* Former Denver Bronco Bigot Reggie Rivers: Angry that a Colorado town was considering moving sexually explicit business to "remote" areas (not remote as in Siberia, but remote as in… the Denver suburb of Aurora), Rocky Mountain News columnist Reggie Rivers published (not verbally, but wrote) this diatribe:
"While I don't agree with the action, I can periodically understand the frustration and general fatigue that compelled the Romans to throw select Christians to the lions. It's not just that the lions were hungry; it was that the Romans were tired of listening to the self-righteous babbling of the Christians... regular citizens are getting fed up with puritanical Christians..." -Former Bronco, RMN Columnist, Reggie Rivers
Backhanded Apology: In his next column Rivers referred to what he wrote above as "tongue-in-cheek" and gave a nine-word backhanded apology. For until Christians "flooded" KOA radio and the Rocky Mountain News with complaints, Rivers had not realized how easily offended and woodenly literal people could be (thus further insulting Christians instead of truly apologizing). Other than that briefest of brief apologies, Rivers spent his entire "apology" column praising a reader who actually thanked him for the article, and then said that unlike when he was a young boy, he now believes that all roads lead to God. And of course, he's right. All roads do lead to God: some to Him as Savior, and others, to Him as Judge. (See more of the Rivers columns below.)
* They Say Rush Is A Bigot: A black justice of the peace performed Rush Limbaugh's last wedding, in the home of the black justice whose wife is white. The ceremony, one a racial bigot could not even tolerate, was arranged by Rush. Bob has no desire to try to defend things Rush says, and adds that over the last years Rush Limbaugh has become increasingly crude and sexually vulgar. But consider the hypocrisy of any liberal in Colorado, or sports fan, who criticizes Rush but defends Reggie Rivers…
* The Rush Connection: Reggie Rivers is still in good standing with liberals, the Denver sports community, and the Colorado media. Imagine if Rush Limbaugh had said, not written, mind you, but had said in passing, "While I don't agree with the action, I can periodically understand the frustration that compelled the KKK to lynch select blacks. It's not just that the rope was available, it was that the blacks were so problematic... regular citizens are getting fed up with black influence on our culture...
* Rosie O'Donnell: is, well, Rosie O'Donnell.
* Where's the Birth Certificate? So, a federal judge hits lead birther attorney Orly Taitz with a $20,000 fine! Orly talks to Bob…
* Join Steve Curtis (and Bob) at the Life Commercials Banquet: Steve Curtis of Ten Minutes Till Midnight and American RTL, is hosting the LifeCommercials banquet on Saturday, October 24th at 6 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel in Westminster Colorado. See Steve's flyer for details, and if you can, register soon and then if you'd like to sit at the BEL table, call 1-800-8Enyart to see if there are open seats! Also, Ten Minutes author Lee Martin will be there to sign books!
* Help Personhood Efforts Get Signatures: If you live in Colorado, could you help circulate the Personhood Colorado & CRTL 2010 petition? We need your help! If you live in any other state, can you help to advance personhood via the 2010 ballot or in one of three different ways?
Today's Resource: You can enjoy one or two of Bob Enyart's entertaining and insightful videos each month, mailed to you automatically, simply by subscribing to the BEL Monthly Topical Videos service! Also, you can check out the other great BEL subscription services!
* More Excerpts from the Reggie Rivers Columns:
Rocky Mountain News, August 4, 1998, Page 6A
SELF-CENTERED, SELF-RIGHTEOUS? LIONS MIGHT FIX THAT
While I don't agree with the action, I can periodically understand the frustration and general fatigue that compelled the Romans to throw select Christians to the lions.
It's not just that the lions were hungry; it was that the Romans were tired of listening to the self-righteous babbling of the Christians who claimed to be experts on everything, and had egos the size of . . . well . . . God.
Most of us have little patience for the vanity of pro athletes, entertainers or politicians who believe the world owes them something simply for being who they are.
People who are too self-centered are annoying because they're limited conversationalists, and they're frustrating because if you don't keep an eye on them, they'll try to restructure the world to meet their own needs without regard to the consequences for anyone else.
In America, regular citizens are getting fed up with puritanical Christians who want their religion to be taught in schools, who want to control the reproductive rights of women, who want to deny rights on the basis of sexuality, who want to generally regulate the sex lives of Americans and who, in Aurora, want to close down businesses they don't like.
Aurora, at the behest of some moralizing self-righteous group, is trying to use restrictive zoning laws to move all sex-oriented businesses into remote industrial areas.
This is the sort of thing I'm talking about. If you find such businesses objectionable, there is a fairly simple procedure for dealing with them - don't walk through the door.
… The problem is that this simple solution is not enough for the Puritans. They want to eradicate the businesses, and they're self-centered to the point of not caring about fairness or about what other people might want.
There are plenty of churches around and the argument could be made that the messages some people get from churches is damaging to society. So would it be fair to initiate content-based zoning restrictions against churches? To push all churches into industrial districts?
I hope the judge will rule in favor of fairness. I'm weary of the self-righteous, egotistical Puritans.
Rocky Mountain News, August 11, 1998, Page 6A
DOCTRINES MAY VARY, BUT TOLERANCE IS THE REAL TRUTH
I'm sorry.
Last week I wrote a column criticizing the puritanical Christian Right, and I made what I believed was a tongue-in-cheek reference to Christians and lions. I never imagined that so many people would take it literally and be offended by it.
I apologize for my lack of sensitivity.
[KGOV Comment: This is a backhanded insult/apology. He's not apologizing for what he wrote, but for not realizing had dense and easily offended Christians are. Next he presents a truly spiritual person who was not offended but appreciated the column.]
Of course, not everyone was offended. I received many letters, including this one: ``Thanks for speaking up about a problem that looms larger every day. Most of us, regardless of our religious beliefs, do not want to live in a theocracy.''
I come from a family of devout Christians. My father has been a Southern Baptist pastor for 20 years, my mother an ardent student of the Bible, my four siblings religious in their own ways, and I'm a Christian, too.
But at 13, my faith forever changed. Back then the Bible verse John 3:16 was stuck in my head: ``For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.''
I understood that the only way to get into heaven was to accept Jesus into your heart. I'd known that fact on a personal level; I'd accepted Christ and been baptized when I was 10 or 11. But, at 13, I understood it on a deeper level, and that understanding brought confusion. I went to my mother for an answer.
"Mom, what about people who aren't Christians?" I said. "What if someone is Buddhist or Muslim and they have no idea who Jesus is? How are they going to get into heaven?"
I couldn't stand the idea that every non-Christian in the world was going to hell. It seemed unfair. I was lucky to be born into a Christian family, but what about kids who are born in other countries and into other religions? Kids who knew nothing about Christianity?
My mother tried to reassure me: "Jesus will introduce himself to them at some point in their lives. Everyone will have a chance to know him and be saved."
That answer didn't satisfy me.
It would be years before I finally reconciled the entrance requirements of heaven against the vast number of religions.
I now believe that every religion worships the same God. … [Reggie, please see AmericanRTL.org/Gospel]