I respect and admire the writing and thinking of Thomas Jefferson. He seems to have been a man of strong faith, as well as a man of strong reason. Whatever his personal faith, his reasoning delivered to us a higher value on equality and unity, with every person having the right to worship, or not, as one sees fit.
If God, Himself, were here today, which religious group of the many thousands would He claim as His own, if any?
Would He favor the Baptists on the one side of the river, who prefer a quick dip of the victim into the water; or would He side with the Baptists on yonder's side, who hold them under until they bubble and turn blue?
Would He favor the kneelers, with their spotless frocks and candles; or would he favor those hardy souls who feel just as comfortable praying while working, fighting, sitting, standing, or running full blast?
Would he favor the sainted folks on the far hill who properly bite the heads clean off their rooster to paint their alter red; or would he side with the clearly anointed in the valley who properly handle the writhing viper?
To the great sorrow of my old family, I long ago departed from the church of my youth, some memories of which I hold in fondness; and wandered around and about, until now in my older age, I find myself in a congregation of one, praying to a God that, in all honesty, none of us can fully define or comprehend. I defy anyone who tells me that I am on the wrong path, while I respect the rights of others to choose a different one.
Some folks think it necessary to condemn me to Hell for not adhering to their particular brand of babbling, but I talked to God about that, and He said it's alright for me to return the favor, and even fight to the death to defend my freedom, in this and other matters.
I might complain about the music of one group, or the preaching of another, but I defend the absolute and unalienable right of any person to join any religion, or to leave any religion, as they so choose.
I believe, as Jefferson wrote in dozens of different ways, that each person has the right to choose his manner of worship, or none; that the coercion of one belief over the other is divisive and tyrannical; and that the unifying principles of freedom necessary for this nation's endurance preclude the establishment of any particular religious belief, and preclude the prohibition of any particular religious belief, so long as such religion does not infringe on the rights of others.
I will not vote for any individual who cannot correctly articulate that Constitutional principles will and must guide their official conduct and policies. It is commendable if their personal life includes sound spiritual guidelines; but religious tyranny is no better that any other sort, and I will not vote for a tyrant.
As for the muslims, who supported and cheered as their fellows hijacked our planes, destroyed our buildings, and killed many of our people, I just don't see them as a religion. Their history, their ongoing actions, and their stated intentions clearly define them as an ongoing threat to human civilization.
As for Romney, I don't care what religion he claims, or which one claims him. His political and business behavior is best described as crony communism. His entire adult life is one long train of lying, cheating, stealing, destroying; pretending to be this or that, while having no core principles, except to enrich himself and his cronies.
Best wishes for your continued recovery, my friend.
It is the plan and desire of the adversary that we fight each other while facing this abject enemy whose desire is to destroy all of our freedom.
I have had my say on this thread...and probably have gotten too emotionally involved. I pray such attacks on the sincere faith of loyal Americans will stop so we can focus on the progressives, leftists, marxists, and others who would deny all of us our rights.
God's best to you and yours. My recovery continues, and I praise God in Heaven and His Son for their will to allow me to linger yet a while on earth for my wife, kids, and grandkids sake...to help them in every way I can and help others too...and to witness and be as much a part of the Rerstoration of our Constitutional Republic as I can.
I've kind of plateaued on the physical recovery side and am able to walk without a cane of any type now, but do not have a lot of stamina, have quite a bit of loss of sensation in my lower legs and feet, am not "super" steady on my feet...I also have been left with pretty significant bowel and bladder disabilities.
But I am able to take care of myself, to witness to others, to still work and provide for my family (though I was told I could have taken full disability if I wanted it...which I do not and have worked very hard to avoid), and to be able to get up and get about while doing so. Each day is a gift, and I thank God in Heaven and my Savior for them...and all who exercised their faith on our behalf.
Thansk for asking and again, I pray and trust all is well with you up north there.
BZ my friend.
Yes; there are MANY tyrannies that can overwhelm the mind of man:
15 After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was aseized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick bdarkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.
16 But, exerting all my powers to acall upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into bdespair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of clight exactly over my head, above the brightness of the dsun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.