Category: Story
Squanto’s Kindness
How can you not like the story of the Pilgrims? They came to America to find freedom, we remember. Religious freedom. They were Puritan “separatists,” believing that the True Church must separate itself from the corruptions of the world, in particular the Anglican church and its state-supported status as an established church. They were known as “non-conformists,” as in non-conformity with the state and with the book of Common Prayer as its guide. As in, “Hey, one of us needs to watch for the sheriff.” First they went to Holland, where there was greater religious freedom. Amsterdam was a bit … Continue reading Squanto’s Kindness
Revisiting the First Amendment
A book worth your time. I bought this book and read it as part of my preparation to teach my class on Religion and the First Amendment at Auburn University for the OLLI program (adult lifelong learning). We had 37 students, mostly retired professionals, former professors, religiously diverse, and a few “nones.” It was a great class, robust discussion, deep love for this country and worry about the blurred lines of the present. This book, along with several others by Jon Meacham, Edwin Gaustadt, John Fea and older work by Martin Marty, Sydney Ahlstrom and others, along with original works … Continue reading Revisiting the First Amendment
Whose House?
If Congress, representing us, voted for it, and we, through our taxes, paid for it, it would be fine. Presidents are renters. The House belongs to America, not the temporary occupant and his rich friends. He never asked us. They never stopped it. 49.8% in the popular vote was not an “overwhelming mandate.” Neither was a decisive electoral victory in a system overwhelmingly skewed to rural areas over the total populace. It was a four year rental agreement. That’s in the original ownership document. Of course, if the maintenance company we voted to hire to look after our considerable assets … Continue reading Whose House?
The Weak and the Strong
Worth pondering. Alexander Hamilton and James Madison told us to care for this beloved country and warned us about this moment. “Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been and ever will be pursued until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit. In a society under the forms of which the stronger faction can readily unite and oppress the weaker, anarchy may as truly be said to reign as in a state of nature, where the weaker individual is not secured against the violence of the stronger; … Continue reading The Weak and the Strong
The Flatpickin' Pilgrim's Progress 