American Humanists Attack Scriptures in Media Ads --Role of Women in Scripture Challenged

According to a letter from Answers in Genesis to their supporters:

The American Humanist Association sent our a press release stating:

HUMANISTS LAUNCH LARGEST NATIONAL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN CRITICAL OF RELIGIOUS SCRIPTURES:

A national multimedia ad campaign --the largest, most extensive ever by a
godless [their words] organization--launches today and will include a spot on
NBC Dateline...as well as other tv ads, that directly challenge biblical
morality and fundamentalist Christianity. The campaign, sponsored by the
AHA, also features ads in major ....newspapers and magazines demonstrating that
secular humanist values are consistent with mainstream America and that
fundamentalist religion has no right to claim the moral high ground.

....ads ask the audience to "consider Humanism." One example is the following pairing:

The Bible: "A woman should learn in quietness and full
submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a
man; she must be silent." I Timothy 2 (NIV)

Humanism: "The rights of men and women should be equal and
sacred--marriage should be a perfect partnership." Robert G. Ingersoll, in
a letter dated April 13, 1878.

AIG notes that context is important in scriptural interp and application. They go on to say that this admonition concerned the separate roles for men and women --that they are equal but have different roles in the church.

I would say that you also have to consider all the other teachings on women in the Bible, examples in scripture --and note that in this letter to Timothy, Paul says, "I" do not allow women to teach in the church and he gives his rationale. He doesn't exactly state that he is speaking for God here, does he?

There is much Biblical rationale to allow women full responsibility in the church today. In fact, fundamentalist Christianity has evolved the role of women more than any other group in all the world --as they were the first to have women preachers --because of the scripture by Paul that says that the Holy Spirit will be poured out on both men and women --and that women will prophesy or tell forth the Word, (same as men, evidently.) Of course, Deborah is an Old Testament example of a woman in a man's role as a judge and military advisor/leader. There is no biblical condemnation of her in these roles.

Jesus allowed Mary to learn at his feet along side the men --which was culturally atypical, we believe --at least when Mary's sister thought she should be in the kitchen instead. Jesus spoke to a woman at the well --an immoral woman --and went to her home to teach her family and friends. He refused to condone stoning the adulteress --after all, where was the adulterer? If the men who wanted to stone her were not without sin, they had no right to stone her, He said.

My pastor once pointed out that the subjugation of woman was part of the curse after the Fall --and notes that Christianity is about resisting and lifting ALL the curses: death, disease, pestilence, pain in childbirth--and subjugation of women.

Paul says slave, free, Jew, Gentile, male, female --all are equal in Christ. The implications are clear, even for the Church --though some churches and Christian men do get adamant about keeping women in their state of subjugation.

I'm glad my denomination is not about the subjugation of women. We had a split over the issue in my local body. The people are sincere in thinking that Timothy's letter from Paul mandates that the church today must subjugate women in roles in church in order to be a Biblical church. I suspect AIG thinks this, too.

We who disagree note that there ARE other issues in scripture where Christian churches have latitude. E.G.: the wearing of jewelry and hats.

A real liberal wants us to let homosexual conduct go, too, along with the subjugation of women. But that's a different matter entirely --and cannot be justifed Biblically, since we were created to be male or female in the image of God for His purposes. Anal and oral sex with our own sex just don't qualify as good and natural, healthy, normal --or Christian or Biblical --by any stretch of interp.



"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

Random Notes on the Current Scene

Jay Leno has lost my admiration for razzing the Answers in Genesis folks about their Noah's Ark project and their lack of belief in macro-evolution. He speaks ignorantly on the topic --not as one who really has any clue as to what those in opposition to evolution dogma say.

As always, it's seen as very hip and cool for comedians to blast Bible-believers --and our tv-loving youth eat it up and buy into liberal skepticism for the Word --and liberal respect for homosexuality and evolution theory.

Today's young adults shack up and when asked why they haven't married, they say, "We're waiting until we can do it right." Which means --a big wedding with a feast that will cost the price of a nice down-payment on a home. "Doing it right" is doing it wrong in so many ways and I don't think it's producing more life-long marriages. They used to say the stats indicate that people who live together first are more apt to divorce after they do marry.




"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

Prison Fellowship's Chuck Colson Tells a Story

Chuck Colson wrote the following for a fund-raising letter --for Prison
Fellowship:

"I met a man at a Midwest church who had been locked up in one of the
meanest prisons in America. he'd been lost--that is, until he received an
Angel Tree application. Skeptical, he filled it out. But he
wondered, "Is this for real?" So imagine this joy when his children
received gifts! [As though from their father.] His eyes filled with tears, and he was changed forever."

Then Chuck goes on to say this same man is now mentoring 50 other ex-offenders.

"When people see hardened convicts turning gentle as lambs and taking good
back into the stinking holes from which they've come, the reality of the
Gospel cannot be denied. The invisible kingdom is being made
visible in our midst."

They need year-end donations --address at their website.

"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

Applause for Church Music? " Agnus Dei "--Mixed Response

At our first performance there was no applause --not even at the end --until the Pastor gave permission. So at the second performance, we had applause after every song --even when it would have been best not to.

So what's an audience to do??

Here's my rule of thumb: If kids perform a number with their little hands raised, it's cute, you're charmed and amused so clap. You feel like it, so do it!!! If angels dance and end their routine with upraised arms and a big finale of voice and orchestra, CLAP! If it's a triumphant finale, CLAP!

But when it's very quiet and worshipful --and awe-inspiring in a quiet way, and clearly transitioning on to another song, don't.

There were places in Michael W. Smith's Agnus Dei that clearly called for applause --and places where it did not. The audience wasn't sure what to do, so did nothing the first night and felt instructed to clap for everything on the second.

Well, it's no biggy in the world's dilemmas --to clap or not to clap.

Just don't clap in church because you think the performers need it --they don't. Clap when it's a big build-up, high-note, loud, triumphant grand finale-type ending! It CALLS for applause as a response. If it's quiet and reverent --and the theme is worship --and you feel moved inwardly, quietly --maybe applause isn't the response. Whatever, DON'T applaud just because you think performers want it or need it --but if it seems awkward to not applaud --like at the end of a program with a big high-note fortissimo ending --CLAP --even in church!

Videoworks did a professional taping for our church cantata on Sunday night--it is absolutely a beautiful video --and we singers will enjoy seeing how everything looked to the audience--much better than from the platform. And how things sounded for just an ordinary church choir in a small church. It was beautiful --the overhead pics very effective.

We fulfilled Rick Warren's 5 purposes in doing this musical: We showed our love for God and His Son and what He did for us in conquoring the grave. We worshipped. 2. We shared a holiday treat/inspirational event with other Christians --loving the Body of Christ. 3. We were called upon to imitate Christ in sacrificing (just time) and forgiving each other (the irritations of getting along in every group, even the church) --and the 5th purpose: Evangelism: the Mission of passing forward the Gospel of Christ's coming --The Story of the Savior's birth --and the angels, shepherds and wisemen --and the angel's visit to Joseph. We filled the 4th purpose of our lives if any poor and unsaved came to the concert --such that we could be seen as "serving the world." We took an offering for our church boarding school in Kentucky, which often serves needy students.

