Take God out of the universe and everything is annihilated, every higher joy of the mind, every love, and only the wish for mental suicide would remain, and only the devil and the beast would still desire to exist.
~Jean Paul Richter~

Sacred Fire

I'm pleased finally to have a copy of George Washington's Sacred Fire by Dr. Peter Lillback to dig through. I may need more than a shovel though; it's over 1200 pages! The book is an answer, or should I say THE answer to the question, "Was George Washington a Christian or a Deist?" Scholarship since the bicentennial of Washington's birth in 1932 has tried to say, "Deist!," or at least that he was "not deeply religious" or "not particularly ardent in his faith."

Lillback does an apparently remarkable thing for modern scholarship. He goes to the source and discovers what Washington had to say about himself! Fifteen years of pouring over Washington's personal papers and no wonder the book is so long. One quick, but important, example is that Lillback examines what many scholars have not: the many sermons that Washington read, purchased, received, and commented upon in his life. I'll be posting here as I dig.

Wilson / Hitchens, Part 2

Hitchens is running around the ring with his hands raised as if he scored a round one knockout. His response to Wilson's opening statement reads rather like the Democrats shouting "Victory" and retreating in medias res. Not to worry; Wilson has explained to Hitchens how he might give a more cogent response. We shall see.

Four Homeschooled Nerds . . .

Atheists Crawling Out From Under Rocks

Maybe atheists are their own evidence for evolution. They strike me as closer kin of Amoeba than Homo Sapiens. Lately they've been taking their "God be damned" message to the public in louder, prouder ways. I've recently mentioned Sam Harris' Letter to a Christian Nation. Now Christopher Hitchens is trying to steal the bully pulpit with his God Is Not Great. And this morning (though it aired last night on Nightline) I began to view the debate between Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort of Way of the Master ministries and two joy-filled amoebas from the "Rational Response Squad." I don't have time to comment yet, but you can view the first installment here. I believe there are six parts.

Probably of more interest (because who cares what the "Rational Response Squad" thinks; at least someone other than amoebas do care what Christopher Hitchens thinks) is the debate in Christianity Today between Hitchens and Doug Wilson. That can be found here, and is supposed to run throughout the month of May.

Academia Gone Wild

A tenured college professor is set to be fired for simply sending out an e-mail to colleagues containing George Washington’s "Thanksgiving Day Proclamation of 1789.” And apparently the worst part is that he got it from Pat Buchanan's website !  Oh, the horror! Hey, I've cited the Thanksgiving Day proclamation before; I wonder if I'm going to the fired?

Our object should not be to have scripture on our side but to be on the side of scripture; and however dear any sentiment may have become by being long entertained, so soon as it is seen to be contrary to the Bible, we must be prepared to abandon it without hesitation.
~William Symington~

Week In Review

• Junior, our pet Garter snake, molted again. He is about 23 inches long now, and just as cute as ever!

• What a line! From a NY Times article on Barack Obama's faith: "Generally, Mr. Obama emphasizes the communal aspects of religion over the supernatural ones." Hmmm. Not that the NY Times has a clue when it comes to religion, but I have to say that's a pretty good definition of a liberal.

• Throw the case out! Jane Goodall has walked out of a jungle somewhere to testify on behalf of a woman who wants to be the legal gaurdian of a chimpanzee named Matthew. The matter is over 3,400 British pounds (roughly $6,700) given to the chimp by someone concerned for his well-being after his preserve near Vienna, Austria went bust. The woman wishes to assist the chimp just as any child would have assistance from a legal guardian. The case snuck into court when lawyers did not reveal that "Matthew" was in fact a chimpanzee! This all might seem ridiculous to you, but understand that these are not your father's animal rights activists; they are going way beyond protesting fur coats. Today's activists are dead serious about bestowing human status, complete with the attendant rights, upon animals.
  

• I have written before about what I consider to be a responsible, Christian approach to environmental issues. In my opinion this group has it right. For those of you who don't click on the links I work so hard to provide you, I am talking about the Cornwall Alliance (I can hear the "cornball" jokes already). The group is essentially the old Interfaith Stewardship Alliance. They have changed their name this week to the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation (CASC). If you have never done so, I strongly suggest that you read their founding document, the Cornwall Declaration, or their response to the "Evangelical Call to Action" document signed by some notable evangelicals who are apparently about as discerning as me at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

• I've been upset before with the "Quotemeal" feature in the right column of the blog. It's a potluck quotation generator. Sometimes I'm pleased with it; sometimes I'm ready to put disclaimers all over the page and throw Quotemeal into the sea. Today (May 5) it is quoting Jimmy Carter. That could be the final straw!

• For those fascinated with things astronomical my sister site, the Daily Mail of London, has some great new pictures and video of Jupiter and its moons. Worth a look!

National Day of Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer. Many events are scheduled around the nation perhaps in your neck of the woods. In fact, Covington has a "Prayer in the Square" event scheduled for 7 - 9 o' clock this evening. At noon today the following prayer will be said by many groups around the USA:

2007 Prayer for Our Nation
Written by Dr. Charles R. Swindoll

Almighty God, we pause to reflect on Your character as we seek wisdom for such a time as this.

