Sunday’s Quote: Jefferson wouldn’t have been present

Painting by Gilbert Stuart, 1805

A group of atheists gathered on the National Mall in Washington, DC earlier today to proclaim their disbelief in the Almighty. Though some among these Left-wingers claim otherwise, I’m certain our third President wasn’t one of them.

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“Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath?

“Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever: that considering numbers, nature and natural means only, a revolution of the wheel of fortune, an exchange of situation, is among possible events: that it may become probable by supernatural interference! The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in such a contest.”
~ from Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII: Manners by Thomas Jefferson

Sunday’s Quote: Christian America

It seems that many among the Left are driven, in part, by a yearning to dictate the prevailing opinion of the Founders (1, 2, 3), especially in regard to the consequent establishment of our country, by diminishing the philosophically Christian foundation that was otherwise undeniable for over two centuries. Their interpretation of the Treaty of Tripoli is just one example.

The construal of facts, for the sake of supporting their own conclusions, is put into effect to have the opposition believe that they are wrong, backwards, and nowhere near the mainstream. Nothing could be further from the Truth.

Our first President added the following:

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“If I could have entertained the slightest apprehension that the Constitution framed in the Convention, where I had the honor to preside, might possibly endanger the religious rights of any ecclesiastical society, certainly I would never have placed my signature to it; and if I could now conceive that the general government might ever be so administered as to render the liberty of conscience insecure, I beg you will be persuaded that no one would be more zealous than myself to establish effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny, and every species of religious persecution.”
~ from George Washington’s Letter to the United Baptist Churches in Virginia; May 10, 1789

Postscript: Painting by John Trumbull (1756-1843), currently displayed at City Hall in New York City. His work is easily among the best of the era.

What part of CHRISTmas do you not understand?

c/o Credo House Ministries

Instead of the usual Sunday’s Quote, I’ve opted to republish the same piece I’ve posted on this day for each of the past three years. . .

I could bloviate about those who seek to eliminate any trace of Christianity – or at least, the authentic criterion thereof – from the national landscape, just as I could reference any number of acts committed by the secular Left in the name of “separation of church and state” as if the phrase was pulled from the Constitution itself. But I will resist.

I could foil the pugilist with a comprehensive assessment, almost pretentious in length, regarding “separation of church. . .” (among other things) from Supreme Court decisions that were taken from their originally intended context to endorse a “progressive” disposition that concedes to practically anything but Christendom. Yet I will abstain.

Eschatology of the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant creeds warn the Believer about agreeable-sounding pontificators who employ abstract reasoning fused with arguments that take aim (in the seemingly nicest possible way) at the very axioms they hold most sacred; a ploy most commonly achieved by admonishing the born-again, yet inattentive adherent to yield to every outlandish form of pluralism for the sake, and in the name of, tolerance.

Even more, far too many Christians have become more consumed with what's “cool” instead of keeping their focus upon what is right (something to which I can truly relate), essentially abandoning the substance of their beliefs – and thus, depreciating the sacrifices made by those who came before us – because they became fearful of false characterizations by a faction that unabashedly hates the Truth for which we are called to give our lives if necessary.

I’m beating this war drum because of a slowly growing entente that abates the less passionate into submission with half-truths, platitudes, and double standards while laboring to dilute, or redefine, our long-established values that are almost entirely based upon the Holy Scriptures. And thus it may not be much longer before opposing the coalition of enlightened, altruistic, open-minded sojourners of egalitarianism will be deemed a “hate crime.”

So say Merry Christmas while you still can. The clock is ticking.

Sunday's Quote: As our heritage erodes. . .

The Founders of our Nation were mostly Christian. Those who have sought to maintain the establishing principles responsible for developing our country were, and remain, mostly Christian as well. A mandate to endorse and defend such philosophical values is more than implied. It is also necessitated amid this era of inclusivity that has provided an asylum for those who conform to an opposing set of standards that are unambiguously dissimilar from that which distinguishes America from all the rest. Yet concessions (in the name of tolerance) are rapidly becoming the norm. Case in point –

In an effort to embrace all "Earth-based" religions, a Stonehenge-like worship center has been built at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs that serves as a de facto place of worship for this year's 10 Hindu, 11 Muslim, 16 Buddhist and 43 atheist cadets among the 4,300 enrollees. The reason: "We're here to accommodate all religions, period," says Chaplain Maj. Darren Duncan, branch chief of cadet faith communities at the academy.

