The Work and Message of Jesus Knows No Religious Bounds

Father Emil. A Presbyterian church in the Washington D.C. area has helped in the creation of this school and they have received much in return.

Visitors from the Presbyterian Church went to see this school and were shown around by Father Emil as he described their work providing hope in an area of poverty and violence. It is a Catholic church but about one half of the students are Muslim, which got the notice of the visitors. It is also known as the best school in the area.

During the walk through they passed a required religion class taught by a nun and noticed that have the girls were veiled as Muslim girls would be. Hmmm. On the playground they saw the Muslim boys and girls all played with the other children quite happily.

As they went to the sanctuary Father Emil explained that they offered mass every day and all students were free to participate. This caused one of the visitors to blurt out, “Father Emil, are you trying to turn the Muslim children in Christians? Doesn’t that create major social trauma for them—tearing them apart from their families. Do their parents really know what you are doing?”

Father Emil was amazed and said, “I am not trying to convert anyone. I just want these children to know that God loves them, that their sins are forgiven on the cross of Jesus who rose from the dead, and that the Holy Spirit will keep them close to their Savior. I want them to have all the means of grace they can get because life is hard here. But I would never ask a Muslim to become a Christian.”

Religion is a given in that area of the world. They are born into their respective faiths and taught it; it is on their IDs. It is a much different place that where we live where we really don’t identify ourselves by our faith or even speak about it much. Just note the lack of religious coverage in the media, unless it is negative.

What excites me about this school and Father Emil’s vision is that it moves the message of Jesus beyond religious identifications; religions just cannot confine Jesus. The teachings of Jesus are applicable to Jews the Muslim cousin, Buddhist, Hindus etc., along with Christians. In his life Jesus demonstrated that very clearly by contacting and talking with all types of people that he was not supposed to. He could not be confined then, despite the efforts of his religious body, anymore that they can today.

My understanding of Islamic teachings is that they teach that Jesus was the messiah; they just put a greater emphasis on Mohammed as the last and greatest prophet.

Despite the conflicts between religious generally by extreme segments of them, the great religions all teach similar paths of peace and common morally and care for each other and acceptance of others beliefs.

This school is a beacon of hope for common beliefs despite what religious affiliations or the lack of them we have. It makes this universalist happy to see it embodied in a school.

The picture at the beginning of this article of Father Emil Salayta, I believe is the priest mentioned in the article in Christian Century where I garnered the material for this piece. He certainly is actively involved in ecumenical work in the Mid-East, the head of the Tribunal Court of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Co-founder of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation.

If I have the right Father Emil, he points out that there is only about 1% of population (decreasing from 30,000 in 1944 to 2,00 now) of Palestine is Christian in a televised interview. You can try this link for an interview with him.  

Catnet

Unnamed sources reportedly have uncovered a secret internet that no human beings are privy to – the Catnet. While the people with whom these felines live with are asleep, the cats fire up their computers and chat away. Everything is written in MEOW code so if a human being did stumble upon any of these documents they wouldn’t be able to read them anyway.

The same unknown source states that the Catnet was abuzz with laughter and jokes about an article written on the Drennan blog about the so-called Catitentiary in Fountain City, WI run by Domineering Doreen and “Horsewhip ‘em” Hugh. Catcalls and laughing meows abounded at the absurdity of such an idea.

Only humans could be so stupid to think that they in anyway control cats and cat behavior let alone have any serious study of cat criminology. Every cat knows they own human beings so the thought of them being incarcerated is absurd.

This would only be possible if cats were catatonic and every cat knows that word only applies to human beings. It is just too silly for purrs.

Lamont, Pawline and Patchtricia are thinking about starting their own website with stories about their humans – Doreen and Hugh and the uproarious carrying ons while the obey every whim and commands of cat commanders. LPP.meow is there website but they dare any human being to find it or understand it.

Catology

I am engaging is the study of catology, the study of cats, not to be used  with scatology. It is a most confusing study, but I will share what I have learned so far.

 The 5 bits of catology come from Cheryl Lock at Pet360.

Kneading

Kneading is you cat pushing her paws in a out preferably on something soft. Why? Not sure some think it stems from wanting to stimulate their mother’s milk production and they get used to a good feeling. Or it could be a sign of affection or perhaps they are just limbering up, something cats do a lot and we should. Or, it may mean a signal for mating but neutered cats do the same.

Chewing on Plants

Cats like to chomp on leaves, who knows why, but they seem to enjoy it. Except they chomp on too much and then the upchuck. But perhaps that is a good think to rid themselves of hairballs, or perhaps not.

Face Rubbing

Cats love to rub up against things: you, posts, each other, chairs, ceilings (if they can) windows, cars, trucks, TVs computers, you name it the rub up against it. It is nice that the rub up against you but like everything else they are probably just marking their territory and that includes you.

Bringing Gifts

It is a cat thing to hunt, sneak up, pounce, and chew on their prey. How nice they like to share their hunting prizes with you. A dead mouse in your shoe is just a way to say “I love you.”

Rolling

You approach your cat and it flops over on its back exposing its tummy and rolls around a bit. It seems just a nice way of saying hi and I trust you; I’m a relaxed and happy cat; now let me scratch you.

FC Catitentiary

Some of you are aware of the feline prison located in downtown Fountain City, Wisconsin. It is run by wardens “Domineering” Doreen and “Horsewhip ‘em” Hugh. The facility is more popular known as the “Schackteau” and doubles as an office, workout gym, workshop, TV and reading room.

