Random Stuff

1. I recently read an interesting blog post about Hell, so I thought I would post a picture of my dog, Oscar, who looks somewhat like a demon. Sometimes I get the impression others find my blog boring so I thought this might spice things up a bit.
2. Last night I saw an old Seinfeld episode in which a character consistently spoke in third person ("Jimmy's new in town...Jimmy likes you too...etc.") and have decided to speak in the third person here and there in this blog. Ivan thinks it is a good idea, do you?
3. Did you know that 1 in 100 American adults are behind bars? That's 230 million adults. Beurocrats blame poverty. Michael Moore blames a dysfunctional health care system. Last night Ivan watched 3:10 to Yuma. Subsequently he had a strange desire to rob a stagecoach to pay off his mortgage. Ivan wanders if that has anything to do with it?
4. Ivan apologizes for not being a faithful blogger recently, but will be putting up three posts (at least) next week on interesting topics--at least they are interesting to him. (The Rapture, Sola Scriptura, and poverty and abortion).
5. Ben Stein has a new documentary coming out on an interesting subject. Unfortunately, the trailer pitches the film with a conspiracy theory flavor. The last conspiracy theory film Ivan watched and all its pseudo-scholarship has Ivan doubting whether he will actually watch Stein's film. If you end up watching it and find it breathtaking, let Ivan know.
6. Tommorrow Russia will elect a successor to Putin, who served two terms characterized by unbridled popularity. There is little contention that Putin's man, Medvedev will win. Ivan finds it relieving to set aside his ethnocentricity and offer up a prayer for an election not so close to home.
7. Abstaining from meat in this Lentin Season has been a bit more difficult than Ivan expected--but far more spiritually centering than he expected.
   

Separation of Church and State...Brittish Style

When most Americans hear the phrase "separation of church and state," they regard it as a uniquely "American" conundrum waiting to be solved. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Anyone can see by my last post the need for the issue to be raised in Iran. Iran's new buddy, Russia, has witnessed Putin's reunification of the Russian Orthodox Church as an instrument for promoting nationalism. In both cases religion has been used to accommodate a political agenda.

Lately eyes turned towards England when Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, made some controversial suggestions towards religious inclusivity. To put it simply, the Archbishop, realizing the devout Muslim population in England is not only growing but there to stay, suggested that elements of Sharia should be adopted to foster social cohesion. This would mean that two forms of law would coexist within England. For example, a lawbreaker who is Muslim may be punished differently than a lawbreaker who is Christian.

I was not surprised to read the reaction of emergent demigod, Brian McLaren. McLaren lauds the idea, seeing the issue more as an issue of accommodating varying religious beliefs, which is admirable. But perhaps an insider perspective is more in tune with issues, as is described in the Economist.

The issue is complex since the Church of England is so much more intertwined than would be possible in the United States. As the Economist points out, law is the highest order in England. To a Brit, making exceptions of any kind is absurd an offensive. And perhaps even more of an issue, is the fact that such a prominent Church leader has the wherewithal to make such a political call. In the United States a media heyday ensues anytime church leaders make political suggestions, let alone creating policy (were it possible outside any congressional position).

The Economist solution? Cut them loose. Sever the relationship between parliament and the Church of England. What do you think? Does a fluid law based on religious affiliation encourage social cohesion? Or could jealousies over privilege and punishment ferment in this environment? Should the church be completely separate from the State? If that were to happen, would that encourage social cohesion?

***After making such bold statements, the Archbishop public declared that many aspects of Sharia Law are appalling. That is why he only suggested "elements" of Sharia be allowed. The Archbishop is certainly not making many new friends these days.

Russia, America, Iran, and...Jesus?

Apparently, Ronald Reagen was more of a fundamentalist than I had initially given him credit for. It is alleged that the actor-turned-president fostered quite the relationship with Jerry Falwell, a well known dispensationalist personality in 1980's. The relationship progressed into Reagan's buying into Falwell's eschatology, which stated that the battle of Armageddon was at hand including a critical skirmish with the Soviet Union. Thus, the arms race, the cold war, and neon leotards...ok, not the leotards. This is the theory put forth by Campolo who goes so far as to blame Falwell for the Cold War--a stern warning against the politics of religion, but perhaps Tony went too far.

Ancient history...right? Not quite. But we sure seem to have forgotten.

After Boris Yeltsin gave the preverbial boot to USSR-esque socialism in favor of a more American open-ended capitalism, Joe Shmoe American has decided to forget the silent superpower, especially recently. The imminent concern for upcoming elections, the war in Iraq, and Britney Spear's divorce and custody woes has certainly misdirrected our focus.

But what does the American/Russian relationship look like today? Just like it was before power was handed over to Vladmir Putin? I think not. The current ex-KJB president does tend to favor and revert back to older ideals but that is not the only correlation. It should be no surprise that relations are strained in light of the involvement of the US in the Middle East. It is common knowledge that Putin is sympathetic of what the US deems terrorist nations. As Putin and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad buddy-up, talk of partnerships involving transit, oil, and nuclear powerplants surface--definitely not music to the ears of the current administration.

Campolo suggests that the war in Iraq is fueled by dispensationalists who feel in order to hasten the return of Jesus Christ, Israel must be protected and sustained. According to this theory, (Zionism) post WWII US government was the tool of God in returning Jews to the Holy Land, and has been crucial in their sustenance to this day. Theorists like Campolo believe that Conservative, White, Upper Class Christians have wielded secret power to ensure this, and terrorist groups like those responsible for 911 attacks are fueled by this knowledge.

Whether this is true or not, relations with Russia are at stake. Recently Putin spoke out publicly against the US and its foriegn policy. He condemned America's action, reinforced his willingness to help expand Iran's nuclear capability, and issued a stern warning to the US that any attempt to grab Russia's wealth of fossil fuels was an idea equal to "political erotica."

There doesn't seem to be much difference between 1985 and 2007 besides the lack of interest in maintaining a cordial US/Russian relationship, both by American media and American citizens.