Major Duncan’s limp-wristed statement, however altruistic, signals a continued shift away from the convictions of the majority, as neither Freedom of Religion, nor the First Amendment, were ever intended to make more room than necessary for those who play by a different set of rules.

Our first President sets the record straight:

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“I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection; that he would incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government; to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow citizens of the United States at large; and, particularly, for their brethren who have served in the Geld; and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific [sic] temper of the mind, which were the characteristicks [sic] of the divine Author of our blessed religion; without a humble imitation of whose example, in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation.”
– from George Washington’s Circular Letter to States; June 8, 1783


Picture credit: "George Washington at Valley Forge" by Joseph Christian Leyendecker; featured on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post, February 23, 1935

Some cartoons that recently caught my attention (for all the right reasons)

Sunday's Quote: What was once "liberal"

c/o Martin Ward

Those of the left-leaning persuasion are generally not aligned with the Christian tradition. A handful of exceptions notwithstanding, it seems most of those who claim the label of modern liberalism are anything but Christian. But it hasn't always been that way.

Having suspected that the liberal of yesteryear is today's Conservative, it's nice to have one of the greatest of all thinkers – identified by some as a "classical liberal" – confirm the obvious:

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"TRUTHS turn into dogmas the instant that they are disputed. Thus every man who utters a doubt defines a religion. And the scepticism of our time does not really destroy the beliefs, rather it creates them; gives them their limits and their plain and defiant shape. We who are Liberals once held Liberalism lightly as a truism. Now it has been disputed, and we hold it fiercely as a faith. We who believe in patriotism once thought patriotism to be reasonable, and thought little more about it. Now we know it to be unreasonable, and know it to be right.

"We who are Christians never knew the great philosophic common sense which inheres in that mystery until the anti-Christian writers pointed it out to us. The great march of mental destruction will go on. Everything will be denied. Everything will become a creed. It is a reasonable position to deny the stones in the street; it will be a religious dogma to assert them.

"It is a rational thesis that we are all in a dream; it will be a mystical sanity to say that we are all awake. Fires will be kindled to testify that two and two make four. Swords will be drawn to prove that leaves are green in summer. We shall be left defending, not only the incredible virtues and sanities of human life, but something more incredible still, this huge impossible universe which stares us in the face. We shall fight for visible prodigies as if they were invisible. We shall look on the impossible grass and the skies with a strange courage. We shall be of those who have seen and yet have believed."
– from Chesterton's Heretics

Sunday's Quote: Einstein and the Nazarene

Many great men, including several of our Founding Fathers such as Franklin and Jefferson, have maintained conflicting views on God – and more specifically, Christianity – since the religion was established some two millennia ago.  While the man quoted below was not a convert, he also rejected the many claims about his purported atheism.  Here's the man himself to better explain his position.

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"To what extent are you influenced by Christianity?  'As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud.  I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.'  You accept the historical existence of Jesus?  'Unquestionably!  No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus.  His personality pulsates in every word.  No myth is filled with such life.'"

– Albert Einstein, responding to poet, writer and eventual Nazi propagandist George Sylvester Viereck; from TIME's "Einstein &Faith" (published April 5, 2007), reprinted from Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson

And remember y'all, to reference an old Christian addage:

Jacob cheated.  Peter had a temper.  David had an affair.  Noah was a drunk.  Jonah ran from God.  Paul committed murder (as did David).  Gideon was insecure.  Miriam was a gossip.  Martha worried.  Thomas, of course, doubted.  Sarah was impatient.  Elijah was moody.  Moses stuttered.  Zachaeus was short.  Abraham was old.  And Lazarus was dead.

But God used them all.

Sunday’s Quote: Persecution of the Faithful

Adherents to Christendom are the most tyrannized and discriminated against in the world.  Skeptics may find that difficult to believe, but they are conspicuously hushed when presented with mere a portion what my Christian brothers and sisters throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa have been up against for over a millennia.

© Reuters

Earlier this morning, the Associated Press reported that police in Beijing, China detained worshippers from an "unapproved Christian church" who were forced to hold service in a public space after they were expelled from their usual place of worship.  The piece added, "China's Communist government allows worship only in state-approved churches, but many Christians belong to unregistered congregations.  Such 'house churches' are subjected to varying degrees of harassment by authorities."

Those who profess salvation in Christ have been viewed under the harshest microscope from the very beginning, so maltreatment is understood to come with the territory, even in parts of the world where Christians make up the majority.  That being said...

"Scripture makes it clear to me that there is an obligation to speak out on behalf of the persecuted."

