THE POLITICAL CASE OF PUSSY RIOT

Imagine you are sitting in church on Sunday and 3 masked young women run in to the service in brightly colored mini skirts and ski masks and scream "FUCK PRESIDENT OBAMA AND ALL THAT HE STANDS FOR!" and shout other political statements and dance wildly at the churches altar. How would you react? First as human being, I know I would be, "WTF just happened and do they have guns?" Then I would think "How dare they come into my place of worship and disrupt my service and traumatize people who are worshiping." Then as a Christian I would forgive them. As a citizen of the USA I would say, " Freedom of Speech is something I strongly believe in and support."
I am often criticized for what I say out loud, and often times what I post on Facebook, and sometimes in my blogs. I have been accused of not thinking before I speak, and while it may seem that way, actually I am very calculated in the way that I phrase things. When I make a verbal or written FAIL I do correct myself, UNLESS I totally stand by what I say.
There Is a little quotable quote by Bernard Mezlar that people like to post on Facebook especially if they have been pissed off by, well, Me.

"Before you speak ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid."

While that's all nice and good...that is not how I feel..most of the time I feel like this, sometimes people have to say things even if and especially when its not the popular view of others or if it may offend a group of people or hurt feelings especially if it is based in TRUTH...
"Pretty words are not always true.........and  True words are not always pretty" That is more my motto..my creed.That applies to words spoken to me too. I know I am not always right and I will apologize if I think something is worth salvaging. For me words are a way to express myself like an artist with paint or a musician when they play an instrument. 
While I have never been part of a protest I have vocalized my belief  and done so loudly many times.

The question in the case of Pussy Riot is, is this a political ploy by Putin to grow support for his reelection? Will keeping these young protesters in prison for up to 3 years make a difference in the scheme of things? It has actually caused a backlash against Putin around the world. These young punk rockers have grown global support. Yet their fellow musicians in Russia don't regard them as anything but young protesters and do not support them. Of course not why would they? They play for the Kremlin and other politicians, keeping status quo is important to people who are being supported by the government.

I can't totally agree with the methods of Pussy Riot storming into a sacred place, but I agree that they have the right to speak out against the government they feel oppresses them and millions of other people. 
What would happen in the USA if that happened?
Back to my first question. I mean churches are allowed to protest at military funerals, and people are allowed to protest in front of churches and religious people are allowed to protest at Planned Parenthood and Chick Fil-A. I know that in this instance, storming into a church,  the protesters would be thrown in jail...but would it be considered a Hate crime here? Would the protesters get 3 years? Shoot some child molesters don't get that.
For me at the crux of this case is that I believe in and support FREEDOM OF SPEECH, people have died for that right of mine and yours. Imagine living in a culture that sensors you. Value the power of your words, even if they are words others may disagree with.
Some members of Pussy Riot want people to empower themselves and support the imprisoned members by donning ski masks in bright colors and vocalizing how they feel...Maybe you don't want to go to that extreme maybe you are a more genteel protester whatever format you choose, regard your freedoms highly because the cost of those freedoms are paid for in blood.

Are You A Religion Slut/Church Hopper?

Yeah I know I am gonna get some flack for my title, but something got me thinking about my faith and how when I am not practicing it regularly I ask if the religion I am practicing is the one for me. I was born to Catholic parents and really only my mother was a devout Catholic, my Father on the other hand dropped us off and picked us up. I guess he had some issues with God. As we got older my mother stopped going so regularly and the only one of the three of us kids to be confirmed was my older sister. I was only baptized and received my first communion. I remember watching "The Story of Bernadette" with my Mom and wanting to become a nun. I remember the nuns at the Catholic school I went to for a couple of years. They looked so clean and shiny. No makeup, porcelain skin, except for Sister Angelis who looked like the wicked witch in "The Wizard of Oz" except not green, but just as mean. Dressed in off white habits and the gold band on their ring finger. Yes I wanted to be a nun and so did my Mother when she was a young girl. She often told me that she had regrets that she didn't follow her heart.
I loved the ritual of being Catholic the beauty of it all. I disliked the sermons, that made me feel that no matter how many rosaries or prayers I said I would still be guilty of something in Gods eyes.

So as a teen and young adult I did not attend church, not even at Christmas or Easter. When I had my daughters they were all baptized in the Catholic church despite my protests, because it was what my Grandmother wanted. We did not go to church though. My Grandma prayed for us and my Mom always said, "I made my first 7 Sundays I know I will go to heaven....." She did, whether she made em or not my Mom was a saint!  I learned about other religions, Bhuddism, Wicca, and even some Native American practices because my love is Native American. I thought about Atheism and evolution also. I also read the Bible occasionally and when I went through being seperated from my daughters I was reborn as a Christian even though I really did not feel completely in agreement with the Evangelistic Christian values my church had. What I did like was that the sermons spoke to me and that the God they represented to me was a loving and forgiving God. That to sing his praises was done so with joy and jubilation not solemness. I liked that they had lots of opportunites to fellowship and many groups to join. I read my Bible daily and even carried it with me a lot of the time. Its pages are dogeared and highlighted and writing is in the margin. I never had my own Bible until I bought one when I was 34. I went to Church for 4 years or so very regularly on Wednesdays and Sundays, my children liked it to some degree but it still was not the right fit for us. When I got my current job I made excuses. I have gone only a handful of times and have read my Bible only occassionally, but lately the pull to worship has been in me.

I question whether there is a church that is the right fit for me.  I have thought about visiting on Sundays but something has always popped up. So, am I a religion slut hopping from church to church, faith to faith? What am I looking for to be filled up with? What am I not getting?

I had a lot of things make me question my faith in God. My mother suffering from Alzheimers is probably the single reason it is so hard for me to wrap my head around a loving God. My Mom did not deserve to suffer and neither did we her family. I was really pissed off at God for a long time. Boy and he knew it. Remnants still linger. My other issue is that I always hear, "Be faithful to the Lord and the Lord will be faithful to you." The thing is I know a lot of heathens who always seem to be doing way better than I am and they cannot be bothered to even praise the Lord for all of their blessings. I know I know I should lead by example and go to church and be thankful in His house. 

I do have so many wonderful blessings to thank Him for. Just today I was worried about how I was going to get some extra money for my daughters field trip this week and her asking me for more to spend was like OUCH I dont have it. Low and behold I come home rather late today we all did, and there was a check from the PG and E Smart AC program that I signed up for when we moved here in July. A check for 25 dollars. Now that my friends is the Lord working in not so mysterious ways. Ask and you shall receive? I always say the Lord will answer us when we are open and ready to receive whatever it is we need, and that is not on our time but His.

So I am thinking of going to church on Sunday.