When Christians Act Like Muslims,

The title to this article has a comma at the end because the title has so many possible endings.  In this case, it chides Christians for behaving far too much, far too often like Muslims.

Case in point:

This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows. To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55627 Wednesday, May 9, 2007 © 2007 WorldNetDaily.com BIG BREWHAHA Starbucks markets more 'anti-God' coffee cups Company welcomes national dialogue despite boycott threat by some patrons Posted: May 9, 2007 8:38 p.m. Eastern By Joe Kovacs

The article presents Christian outrage.  About what?  About sayings printed on Starbuck's disposable coffee cups, for God's sake.  The entire article is both flabbergasting and amusing.

"...[N]ational uproar and threat of boycott over a mess some felt was "anti-God."  (Emphases mine) "Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure." A WND story posted Sunday afternoon publicizing the cup became a hot topic on national radio shows this week including Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham. One reader, Ken Peck of Lakeland, Fla., has since purchased a coffee with another message he felt was a slam against his Christian faith, and snapped a photograph of it. Ken Peck of Lakeland, Fla., was not thrilled when he purchased this Starbucks cup with a message he felt was anti-Christian The message reads: Heaven is totally overrated. It seems boring. Clouds, listening to people play the harp. It should be somewhere you can’t wait to go, like a luxury hotel. Maybe blue skies and soft music were enough to keep people in line in the 17th century, but Heaven has to step it up a bit. They're basically getting by because they only have to be better than Hell. -- Joel Stein, columnist for the Los Angeles Times. ............. Of couse, World Net Daily had to pour gasoline on the non-event: On Monday, WND asked its readers in its daily poll: "What do you think of the so-called 'anti-God' message on Starbucks coffee cups?" With more than 7,600 respondents, there was a virtual tie for the No. 1 answer: I will do my best to avoid buying anything at Starbucks in the future. 27.64% (2,104 votes) It's leftist garbage from a leftist company based in a leftist city. 27.36% (2,083 votes) On WND's messageboard tied to that poll, readers added more of their sentiments, including: "Paleeze! Isn't it funny how every thing is considered hate speech unless it's directed at the Christian God? Starbucks should try putting a derogatory remark about the Muslims [or] Allah and see what kind of response they get." "This is just another example of satanic leadership in an American corporation. It's not the ship's fault it's off course. It's the person or persons behind the wheel steering the ship. ... It's not necessary to attack God to help market a product successfully, but some human beings in the company thought it was a good idea. They are the ones to blame for the idea and implementation. Not the company itself."

I am not a Christian.   I am an atheist and have been since 1965.  I grew up in the Deep South with hell-fire-and-brimstone and lots of "honk if you love Jesus" bumper stickers, etc.  I fired Christianity from my life.

However, I have Christian friends all over the USA to Europe, and we all have a live-and-let-live policy.  For that they have my immense respect.  I will tell them what I think, if asked, and will tell it exactly how I see it, but we never fight.  Certainly we know how to pick better fights than slogans on paper coffee cups.

I hope Starbucks does not cave to Christians or anyone else.  They can print whatever they want on their cups, and I will still buy them--unless I start finding pro-Islam stuff.  Should the latter happen, I will know that Starbucks has taken an irreversible turn for the moral worst.

Meanwhile, dear Christians, stop sounding like Muslims who are always on the warpath about every g.d. thing in existence.  You have a tendency to get down in the mud with them and roll.  Engaging in such blatant irrelevance cheapens you.  Surely you remember the mega-uproar, the 8-Dollar-Marryin'-Sam, that the Saudis threw over the mermaid logo on the Starbucks cup:  Gasp!  That unburqad woman insulted all of Islam!!!!

We are in a war, not the pseudo-war of George Bush, but a real war for the future of all of us.  Yes, some of that war is being badly prosecuted in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it is truly a world war, much bigger than fighting Japs and Gerries a la WWII.  It is us versus all of Islam, and those g.d. Muslims are like cockroaches--they're everywhere.

To Christians, keep your eyes on the prize, which is our survival, and not on the back of coffee cups.  Besides, if you can't take criticism, even confabulated criticism, your faith just ain't worth much.

Gotta run.  Gotta get to Starbucks.