Do We Take Faith for Granted?

Accept what Is,

let go of what was

and have faith in what will be.

What is religious persecution?  Many of us older folks have a pretty good grasp of it from learning world history in school.  If they taught unbiased world history now days, many young people would probably also know something about it.  We change history to fit whatever agenda is popular for the day, however.  

After a battle, the victor gets to write the history of it.  It is one reason why children, anywhere but in the southern U.S., have no clue what the Civil War was really about, and the atrocities that were visited upon the south by the north.  One hundred and fifty years later the south is finally rising from the ashes, due to northern immigration, but Mississippi remains the poorest state in the Union.  But still the majority has faith that what they are taught is the untainted truth, and politicians don't lie, and your doctor isn't "practicing" medicine.  It makes one wonder if our faith might be best left in a future context; "in what will be."

So, historical accuracy, the failing of our educational system, and my rambling all set aside, what do we really know about religious persecution?  And what does any of this have to do with faith?  Well, Wikipedia says this:

Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs or affiliations or lack thereof.

As I interpret this definition, atheists that constantly create legal issues and problems for Christians, and other faiths, are perpetrators of religious persecution.  By the same token, religions that make problems for atheists, not involved in religious persecution, would be guilty of the same persecution due to the atheist's "lack thereof."  I would be very interested to know if the atheists that visit these problems upon people of religious faith, understand they are participating in religious persecution of a group of people.  My interest would be in knowing how their sense of morality excuses their actions as being more righteous than that of a theist.

I have been fairly forgiving in the preceding paragraph for two reasons.  I have never heard of atheist groups causing problems for any other faith than Christianity, and I have never heard of any faith causing atheists issues unless the atheist cast the first stone.  It just seems like the League of the Perpetually Offended only has one religious target - Christianity.

The group, Open Doors, has been empowering persecuted Christians throughout the world for over sixty years.  They define Christian persecution this way:

Christian persecution is any hostility experienced from the world as a result of one's identification as a Christian.  From verbal harassment to hostile feelings, attitudes and actions, Christians in areas with severe religious restrictions pay a heavy price for their faith.

Think about this group, Open Doors, for a moment.  Prior to sixty years ago, Christian persecution was so bad they felt it necessary to create a group that is still actively empowering persecuted Christians to this day.  How much do you know about ongoing Christian persecution?  I knew very little until the recent Middle East unpleasantness, and then I researched this post.  I took my faith for granted.  I took it for granted until Islamic heretics in ISIS put children to death for not renouncing their Christian faith.  I took it for granted when Muslims were put to death by the same heretics for not renouncing their sect of Islam to follow radical Islam's heretical interpretation of the Qur'an.  When man blasphemes the word of God to fulfill their own sick agenda for power, we are truly entering the end of days.

Do you take your faith for granted? As yourself this question, "Could you give up your life for your faith?"  This is the question posed by historian Tim Stanley in his article of the same name that appeared in The Catholic Herald on December 9, 2014.  In the article he relates a story:

A family of missionaries are captured by the Communists in Africa, and the Reds say to the father: “If you deny the existence of God, we’ll let your wife and daughter go.” The father is about to renounce Jesus when his little girl takes his hand. “Don’t do it, Daddy,” she says. “Let’s die together as a family. We'll be lost in this life but saved in the next.”

 Accept what is, let go of what was and have faith in what will be.  One must never take faith for granted.  You can accept Christ without forsaking the rest of the world.  By the same token, one must not accept faith in lieu of a "God helps those that help themselves" philosophy.  There are those that say, "Well, God will help me."  Then they sit back and wait for that "help" to arrive.  But the mere term "helping" someone presupposes the person of need is working toward a goal and needs a leg up.  If you're just sitting there on your lazy ass waiting, what you're really saying is, "God, do for me!"  

If I were God, I'd answer, "Hold your breath.  I'll get back to you"

Just because I'm here for you all of the time,

doesn't mean you can take me for granted.

Another way of looking at faith is the "parachute" principle.  I have faith my parachute was packed correctly.  Do you really?  I think God will respect you more if you double check it, then check your buddy's as well, then have them recheck yours.  There is a thin line between bravery and stupidity.  I think that's kind of like faith.  God wants you to have faith that he gave you the intelligence and sense to learn how to pack a chute, and check it, prior to jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft.  I believe God is always on the lookout for ways to balance life and death.  Stupid people make this easy by taking faith for granted.  

Look at it from another direction.  George packs your chute in the hanger, it's George's job.  You like George, and trust him, with your life.  George got his "pink slip" this morning, and his wife just filed for divorce and took the kids.  Still trust George with your life?  Ignorance is bliss, right?  What you don't know can't hurt you?  What could go wrong?  How is your faith holding up now?  If you didn't have to take on the responsibility for your faith, faith would be tantamount to a crap shoot; having faith that you can do nothing for yourself and still make it through life.  "God, do for me!"  It sounds a bit demanding; saying volumes without uttering a word.

I'd rather ask God to help me make it through.  Grant me the strength to better myself.  Help me up when I fall, and help me stay the course.  

I was like this in the military.  I was always being put in for this award or that, and I was always runner up, because I didn't suck up.  I finally told everyone to stop putting me in for awards.  It meant more to me if they just gave me a pat on the back and said, good job, keep up the good work.  Everyone seems to get caught up in bragging rights, the benefits that are due them.  I just wanted to do the job.  I don't want God to do for me, as I don't consider myself greedy in the least, but I wouldn't mind a pat on the back occasionally, just to let me know I'm on the right path.  I am blessed that God does this daily.  Every morning I wake up and am treated to more proof.  I have faith that, through my efforts today, I will wake up tomorrow and enjoy more of God's miracle of life.  

