tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87142805968921048802024-03-05T14:37:33.162-05:00That Baptist Ain't RightGreat men wake up and slay dragons. Most folks are content to chase lizards. Therein lies the difference.That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.comBlogger338125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-63943194030992081792017-10-17T22:01:00.000-04:002017-10-17T22:01:08.443-04:00Get the Mind in GearI've been trying to organize and de-stress my world. While it is not exactly what a 90 minute deep tissue massage would do, I have found a few things that help me.<br /><br />
<ol>
<li>Get organized. I know this sounds like kindergarten talk, but it really is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Directive">Starfleet General Order 1. </a> I have tried every "new and improved" system, gimmick, idea, and all-around well-meaning suggestion. None of them work. I finally went back to the organizational system I used in college --- a series of <a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Smead-Pressboard-Classification-File-Folder-with-SafeSHIELD-Fasteners-3-Dividers-3-Expansion-Letter-Size-Red-10-each-per-Box-14092/22134836">file folders</a>, some <a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Filler-Paper-Loose-Leaf-Paper-Wide-Ruled-200-Sheets-Pack-15200-Size-150-73185-73183-200Count-110-1012-17208-15106-Looseleaf-15103-Pack-Loose-Sheets-1/883670058">lose leaf paper</a> punched with a <a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Universal-30-Sheet-2-Hole-Punch-9-32-Holes-Black/19311825">2 hold punch</a>, and a clipboard and legal pad. Yep. Back to old school. The legal pad for daily note taking of ideas; the divided file folder for my notes of various projects; and the paper records of things I need to keep. It makes sense in my brain and it works for me.</li>
<li>I spent a whole month watching YouTube videos of tips and tricks and ideas on how to use Googe, Gmail, Google Docs, Chrome, extensions, etc. A whole month. Granted, the 2 hours at the gym each day helped accomplish this but I got some fantastic ideas. Check out<a href="https://www.dottotech.com/#ideation-creativity"> DottoTech</a> on YouTube for some things that may change you life.</li>
<li>Forget the TV or music in the background. Use nature sounds. <a href="https://www.ambinature.xyz/">AMBI Nature Radio</a> (I listen via <a href="https://tunein.com/">Tune In Radio</a>) or <a href="https://www.noisli.com/">Noisli</a> <u>cannot be overstated for the relaxation and increase in work productivity. </u></li>
<li><u><a href="https://livestartpage.com/">Live Start Page</a>.</u> Take a few minutes to explore it, set it up with bookmarks, and keep one of those windows open. It may be sappy; it may sound wimply; it may even sound crazy as hell; but I'm telling you, I am much more productive and feel better using those nature sounds while working. Don't knock it until you've tried it.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Other ideas?</div>
That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-49126669600111918982017-10-13T23:45:00.000-04:002017-10-13T23:49:03.948-04:00US Men Miss 2018 World Cup<span id="docs-internal-guid-e2fc2d72-18fa-4c8f-80bf-6c8f277cd3f9"><a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/13/557569021/after-devastating-loss-bruce-arena-steps-down-as-u-s-men-s-soccer-coach?sc=tw" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">US Misses Out on World Cup and Americans Experience Weeping, Wailing, and Gnashing of Teeth</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have a different view.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, it was an upset, but it wasn’t the only upset that night since both Mexico and Costa Rica lost --- 3 major losses that weren’t supposed to happen but did. If any of those 3 didn’t happen, we wouldn’t be in this mess.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, there is loss of money. Other nations won’t go to the World Cup either and their program won’t share in the money, either.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, first time since 1986 the USMNT won’t be there. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All true.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But hang with me a bit: soccer in the US is not like football or basketball or even baseball, all 3 where we dominate. It’s not even like hockey were we, well, <i>contend</i>. No, in soccer we are on even ground with most of the world and trail the nations who put money in developmental programs and the best athletes play. In the US, the best athletes play other sports. Now that is changing, especially in football where mamas are saying, “My kid is not going to end up a veggie-brain for others’ entertainment.” So our best athletes still play other sports.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the competition is different. In the Big Three of football, baseball and basketball, the US dominates the world because the rest of the world just doesn’t play those sports. Granted there is baseball in Japan, the Caribbean, and Latin America, but the best players come to the US to compete and are part of the US training system. We have a monopoly.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not in soccer. The whole world plays. There are only 11 men on the pitch and only 3 subs. It is as even a contest as there is. The US can’t out-gun or overwhelm with superior numbers. We have to compete with 11 men for 90s minutes, just like everyone else, and our best athletes are not out there. Our best players are on the pitch, but we don’t know what the athletes in other sports would be able to do, now do we?</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fact is, the US is not the best in everything. We’re not the greatest. Oh, we like to say we are the greatest nation on earth but other nations are just as good in many areas and we are as sorry as other nations are in some areas, too. In soccer, we just happen to be mediocre. Time to face that fact.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there is the problem is Major League Soccer actually being </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">successful.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> That’s right. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Successful.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The quality players in Latin America and the Caribbean now come to the US to play in Major League Soccer because there is better money and the chance to showcase themselves. So as MLS gets bigger and has more money for training, good players from the Americas come here getting </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">better.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> We have created better competition against ourselves.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So in 2018 I will enjoy the matches without my team in the fray. I’ll scream and yell. I’ll marvel and I’ll do a lot of cussing, I’m sure. I’ll swear the ref was blind one game and the best ref ever the next time he’s on the pitch. And?</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And I’ll have fun. I’ll enjoy watching national pride on the line from other nations who are just as proud of their guys on the pitch as I am disappointed my guys aren’t. It’s the world’s most beautiful game and I can’t wait for the next 5 years when we compete for the honor in 2022.