What fine acting by those who played Peter, Luke, Isaiah, and Matthew. The children were adorable. The soloists were excellent, the Nativity represented the ancient story again --teaching the children --making our Christmas holiday significant and meaningful --celebrating the real meaning of Christmas. Sue Conklin once again decorated church and people beautifully, professionally. Stephanie Hulbert and Christine Rohrs were sticklers in the directing, getting us to sing "properly" and with fine dynamic contrast --something we haven't always been good at in years past. Brent Simmons did a great job controlling sound balance.










"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

Christmas Events at the Holland, Ohio, Free Methodist Church

Michael W. Smith’s

AGNUS DEI

Lamb of God ~Born to Us

December 17 and 19, 7PM

Presented by

The Holland Free Methodist Church

6605 Angola Road, Holland, Ohio

East of McCord ~North of Spring Meadows Mall

All Ages will enjoy this worshipful, multi-media concert of beautiful Christmas music, including songs by Michael W. Smith and traditional carols. Adult and children's choirs, soloists and dramatists portraying Biblical characters narrating the Christmas story, angel dancers with shepherds, the children's choir in a middle-eastern caravan with the Wise Men --elegant costuming, video art …all will tell the age-old story of Mary's little lamb who became

the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Approximately 1 hour ~ Admission Free ~ Refreshments ~ Nursery

Candlelight Christmas Eve Service

Friday, 6pm

Watoto Children’s Choir from

Africa Jan. 2, Sunday, 7pm

Sunday Worship 10:40 AM, S.S.

All Ages 9:30 AM

"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

Media Ignores the Bloopers from the Other Side

This is from the Indiana AFA (am. Family Ass'n):

“Please Play the Blooper Reel, Mr. Producer!

”Here are two “oops” moments that
you may not hear much about in the mainstream media, unless, of course, Former
Governor Sarah Palin had said the same things. Then it would be all over the
news shows and fodder for all the late night hosts.

Blooper #1 – Forty-two
members of Congress have signed on to a letter to President Obama expressing
their concern over a statement he made in Indonesia last month. While speaking
to students, the President said that the United States and Indonesia share a
similar history (don’t ask what that means, just keep reading). "It is a story
written into our national mottos. In the United States, our motto is 'E Pluribus
Unum' -- out of many, one," the President claimed. At the time, some TV
stations aired this clip without any comment.The President must have forgotten
that the E Pluribus phrase is not our national motto. Our national motto, as
over a million Hoosier motorists with motto license plates know, is “In God We
Trust.” It has been the unofficial motto since appearing on our money before the
Civil War, and the official national motto adopted by Congress in 1956, five
years before the President was born . . . wherever that might have been.

Blooper # 2 – On Sunday, ABC’s This Week aired a clip of Indiana Senator Evan Bayh speaking about the repeal of what has been called the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”
policy on homosexuality in the military. The clip showed Senator Bayh implying
that homosexuality has never been a big deal within the US military saying in a
Senate hearing, “In all likelihood, there were gay Americans serving at Valley
Forge.”

Actually, in all likelihood there were not, Senator. As I have repeatedly mentioned, homosexuality has been expressly forbidden in the US military since our nation’s founding. General George Washington personally presided over the public humiliation and removal of a soldier who attempted to sodomize another soldier in the Continental Army. Washington made a big deal of the incident, which he called “abhorrent” in his March 14th, 1778, general orders. He issued those orders requiring all available troops to gather to witness the dismissal and drumming out of service of the homosexual soldier as an example and a clear statement that debunks Senator Bayh’s statement.

Accuracy in Media noted that ABC’s This Week reporter John Donavan actually confirmed
this incident later in the Sunday show making it the first time they have found
any report in the mainstream media informing the public that homosexuality has
always been against military policy . . . even among the founders who secured
our freedoms and liberties.

From Micah Clark of AFA Indiana

"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

Election Spending Good for Economy

When people rail against campaign spending, they should, instead, consider who benefits --all the people in these industries: transportation, media (reporters on the road), signs, paper, printing, restaurants, hotels, food in general, post office, fashion (for the candidates --like Sarah's expensive wardrobe), luggage, phone services.

Campaigns turn money back into the economy.

We rail against their high cost like we do against lavish Christmas and other holiday spending --but it's all money back into the peoples' pockets, isn't it?

We rail against the spending of the rich, in general, their self-serving extravagances --but even those enrich others as they buy their luxuries and hire services. Giving away our money is good --best --but so is spending! But not to the point of debt. That is foolishness.






"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

God is So Good --Nevertheless!

Something I wrote at another blog which will be moderated out --where the liberal muck-raker was saying Christians --the real believing Christians whom he calls "fundamentalists"--don't know the stories of the OT with all the violence, immorality, etc. or they couldn't believe in such a God:

You just don’t know the Religious Right, Mudrake, when you say they don’t know the OT. Yes, they do. MANY of them read it through annually. They have S.S. classes covering the OT and its difficult stories as well as the more positive ones.

The thing to remember is that our God allowed death. He allows hurricanes, tornados, tsunamis, volcanos, earthquakes, cancer, birth defects, and man’s inhumanity to man. He allowed His son to die on a cross. His word says there is a Hell –either a place of eternal death and/or torment. I’m hoping it’s just a metaphor to deter us from choosing the path to eternal death when God has offered us a glorious future if we simply repent of sin and believe in a risen Christ as our personal Lord and Savior.

Shake your puny fist at Heaven and Bible-believers for what YOU are sure is right –which is that we Bible-believers are all wrong. You need to consider that maybe we’re not. My hope is that God’s Word is Truth, that Jesus saves, that there is an eternal happy life for believers. It bugs you that we are ‘sure” of what we believe –but that’s what FAITH is –and “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.”

Dr. Paul Walberg spoke at our church this A.M. as our minister is on a mission trip in Costa Rica with Rob and 8 others from our church –and a contractor from Fla. Paul’s text was the temptation of Adam and Eve –and how Satan starts out persuading Eve to question and doubt what God had said –and how doubting led to disobedience through sensuality –the lust of the forbidden fruit. In your case, your doubt has led you to be consumed with hatred –like your father was.

It’s going to be hatred by people like you that brings our nation down–not what you see in the believers. Yes, many on the Right backed Bush in his pursuit of the terrorists and attempt to forcibly civilize the middle-east with our intrusion there. I don't believe we would have been better off to do otherwise. Some Christians did NOT support the war in the Middle East. Some are conscientious objectors to all wars. Because that would seem consistent with “Turn the other cheek.” So these are things that believers grapple with –and about which they form separate churches sometimes.

There is the pacifistic theme in the NT –but also the justice theme to consider. We don’t let a bully terrorize his neighborhood –we believe we need to restrain evil in the world by force. And that’s why we went to Iraq. And because they wanted us there earlier to rid them of Saddam.

I do wonder what all those soldiers would be doing to make a living if they were not in the military. I’m not saying that justifies war –just that you can have different problems if you reduce military–including a greater threat of terrorism.

For many in the middle-east, realistic knowledge of the West was lacking–few tv’s, e.g. One thing our military does is make friends and take western values and Christianity wherever they go. I believe Japan and W. Germany are both better off for the years we spent there —also So. Korea. And we remain as the country to which so many others want to come. Our majority Christian faith has more to do with the positive aspects of our national personality and character than you will ever admit.