-- Sixteen-term Representative Frank R. Wolf (R-Virginia, 10th congressional district)

"Persecution is a tribute the great must always pay for preeminence."

-- Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774), Irish poet, novelist and playwright

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.  For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh."

-- II Corinthians 4:8-11

On This Day in History

1703 – In what is now Tokyo, Japan, 46 of the legendary Forty-seven Ronin committed ritual suicide (seppuku) as part of the samurai honor code (bushidō) for avenging their master's death.

1789 – George Washington was elected the first President of the United States.

1844 – Discovered by German Biblical scholar Constantin Tischendor, the Codex Sinaiticus -- ancient portions of both the Old and New Testaments -- was uncovered at St. Catherine's Monastery in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

1861 – Delegates from South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana convened in Montgomery, Alabama to form the Confederate States of America.

1902 – Charles Lindbergh was born in Detroit, Michigan.  Having initially risen to prominence with his solo non-stop flight from Roosevelt Field in New York's Long Island to Le Bourget Field in Paris, France (May 20-21, 1927; nearly 3,600 miles), Lindbergh was named TIME magazine's first Man of the Year.  Later in life he also became a prize-winning author, explorer, environmentalist and inventor.  Few have ever accomplished so much in a lifetime.

1906 – Dietrich Bonhoeffer [pictured] was born in Breslau, Germany (present-day Wrocław, Poland).  A master theologian of the Evangelical Lutheran faith, Bonhoeffer became critical of the Church's general insensitivity to the needs of secular society as he witnessed social upheaval, a decline of traditional values and international financial crisis -- much like the events of today.

Opposed to circumventing Christ in "religiosity," Bonhoeffer's time at Abyssinian Baptist Church in the Harlem borough of New York City (where he taught Sunday School) inspired a world view that would ultimately lead him to establish the Confessing Church, which became one of the few opposing voices to the Nazification in Germany.  It also led to Bonhoeffer's two-year incarceration and eventual martyrdom at the Flossenbürg concentration camp, less than a month before the Nazi regime collapsed.

In short, his influence and the example he set by speaking and standing for Truth cannot be overstated.

1945 – "The Big Three" -- Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin -- open The Yalta Conference at the Livadia Palace in Crimea (present-day southern Ukraine) to discuss Europe's postwar reorganization.

2004 – Mark Zuckerberg launched "Thefacebook," the forerunner to Facebook, from his dorm room at Harvard University.  Seven years later, Facebook.com boasts of 600 million users and only trails Google as the world's most visited website.

On This Day in History: Patriots, et al.

1755 – Alexander Hamilton, once the Commanding General of the United States Army and a Founding Father of our nation, was born in Charlestown, Nevis, British West Indies.

1794 – Chosen by George Washington to serve as the first United States Marshal for the State of Georgia, Scottish-born Robert Forsyth became the first Marshal in American history killed in the line of duty.

1843 – Francis Scott Key, the author of our national anthem -- "The Star-Spangled Banner" -- died in his native Maryland.  An novice poet, Key became inspired to write a prose describing his observation of the British bombardment of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in September 1814.  "The Defence of Fort McHenry" was published a week later in the Patriot, by which he urged the adoption of "In God is our Trust" as the national motto in the fourth stanza.  Signed into law by President Eisenhower, "In God We Trust" became our national motto nearly a century and a half later in 1956.  Notably, F.S. Key also served as a Vice President of the American Bible Society for 25 years until his death.

1861 – Following South Carolina, Mississippi and Florida, Alabama seceded from the United States to become the fourth member of the Southern Confederacy.  Three more States -- Georgia, Louisiana and Texas -- followed just prior to the first shots fired at Fort Sumter.  The last four States -- Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina -- were not prompted to join until Abraham Lincoln called for Southern civilians to join the Federal cause.

1879 – The Anglo-Zulu War began with the British invasion of the Zulu Kingdom in southern Africa.  The English achieved victory in just under six months.

1935 – Already the first woman to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart (pictured) became the first person to successfully fly solo from Hawaii to California.

1949 – Los Angeles, California experiences its first recorded snowfall.

1964 – U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Luther Leonidas Terry publishes a landmark report saying that "smoking may be hazardous to health."  The worldwide anti-smoking efforts inspired by the report continue to this day.

1990 – Over 300,000 people marched in favor of Lithuanian independence from the USSR, which led to the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania on March 11.  The Soviet Union eventually dissolved over a two-year period, and the United Nations formally recognized Lithuania on September 17, 1991.

