On Wednesday, a group of Christians led by a woman named Cindy Jacobs decided that they were going to go to Wall Street and pray to God that he would intercede and save the economy. Here is where they chose to do it.
Yes, this group of devout people are praying for the salvation of the economy next to the statue of a GIANT GOLDEN BULL.
To comment on Ms. Jacobs and her efforts to intercede on behalf of the economy, I decided to call up our old friend Jesus to see if I couldn’t get some comment on this situation. (Our other interviews with Jesus are here and here.) Here’s today’s interview.
Heretical Ideas: Jesus, thanks for agreeing to come back to talk to us so soon. So, first question: should these folks be praying to you to save the economy?
Jesus Christ: Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.
HI: So you’re saying that Christians shouldn’t worry about gathering wealth?
JC: How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
HI: So, you’re basically saying that praying for a good economy doesn’t make sense for Christians. Why is that?
JC: No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
HI: Well, what do you say to these Christians who are worried about the economy and don’t seem to be listening to you?
JC: What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
HI: Well, it doesn’t get much clearer than that, does it?. Thanks again for your time.
You know, if there is an afterlife, I’ll bet that William of Ockham spends quite a bit of time watching people here on Earth and smacking himself on the forehead a lot, vainly wishing he could strangle them. Julian Sanchez comments on a case in point regarding some folks in the blogosphere and their crazy conspiracy theories.
Matthew Yglesias makes the case that regulations shouldn’t be able to be tweaked or refined.
The best you can hope from a regulatory regime is that it will be a satisficing solution wherein some fairly crude rule will improve on the outcomes generated by the unfettered market. When that’s not the case, we may as well let the market go unfettered even though that, too, will be somewhat sub-optimal. But at the same time when we’re looking at a regulatory regime that seems to be working okay, and the regulated parties start saying we need tweaks x and y and z and oh there’s no danger there we should be very suspicious. We shouldn’t count on being to fine-tune our results to perfection, we should either lean in with a heavy hand or else stay away.
Read the whole thing. I’ve actually been chewing on this idea all day and I’m not sure yet if I agree with it. But it’s a really strong idea worth thinking about.
The ad is for a group called The Call, and they are having a big day of fasting on November 1. As they describe it, in no uncertain terms, this gathering is a “fast, not a festival.” Well, I was curious about how Christian all of this was, so I decided to call up our old friend Jesus for another interview. (If you didn’t catch the first interview, you can read it here.)
Heretical Ideas: Mr. Christ, thanks for coming back for another interview. The first and obvious question is this–what do you think of having a big, public fast in your name?
Jesus Christ: [W]hen you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
HI: Hmm. It seems that the folks at the Call missed the boat on that one. Well, here’s a bit of a tough question. We’ve gone through your record and it does not appear that, in all of your time on Earth, you spoke one word against homosexuality. What should the Call’s priorities be?
JC: If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.
HI: So what do you say to the fact that they’re concerning themselves with what they consider to be the sins of others?
JC: Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
HI: Fair enough. Well, Jesus, thanks again for your time. I’m sure we’ll be bringing you back to answer more questions soon.
“Joe” — aka Samuel Wurzelbacher, a Holland, Ohio, pipe-and-toilet man — just signed with a Nashville public relations and management firm to handle interview requests and media appearances, as well as create new career opportunities, including a shift out of the plumbing trade into stage and studio performances.
On Tuesday, Wurzelbacher joined country music artist and producer Aaron Tippin to form a new partnership that includes booking-management firm Bobby Roberts and publicity-management concern The Press Office to field the multiple media offers he’s received over the past few weeks.
Among the requests: a possible record deal with a major label, personal appearances and corporate sponsorships. A longtime country music fan, Wurzelbacher can sing and “knocks around on guitar” but is not an accomplished musician or songwriter, according to The Press Office’s Jim Della Croce.
Remember when it required both talent and hard work to be successful? I’m now starting to think that they are detriments.
Ryan Sager argues that the “culture war” politics that were pushed by Karl Rove and extended into the McCain campaign are pretty much driving libertarians out of the party.
McCain’s working on the other realignment: The one where eight years of fiscal recklessness and cultural warfare alienates swing voters and withers the Republican Party until the very base of the conservative movement cracks in half—splitting a coalition that has endured since the Barry Goldwater campaign of 1964.
That coalition between social conservatives and economic libertarians (who tend to be socially moderate to liberal), served the GOP well from 1964 to 2006. It gave the party eight years of Ronald Reagan and 12 years of a Republican Congress. But the Bush years have proven to be one long pulling apart. And, in a matter of days, we may just see the final snap.
Read the whole thing, but I think that’s basically right. Over the past few years, I’ve noticed that “Republican” has become increasingly identified with “social conservatism” with any economic issues taking the back burner, while the GOP attitude towards civil liberties has become increasingly hostile. Frankly, as it stands today, the Republican party has virtually no libertarianism in it anymore. Sure there’s the sop to “lower taxes” and “cutting regulations and spending.” But there’s no system to it; no plan; no phased transitions. Taxes are being cut while spending rises, which just makes deficits and the national debt skyrocket.
I’d say that the conservative-libertarian fusion in the GOP is probably dead. It may live on in rhetoric for the next couple of years, but my guess is that by 2012 it will be gone.
Dave Schuler has unearthed several reports from the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank which shows that fears of a credit freeze may be a bit overblown. This graph neatly illustrates the point:
The research report goes on to report that there does not appear to be any evidence of a decline in commercial lending among banks up until October 8, 2008 (last available date of the study). I find this report a bit cheery right now but I think some caution is due. There are some anecdotal indications that a freeze is starting to happen, and it may be that the commercial lending system is simply delayed in reacting to the financial crisis. Time will tell.
Outspoken atheist Professor Richard Dawkins is to warn children of the dangers in believing “anti-scientific” fairytales such as Harry Potter.
Prof Dawkins will write a book aimed at youngsters where he will discuss whether stories like the successful JK Rowling series have a “pernicious” effect on children.
The 67-year-old, who recently resigned from his position at Oxford University, says he intends to look at the effects of “bringing children up to believe in spells and wizards.”
Look, I’m as secular materialst as the next…, er, guy over there in a polytech school somewhere. And I can say with some bit of certainty that reading fantasy as a child does not lead to actual beliefs in magic as an adult. Fantasy stretches the mind and imagination, allowing for new concepts and ideas to swirl in.
Really, I think that Dawkins is missing out on the idea here.