"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

GLOOM -- yet God Inhabits the Praise of His People

I've been going pretty much cold turkey to quit the Lyrica, the Morphine, and the codeine (percocets and tyl. #3's) I was chuffing down before surgery. I don't need the pain meds now --though it's just been a week since the back surgery. I've been very emotionally vulnerable --can't explain depression--it just can come after events like this --and when you're getting off drugs, I'm sure. I feel the pain and misery of the whole grey world --and can't get motivated to do all I was going to do with Rob gone to Costa Rica on a mission trip and my mother at my brother's home this week. Jon gave me 1/2 Celexa tab, anti-depressant -- but I hope to do without it and not get addicted, but I'll take again if I really feel bad.

About food, I don't feel hunger --but I feel like I'm going to be ill if I don't eat --like I'm queasy. I feel like I have a bit of a bug --a gastrointestinal bug. And a young friend in the church to whom I've been giving rides and taking out to eat occasionally, has been so afflicted with similar symptoms. She's pregnant. I've wondered if my problems aren't hormonal as hers may be.

I've had longer periods of uninterrupted sleep --and slept til 10 this am which may sound lazy to you, but was good for me. I was feeling emotionally vulnerable when I got up, while pushing myself to put one foot ahead of the other, brushing teeth, sponge-bathing, etc --can't shower unless I have my husband home to change my band-aid on my back. It's interesting how clean and dry the incision has been for days --since they took the drain bag out at the hospital, I've had almost no residue on the band-aid, so I seem to be healing well.

While feeling gloomy, the phone rang.

IT was Focus on the Family --thanking us for a modest donation we made. The gentleman prayed with me. It seemed like the Lord's own call!

I came downstairs and blogged briefly --and then decided to look at the pool and the plants. Yes, the pool water level was precariously low, nearly below the skimmer, which would make the pump run dry which wouldn't be good --and some plants were near death.

So I rallied to the tasks --and while in there decided to sing the doxology and other praise songs while in there where the acoustics are great. What a lift to the soul --with the sun shining on the golden leaves seen through the windows.

I tend to feel distant from the Lord in times of depression and stress --and then I was reminded that "God inhabits the praises of His people." It's a Bible verse from somewhere. He DWELLS in our praises! So if we praise Him, He is nigh~ And I was in good voice, despite the ordeal of intubation that initially affected my vocal cords.

I felt such a lift. Got my jobs done. Decided to write about it.

One thing about pain, suffering, depression --I feel empathy for the miserable of the whole world --and I feel like a spoiled American to have any complaint. And to read of the difficulties of Christians around the world --and to know how someone in another country would just have to endure a cyst on their sciatic nerve. No question about it, when I feel this weight of the world's misery, on top of my own blessed life, I would rather just slip from life peacefully in my sleep, than to go through the depressing miseries that so many live with daily. I would rather go to Heaven than endure depression, but I know I must be patient. It's not that I long to die --hardly--but I hate this feeling!

I was upbeat during the surgery time --oddly felt times of elation and joy in recent weeks despite my problem --perhaps from Lyrica, etc. I want that sense of well-being from the Holy Spirit, and I notice that He is indeed helping me.

It does take a leap of faith --especially if you aren't raised to have faith as I was --to believe that one is online with the Creator of the Universe --that He is personal --that He cares for us --just as the Bible promises. But Jesus came to assure us --and sent His Holy Spirit to comfort us in His physical absence. As Thomas, who had to see to believe, said, "Lord, help thou my unbelief!" And Jesus said how blessed the people would be who believe in Him without seeing.

So I walk by faith --and not by sight.



"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

NEW BED DISASTER!

We bought a new bed and should've given the money to missions instead. We had our old bed for 38 years --bought when I was expecting our first child, Stephanie. A good Stearns & Foster --but it was badly dipped and springs poked through that we had covered successfully with layers of memory foam which my husband loved. So you would think we'd love a Tempur-Pedic mattress and got one with the foot and head lifting mechanisms --actually 2 twins --anticipating problems when I came home from hospital and need for help sitting up in bed --or lifting legs for circulation --old person problems that might come our separate ways at separate times --so separate beds together as a king with separate controls.

Right away Jon thought it gave him a back ache --so he put on the old foam layers from the old bed --and it's ok with him now, but it looks bad with his side 6 inches higher than mine. And I'm beginning to think this springless slab of dense NASA designed memory foam is unforgiving --it's the Tempera Cloud --their newest and softest with the air chambers built in for cooler effect, they claimed --and I do feel this thing is going to feel hotter than Hades in the summer. There is no "spring" to it --like they advertise you can turn over and not bother your mate. It's like dead weight --or you feel like dead weight on it. It's initially comfortable --but now I'm having just a little lower back ache --and one might say, "duh --you had surgery there and are going off the meds!" Yeah, I hope that's what it is.

After they installed it, they gave us a book about the lift mechanisms --and there is a weight limit --and we are precariously close to it --and my husband is over it slightly. Well, he's not using the mechanism either and I am typically preferring the flat position now --as you sort of feel like your rear is slipping down with all your weight on it when your head is up.

This was the Tempura-Pedic mattress with the Ergo mechanism. The price was shocking, but -oh, I forgot --one reason for it was that my pain doc said he recommended for back problems either a very firm bed (which my husband didn't want) or the Tempur Pedic --but not the air beds (Sleep Number.) So we were following doc's suggestion.

On TV there is a 90 day trial period "before you decide to buy" --but we didn't notice that before we bought --and Banner Mattress said we could possibly return the bed system for $500 or so for the shipping.




"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

I'm Baaaaack! Said the little lamb....

I just got out of the hospital today after surgery on a synovial cyst on the sciatic nerve. I felt better immediately --missing that electric current down the leg --and the unrelieving fist of pain in the hip --especially after tortured hours of sleep at night --when the nerve was compressed by the cyst for long periods --and would get especially excruciating when I would awake and try to move. I'd use a walker to slide, weeping, yelling, moaning all the way to the "do-nut seat" --the toilet --which allowed decompression of the nerve enough after 15 minutes or more --so that I could walk back to bed fairly silently and start the compression of the nerve all over again--because no way that I lay down could avoid the compression on the nerve. Sitting upright was tolerable during the day but to decompress, sitting on the do'nut was the most relief --along with pain pills which put me in the camp with Rush Limbaugh --abusing the pills --I'd take one every 2 1/2 to 4 hours to survive (sometimes less during the day) --morphine alternating with codeine --which I had in an earlier RX. Understand, I did not use all the pills I had --and am aware of no addiction tendency. I got pain relief --and now I am still getting some post-surgery incision site pain relief --but that pain can't compare with the sciatic nerve pain of this past summer --and especially the last 6 weeks or so. I've been complaining of a hip pain for a longer amount of time --and it remains to be seen how much better at walking and standing I'm going to be without that cyst.

One draws closer to the Lord in times of pain --begging Him as I touched the hem of His garment with all confidence in His reality and His power to heal --I was disappointed when, at the height of my pain, He didn't relieve me as quickly as I would have preferred --though the pain did subside if I could get to the do-nut!