1998 – Religion of Peace: The Sidi-Hamed massacre occurs in Algeria on the last day of Ramadan.  According to the BBC, "An estimated fifty gunmen poured in, attacking children and adults alike; they bombed a cafe where films were being watched and a mosque in nearby Haouche Sahraoui, killing those who fled, and stormed houses to slaughter those within.  According to official figures, 103 were killed and seventy injured."  It was the second of five such Islamic-led massacres to have occurred in Algeria during the year.

Sunday's Quote: The difference

If you've seen the "Coexist" bumper sticker about town, then you might appreciate a certain reinterpretation (from an unknown source) that addresses the main problem with such a bold, trans-denominational mandate --

Adding to this point is something I read from the American Bible Society several days ago, which conveys a considerable difference between Christianity, at its core, and all the rest:

"The Bible itself is a mystery.  The biggest mystery about the Bible is that it exists at all -- that its ancient texts have survived down the centuries, to exert unique spiritual influence on men and women today.  Unlike sacred writings such as the Koran and the Book of Mormon, the 66 books of the Holy Bible had no single person as their author.  In fact, over an estimated 1,600 years, forty different authors from all walks of life -- including kings, shepherds, priests, prophets, a physician, a tax collector, a leatherworker, and several fishermen -- wrote the poetry, history, laws and teachings found in the Old and New Testaments.  The Bible was not even written in a single tongue: its authors employed three languages -- Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic."
-- from "Inside the Mysteries of the Bible: New Perspectives on Ancient Truths," pg. 94

Sundays' Quote: 140-character maximum, pt. 2

Having initially questioned Twitter's usefulness, I now understand both its purpose and appeal.  Continuing a post from last June, the following is a list of my favorites from the past four months, 75 in all, that go far to convey in a limited amount of words that which I sometimes have difficulty expressing in lengthy diatribes:

1) "Clearly we have forgotten those who painstakingly dug the wells from which we still draw water.  Look to God & the Founders, America!"
-- August 14
 

2) "Hey Islam: Lan astaslem."
-- June 30
 

3) "It's better to be a hard-line Conservative than a no-line Liberal."
-- August 24
 

4) "I don't always need to induce vomiting.  But when I do, I prefer MSNBC.  Stay thirsty my friends."
-- September 1
 

5) "What is hypocrisy?  Howard Stern calling Rush Limbaugh 'vile'."
-- June 9
 

6) "Some of us aren't surprised by Helen Thomas because some of us are aware that Liberals frequently cultivate ridiculous nonsense."
-- June 6
 

7) "California: where marijuana is acceptable and cigarettes are ethically reprehensible."
-- October 10
 

8) "It's interesting to see Perez Hilton take part in the no bullying campaign when his career was built on ripping people to shreds."
-- October 7
 

9) "Being a Feminist originally meant that you demanded equality.  Now it simply means that a man hasn't asked you out for a date in 10 years."
-- August 23
 

10) "Once we were a thinking people.  Now we are an emotional people.  The difference is profound."
-- June 5
 

11) "God will only allow us the leaders we deserve.  The further from Him we get, the worse our leadership will become."
-- July 14
 

12) "Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale by a combined electoral tally of 1014-62.  How?  By being Conservative."
-- September 8
 

13) "I understand that he's 'historic', but please understand: Obama's not 'The Chosen One'.  He's just another politician."
-- June 24
 

14) "Al Sharpton's most recent rant, which entailed comparing Obama to Jesus, is pretty much par for the course at this point."
-- August 12
 

15) "For the record, when Obama says that his salvation relies upon our collective salvation as a society, that is NOT Biblical."
-- August 3
 

16) "It seems we lend too much legitimacy to the perspective of 'commentators' whose paycheck depends upon whether or not they make us laugh."
-- June 18
 

17) "Say what you want about Glenn Beck, you freaking liberals, but he's only guilty of loving this country more than you do."
-- September 1
 

18) "And remember kids, it's only okay for Democrats to have money."
-- June 13
 

19) "Of the 10 wealthiest politicians in Congress, seven are Democrats, which proves that it's only okay for the Left to have lots of money."
-- September 2
 

20) "Terms like 'frenemy', 'chillax', & 'bromance are being added to the Oxford Dictionary of English.  The end is definitely near."
-- August 22
 

21) "George Steinbrenner tried to fire God earlier today, to which the Almighty replied, 'Go to Hell'."
-- July 13
 

22) "Charles Krauthammer's comment about the Left's 'social engineering hubris' was spot-on.  He's hardcore."
-- June 25
 

23) "I'd prefer to be born wealthy instead of devastatingly handsome.  Being really, really, ridiculously good looking isn't all that great."
-- October 1
 

