"francis who?" asked martin luther

Time's cover story this week is titled Does God Want You To Be Rich? and talks about megachurches who rake in the dough and, essentially, try to justify it with doctrine.  Pop quiz, Protestants: what is apostolic poverty?  It's somewhat comical to see certain mistakes being repeated centuries later.

This New Prosperity is scary, a way to wrap up bourgeois goals in spiritual garments.  Speaking as an agnostic who has a raving asshole atheist somewhere inside that keeps slipping out for joyrides, reading about this crap is like waving bacon in a dog's face.  It's taking charismatic preachers and sprinkling elements of a cult and a pyramid scheme.  Hmm, it's like Mormonism.  I imagine suggesting to these people that they're just like Mormons would be guaranteed fireworks.

"francis who?" asked martin luther

Time's cover story this week is titled Does God Want You To Be Rich? and talks about megachurches who rake in the dough and, essentially, try to justify it with doctrine.  Pop quiz, Protestants: what is apostolic poverty?  It's somewhat comical to see certain mistakes being repeated centuries later.

This New Prosperity is scary, a way to wrap up bourgeois goals in spiritual garments.  Speaking as an agnostic who has a raving asshole atheist somewhere inside that keeps slipping out for joyrides, reading about this crap is like waving bacon in a dog's face.  It's taking charismatic preachers and sprinkling elements of a cult and a pyramid scheme.  Hmm, it's like Mormonism.  I imagine suggesting to these people that they're just like Mormons would be guaranteed fireworks.

it's not the same

Even though Kim's gone for a shorter period of time than i was in India, it feels completely different.  In India, i was a fish out of water, so my attitude was one of pure efficiency: take care of self, take care of work, tour if possible.  I missed home, but it wasn't something that depressed me.  But now i'm the one left at home, and i feel wholly adrift.  Going to work is perfunctory; i come home and i'm bereft.  I'm pathetic and it disgusts me.  And yet it's only for a couple of days more, so really, what the hell am i whining about?

it's not the same

Even though Kim's gone for a shorter period of time than i was in India, it feels completely different.  In India, i was a fish out of water, so my attitude was one of pure efficiency: take care of self, take care of work, tour if possible.  I missed home, but it wasn't something that depressed me.  But now i'm the one left at home, and i feel wholly adrift.  Going to work is perfunctory; i come home and i'm bereft.  I'm pathetic and it disgusts me.  And yet it's only for a couple of days more, so really, what the hell am i whining about?