I knew of a man once, who lost His faith, because God did not heal Him of back pain at a healing service --one where the Pentecostal speaker suggested that sufficient faith WOULD result in healing. I was disappointed that my child-like faith did not effect healing of my father from colon cancer when he was 58 and I was in my early 30's --and He died.

Nevertheless, God sent to my hospital room this lovely Nurse's Assistant whose husband had just died at 40. She said, "I'd heard of you as I used to go to Dr. So and So and my parents went to your husband," and they said you were " a wonderful Christian woman --so I am glad to meet you." And then she told me her husband died of pancreatic cancer at 40 just recently --and she told of how strong her faith was through it all --and her confidence that God sees us through these sufferings --even when He doesn't heal us --that He is good all the time --that He has purposes and plans in what He does. That His mercy and Grace are sufficient through our sufferings (which the Bible also says, along side the promises of healing), that His funeral service was a time of praise to God with all her children performing or speaking --a testament to their father's Godly witness in their lives. She spoke of a church and ministers who upheld them at every step.

My minister, too, came to us before surgery --and read a comfortable passage that I will share later when I remember what it was.

I know that we all will die of something. I know that suffering is part of our mortal journey through life. I am confident that immortality where there is no more suffering, pain, or death is our destiny --because the risen Jesus said so. I have experienced the comfort of the Lord through His presence in the midst of pain--the feeling that He IS there --that I AM His child --I am a sheep who belongs to the Good Shepherd --a lamb of the Lamb. I have known the beauty and blessing of the Body of Christ who ministers to us in our times of need, pain and sorrow.

Now, I praise and thank God for American health care --for the kindness and patience of nearly every employee with whom I had contact. For my skillful surgeon, Dr. Spetka --and his neighbor at the Toledo Clinic, Dr. Travedi in pain management. It's wonderful how these people can be so patient and caring, day in and day out --and also so skilled.



"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

The Truth about Anita Hill's Accusation of Justice C. Thomas

I watched the Senate hearings on Thomas's confirmation to the Supreme Court.

A Professor Chillicothe from Oral Roberts' U. was a witness after midnight. A white-haired gentleman, he said that Thomas had helped Hill get a job teaching at ORU --was a reference for her. So she invited Thomas to speak to the student body and he came. The professor later had them both as guests at his dinner table.

He said something like this, and this is certainly a paraphrase, but I'll never forget the word "conviviality" that he used: "Such conviviality (joyful fellowship--joy of life) was evident between them. They laughed and laughed --loudly, heartily-- and enjoyed each other's company immensely and seemed to have a great friendship. When it came time for Thomas to go to the airport, Anita insisted that she drive him herself."

Now, this was AFTER the alleged harrassment as her employer.

Years later, what exactly was the nature of his harrassment according to her? Well, it was a couple of things that she knew his Christian, socially conservative, supporting base would find offensive --making him seem to be less than a perfected saint at best -- an insincere hypocrite at worst --but NOT a sexual harrasser. Supposedly there was a hair on a coke can --and he said it looked like a pubic hair --and supposedly she had visited his apartment once and found he owned inappropriate things for a Christian to own --porn video or Playboy or something of that nature.

"Sexual harrassment" in those days included making a "hostile work environment" by sexual vulgarity that would make a woman (or anyone) "uncomfortable." So his remark and possibly others like it made her feel "uncomfortable," in that way, she claimed.

Nevertheless, he helped to get her a job at ORU with a reference letter and his own high profile in gov't as support, and she used her relationship with him to get him as a speaker to the students, and afterward, enjoyed him immensely at dinner and insisted she be alone with him in a car to take him to the airport.

So Prof. Chillicothe was "shocked" to hear her accuse Clarence of something so vile as "sexual harrassment."

Another testified at the hearings that Anita wanted to marry and had marital designs on Clarence --and that he disappointed her greatly when he up and married his, incidentally white, wife. I can appreciate that she would have been keenly disappointed, after Prof. Chillicothe's description of them together socially.

She was "used" by the liberal left feminists, elevated as a public heroine, a whistle-blower on behalf of all working women who endure the rudeness of men in high places. She has nothing to gain and a lot to lose if she would admit to his wife Ginny Thomas that he never really harrassed her in any way --but was always a friend to her, in fact.

Ginny is asking her to search her Christian heart and come clean and admit to the public that she over-stated her accusation of "abuse" by sexual harrassment in the work place. But that would be an admission of guilt on her part. No wonder Anita reacted badly--she can't admit that she maligned him unfairly --every job she has gotten since has been because of her high profile history as a noble woman who came forward --achieving black woman against achieving black man.

Reports at the time from ORU students were that she was not a good teacher. I wonder what her students say today. Maybe she has improved in that regard.





"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

Anita Hill's response to Clarence Thomas' Wife

From Rob


Virginia Thomas left a message on Anita Hill's answering machine stating her desire to put the issue of Hill's accusation of Thomas' husband behind them discuss the issue and consider an apology for the accusation.

Here's the message:

"I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband. So give it some thought and certainly pray about this and come to understand why you did what you did. OK, have a good day,"

How does she react? She call's Brandeis University's security department who turned it over to the FBI!

Really Miss Hill? What's the high profile judge's wife going to do to you?

Later, Anita Hill says to reporters as she is moving to class, "I need to get off this street and I don't want anybody to get hurt," she said. "I don't have any comment right now. Please, let me go teach my class."

Is this the response of a victim or of someone who's been hiding the truth?

Catholic Church Problems --Response to the ol' Mudrake

Thought I'd check on Mudrake after long absence --he has a topic about his wife's class reunion --about the 68 year old women who are still letting the Catholic Church affect their lives negatively --run their lives. My reply (because he will not publish it at his blog.)

Doesn’t sound to me like these women let the church run their lives at all! The one did not annul but got a divorce–even though annulment would have squared her with the church. Because of her mother’s beliefs concerning the status of the grandchildren. Not because she feared the church. She went ahead and divorced and re-married. The other lady, the heavy-drinking Catholic had no respect for the church clearly–and the church has no practices or beliefs to help the laity stay sober.

The Foundation for Life, e.g. is having a reception to raise money for the pro-life cause –and charging $60 a head for snacks and the open bar –no dinner. There will be a speech by a former Planned Parenthood director and I intend to attend in order to support the pro-life work of the foundation. But it’s sad that most of the $60 ticket will support the open bar which was considered a selling point in promoting the event. I said to the really sweet young lady at the FFL office, “O you Catholics!”

Catholics “lapse” in faith because the church has been headed by such extreme hypocrites –Evil –way too many pedophiles and uncelibate homosexuals and alcoholics in the priesthood. what kind of teaching can come from such a church? what disillusionment for the young with parents and priests addicted to nicotine, alcohol and perverse sex, affecting their temperament, behaviors, reputations.

Sepp, my experience of church has been wonderful. I go to a really “functional” church (Holland FMC on Angola Rd.) –with a history of “clean living” without nicotine and alcohol. All the pastors I’ve had were really godly and not hypocrites. Genuinely loving and sweet people. Right now, we only have a VERY few “body lice” in my congregation to test the saints with irritable personalities or control tendencies common in church lay leaders —(“Saint” meaning “believer.” ) Our pastor preaches the Bible to us –HE doesn’t tell us how to live; the Bible does. And so we know we are to be patient and forebearing with one another, “Kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven us.” And to be filled with the Holy Spirit and not excessive wine. To be sober all the time.