24) "Unemployed with a pending felony charge to boot, Alvin Greene won S.C.'s Democratic Senate primary w/o running a full campaign.  Silly Dems."
-- June 9
 

25) "Ozzy Osbourne is Rolling Stone's new health columnist.  I'm guessing Amy Winehouse wasn't available."
-- July 4
 

26) "The older I get, the more I appreciate Van Halen's first six albums."
-- October 16
 

27) "Venezuelan tyrant Hugo Chavez has threatened to cut his oil supply to the U.S.  I'm sure Oliver Stone is thrilled."
-- July 29
 

28) "Oliver Stone called George Bush a 'devil', but he places Hugo Chavez and Raul Castro on a pedestal.  Only Liberals praise our enemies."
-- July 22 ("Stephen Marche's piece about Oliver Stone in the most recent edition of Esquire is a must-read." -- September 23)
 

29) "Chris Matthews says new anti-illegal immigration plan is '...just pandering to angry White people'.  Hey Matthews, f--k off."
-- July 1
 

30) "Gallup shows Independents swinging strongly toward GOP because Dems have become 'too liberal'.  Thanks Obama, Matthews, Olbermann, et al."
-- July 1
 

31) "Liberals are good at being cool.  That's their m.o.  Conservatives must get better at being right.  That's our calling."
-- September 9
 

32) "When everyone else sees a belligerent aggressor, liberals only see a potential voter."
-- August 20
 

33) "A Google search on Samir Shabazz turns up practically no mainstream sources.  Ah, but if a 'cracker' dared to spew such rhetoric..."
-- July 11
 

34) "Those who 'hate' on Christopher Columbus exhibit some degree of naiveté.  If not the Spanish, explorers would have come from elsewhere."
-- October 11
 

35) "Whether it's 'Cordoba House' or 'Park51', the proposed mosque at Ground Zero is a 13-story monument to Islam's desire to dominate America."
-- July 15
 

36) "I will build a big Christian church near Mecca & preach about tolerance.  I'm sure Muslims would have no problem with that whatsoever."
-- September 13
 

37) "I am officially calling for Islamic Shari'a law to become more Constitutionally compliant."
-- August 29
 

38) "The guy who plans to burn a bunch of Qurans on 9/11 is going a bit overboard.  But the worldwide slaughter of Christians by Muslims is okay."
-- September 8
 

39) "I came to do two things: kill terrorists and drink beer.  Looks like we're out of beer."
-- September 11
 

40) "Perhaps Tom Brady is taking too much grief for his hair.  If Gisele Bundchen is your wife and she tells you to let your hair grow, you do it."
-- September 22
 

41) "Who the (expletive) is Justin Bieber to make fun of Tom Brady's hair?"
-- October 15
 

42) "Joe Montana endorsing Skechers feels wrong."
-- June 8
 

43) "Should it bother me that my football hero, four-time Super Bowl champ Joseph Clifford Montana, endorses Skechers?  Because it does."
-- August 26
 

44) "Hey atheists, save your comments about the 60-foot Jesus statue burning in Ohio.  Just like the real thing, it will rise again."
-- June 15
 

45) "Secularists of any sort have accomplished nothing without standing on the shoulders of Christian giants."
-- July 3
 

46) "LeBron's manufactured drama might backfire."
-- July 7
 

47) "So which is it LeBron: Team Edward or Team Jacob?"
-- July 8
 

48) "Revis wants $160 million.  The Jets are offering $120 million.  Personally, I'd be glad to take the Jets offer.  But that's just me."
-- August 11
 

49) "Pay-Rod just smacked his 600th home run, and yet I find myself wondering if Snookie would consider him a 'gorilla juice head'."
-- August 4
 

50) "China's Deng Feng 21D missile is being called an aircraft carrier 'killer'.  But we still have Chuck Norris.  Advantage: USA."
-- August 6
 

51) "China might challenge America on the economic front, but they have nine-day traffic jams that stretch for over 60 miles.  Advantage: USA."
-- August 24
 

52) "So Orlando Bloom is engaged to my girl Miranda Kerr.  Who cares?  I'm not jealous.  Nope.  Not me.  No sir.  Not one little bit."
-- June 21
 

53) "So, some hockey dude married my future wife, Carrie Underwood.  Perhaps a vicious body check into the boards would teach him a lesson, ay?"
-- July 12
 

54) "It seems Marc Lamont Hill has the unique ability to speak very fast without saying anything at all."
-- September 27
 

