Rufus Singing O Holy Night

Rufus Wainwright and his family hosted a special Christmas sing this past week at Carnegie Hall. As technology allows, there was someone there who recorded Rufus singing in French, O Holy Night. Turn up your speakers, this is beautiful.

The History of Religion in 90 Seconds

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Questions Couples Should Ask...

...before they get married or partnered up. I found this interesting article on the website of the NY Times. The article has a list of 15 questions married couples should ask (or wish they had) before getting married. If you haven't already answered these questions, maybe now's the time.

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Relationship experts report that too many couples fail to ask each other critical questions before marrying. Here are a few key ones that couples should consider asking:

1) Have we discussed whether or not to have children, and if the answer is yes, who is going to be the primary care giver?

2) Do we have a clear idea of each other’s financial obligations and goals, and do our ideas about spending and saving mesh?

3) Have we discussed our expectations for how the household will be maintained, and are we in agreement on who will manage the chores?

4) Have we fully disclosed our health histories, both physical and mental?

5) Is my partner affectionate to the degree that I expect?

6) Can we comfortably and openly discuss our sexual needs, preferences and fears?

7) Will there be a television in the bedroom?

Read the rest of the questions by going here.

A Religious Test?

Last week, Rep. Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota, who is the first Muslim ever elected to the US Congress, has asked that for his swearing in, he be allowed to swap the Bible out for the Koran, as the book he makes his oath on. As you can imagine, conservatives across the country have exploded in fury over his request. Citing their belief that America is a Christian nation, one religious leader went so far as to say that doing such a thing would "undermine Christian civilization." Such an argument sounds familiar for many LGBT folk.

And yet all these conservative zealots forget that America is a nation free of religious tests and a melting pot for many religions. The idea of this melting pot imagery gets lost when one person or ideology thinks everyone needs to share it. Instead, we are bunch of "we's" and not a bunch of "I's".

So, I had planned on writing something about this but instead found two others who wrote very good retaliatory posts. You can find them by going here and by going here.

God's In-Box

Have you ever wondered what God's Prayer In-box must look like? Go here to see a screen shot on his/er computer screen. By the way, the link opens up a .pdf file.

$30 of Food?

Here is an interesting blog about a man who spent only $30 for food during the month of November. He wrote about his experiences and reminds us all how much we spend on things we probably don't need.