The music is uplifting and varied with traditional and contemporary music –most always aesthetically pleasing. And the minister is intelligent, insightful, educated, practical and inspiring.

Now, a final word about the Catholic Church:

They are leaders in the pro-life movement and some priests are surely godly men. The sincere and devout have FAITH in Jesus as the Savior of the world --on that we agree. And the sincere and devout also live lives such that their children receive the baton of faith from their parents. A Catholic layman brings our church baked goods for us to distribute after our Sunday service --from area merchants. I guess his church doesn't want to distribute these on Sundays? I'm not sure why we are the beneficiaries of this good work. And the devout Catholics also practice good deeds to neighbors --as the Bible teaches --as my mother's neighbors did for her, an elderly widow.

"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

MY LIFE LATELY! if anyone is interested....

In August, my daughter, a teacher, had an emergency appendectomy just before her school year was to start. So I drove her back and forth from Maumee to BG to Jerry City --to finish preparing her classroom, loaned her my Rascal scooter to get around in the school building. Then my sciatica kicked up --for which I had curative pain shots at the end of June successfully. This time the shots didn't help. I got worse and worse until I had an MRI --during which I was as comfortable and snug as a bug in a rug --despite my apprehensions about claustrophobia. But when I went to get off of the high, narrow table a week ago Tuesday, I could not move any which way without this thing in my hip "catching" and giving me tremendous unrelieved huge, sharp pain--talk about a pain in the A!!! pain down the right leg and my right toes and part of my foot feeling as though they were bandaged. SCREAMING, NOT PRETTY FEMININE HOLLERING as in on tv --but hoarse screeching like in a horror show. The worst pain EVER --NUMBER TEN TO THE MAX! And no one could help me. I knew they couldn't without just putting me under and there was no one around the MRI unit to do that at night--so I suffered helplessly to the car and could hardly get in --or get out at home --or get into the house --but then if I sat on the toilet, I had already learned that there would be some relief --as sitting on the doughnut shaped-seat seemed to gradually release the aggravation of the nerves.

What was it??? The MRI showed general disc disease of lumbar spine (common to my age?) , a bulging disk, some narrowing of something or other, and a CYST on a joint space near the nerve endings to sciatic nerve -or something like that --my layman's interp. I had two more of these screaming bouts when getting up from lying down before the pain clinic shot me up again two days after the MRI. Dr. said he tried to aspirate and flush out the cyst -so it wouldn't fill up again. But I don't think he was entirely successful. I've had some relief, and am getting around --but I have that tell-tale pain in the right "buttock" as Forest Gump would so plainly tell you --when I lie down. Otherwise some good days --and various pills --Lyrica, Percocet as needed, Celebrex --and sometimes Motrin as needed. A previous hip x-ray didn't reveal a problem in the joint where I feel it.

Meanwhile we've just signed up for a Tempur-pedic ? bed with the adjustable head and feet feature --thinking ahead. Our Stearns & Foster bed is as old as our oldest child --37 1/2 years old. We bought it in St. Louis when I was pregnant. Before that we were on a studio bed --one side mattress --and one side just flat springs. The current old bed is lumpy and dippy and no support compared to the beds at Banner Mattress. We also bought those wedge pillows for the car seat --as sometimes I can hardly move into the house after driving. Those seem to help. Unfortunately, Hubby still likes the old mattress which we have layered with a couple of memory foam layers --but I know my side of the mattress is aggravating my condition.

MOREOVER, my husband has suffered a terrible pain for a year, which started ruining his happiness in August --for which he had surgery--and his was due to an abscess that he thought was merely the family hemorrhoid curse --until the doctor looked into the matter. He is healing and was immediately relieved by the surgery.

91 year-old Mom? Nothing wrong with her!!! And I'm glad, because we don't need any more problems right now. I tell the Lord we've been tested like Job enough for one summer.

Mom had a birthday party last week --and I thank the church ladies who were available for hire to get my house caught up --and for Rob's help, too. Her sister and husband in their 80's came; her son and wife; all of our kids and our 2 grandchildren --15 total.

The party started here with appetizers, fall decor, floral bouquets and candles --then we went to show the visitors our daughter's new beautiful park-like home in Whitehouse at dusk, and then to Biaggi's Restaurant for a wonderful meal--and back to our house for cake and gifting. Mom was well-honored, and delighted. She has been taking the new higher dose of Aricept lately and it seems to me she is sharper --answering the phone which she couldn't figure out before --and speaking of her sister and husband by name instead of as "those people --the ones who are my relatives" and "my aunt and uncle," which they are not hers, but mine.

She still thinks her birthday was a certain day that it wasn't, the same numerical day as mine --instead of the day which has always been on her birth certificate and ID card. She complained to the hairdresser that no one celebrated her birthday on her birthday nor agrees with her about when it is --which is progress in that she even knows that her dream birthdate passed. She says to me with exasperation, "I know what I know. You weren't always around back then!!!" She also thinks she and her father looked at our property before there was a house on it --and also came to the Toledo Airport when it was being built, which is highly doubtful. She thinks she recognizes a lot of places which aren't really in her history.

Mom stays in her room all day except for her daily trip to the mailbox --which will usually have a copy of her hometown newspaper. She spends her days looking out the window and re-organizing her photos, her clothes, my mail. If she can, she saves old kleenex boxes and candy boxes and the like--they're pretty and they might come in handy. She also tears her table napkins in half to get more use of them--and likes to use one square of toilet paper at a time. She gets her hair done on Saturdays--Rob drives her. I do the baths. He does the breakfasts. Sunday morning she is likely to change out of the clothes which I put her in, into something of her own choosing --which usually isn't' color coordinated --if she gets a chance. Unfortunately, whenever it is time to go anywhere, she heads for the bathroom again--just in case --even though she was just in there 5 minutes earlier. She will brush her teeth with a tube of hand creme if I'm not there to show her her toothpaste. She is out of sorts if she doesn't get her favorite breakfast, a fried egg, 1 piece of toast which she slathers with huge amount of jelly, orange juice and instant coffee with milk. She is not even polite about substitutions.

She did go to a bridal shower brunch with me Saturday morning and enjoyed that --I think. She and I do not go anywhere fast --what with my painful gait and our similar slow penguin walks.

I'm using a beautiful, Gandalf-like cane --a hickory stick, highly varnished and polished by Wayne Altman, of Holland, now deceased, who gave it to my husband many, many years ago. I do feel a little witchy using it, but it helps a bit to take weight off.

I'm trying a diet --no night-time eating. Lost a little. Plan to get back to daily swim --which I had not been doing mainly because I was busy trying to get two things done during this pain siege --driving a young mom to and from her community service obligation at Toledo's Botanical Gardens (right beside the old Mudrake's home --I drove by there once to see if he was there for me to wave at.) Then I would drive her baby over to a sitter from my church. Both lovely people --the baby and the sitter. Adorable baby!