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Did I mention powerhouse Argentina is not going to the World Cup, either? It’s just our time to feel what it is like to be</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> average</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It hurts some Americans to admit it but look around --- we are, just like everyone else.</span></span>That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-9989364920730428522017-10-12T22:25:00.001-04:002017-10-12T22:25:37.071-04:00Live Start Page<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Update on Live Page -- neat Live HD screen with all sorts of scenes for your fancy ... pick one or two or randomize a lot of 'em. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">It has a really neat bookmarking tool. with weather, time, a focus statement that you control, and a meditation option page. Check out the <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions?hl=en">Google Extentions</a> & search LIVE START PAGE.</span>That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-16802679172214168542017-10-11T00:57:00.000-04:002017-10-11T00:57:16.449-04:00Let's Get Organized<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Spent the last 4 weeks getting things better organized. A few things I realized: 1) I live in my email and needed a better way to organize it - found <a href="https://www.cloudhq.net/chrome_extensions">cloudHQ suite of apps</a> that made Gmail much better; 2) I found some YouTube videos on better ways to use Google to organize things - things I knew were there but didn't know all the ins-&-outs and the features of integration; 3) I forced myself to do what I didn't want to do, cleaned off my desk and did my filing - feel much bett</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">er not having to look at the piles of stuff; 4) nature sounds (birds, a stream, a storm, or other background noise instead of music or news) while working makes me 100% more productive; and 5) I turned off a lot of the information that was coming at me from every side, every day, from every possible viewpoint - I know this but now I'm practicing the fact that I can get all the news I need while working out in the morning from<a href="https://www.wabe.org/"> WABE Morning Edition</a>. The last thing I need is to have some announcer urgently teasing me about the latest Trump Tweet or statement or insult. One more thing: no more negative people and if I don't want to talk to you, I'm not. I feel much better, thanks for asking.<br /></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">More details on all this to follow.</span>That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-25599961602406015652017-09-29T23:30:00.000-04:002017-09-29T23:30:01.108-04:00Economic Growth from Pixie Dust<br />The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/15/kansas-trump-style-tax-cuts-economic-disaster">Kansas Experiment</a> was a total disaster. The only people who believe Trickle Down Economics will work are either delusional, criminal or hypocritical. The idea that <i>modern*</i> tax cuts produce economic growth to pay for themselves, or will generate wage growth for the lower and middle class is horse poo. It didn't happen under Reagan or Bush 2 or Obama. Nope. Didn't. (Note that I said <i>modern</i> since there is the taxation point where the tax is so high that a cut does spur growth, e.g. the JFK tax cuts, but there is a bottom point where the cuts no longer do that. We've burst threw that floor a long time ago.)<br />
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So when Steve Mnuchin tried to sell that empty bag, I wanted to laugh but I cried knowing people will believe that stuff.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;">In an appearance at a Washington forum on Thursday, Mnuchin argued that the Trump tax cut plan would generate so much extra economic growth in gross domestic product that it would not only pay for itself, it would also cut the deficit by $1 trillion over the coming decade.</span></blockquote>
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You may read the <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/most-economists-agree-trump-tax-203539856.html">rest of the article</a> if you like but it is time the adults tell the the children to put away childish games and begin the process of handling things as reasonable, responsible and rational adults would.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-67433349897863052532017-09-14T04:16:00.000-04:002017-09-14T04:16:41.411-04:00White House: Fire those who say what we don't like<br />
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So now the White House supports / encourages / condones the firing of employees who exercise their rights of free speech? Really? Goebbels did that too, you know. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jemele_Hill">Jemele Hill</a>, resist!<br />
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<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/13/sports/jemele-hill-espn-white-house.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/13/sports/jemele-hill-espn-white-house.html</a>That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-28751667279315987892017-01-21T15:43:00.000-05:002017-01-21T15:43:20.126-05:00The Changes to Majority AmericaTimes are a'changin'.<br />
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Give it 12 years. Maybe 16. But it will change. The demographics don't lie.<br />
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In 12 years, the conservative older voting bloc will be diminished and the younger, more liberal crowd will be emerging.<br />
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America tomorrow is more educated, more tolerant, more open, religiously diverse, more brown, and will have more females in positions of power. The favored religion of today will be on equal footing with other faiths, and conservative Christianity will not like it when other religions begin using their tenets to discriminate. That Christian baker in Oregon who refused to bake a cake for a gay couple, will become the Muslim baker who refused service to the Christian couple because the woman wouldn't cover her hair for modesty sake ... and there are no other bakeries that would serve that Christian couple.<br />
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Those state tax schemes that allowed Christians to designate their tax bill to private Christian schools will be hated when the growing Muslim population do the same thing and Muslim schools start popping up in every community.<br />
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Yes, America will change. That means we will have the opportunity to right the ship in a few years, if we survive that long.<br />
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If we survive the economic, cultural, and worldwide upheaval of the disaster upon us as of January 2016.<br />
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<br />That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-13213630382043892262017-01-21T02:27:00.001-05:002017-01-21T02:27:23.472-05:00Inauguration Day and A Lot of MourningI am generally an optimistic person. But not today. Not with what I believe is the biggest disaster this nation ever voluntarily put on itself. And, sadly in this case, it is not just what happens to the US but what will happen to the rest of the world, and even the future of the planet.<br /><br />
Donald Trump is a national calamity.<br />