In these unsafe days,
You remain all-powerful and able to protect;

In these uncertain times,
You remain all-knowing, leading us aright;

In the unprecedented events we're facing,
You remain absolutely sovereign.
Our times are in Your hands.

Therefore, our dependence on You, is total, not partial

. . . our need for Your forgiveness is constant

. . . our gratitude for Your grace is profound

. . . our love for You is deep.


We ask that You guard and guide our President
and all who serve the people of these United States.
May uncompromising integrity mark their lives.

We also ask that You unite us as truly "one nation,
under God." May genuine humility return to our ranks.

And may that blend of integrity and humility
heal our land.

In our Lord's name we pray,

Amen.

Close Enough to Free for Me

The environment is much too important to be left to environmentalists.
~Steven Hayward

Whine-Free Wine

I delivered a bundle of Wine Report magazines yesterday to the friendly wine merchant on my route. She then gave me my own personal copy. (Sam Neill, best known from the Jurassic Park movies, is on the cover. I rather enjoyed him in Dead Calm. Check it out if you haven't seen it.)

Anyway, this is from the beginning of a story called "A Hot Debate" in the Wine News section:

"Global warming is a bunch of bunk."

That's according to Charles Brammer, owner and winemaker at Morgan Creek Vineyards in Harpersville, AL.

Way to go, Chuck! I might have to buy a bottle or two of Morgan Creek wine (to help offset all those people who just demonized you for being a climate-change denier).

Also, Ernest Gallo died March 6 at the age of 97.

Caption Contest

Election Update

Results are not yet final in Nigeria, but early returns are disappointing.

The vote on Saturday in Africa's most populous nation was marred by violence, fraud and intimidation. First results on Sunday indicated continued dominance by the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP), as was expected.

The election was a far cry from the hoped-for display of democracy to mark the first handover from one civilian president to another in a country scarred by decades of military rule.

16 had died in election related violence.

Pray

UPDATE! If you would like to financially assist the families affected by the fire talked about below, contact any branch of First Nation Bank.

---

I was not at work Friday, but I got a phone call telling me that a business on my route had burned. I was sad to learn that it was T-Lex, a car repair shop specializing in Toyota and Lexus. The owner, a great guy named Gil, is one of a rare breed of honest and fair car repairmen.

As you can see from the picture, the main building was a total loss. Fortunately the high winds of the past week were gone and the fire didn't spread to his adjacent building as well. No one was hurt, but nine cars and over half a million dollars in equipment burned up. The fire started when one of Gil's men was working on a fuel leak. Gil was not present when the fire began.

Please pray for Gil and his wife, Misty, and their daughter (I don't know her name), and all the other families affected by this fire as they work to put things back together. As Gil said, "It's amazing how quickly things can change."

Additional Reactions to Partial Birth Abortion Ruling

rosie O asked:

"why only democrat's responses? I'm sure Rudy and Mitt had something to say...What say you Blogger?"

Well, Rudy and Mitt (and even McCain) were good:

Giuliani: "The Supreme Court reached the correct conclusion in upholding the congressional ban on partial birth abortion. I agree with it."

Romney: Said the decision “reaffirmed the value of life in America by upholding a ban on a practice that offends basic human decency.”

and McCain: Said the ruling “ensures that an unacceptable and unjustifiable practice will not be carried out on our innocent children.” “It also clearly speaks to the importance of nominating and confirming strict constructionist judges who interpret the law as it is written, and do not usurp the authority of Congress and state legislatures."

But the really interesting reaction is from our former Double-Talker-in-Chief on Larry King's Alive tonight. He doesn't believe it's a pro-life decsion. Hoooo-boy! You want to see some slick abortion rhetoric? Here you go! . . . From the transcript at CNN.com (warning, this will cause nausea and nightmarish flashbacks) . . .

~~~~~~~~
KING: Some of the bases we will cover tonight.

The Supreme Court has said partial-birth abortion is wrong. The woman will not be blamed, but the doctor can get up to two years.

Thoughts?

B. CLINTON: Well, you know, I vetoed that bill twice. And I think it's a great victory for the political strategy of the anti- abortion movement. But I do not believe it's a pro-life decision.

KING: No?

B. CLINTON: I do not. Not a pro-life decision, because, let me remind you, when I vetoed that bill, I had standing in the White House with me an Evangelical Christian who had had the procedure who was pro-life, an Orthodox Jew who had had the provision who was pro-life, and another Christian who had been pro-choice.

All three women and their husbands and physicians -- but two of the three who had had the provision were pro-life. They did it because their children were -- I mean, their unborn children were severely hydrocephalic. They were certain to die either before, during or immediately after childbirth. And the doctors told them that if they did not reduce the size of these babies' heads -- which were swollen very high, very large -- that delivering them, even by cesarean section, might so damage the women that they might not be able to bear other children.

And they told me that they would otherwise never want to use this procedure, that no one would want to do this unless there was some medical necessity for it.

But it sounded gruesome. You could use -- you can label it and no one ever knew the facts. It was a perfect political strategy.

Who can be for partial-birth abortion?

It's a great line.

But the truth is, the doctors who did it and the women who agreed to have it -- as I said, I talked to two of them who were pro-life, anti-abortion. They did it because they thought it was a pro-life position. They thought it was the only way they could go on and have further children.

KING: So you don't see "Roe v. Wade" in danger?

B. CLINTON: No, I do think it's in danger. But all I'm saying is I don't believe that this was a victory for the pro-life forces. I think -- you know, I think abortion is a difficult decision. I agree with the "Roe v. Wade" decision because I don't think we ought to criminalize this. I think it's somewhat hypocritical, frankly, to make the doctors criminals and leave the mothers off.

KING: It's two parts to the crime.

B. CLINTON: You can't go around saying, well, this is killing and then you have an essential accomplice here, the mother. The mother can't do this -- I mean, the doc can't do it without the mother. But we're not going to charge them, we're only going to charge the doctor.

So they know how hard this is. This is -- but as a political strategy for the anti-abortion movement, it's a great triumph. And they do -- they have put "Roe vote. Wade" at risk. I just don't agree with the decision. And I don't think it's pro-life.

I think that the -- I vetoed those bills because I thought that if they passed it would make it harder for women with problem pregnancies to have other children.
~~~~~~~~