55) "The biggest reason people watch Bill O'Reilly?  They know something will be shown from the Left that will cause their jaw to hit the floor."
-- September 29
 

56) "Newsmax ('The Great Right Hope') could buy Newsweek.  Karma.  Lane Kiffin ditching the Vols & landing at USC amid scandal.  Also karma."
-- June 10
 

57) "Oh wow, someone else called Sarah Palin a racist because they disagree with her.  How shocking and original."
-- July 20
 

58) "The new Ole Miss mascot finalists are a lion, bear, horse, land shark, & something called 'Hotty & Toddy'.  And they're all fraudulent."
-- July 24
 

59) "Clearly the Ole Miss loss to Jacksonville St. is attributable to God's disapproval of Colonel Reb's absence."
-- September 4
 

60) "No matter what the U. of Mississippi administration says or does, Colonel Rebel will always, always, always be THE Ole Miss mascot."
-- September 30
 

61) "Come to think of it, the 'Rebel Bruiser' option to replace Colonel Reb at Ole Miss wasn't so bad after all."
-- October 10
 

62) "The new Ole Miss mascot will be recognized by the administration only.  Everyone else knows who the real face of the Rebels will always be."
-- October 14
 

63) "Conan O'Brien wants Ole Miss to return his masturbating bear."
-- October 14
 

64) "Continuing the jokes I've been hearing, "Parker/Spitzer" sounds like something for which a salacious individual would pay a lot of money."
-- October 4
 

65) "Earlier today Goldberg & Behar demonstrated, quite perfectly, how the truth hurts the Left (hypersensitive hacks)."
-- October 14
 

66) "The only thing worse than The View is Kathy Griffin on The View."
-- June 17
 

67) "Somehow I'm actually offended that Justin Bieber's 'Baby' has garnered 253,368,895 hits on YouTube.  It just isn't right."
-- July 21 (Note: As of October 17, the number of hits the aforementioned video has received now exceeds 359 million.)
 

68) "It's amazing how entertained we are by complete crap."
-- July 5
 

69) "Who needs that iPhone 4 anyway?  I'm still rockin' the rotary, yo."
-- June 24
 

70) "I think too much is made of Tom Cruise's couch jumping on Oprah.  Cult member or not, it really isn't that big of a deal."
-- July 3
 

71) "Inexplicably, Baskin-Robbins is retiring its French Vanilla flavor of ice cream. COMMUNISTS!!!"
-- July 18
 

72) "CNN's Sanjay Gupta and LiveScience.com say Darth Vader exhibited criteria for borderline personality disorder.  So do half the people I know."
-- June 12
 

73) "Our last four Presidents have been embarrassments, our economy sucks, & the Gulf is filled with oil.  A World Cup win today would be nice."
-- June 23
 

74) "I'm afraid Miley Cyrus is well on her way to becoming just like Britney.  Let's hope she resists the temptation to shave her head."
-- October 12
 

75) "It seems that I'm naturally inclined to hate both the player and the game."
-- September 17

Speaking the unabashed Truth

Narrated by novelist, philanthropist and Conservative commentator Joel Rosenberg, this six minute piece about Coptic revivalist Father Zakaria Botros and his efforts to spread the Gospel of Christ in the Middle East should serve as a penetrating example for all Believers.

On This Day in History

The guy standing actually lost.

1776 – Nathan Hale, a soldier for the Continental Army during the American Revolution who was captured by the British during an intelligence-gathering mission in New York City, is hanged for espionage.  Officially designated as the state hero of Connecticut in 1985, Hale -- a true patriot -- is best remembered for his last words before being hanged: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."

1823 – Joseph Smith is supposedly directed by an angel called Moroni to Cumorah Hill near his home in Manchester, New York where the "golden plates" Smith are said to have used to translate the Book of Mormon were buried.  Nonsense.
 

1888 – The first issue of National Geographic magazine is published.  It remains possibly the most important American periodical ever. 

1896 – Queen Victoria surpasses her grandfather, King George III, as the longest reigning monarch in British history.  Her reign lasted nearly 64 years.  Provided she survives, Victoria's great-great-granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II, will surpass Victoria on September 10, 2015.

1927 – Jack "The Manassa Mauler" Dempsey (pictured above, standing) loses his world heavyweight title rematch to Gene "The Fighting Marine" Tunney in front of 104,000 people at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.  A comprehensive account of what became known as "The Long Count Fight" can be found here.  On a side note, the $2,658,660 gate was the first in history surpass the million-dollar mark.

