It’s a testament to Yitzhak Rabin and all he fought for that nearly a quarter million Israelis gathered together to celebrate his life.

Link:  Wal-Mart, Its Foes Turn to Religion

It seems rather disgusting to see a huge retail giant like Wal-Mart, or any of its kind, using churches to further their cause.  Shame on any church who uses their pulpit in such a manner.  Perhaps they need to familiarize themselves with Matthew 21:12-13 (NIV):

¹²Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ¹³"It is written," he said to them, " ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’ "

Via The Huffington Post

Link:  96 bishops decry ‘unjust and immoral’ situation in Iraq

Does something like this matter?  In the long run, no.  President Bush has always struck me as one of those rainy-day Christians.  Christian when it’s convenient, but more than willing to toss it aside when it gets in the way of more important things.  I don’t know this for a fact, of course, but I doubt President Bush gives a damn what his church thinks.  Does he even attend church anymore?  Besides, he has more than enough Conservative Christian churches on his side who see the Iraq War as righteous, so what a bunch of mostly-liberal Methodists think is irrelevant.

***SPOILERS***

Finally got to sit down and watch the recent episode of Lost.  I think it’s one of the finest episodes so far this season.  Not because of the death of Maggie Grace’s Shannon, but because of the excellent acting by Grace.  Not since the death of her step-brother Boone (Ian Somerhalder, who came back in the episode) has Grace shown such emotional range.  As for the death itself, I thought it was a lame way to take out Grace’s character.  Kudos to Naveen Andrews, as well.

Also, I’m really not liking the Michelle Rodriguez character (Ana-Lucia Cortez).  Normally, I like strong female characters, but she is really starting to grate on my nerves.  Granted, it’s in keeping with the what the character has been through, but she really needs to be brought down a peg.  Especially considering what happened in this episode.