Happy Easter!

Mark 16:1-6

Et cum transisset sabbatum Maria Magdalene et Maria Iacobi et Salome emerunt aromata ut venientes unguerent eum. Et valde mane una sabbatorum veniunt ad monumentum orto iam sole. Et dicebant ad invicem quis revolvet nobis lapidem ab ostio monumenti? Et respicientes vident revolutum lapidem erat quippe magnus valde. Et introeuntes in monumento viderunt iuvenem sedentem in dextris coopertum stola candida et obstipuerunt. Qui dicit illis nolite expavescere Iesum quaeritis Nazarenum crucifixum surrexit non est hic ecce locus ubi posuerunt eum.

---

And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices, that coming, they might anoint Jesus. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they come to the sepulchre, the sun being now risen. And they said one to another: Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And looking, they saw the stone rolled back. For it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed with a white robe: and they were astonished. Who saith to them: Be not affrighted; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he is risen, he is not here, behold the place where they laid him.

USMC 9971 OUT

What's A Christian To Do?

Christine Lutz was removed from a bus in Fort Worth, Texas for reading the bible to her children.

Christine Lutz says she was reading her Bible to her children when the bus driver asked her to stop or get off the bus.

Lutz, a Seventh Day Adventist, and her children were on their way to church.

Lutz claims the driver told her it wasn't the time or place to read the bible. "I said, 'Oh, but it's the perfect time and the perfect place since it is our Sabbath and it is the time with the Lord and therefore I'm going to continue.' And I continued," Lutz said.

A supervisor came aboard the bus. Lutz also told him that she would not stop reading. She and her family were escorted off the bus.

Well, Christine, maybe you should look to the religion of peace for some pointers on how to proceed. A few Muslims were praying loudly here in Minnesota a year ago before they were also removed from a form of mass transportation.

"They took us off the plane, humiliated us in a very disrespectful way," said Omar Shahin, of Phoenix.

The six Muslim scholars were returning from a conference in Minneapolis of the North American Imams Federation, said Shahin, president of the group. Five of them were from the Phoenix-Tempe area, while one was from Bakersfield, Calif., he said.

Three of them stood and said their normal evening prayers together on the plane, as 1.7 billion Muslims around the world do every day, Shahin said. He attributed any concerns by passengers or crew to ignorance about Islam.

So, a mother on her way to church with her children is kicked off of a bus because she would not stop reading the Bible to them. That, according to Fort Worth's public transit, is just a case of policy.

Six Muslims, on the other hand, are praying loudly before boarding a flight out of Minneapolis, they get on the aircraft and take seat positions similar to the 9/11 terrorists, some ask for seat belt extenders, and they have conversations in Arabic that raise concern amongst some passengers. That, according to the suing imams, is due to "ignorance about Islam."

We'll see where this one goes, but I wouldn't hold my breath that Lutz gets more than a one-way bus pass, whereas the imams have a good chance of getting a large settlement in their lawsuit.

Odd, isn't it, that the follower of the religion that hasn't killed thousands in a single terror attack in the past six-plus years is the one that is least likely to be treated with any semblance of tolerance?

USMC 9971 OUT

Artist Portrays Bin Laden As Christian Prophet

And why wasn't that the headline? Because the media doesn't want to get fire-bombed by angry Muslims, that's why.

In case you missed it, an artist in Austrailia had some pieces in an exhibit that depicted Osama Bin Laden as Jesus Christ, and the Virgin Mary in a burqa.

Down Under has been thrown for a loop with a small art exhibition in which two Australian artists depict Christian religious icons with Islamic overtones, including one image portraying Osama bin Laden as Jesus Christ.

One of the first interesting things that I noticed was that if you looked for this online, most of the news pieces about it showed pictures of the Virgin Mary in a burqa and Bin Laden as Jesus; yet in every instance that I saw, the so-called art was described as provocative, and the offense to Christians seemed to be quickly glossed over.

In Islam, though, it is allegedly wrong to have an image of a prophet (which is how the Muslims claim, however incorrectly, to view Christ). So we have this image of a prophet (in the eyes of Islam), which also transforms into the image of a mass-murdering terrorist, and we don't have Muslims marching in the streets or rioting.

Compare that with the controversy over the decision of a Swedish newspaper to publish a drawing of Mohammed with a the body of a dog. That hasn't been so popular with the suicide-bombs-are-okay-but-no-bacon-for-us crowd.

Swedish Muslims demonstrated Friday against a newspaper that published a drawing depicting the Prophet Muhammad with a dog's body and demanded its chief editor apologize.

The pictures included along with the news pieces on this topic, however, weren't of the offending mutt-prophet. Instead, they were pictures of protesters in Pakistan, displeased with the publication of such a cartoon. The most common image was one of protesters standing before a sign on the ground which appeared to say (I can't confirm due to AP's spectacular crop job), "Down With Sweden, Death To Lari." I am guessing that Lari is in reference to the artist, Lars Vilks.

So, when art is produced that offends Christians, it is presented in the media for the world to see. When art is produced that offends Muslims, however, the media makes sure to only show the protesters, not the art. Does anyone else see the double standard?

Beyond that, the entire tone of the news pieces about each are completely different. When the Christians are offended, the story is peddled as a display of controversial art. When it's Muslims being offended, however, then it is a case of Muslims protesting the depiction of their prophet. Not quite an equal footing in the media.

Now, I know that the Muslim rioters are not the brightest bulbs in the knife drawer, but do you think that if someone would point out to them that the portrayal of Bin Laden as Jesus Christ is comparable to presenting a Muslim as a Christian prophet, that they wouldn't erupt into violent protests over such a portrayal?

So, the next time you see Ahmed smiling over that article of Bin Laden as Christ, remind him that a staunch Muslim is being portrayed as a Christian. That'll get ol' haji super-pleased.

USMC 9971 OUT

Pray For The Pope

As suggested by the Catholic Knight, please pray daily for the Pope during his journey into Turkey. A precursor from AP via CBS.

Tens of thousands of protesters denounced Pope Benedict XVI as an enemy of Islam at a rally Sunday that underlined deep divisions straining Turkey ahead of the pontiff's visit this week.

Officials hoping to promote closer ties with the West urged calm, but Islamic groups wary of Western ways are united in anger over a speech Benedict gave two months ago in which he quoted a medieval text that linked Islam to violence.

Chants of "No to the pope!" rose among nearly 25,000 demonstrators at every mention of his remarks on violence and the Prophet Muhammad. Many protesters wore headbands with anti-pope slogans and waved placards that included a depiction of Benedict as the grim reaper.

They behead people, shoot Catholic Nuns in the back, and burn buildings, but our beloved Pope is the grim reaper? Pray that God keeps Pope Benedict XVI safe.

USMC 9971 OUT