1980 – The Iraqi air force attacks ten airfields inside Iran, beginning the Iran-Iraq War.  The conflict was declared a stalemate after nearly eight years of fighting.  

1991 – Discovered in 11 different caves throughout the ruins of Khirbet Qumran in Israel's West Bank between 1947-1956, the Dead Sea Scrolls are made available to the public for the first time by the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.

2006 – The F-14 Tomcat is retired from the United States Navy.  Initially deployed aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in 1974, the F-14 served with distinction as the Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter and fleet defense interceptor for over 30 years.  Believe me, the Tomcat kicked a lot of ass on behalf of this nation.

Sundays' Quote: Reinventing the steal

Everything came to a head five years ago today.  To summarize a brutally long story -- one that required 17 pages to explain adequately -- I spent almost a year writing a 200-page screenplay for a group of people I had known since 1982, only for it to be stolen by the very individuals who introduced me to the project.  Needless to say, I was irate.  You already have a good idea of how pissed I was if you've heard the infamous Mel Gibson tapes.

Durwood Fincher could not have spun half as well as they did.  The men of that family have no conscience.

I must've written one helluva script because these people, for whom I exhibited more respect and trust than they ever deserved, went above and beyond to keep the whereabouts of my work a closely guarded secret, which was compounded by a network of Pavlovian dogs -- my closest confidant included, much to my chagrin -- who evidently refused to believe that such a Stepford family would commit this unnerving act.  Yet because infinitely worse tragedies occur everyday, I will abstain from rambling any further.  My only advice: don't be shocked by anything that anyone does, ever.

"The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law."
-- Psalm 119:61, KJV

Illegitimi non carborundum

There's no crying in softball

Bellevue Baptist Church, a Memphis area megachurch with a membership somewhere around 30,000 people, has recently come under scrutiny for disallowing a lesbian softball coach and her team from participating in its league.

At the center of this contention is Jana Jacobson, who says she was told by Bellevue officials that "her 'deviant' lifestyle" was not in accordance with church doctrine, and because allowing Jacobson and her team to play could be considered a de facto endorsement of an alternative lifestyle that is clearly written about in the Old and New Testaments (not just Leviticus 18:22), Bellevue was essentially forced to take a stand that far too many in the Christian community lack the fortitude to make.

I know a little something about Bellevue.  I was an active member for 17 years, and at times I experienced a certain rigidness that went beyond Christ's example.  But I also know what the Word says.  Indeed I have written about the impasse between (authentic) Christianity and homosexuality before.  In essence, it is not our job to be cool.  It's our responsibility to be right about such matters, as Spurgeon reminded us repeatedly.

Being unpopular among the self-proclaimed tolerant comes with the territory.  Tangled confusion arises only when we yield to that against which we have been warned.  Only those who refuse to see the evidence directly in front of their faces will remain blind.  Hence when Bellevue speaks of a "deviant lifestyle," they are probably referring to something like this:

"West Hollywood (California), with a gay population of 41%, has been disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic which has ravaged the gay male population since the early 1980s.  The city funds or subsidizes a vast array of services for those living with HIV or AIDS.  The AIDS Healthcare Foundation parks a Mobile HIV/STD testing van outside of the city’s busiest nightclubs on Friday and Saturday nights, and again on Sunday afternoons."

-- from various sources (1, 2, 3)

Stay strong Bellevue.

A time for choosing (w/ apologies to our 40th President)

Early last Saturday morning, some time around 5:00 AM, I staggered into the Kroger at the corner of Sanderlin and Mendenhall (overshadowed by Clark Tower) after another glorious shift of getting drilled at the World Hub.  My habitual walk through the periodical aisle brought to my attention a book called "Saved By Her Enemy," which tells the story of an Iraqi Muslim woman who, in her attempt to avoid the Islamic insurgents trying to kidnap her, ultimately found herself embraced by the kind of Christian family in the American heartland she was taught to hate.  Score one for the good guys.

  

Pondering what non-extremists endure from their fellow believers reminded me of a post from last April about what Christians in Muslim-dominated countries face practically every day.  Similar to a recent story 60 Minutes did about Archbishop Bartholomew of Constantinople, another piece of mine from last March also told of the threats our brothers and sisters in Christ have experienced for centuries.

Jihadist provocations against Christians in the Nigerian town of Jos earlier this year is just one of many examples of how rhetoric about the world's two largest religions learning to coexist essentially crumbles beneath the opposing mechanisms that define the two faiths, all of which lends additional legitimacy to "Islam's 20-year plan" identified by Anis Shorrosh in 2003.