If American Idol's Simon wants to roll his eyes about something, here would be a good place! I feel like starting a "NO MORE YEARS!" chant.

Big Week for Nigeria

I was reading the "Persecution News from Compass Direct" in the right-hand column of this blog and became interested in Nigeria. There a 13 year-old Christian boy was kidnapped by Muslims who intended to force him to convert to Islam, but he managed to escape after four months. He is now in hiding in another village. You can read his story here. (I know Christians have been accused of all sorts of evils by the naysayers, but have we ever tried the "kidnapping and forced conversion" thing?)

This week happens to be a big one for Nigeria, Africa's most populous country; national elections are Saturday. One Nigerian columnist begins his latest article this way: "The State election is over with its shortcomings, disqualifications, expulsions, abductions, kidnappings, arrests, killings, and assassinations, now Nigerians are ready for the big one this weekend." And guess who else is on the scene in Nigeria? An Islamist group called the Taliban! Yes, just Tuesday they are suspected to have been responsible for a gun attack that killed 21 policemen at a Kano police station. Long live the religion of peace! Not that I understand a thing about Nigerian politics (good grief, there are over 50 political parties!) but I will report here the results of the elections, which hopefully will be the first peaceful transition of presidential power in decades.

There's No Rhetoric Like Abortion Rhetoric

As you hear people discussing today's Supreme Court decision upholding the ban on partial birth abortion, you will hear things like "women's rights have been destroyed" and "this is the end of our constitution." When you hear these things, please keep in mind that they are upset about the banning of the "procedure" pictured below. They don't even like that it is called "partial birth abortion." Well, if they don't like that phrase, then why don't we just call it what it is--infanticide?!?! People need to know what this "procedure" is. Remember these images when you listen to them:

Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's leg with forceps to manually force a "breach" (feet first) birth.

The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.

The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head.

The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the hole...

The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed.

For the record here are some of the presidential candidates who support the legality and continuance of the above "procedure:"

John Edwards: On Wednesday, Edwards said he "could not disagree more strongly" with the high court’s decision. "The ban upheld by the Court is an ill-considered and sweeping prohibition that does not even take account for serious threats to the health of individual women. This hard right turn is a stark reminder of why Democrats cannot afford to lose the 2008 election."

Barack Obama: Illinois Sen. Barack Obama said the decision is a dramatic departure from precedents safeguarding women’s health. "I am extremely concerned that this ruling will embolden state legislatures to enact further measures to restrict a woman’s right to choose, and that the conservative Supreme Court justices will look for other opportunities to erode Roe v. Wade, which is established federal law and a matter of equal rights for women."

Mrs. Bill Clinton: Clinton said Wednesday’s ruling "blatantly defies" the high court’s decision in 2000 to strike down a state partial-birth abortion law because it failed to provide an exemption for a woman’s health. "As the Supreme Court recognized in Roe v. Wade in 1973, this issue is complex and highly personal; the rights and lives of women must be taken into account," she said. "It is precisely this erosion of our constitutional rights that I warned against when I opposed the nominations of Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito."

"Erosion of constitutional rights"? Does she mean the right to do the act in the pictures above? Don't fall for the rhetoric.

Top Website

According to a BBC story, the number one website in the world in terms of time per visit is not this blog (surprise!) but a fantasy role-playing game site called RuneScape. The average visit is 6 hours and 32 minutes! Those visitors have some serious time to waste. It does look like an interesting game that my kids would probably love in a few years. Try it out; you can play for free.

Save the Seals!

The Discovery Channel's Planet Earth is an amazing documentary (please note, Moore & Gore). Filmed over a five-year period in over 200 locations, it is absolutely stunning visually. There are the occasional attributions of divinity to evolution (aka "blind chance"), but it is well worth a look. An 11-part series with new episodes airing on Sunday evenings. Check it out!