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Don't give me that "well, he is the president and we have to support him," or the "we have to give him a chance," or even worse the "we lived through Obama and look at how bad he was." Bull. In every language --- bull excrement.<br /><br />This is not just any Republican but a fascist. His speeches, his rallies, the content of everything he said is so eerily similar to that of Adolf Hitler that I am shocked no one is calling him on it. Wait. They are pointing it out in the media but those stories are discounted as fake news or liberal wrangling that should be ignored because, hey, the media is won't tell the truth and only Trump has the truth. After all, it doesn't matter what the facts are because if you <i>feel</i> something is true, it must be. The media is filled with elitists, i.e., educated, who are trying to keep the common people down. It's not the wealthy who will benefit from these policies --- nooooo, the poor and middle class will prosper again when the tax burden falls on them and off the wealthy.<br />
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Trump played on people's fear, racism, bigotry, lack of education, desperation, xenophobia, ethnocentrism, and called it all patriotism. After all, you can't be a patriot and love America is you don't agree with Trump and you certainly don't want America to be great again like the liberal elites who are working against the common man. He played it well. It worked. And now we have to pay for it all.<br /><br />Don't misunderstand me here. I don't want Trump to fail because I don't want America to fail. I no more want Trump to fail than I want something awful to happen to my own kids. No. It's not that I <i>want</i> Trump to fail but that <i>I know Trump will fail.</i><br /><br />
I grief. I am still in mourning over the election. That is exactly how I still feel: in <i style="font-weight: bold;">mourning.</i> That deep sense of loss. It's real. Because I know the policies of Trump will be horrendous.<br /><br />Women will lose a lot of specific health care needs with Planned Parenthood vilified with manufactured controversy that is completely false.<br /><br />Health care costs will go up more than needed.<br /><br />Lawsuit limits of malpractice will be implemented, something that will decimate the ability to care someone with a lifetime injury.<br /><br />Insurance for those outside of employer coverage will see premiums go up exponentially, if it is evern offered.<br /><br />Lifetime coverage limits will come back, meaning the most sick and vulnerable will not be able to receive the care needed.<br /><br />The Obama Care taxes and required coverage mandate will go away, making it impossible to provide premium assistance to cover the risk pool that will be older, sicker, and in most need of services.<br /><br />The environment will become the litter box of the nation.<br /><br />Our national parks and public lands will become the free resource of large corporations, who will rape the treasures and return them to us forever damaged.<br /><br />The economic policies simply don't work, e.g., Kansas under Brownback and Louisiana under Jindal. The tax cuts will not spur the sort of magic growth promised. That is not how economics works but it sounds good to people who have not taken econ. Of course, the ideologues insist Nirvana is just arund the corner in KS.<br /><br />Building a wall --- not gonna happen.<br /><br />Education is about to take the first step in being privatized.<br /><br />Manufacturing jobs will not come back to the US and protectionism doesn't work. There is a structural shift in the global marketplace and that genie can't be put back in the bottle.<br /><br />Russia is celebrating because they did it. Their plan worked. Now the US will focus on internal problems of Trumps on making and his international alliance re-structure and trade arrangements will leave an easy opening for Russia to do whatever she wants.<br /><br />I could go on but it is irrelevant. All I can do is speak out, though my representatives from GA will discount my emails, phone calls, letters, and opinion.<br /><br />God help us all.<br /><br />That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-9158942685261796472017-01-01T13:06:00.001-05:002017-01-01T13:06:05.142-05:00Theologies of Change: Wittenberg Door 2.0I have a question. Several questions. Actually, I'm not entirely sure what the exact question is but I do know the direction of what I'm seeing.<br />
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First, I submit this link that says maybe our traditional idea of God's Sovereignty is outdated, if not flat out wrong. In particular, perhaps God is not in control of everything that happens.<br />
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<a href="https://baptistnews.com/article/theologian-says-god-not-in-control/#.WGkzQRsrKUn">God is Not in Control</a><br />
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Second, here is an article about Bart Campolo (son of THAT Campolo) who now no longer identifies as Christian.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/29/magazine/the-evangelical-scion-who-stopped-believing.html">Bart Campolo No Longer Believes</a><br />
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Here's what I'm thinking: Is it possible that we have been wrong on God's Sovereignty in the same way we were wrong on so many other issues? In situations such as slavery, evolution, the earth revolving around the sun / being round, or countless other things, we damaged ourselves greatly in reaching people because they viewed our ideas as backward and uneducated. Is that a necessary roadblock to keep throwing out there? If we adopt a theology that says God is not always in control of everything but is completely Sovereign in Love, does that damage the definition of God? Or take Campolo, for example: he had trouble believing in the idea of hell and eternal damnation, so he adopted a Universalism of sorts a long time ago. The idea of an eternal hell, created by a loving God, for the eternal punishment of people who didn't believe, is all sorts of problematic for everyone's senses. Is that another area where we need to re-examine what exactly it is we believe?<br />
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The point here is that in this era where we have (hopefully) a better sense of thinking through all this stuff, oftentimes our theology creates more moral problems than it resolves. I can certainly see many inconsistencies in our theology that unbelievers are pointing out as reasons to reject the faith outright ... and many of those inconsistencies are not ethically defensible on our part. Many positions can be resolved by simply changing our interpretation of some texts, and that would make us be more consistent morally/ethically in our presentation. Perhaps it is that inconsistency that people are seeing, what Bart Campolo recognized, and that is =a= reason (not just =the= reason) some reject the Message.<br />
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I'm not in any way saying we should change our theology to fit the "world." I'm not suggesting we soften our positions. I'm saying that perhaps we need another nail on the church door at Wittenberg. The post-modernity doesn't reach everywhere at the same time but it is coming whether we like it or not. Maybe it's time we address legitimate questions about our theology. Are we being resolved in our commitment to truth, or are we being bull-headedly stubborn in refusing to recognize our own inconsistencies?That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-36246787775584874722016-12-20T21:24:00.000-05:002016-12-20T21:24:49.176-05:00Pharisees in GA<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bq7lc" data-offset-key="du6t8-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="du6t8-0-0">So very, very sad.
