Comments on: Lessons of the fire

By: WeeDram

WeeDram — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 23:34:35 +0000

Paul: “pure, liquid arrogance” — that’s a wonderful phrase. I am not sure how much experience you have in or with the kind of fundamentalism in which Dobson and his ilk are immersed. However, that world is so completely, perfectly closed and explained that even the possibility of error, much less arrogance is not conceivable to them. I know, I was there for too many years. While it starts with brainwashing from the outside, it usually becomes self-directed delusion and psychological medication. It keeps one numb to reality.

It’s quite sad.

By: Paul Sunstone

Paul Sunstone — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 06:48:49 +0000

There’s been a slight change in my blog address. I bought my own domain, thus changing the address from http://sunstonescafe.blogspot.com to http://www.sunstonescafe.com

Of course, the old address redirects to the new, so it’s not really a big issue which one you have.

By: Paul Sunstone

Paul Sunstone — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 22:47:03 +0000

Thank you so much for your kind words and for updating your blogroll! It’s good to see you again!

By: decrepadmin

decrepadmin — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 12:59:27 +0000

Paul, I should install a “like” button on my blog just so I can Like your comment. And then unlike it just so I can like it again. Damn, you nailed it.

And welcome back! I’ll update my blogroll so we can all find you.

By: Paul Sunstone

Paul Sunstone — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 12:44:16 +0000

For the most part, I haven’t followed the local reaction to the fire, George. But now I wish I had because of your post. I’ve been living in Colorado Springs for about 20 years now and I’m fortunate to live in a small bubble of liberalism — but surrounded by a sea of Evangelicals.

James Dobson used to tell a story about one of his vice presidents over at Focus on the Family. The VP liked to stop at a donut shop on his way to work. The problem was, the shop was popular and parking was limited. So those mornings when the VP couldn’t find a place, he would circle the block praying to his savior to open up a parking space for him. Dobson somehow thought that was a commendable example of faith.

You see, it never seems to occur to those people that prayer has nothing to do with it. So when the fires came, I’m sure plenty of Evangelicals spent their time praying for rain, or praying for the winds to calm down, or for the fire crews to have strength and stamina, and so forth. Like I said, I wasn’t paying attention to what they were doing, but I would bet my last dollar that’s what they were doing. And I would also bet that it will never occur to most of the folks doing all that praying that their prayers were not instrumental in the suppression of the fire.

When you think about it, that’s pretty close to pure, liquid arrogance. It’s like the VP who thinks he’s so important in the eyes of his god that his god will even open up parking spaces for him while — half way around the world — his god allows a hundred children die from starvation in the same moment.

By the way, Garden of the Gods was named Garden of the Gods long before the Evangelicals began migrating to the Springs in the mid and late 1980s. And the word “Gods” does not, so far as I know, refer to the Trinity. The name, I think, must have been given to the site simply because of its extraordinary natural beauty.

Finally, if you’re interested, George, I’m back from my blogging hiatus with a new blog — Sunstone’s Cafe. It can be found here.

By: WeeDram

WeeDram — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 02:24:41 +0000

Yeah, well, it’s the HQ of The Navigators as well as being the location of “The Garden of the Gods”. I’m not sure they’re the same gods … oh wait there’s only one. Or is it three?