I accept what is, have let go of what was, and I have faith, though honest effort, in what will be.  

This is faith.  I pray I never take it for granted.  

"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country.  He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." 

-- Gen. George S. Patton

My view on faith and religious persecution; I don't plan on ever being put in the position, by some religious heretic, some insane sociopath, to make a choice about my religion or my faith.  I will either make the other poor dumb bastard die, or I will die trying.  They can persecute me to death.  I have much faith that their efforts will go unrewarded.  But, to deny Christ?  I don't know, it would seem we Christians deny Him enough already by taking our faith in Him for granted.  I guess when it comes to someone dictating faith, religion, or my freedom, I would also choose to live free, or die trying.

I might be lost to this life, but I will be saved in the next.  I have faith.

Note from Pastor Tony, the founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance, as well as the author and editor of "The Path," the Congregation's official blogsite:  

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion.  It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other.  An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth.  After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human.  God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.
  

Frank Anthony Villari, Pastor

Another New Year's Resolution, Chubby?

"Girls of all kinds can be beautiful - from the thin, plus-sized, short, very tall, ebony to porcelain-skinned; the quirky, clumsy, shy, outgoing and all in between.  It's not easy though because many people still put beauty into a confining, narrow box.  Think outside the box.  Pledge that you will look in the mirror and find the unique beauty in you."

-- Tyra Banks, author, actress, model

Well ladies, and gentlemen, it is that time of the year again, and what are you going to do?  Have you put the scale in the closet for the holidays?  Thought about just leaving it there?  Looked in the mirror and walked away in frustration?  Hey, why not?  You keep trying and failing, right?  Seems only logical that you should give up on yourself after half assed attempts to do the "right thing" according to societal standards, right?

"I hate being overweight, because it implies there's a weight standard I should be adhering to."

-- Camryn Manheim, actress

A note before the men close this out.  This post is geared toward the ladies but, make no mistake, it is applicable to you men as well.  How you look and present yourself also has great bearing on how you view yourself and respect yourself and your significant other.  If you don't respect yourself how can you respect, or get respect in return, from someone else?  Men, pay attention!  Hell, here's a novel thought, you might just learn something.

I've written several posts on the subject of beauty.  The overrated concept we seem content to foster at the expense of our egos.  I met a few "fluffy" women recently that brought this whole subject back to the forefront.  I enjoyed meeting these women and we had great conversation that lasted several hours.  They were business women, wives and mothers, on a "girls night out," and all had several things in common.  They exuded self-confidence, dressed well, and carried their weight like well-bred southern ladies, which they were.  Halfway through our evening I found myself rereading my old postings in my head and promising another post prior to the coming New Year.  If you haven't had a chance to read them and would like to, I've included the links in order of their posting:

So Sexy Is In?

Eye of the Beholder

So Attractive Is In?

One of the ladies was a woman of color.  She reminded me of an actress I just love because she keeps it real - Queen Latifah.  Those that have followed her career have seen her ups and downs with weight.  Through it all she managed to stay Queen Latifah.  I catch her talk show, and reruns, whenever I come across it.  I always find her viewpoints very enlightening.  She says she often finds "it's just the confidence that makes you sexy, not what your body looks like.  It's how you feel about yourself that makes you sexy."  Well, she is right, as long as how you feel about yourself is positive.

First things first:  Gorging yourself on fried chicken is not okay.  If you have a weight issue, fine.  If diets don't work, fine.  But you need to, at the very least, be reasonable.  It isn't what you eat inasmuch as it is how much you eat.  Don't go back for seconds, put the Hawaiian roll down, and put a portion of greens on that plate.  You are not necessarily what you eat, but if you stand aside and watch you might agree you are necessarily how you eat.  Eat like a lady, look like a lady; eat like a cow... well, you get the point.

"We overweight people, we say terrible things to ourselves.  Oh, you wouldn't believe it.  'You fat pig.  How can you do this?  You're a disgusting jerk.'  And that gets you nowhere.  You're right back into a bowl of pasta fregula."

-- Richard Simmons, fitness personality, actor, former fat guy

So, now you don't look like a pig at a trough or a cow mowing the back forty.  It is time to work on self-image; to make a purse out of the proverbial sow's ear.  It is time for a bit of makeover.  Say what?  Yep.  Believe it or not, there is someone hiding in there that you probably haven't seen for quite a while, and the rest of us might not have ever seen - the wonderfully beautiful person hiding behind the fluffy, plain Jane, and you have no idea how easy it is to coax her out.  As someone once said, you have an hourglass figure, yours just contains more sand.

We are all adults so don't blame us for you.  We all know you've had kids and the boobs aren't what they once were.  We know you have the multi-kid, oatmeal textured belly that exercise just didn't cure.  We know you have scars, physical and mental.  Guess what?  Welcome to life!  Now that you've wrapped your mind around being one of us, go get a girlfriend and do something about that rat nest atop your head; cut it, color it, perm it, but do something with it that compliments your face.  Now put on a bit of makeup.  You don't have to go to the garage and get the plastering trowel and paint brush, we aren't after the clown in you so keep in mind that less really is more.  Remember, this is all about you.  Just a touch of eye makeup and lipstick might do wonders, but the focus is on you.

"If we focus on our health, including our inner health, our self-esteem, and how we look at ourselves and our confidence level, we'll tend to be healthier people anyway, we'll tend to make better choices for our lives, for our bodies, we'll always be trying to learn more, and get better as time goes on."