<a href="http://christianindex.org/georgia-governed-demetrius-silversmith/" target="_blank">GEORGIA IS BEING GOVERNED BY DEMETRIUS THE SILVERSMITH</a>
The US constitution guarantees that no faith will get a Most Favored Status from government, even if it is our own. We Baptists were the persecuted minority at the nation's founding and it is we that were told the Word of God was against us and our beliefs were not scriptural. It was the Established Churches that claimed they rightly interpreted the text and should be given special favor over the heretical Baptists. Our nation and stae are not governed by the Bible or any religious text but by the US Constitution. As far as I can tell, no church has been shuttered; no one has been denied access to a house of worship of any faith, even our own; and all public businesses have to be held to the same public accommodation laws that may not refuse service to anyone for any reason, =unless= they are LGBT, a non-protected class in our state. No pastor has ever been forced to marry anyone with whom he/she didn't want to; and no church has ever been forced to host a ceremony it didn't want to host. Now that is not the same for =BUSINESSES= since all =BUSINESSES= are held to the same standard of law. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="97ge0-0-0">GA is not governed by the Bible, or more aptly one narrow interpretation of a select few passages. We are a nation of laws that protect everyone and makes sure everyone is treated the same in the public arena. If we don't make sure other interpretations of faith are protected in the public arena, then one day another religious group can force THEIR religious interpretation onto us in the business arena ... you know, kinda back to where we Baptists started in England, Boston, Virginia, etc., when we were refused service in businesses, or buying/renting property, or getting services from state employees, and the government sanctioned that discrimination because the majority faith said we were not true Christians.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="8jprv-0-0">An analogy of Demetrius is not the proper one in this case. Maybe it should have been the Pharisee standing outside the party Jesus was, saying: "Why does Jesus even associate with those sinners?"</span></div>
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That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-66494961906217120092016-12-20T21:22:00.000-05:002016-12-20T21:22:01.077-05:00"Christian Index" Editor and Facts<div style="text-align: left;">
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It is no secret I am not too happy with the GA Baptist Convention nor its editor, Gerald Harris. I was a frequent poster on the GA Baptist Convention Facebook page for a few years, usually pointing out when they used Alt Right and fake news sites as source material; decrying the politicization of the Convention; warning of a creeping acceptance of fascist political thinking; criticizing the Pharisaical attitude of faith that has become acceptable; wildly yelling about the anti-science stance at our Baptist colleges; etc. I guess they finally got tired of me being a gadfly and banned me, something I'm very proud to wear as a badge of honor.<br /><br />On Monday, 19 December, 2016, the Electoral College was set to vote to validate the election of Donald Trump to the US presidency. Not to disappoint, <a href="http://christianindex.org/celebrities-trump-election/" target="_blank">Gerald Harris gives his normal editorial </a>makes one of those really, really, REALLY ignorant statements that is such an embarrassment to every GA Baptist. Here is the quote:<br /><br />
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Many staunch Clinton supporters want the Republican electors to break precedent and refuse to vote for Donald Trump, denying him the required majority. Some celebrities vainly hope Republican Electors would even dare to cast their vote for Hillary Clinton.<span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></blockquote>
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<b><i>However, if the electors were to do as some of the Hollywood elite demand, they would be violating the Twelfth Amendment of the United States Constitution, which says “they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President.</i></b>” (emphasis is mine)</blockquote>
<br />
Perhaps Gerald Harris would do well to call upon a history professor or a Constitutional law professor and get input before making such a naive claim.<br /><br />Really.</div>
That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-1736969398973123722016-12-12T07:08:00.000-05:002016-12-12T07:08:29.608-05:00It Can't Happen Here ... Did It?I realize that the source I'm using for this is considered "liberal" by current political majority. I get that. Nonetheless, that doesn't invalidate the point being made. Thom Hartman is spot on.<br /><br /><span id="goog_1392891046"></span><a href="http://www.thomhartmann.com/articles/2004/07/ghost-vice-president-wallace-warns-it-can-happen-here" target="_blank">The Ghost of Vice President Wallace Warns: "It Can Happen Here"</a><span id="goog_1392891047"></span><br />
<br />Fascism has been growing in America for a long time, and it finally achieved its winning of the political structures. Seeking to return to the days of the Robber Barrons, where the top few dominate the economic, political, societal, and cultural structures, they have won. By playing on the the fear of the demographic shifts, the US population has been manipulated. Fake news has given validation to their suspicions and ignorance. Patriotism is no longer a support of one's national values, but of blind allegiance to anything the nation does no matter how unfair (or evil) it may be. Faith is now synonymous with being a "good American," and that faith is only of a certain stripe and looks more like a political action committee than a religious organization.<br /><br />We got played.<br /><br />Fascism is now in power. The US went to war to stop it 80 years ago and we've now duly elected it's descendants. God help us.<br /><br />That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-53279573405134931872016-12-11T18:51:00.000-05:002016-12-11T18:53:43.531-05:00Todd Starnes, the ACLU, and the Right Thing to Do<br />
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<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/11/bah-humbug-aclu-sues-over-christmas-tree-cross.html" target="_blank">Knightstown, Indiana, Endorses Christianity</a><br />
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It is not surprise to anyone that I believe Todd Starnes is one of the most ignorant people on the planet. The fact that he has <a href="https://truett.edu/news/archive/tmu-partners-fox-news-host-todd-starnes/" target="_blank">teamed up with Truett McConnell College,</a> a GA Baptist college, is frightening.<br />
<br />
Starnes is continuously fanning the flames of a "War on Christians" and misrepresents history. Just use any search engine and you will be aghast at the twisting, contorting, and out-and-out lying about history and current events. Let's face it, the guy manipulates people with false facts for political gain. Goebbels would be so proud.<br />
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But this one is so basic that I'm amazed he hasn't been booed off the air with this one. The city of Knightstown, IN, has a lighted cross a top a Christmas tree. Not a star where it could be argued is merely symbolic of the Holiday Season. No. This is a cross, the emblem of one religion. <br />
