TheEvan

"Self-consciously Christian" was perhaps too big a statement. I would have better left it as the current Constitution being self-consciously not Christian (or religious in any other way). By saying so, I don't mean to imply the Articles intended to establish a Christian nation or that its government was considered Christian, but that it contained biblical language and assumptions absent from the Constitution.

I think "4 crucified" was specifically designed to get people to overthrow orthodoxy in favor of VP. Pure and simple. I think that's why VP gravitated to novel and heterodoxical interpretations and exploited them for their divisive potential.

Yeah, we named that one swatratra. I'll have to credit J. Mohn for that. We made a mobile depicting our namesake that hung over our table in the cafeteria. It was pretty awful-looking, though we thought it funny. Somebody made us take it down. Another one I was in we called the Living Dogs (as in 'better than a dead lion'). Each twig had to give attendance up the chain of command at every dang meeting. We each adopted our own dog bark. To take attendance, I'd bark once then listen for the various barks. I could tell you who was there in seconds. Eventually I got into trouble for that, too. I loved that little group because R&M Reece were just about the funnest & most decent people ever.

Denial, Rocky? Sure, whatever. I prefer to call it disagreement. We are not a Christian nation, nor have we ever been, unless you count that brief time we operated under the Articles. I don't see any group, Christian or Muslim, changing that anytime soon. We do, however, clearly have a Christian heritage. Is anybody denying that?

Rocky, I do deny that the radical extremes of Christian dominionists, end-timers, rascist groups, self-styled militias and the like pose a significant threat. P-Mosh is correct in his assessment that it will (and for the most-part already has) seriously backfire. I can't see any comparison between an ideologically diverse smattering of misfit nutcases, some of whom have gone criminal and an ideologically monolithic Muslim extremist movement that has huge numbers, well-financed and is sheltered/nutured by a number of nations. No comparison. My assessment, and it's only an opinion, is that we're moving the other direction...more towards Europe's model. It's been our long-term trend. Our Christian heritage (our topic) will likely, over the long run, become a footnote of history.

I didn't trash-talk Muslim countries (but I will if'n you want me to). I simply pointed out that radical Islam is where the real danger lies, simply based on 1, what they've promised, and keep promising to do and 2, based on what they've already done to demonstrate they mean what they say. I tend to think that it's more than a possibility that "we" (meaning America) will find ourselves in the position of the socio-economic backwater currently occupied by Muslim countries. I don't think they'll ascend to take our place, though. The Chinese are more likely to do that. Though I'm sure they'd oppress/supress the Christian church here to some extent, it'd be nothing compared to Shariah law. Coral Ridge & D. James Kennedy a danger to society? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

When I start seeing the killings I'll believe it. It's incredibly dumb stuff, like a Kinkade "painting" gone horribly wrong, but it poses no threat. The real threat of violence comes from radical Islam. Now that is what I call a credible threat.

I presume by dominionists you mean those who subscribe to dominion theology, the idea that the church will grow & flourish to the point of establishing the kingdom of God on earth. It's a stupid and dangerous theology, but can you show me a movement of dominionists ready to take up arms, do suicide bombings, terrorist acts or other acts of violent rebellion/overthrow? Doubtless there are a handful of Koresh-like kooks that fit that profile but can you honestly think they pose a credible threat? I can't.

You sound hysterical, Bramble. Where has the so-called Christian right said they want these things? Oh, I get it, you made that part up.

Yes. Swatratra. "We" (including me n alfa n others) called BS on that back then. I guess as a show of utter disrespect of just plain nuttiness, we named our little corps twig "Swatratra". Okay, so we had problems... (But I'm telling the truth)

A bit more background into the actual content of the Articles of Confederation (which were self-consciously Christian), the complex reasons for its failure, and the framing of the Constitution and its adoption (it was self-consciously non-religious) is instructive. I agree with Rocky on the background to the Constitution on all counts. That said, it's impossible to understand the arguments that swirled around both the Articles and the points of the Constitution without understanding the Bible. You have to grant that the overwhelming majority of early Americans called themselves Christian. On that basis you could call the US of today Christian, just as you could call Turkey of today Muslim. Both adopted self-consciously secular governance for strongly religious countries. To this day, the US is still the most strongly religious of all developed western nations So? Are you forbidding rhino from referencing their site? I'm sorry but there's not a neatly packaged AP release available that presents the Rocky-approved facts™. Can't people cite their own sources when making an argument? I'll decide if the presentation is credible or not, thankyouverymuch.

Nice post. The "law of believing' is more predictably man-oriented look-what-I-can-do stuff from your favorite neighborhood cult.

It was him, and yes, it was name dropping. And worse.

LOL!

Looks like Howard's sig. to me... The first "Rock of Ages" was actually a Sat. night dance at the 70-71 New Year's Advance. If I remember correctly, M. Smith coined the term for the dance. Anybody remember where it was? I think it was in Celina. We had some wayfer music and some secular as well.

Jesus has a tatoo and packs heat? Man, who knew?

"sodomized", he-he. I've come to believe that renewing our minds is a work the Lord does in us because we are new creation people. Christianity is not a mind-control exercise...

This is a crisis. Whatever shall we do for jokes?

It sure would, tonto.

I just let them fly. Nothing compares to a fresh I-just-left-Africa fart.

Yer basic (non-okra) gumbo, easily adjusted to being okrafied. Heat 1 cup of flour & 1 cup of oil slowly in a heavy skillet, constantly stirring until it turns brown. I like dark brown, but be careful not to scorch the roux or you'll have to discard it. Add to the hot roux diced onions and garlic, then diced bell peppers, celery and fresh parsley. Immediately add a quart of stock and dissolve the roux into it. Add about a gallon more stock/water. Season with about 10 shakes of tabasco, a tblsp or two of salt, rosemary & bay leaves. Let simmer an hour or two. Add meat or seafood. For meat gumbo, I like turkey & smoked sausage and/or andouille sausage. For seafood, shrimp and crab are the ticket. In that case, toss a handful of whole crabs in there for the extra flavor. Serve over rice (I prefer basmati rice) and with file powder on the side.

LOL! I think Garth wrote her script.

'Bout 10-15 yrs. ago when in San Antonio on business, I was walking down the Riverwalk when I hear out of the din of the crowd "Hey Evan!". Sonofagun it was Mark! We had a nice visit. He was also in San Antonio on business and was still living in Houston at that time. Might still be.

This, from my neighbors' published book of poems, Haunted Bones Born from flour anointed with oil, from a roux dark and mean as a horse's breath, you remind me of some strange, mystical stew spawned from a muddy version of Macbeth. Only someone's replaced the spell with spices, the witches with a Cajun chef. Maybe you're a recipe torn from Satan's Cookbook, a kind of dumbed-down devil's brew where evil stirs its wicked spoon in a swampy sacrificial hue. Maybe God damned the okra that thickens your soup, the muddy bones that haunt your stew. Maybe this is why, when we smell the cayenne, we're struck dumb as a moth. Maybe this is why everything that crawls or flies seems to find its way into your swampy broth. _________ There's your recipe.