Between the morning and afternoon trips, I was trying to learn the new Publisher 2010 computer program I bought in order to do a church newsletter for outreach to our own and others. I started it in August and had to keep changing the articles because the events I was promoting in September had passed --so I just wrote about them as re-caps in the past-tense. I had trouble using the newspaper format --I am very unskilled and had to have a friend wave her magic fingers over my keyboard --and had the publisher try to talk me through some problems like how to send it to them. I did take this to Welch publishing to print --in order to get it done fast without imposing on the church office.

We mailed it Friday after closing time at the Holland P.O. and people said they got it Saturday! Hooray!!!

My hat is off to the medical profession--and the post office! And Welch Publishers did a lovely job!


"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

Respect Life Sunday in Maumee --The Faithful Take a Stand

Because I just finished a church newsletter as outreach for my church, I was aware of Respect Life Sunday and their Life Chain being today, the first Sunday in October--and promoted it at my church today. I was counseling a young teen, however, and didn't have time to be in the chain myself, but my friend and I drove up by one of 3 area churches participating --St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Maumee, OH. There they were --at least 30 mostly gray-headed people holding colorful posters with a pro-life, Biblical message --various verses and statements --like "Lord, Forgive our nation." They filled at least one block as they took their stand for one hour between 3 and four --as did Christians of Christ the King Church in Toledo and Dayspring Assembly of God Church in Bowling Green.

Next year, I'm hopeful we'll get a chairperson to arrange for the posters and our involvement at my church in Holland, Ohio.



"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

Patrick Henry College Core Curricula

This is a repeat of an older column because I had a new comment by a PhD and wanted to bring it forward. Remember that PHC is extremely successful in debating, mock trials, etc. and designed for home schoolers, in particular.

Patrick Henry College Core Curricula
For AndThenSome, I wondered about their majors at PHC and found this in their current catalogue on line
Classical Christian Liberal Arts Education at PHCDespite the success of homeschoolers and classical Christianschools, few Christian colleges have taken an active part inthis educational reform movement. Patrick Henry Collegewas founded specifically to serve the best and the brightestof Christian homeschooled young people. Thus, the classicalliberal arts—with a strong Biblical foundation—is at the heartof PHC’s educational philosophy.PHC has a rigorous and extensive core curriculum of 63 creditsplus intermediate foreign language proficiency. The Universityof Chicago, which is famed for its liberal arts core, only has45. The National Endowment for the Humanities, in a projectdesigned to promote liberal education, proposed 50.The PHC core embraces all seven of the classic liberal arts:grammar (Research and writing; intermediate foreign languageproficiency1), courses in logic, rhetoric, mathematics, geometry,music, and science (with biology and physics taking the placeof the ancient “astronomy”).In addition, PHC requires two courses in the history of theUnited States, and two courses in the history of the WesternWorld, two Western Literature courses, two courses in thetheology of the Bible, Principles of Biblical Reasoning,philosophy, Constitutional Law, economics, and two courses inFreedom’s Foundations.The classical liberal arts, of course, is not just a sequence ofcourses, but a conceptual framework and a methodology. Theseven liberal arts cultivate mastery of language (grammar),analysis (logic), communication (rhetoric), aesthetics (music),numbers (mathematics), spatial relations (geometry), andempirics (astronomy) (Veith & Kern, 2001, pp. 11-16). Thus,other courses in a variety of subjects can contribute to thisbreadth of education.The liberal arts stress content, the imitation of excellence, thepursuit of knowledge that is valuable in itself, and the exerciseof the whole range of talents that God has given. The liberalarts curriculum is broad in scope, but its parts are integratedwith each other, as students explore the connectedness of all thedisciplines.The core curriculum embraces the whole range of the contentareas, as classified according to the “Natural Sciences” (biology,physics, philosophy), the “Moral Sciences” (history, law, thehumanities), and the “Theological Sciences” (the Bible, theology,and the undergirding of every course in Christian truth).The foundational liberal arts are the Trivium of grammar,logic, and rhetoric. These have to do with mastering language.Grammar is about exploring the structure, rules, vocabulary,and conventions by which language operates. Logic has to dowith using the mind to analyze and discover truth, as well asto distinguish between truth and falsehood. Rhetoric is the artof effective communication that persuades others, and is thus akey to cultural influence.1) Latin and Greek have, historically, been touchstones of classical learning and these are taught oncampus; in some programs, PHC accepts other foreign languages as meeting the core requirement.Grammar has to do with basic knowledge; Logic withunderstanding; Rhetoric with creative personal application.The Trivium is a particularly powerful concept, in that everysubject can be said to have its grammar (the foundational facts,rules, and information), its logic (the thinking required forunderstanding), and its rhetoric (its original application). Infact, the Trivium’s emphasis on knowledge, understanding,and application is a direct parallel to Bloom’s Taxonomy, sothat an ancient concept of education is confirmed by moderneducational psychology. Each part of the Trivium has itsappropriate method of learning: grammar by lecture, reading,and practice; logic by dialectic (that is, Socratic questionsand discussion); and rhetoric by student performance andapplication (Joseph, 2002).At Patrick Henry, classes tend to be heavily oriented to reading(often of the “great books” in the field) (grammar), discussion(logic), and student projects (rhetoric). PHC’s emphasis onApprenticeship (specifically, the internship program) exemplifiesthe rhetorical dimension of classical education, and it also followsthe model of how classical universities prepared young people fortheir professions, giving them a rigorous grounding in the liberalarts and then sending them out to practice their craft under amaster/mentor.The classical liberal arts core curriculum is a true core. That is,every student in every program takes every class. There is noelectivity in the core, which means that professors in the upperlevel programs can know what their students have already beenexposed to—what books they have read, what subjects theyhave studied, what skills they have developed—so that learningcan build on a common foundation.One objection to having a core curriculum consisting of 63credits plus intermediate foreign language proficiency wouldbe that it would seem to necessitate fewer courses in the majorprogram. Actually, though, since Patrick Henry—in anotherunusual feature—has a restricted number of majors andspecialties, this is not necessarily the case.A number of the core classes tie into the Government major:A two-semester “Freedoms Foundations” sequence, studyingissues of government by discussing classic texts on the subject;two semesters of American history; two semesters of Europeanhistory; Economics; and Constitutional Law do advance thegovernment program in crucial ways. The same holds true forthe liberal arts majors, with core classes directly impacting theprograms in literature, history, and liberal arts.The upper division courses also employ a liberal artsmethodology. For example, the various Government tracks use the specialized “great books” that have shaped each discipline.Writing at PHC is “across the curriculum,” with requirementsand formats codified in A Handbook for Research and Writing, acollege compilation that is taught in the first Freshman writingcourse and serves as a reference for all courses, including theupper division classes.Another element of the classical liberal arts, according toLittlejohn and Evans (2006), is a particular “ethos,” whichthey describe as “the essence or the ‘feel’ of the school as acommunity of faith and learning” (p. 53).Ethos is the inarticulate expression of what the communityvalues. It includes the quality of the relationships withinthe school, the traditions, the professional comportment,the approach to classroom management, the out-of-classdecorum, the aesthetic personality of the school reflectedin the student and faculty dress codes, the visual andauditory imagery, and the physical plant itself. And ethos isinterfused with the academic culture including curriculum,pedagogy, faculty preparation, and student learning. Ethosis the way in which the school expresses (or doesn’t) truth,goodness, and beauty through the experiences of everyperson who enters our halls (pp. 53-54).I found it difficult to locate a simple and basic list of majors offered, but gleaned the following: Classical Liberal Arts, CLA Music Track, History, Literature. Gov't.Dep't has these major "tracks,": Am. Politics and Policy, Int'l Politics and Policy, Political Theory, strategic Intelligence, Journalism;They offer Russian, Latin, and Greek and numerous internships. It's really impressive and very extensive what is offered --the listing of all the courses. It looks to me like you don't major in science there, but have required science and lab courses same as any liberal arts college plus Bible and theology courses. I'm impressed with a school that focuses on thinking, debating, rhetoric, logic, writing, general classical knowledge, for use in impacting the world, possibly at the level of the decision-makers and gov't leaders.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Posted by Barb at 12:03 AM
Labels: classical education, Patrick Henry College