In the name of pragmatism, if nothing else, the purveyor of this blog asks anyone who reads this to consider the nations of the world in which Christianity flourishes.  Then consider the nations where Islam is prevalent.

More specifically, consider the Christian man who was raped and murdered in Pakistan last year for refusing to convert to Islam.  Think of the additional consequences non-converts face in Islamic-controlled societies.  Ponder how such an ideology is penetrating its way through our nation, and then ask yourself one question:

Where do I want to live?

Speak of "tolerance" if you like, but tolerance is rarely reciprocated on their side of the aisle.  Considering the peculiar sensitivities of Muslims, their open desire to implement Sharia law in the United States, and the historical trend of aggression in every society Islam has penetrated, the answer is self-evident if only you dare to be honest.

"Sons of Islam everywhere, the jihad is a duty - to establish the rule of Allah on earth and to liberate your countries and yourselves from America's domination and its Zionist allies, it is your battle - either victory or martyrdom."

-- Ahmed Yassin (1937-2004), founder of Hamas, an Islamic organization and political party known for using suicide bombings as a means to facilitate the destruction of Israel and their allies

To add, here's a piece from CBN News.  And for more, check out Jihad Watch and The Religion of Peace.

 

Between Faith and Reason

From something I read earlier today...

"An astronaut and brain surgeon were discussing religion.  The brain surgeon was Christian but the astronaut was not.

Astronaut: 'I've been out in space many times, but I've never seen God or angels.'

Brain Surgeon: 'I've operated on many clever brains, but I've never seen a single thought.'"

More from the persecution tip

Not long after Israel's victory over Egypt, Iraq and Jordan in the Six-Day War -- 20 years after Israel had defeated Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War -- philosopher Eric Hoffer wrote an op-ed in response to the antisemitism he noticed throughout the world.  Some 42 years later, Hoffer's sentiment not only rings true today, but his words also back Biblical prophecy.

--------------------------------------------------

Israeli Premonition

by Eric Hoffer

Los Angeles Times; May 26, 1968

The Jews are a peculiar people: things permitted to other nations are forbidden to the Jews.

Other nations drive out thousands, even millions of people and there is no refugee problem.  Russia did it, Poland and Czechoslovakia did it, Turkey threw out a million Greeks, and Algeria a million Frenchman.  Indonesia threw out heaven knows how many Chinese -- and no one says a word about refugees.

But in the case of Israel, the displaced Arabs have become eternal refugees. Everyone insists that Israel must take back every single Arab.  Arnold Toynbee calls the displacement of the Arabs an atrocity greater than any committed by the Nazis.

Other nations when victorious on the battlefield dictate peace terms.  But when Israel is victorious it must sue for peace.  Everyone expects the Jews to be the only real Christians in this world.

Other nations when they are defeated survive and recover, but should Israel be defeated it would be destroyed.  Had Nasser triumphed last June he would have wiped Israel off the map, and no one would have lifted a finger to save the Jews.

No commitment to the Jews by any government, including our own, is worth the paper it is written on.  There is a cry of outrage all over the world when people die in Vietnam or when two Blacks are executed in Rhodesia.  But when Hitler slaughtered Jews no one remonstrated with him.

The Swedes, who are ready to break off diplomatic relations with America because of what we do in Vietnam, did not let out a peep when Hitler was slaughtering Jews.  They sent Hitler choice iron ore, and ball bearings, and serviced his troop trains to Norway.

Yet at this moment Israel is our only reliable and unconditional ally.  We can rely more on Israel than Israel can rely on us.  And one has only to imagine what would have happened last summer had the Arabs and their Russian backers won the war, to realize how vital the survival of Israel is to America and the West in general.

I have a premonition that will not leave me; as it goes with Israel so will it go with all of us.

Should Israel perish the holocaust will be upon us.

Make no mistake, persecution of Christians is not getting better

The pain in the lower portion of my jaw has lessened a bit, so I thought expanding on a March 11 post about the violence our Christian brothers and sisters face around the world would be in order.

We have it pretty good in America.  The principles in the Holy Bible provide the foundation of all that makes our nation the envy of the planet, and some people hate that -- even those who benefit most from the brilliant foresight of the Founding Fathers (and their protagonists).

Yeah Liberal, I'm talking to you.

Because we tend to forget about what our fellow Christians face daily throughout the world, I have pasted below another link to a story that should serve as a stark reminder in regard to what our Islamic counterparts, when left to their own devices, are truly all about.

"Christian in Pakistan Burned Alive..."