loPEZ Dispenser

…ridiculed, seen as crazy, unreasonable, and hypocritical. This is another symptom of how out of touch many Christians are with the world. We are told to be “in the world but not of the world” but we are still definitely IN THE WORLD.

How often do we see Christians trying to “protect” themselves via segregation? This is evidenced in the fact the we have separate schools and colleges, Christian workout facilities where men and women are separated in the name of modesty, and Christian bookstores where you can get the latest praise album.

Yes, God does tell us not to partake of the sins of the world but we are also told to “go into all the world and preach the gospel”. How can we accomplish this if we are never in the world?

You must be wondering by now what this is all about. Well, today I read about a new conservative Christian website that was introduced to counter wikipedia. Conservapedia is “A conservative encyclopedia you can trust.” Um, I trust wikipedia just fine, thanks. This is what they have to say about themselves:

Conservapedia is a much-needed alternative to Wikipedia, which is increasingly anti-Christian and anti-American. On Wikipedia, many of the dates are provided in the anti-Christian “C.E.” instead of “A.D.”, which Conservapedia uses. Christianity receives no credit for the great advances and discoveries it inspired, such as those of the Renaissance.

Conservapedia is an online resource and meeting place where we favor Christianity and America. Conservapedia has easy-to-use indexes to facilitate review of topics. You will much prefer using Conservapedia compared to Wikipedia if you want concise answers free of “political correctness”.

It was started by a guy named Andy Schlafly and a band of “58 high-school-level, home-schooled students from the New Jersey area”, according to this article (which is where I discovered this waste of web space). The fact that a group of sheltered homeschoolers (of which I used to be one) started this site pretty much throws all credibility out the window.

Schlafly claims that Conservapedia is “one of the largest user-controlled free encyclopedias on the internet.” Is this some kind of joke? Does it really matter whether dates use CE or AD? I mean, does it really, really matter? Are people going to turn away from God because of it? If they do, they had other issues to begin with.

This site has become a laughing stock of the blog community (rightly so) and it embarrasses me that I, as a Christian, am lumped into the same category as those who proliferate this nonsense.

My wife and I have been discussing the issue of education recently. Our daughter just turned 1 last week so we have some time before any critical decisions are made, but we both seem to agree on one thing. No amount of parental sheltering can protect a child from everything. Instead of teaching a child to avoid and shun everything we should be teaching them how to deal with things and make proper decisions for themselves. Case in point, I went to a Christian school (and was partially homschooled) and I turned out good. I never smoke, drank or did drugs and I didn’t have premarital sex. My wife went to only public schools and she never smoke, drank or did drugs and didn’t have premarital sex either. So what does that say?

I will continue to use wikipedia. In addition to wikipedia, I will confirm that information with additional sources, which you are supposed to do ANYWAYS!! Plus, I imagine that (at least) scientific information on wikipedia is more accurate than on Conservapedia. Just a hunch though.

With all that said, I will now officially launch a boycott against all things Conservapedia!! After all, boycotts is what we Christians do best, no? If you wish to join my boycott, leave a comment below…

Ok, so Steve and I met up in NYC last Thursday. Steve was there on business so we were able to spend Thursday night and Friday together. I made it to Penn Station about 40 minutes before Steve so as I waited I enjoyed one of my favorite pastimes, people-watching. Of the 40 minutes I spent about half on the street level and the other half in Penn Station. So these are some observations:

I love the winter!!

I have long thought that women always look better in the cold weather. Some of my favorite pictures of my wife are when she is bundled up and in the snow. Well, there was no shortage of good looking, bundled up women in NYC!! I don’t know what it is. Steve surmised that maybe it is because many of the more evident flaws are covered up but winter dress (but of course my wife has no flaws).

Maybe They Should Pass That Law

Most of you heard of that senator in NY that wants to pass a law banning the use of PDA’s, mp3 players, and cell phones while crossing the street. I think I now understand his angle. No exaggeration, just about every person I saw in the 15-30 (male and female) age group was walking around with headphones in. They weren’t all the white phones (death to the iPod!) but they were there nonetheless. In addition, I have never seen so many Blackberry’s and smart phones anywhere. Practically everyone on the subway had one (well the ones that didn’t creep me out).

Life Models Art?

