, gentle and compassionate (I can think of “ex-believer”of Gary Scott’s defunct XCG blog).  My friend Ron, who is atheist can teach me that religious people can be the biggest  a–holes not just atheists and boy, you better believe he can be right! Others who believe that religion and atheism can  and should co-exist in a secular pluralistic society (mythology is not bad it has moral lessons for everyone) but believe that ultra-literalism and fundamentalism in all religions must be battled and defeated.  Of course there are others that are usually rude, vitrolic, humourless, manipulative (and trust me I have had my share of some, so I know where I speak). These significant “others” are “millitant” atheists (and of course, they dare you to label them “fundy” or “fundamentalist” atheist because the word fundamentalist has something to do with religion and ATHEISM is NOT a RELIGION!!!). They like Richard Dawkins (which I whom admired for telling off the creepy Ted Haggard), Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris who are called “The New Atheists”. Do you feel that these type of people can make you feel small? Trust me—I have had the feeling. Never fear, there is a blog site called Atheism Sucks!  According to the blog, they state, “We are students, activists, and independent thinkers who reject atheism. The purpose of this blog is to promote reason and intellectual responsibility; in doing so, we aim to counteract the manipulative, dishonest, and fallacious tactics of atheist apologists.” I also have a link where you download their book  The Irrational Atheist by Vox Day for free, of course.

…and finally but in no means the least, a blog from a very unique but a very brilliant and insightful personality. Blunt, politically incorrect (thank God!) and most of paramount importance makes you think! This man’s name is James Pate, a  Ph.D. student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, OH. In which he  studies the History of Biblical Interpretation, which includes Jewish and Christian interpretations of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament.  He has grown up in a WCG background. Like myself, he has no patience (but probably a little more merciful than I am) of the “clap-happy-happy”, anti -intellectual variety of Evangelical Christianity. What is special about this guy that he openly states about his neurological disorder which Asperger’s syndrome which is considered a form of autism on the autistic disorder spectrum. As one who was diagnosed with a neurological disorder myself at a very young age (I am simply not ready nor I do not wish to go in details about it this time)I sympathize with James greatly and share a special bond with him. Let’s put it this way, your life can be like a war and there are people who do not have the compassion nor patience to understand you.  It seems the outside world has the 24-7 non-stop olympic sport of simply misunderstanding you and this is the world that James and others like him face every single day of his life. I love James raw honesty that he feels a variety of emotions in his Christian walk: anger, sadness, passion, strong desire—yeah the emotions that “evangelical Christians” shouldn’t have. He takes on controversial issues like atheism,the faults of evangelicals,evolution vs. creationism,sex, politics–you name it. He gives you a piece of his mind on all of them and if you don’t like it, there is only two options: take it or leave it. You don’t know what your missing by not reading his blog and like J’s  Shadows of WCG blog, I hope James’ blog is here for years and decades to come.