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Dear Mr. Starnes: would you be OK if this were a star and crescent? <br />
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Very simple. If it is wrong for a city to do this for one religion, it is then wrong for all religions. <br />
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<a href="http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-08-02-0163" target="_blank">Madison's Remonstrance</a> was very clear on how they intended to address situations like this.<br />
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Todd Starnes, you are what the founders warned us against.That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-79446735789800411572016-11-24T04:58:00.002-05:002016-11-24T04:58:51.386-05:00Thanksgiving Eve Job Description<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
I've had this same job for -- oh, I dunno -- 30 years. It's a very simple job but I've discovered it's vitally important if I'm to live the remainder of the holiday season.</div>
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1. Keep the glasses full. Usually it is my wide and daughter cooking and doing all sorts of other things in the house, but for me the Prime Directive is to keep those glasses full. There may be another 2 or 3 or 10 people show up on T-Day Eve for God knows whatever reason, but if I do this job right, the rest of my job description is much easier to accomplish and I will get rave reviews.</div>
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2. Run to the grocery store for whatever items left off the list. I may make 2 or 3 runs to Publix over a 3 hour period but I will have to go. Never mind what I have to get wasn't on the list the first (or second or third) time:<br />I'm still the Dumb Arse and should have known better.</div>
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3. Wash dirty dishes. It keeps the clutter and tempers at a minimum, and those dishes will be used several times over the cooking portion of the evening. The dishwasher and my hand washing will be a priority.</div>
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4. Make sure those glasses stay full. If you want to live, Ryan, keep those glasses full.</div>
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5. Wash clothes. You would be surprised how many dishcloths, towels, pants, shirts, more dishcloths, etc., get soiled. Wash 'em. Dry 'em. Return to kitchen. Repeat.</div>
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6. Answer questions. "Do you think I can substitute skim milk for whole?" "Could I use margarine instead of butter?" "Would 1 1/2 cups of sugar be enough?" "Should I add more salt?" I was Google before Al Gore invented the internet and still am.</div>
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7. Take a cussing. If it isn't right, I take the cussing. If it doesn't taste right, my fault. If it falls, I failed. If it needs more seasoning, I didn't issue the All Points Bulletin. If I do job #1 well enough and keep those glasses full, I can mitigate this from impacting my performance review.</div>
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8. Keep the music on. Although not officially listed as part of my job function, I've found the "Soft Rock Hits from the 70s" or "Sounds of the Seasons" will calm a lot of nerves and minimize the cussing.</div>
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9. Keep the glasses full. It's worth repeating.</div>
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10. Make sure the finished dishes are promptly covered/sealed and put in the fridge. If the main fridge is full (always is after just 10 minutes of an oven on 350 degrees), I must maintain operation and oversee transport of completed dishes to Fridge #2, the Beer Fridge, or establish a confiscation procedure of a neighbor's unused portion of their fridge. Very important. Food. Stored. Ready for use the next day.</div>
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11. Keep note of the time when something enters the oven. Never fails: a dish goes in but someone forgets the time when the oven door closed. My task is to make a mental note and recall the answer when I hear, "When did I put this in?" or "How long was this supposed to cook?" My ability to keep the time stamp will save the day.</div>
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Tonight: Glasses full at all times and I get an "Outstanding" regardless of the other appraisal failures. The cussings weren't as severe either.</div>
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My resume is expanding.</div>
That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-85958896859623395832016-11-11T02:14:00.002-05:002016-12-20T21:23:23.316-05:00Lament This November, 2016<br />
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Fear. Loss. Mourning. Bulls of Bashan all around, snarling. </div>
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Knowledge is covered and afraid to even whisper. Worry. Concern for my neighbor trampled by the Pharisee.</div>
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No longer even my brother's keeper but my weaker brother's master, if he cannot defend nor speak. </div>
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The cheated laborer cries out only to be told the owner who withheld wages is now the ruler; stolen wages become pocket change for the rich. </div>
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Time and name are the only things left for the forgotten when even dignity is taken. </div>
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Careful, beautiful and good plans destroyed by vandals.</div>
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They know not what they do.</div>
That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-54014033161158211952016-07-09T01:28:00.000-04:002016-07-09T01:28:07.493-04:00Police Shootings -- At and By<span style="background-color: white; color: #4b4f56; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I remember taking Public Policy and Social Change while in college. It discussed past instances very similar to what is currently happening, e.g., the Magna Carta; the Reformation; the Enlightenment; the French and American Revolutions; Abolition; US Civil War; Women's Suffrage; Prohibition; McCarthyism; the Peace Movement of the 60s; Civil Rights Movement; Hitler's Rise to Power. All of these have very specific examples of a set of characteristics that can be directly shown to also exist in the current situation of the Black Lives Matter / Police Shootings / Minority Unrest. And I do mean EXACTLY the same characteristics. Anyone who has ever studied Marxist economic theory (or any economic theory for that matter .. Adam Smith even noted it), or Hagel's Theory (Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis), or Liberation Theology understands that public policy (and specifically economic realities) are derived from the social justices / injustices that are real because that is how they are perceived by a group. It is a very complex picture we are in, just like all the other examples were complex and multi-faceted and the roots go back generations, yes, even centuries. And truth be told, everyone has a bit of the truth but not all of it. This is where the social scientist, the historian, the economist, the policy maker, and everyone else needs to realize what is happening. This cannot be boiled down to simple sound bites or political spin to a certain viewpoint. Blaming this on the Black Lives Matter movement, or the poor, or the police, or any single Boogy Man is, well, ignorant. I'm not trying to stick up for Obama but he is exactly right on this and his education is definitely showing, contrasted to Lord knows what some others are saying.</span>That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-67292699855831196842016-06-10T14:56:00.000-04:002016-12-20T21:27:27.893-05:00GA Baptists at it AgainSo the <i>Christian Index</i> (the GA Baptist newspaper) has finally admitted it no longer believes in liberty. And editor <a href="http://christianindex.org/muslims-really-qualify-religious-freedom-benefits/" target="_blank">Gerald Harris has finally said it publicly</a>. <br />