Ok, I have never understood the fascination with japanimation cartoons. I think they are bizarre and of poor intrinsic value. That said, while in Penn Station many Asian men walked by looking like they came directly from a comic book page. In fact, it reminded me of this Strongbad Email. Granted I used to bleach my hair blond but I never went that far…

Tourists Stick Out…BAD

I think the key to NYC is to look like you know what you are doing! Steve and I did a fair job of blending in once we figured out how to use the subway system. I could fairly easily pick out the tourists as they left Penn Station. They were either marked by the oddly large camera around their neck or the fact that when they exited Penn they immediately stopped in their tracks (blocking foot traffic) and stared up at the skyline…I did it my first time too.

Our childhood was marked with touristy antics provided by our father (we love you dad) and we were reminded of this while in the security line to board the Circle Line Ferry to Liberty Island. There was a man and his wife, probably in their 60’s in line in front of us. Instruction’s were simple. Remove your coat and your belt, empty your pockets, walk through metal detector. This guy had on cargo pants and every pocket had something in it in addition to his shirt and coat pockets which also were full. He tried to walk through with his money clip and it set off the alarm. He was paranoid to part with his cash and cards for 30 seconds and proceeded to remove said cash and cards from the money clip. It was quite the scene.

There are far too many Starbucks

There were at least 2 in our hotel alone. From one vantage point we could see five Starbucks. Erin tells me of an intersection somewhere that has a Starbucks in 3 of the 4 corners. The same goes for Sbarro Pizza (but we actually ate there).

Don’t Make Eye Contact

I learned this the last time I was in NYC. In the subway and train stations there are many performers. Some set up shop on the platforms and open their cases to accept donations. Others actually roam the trains singing and hoping for payouts. The trick is to ignore them, even if their music is good (it was decent). If they catch your eye they will stare you down and maybe even move a little closer. Its better just to be invisible.

I Can’t Find One

We saw a bank of Wachovia ATMs while walking around Thursday night. The plan was for me to stop by there the next day on our way out. The problem is, we couldn’t find them. We tried to retrace our steps and even asked a Times Square cop and still couldn’t find them. We ended up looking for one for several more hours (while we were doing other stuff) only to discover that at several points during our adventures we were as close as 20 feet from them but never saw them. In hindsight its pretty funny.

Did I leave anything out Steve? Feel free to add to this post. All you readers out there feel free to leave comments with any funny stories or unique observations about NYC or any other big city.

Most of us have seen the animated movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and are well aware of the accompanying song that goes along with it. Does anyone else get the feeling that over the past few years the Grinch has been attacking Christmas in America?

In my head, the last five or so years have been a particularly aggressive campaign by the Grinch. It seems to get worse every year. Lets see, so far this year the more notable instances have been the deal with the Christmas trees coming down in the Seattle airport by threat of a lawsuit and the town who is displaying a Nativity without Mary, Joseph or Jesus as to not offend anyone. Many shops and malls no longer display any reference to Christ. Now it’s “Happy Holidays” or “Winter Celebration”. They no longer call my work event a Christmas Party. It is now called a “Recognition Social.” So just who is the Grinch that is stealing Christmas?

Most of these Grinch attacks are occurring in the name of fairness and tolerance (to everything but Christians). In other words, if everyone isn’t happy than nobody should be. Political Correctness has eaten at this country like a cancer. God forbid one Rabbi out of the tens of thousands of passengers in the Seattle airport is offended. You know what? I am offended by all the people that get offended over ridiculous stuff. Why must you project your self misery on to everyone else!? Its not our fault you have a pine cone stuck in your anus!! I AM SICK OF IT!!!

Glenn Beck satirically calls the holidays “Ramahanukwanzmas” so he can include all the religious celebrations this time of year. They rewrote the words to a familiar Christmas carol:

Have a RamaHanuKwanzMas
It’s The PC time of year
Every holiday displayed
Because of morbid fear…

Lets see, with Ramahanukwanzmas Beck covers:

Ramadan - Muslims
Hanukkah - Jewish
Kwanzaa - African Americans (don’t get me started on this)
Christmas - Those darned Christians!!

What about the Native Americans? Chinese? Buddhists? Hindus? Albinos? Handicapped? How about those Canadians? Nah, its gotta be those Atheists that are stirring up all this trouble.

Last year around Christmas time Ben Stein made some “confessions” on a tv show. He discusses how he is Jew and how that affects his view of Christmas. Below is the transcript:

Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my
beating heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see
them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog
biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery
stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they?
Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken
up? Why are they so important?

I don’t know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all
about Tom Cruise’s wife. Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a
subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are. If this is what it means to be no longer young, it’s not so bad.

Next confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it
does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful
lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don’t feel threatened. I
don’t feel discriminated against. That’s what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn’t bother me a bit when people say, “Merry Christmas” to me. I
don’t think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a
ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers
and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn’t bother me at
all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near
my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it’s just as fine
with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don’t like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don’t think
Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think
people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around,
period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an
explicitly atheist country. I can’t find it in the Constitution, and I
don’t like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we
should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren’t allowed to worship God as
we understand Him?

I guess that’s a sign that I’m getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came
from and where the America we knew went to.

So as someone who is in the minority, why is it that Ben Stein is not offended by Christmas? Why isn’t he suing to get that Nativity near his house removed? How can he look at a Christmas tree and not become overwhelmed with anger and disgust.

This is a case where the very few are ruining it for the majority. Think long and hard. Do you know anyone who is offended by the Christmas holidays? I mean truly offended? So who are these people that are making Corporations and Government entities bend over and bow to their wishes? Is it that one lone Rabbi in Seattle? Is it the Michael Newdows of America? Are these ridiculous things happening to countries in Europe that celebrate Christmas? How about Canada? Mexico?

Political Correctness, meet Mr. Grinch. Mr. Grinch, meet Political Correctness. You guys are long lost evil twins!!

I will offer this fair warning to the Grinch. Most people love Christmas. To this point we have been mostly tolerant of the Grinch’s shenanigans but if he continues on this path there will be repercussions. The townsfolk will come after the Grinch with torches and pitchforks and drive him out of town. Don’t mess with people’s happiness.

What do we do about it?

I wish I knew the answer to this. I’d say to write your senator but now that the libs are in control I’m not sure how much good that would do.

We can get mad! We can loudly proclaim to all we know that we will no longer tolerate the double standard presented in this country where we all must coddle minority groups but where Christianity does not have to be tolerated. We will no longer allow ourselves to be brought to our knees and repressed.

I disagree with boycotts. I will not boycott because they are useless. I will, however, more likely support those companies who have cojones enough to still say Merry Christmas.

I was originally going to post an article on this blog. It is something that is important to me and I feel that it needs to be read by a bigger audience than loPEZ draws. I posted it over at my personal blog DESTINATION:lopez.

Don’t get me wrong here. I’m doing fine. I haven’t hit bottom, but as someone looking in from the outside, events have caused me to ponder about where rock bottom really is.

The most glaring example of rock bottom I can think of is from the Bible. There is this book Job (with a long o) in the Old Testament, neatly tucked in right before Psalms. This guy was rich. He was popular. He had a great family and lots of friends. One day, he lost it all. He had stuff stolen, crops burned, and to top it off his family was killed when a roof collapsed. At the time, Job didn’t know, but he was being testing. God had allowed all this to happen to him because he knew that Job would remain faithful.

Put yourself in that situation. You lose everything. Forget possessions. All that can be replaced. You lose your family. All your friends. Is that rock bottom?

It got worse. Job got sick. He had nasty sores all over his body. All his remaining friends insisted that he should “curse God and die”. He remained faithful.

So why has this come to mind? I know somebody. They were by no means rich but they were content. Things happened. Dreams were shattered, relationships broken and the one thing that this person wants is out of reach. Then come health problems which lead to loss of employment and insurance. Is this rock bottom?

I want to reach out to this person but don’t know how. I know they must be hurting and I feel helpless.

Just this week I learned that this person was in a potentially fatal accident. After seeing the carnage it truly is a wonder that they are still alive. Is this rock bottom? How do you keep going with blow after blow of bad news from all directions?

I know that my faith would be shaken. I would be angry at God. I would ask “Why me?” I would wonder, is God testing me as he did Job, or am I victim of my own circumstances. Is the hurt and pain I feel serving a purpose? Will it end? What more could happen? Does my story end with “happily ever after?”

Well for Job it did. Through all his trials he remained faithful to his God. He was blessed in return. Job was given back all he had lost and then some. His original wealth was multiplied many times. He started a new family. He died a very happy and very wealthy man.

So where is rock bottom? I guess that depends on your faith.