2 comments:

Anthony (Tony) V. Manzo said...
Only we know that Teacher Preparation and staff development are seriously flawed, and often painfully inane. There is no real market place in proven ideas, in some ways Teacher Education is controlled by well intentioned but misdirected interests that can include Schools of Education, publishers, self-important foundations, and yes, by weak professors and teachers who get a net gain from generations of ambiguity about our critical mission, powerful professional teaching. Current Teacher Preparation is a mishmash of competing whims and untested practices with no continuity or coherence across the profession. Every other profession has a common core of principles and PRACTICES that everyone is expected to know. Of course, there are outstanding teachers and teacher Education programs but this is random when it needs to be highly replicable.Join the dialogue to raise awareness of this critical problem ironically it has an easy, inexpensive solution. The goal is to craft a system for identifying and refreshing a core curriculum of Best Instructional Principles & Practices as opposed to mere “standards.” Teaching is about doing. This would lift the entire profession since there is no other profession that has not done this in some shape or manner. The absence of preparation in a core curriculum makes teacher education impossible, and therefore, evaluation of teacher effectiveness and accountability based on student outcomes illogical, if not irrational. While there is no consensus on core principles and practices to guide instructional decision-making there has been a pretty remarkable, though unheralded progress in pedagogical science made in the last 50 years; it could be called a Cambrian Period as when many new life forms began to appear on planet earth.The aim to better regulate teacher preparation may only appear to reduce professionalism, but it is in fact next-generation professionalism; especially now when information is massive, but distilled knowledge still thin. For example it is now widely acknowledged that pilots make many fewer errors when they follow the industry wide constructed check-off lists before takeoffs and at landings. Similarly, life threatening errors have been reduced by a considerable degree when surgeons and support staff have carefully followed check-off lists before, during and following surgery; the more error prone surgeons have been made less so, and the more skilled ones even more so. Ideally, and most likely, as teachers are guided to better instructional decisions, an overall enhancement in decision-making, and strategic thinking are also likely to follow. All stakeholders can now be more easily involved in identifying Best Practices, and in the ongoing process of providing field-based guidance of where these choices falter and/or simply need a bit of tweaking or customizing. The effort would take place on the web where all could see and participate, and to that extent would be a transparent and tangible exercise in science, conflict resolution and participatory democracySee:http://teacherprofessoraccountability.ning.com/main/invitation/new?xg_source=msg_wel_network And…http://bestmethodsofinstruction.com/Or our newest site featuring advanced teaching methods for and concerns of Professional Teachers: http://anthony-manzo.blogspot.com/2010/05/race-to-top-accountability-leaves.htmlRespectfully,Anthony V. Manzo, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus(avmanzo@aol.com)
September 25, 2010 6:19 PM

Barb said...
Thank you, Dr. Manzo, for your thoughtful contribution here. Since education has been a focus of the Ophrah show and elsewhere lately, I'm moving this to the top of my blog.
September 27, 2010 8:58 AM



"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

From the Email Bag --Audience member's perspective on Remarks of Bob Latta, Ohio Congressman

>
> Just thought I would share with you a little bit of what we heard at last night's Republican dinner here in Crawford County, Ohio . John Kasich (running for Gov. of Ohio ) was the keynote speaker. Also present were many politicians, most notably, Bob Latta, our U.S. Congressman. Mike and I walked up to Bob and thanked him for his conservative voting record and voiced our concern about what is going on in Washington . He made some funny botox remarks about Pelosi and then agreed with us that we have every reason to be concerned.
>
>
> As there were others waiting to talk to him, our time was brief. Although what took place later that evening should make chills run up and down everyone's spine to hear. He had asked to speak a few words at the end of the night and went up on stage. He proceeded to tell the crowd how bad things really are in Washington . He said he only had a few minutes to speak, but if he could tell us even half of what the agenda is and what this administration plans to do to our country we couldn't sleep at night. He said he only gets about 4 to 4-1/2 hours of sleep a night and worries constantly about what they want to do to this country.
>
>
> He said that Pelosi, Reid and Obama have to be stopped. He said, "You know, you always hear this is the most important election blah blah blah, but I am telling you people...whatever you have to do to wake people up you need to do! We have got to vote them out in 2010 or with the things they have planned for this country we won't even be a country by 2020! Ten years. You could see the look of almost desperation on his face.
>
>
> He talked about the huge debt. He talked about how the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) gets their "figures". He sits on the finance committee of some sort and listens to the ramblings of Geitner and Bernanke. He said "If you think that the Chinese won't hold this over us with all our debt you have another thought coming. Our children will have nothing. I don't care if you have to go out door to door, tell at least 10 people who will then tell 10 people. We have to do this. This is the single most important election ever in the history of this country. The change that Obama promised us is NOT the change people thought he meant."






"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

Obama has Blundered on Christian Prayer at White House

In 1952 President Truman established one day a year as a "National Day of Prayer." ----------------------- In 1988 President Reagan designated the First Thursday in May of each year as the National Day of Prayer. --------------------------------------------------------------- In June 2007 (then) Presidential Candidate Barack Obama declared that the USA "Was no longer a Christian nation." --------------------------------------------------------------- This year President Obama canceled the 21st annual National Day of Prayer ceremony at the White House under the ruse Of "not wanting to offend anyone" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BUT... on September 25, 2009 from 4 AM until 7 PM, a National Day of Prayer FOR THE MUSLIM RELIGION was Held on Capitol Hill, Beside the White House. There were over 50,000 Muslims in D.C. that day. HE PRAYS WITH THE MUSLIMS! I guess it Doesn't matter if "Christians" Are offended by this event - We obviously Don't count as "anyone" Anymore. The direction this country is headed should strike fear in the heart of every Christian, especially knowing that the Muslim religion believes that if Christians cannot be converted, they should be annihilated. This is not a Rumor Go to the website To confirm this info: ( http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/ ) Pay particular attention to the very bottom of the page: "OUR TIME HAS COME" I hope that this information will stir your spirit. The words of 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, Who are called by my Name, Will humble themselves And pray, And seek my face, and Turn from their Wicked ways, Then will I hear from Heaven And will forgive their Sin and will heal Their land." We must pray for Our nation, our communities, Our families, and especially our children. They are the ones who are going to suffer the most. . If we don't PRAY May God have Mercy. IN GOD WE TRUST.