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In front of God and everybody. Said it. Out loud.<br />
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I have a problem with the GA Baptist Convention. The problem has been a long time coming. It's like a long, hard, contentious break-up where two people just keep moving in opposite directions.<br />
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Wait. Not exactly. I've not really moved. My doctrinal positions are that of the historical Baptists, i.e, Priesthood the Believer, Soul Competency, and the Separation of Church and State. Sadly, GA Baptists no longer believe in those three foundational principles. They moved from those historical moorings with the Conservative Resurgence of the 1980s. And they moved away from me.<br />
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The GA Baptist Convention paid for part of my undergrad degree and the Southern Baptist Convention paid for nearly all of my graduate work. So I don't take this break-up lightly, but it is time to finally say<i> thank you for the memories and the good times, but please, don't call me anymore.</i><br />
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I learned all about what makes Baptists different. I was proud that we were not only one of the underdogs of the European religious groups (everyone hated us there) but we were the underdog here in Colonial America, too. We were the heretics; the ungodly outcasts; the radicals; the liberals; the ones that would destroy everything good; the ones the Devil had beguiled. And not only were we the underdogs, we barked at the political Empires and every sectarian Overlord that demanded all other religious underdogs bow to the Crown and Pulpit. We fought for the Quakers and the Mennonites and whatever other small number faith getting thrashed in the public square. We took the public floggings; the loss of our lands; the mistreatment of our children; whatever else could be thrown at us.<br />
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Yet we stood for the complete, absolute and total Separation of Church and State at all times, for all religions, for all time. No religious idea of sect was to be giving a Most Favored Status by the government. It was our Baptist cry of <i>Separation of Church and State</i> (and some convincing of James Madison by John Leland under an old tree) that was the foundation of the first phrase of the first sentence of the first amendment that says government was not even to <i>give even a hint of a Most Favored Faith.</i><br />
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That was us. That was the Radical Baptists. That was the idea that gave all faiths at all times complete liberty. That is what Thomas Jefferson told the Danbury Baptists what Congress had done with the First Amendment in terms Baptists understood.<br />
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Until now. Until Gerald Harris. Until the <i>Christian Index</i> decided that politics is thicker than doctrinal foundations. Until complete historical and theological ignorance masquerades as piety.<br />
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So when Gerald Harris says a mosque shouldn't be built because Muslims are not worthy of the same first amendment protections we Baptists fought for, I have ask: <i>hypocrite much? Why is religious liberty only good for some groups and not others?</i><br />
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I find it amusing Gerald Harris thinks he gets to decide who is worthy of protection and who isn't ... Gosh, that sounds just like the Anglicans and the other Establishment Churches of Colonial America when talking about Baptists.<br />
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Honestly though, Harris is just playing to the political base of the people of GA. He is saying politically what the majority wants to hear.<br />
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Hmmmm. Kinda like when Paul talked about those deceivers who just tickled the ears of people who to hear what they wanted to hear (2 TIM 4:3).<br />
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Sad, sad day for GA Baptists. Let's hope the rebuke by Don Byrd at the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty will cause Gerald Harris to open a history book ... or maybe his Bible. You know, <i>treat others the way you want to be treated.</i>That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-33117218192120177652016-05-22T11:51:00.004-04:002016-05-22T11:51:42.138-04:00Trump and FascismOne doesn't have to be a history major to recognize the similarities between Trump's rise to top of the Republican party, and the similar stories of Mussolini and Hitler. But if you are a history major, your head is probably exploding with the insanity that few recognize it --- or worse, even care.<br /><br />The message, the manipulation, the fear mongering, the vagueness, the demonizing of minorities, even down to the promise of "greatness again" is a direct copy of the fascist playbook.<br /><br />America has to do better than this.<br /><br />Here is a great article that details this from <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/this-is-how-fascism-comes-to-america/2016/05/17/c4e32c58-1c47-11e6-8c7b-6931e66333e7_story.html" target="_blank">Robert Kagan in the Washington Post</a>That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-8022488010658376742016-04-25T23:24:00.000-04:002016-04-25T23:24:00.985-04:00Baptists and Our Own Hypocrisy<a href="http://bjconline.org/oklahoma-voters-will-decide-fate-of-church-state-protections-in-state-constitution-042516/" target="_blank">From to the Baptist Joint Committee</a><br /><br />
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<span data-offset-key="fqhq4-0-0">So let's just be clear ... 100 years ago, Baptists were fearful of Catholics using tax payer money to educate public school children by paying for religious instruction off campus, and also fearful of tax payer money funding Catholic community projects, even those that were being used for public good. Thus, the Blaine Amendments were passed in most states. Now, Baptists are wanting to do away with those amendments because it is blocking tax payer money from supporting our causes. Hmmmm. Hypocrite much? </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ae8et-0-0">If one group can use tax payer money for their religious causes, another group can do the same thing tomorrow.
