"Pay ten grand for a table to hear a speech? What a load of crap. I think people stay home because that's the only way they feel they can be heard."

Actually I cannot afford to pay $10,000 to attend a speech (which is probably why I am not on someone's list); and if I am going to hear a speech, I don't expect to be heard.

Amy, what would you do if you weren't angry?  Let the anger go and do that.

Amy, what would you do if you weren't angry?  Whatever it is, when you are done being angry, do that.

Merina Smith:  #50 "I've always thought that Christianity is a big tent, in part through the different denominations."

I remember facing a minister (at a basketball court) who said pretty much the exact same thing you wrote.

When I was doing my four year search I discovered the humongous, differences within the big tent of Christendom and understood the reason why the Yellow Pages under Church are such a mish-mash of conflicting and competing ideas.

It was even evident to me when it appeared that we (Pentecostals and Protestants) had more in common with Unitarians and the Oneness people than we did with Catholics, who certainly believed in the Triune God, where the Unitarians and Oneness people did not.

It is not a tent, it is a series of competitions under different tents attempting to claim the same Thing, while proclaiming their uniqueness and openly justifying that uniqueness.

Father that they may be one in Me as I am in You has turned out to be one here, and one there, and another somewhere, else ad infinitum.  Who is the Truth and what did He say?

48 continued

The problem, evident to me early on, was the disparity of belief within Christendom.  Being joyful, which was consonant with Pentecostalism, I found a glitch that others noted: Sometimes people appeared to be faking it, including some evangelists who were peddling books.

A second issue appeared for me: The Word of God was being denied when He said something that we wanted to disagree with.   God had to be wrong in order for us to be right.  

I was struck that nowhere is God called "joy," but He calls Himself the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  If He is the Truth and we are denying what He is clearly saying, then the problem is not Him, it is me/us.

After a four year search, I poped.  It was and is wonderful.  I am graced to be a Catholic in the literal sense of being graced.  I am no longer my own pope, making decisions for which I was unqualified.  I look for the catechism and conform my beliefs to that document.

My reason is brought into play because I do defend the Church and the pro-life position and I need my faculties to do so.

If the move from a drug-ridden pasty atheist to a conversion is the request, that is how I got here.  The first part of my conversion was being freed from the need for drugs.  I used them like people use bread, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, in the evening, and if I got up in the middle of the night, perhaps even then.  Could not do with them, could not do without them.  A dependent one could say.

When the freedom came, I wondered Who had done this for me.  I actually did not know.  I started doing yoga, anticipating a trip to India to find some holy man and follow him around until he answered my question.  

I found a King James in bad repair, and repaired it.  I also began to read it and discovered the answer to the question: Who made me better?  It is impossible to be an atheist when God intervenes and then reveals Himself.

I did the quick thing, visiting some churches and determining that the joy of Pentecostalism was better than the dourness I found in some other places.  

continued

Theolonius: #19 "  Am I the only person who views texting as a frustrating and inefficent way of communicating with others?"

I don't but for a surprise reason: My wife does it all and I don't have to do any of it.  She likes it and I can safely ignore it.  When I am texted I give the phone to my wife who can see my lips move and then ignore me so she can goggle at the message.

T, if you have a wife, perhaps you can let her delegate this to herself, freeing you up for less frustrating and more efficient things, like talking maybe; or hiring a pilot to fly a short message over a football stadium.

MJBubba: #46 "I will post again on Young-Earth Creationism, because I think it is the height of foolishness for Republicans to be driving YECs away."

Since I am a conservative and not a Republican, I don't know what the height of foolishness is for Republicans anymore,  although I might consider the effort to marginalize the pro-life / social conservative part of Republicanism a bit more foolish than not being hot on the YEC position.  Considerably more voting bodies with the pro-life crowd than with the YEC crowd I think.

However, writing as a conservative, if you want to vote with me, I won't hold your Young Earth position against you.  Actually whether you vote with me or not, I don't care about the YEC position so you are good to go.

Joseph Paquette: #42 "Failure to go is giving a 1/2 vote for the liberal.  That's the greatest evil."

I voted.  I don't agree with your math however.  A vote not cast is a vote not cast.  It does not count for either candidate because neither candidate got that vote.

There are great evils about these days.  Not voting is not nearly the greatest evil that I can determine.

There is a difference between a family member and a slave.  

Indeed we do.  That makes it problematic for the West which seems ready to capitulate to a specific religion which holds other religions in utter contempt.  If they are given what they want, everyone else will be left holding the short straw.

Is Christianity equal to Islam in Saudi Arabia?  The Sudan?  In Egypt?  About anywhere in the Middle East except for Israel?

I believe about 80-percent of the Latinos voted for O, and 56-percent of the white Catholics voted for R.  The Latinos were voting for their racial identity, Hispanic, perceiving O to be more favorable to that position.

Joseph Paquette:  "I completely understand that the ‘lesser of two evils’ is not very high ground on which to stand"

First, I am an independent and former Republican who does not trust the Republicans to do the right thing (pun intended).  I am a conservative, moral, fiscal and pro-military.

Second, like you, I generally vote Republican, for the reason you noted: lesser of two evils.

Third, I am often offended by the offering of the Republicans, such as McCain who, rather than being even a Republican, was a maverick; or without failing to recognize his many good qualities, Romney who is a moderate.

I would like a genuine conservative and would note that Bachman, Newt and Santorum were all conservatives.  Newt got my vote in the primaries and would have had my enthusiasm in the general election.  I cannot say much about enthusiasm for the Republican who got my vote in the general election, except to say that he did get my vote.

I am told that Iowa and Colorado voted against Mormonism in the general election.  I don't live there.

Perhaps a charismatic conservative Republican whom the party apparatus does not impede would be the ticket?

flownover, good news.  If brevity is the soul of wit, I read your lead.  dt

I voted for her on the McCain/Palin ticket.  She was the only person worthy of my vote that year.  I would vote for her again without reserve and, speaking as an independent, I would probably even send her campaign money.

She hasn't lost any luster from where I sit.