-- Dana Elaine Owens (Queen Latifah), actress, rapper, producer, songwriter, etc. 

 This is all about finally finding out who you are, where you've been hiding, and most importantly, answering the universal question, "Why?"  I found out fifteen years ago who I really was.  I came to grips with it confounded everybody around me with my excessive happiness.  I always keep the question in the front of my mind, "What is the alternative?"  Been there, done that, it did not end well and it could have ended much worse.  You live, and you learn.  By learning to love yourself, you put yourself in the shoes of your own worst critic.  Who do you want to be?  How do you want to look?  How do you want others to view you?  Is any of it important?  These are questions that define who we are and who we can become, if we care.

I have always taken pride in the way I look and how I present myself.  It is a family trait I learned from my father and we then passed on to my son.  It was never about other people, it was always about having pride in one's self.  That pride in self would bring the job opportunities, friends and significant others; the self-esteem of having succeeded in life.  I am now sixty-one years old and retired.  I get up each day, take a shower and put on clean, neat, clothes.  I keep my hair cut neatly, and shave prior to meeting the public.  What will it gain me at this point in life?  I look in the mirror before I go out into the world, and I smile.  "Watch out, world... here I come, again!

"If you asked me for my New Year Resolution, it would be to find out who I am."

-- Cyril Cusack (1910-1993), Irish actor

Next year be the fluffy woman that turns heads, even if it's just your husbands.  Get up off of the couch and turn off the TV.  Make yourself look nice each morning so you impress yourself.  Then, when you're ready to meet the new day, look at yourself in the mirror and exclaim for all to hear, "Watch out world!"

"Thin people are beautiful, 

but fat people are adorable."

-- John Herbert "Jackie" Gleason (1916-1987) actor, comedian, forever "The Great One"

Believe it or not things will always get better if you want them to.  You are not who you see, you are always who you want to be.  Be more, it is why God placed you here and gave you the gift of life.  Share your life and share yourself; to do less is just a waste of God's gift.

I wish for all of you the happiest of New Years!  God bless you and keep you always.

Note from Pastor Tony, the founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance, as well as the author and editor of "The Path," the Congregation's official blogsite:  

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion.  It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other.  An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth.  After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human.  God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.
  

Frank Anthony Villari, Pastor

Sunday Thought, December 28, 2014: Suicide Is Painless?

"If you're reading this...

congratulations, you're alive.

If thats not something to smile about,

then I don't know what is."

-- Anonymous

Unless you're in intense pain from dying anyway, suicide is the only chance in a lifetime where, if everything goes right, you have one, last, irrevocable opportunity to prove to everyone what you really think about yourself.

I have a better idea...  prove you wrong!

There is a statement I'm intimately familiar with.  I think many utter this statement before they really think through what they're doing.  They utter it to themselves as a definitive close to the heated discussion going on in their heads; a way to shut up the angel on this shoulder, and the little devil on the other.  It is a statement of finality, and purpose.  It is a declaration of who you are, and all you will ever be.  "I'll show them!"

This statement is usually punctuated with the snap of a rope, a gunshot, a clothed sack of unrecognizable meat hitting the pavement, and maybe lots of blood.  For an unfortunate few, there might be several seconds where they have an opportunity to think, "Oops!"

"That's the thing about suicide.  Try as you might to remember how a person has lived his life, you always end up thinking about how he ended it."

-- Anderson Cooper,  journalist

I give exception to the statement suicide makes about the person, for those dying of some disease that dictates they must endure, for no good reason, a death of a thousand razor cuts just to prove... what?  They are brave?  Show everyone how a real man dies in agony?  I do not think this is God's desire.  I think there is a bit of wiggle room in the suicide clause for going to heaven.

But, as for the rest, I'm sure they have asked themselves my favorite question and answered it in every fashion imaginable to give themselves the bullshit to justify, in their own minds, what they are about to do - "Why?"

"To run away from trouble is a form of cowardice and, while it is true that the suicide braves death, he does it not for some noble object but to escape some ill."

-- Aristotle (384-322 BC), Greek philosopher

Why have they driven me to this?  Why has she done this to me?  Why don't they like me?  Why am I gay?  Why am I short, tall, fat, skinny,  or homely?  Then there are the ones that really require serious therapy; why am I so attractive, so popular, so rich, so smart.  Suicide does not play favorites.  It does not just befall people that have nothing, it can also be the end all of those that have everything.

First thing you need to understand, for yourself, is why you feel anyone is responsible for your happiness except you.  You cannot blame anyone else, because no one will let you.  When you're dead you won't care that everyone sees through your bullshit reasoning, so don't let that worry you, really.  It makes so much sense to "off" yourself because people think you're a dumbass, when doing so simply proves to everyone they were right.  You were a dumbass.  Really?

Back to, no one is responsible for your happiness.  Therefore, why in God's good name do you give a rat's patoot what anyone thinks about you?  It is more import to determine why they think a particular way about you.  Is it a flaw with you or with them?  If it's with them then stand up for yourself, or find new people to be around.

Why is your spouse leaving you, is it because of you, or is it because of them?  If it's you, and changing won't save the marriage, then change for the next significant person in your life.  If it's your spouse, cut your losses and bail.  They are not responsible for your happiness, and you were never responsible for theirs.

To our gay youth, you have probably already asked the question, "Why am I gay?"  And, as it turns out, this may not be your fault.  It may not be anyone's fault.  We are beginning to recognize the many issues that may contribute to homosexuality; chemical, genetic, and others.  We are also recognizing this may not be something that has to be "cured."  Families are beginning to be more supportive and there are support groups to help you understand that which you may not.  You may need to come out into the open.  You need to actively seek support, love, understanding, tolerance, and maybe even help.  You are okay.  Sometimes its those around us that need help; the short sighted and small minded.  If you don't like being gay, change it.  If you can't, maybe that's okay too.