Thankfully the<a href="http://bjconline.org/" target="_blank"> Baptist Joint Committee</a> is calling out the hypocrisy. This is why I support this great organization financially ... it is also why the Southern Baptist Convention<b> stopped</b> supporting the BJC years ago. SMH.</span></div>
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That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-90742409199356745922016-04-08T16:08:00.001-04:002016-04-09T00:24:15.514-04:00Georgia Is Being Governed By Demetrius The Silversmith<a href="http://www.jasonlsanders.com/2016/04/01/georgia-is-being-governed-by-demetrius-the-silversmith/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=blogger_post&utm_source=blog">Georgia Is Being Governed By Demetrius The Silversmith</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is so very, very sad. And terribly misinformed about Baptist history, our nation's laws, and our founding.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The US constitution guarantees that no faith will get a Most Favored Status from government, even if it is our own. We Baptists were the persecuted minority at the nation's founding and it is we that were told the Word of God was against us and our beliefs were not scriptural. It was the Established Churches that claimed they rightly interpreted the text and should be given special favor over the heretical Baptists. Our nation and stae are not governed by the Bible or any religious text but by the US Constitution. As far as I can tell, no church has been shuttered; no one has been denied access to a house of worship of any faith, even our own; and all public businesses have to be held to the same public accommodation laws that may not refuse service to anyone for any reason, =unless= they are LGBT, a non-protected class in our state. No pastor has ever been forced to marry anyone with whom he/she didn't want to; and no church has ever been forced to host a ceremony it didn't want to host. Now that is not the same for =BUSINESSES= since all =BUSINESSES= are held to the same standard of law. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">GA is not governed by the Bible, or more aptly one narrow interpretation of a select few passages. We are a nation of laws that protect everyone and makes sure everyone is treated the same in the public arena. If we don't make sure other interpretations of faith are protected in the public arena, then one day another religious group can force THEIR religious interpretation onto us in the business arena ... you know, kinda back to where we Baptists started in England, Boston, Virginia, etc., when we were refused service in businesses, or buying/renting property, or getting services from state employees, and the government sanctioned that discrimination because the majority faith said we were not true Christians.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">An analogy of Demetrius is not the proper one in this case. Maybe it should have been the Pharisee standing outside the party Jesus was, saying: "Why does Jesus even associate with those sinners?"</span>That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-27848956503642118792016-03-27T21:47:00.004-04:002016-03-27T21:48:45.978-04:00Republicans Supreme Court Stalling is Not Playing WellIt would seem the delay tactic the Republicans have set forth over the replacement for Scalia is not popular even among the GO faithful.<br />
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<a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/verdict-gop-supreme-court-plan-181740570.html" target="_blank">http://finance.yahoo.com/news/verdict-gop-supreme-court-plan-181740570.html</a>That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-37488762945545631082016-03-22T14:40:00.002-04:002016-03-22T14:40:45.338-04:00Got =THE= Atlanta United Tickets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3l7_hh-h_RrFh4TtiV1_AM0V_BEUZh9EvRMVMMZysvvvOJNXSO59GLoMDYcC2nuofV5YjFMU5stz4P4Z898DwxVxT08kcHI6h8WYOPyNgPF0dnKY2KpPw9QjjkKxK1czqlUZDY-8eajdr/s1600/1440x900+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3l7_hh-h_RrFh4TtiV1_AM0V_BEUZh9EvRMVMMZysvvvOJNXSO59GLoMDYcC2nuofV5YjFMU5stz4P4Z898DwxVxT08kcHI6h8WYOPyNgPF0dnKY2KpPw9QjjkKxK1czqlUZDY-8eajdr/s320/1440x900+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I got 'em. I somehow managed to snag the ultimate season tickets for the inaugural season of <a href="http://atlutd.com/" target="_blank">Atlanta United.</a> While I don't normally pray for such temporal things and am (almost!) ashamed to admit it, I did. I prayed for these exact tickets.<br /><br />Now let me explain something about soccer to the non-soccer fans out there: soccer <i>is</i> everything to the serious fan. There are no casual fans in soccer. There are no <i>take it or leave it</i> attitudes about this game. The idea that someone could purposely miss their favorite team's match ... or God forbid, a World Cup qualifying match, much less an honest-to-God World Cup match ... is anathema. Heresy! Blasphemous! Draw and quarter such!<br /><br />
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As<a href="http://www.liverpoolfc.com/welcome-to-liverpool-fc" target="_blank"> Liverpool FC</a> manager <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Shankly" target="_blank">Bill Shankly</a> so famously quipped: "Football's [soccer] is not a matter of life and death ... it's more important than that."<br /><br />And Shankly was spot on.<br /><br />I'm a fan. Big Fan. Love<a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/" target="_blank"> MLS</a> and in particular the <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/" target="_blank">Portland Timbers</a>. I've been a Timbers fan since the 1970s when soccer was an experiment in the US. Not sure what it was but I just liked Portland Timbers. When MLS took the Timbers in 2011, I immediately adopted them as <i>my team.</i> I've been to Portland and Salt Lake City to watch them play. It's on my Bucket List to go to every MLS stadium. I've got two more trips this year planned: Denver and Dallas. Can't wait.<br /><br />But back to Atlanta United.<br /><br />2017 is when Atlanta United begins play. Since that is my hometown team, I have to support them. And since I'm such a huge soccer fan, I put my name on the Founders Club list in 2014 to get season tickets. Paid my Founding Club dues (waiting list money).<br /><br />It was announced via email the club would begin calling everyone to order their tickets on February 8, 2016. I waited. I waited. And I waited. I thought for sure I would end up needing the Hubble Telescope to see any play at all. Finally I get my call a month later: 10 March, 2016. And Brock (my Atlanta United account rep) sang the sweetest words I've heard in my life: <i>Why yes, Mr. Hale. Those seats are available. Would you like me to process that order to finalize it now?</i><br /><br />And so I got my tickets. Two of them. Perfect tickets. As if I picked them out decades ago and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Blank" target="_blank">Arthur Blank </a>himself reserved them just for me.<br /><br />Section 110. Row 1. Seats 9-10. That is front row. Dead center of mid-field line.<br /><br />I'm on top of the world.</div>
That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-25149845162215373382015-11-24T22:20:00.001-05:002015-11-24T22:20:22.062-05:00What does fascism look like?Here's a good example that is generally held as basic principles of Fascism in nearly all textbooks I've seen (& Chris Hedges cites Dr. Luther Adams as saying the same <a href="http://www.theocracywatch.org/chris_hedges_nov24_04.htm" target="_blank">http://www.theocracywatch.org/chris_hedges_nov24_04.htm </a> ):<br />
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==== Article Quote =====<br />
In an essay coyly titled “Fascism Anyone?,” Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, identifies social and political agendas common to fascist regimes. His comparisons of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and Pinochet yielded this list of 14 “identifying characteristics of fascism.” (The following article is from Free Inquiry magazine, Volume 23, Number 2. Read it at <a href="https://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php/articles/2710" target="_blank">https://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php/articles/2710 </a>External site) See how familiar they sound.<br />
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1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism<br />
