From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=872">CryingShame58</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

BK,<BR>
Are you harboring resentment against organized religions or just one in particular? The Apostolic Church was founded on God's mighty acts in Jesus Christ which continue true to the historic ministry directly descended from that of Christ's "chosen Apostles" (the Holy Bible)...which doesn't pressure anyone through pity and guilt...Everyone I have talked with that saw the movie reached a higher spiritual plane...After watching the movie I certainly have a greater understanding of God's love which doesn't include pity or guilt...I think pity and guilt are emotions learned from human experience, usually from parents...When you come to the age of accountability you choose to have negative thoughts and feelings which have nothing to do with the teachings of Christ....<BR>
<BR>
Echolation,<BR>
I thought your slight sacrilegious site was funny...it was a great break from all the seriousness of our little debate...and many will agree that God has a sense of humor...<BR>
CS58
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=872">cryingshame58</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

Echolocation,<BR>
please forgive me for spelling your name wrong...<BR>
CS58
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1450">Lolly Gaggin</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

I heard Rosie O'Donnell saying (during her "wedding") that she was inspired to wed by George Bush's "vile and ugly comments"... so I went and found those comments and couldn't find one vile or ugly thing in it.  And I realized that both he and Bill Clinton were even on the same page, so I thought I would offer those comments on this site since it seems pretty relevent to the subject of romance.  I recently wed and also renewed my Catholic faith and find his words refreshingly clear and compassionate.  Both my husband and I believe strongly in the option for states to offer "legal union" status to gays, but feel that traditional marriage in the US must be preserved.  I thought this would be a useful topic for conversation on this chatroom.  Thanks for indulging me a little : )
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1450">Lolly Gaggin</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

When commenting on other writers here, how do you make the name of the poem link to the title?  Also, is there an index of all the writers ot titles?  It is kind of hard to navigate here unless you know what you are looking for.
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1103">ladyinwaiting</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

bk ~ The Passion is the type of moving you invite a lost friend to...maybe you have a friend that will invite you...
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=13">B.K.</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

No Crying Shame it's not Jesus I have any problem with. I saw a bumper sticker on the back of a car yesterday that said it all. It said<BR>
<BR>
I have no problem with God or Jesus, It's their fan clubs I have a problem with. <BR>
<BR>
Speaking of which Ladyinwaiting, I'm so glad you're FOUND, but sweetie I've Never been LOST...ha. (somebody call out the Church Lady here)<BR>
<BR>
bk<BR>
<BR>
 
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1139">jwb71913</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

Fan clubs indeed......  Well said B.K.  My uncle wrote a book on religious films, it was a difficult read, but in essence said that religious films of the 50's and 60's addressed relevant social issues of the time.  Maybe everyone is missing the point?  This is an anti war film.
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1077">cire nehtrow</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

Rennie - thank you for the compliments, they mean a lot coming from you.  Keep loving and writing all, I'm inspired by everyone's posts.
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=872">cryingshame58</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

BK,<BR>
So the answer is you don't agree that people shouldn't go to church?<BR>
CS58
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=872">cryingshame58</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

BK,<BR>
So the answer is you don't agree that people shouldn't go to church?<BR>
CS58
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1103">ladyinwaiting</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

bk ~ thank you...church lady is one of my fav's...and glad to know you are not lost...warms my heart...so sorry that you have had bad experience with church groups...after all it is our own personal relationship with God as we know him that is the one that matters...
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=872">cryingshame58</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

Lolly Gaggin,<BR>
If there isn't an amendment then the next thing will be that 3 or more people will want to be legally married...There has to be a line drawn somewhere...life isn't fair and there has to be laws to have order...did you know that step children (not adopted) receive government disability checks when a step parent becomes disabled? Our tax dollars at work pay too much for such programs already...<BR>
CS58 
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=74">Echolocation</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

Re <a href="/blend/wv.cgi?id=2004.03.04.05.55.22567">Protecting Marriage</a>:<BR>
<BR>
The Constitution was written to *guarantee* rights, not to limit them or take them away.  Certainly state or federal laws may be passed that restrict the legality of marriage as a civil ceremony (though they cannot, thanks to separation of church and state, mandate any requirements for marriage as a religious ceremony).  But to amend the Constitution in order to remove rights from a segment of our population flies in the face of what the designers of the Constitution intended as its purpose.  <BR>
<BR>
George fails to mention that the early Christian church recognized same-sex unions.  So did Native Americans.  So did ancient Rome, Greece, Africa, and many other cultures.  George needs to do his research better before making such sweeping claims.<BR>
<BR>
Objection to same-sex marriage often seems to rely on Judeo-Christian morality; again, thanks to the separation of church and state, a particular religion's morality cannot and should not be enshrined in our laws.<BR>
<BR>
George makes a nice speech about marriage between a man and woman being an institution that needs protecting.  I think heterosexuals are doing a fine job of eviscerating it as it is; if same-sex couples feel strongly about making a commitment to each other, why not let them?  Maybe they'll do better.
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=74">Echolocation</a><BR>
Date: 4 March  and <P>

Lolly -- to link to a poem within the board, copy the number string between the <a href="/blend/wv.cgi?id= and the "><i>Untitled</i></a> at the top (including the <a href="/blend/wv.cgi?id= and "><i>Untitled</i></a>) and paste it into your message.  It should show up as a link.
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=74">Echolocation</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

Oops, I see that the automated feature found my sample link and attempted to convert it to a real link (kirk you are just TOO efficient)!!  Let me try again -- copy the numeric string at the top between the square brackets, including the brackets (2 at the start and 2 at the end) and it should work :)
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1131">indefensible sushi</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

Hmm... An interesting argument there, but quite spurious. It's what right-wingers always say: "Next thing, people will be marrying their pets! And what about polygamy?!" Well, these were the same rationales trotted out during the debate over blacks marrying whites. That too was once considered "unnatural" and "against the prevailing order" ("order" sounds vaguely fascist to me anyway...). Thankfully society changes and evolves. There is indeed a cultural war going on, but the forces of reaction are squarely on the losing side of history. This is not a theocracy; we are a SECULAR society based upon the rule of law. And unjust laws should firstly be opposed and then changed. This is called civil disobedience, and it has its place. Bravo for those judges and local city officials courageous enough to make democracy work!
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1139">jwb71913</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

"A free and open society is an ongoing conflict, interrupted periodically by compromises."  Saul Alinsky<BR>
<BR>
I see that even 'thoughtful, poetic types' are embroiled in this fascist attempt to blur the real issues here.  Why can't we understand that while we argue about this issue, our freedoms are being systematically destroyed, including our right to write what we want?<BR>
<BR>
Same sex marriages aren't harmful, they are not even worth wasting our time discussing.  How about all the hungry children in my own state?  What about victims of domestic violence?  The Governor of our state took one million ($1,000,000) of federal money designated for shelters, and bought the state police a DNA machine.<BR>
<BR>
People, let's raise our voices to save what's left of our constitution, which despite it's faults is a well written and thoughtful set of rules for 'order'.<BR>
<BR>
Kirk, I apologize for wasting space on this forum, but I'm just fed up with blindness and apathy.
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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1139">jwb71913</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism as it is a merge of state and corporate power.   (Bush/Cheney)<BR>
 <BR>
Fascism conceives of the State as an absolute, in comparison with which all individuals or groups are relative, only to be conceived in their relation to the State.  (Blind Patriotism)<BR>
<BR>
Benito Mussolini, (my comments)<BR>

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From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=23">Kirk</a><BR>
Date: 4 March 2004<P>

"I was against gay marriage until I realized I didn't have to have one."<BR>
--James Carvell, Clinton's old campaign manager. Great quote!<BR>

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