Some Men Think...

Some men think they have the right to force themselves into a woman and make her accept their sperm. We call them rapists when they get convicted, which isn’t very often. Usually the woman is called a whore or a slut, and she is deemed to have asked for it because she was wearing the wrong clothes or walking in the wrong place.

Some men think they have the right to ban birth control to all women and force them to get pregnant. We call them Catholics or fundamentalist Christians. They believe a woman should be forced to carry their progeny against her will. This is the second stage of rape.

Some men think they have the right to use the power of government to prevent any woman from having an abortion. We call them Conservative Republicans. They believe all women should be required to carry an embryo or fetus to term and give birth to the man’s child, whether she wants that or not. 

Some men think they have the right to legalize physical rape with a medical ultrasonic probe to display the fetus to a woman and thereby shame her into giving birth to the child the man wants.

Some men think they have the right to mentally, verbally and physically abuse a woman because the Bible says the woman must be subservient to the man.

However, I think:

No man has the right to force a woman to submit to sexual intercourse, to force a woman to become pregnant, or to force her to give birth.

A woman will never be truly liberated until no man has the right to make her personal decisions for her, ever.

The Story of Jim McQueen

The Story of Jim McQueen

In just three more years this story will be fifty years old. Most of the principle characters have left this life and won’t mind if I use their names. Those who still live aren’t going to read this anyway, probably.

By the time I was drafted into the US Army in 1965, I was already experienced in auto mechanics, especially carburetors, since (thanks to my cousin Jim Russell) I had worked for months on a carburetor rebuild assembly line near San Jose, California. 

As soon as I finished Basic Training, I was assigned to the 185th Engineer Company HM as a Fuel and Electrical Specialist (MOS 63 Golf). Military types will know what I’m talking about--the rest of you will have to pick it up on your own. There isn’t enough space here to explain all the military abbreviations.

This Engineer unit was set up to overhaul vehicles for the Army. Jeeps, trucks, tanks, etc including engines, transmissions, and accessories. In our shop in Granite City, Illinois, we had separate assembly lines for teardown, cleaning, repairing, assembling, and testing. I was immediately assigned to a Clayton 250 dynamometer when the shop officer found out I had run one before. He had three dynos and only one person qualified to run one. I was a buck Private, and I was given a Specialist 4th Class for my assistant. 

The Spec 4 wasn’t too happy being assigned to a Private as an assistant, but I pointed out that there was one more dyno needing an operator, and if he stuck with me for a while, I could get him qualified for his own machine, which is how it worked out in a few weeks.

We tested mostly six cylinder 82 HP Dodge engines for 3/4 ton weapons carriers, but sometimes we would do a tank engine just to see if we could. The dynos were rated for 250 HP and an M-60 tank engine (air-cooled V12 cylinder diesels) put out around 1200 HP. So we could test them at partial throttle only. Basically we just made sure they had oil pressure and didn’t make any unusual noises.

I was at Granite City Army Depot from June of 1965 to September of that year. Across the Mississippi River in St. Louis they were building the stainless steel arch. They were working up from both sides with a bridge connecting the two pillars until they met at the top. But we never got to stay for the finish.

We got orders in September that the whole company was being shipped overseas. The destination was a secret, but we all knew that President Johnson was sending many thousands of Marines, soldiers and sailors to Vietnam as he prepared to widen the war effort there. Our company, with all of our equipment, was loaded onto a special train in downtown St. Louis to travel across country to Oakland, California, to board a troop ship headed west across the Pacific ocean.

When I realized that I was on the Santa Fe tracks, I wrote a note to my mother and another to my girlfriend, taped them to a brand new can of shaving cream, and threw it across the road into my mother’s yard at 1430 E. Santa Fe Dr. in Merced, CA, at about 10:00 PM as the train flew by.

Before we go to sea, though, let me introduce you to my friend, Jim McQueen. I met him on a lazy Sunday afternoon as he had just been assigned to the company. He was about 6’ 8” tall, wore size 14 boots, he was very black, and had been a star wrestler in High School. After introductions, we found out he had joined for the training in mechanics school and had just finished training in Fuel and Electric Repairman. I welcomed him and told him we would be working together in the shop.

