Feminism in Religion

The other day, I was listening to a Christian Radio station and there was a broadcast of what I assume to be a local church’s sermon. When i turned on my radio, the pastor was in the middle of saying “there was not 1 female angel”. He want on to say that there was a reason that the angels were referred to as “he”. I’m sure said preacher had a point but I didn’t continue listening to see where he was going with this. I do not know all about the Bible. I am still in the infancy of my faith. However, I do not believe that anyone knows for a fact that all the angels were males. A quick search tells me that only a few angels were ever mentioned by name in the Bible. There are possibly a few more mentioned in the Torah or Qur’an, which I doubt this pastor was referring to. Either way out of a “host” of angels having at most 10-15 names you can’t possibly know for certain that ALL the angels were male. The concept of gender, to be quite honest, might not even apply to angels. It reminds me of the male seahorse. Maybe just maybe, what you thought was a male is indeed a female and at that point you are just too ashamed to admit it. Happens to the best of us.
I will always wonder how much of the role women were given in the history of monotheism was because of male traditions at the time. When I was growing up my mother always taught me that women were not supposed to be preachers/ ministers/pastors, etc. but she never explained WHY. When I was younger and thought of God I always pictured a Sistine chapel, old, white, bearded God. Then in high school, I liked the idea of Black Jesus with dreadlocks. Now I much prefer an unknowable God. I like to think of a God too beautiful and terrible to look upon. I would like to believe that our concept of what God sounds and looks like, fail in comparison to who he really is. And if angels are the instruments which God uses to do his work, why couldn’t they be what our frail minds conceive of as “female”? Didn’t God work through Esther? Through Ruth? Through Mary?

What do you think? If I am wrong by all means correct me and let me know.

This Trayvon Martin case has left me feeling empty inside. Just the outcome and the reactions have made me lose faith in humanity. From the outset the media has twisted the facts one side painting the issue as a gun rights issue, the other painting it as a racial issue. Most of the media missed the real issue.
RACISM

We can’t ignore that there were two races involved. But why can’t we ignore it? My initial reaction was that a white guy killed a black kid. But it wasn’t a white guy. They were both minorities. Still, initially Zimmerman was described as Caucasian, then white Mexican. Wtf is white Mexican???!?  Is it a Mexican who acts white? A Mexican who is very pale? A Mexican who has one or more parents /ancestors who are white? Did the media make a mistake or did they try to play up the situation when all 

Mary Jane

I’m drunk as fuck right now, listening to Rick James’ “Mary Jane”. My first memory of this song dates back to ’94-’95. My mom was dating a guy nicknamed  Woody (put 2 n 2 together there and figure out what he was with my mom for).
He took us all to Galveston where a bird promptly shat on him while we were on a ferry. Due to the fact I had never been to Galveston before and I hated Woody (for reasons we will get to soon enough) all in all it was a good day. On the way back from Galveston Woody stopped at Checkers and got us burgers. Woody always felt like he was getting gypped by buying the combo so he would only get burgers at a restaurant, then stop by a convenience store and get chips and sodas which he said was cheaper. My mom thought this was infinitely stupid, because by the time he drove from a fast food joint, and then paid separate  taxes not to mention gas for Woody’s Camaro he spent more money. Due to the fact a bird had pooped on him earlier that day Woody was  not in the best of moods to hear a woman challenge his intellect.
We had been listening to some Rick James tape, I couldn’t tell you the name of, the entire drive. On cue, Rick James questioned if Mary Jane really loved him. Woody asked the same of my mother. “If she really loved him why would she make him so mad after the day he was having?” He rationalized, his anger boiling up. He made another stop at blockbuster to pick up the movie Dead Presidents.  apparently he had went into the store for something else but they didn’t have it. I spent a long time in the back of his Camaro cramped up. I was a skinny kid (if you can believe it) and I always had to sit behind Woody, who was tall, so that he had enough legroom. Never mind that at 8 I had very long skinny legs. Woody always called me skinny mini because I was like the male version of Pop eyes Olive Oil. My bony ass knees always poked into his back, irritating him more. I had to sit sideways so that I wouldn’t make him mad but then my brother would always complain that I was kicking him. It was a lose lose situation. By the time we got home he was thoroughly pissed. Bird shit on his shoulder, back hurting from an 8 year olds knees and pride hurting from a woman that didn’t see that he was ALWAYS right.
My brother and I had went off to our room after a short while. I tried to stay up to at least hear part of the movie. Out of nowhere an argument started between my mother and Woody. My brother and I tried to ignore it but as the situation got louder it got harder to ignore. Screaming, crying, glass breaking. We couldnt take it anymore! We rushed in to save our mom, who by the time we came into the room had been thrown through a glass table, and punched several times in the face. But try as we could we couldn’t do anything to this grown ass factory worker.
On top of his hitting us too our mom was furious at us for jumping into the situation when she had told us to stay in our room!