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.<br />
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2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights<br />
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.<br />
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3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause<br />
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.<br />
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4. Supremacy of the Military<br />
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.<br />
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5. Rampant Sexism<br />
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.<br />
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6. Controlled Mass Media<br />
Sometimes the media are directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media are indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.<br />
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7. Obsession with National Security<br />
Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.<br />
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8. Religion and Government are Intertwined<br />
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.<br />
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9. Corporate Power is Protected<br />
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.<br />
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10. Labor Power is Suppressed<br />
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.<br />
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11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts<br />
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.<br />
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12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment<br />
Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations<br />
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13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption<br />
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.<br />
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14. Fraudulent Elections<br />
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.<br />
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This list will be familiar to students of political science. But it should be familiar to students of religion as well, for much of it mirrors the social and political agenda of religious fundamentalisms worldwide. It is both accurate and helpful for us to understand fundamentalism as religious fascism, and fascism as political fundamentalism. They both come from very primitive parts of us that have always been the default setting of our species: amity toward our in-group, enmity toward out-groups, hierarchical deference to alpha male figures, a powerful identification with our territory, and so forth. It is that brutal default setting that all civilizations have tried to raise us above, but it is always a fragile thing, civilization, and has to be achieved over and over and over again.That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-83217077690809403372015-10-17T13:53:00.000-04:002015-11-24T22:16:30.731-05:00I See HypocrisyI remember in 2008 and 2012 when Super Tuesday came around. Being in GA, it was a question of which Republican would get the most votes as there are few Democrats in state outside the metro Atlanta, Macon, or Savannah area. After all, GA wanted to be part of the GOP nomination process and it is a big, big deal.<br />
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So in 2008 and 2012, there was a lot of talk about Democrats crossing over to vote to vote Republican to help an "easier" candidate get the nominee in hopes of helping the Democratic nominee come the general election. I remember Shawn Hannity and (I believe) Rush Limbaugh talking about it. It was all the buzz locally as anyone who didn't support ordained GOP front runner was labeled as a suspected RINO or, even worse, a Democrat doing the damnable crossover voting.<br />
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As I was talking to a friend yesterday -- who happens to be strong Tea Party -- he suggested that if there is a GOP leader of significant numbers by the time Super Tuesday comes around, he was going to vote in the Democratic primary. Even more amazing, he was going to vote for Bernie Sanders. <br />
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After I picked myself off the floor, I asked him if he had been drinking or recently had a serious head injury.<br />
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"No," he said. Then he smiled. "I just figure I will vote for Sanders hoping to make one more tick for the Socialist will make Hillary move further left so the Republican can get elected in November."<br />
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"Wait," I told him, "Didn't you say this was wrong for the Democrats who did that in 2008 and 2012? Why are you now doing the very thing you said was wrong for them?"<br />
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"Because this is too important. We must stop the liberals from destroying what is left of our country and if this is what it takes to do that, then we have to do it. This is my patriotic duty and any real American would do the same." He was dead serious.<br />
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"But don't you think it is hypocritical to condemn the Democrats who did that but you do the same?" Now I knew this question would never phase him but I thought I'd try.<br />
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It didn't work. Patriotism. Communism. Liberals. Taking our country back. Muslims. Socialists. There were other words he threw into the next 2 minutes of his speech. I'm sure you've heard them all before so I won't bore you with the full text. The rant was predictable.<br />
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Hypocrisy only exists for the other side.<br />
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Pharisees never see it in themselves.That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714280596892104880.post-39759607851189577142015-10-04T14:22:00.000-04:002015-10-04T14:23:23.789-04:00Update on "In God We Trust" Stickers<div>
This updates my <a href="http://thatbaptistaintright.blogspot.com/2015/09/in-god-we-trust-but-sheriff-still.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> about the placement of "In God We Trust" stickers on the sheriff patrol cars in my county.</div>
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I read the<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/04/us/police-agencies-defy-critics-and-show-in-god-we-trust.html?ref=us&_r=1" target="_blank"> NY Times article </a>about these stickers in the adjoining county to mine. After reading it, I'm certain -- 100% certain -- the stickers are intentionally placed on these sheriff department cars as: </div>
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<li>An explicit faith statement.</li>
<li>A very narrow theological view.</li>
<li>A vote pandering play.</li>
<li>An example of manipulating people who really have very little training in history.</li>
<li>A dangerous step that erodes the wall of separation between church and state.</li>
<li>Something that will be quite a political and legal fight one day.</li>
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Although I am not a member of FFRF, nor really even support their shotgun-style blasting with lawsuits, I do believe this quote is completely accurate:</div>
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<span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6px; line-height: 24.64px;">“This motto has nothing to do with the problem of police forces’ shooting people, but it’s a great way to divert attention away from that and wrap yourself in a mantle of piety so that you’re above criticism,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, a co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based group that has demanded that law enforcement officials stop exhibiting the motto. “The idea of aligning the police force with God is kind of scary. That’s the first thing you’d expect to see in a theocracy."</span></blockquote>
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Yep. That's exactly right.That Baptist Ain't Righthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227307740155986353noreply@blogger.com0