<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Apathy Online</title>
	<atom:link href="http://apathyonline.net/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://apathyonline.net</link>
	<description>Just another anarchist blog ;)</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Sun, 27 Jun 2010 17:07:56 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0</generator>
		<item>
		<title>New eBooks Section</title>
		<link>http://apathyonline.net/archives/323</link>
		<comments>http://apathyonline.net/archives/323#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Jun 2010 16:54:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>antijingoist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eBooks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ePub]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://apathyonline.net/archives/323</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Since my wife obtained a Sony eReader, I have been converting books into the ePub format for her. I figured I would make many of these converted books available in a new eBook section here. The first two books: Healing &#8230; <a href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/323">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Since my wife obtained a Sony eReader, I have been converting books into the ePub format for her. I figured I would make many of these converted books available in a new eBook section here. The first two books: Healing Our World, and The Anti-Federalist Papers are already available for download. Enjoy. <img src='http://apathyonline.net/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p class='fb-like'><iframe src='http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://apathyonline.net/archives/323&amp;layout=button_count&amp;show_faces=true&amp;width=260&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light' scrolling='no' frameborder='0' allowTransparency='true' style='border:none; overflow:hidden; width:260px; height:26px'></iframe></p><fb:share-button href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/323" type="button_count"></fb:share-button>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://apathyonline.net/archives/323/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Five Myths of Marriage</title>
		<link>http://apathyonline.net/archives/310</link>
		<comments>http://apathyonline.net/archives/310#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Jun 2010 01:23:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>antijingoist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marriage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[myth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wife]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://apathyonline.net/archives/310</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My wife and I celebrated our one year anniversary a few days ago. One year ago, before we were married, there were many things that people told me would change or be different after marriage. The most popular are below: &#8230; <a href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/310">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>My wife and I celebrated our one year anniversary a few days ago. One year ago, before we were married, there were many things that people told me would change or be different after marriage. The most popular are below:</p>
<p>1) <b>Be sad! No more alone time! No more time for the things you want!</b> My wife and I enjoy many of the same things. We spend time plotting and scheming together. We spend time going to events together. As a matter of fact, I can&#8217;t stand to be without her. Even at work, I measure time in &#8220;minutes till I get to go home,&#8221; and scheduled a longer lunch break just to spend more time with her. Besides, if I wanted alone time, I would not have gotten married. </p>
<p>2) <b>No more hanging out with friends!</b> Before marriage, my wife introduced me to her friends, and I thought they were awesome, and I became friends with them. I introduced my wife to my friends, and she thought they were so awesome that she became friends with them. As a matter of fact, she makes me spend time with them also! I am a sociophob, but my wife is fixing that: she helps me get out more often.</p>
<p>3) <b>She is the boss</b> Nope. We just do stuff. Up until this point, if something needs to be done, we discuss it and figure out what to do together. Sometimes her ideas are awesomer. Sometimes mine are.</p>
<p>4) <b>Life will be boring!</b> Not a chance! Our marriage started with a high-octane police chase as I rescued my wife from Massachusetts, and took her to New Hampshire. Since then, every day has been us single handedly saving the world from evil politicians at the very last minute. On a serious note, we could write a book of all the things that we have experienced since being married a year ago, from being followed by police, to being harassed and followed by bitter old ladies on main street. </p>
<p>5) <b>There will be arguments! You will fight all the time</b> None yet! Closest thing to a shouting match we&#8217;ve had were plans to angrily shout compliments at each other on main street just to see what people would say. </p>
<p>None of these premarital warnings have come to pass so far. I have married a beautiful lady who is very loving. Next year, about the same time, I&#8217;ll get to write on myths about being a parent.<br /></p>
<p class='fb-like'><iframe src='http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://apathyonline.net/archives/310&amp;layout=button_count&amp;show_faces=true&amp;width=260&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light' scrolling='no' frameborder='0' allowTransparency='true' style='border:none; overflow:hidden; width:260px; height:26px'></iframe></p><fb:share-button href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/310" type="button_count"></fb:share-button>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://apathyonline.net/archives/310/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Porc411 iPhone App</title>
		<link>http://apathyonline.net/archives/271</link>
		<comments>http://apathyonline.net/archives/271#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:36:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>antijingoist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[app]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[porc411]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://apathyonline.net/archives/271</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yet another way to check the Porc411 without cluttering your inbox. This app lets you check the latest Porc411&#8242;s when you can, without having to manually delete them later. It also allows you to call back the original caller fairly &#8230; <a href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/271">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Yet another way to check the Porc411 without cluttering your inbox. This app lets you check the latest Porc411&#8242;s when you can, without having to manually delete them later.<br />
It also allows you to call back the original caller fairly easily. I&#8217;ve already tested it to work on iOS 4; however, because of appstore restrictions, it is not in the appstore, and not yet in Cydia. Working on it though. <img src='http://apathyonline.net/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p class='fb-like'><iframe src='http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://apathyonline.net/archives/271&amp;layout=button_count&amp;show_faces=true&amp;width=260&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light' scrolling='no' frameborder='0' allowTransparency='true' style='border:none; overflow:hidden; width:260px; height:26px'></iframe></p><fb:share-button href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/271" type="button_count"></fb:share-button>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://apathyonline.net/archives/271/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Porc411 Dashboard Widget for MacOS</title>
		<link>http://apathyonline.net/archives/259</link>
		<comments>http://apathyonline.net/archives/259#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Jun 2010 04:26:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>antijingoist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Downloads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Local]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mac os]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[porc411]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[widget]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://apathyonline.net/?p=259</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There can never be too many ways to check the Porc411. If you do not want another notification in your inbox to let you know of a situation, you can now have a dashboard widget to tell you when there &#8230; <a href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/259">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There can never be too many ways to check the Porc411. If you do not want another notification in your inbox to let you know of a situation, you can now have a dashboard widget to tell you when there is a new message that needs listening. You can even listen from the widget. Nothing to follow, just messages when you want to see them. Widget requires MacOS 10.4 at least.</p>
<p><a href='http://apathyonline.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Porcupine411.zip'>Download Porcupine411</a><br />
<a href="http://porcupine411.com">Official Porcupine 411 Website</a></p>
<p class='fb-like'><iframe src='http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://apathyonline.net/archives/259&amp;layout=button_count&amp;show_faces=true&amp;width=260&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light' scrolling='no' frameborder='0' allowTransparency='true' style='border:none; overflow:hidden; width:260px; height:26px'></iframe></p><fb:share-button href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/259" type="button_count"></fb:share-button>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://apathyonline.net/archives/259/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>OpenOpera Makes Opera Default Browser on iPhone</title>
		<link>http://apathyonline.net/archives/254</link>
		<comments>http://apathyonline.net/archives/254#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 19 May 2010 03:54:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>antijingoist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[openopera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[opera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[opera mini]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rock app]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sbsettings]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://apathyonline.net/archives/254</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The moment Opera Mini for the iPhone was out, I downloaded it and have been using it as my primary browser since. Unfortunately, on the iPhone, you cannot switch your default browser to Opera. That is, until someone wrote an &#8230; <a href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/254">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The moment Opera Mini for the iPhone was out, I downloaded it and have been using it as my primary browser since. Unfortunately, on the iPhone, you cannot switch your default browser to Opera. That is, until someone wrote an SBSettings plugin to change that. After installing OpenOpera from Rock App or Cydia, and enabling it, tapping links on your iPhone will open Opera Mini. Tapping on the address bar will paste the link. </p>
<p>One more thing is needed to use Opera as the Safari replacement on your iPhone: backgrounding. Both iPhone OS 4 and Backgrounder will fix that problem for you. </p>
<p class='fb-like'><iframe src='http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://apathyonline.net/archives/254&amp;layout=button_count&amp;show_faces=true&amp;width=260&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light' scrolling='no' frameborder='0' allowTransparency='true' style='border:none; overflow:hidden; width:260px; height:26px'></iframe></p><fb:share-button href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/254" type="button_count"></fb:share-button>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://apathyonline.net/archives/254/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>George Donnelly Needs Your Support</title>
		<link>http://apathyonline.net/archives/248</link>
		<comments>http://apathyonline.net/archives/248#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 May 2010 18:50:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>antijingoist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Libertarianism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Police Brutality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[activism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[court]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[George Donnelly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[journalism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[police abuse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[protest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tyranny]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://apathyonline.net/?p=248</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[George Donnelly has not said much since his arrest last week, but that has not stopped people from searching for documents and information related to his arrest. Based on information an article on CarlosMiller.com, he has quite a legal battle &#8230; <a href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/248">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>George Donnelly has not said much since his arrest last week, but that has not stopped people from searching for documents and information related to his arrest. Based on information an article on <a href="http://carlosmiller.com/2010/05/17/pennsylvania-activist-facing-eight-years-in-prison-after-videotaping-guards-outside-courthouse/">CarlosMiller.com</a>, he has quite a legal battle ahead. His current conditions are:</p>
<blockquote><p>Bail in the amount of $50,000<br />
Defendant shall submit to random drug testing as directed by pretrial services<br />
Defendant shall undergo drug/alcohol treatment if necessary, as determined by pretrial services<br />
Defendant shall submit to electronic monitoring<br />
Defendant must obtain a land line<br />
Defendant may drive to food store three times per week, and must submit receipts to pretrial services, with prior approval of pretrial services<br />
Travel restricted to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania<br />
Defendant shall surrender and/or refrain from obtaining or applying for a passport<br />
Defendant shall surrender and/or refrain from obtaining any firearms<br />
Defendant shall have no contact with co-defendants in this case, or individuals engaged in any criminal activity<br />
Defendant may not publicize names, images or locations of officers or release information to anyone else</p></blockquote>
<p>More information on <a href="http://libertapedia.org/wiki/George_Donnelly">Libertapedia</a>. </p>
<p class='fb-like'><iframe src='http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://apathyonline.net/archives/248&amp;layout=button_count&amp;show_faces=true&amp;width=260&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light' scrolling='no' frameborder='0' allowTransparency='true' style='border:none; overflow:hidden; width:260px; height:26px'></iframe></p><fb:share-button href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/248" type="button_count"></fb:share-button>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://apathyonline.net/archives/248/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Update: Activist George Donnelly Arrested for Recording</title>
		<link>http://apathyonline.net/archives/237</link>
		<comments>http://apathyonline.net/archives/237#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 May 2010 19:40:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>antijingoist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[National]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Police Brutality]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://apathyonline.net/?p=237</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Government employees don&#8217;t like to be recorded. Perhaps because it can cause society to start holding them accountable. I&#8217;ve been threatened with arrest for recording before, but usually the threats are not made good on, or I hide for a &#8230; <a href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/237">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.fr33agents.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/fr33george.jpeg" alt="Fr33 George" /></p>
<p>Government employees don&#8217;t like to be recorded. Perhaps because it can cause society to start holding them accountable. I&#8217;ve been threatened with arrest for recording before, but usually the threats are not made good on, or I hide for a bit. Recording public events is becoming increasingly dangerous&#8230; </p>
<p>Via <a href="http://www.fr33agents.com/2958/action-alert-call-the-federal-detention-center-in-philly-at-215-521-4000-to-demand-george-donnellys-freedom/">Fr33 Agents</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>Fr33 Agent contributor, Voluntaryist activist and blogger George Donnelly was mugged and kidnapped by US Marshalls yesterday and is reportedly being held in theFederal Government’s Detention Center in Philadelphia. Please call 215-521-4000 to politely but firmly demand George Donnelly’s release and ask your social network to do the same. Anything you can do to raise awareness for George would be most appreciated.</p></blockquote>
<p>Update: <a href="http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-26370-Libertarian-News-Examiner~y2010m5d13-George-Donnelly-freed-from-federal-captivity">George Donnelly has been released. </a></p>
<p class='fb-like'><iframe src='http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://apathyonline.net/archives/237&amp;layout=button_count&amp;show_faces=true&amp;width=260&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light' scrolling='no' frameborder='0' allowTransparency='true' style='border:none; overflow:hidden; width:260px; height:26px'></iframe></p><fb:share-button href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/237" type="button_count"></fb:share-button>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://apathyonline.net/archives/237/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>LEAP Member Kicked Out For Disobeying Immoral Laws</title>
		<link>http://apathyonline.net/archives/219</link>
		<comments>http://apathyonline.net/archives/219#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 24 Jan 2010 03:20:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>antijingoist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Local]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Protests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[420]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Epping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[keene]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[keene nh news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LEAP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marijuana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new hapshire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[police]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[war on drugs]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://apathyonline.net/?p=219</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Brad Jardis, Epping PD officer and Anti-prohibition activist was kicked out from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition for refusing to obey an immoral law and arrest people who use marijuana for medical reasons. Earlier this month, Jardis cited his oath to &#8230; <a href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/219">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Brad Jardis, Epping PD officer and Anti-prohibition activist was kicked out from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition for refusing to obey an immoral law and arrest people who use marijuana for medical reasons. Earlier this month, Jardis cited his oath to uphold the constitution of New Hampshire as superseding any laws that contradict it in a post on <a href="http://freekeene.com/2010/01/18/nh-cop-refusing-to-arrest-medical-cannabis-users/">FreeKeene.com</a>. In a letter written to Jardis, Jack Cole, Executive Director of LEAP states that Jardis, &#8220;chosen to violate the oath you took on joining the police department; to enforce all the laws of the federal and state governments in which your police department has jurisdiction.&#8221;<br />
Full Letter below &#038; <a href="http://forum.freekeene.com/index.php?topic=2323.0">Discussion on the FreeKeene forum</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>Dear Bradley Jardis,</p>
<p>I have tried but am unable to reach you by telephone.</p>
<p>It has come to LEAP&#8217;s attention from the below blog entry, that you have<br />
chosen to violate the oath you took on joining the police department; to<br />
enforce all the laws of the federal and state governments in which your<br />
police department has jurisdiction. And worse, you are calling on other law<br />
enforcement officials to violate their oaths of office.</p>
<p>This is the opposite of what LEAP requires of our representatives. We have<br />
always said that we will in no way ask that any law enforcer decline to do<br />
his or her duty by refusing to enforce the laws as they are currently<br />
recorded. That would be unethical and wrong. What we do call on them for is<br />
take action on their off-duty time to help us change those laws.</p>
<p>Because you have so blatantly stepped over that line, your actions have<br />
caused people to lose respect for our organization, which leads to a loss of<br />
our credibility within the public, the media and the policymakers; the very<br />
people whom we are trying to convince to change these laws.</p>
<p>The Executive Board of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition was made aware of<br />
your actions in their January 22, 2010 Board meeting. They were unanimous in<br />
their decision that you must no longer represent Law Enforcement Against<br />
Prohibition while espousing this belief.</p>
<p>As Executive Director of LEAP, I therefore am notifying you that,<br />
effectively immediately, you are to stop referring to yourself as a speaker<br />
for or member of LEAP in your publications, interviews, and public or<br />
private addresses.</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p>Jack A. Cole<br />
Executive Director<br />
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition<br />
121 Mystic Avenue, Medford, MA 02155<br />
(781) 393-6985 LEAP Office         (781) 393 2964 FAX<br />
(781) 396-0183 Home Office        (617) 792-3877 Cell<br />
jackacole@leap.cc                        www.leap.cc</p></blockquote>
<p class='fb-like'><iframe src='http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://apathyonline.net/archives/219&amp;layout=button_count&amp;show_faces=true&amp;width=260&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light' scrolling='no' frameborder='0' allowTransparency='true' style='border:none; overflow:hidden; width:260px; height:26px'></iframe></p><fb:share-button href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/219" type="button_count"></fb:share-button>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://apathyonline.net/archives/219/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What Kind of Christians Are We?</title>
		<link>http://apathyonline.net/archives/212</link>
		<comments>http://apathyonline.net/archives/212#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:03:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>antijingoist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bible]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christianity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[church]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[false doctrine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fellowship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heresy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[judgement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[neo-conservative]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trial]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://apathyonline.net/?p=212</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today, I was talking with a Christian coworker, and mentioned that some Christians refuse to stand for a judge because they view all humans as equals. My coworker seemed perplexed by the idea, thought it was silly, and barely avoided &#8230; <a href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/212">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Today, I was talking with a Christian coworker, and mentioned that some Christians refuse to stand for a judge because they view all humans as equals. My coworker seemed perplexed by the idea, thought it was silly, and barely avoided stating that people who try to bring such beliefs into a court setting should be arrested. His reasoning was that it was merely showing respect for the judge and has nothing to do with worship. I do not necessarily believe that my coworker is wrong in standing for a judge, should he be in a position to stand before one. However, he does not believe in giving others the ability to live by their convictions, including other Christians. While I believe it is a matter between the a person and God, I view such Quakers/Christians/etc. that live their convictions as heroes. These are people who are willing to risk imprisonment for abiding by their conscience. As a former pastor of mine pointed out, Caesar does not own your conscience, God does.</p>
<p>There is a reason why this bothered me. I was trying to probe my coworkers beliefs (primarily because he will discuss &#8216;religion&#8217; or Christ with every other coworker but me, except to invite me to his church, but also because of my curiosity). I have been trying to see what kind of a Christian he was, and if he had good reasons for his beliefs. Perhaps my conclusion is unfair, but he seems to be a typical &#8216;conservative&#8217; type: he confuses faith in Christ with an unquestioning acceptance of everything taught to him in a Christian setting. Unfortunately, it seems as if the majority of Christians I meet are this way.</p>
<p>What kind of Christians are we if we believe this way? Of what value is our faith? We can quote scripture verbatim, but our only understanding is what has been taught to us. People ask us how to get to Heaven, and we immediately spit out an answer, without knowing if it is true. It was just taught to us. Frankly, I am not certain if most Christians even know why they believe what they believe. At all. A cab driver pointed this out to me years ago when he asked me some questions about my faith. Since then, I have tried very hard to make sure my beliefs are consistent and true. (Does anyone remember reading Philippians 2:12?) Some do not really care to do this, and get their consistent and true beliefs on Sundays.</p>
<p>Modern Christianity seem to be no better than the other theories of life or religions it derides. It rests simply on a teaching that has been passed down from multiple generations of teachers in a game of generational telephone with the current teaching being incredibly far from the truth it once showed, and there is no desire to go to the beginning and rework our beliefs as necessary. We say to ourselves that &#8220;This is what we were taught, and any deviation from it is heresy.&#8221; Someone raises an objection to our beliefs and instead of having an answer or researching the question, we cite problems with the questioner. Did we not read from the Bible that we proclaim to be true without knowing why that we should study (2 Tim 2:15)? We are offended by Christians in jail, forgetting in the Bible, persecution is normal. Forgetting God&#8217;s commandments, we try to force others to live the way we want. We advocate theft in Christ&#8217;s name. We serve someone other than the Jesus in the Bible, and others know this. They mock us, not to persecute us, but because our brand of christianity deserves mocking. They are offended by us, because we offend them, and not because the core of our belief itself is offensive. We even have rules just like the religious leaders Jesus criticized, but we have very intricate reasons for why our rules are not like theirs. We complain of people picking and choosing what parts of the Bible they believe, but it may better to do that with a consistent belief than to mandate that everything be included for the sole reason of a vote long ago while taking what we mandate as included and twisting and perverting it in ways the original authors/Author did not intend. There is a lot wrong with our christianity! It&#8217;s not Christian!</p>
<p>To be fair, people&#8217;s beliefs change over time, and I too was once a zombie-christian: eating the brains of other christians to sustain me. Perhaps I am still that way to a degree (I&#8217;ve changed, honest!). Maybe this is a rant more about myself than a plea for others to consider themselves. I could fill the rest of this spot with Philippians 2:12, but I doubt it would help; I&#8217;ve read passages hundreds of times before understanding them, and hundreds of times more before realizing I was abiding solely by a teaching rather than what the passage plainly said. Perhaps it&#8217;s worth scrapping our ideas and rebuilding them from scratch?<br />
And the question now is &#8220;what do I believe?&#8221; I believe that there is a Creator. I believe that He came down in the form of Christ to show us how to live. I believe that he took the punishment of the world when He died on the cross because he loved us, and to show us what love truly is: not killing or oppressing others because they don&#8217;t believe like you, but sacrificing yourself for others out of love for them. I believe that when Jesus stated that the greatest commandments were to love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, that He meant it. I believe all scripture should be interpreted in light of these two verses.</p>
<p class='fb-like'><iframe src='http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://apathyonline.net/archives/212&amp;layout=button_count&amp;show_faces=true&amp;width=260&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light' scrolling='no' frameborder='0' allowTransparency='true' style='border:none; overflow:hidden; width:260px; height:26px'></iframe></p><fb:share-button href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/212" type="button_count"></fb:share-button>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://apathyonline.net/archives/212/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>MoveOn.org Can&#039;t Wait For A Public Option</title>
		<link>http://apathyonline.net/archives/197</link>
		<comments>http://apathyonline.net/archives/197#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:52:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>antijingoist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Healthcare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Libertarianism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[moveon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[obamacare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[statism]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://apathyonline.net/?p=197</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The best sign was &#8220;My Children can&#8217;t afford to wait to loose another parent!&#8221; Bet it&#8217;s because their parent is a violent statist that they don&#8217;t like&#8230; I bet their children had a sign &#8220;My mom cant afford to wait &#8230; <a href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/197">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The best sign was &#8220;My Children can&#8217;t afford to wait to loose another parent!&#8221; Bet it&#8217;s because their parent is a violent statist that they don&#8217;t like&#8230; <img src='http://apathyonline.net/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p>I bet their children had a sign &#8220;My mom cant afford to wait to for her reoccurring statism to be cured.&#8221; Public Option Now! The sooner the Fed fails, the sooner peoples statism gets cured (I hope).</p>
<p>It&#8217;s really terrible that so many people, because of the state, can&#8217;t get affordable healthcare, and then advocate using violence to obtain their medical care.</p>
<p class='fb-like'><iframe src='http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://apathyonline.net/archives/197&amp;layout=button_count&amp;show_faces=true&amp;width=260&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light' scrolling='no' frameborder='0' allowTransparency='true' style='border:none; overflow:hidden; width:260px; height:26px'></iframe></p><fb:share-button href="http://apathyonline.net/archives/197" type="button_count"></fb:share-button>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://apathyonline.net/archives/197/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