Somebody challenged him to a wrestling match, so some blankets were tossed on the floor, and he was soon winning against all comers. I sat back and watched, realizing that he was using his strength to overcome his opponents and not technical skills. He was tiring visibly, so after several others had lost, I got in line to try my chances. It was actually a close match, and nobody was gaining until finally Jim ran out of wind and I was able to pin him with one arm held down by my legs and the other stretched out by my arms. His arm span wasn’t much less than my total height. We became good friends after that. I promised him a rematch someday when he was fresh, but we never got around to it.

The train pulled up next to the troopship on the dock at Oakland Army Terminal, and we marched off the train, across the dock, and onto the USS Gen. J. C. Breckenridge. The ship had been used in the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, and now had been taken out of mothballs for the Vietnam War. The ship belonged to the US Army, but was operated by a US Navy crew of about 27 sailors. As we went under the Golden Gate Bridge at dawn there were about 5000 soldiers and Marines onboard the 600 ft. ship. Every square inch was occupied, including the brig, and we were told that anybody causing trouble would be thrown overboard. I think they meant it!

The cruise took two weeks, most of it pure boredom, except for a storm near Midway where we were all put below decks, with the propellers coming out of the water on the swells and rattling the whole ship. 

Also somewhere halfway across, all our orders were opened, and we found out we were headed for Okinawa--at least the 185th Engr. Co. On the ship as a whole, 3000 got orders to Vietnam, and 2000 to Okinawa or the Philippines. Those going into combat areas got their white socks and skivvies changed to OD, and their gold brass and insignia changed to black.

The ship docked at Naha harbor and we marched off the ship, across the Navy Base and near the front gate we were loaded onto buses. We were unloaded right in front of our barracks at Machinato, an airfield for the Japanese in WWII, but converted into a maintenance base. It had been unused since the Korean War, but we got to cut off the locks and seals and open it back up. 

We soon had our equipment moved into the large hangers, and were rebuilding and testing engines again. I was taken off dynos and put on a carburetor test engine, to check and adjust the carburetors as they were rebuilt. We had two engines for test beds--one a large Chrome-Moly GM truck engine for big carburetors, and a smaller six cylinder engine for little carburetors. The officers were talking about getting separate engines for every type of carburetor and when I overheard the conversation, I asked why we don’t use adapter manifolds for the engines we have.

They said they didn’t have any and didn’t know where to get any, so I offered to draw up plans that the machine shop could use to make some for us. I drew up three different manifold plans--one four barrel to two barrel, one two barrel to single barrel, and one with a 90° bend for the side draft M-151 Jeep carburetors. My one year of Mechanical Engineering at Walla Walla College finally got put to use!

The machine shop cut and welded these adapters together, and we could test any carburetor the Army had on just our two engines. They gave me a Zero Defect award for the idea. I still have the Zero Defect Certificate with my middle initial wrong! Oh, well, that’s the Army way!

Our shop was a cozy little family for about a year, with a lot of respect for each other and our various skills. Then came COSTAR.

Some time in 1966, someone in the Army had the bright idea of having the shops become the company unit. One the surface it seems like it might work, but it was a morale killer. Instead of being the 185th Engineer Company, we became the 555th Maintenance Company. Our shop officer was from a Signal unit (radios and electronics), some of our NCOs were from Ordinance units (guns and bombs?), and I ended up being one of the few Engineers in the shop, along with Jim McQueen and another good buddy, Al Williams.

Our Officer in Charge was CWO4 Gregory, who was from Georgia. He was very competent in mechanical knowhow, with auto mechanic experience prior to his Army service, but we soon started having personality clashes. I never did knuckle under to strict military discipline, expecting some respect for my knowledge and skills, as well as my rank. CWO4 Gregory went strictly by the book. So I went to the library and studied the book.

Orders came down from the Base Commander that soldiers were not looking military enough coming back to their barracks after work, so henceforth all personnel would march back to their barracks in company formation. The first day after work a Signal Captain ordered me to fall into his Signal unit and march back with his men. I complied with the order, but when I was dismissed at my barracks, I went directly to my First Sergeant and told him I had been forced to march with a Signal unit. I knew that was against regulations, and it was sweet to hear the First Sergeant call up the officer and chew him out for messing with his Engineer soldier.

It was good to learn that a sergeant can give an officer hell when he’s done something wrong. The next day I marched back behind the Signal unit, one file wide and one rank deep. Called myself to attention, commanded myself to forward march, and looked damned military doing it. The officer would not look at me.

