“Christian nationalism” is an oxymoron and an excuse for fascists to claim that they are soldiers for God. “America First” is their gospel and their liturgy. They believe, or at least claim to believe, that The U.S. has some kind of mandate from on high that makes the U.S. better than other nations because God, himself, has favored it with special grace and a destiny to rise and stand above all other nations in the bright light of God’s favor.... Read more
I live in Central Florida in a bedroom community serving a major metropolitan area. I am writing in the morning of Saturday, October 12, 2024. During the nighttime hours on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, and the early morning hours of Thursday, October 10, Hurricane Milton, the strongest storm to make landfall in the Tampa/St. Petersburg/Bradenton/Sarasota area since 1921, tore through central Florida like a scythe. The damage was massive. Flooding, tornados and 100 mph+ winds did their worst. Homes, businesses... Read more
Freemasonry is not a single organization. Freemasonry is not a religion, although it looks a lot like one. In our last article, we explored the world of Freemasonry and its many orders and organizations. In that article, we concentrated on the Blue Lodge, the basic unit in Freemasonry. In Blue Lodge Masonry, there are three earned degrees. Entered Apprentice Fellowcraft (Fellow of the Craft) Master Mason There is no higher degree in Masonry. There are, however, higher numbered degrees which,... Read more
Likely, you have heard of Freemasonry or Masonry, as it is often called. You might have a Mason in your family or seen a Masonic lodge in your town. One question I often hear from non-Masons is that it is not exactly clear whether or not Freemasonry is a religion. The author has been a Master Mason since 1976 and a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason for twenty plus years. Author’s note: Freemasonry has evolved in different ways in different... Read more
If you read the Bible daily, or weekly, or once a year or twice in your lifetime…someone taught you the skills you needed to do that. That someone was most likely a teacher. Someone taught you how to read. In a few cases, it will be a parent or some other person but in almost every case, you were taught to read by a teacher, a professionally trained, intuitive, caring, unselfish, and generous teacher. As I have stated many times,... Read more
There is an insidious cancer seeping quietly into everyday American life. It is the constant and relentless attack on Constitutional freedoms by radical and evil Christo-Fascists who would burn down the country and the world to prove a 2000-year-old failed prophecy. What does the “Justice of God” have to do with the U.S. in 2024? The God of Christianity and Judaism is most often described by two abstract, related concepts or states: mercy and justice. The priests and scribes who... Read more
You love your children. You raised them in church. You model the behavior you expect. You are active in their lives. You have a loving home. Yet, as soon as they can, your children leave the church. WHY? I can tell you from experience that this is true. I watched it happen in my own family. And we attended a liberal church with relatively little dogma. For about ten minutes, I wondered why. Now, I see the answer quite clearly.... Read more
In the U.S., we wave the flag, sing the anthem, threaten anyone who disagrees with us, and sacrifice our children on the altar of the NRA. What have we become? We hear the screaming of the gun worshipers, bolstered up by misguided and misinformed law enforcement officers who want to arm the public and politicians in the employ of Russia and the NRA who are willing and seemingly eager to sacrifice my grandchildren (and yours) at school. “The King James... Read more
Religion is harming public schools in the U.S. In spite of the screaming of “groomers” and “communists” from politicians, aimed at public school teachers, most of us received our education in public elementary, middle and high schools. And most of us learned what we needed to know. To be clear from the very beginning, I support the right of any parent to choose public, private or religious schools for the education of their children. While that statement is true, it... Read more
People read the Bible for many different reasons. Let us explore some of those reasons and see if we can increase our understanding of why the Bible has survived and thrived in so many different forms, translations and interpretations. Why do people read the Bible? If we look at reasons why people might read the Bible, we can identify five categories. Reading for spiritual growth Reading for moral/ethical guidance Reading for historical research Reading for intellectual curiosity Textual analysis Literary... Read more
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