Currently there are only three inmates in this catrectional institution: Lamont Cranston (a.k.a. the Shadow) know for his ability to cloud minds; Patchtricia (a demure but sneakily aggressive feline, and finally Pawline (a.k.a Sybil because of her multiple cat personalities and escapee expertise.)

Though the inmates of the catution are well feed, cared for and are engaged in rehabilitation activities, cat fights are common, though no cat is ever injured despite the fact that they all carry switchblade claws that are quite lethal. There must be a secret code of incarcerated cat behavior at work here. Criminalists specializing in cat behavior are currently studying this odd phenomenon.

Even though there are currently as the article is written, fights, mad dashing and active behavior occurring here after breakfast, the inmates appear to primarily nocturnal and raise havoc with the facility when there is minimum security at night. Pens, pencils, and other paraphernalia purrloined from the warden’s desk at night. In blazon behavior Lamont is know to walk off with said pieces in front of Ward Hugh’s face while parading back and forth in front of his computer screen. Waste containers are typically toppled and contents strewn about. Tools and other oddities that have not been seen in years are often found laying about the catyard in the morning. Warden Doreen is often confused as to the identity of said objects. Warden Hugh remarks, “oh, I wondered where that went.”

Some cat criminologists believe that the warden’s are far too lax in their control of the inmates, as numerous breakouts particularly by Pawline have taken place. Lamont and Patchtricia on the other hand seem almost completely institutionalized and show only a small interest of leaving the comfy confines which some call an executive prison. It is just too cushy there. But rest assured no tax dollars are wasted in this private prison.

As readers of previous cat tales may know there is some well documented aberrant behavior noted in these cats. Psychics believe that Pawline was a soccer player in a previous human life, which may give clues as to why she loves to tackle the wardens about the legs. All three inmates (or is in incats?) display spectacular soccer playing abilities with practice golf balls and stuffed mice. Lamont, as previously documented seems to have a serious foot fetish wrapping his body around the warden’s legs and then nibbling on their toes. He nibble only on their big toes, which some Freudians and a few Jungians believe, have subconscious implications. Warden Doreen expresses concern about the health of the wee inmate Patchtricia, but Warden Hugh just says she is just a small cat and therefore more civilized, wiser and more sedate than her larger siblings; he may be projected some bias here.

Of course, there is a language problem in this institution as the inmates and the wardens do not share a common language. While the inmates seems to make no effort to learn human speak, the wardens are frequently observed to make feeble attempts in cat speak, meowing with various intonations, which has limited results. They are considering contacting porpoise, dolphin and whale experts in interspecies communication in this area.

Some critics have complained that the wardens are eliminated large numbers of books from the prison library, particularly in the science fiction and religion sections. Now not cat has been observed actually reading any of these books it is suspected they might do so in the nocturnal hours when they are most alert. The removal of books, the wardens say, is due to a possible move to a new prison facility in another part of the state. This poses serious prison transportation issues that have not been resolved. Trauma specialists may have to be brought in in case such a move takes place.

The FC Catitentiary is open to the public and visitors are welcome to come and visit with the inmates though they are often shy and often hide from public display.

Patchtricia and Pawline at rest in comfortable accomodations

P and P in the courtyard hard at rest

The Sublime Lamont practicing mind fogging techniques

Moral Policies Are Good Economics

Folk love to complain about entitlement programs as a waste of hardworking taxpayer money inferring the recipients of entitlement program are low life slugs. Such thinking is simplistic, immoral and just plain wrong. For the most part entitlement programs save money, tax money, in the long run and show proper respect and concern for members of our society who deserve that care.

I want to focus on senior programs in this article. We are told to honor our parents and to listen to the wisdom of seniors and if you do you will likely benefit. Many of those folk who contributed to societal welfare now find themselves in a pickle.

President Lyndon Johnson signed into law in 1965 Medicare and Medicaid and the OAA federal funding for essential senior services such as job training, caregiver support, transportation, preventative healthcare, meal and protection from financial exploitation as Bernie Sander pointed out in a hearing on reducing senior poverty through the OAA.

Under sequester, and additional $40 million will be cut from senior meals programs alone; that is 19 million fewer meals available to seniors. Sanders points out “it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out…If you are malnourished, you’re going to get sick more often. You may end up in the emergency room at great expense to Medicaid…If you’re weak and fall and break you hip, you end up in the hospital, at an expense of ten and tens of thousands of dollars…We can feed a senior for an entire year for the cost of one day in the hospital.

What we are doing is immoral and bad economics.

Meals on Wheels Association of America’s CEO, Ellie Hollander showed a study by the Center for Effective Government that for every $1 in federal spending on Meals on Wheels there is as much as a $50 return in Medicaid savings alone. Currently they serve 2.5 million seniors of 8.3 million seniors who struggle with hunger. Yet funding for these program have decreased 18% since 1992 who those over 60 in our country have increased 34%.

Howard Bedlin of the National Council on Aging said there are more the 23 million economically disadvantaged seniors over 60. He also pointed out that nursing home costs are now $84,000 annually, which bankrupts seniors. OAA Home and Community-Based Supportive services help people avoid this and remain at home.  He also talked about fall prevention programs, which reduce falls by 30 to 55% saving lives and money.

Sanders and 17 cosponsors have introduced a bill to reauthorize the OAA with a funding increase of 12% of 2010 levels to catch up with population growth. That is moral and economically wise.

I think one could go through each entitlement program and find similar economic results. Folk seem to know and not know this when most oppose entitlement programs but when it comes to specific programs the majority supports each of them.

Ideology can get in the way of moral and sound economic policy. Republicans and Democrats alike should understand this and our political leaders should study and make moral and economically responsible positions passing needed legislation that benefits the common good of our citizens.