"I think what we have seen in terms of gay teenagers committing suicide because of bullying is anguishing.  I think young people, if they are feeling like they are confused, need to know there are people to talk to and there are places they can go and not feel alone.  But I feel that they have just as many rights as I do not to be bullied."

-- Kevin Spacey, actor

For those young people being bullied, go ask for help.  Believe it or not, most of the people around you are probably being bullied as well.  If they have posted compromising pictures of you on Facebook, well, personally I like to fight fire with fire.  Everyone has seen the pics anyway, blow the pictures up to poster size and post them in school with a caption that tat says, "Lowlife bullies, so-and-so, thought this was a mature thing to post of Facebook.  Let's tell them we don't think so."  Sooner or later you have to take a stand against bullies and it is usually something best not done alone.  Of course, this will result in you getting the crap beat out of you, so I would not advise it.  Just because I lose my mind and do something stupid doesn't mean you have to follow suit.  And, doing something stupid is what this is all about, isn't it?  "I'll show them!" 

Maybe you can "show them" by being better than they are.  Maybe, when you find out why you're contemplating suicide, you'll figure out it all boils down to bad decision making on your part; no one is responsible for you, except you.  Maybe, when you learn to understand the true why of things, you can rise from the ashes by acknowledging your destiny is in your hands, not the hands of others.  

If your spouse leaves you, be more than you were with her, then really piss her off and find someone better.  Don't rub their nose in it.  Vengeance is the Lord's purview, but sometimes you have to scratch that itch, just a little.  If it's a bully, sometimes standing up for yourself in front of everyone goes a long way to shutting up the lone wolf.  If you're gay, or different, define different.  We are all different, and being gay should not be a reason to be ostracized in this day and age.  Like racism it is perpetuated by the fearful and small minded.  They attack because they are not intelligent enough to discuss.  They judge because they must show themselves superior and, in doing so, they show their own bigoted ignorance.

For those contemplating suicide, I can only tell you what I feel.  The ones you will hurt most, other than yourself, will be the innocent.  Your moment of darkness, for them, will be a lifetime of hurt, and maybe even guilt, for something they were not responsible for - your happiness.  Those you intend to hurt probably won't.  If they didn't gave a shit that you lived, what makes you think they'd care if you died?  You're not responsible for their happiness any more than they are yours.  Do yourself a favor, do some soul searching and then go find people that really care.  If you can get through this, you will have something marvelous to share - stories of life, love, and hope.

When you put the gun in your mouth, take a moment and think.  Before you pull the trigger, think.  Don't try to talk, because with a gun barrel in your mouth you'll just sound silly.  No, just put the tip of your tongue in the barrel, and think, "Why in God's name am I doing this?"  Is it really worth it, and who are you really hurting?  You might also want to consider developing a sense of humor, which might have prevented all of this to begin with.  Learn to laugh at yourself and life.  What's the alternative?

"Suicide is not a remedy."

--James A. Garfield (1831-1881), 20th U.S. President

The sign the girl is holding in the opening photo, echoes the sentiment of James Garfield, "Suicide does not end the chances of life getting worse; suicide eliminates the possibility of it ever getting better." Life will always get better as long as you take responsibility for it, even if its just the ability to say, "You're not the boss of me!" Responsibility for your own life is a gift from God. Don't ever let anybody take that responsibility from you, don't give it away, and don't waste it. Your life is a precious thing and, although you may not understand this now, the value of your life to someone will become evident in due time. Until then, stand up and take control of your happiness.

Tomorrow is a new day.

Note from Pastor Tony, the founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance, as well as the author and editor of "The Path," the Congregation's official blogsite:  

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion.  It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other.  An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth.  After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human.  God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.
  

Frank Anthony Villari, Pastor

The "Autumn" of the Christ

Note:  Let's try this again.  I originally published this, on December 21, under the title "The "Fall" of the Christ" which probably was misunderstood as having a negative connotation.  This has to do with seasons, not reasons; my apologies to those readers keeping me honest.

Since Elizabeth (John's mother) was in her sixth month of pregnancy when Jesus was conceived (Luke:1:24-36), we can determine the approximate time of year Jesus was born if we know when John was born. John's father, Zacharias, was a priest serving in the Jerusalem temple during the course of Abijah (Luke:1:5). Historical calculations indicate this course of service corresponded to June 13-19 in that year ( The Companion Bible , 1974, Appendix 179, p. 200).

It was during this time of temple service that Zacharias learned that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a child (Luke:1:8-13). After he completed his service and traveled home, Elizabeth conceived (Luke:1:23-24). Assuming John's conception took place near the end of June, adding nine months brings us to the end of March as the most likely time for John's birth. Adding another six months (the difference in ages between John and Jesus (Luke:1:35-36)) brings us to the end of September as the likely time of Jesus' birth.

United Church of God, "When Was Jesus Christ Born?" 

The dates are all over the map, but the best argument I have heard is in favor of the end of September.  Planetary alignments have been suggested for the "star" seen in the heaven in late winter to early spring and, allowing for the camel as mode of transportation and assuming any angelic message to shepherds and magi would allow for the time required to travel by this mode in order to arrive at the birth, this might confirm the other biblical evidence which points to the end of September and the beginning of fall; the Autumnal equinox.

