Church of No, Thanks Celebrating Personal Liberty since 2008

As much as we like to convince ourselves to the contrary, few, if any, of our relationships are completely equitable at all times. The better relationships average out to be fairly equitable, although they will likely have their periods of give and take.

What is the balance? There's being needed, then there's being exploited. There's respect for independence, then there's neglect.

Then, of course, there's the social pressure to make and keep relationships.

There have been a lot of issues floating around in the news lately, that got me thinking about the issue of entitlement.

The Israelis feel they're entitled to the land currently within the national borders of The State of Israel (which, in case you were not aware, did not exist prior to 1948). The Palestinians also feel they are entitled to the same land.

Similar disputes are ongoing throughout South-central and Southwestern Asia, and have been ongoing for millennia.

Europeans (and Canadians), generally, feel entitled to healthcare, employment and retirement.

Hey...

I've added a couple new forum topics ... Weddings and Funerals... How fun is that?

Do you think CoNT should even be involved in such things? If so, how? This is your chance to say what's on your mind.

Fudge is symbolic. It is also tasty. It is simple in concept, but tricky to make in practice. It is rich (sweet and fatty) and therefore demands moderation. Its origins are somewhat mysterious, but most of the folklore surrounding its origins point to the first batch being a failed attempt at making caramel.

Who needs religion? Well, it seems lots of people do, or think they do, otherwise we'd live in the world John Lennon "Imagine"d.

Most of the atheists I've met (and living in Rhode Island, I can tell you I haven't met all that many) have been the sort that were religious at some point and left their churches as adults, and had come to miss certain aspects of church participation.

The Church of No, Thanks seeks new Members!

Help us make this the best religion on the Web by becoming an active participant in its development!

The Join Up! page has details, but the gist of it is this: In addition to getting in on the ground floor of a spiffy new religion, and the sense of community that comes with that, you can also win cool CoNT swag for your efforts!

Spread the word, but don't be pushy. Remember, we have fudge!

The Polite Refusal is an important part of being a practicing member of The Church of No, Thanks, but it's not the only part. It is easy to misinterpret the ceremonial importance of the Polite Refusal as simply being contrarian. That is not the point.

Here's a thought. Forget that "Jesus: He's the Reason for the Season" junk, and come on over to our side. Remember, we have fudge.

At The Church of No, Thanks, we say, "It's the Season for Reason".

Most scholars agree that the seasons exist because of the Earth's axial tilt of approximately 23.5 degrees, which causes the Northern hemisphere to point a little more toward the sun for 6 months, and the Southern to do so the other 6 months. That's the reason for the season.

It seems that there's an isolationist sect of Islam, seeking to build a "mega-mosque" in West Ham, in East London (conveniently close to the main stadium for the 2012 Olympics).

megamosquenothanks.com is dedicated to keeping that from happening.

Good for them! Maybe they like fudge, too....

This story, entitled "Church? No thanks." (which took me 3 hops to find from references and re-posts) on OneNewsNow (a Christian news service) gives me cause to think this country (The United Sates of America) may not (yet) be circling the drain after all. The story is certainly presented in from a Christian perspective, and has something of an alarmist tone (remember "If you [do | don't do] X you let the terrorists win"?)