"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

GREEN EGGS ---RECYCLE CONGRESS!

Thanks to email friend & Dr. Suess:

I do not like this Uncle Sam,

I do not like your health care scam.

I do not like those dirty crooks,

Or how they lie and cook the books.

I do not like when Congress steals,

I do not like their secret deals.

I do not like this speaker Nan,

I do not like her 'YES, WE CAN'.

I do not like their spending spree,

I'm smart, I know that nothing's free.

I do not like your smug replies,

When I complain about your lies.

I do not like this kind of hope.

I do not like it, nope, nope, nope!

Go Green - Recycle Congress

In November, 2010!

"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

World Magazine on Glenn Beck --Two Links

WORLD MAGAZINE is the best --MUCH more interesting and newsy than Time or Newsweek these days; I get all 3. I had let World expire a while back and they didn't pursue me so I went without for many months. It's good to get back to a news mag with a Christian worldview. I do know they are Reformed/Calvinist theology in world view, but nevertheless, they don't push that difference in their writing that I've noticed. Where I notice it is in their ads for colleges, conferences and school faculty positions --schools advertising for teachers of reformed theology.

Here are two interesting articles, one about Glenn Beck by World's Marvin Olasky and the 2nd one is on politicians' addictions by Glenn Beck at his website--who is said to admit a history of drug and alcohol addiction. I haven't found out what drugs and how long ago -- anyone who knows should comment for me here just for the facts.

http://online.worldmag.com/2010/09/02/sultans-of-snoot/


http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/34736/



"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

Radioactive Decay Changes!

From Rob


When I was in high school and perhaps 2/3rds through college, I was very much into young earth creationism and I felt it was one of the most important movements for biblical Christianity. For several reasons, I have long left that sentiment. I'm no longer comfortable with the way YEC advocates come very close to de-Christianizing orthodox Christians of other views from progressive creationists to theistic evolutionists. I no longer am confident that taking Genesis seriously and authoritatively demands a "literal" interpretation.

Still, I know my place. I began to recognize, even when I was more hyper about the issue, that my limited technical knowledge meant that many of the issues where beyond my ability to judge.

For this reason and perhaps others, while I don't identify with the YEC (Young Earth Creation) movement, I actually don't want them to go away. I don't consider it beyond a reasonable doubt that they may be on to something, that they may indeed come out ahead of the game and may be right about many things. And it's all due to what so many in the 20th century seem to take for granted even if they pay lip service to it. Science is tentative.

I followed an article from popsci on this that serves as a reminder and it involves a matter very important to YEC. Those who have a bone to pick with the idea of an ancient universe or at least an ancient earth have an issue with radio-isotopic dating. It turns out that the decay rates that those methods depend upon are not set in stone and may be altered.

The consequences aren't just for those who have a beef to pick with an ancient age for the universe. Those decay constants are probably linked to many physical principles. Those principles may be wrong. As the article concluded, "Perhaps our understanding of nuclear physics in general -- is a lot weaker than we thought."

HEY, STEVE --I MISSED YOUR POST!

Some how, I read your comment as email and clicked to publish but it didn't publish. Then I went to the moderation page and probably didn't check mark the little box --but just hit "publish." Not realizing I had to check mark your post first. So a couple of topics ago, you are now published and I responded. And as usual, you are wrong and I am right --heh heh ; )

This happened with Jeanette's comment, too, and I didn't realize until she called me.

I have been SOOOOO BUSY! Our family had 3 medical procedures in one week --one an emergency appendectomy. So I've been driving people around, etc. I also have to have another shot for a pain in the A myself --sciatic nerve --so bad I can't sleep!

You'd think I wouldn't have any more pain in the A with Mudrake out of my blog life!






"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

Some Ways I Would be Disappointed by Gay Marriage

A Question on Another Blog --and My Answer

Have you, now or at any time in the past, been harmed by the marriage of two persons of the same sex?

Obviously not, since gay marriage is not legal around here.

If it were my kid, I would be harmed by his/her opinion that he/she were homosexual–and I would be harmed by such a “marriage.” Or even a civil union. Why?

1. I would feel that my husband and I had failed as parents to pass along God’s family values in a positive way. We had failed to teach or role model hetero marriage effectively. We had failed to help our kids be happy in their given sexuality, with normal family goals.

2. I would feel that I made mistakes in not chaperoning them better in youth, not grounding them in Christian faith and worldview before college, not shaping their character so they would resist sexual temptations.

3. I would be disappointed that they would not have a normal union and bring children into the world, at least not by any normal means, passing on their fine musical genes and raising chaste and heterosexual children. (Granted, single children don't do this either, but celibate singleness is pleasing in God's eyes, when it's part of a godly lifestyle.)

4. I would be harmed in them deliberately choosing to avoid normal marriage, bringing us no grandchildren for us to love and to love us. There would be fewer family members to help us out and cheer us in our elder years. (My family enriches their grandmothers’ lives, looks out for them.)

5. By not having their own children, homosexuals do impose duties to look out for them on their siblings’ children–who already have their own family responsibilities. Otherwise, the burden falls to themselves or the state entirely. (Again, chaste hetero singles do this, also, but they also haven't made any unholy alliances, given us grief or made children out of wedlock for gov't or us to subsidize.)

6. My kids ARE harmed when they can’t find chaste, hetero mates if more and more of their peers are going off with their own sex.

7. My kids are harmed if their teachers or neighbors or cousins or friends lead them into gay experimentation: “Try it; you’ll like it!”

8. My kids are harmed and I’m broken-hearted if they get a highly promiscuous sex addiction or an incurable STD or other physical ailment because of homo-sexperimentation --or any extra-marital sex for that matter.

9. Families/spouses and children are harmed when the spouse or one of their parents decides to transgender or leave for another person of either sex. I would be devastated if my daughter or son-in-law decided she or he had to be with someone else of either sex, and caused divorce for it.

10. We feel we are harmed if we can’t disapprove of this lifestyle and teach our children to reject it for themselves. We are harmed when our Bible-based values are considered Hate speech –and when we can be prosecuted for teaching or preaching the morality of the Bible. We are harmed if we are denied our constitutional right to free speech, freedom in media, and freedom of religion on this topic –as in England and Canada.

11. We are all harmed in economy if we have to give the same economic benefits to partners of homosexuals who don’t bear the children, educate them for over 18 years per child, spend thousands on them. The perks are for the child-maker-bearers –to offset the costs of bringing children into the world, having one parent stay at home to civilize them, or hiring daycare to do it. This is just best done with a hetero couple –as they are the only ones who can make babies and role-model the functional nuclear family with both a mother and father for their children. Yes, homosexuals may already have children from hetero marriages, and they should have the father’s financial support for those children–unless the mother caused the break-up by coming out gay. In that case, the father should get the custody and child support from the mother because of her infidelity. Marriage law should be just.

Granted, many of the same things I list are true about heterosexual immorality, also –except for the greater likelihood that children will be involved.

Homosexual involvement is just one more rung higher, on the already dangerous and depressing ladder of nuclear family breakdown with promiscuity.

"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible