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American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/6/2010 1:13:13 PM

AnimusRex

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A piece in the Washington Monthly by Steve Benen, about the American Family Association:

THIS WEEK IN GOD.... First up from the God Machine this week is a fairly prominent religious right organization, pushing a line that may seem like a parody, but is apparently quite sincere.

You have heard about the recent death of a trainer at Sea World. The American Family Association, a group best known for launching odd boycotts and claiming to fight the "War on Christmas," believes the incident would have not have occurred at the Orlando theme park if only it had followed Biblical mandates. From a piece the AFA published this week:

If the counsel of the Judeo-Christian tradition had been followed, Tillikum would have been put out of everyone's misery back in 1991 and would not have had the opportunity to claim two more human lives.

Says the ancient civil code of Israel, "When an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner shall not be liable." (Exodus 21:28)

So, your animal kills somebody, your moral responsibility is to put that animal to death. You have no moral culpability in the death, because you didn't know the animal was going to go postal on somebody.

But, the Scripture soberly warns, if one of your animals kills a second time because you didn't kill it after it claimed its first human victim, this time you die right along with your animal. To use the example from Exodus, if your ox kills a second time, "the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death." (Exodus 21:29)

Sounds a bit like the AFA wants Sea World's owners to be executed, too.*

Also from the God Machine this week:

* In Amarillo, Texas, an organization called "Repent Amarillo" is starting to draw increased attention. The outfit is apparently made up of a bunch of right-wing religious activists who harass locals who engage in legal behavior the group finds morally offensive. It is, by most measures, almost a literal example of an American Taliban, and it's pretty scary stuff.

Why should anyone care? Because at one time in America, groups like this would be laughed off as the lunatic fringe, ignored even by the most radical politicians.

But the AFA gets their calls returned by Senators and Congressmen, and influences powerful media figures.

Ironic that even as Americans are fighting and dying against the Taliban on the other side of the world, we are breeding the same sort of religious fundamentalism right here.

Post #: 1

RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/6/2010 1:47:57 PM

MichiganHeadmast

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Not carrying anybody's water here, as the AFA isn't exactly my favorite organization. But here is a follow-up posted by that blogger:

http://www.afa.net/Blogs/BlogPost.aspx?id=2147492239

(Scroll down about half way)

What apparently gave the story some legs is that I was falsely reported as calling for the stoning of the killer whale, when of course I did nothing of the sort. I simply called for the animal to be euthanized, which can be done humanely and entirely without using rocks. I'm sure, for instance, that the veterinarians at SeaWorld have put animals down any number of times. Plus even if you wanted to stone a giant dolphin to death, I'm not sure exactly how you'd go about doing it.

Also, and likewise bizarrely, I have been reported as calling for the owners of SeaWorld to be stoned, which of course I did not do either. I called for legal action against them to hold them accountable for negligently exposing an employee to life-endangering risk. Perhaps this additional note will reduce the level of unhinged bloviating on the internet.

The simple truth is that this story is about the value we place on human life. In a Judeo-Christian worldview, a human being has infinite, eternal value while an animal does not. Because of the sanctity of human life, we ought to euthanize an animal which kills a human being so that it cannot kill again.

Just FWIW.

Personally, I go with Chris Rock's viewpoint on these things, and I paraphrase his previous commentary as follows: "That whale didn't go crazy! It went whale!"

That said, sometimes animals do need to be euthanized when they pose a threat (I had to put down a pit bull that was killing its owner, but decided on a 9mm round, the largest I had at my disposal, rather than a pile of Biblical rocks). I'd prefer not to set animals up to be people killers in the first place, though, especially when killing is in their nature to begin with.

(in reply to AnimusRex)

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RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/6/2010 5:37:20 PM

Brain

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It makes no sense to me why people can't think for themselves. Instead they read and take literally direction from 2000-year-old writings; ridiculous. Yet doing this seems to make sense of them illogically. Whoever said it's not a perfect world was right.

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RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/6/2010 5:45:06 PM

thornhappy

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to the OP:

What's also interesting is that the Hebrew Bible is trotted out by these organizations when it suits them, then disregarded when it doesn't. It also states that wearing blends of wool and linen are an abomination, and gives the thumbs up for polygamy, concubines, and slavery.

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RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/6/2010 5:48:28 PM

Level

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Three cheers for concubines!

Sadly, acting like fools isn't new for ultra-"religious" types. Those morons that show up at soldiers funerals are evidence of that.

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Let go it's harder holding on
One more trip and I'll be gone

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RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/6/2010 5:51:27 PM

AnimusRex

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quote:

ORIGINAL: thornhappy
What's also interesting is that the Hebrew Bible is trotted out by these organizations when it suits them, then disregarded when it doesn't. It also states that wearing blends of wool and linen are an abomination, and gives the thumbs up for polygamy, concubines, and slavery.

Um...Whadda they say about Dacron and polyester?

P.S. And I am with them on the whole polygamy/ concubines/ slavery thing. But stoning whales? HELL NO!

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by AnimusRex -- 3/6/2010 5:52:28 PM >

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RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/6/2010 7:24:11 PM

Kirata

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Brain

It makes no sense to me why people can't think for themselves.

Unh... it's called "education," Brain.

The above is from Gallup.

K.

(in reply to Brain)

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RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/6/2010 7:26:03 PM

thornhappy

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Yeah, I wants me some concubines...er...some male ones, that is!

quote:

ORIGINAL: Level

Three cheers for concubines!

Sadly, acting like fools isn't new for ultra-"religious" types. Those morons that show up at soldiers funerals are evidence of that.

(in reply to Level)

Post #: 8

RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/6/2010 9:27:33 PM

popeye1250

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Rex, it'd be funny if someone in Amirillo made up a poster and sent it to those do gooders; "Come one Come all to the Barbeque and Cocksucking Festival!"

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RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/7/2010 7:07:25 AM

MichiganHeadmast

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Leisure Suit Larry must be the antichrist then!

quote:

ORIGINAL: AnimusRex

quote:

ORIGINAL: thornhappy
What's also interesting is that the Hebrew Bible is trotted out by these organizations when it suits them, then disregarded when it doesn't. It also states that wearing blends of wool and linen are an abomination, and gives the thumbs up for polygamy, concubines, and slavery.

Um...Whadda they say about Dacron and polyester?

P.S. And I am with them on the whole polygamy/ concubines/ slavery thing. But stoning whales? HELL NO!

(in reply to AnimusRex)

Post #: 10

RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/7/2010 7:13:23 AM

DarkSteven

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"If the counsel of the Judeo-Christian tradition had been followed, Tillikum would have been put out of everyone's misery back in 1991 and would not have had the opportunity to claim two more human lives."

Ignoring the politics here, is this saying that this whale killed someone in 1991, killed one other person before last week, and killed its third person then?!??!

If so, screw the Biblical references and nail the management of Sea World.

_____________________________

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The small-breasted ones want larger breasts. The large-breasted ones want smaller ones. The straight-haired ones curl their hair, and the curly-haired ones straighten theirs...

Quit fretting. We men love you."

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RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/7/2010 7:24:54 AM

thornhappy

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Yeah, he's a 3-timer. Should've been done away with long ago, but he was also a prolific breeder. They might've thought it was worth it, though it sure doesn't pass a common sense test.

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RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/7/2010 7:29:02 AM

DarkSteven

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In that case, I'm with the AFA 100%. Sea World took a repeat killer and put it in a position to kill again. And it did. No different than hiring a convicted child rapist to teach at an elementary school and having him rape again.

Sea World management should be charged criminally.

_____________________________

"You women....

The small-breasted ones want larger breasts. The large-breasted ones want smaller ones. The straight-haired ones curl their hair, and the curly-haired ones straighten theirs...

Quit fretting. We men love you."

(in reply to thornhappy)

Post #: 13

RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/7/2010 7:44:31 AM

LadyEllen

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Ah - the Judeo-Christian tradition. The same one that holds that when we displace a million or so Arabs and put them in a desert concentration camp and they rise up and attack us, it is evidence of the innate evil nature of Arabs and we are obliged to punish them.

One might see how such thinking should translate easily to a situation where we put a large, intelligent, ocean going mammal in a pond for our profit and then hold the animal to be evil when it becomes aggressive and attacks its tormentors.

E

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RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/7/2010 10:17:01 AM

Kirata

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quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyEllen

Ah - the Judeo-Christian tradition...

Yeah really, aren't we missing something here? Why does the whale have to be killed? To punish it? Captivity obviously isn't working out very well for this fellow -- or for us -- so why not release it?

K.

(in reply to LadyEllen)

Post #: 15

RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/7/2010 10:21:49 AM

Musicmystery

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quote:

Why does the whale have to be killed? To punish it? Captivity obviously isn't working out very well for this fellow -- or for us -- so why not release it?

Yes, exactly. Nor does a killer whale grabbing a pony tail mean intent to kill, even if we weren't discussing an animal here.

Releasing a killer whale is not that simple, though. Without its pod, it won't survive in the sea.

Keeping humans farther away seems a good start, as does remembering the difference between a wild animal and a pet.

< Message edited by Musicmystery -- 3/7/2010 10:23:20 AM >

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Post #: 16

RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/7/2010 10:39:22 AM

Rule

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quote:

ORIGINAL: thornhappy
What's also interesting is that the Hebrew Bible ... It also states that wearing blends of wool and linen are an abomination

But why? Because the one is produced by agricultural farmers and the other by veterinary farmers?

Or can it be that the combination of such clothes produces static electricity? Does it?

(in reply to thornhappy)

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RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/7/2010 1:46:56 PM

GotSteel

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Kirata
so why not release it?

That's been tried with Keiko the star of Free Willy. It didn't work.

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Post #: 18

RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/7/2010 3:39:01 PM

Kirata

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quote:

ORIGINAL: GotSteel

That's been tried with Keiko the star of Free Willy. It didn't work.

In what way, precisely, didn't it "work"?

K.

(in reply to GotSteel)

Post #: 19

RE: American Talibangelicals, Ctd. - 3/7/2010 3:54:59 PM

DomKen

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Kirata

quote:

ORIGINAL: GotSteel

That's been tried with Keiko the star of Free Willy. It didn't work.

In what way, precisely, didn't it "work"?

K.

Didn't you read the last entry? Keiko died under the care of people. His release was a failure. He required human care until his last day.

(in reply to Kirata)

Post #: 20

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