But what do we consider life?  This is a debate consuming our morality today.  We have known for years that nine months is an average for carrying a child to term, but it can be more, or less.  I ask myself, why would a miraculous birth take full time?  Why not six or seven months?  Why not three?  Why not at the moment of conception?

I have always considered the argument of a "definition of life" to be fairly ridiculous.  This is where "intelligent" people lose credibility.  Life is what life is.  If we consider this to be true, Mary may have delivered during the autumnal equinox, but the birth would have occurred at conception during the vernal or Easter equinox.  Now this is where I want to play with your mind a bit.  Wouldn't it be just like God to make sure everything was perfect?  Christ would be conceived during the same equinox as His death; alpha and omega, both the beginning and the end.  But, is this really important, other than to quench man's insatiable curiosity?  Maybe.

For many, faith is enough.  For others, each piece of a puzzle clarifies the whole.  I have always said that science will never disprove God; science will continue to clarify our knowledge of God, what God means to all of us, and possibly what God really is.  Is God a supreme being, or a supreme power, both, or neither?  I think, sooner or later, science may provide a closer answer of proof more than one of disproof.  It may disprove what we assume now, but it just may prove what we don't yet know.

The information surrounding the birth of Christ, and other events in spiritual and religious scripture, are pieces to this greater puzzle that is the basis for much faith in our world.

Yeah, not what you thought this post was all about, huh?  Psych!



Note from Pastor Tony, the founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance, as well as the author and editor of "The Path," the Congregation's official blogsite:  

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion.  It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other.  An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth.  After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human.  God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.
  

Frank Anthony Villari, Pastor

Pope Francis: Like a Bull into 2015

Pope Francis I

A Short Reading Assignment: 

Vatican Brass Diseased

I hope you took the time to follow the link above and read the one page article from the National Catholic Reporter.  Everyone that follows my blog should know how much I love Pope Francis!  You just have to love this guy!  He doesn't pull many punches and he loves to stick to his own Vatican for their shortcomings.  I'm not crazy about leaders for life, but in the case of Pope Francis, this could be a hoot!

Terms like "spiritual Alzheimer's" and "existential schizophrenia" make one wonder if he stays up at night thinking of the zingers, or if it just rolls off his tongue during the emotion of the moment.  And I have to laugh when I think of Francis doing a collective Vatican ass chewing and then wishing the all a "Happy Christmas" while telling them to go with God and develop a sense of humor.  My man!

However, reading the article sparked another, deeper, thought.  Hasn't this been the Vatican since almost the time of its inception?  When you look at what Francis is charging them with today, it seems historically like the Vatican as usual.  I ask that you remember his comments and think back to the Council of Nicaea and choosing the books for the Bible.  I have written many posts questioning not only the origin of these works, but any changes that have been made over two thousand years of personal, political, and religious agendas that were insinuated into the pages.

With all that must have gone down in this meeting, and the pope's sense of humor being well evidenced, one wonders why he didn't quote Uncle Ben in the movie "Spiderman," or, more correctly, Voltaire, the witty French Enlightenment writer who was known for his verbal and written displeasure with the Catholic Church, to wit:

"With great power comes great responsibility."

--Francois-Marie Arouet, a.k.a. Voltaire (1694-1778), writer, historian, philosopher

 Not being familiar with the works of Voltaire, I can only wonder if this biting comment weren't aimed directly at the Church.  Well, the Church or the king, after all, Louis XVI came to power in 1774, a reign that eventually led to the French Revolution and his inevitable, intimate date with "Madame la Guillotine" in late January of 1793.  I'll let you choose.

Anyway, if this meeting is any indication, I'd say Pope Francis is making a statement to the Vatican hierarchy that he isn't slowing down in 2015.  I think he'll be a raging bull "tiptoeing" through the Catholic china shop, personnel roster in hand, with all of the Cardinals biting their fingernails.  

Pity the fool who sneezes. 

Note from Pastor Tony, the founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance, as well as the author and editor of "The Path," the Congregation's official blogsite:  

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion.  It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other.  An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth.  After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human.  God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.
  

Frank Anthony Villari, Pastor

When Enough Is Enough

jackass
Noun (plural jackasses)
1.  A male donkey.
2.  A foolish or stupid person.
3. An inappropriately rude or obnoxious person.

When do you determine that your conversation has turned into a "braying contest with a jackass" and you would be well-served to step aside?  This was a question put to me recently, my own fault really, as I use the adage occasionally in my posts. I first heard it from an uncle in Mississippi that said a close member of his family use to say, "Never get into a braying contest with a jackass."  I have found there to be much truth behind it.  Yes, much truth.

Now, one's first thought might be that it would be easy to take down a jackass in a discussion. And that would seem reasonable, if jackasses weren't stubborn as all get-out. More likely what will happen is, everybody else will only see two jackasses trying to "outbray" each other. "Hee haw!"

For me, stepping aside is a difficult concept.

As a small kid, my entire young life was spent being bullied. In high school I decided running from bullies was not a sustainable option, and turning to fight was going to be a one-way ass whipping. As mom had already determined my smart mouth would someday be my downfall, I opted to turn the tables on the bullies. I actively sought out bullies picking on the weak and put my mouth into overtime taunting them and ridiculing them for being less than men for doing what they do. This was particularly effective when their girlfriends were around. Of course, mom was right; I got the inevitable ass whipping until I found I could run faster than the large moron chasing me.  I hate being right all the time... running was not a sustainable option.

I finally just told them, if they wanted to hit someone smaller than they were, start with me and let's see how big of a man your friends really think you are.  It only took half an ass whipping for them to figure out I was gaming them and, in my own masochistic way, winning.  They would walk away less of a man for their effort, and I would eventually get up off the ground to lick my wounds and consider less painful routes of confrontation.

At sixty, I'm tired of the confrontation; tired of getting into the braying contests. I am content to state my thought and intelligently discuss it, but I'm too tired to argue with foolish, stupid, people. I guess I've finally grown up at sixty. But, when do you determine your conversation has gone south prior to turning into the braying contest?

Jackasses are inappropriately rude and obnoxious. It is one thing to state a negative comment in general terms. "Most young people are ignorant," is significantly different than, "You are ignorant." "Democrat leadership tends to foster socialist philosophy," is much different that "You're a democrat, therefore you're a socialist." Not all democrats are socialists, not all republicans are capitalist war mongers, and not all young people are ignorant. I have learned that people tend to speak in general terms without thinking. I do this quite often. I will discuss democrats, for instance, in the context of the leadership, not the constituents. I make an assumption, after my career in Intelligence, that those I'm speaking with understand the context. This is my mistake. You should always consider your audience and never assume they understand anything. Even a PhD can miss the forest for the trees. Intelligence, a high IQ, is no guarantee of having the sense God gave a goat.

Watch for the conversation to turn inappropriately confrontational or threatening. I have found that, more times than not, long-winded responses can be your first clue. A concise, constructive comment that is well thought out takes a few lines to state. An angry, offended person starts off by calling you a name or demeaning your ancestry, or your mother, before launching into a tirade not worth listening to. If it isn't worthy of listening to, it isn't worthy of a response. I find the best response to a jackass is to ignore them. Eventually they fade away.

Sometimes people are better left in God's hands than in yours, or their own. Discretion is oft times the better part of valor. Walk away for another day, especially if you're discussing faith, God, religion, or politics. Wish them the best, thank them for their comment, bless them, and do not respond further. The latter is the toughest to do. You will know you were right in stepping aside when the other party tries to bait you back in with another confrontational, rude, or obnoxious comment. I find it is best just to delete them and walk away. If everyone were to practice this, sooner or later, assuming a modicum of intelligence, the individual might just get the hint that they are a fighting force of one.

'Is it possible, gossip, that it was not my ass that brayed?' 'No, it was I,' said the other. 'Well then, I can tell you, gossip,' said the ass's owner, 'that between you and an ass there is not an atom of difference as far as braying goes, for I never in all my life saw or heard anything more natural.'

-- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, "The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha

Note from Pastor Tony, the founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance, as well as the author and editor of "The Path," the Congregation's official blogsite:  

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion.  It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other.  An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth.  After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human.  God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.
  

Frank Anthony Villari, Pastor

Sunday Thought, December 21, 2014: Christmas and the "Fall" of the Christ?

Since Elizabeth (John's mother) was in her sixth month of pregnancy when Jesus was conceived (Luke:1:24-36), we can determine the approximate time of year Jesus was born if we know when John was born. John's father, Zacharias, was a priest serving in the Jerusalem temple during the course of Abijah (Luke:1:5). Historical calculations indicate this course of service corresponded to June 13-19 in that year ( The Companion Bible , 1974, Appendix 179, p. 200).

It was during this time of temple service that Zacharias learned that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a child (Luke:1:8-13). After he completed his service and traveled home, Elizabeth conceived (Luke:1:23-24). Assuming John's conception took place near the end of June, adding nine months brings us to the end of March as the most likely time for John's birth. Adding another six months (the difference in ages between John and Jesus (Luke:1:35-36)) brings us to the end of September as the likely time of Jesus' birth.

United Church of God, "When Was Jesus Christ Born?" 

The dates are all over the map, but the best argument I have heard is in favor of the end of September.  Planetary alignments have been suggested for the "star" seen in the heaven in late winter to early spring and, allowing for the camel as mode of transportation and assuming any angelic message to shepherds and magi would allow for the time required to travel by this mode in order to arrive at the birth, this might confirm the other biblical evidence which points to the end of September and the beginning of fall; the Autumnal equinox.

But what do we consider life?  This is a debate consuming our morality today.  We have known for years that nine months is an average for carrying a child to term, but it can be more, or less.  I ask myself, why would a miraculous birth take full time?  Why not six or seven months?  Why not three?  Why not at the moment of conception?

I have always considered the argument of a "definition of life" to be fairly ridiculous.  This is where "intelligent" people lose credibility.  Life is what life is.  If we consider this to be true, Mary may have delivered during the autumnal equinox, but the birth would have occurred at conception during the vernal or Easter equinox.  Now this is where I want to play with your mind a bit.  Wouldn't it be just like God to make sure everything was perfect?  Christ would be conceived during the same equinox as His death; alpha and omega, both the beginning and the end.  But, is this really important, other than to quench man's insatiable curiosity?  Maybe.

For many, faith is enough.  For others, each piece of a puzzle clarifies the whole.  I have always said that science will never disprove God; science will continue to clarify our knowledge of God, what God means to all of us, and possibly what God really is.  Is God a supreme being, or a supreme power, both, or neither?  I think, sooner or later, science may provide a closer answer of proof more than one of disproof.  It may disprove what we assume now, but it just may prove what we don't yet know.

The information surrounding the birth of Christ, and other events in spiritual and religious scripture, are pieces to this greater puzzle that is the basis for much faith in our world.

Yeah, not what you thought this post was all about, huh?  Psych!



Note from Pastor Tony, the founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance, as well as the author and editor of "The Path," the Congregation's official blogsite:  

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion.  It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other.  An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth.  After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human.  God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.
  

Frank Anthony Villari, Pastor

A Christmas Reminder - The Curse of Ignorance and Want

"At this festive season of the year, Mr. Scrooge," said the gentleman, taking up a pen, "it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and Destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time.  Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir."

Not much has changed since the London of Charles Dickens, December 19, 1843, when he was forced to self-publish A Christmas Carol.  His novella was a statement on the times in this city during a period witnessing the birth of an industrial revolution.  As with any revolution this one was not without victims, in this case he noted the dire effects it was visiting upon children of the poor.

There are still poor that suffer greatly; still in want of common necessaries and common comforts.  I think the two most obvious differences are that the hundreds of thousands are now, also, in the United States, and our government uses our taxes to encourage these poor to never look for honest work.  It is a lifestyle that is passed down from one generation to the next like a gift that just keeps on giving; a free ride on the merry go round that never stops.

There are still poor that suffer greatly, in want of common necessaries and common comforts.  I think the two most obvious differences are that the hundreds of thousands are now, also, in the United States; our government uses our taxes to encourage them to never look for honest work.  It makes one consider if Scrooge isn't correct in his own assessment.

"Are there no prisons?" asked Scrooge.

"Plenty of prisons," said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.

"And the Union workhouses?"  demanded Scrooge.  "Are they still in operation?"

"They are.  Still," returned the gentleman, "I wish I could say they were not."

"The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?"  said Scrooge.

"Both very busy, sir."

"Oh!  I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course," said Scrooge.  "I'm very glad to hear it."

"Under the impression that they scarcely furnish Christian cheer of mind or body to the multitude," returned the gentleman, "a few of us are endeavouring to raise a fund to buy the Poor some meat and drink and means of warmth.  We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices.  What shall I put you down for?"

Yes, this is that time of year when all of the bleeding hearts organizations try to insert their hands deep into the hidden recesses of your pockets looking for that odd penny or so; the incessant phone calls and mail boxes full of recyclable charity flyers ever hoping to entice you to fall for the oft recommended $5, $10, $15, or $20 donation.  And don't forget, you may now give monthly if you allow them to rip it from your greedy grasp through credit card or automatic withdrawal.

"Nothing!" Scrooge replied.

"You wish to be anonymous?"

"I wish to be left alone," said Scrooge.  "Since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen, that is my answer.  I don't make merry myself at Christmas and I can't afford to make idle people merry.  I help to support the establishments I have mentioned -- they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there."

"Many can't go there; and many would rather die."

And so Scrooge has unwittingly steered the conversation to the comment that will haunt him.  It is a comment quite a few make under their breath, hoping no one hears.  It is a comment that is ill suited for our nation today, as there is no fear of welfare recipients dying anytime soon.  Welfare pays better than some jobs, and those that have a job keep it due the pride having a job brings.  They are still poor, but they are working.  The comment, however, is ill-suited for any robust nation.

"If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.  Besides -- excuse me -- I don't know that."

"But you might know it," observed the gentleman.

"It's not my business," Scrooge returned.  "It's enough for a man to understand his own business, and not to interfere with other people's.  Mine occupies me constantly.  Good afternoon, gentlemen!"

Seeing clearly that it would be useless to pursue their point, the gentlemen withdrew.

"If they would rather die they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."   This would seem a pointed opinion; a sharp retort and biting commentary from someone that knows hard work, the value of his money.  Commentary from someone that has never slept on the streets or eaten discarded food out of a restaurant dumpster.  This from a bitter man that, in all ignorance, never thought once of working a soup kitchen or handing out food and blankets on the street to those wanting for sustenance and warmth.

It has been said of the times that [carnal activity] was the only affordable pleasure for the poor; the result was thousands of children living in unimaginable poverty, filth, and disease. 

In 1839 it was estimated that nearly half of all funerals in London were for children under the age of ten. Those who survived grew up without education or resource and virtually no chance to escape the cycle of poverty.

David Perdue's Charles Dickens Page 

Children are the real victims of this ignorance.  It seems like this too has not changed since the time of Dickens.  The poor in this country seem rife with fatherless homes and children without guidance.  Schools in these inner-city neighborhoods are jokes and offer no escape from poverty and circumstance for the majority of young.  They are the truly helpless that are left wanting and at peril of abuse from predatory animals and gangs on the street; becoming one of these seems the only path to survival, yet it most certainly leads to early death for many.  For these children, Dickens' quote becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  "If they would rather die they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population." 

His comments come back to haunt him and lead to a warning for us, as well.

From the foldings of its robe, it brought two children; wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable. They knelt down at its feet, and clung upon the outside of its garment.

"Oh, Man. look here. Look, look, down here." exclaimed the Ghost. 

They were a boy and a girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish; but prostrate, too, in their humility. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out, and touched them with its freshest tints, a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them, and pulled them into shreds. Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing. No change, no degradation, no perversion of humanity, in any grade, through all the mysteries of wonderful creation, has monsters half so horrible and dread. 

Scrooge started back, appalled. Having them shown to him in this way, he tried to say they were fine children, but the words choked themselves, rather than be parties to a lie of such enormous magnitude. 

"Spirit. are they yours." Scrooge could say no more. 

"They are Man's," said the Spirit, looking down upon them. "And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Deny it." cried the Spirit, stretching out its hand towards the city. "Slander those who tell it ye. Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse. And abide the end."  

"Have they no refuge or resource." cried Scrooge.

 

"Are there no prisons." said the Spirit, turning on him

for the last time with his own words. "Are there no workhouses."

