Politics Plus

It’s Sunday, with many of us heading off to church.  In more churches than we’d like, Christians will hear how evil Islam is.  But here’s an experiment done by a couple of pranksters from the Dutch internet show “Dit Is Normaal” (“This is Normal”) that shows we’re not so very different. 

[Islam] has been under huge scrutiny lately and is often [criticized] for being an aggressive religion… but what about Christianity? In this video we disguised a Bible as a Quran and read some of its most gruesome verses to the people. This is what they had to say.

It wasn’t a bit difficult to convince the people on the street that the violent, misogynistic, unforgiving passages were straight out of the Quran. 

But what is heartening are their reactions when they learn that it’s actually from the Bible …

“WTF?!?”

“That’s just sick!  Really sick!!”

… And how objective they were in assessing their shock.

TWO BONUSES …

To save you all the time and trouble, I Googled the Bible passages they used so you don’t have to – with a few surrounding verses where appropriate:

(NOTE: They were all New International Version [NIV])

◄ Leviticus 26:15 ►

http://biblehub.com/leviticus/26-15.htm

15: and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant …

◄ Leviticus 26:29 ►

http://biblehub.com/leviticus/26-29.htm

29: You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters.

◄ 1 Timothy 2:12 ►

http://biblehub.com/1_timothy/2-12.htm

 [11: A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness.

12: But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.

[13: For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve.]

◄ Deuteronomy 25:12 ►

http://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/25-12.htm

[11: "If two men, a man and his countryman, are struggling together, and the wife of one comes near to deliver her husband from the hand of the one who is striking him, and puts out her hand and seizes his genitals]

12: then you shall cut off her hand; you shall not show pity.

◄ Leviticus 20:13 ►

http://biblehub.com/leviticus/20-13.htm

13: If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

Second Bonus:

How well do you know your Bible?  Here’s a pretty tough quiz TEST with 50 questions.  Or you can skip it and just click the “Submit” button at the bottom to find the Answers.

I scored 22, and 15 is the average.  How did you do?

https://ffrf.org/legacy/quiz/bquiz.php

From Rep. Brian Sims (D) Facebook page:

Terrorism has many faces around the world.  This is the very familiar face of terrorism in the United States.

He's not ISIS, Hamas, or a Crip.  He's not Muslim or an Atheist.  He doesn't have brown skin or wear a kaffiyeh.  He didn't come here in a boat or on a raft.  He hasn't run from genocide or been persecuted by a ruthless dictator.  He's not a refugee, a "thug" or foreigner.  

He's ours.

This is the face of American Terrorism. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Rep. Brian K. Sims is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from Philadelphia.  Elected in 2012, Sims is also a lawyer and activist on LGBT civil rights.  Sims is the first openly gay elected state legislator in Pennsylvania history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Sims

Thought it would be worthwhile to have a visual record of the show of solidarity with Paris and the people of France as demonstrated by iconic landmarks from around the world lit in the Tricolor.

They’re mostly in alphabetical order, either by location or name of monument …

Berlin – The Brandenburg Gate

Brazil – Christ the Redeemer

Calgary Tower

CN Tower in Toronto

Empire State Building

Las Vegas High Flyer Ferris Wheel

Lisbon Belém Tower

London National Portrait Gallery

London Trafalgar Square Vigil

London Trafalgar Square Fountain

14 Nov 2015, London, England, UK — London, United Kingdom. 14th November 2015 — London Eye is coloured with the French flags colours, paying tribute after more than 120 people were killed in a series of attacks in Paris. — People across the world have been paying tribute after more than 120 people were killed in a series of attacks in Paris. London coloured London Eye and National theatre with colours of French flag. — Image by © amethyst/Demotix/Corbis

London Eye

One World Trade Center

San Francisco City Hall

Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower

Sydney Opera House

Washington Square NYC

Washington Square Heart

Switzerland – Eiffel Tower Peace

I’ll begin with the “Holiday” because it’ll be mine for a while. 

I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome that the neurologist, who did the EMG, said is rated as “Severe” by the test.  So I saw the hand surgeon today and will be having surgery in the next 1-3 weeks.

Both the surgeon and neurologist said it’d be best to minimize my keyboard excursions – so I’m going to try to be a good patient and comply.

That explains the very brief “Friday Fun” post which you’ll have to do most of the leg finger-work to read about and my probably absense.

But we can all say a hearty “ThankYou!” to Johari Osayi Idusuyi for providing some comic relief to a master comic himself, Donald Trump.

Idusuyi has made an effort to learn about the candidates, so when Trump came to down …

“I’m genuinely not interested in him as a person, but if you have the chance to see a presidential candidate, why not?” Idusuyi said.

AND she got a primo seat …

“I think we were chosen for obvious reasons.  We are minorities and there weren’t a lot of minorities there. He also instructed us to sit in the middle, so we kind of already knew what this was.”

Idusuyi insisted she went into the rally with an open mind, but she took out her book and began reading after Trump demanded the removal of some protesters, and she said supporters cheered after a supporter removed a woman’s Obama hat and tossed it into the crowd.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/11/organizers-seat-woman-behind-trump-because-shes-black-so-she-silently-protests-by-reading-her-book/

So rather than waste anymore of the time, she took out an award-winning book, “Citizen: An American Lyric”, and began reading …

And boy, that did NOT go over well with some bigots hate-mongers knuckle-draggers Trump supporters!

Thanks, Johari, for upstaging a master narcissistic comic with some great comic relief of your own!

READ MORE

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/11/organizers-seat-woman-behind-trump-because-shes-black-so-she-silently-protests-by-reading-her-book/

http://wics.com/news/local/springfield-woman-goes-viral-after-attending-trumps-speech

http://www.mediaite.com/online/trump-rally-book-reader-volunteers-put-us-on-camera-because-were-black/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BTY4uxhgQ4

http://bluenationreview.com/some-applause-for-the-trump-protester-johari-osayi-idusuyi/ v