Every time I think of that incident I hear Rick James’ Mary Jane as the soundtrack. I picture Dead Presidents on the TV, and envision my mother, bruised and bleeding on the floor. I can still remember how helpless I was, how useless I was. “Do you think you love me Mary Jane?“

Changing the Definition of Aesthetics

So, I’ve noticed recently there has been a movement to change the definition of aesthetics to focus on inner beauty. For those who don’t know : a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and and with the creation and appreciation of beauty 2 : a particular theory or of beauty or art : a particular taste for or approach to what is pleasing to the senses and especially sight
Definition one is broad, but definition two highlights the key point I’m trying to make. If aesthetics is an approach to what is pleasing to the senses we are clearly not talking about inner beauty. Now let me be clear inner beauty is WAY more important than outward beauty, but that is NOT what we are talking about here. We are strictly talking about what one can judge with the senses. You cannot see, taste, touch, smell or hear someone’s inner beauty. (Well maybe you can taste if you’re nasty (^-^)/ ) For the moment we will be superficial and only judge on the senses. Now, it is important to note that each person develops their own sense of superficial beauty. I have a friend who immediately thinks all Asians are attractive, another who only likes plus sized women (by the way, what is the plus added to?… I guess that can be a different article) still another who only likes women with flat derrières. My point is that even though I disagree I can’t tell them what is visually stimulating.

Loyola Cypher, 2K13

Yeah I know I was supposed to be on this Joint but I had some business to take care of… Without further ado here’s the 2013 Loyola Rap Cypher:

Lying to the Person You Love Most

I’ve been doing something I said I would never do. I’ve been lying to my daughter about Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and the tooth fairy. You know what else? I don’t feel bad about it. Firstly, (not sure if firstly is a word, but don’t judge me) I’m not really lying by commission,  I’m lying by omission. I’m not telling her that there is a Santa Claus or Easter Bunny, I’m just not refuting the fact either. Mainly because I don’t want to crush her little dreams and happiness. Just because I had a bitter, mostly Christmas-less child- hood does not mean that she should also. When Christmas rolls around I always tell her as I let her open a gift “look what daddy got you”, or “look what mommy bought.” Sort of subliminally letting her know that Santa didn’t have jack to do with her presents.

Secondly, I am losing the war of parenting and marriage (like most men.) because as many times as I purposely try to omit the existence of a Santa Claus her mother is saying “Santa is coming” or “what is Santa going to bring you?” I can’t just step in and say, “Santa is going to bring you shit!” Because then I am the bad guy, and no parent wants to be the bad guy. So I’m stuck between a rock and a fictional hard place.

Third (is there a thirdly? and if there isn’t, then I guess I can’t use Secondly), so …Thirdly I am one of those awful Christians who does not go to Church often. I’ve been stuck between churches ever since I moved down to New Orleans. I either do not like a church, most of the ones I’ve been to, or I like it but it is too far to be practical. I digress, I still like to harp on the idea that Christmas should be about God/ Jesus (nevermind the whole not being born in the winter argument, lets save that for a later date) and so should Easter. In some ways I feel like the Bunny takes away from the sanctity of the holiday. On the other hand, there are atheists out there who would analogize my believe in God to my daughter’s belief in Santa/ Easter Bunny. To those guys I say: “Fuck You Buddy!!” I already said I wasn’t a very good Christian.

Fourthly (that sounds plain stupid) my daughter watches entirely too much television. This is MY FAULT. The television is a big promoter of the Santa Claus/ Easter Bunny agenda. It is why my daughter’s attention span sucks. (It is also part of the reason why she began speaking and counting at an early age.) It is hard to tell a Toddler no this isn’t real when every t.v. show she watches has a holiday episode that NEVER speaks about religion but features a heavy dose of SC/EB. (I can abbreviate Santa Claus and Easter Bunny without introducing them, I’m good like that.) You can’t say “Merry Christmas” anymore, it seems. Even “happy Holidays” seems to be headed for a downfall. pretty soon we will be limited to either “Happy Gift Giving Day” or “Happy see members of your Spouse’s family which you hate day”. When my daughter gets older she can be whatever religion/ non religion she wants but while she lives in my house she will be a Judeo/Christian/ respecter of Muslims.

Mostly, I want to raise a nice respectable young lady, who does not end up as a stripper. If believing in Santa means that you keep your clothes on while talking to strange men, by all means, believe in him until you die. The only thing that irks me more than this whole Holiday lie situation is the inevitable birds and the bees. talk…

#RatchetList

@Royal_u_g and @felonious_funk talking about #Ratchet pick up lines

Free Download: After The Day Is Over EP- ADO

So I had the pleasure of hosting this EP release and had a GREAT time. The music was fantastic! The crowd was very active and appreciative. I mean this was an awesome live show. Without further ado I present After The Day is Over… After you download the EP they will send you a link to the bonus tracks… and they do not disappoint!

(no subject)

http://psicogestion.com/forjobz/490154.html?nywyc

Video: Cant Be Stopped

Since you probably just watched that Harlem Shake video you can definitely check this out