We have a subculture of entitlement in this country which we have nurtured until they outnumber those that can provide.  We seek to blame those that take advantage of what is offered.  Why are we blaming those for whom we create the programs to assist?  Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, but he will be back with his hand out tomorrow because the fish is free!  Who can truly fault them?  We seek to shift the blame to them because the true perpetrators of this nightmare - is us.  We give incentives for people not to find jobs, and we even give incentives and bonuses for directors of these entitlement programs to bring more people onboard.  Don't look for work!  Come get the freebies, so I can get my bonus!  We have even sent all of the menial labor jobs overseas just to ensure we have a robust supply of poor to dust off and parade out at Christmas time and during elections.

We created the poor among us, and then we ignore them, and why not?  We pay for the right, don't we?  But these people really aren't poor; they are what they want to be.  They are, for the most part, working the system, and they are content to go on doing so.  So, suck it up, and quit complaining about them, we developed the program, coaxed them onboard, nurtured them to stay, and allow the insanity of it to continue feeding on itself until it implodes.

But, what if we didn't?  What if we said enough is enough and stopped the welfare, for all but the truly mentally and physically handicapped?  What then?  Well, all the jobs are overseas.  If a man wants to cut your lawn and gets injured, he owns your house.  Part time work around the house becomes an insurance nightmare for a homeowner.  Comprehensive changes will need to be made so the work program can be robust enough to involve all citizens at all levels.  The outsourced overseas jobs will all have to come home and, as in Mexico, if a citizen is available for the job they get first dibs on it.  If you want to work and live in Mexico, you better bring a job they need, don't have, and one no one there can do, or you will find yourself in court for taking jobs from Mexicans.

We have a country full of poor that are capable of work and yet we demand nothing of them.  We have a percentage of these poor that would love to work but cannot; there are no jobs for them.  And we have another percentage that has dropped through the cracks; these homeless men and women who sleep in their cars or in the woods, and under bridges and overpasses.  You can see their blue poly-tarp tents along Interstate 5 as you enter Seattle and other large cities in America.  For the most part these are the handicapped, elderly, or mentally infirm that can no longer hold down a job, or never have.  We have determined they are not bad off enough to be institutionalized; unfortunately they are bad off enough to be unemployable. These are our country's cast offs.  We have thrown them out with the garbage and forgotten them.  The last percentage are the homeless families, the parents with no address to offer when applying for work, hence no job.  And swirling around the periphery of all this, ever tugging at our heartstrings, are the innocent children. 

"And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Deny it."

Can we deny the innocent?  We grind our teeth and scream foul when ISIS cuts a child in half, and yet we have children in our own country that walk a fine line between health and malady.  We have other children alone on the streets, many of their own accord, and just as many for reason and cause.  They scream that they don't want us.  Every time they are raped, molested, mugged, or shoot up, they scream they don't want us.  They are screaming because need us.  They need us to want them.  Many have never enjoyed the feeling of being wanted, or are too young to understand the trials and tribulations of their parents, whom they blame for everything, including their birth.  But they need us.  

Can we deny them?  We do it every day on the street.  "Deny it."

"Spirit!'' he cried, tight clutching at its robe, "Hear me! I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse. Why show me this, if I am past all hope?'' 

For the first time the hand appeared to shake.

"Good Spirit,'' he pursued, as down upon the ground he fell before it: "Your nature intercedes for me, and pities me. Assure me that I yet may change these shadows you have shown me, by an altered life!''

The kind hand trembled.

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone!''

In his agony, he caught the spectral hand. It sought to free itself, but he was strong in his entreaty, and detained it. The Spirit, stronger yet, repulsed him.

 Are the poor tolling the bells of our doom?  Have we, by accident or design, brought about the beginning of our own fall from grace; the decline and fall of our own empire; the destruction of our own Sodom and Gomorrah?  If we recognize the issues and take steps to correct it, are we past all hope?

Scrooge is very much like all of us - thick.  With all he has learned from the spirits through this night, he has one more lesson to learn, as his greed speaks to when he asks the spirit to, "Assure me..."  And, with that, he experiences a much overdue epiphany.

How we feel about the poor is of little consequence.  Like Jacob Marley, we too are captive, bound, and double ironed by the chain we forge in life, and one of those heavy iron links are the poor.  We drag ours behind us for allowing the strife to continue, the poor drag theirs for the same reason.

The poor will be with us always.  What we do about the poor is the question that should preoccupy our every waking moment, because there, but for the grace of God, goes us.  Scrooge made his pact to be more than he has been, in his heart, and, in doing so, will make a difference in at least one family's life, if not two.

I will be bringing food to the local church again for Christmas, assisting them in feeding those that have little, especially the children.  I will endeavor to make some small donation each month, as I can, and to volunteer in the kitchen as I have been invited to do.

Do not let ignorance and want define us as a people, as a nation.  We can all start by finding some small way to end the hunger and the homelessness in our country.  We can start there, then move on to bringing the jobs back to where they are needed so we can allow those that want to, to be proud, working citizens, once more.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Excerpts are provided with many thanks to Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870), from his classic novella, A Christmas Carol (1843).  It ranks as one of my favorite of Christmas stories seconded only by the black & white film, Miracle of 34th Street (1947).  I have tried to keep Christmas through an annual reading of this timeless classic, though relegated, of late, to doing so via internet.  My search for a nicely bound volume, suitable to replace my lost tome, has yielded no joy as yet.  I continue my search.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Note from Pastor Tony, the founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance, as well as the author and editor of "The Path," the Congregation's official blogsite:  

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion.  It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other.  An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth.  After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human.  God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.
  

Frank Anthony Villari, Pastor