Crossposted with the People’s Republic of Seabrook
When I heard that priests were taking steriods. (From Jordon Cooper):
“This new national scourge is exemplified in the sad case of Rev. Billy Ray McAlister of Beaver’s Tail Baptist Church in Mobile, Ala. His congregation knew something was wrong when he ripped the Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon in half and bench pressed a baptismal candidate before dunking him.”
When British Muslims saw a slight against Allah in the way Burger King swirls its ice cream cones. (From Teledyn):
Some people make it really, really, really hard to be a pluralist. At issue: a swirl atop an ice-cream, said by no less than The Muslim Council of Britain, to be nothing less than hate-literature targeting defenseless Muslims in their psyche, and while The Council has spared Burger King a fatwa upon swallowing the expense of recalling and redesigning the nasty nasty depiction of Allah as a soft ice-cream topping, the original complaintant is still seeking satisfaction …
“This is my jihad. How can you say it is a spinning swirl? If you spin it one way to the right you are offending Muslims.”
[ Scotsman.com News - UK - Burger King recalls ‘sacrilegious’ desserts ]
(Update): Gradinite provides us with illustrations. Thanks, Gradinite!
Finally, there is the case of the neighbour, who decided to proclaim his faith by erecting a 25-foot cross over his backyard. Hat tip to Sean Incognito
Gregoire said the cross is his religious expression and is similar to ones built recently in Europe to herald Christ’s second coming.
“My cross is my religious belief,” said Gregoire. “We live in Canada, where the charter of rights says you can’t discriminate based on religion or creed.”
( … )
Nearby resident Mike Boychuk, who collected signatures on the petition, said neighbours have also taken issue with Gregoire’s deck. It is built too high and too close to the property line, which makes the fence less effective, he says.
“We’re not out to persecute anybody,” said Boychuk. “We just want to protect our privacy rights.”
Neighbour Blair Dunsmore, who lives directly behind Gregoire, said the cross is only a metre from his property line and towers over his backyard.
“I’ve got no problem with his religious values, but the cross is really quite big,” said Dunsmore, who noted residents of the street get along well otherwise.
In typically Canadian fashion, Gregoire went through the proper channels and managed to get city council to approve a zoning variance for his cross and his deck and, in equally typically Canadian fashion, the neighbours appear to have accepted the city council’s decision gracefully. And as Sean notes, there are far, far worse neighbours to have than someone who mounts a cross in their backyard.
Still, I cannot help but be reminded of a particular passage in the Bible. What was it? Oh, yes: Matthew, chapter 6…
Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven.
Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward.
But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.