As the war intensified, our schedule changed to 10 hours a day, six days a week, and then soon to 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Soon everyone was suffering from sleep deprivation and fatigue.

I found an Army regulation that required commanders to release the troops for one hour each Sunday for worship services if requested. So even though my dogtag listed my religion as agnostic, I requested an hour off each Sunday, and spread the word. The next Sunday we all showed up at the chapel to hear a sermon by the Chaplain. Some of us took advantage to nap a little, but we tried to pay attention, and I’m sure he was gratified at the sudden interest in his services.

Even with that, I got caught by the Shop Officer dozing off between carburetors, and he kicked my foot and told me to not let him catch me asleep again. Two soldiers climbed up the fire escape onto the roof and were caught sleeping by a passing helicopter, who called back to the base to report them. Morale was getting pretty bad.

One evening after work Jim McQueen asked me to come into the Platoon Sergeant’s room. Sgt. Stroman was a big black man, my Squad Leader, and a friend.  They told me that CWO4 Gregory had filed court martial charges against McQueen for inefficiency! Inefficiency! It was obvious that Mr Gregory’s southern background was coming out. Jim McQueen was the only black in the shop, and Mr. Gregory* intended to make his shop lily white.

CWO4 Gregory had sat at his desk all one day watching Jim McQueen and noting time and duration for every time he talked to his buddy next to him, got up to go to the bathroom, got a drink of water, or stopped twisting his screwdriver as he tore down carburetors and rebuilt them. Then he filed the charges for court martial.

After a lot of discussion, we decided to file counter charges, stating that all of us in the shop would be inefficient if subjected to the same scrutiny, and his real motive was to remove the last black man in his shop. After we composed the letter, Sgt. Stroman typed them up and we all signed them. Sgt. Stroman filed the paper with the court the next day.

As I remember, the trial was set for a week later. A couple of days later Sgt. Scoggins, who I just barely knew (he worked in the office with the Shop Officer) came over to me at work and asked if I could check the power steering out on his Ford. He said he had gotten permission for me to take the car off base that after noon and drive it around to see if I could find the trouble. That seemed a little strange, but hey, an afternoon off work driving around town wasn’t something to pass up, so after lunch I drove off base and toured the island.

The only trouble I found was it was a little low on fluid, and I readjusted the belt a little tighter, but there really wasn’t a thing wrong with it. When I took the car back that evening and explained that it seemed good to me, he said something noncommittal like “I thought so” and thanked me.

The next morning my buddy Al Williams told me that while I was gone, they had held a shop meeting and CWO4 Gregory explained the charges he had filed on McQueen. Spec 5 Williams warned me that CWO4 Gregory would probably try to get me to pull my counter charges. About ten o’clock that morning he came out and said he wanted to talk to me. 

There were several rows of engines crated in steel boxes nearby, and he led me in between the rows so nobody could see or hear us. He told me that his charges were true and that he wanted me to rescind my papers. I said no, that I knew his charges were true, but they were true for all of us, and I thought Jim had been singled out for his color.

He denied the racism charge, and pointed out that he had awakened me when I fell asleep, implicitly threatening me. I told him he just made my point, and that to be fair he should charge me too, as well as all of us who worked in his shop. We were all inefficient, because nobody could work those hours and not be inefficient some of the time. He excused me to return to work, and turned on his heels and left for his office.

When I returned to work my buddy Al Williams asked how it went, so I told him I had asked for a court martial myself and refused to retract my papers. He quietly spread the word around the shop, and we waited to see what would happen.

After work, when I returned to the barracks, I was met by Spec 4 McQueen, Sgt. Stroman, and another black friend of theirs from another company. They were in high spirits as they informed me that all charges against Jim had been withdrawn, and there would be no court martial. They proposed that we all go out on the town and celebrate.

We all piled into a skoshi* cab and rode to Koza, Okinawa, a town just behind Kadena Air Force Base which pretty much consisted of bars and brothels. They took me to B C Street, which was lined with bars on both sides. Interestingly, there was an unspoken understanding that the bars on the left side were for whites and the bars on the right side were for blacks. 

I became nervous when they got out on the right side, paid the cab driver, and towed me into the Kentucky Club. Inside the dark interior I could see scores of eyes following me to my seat. My black friends went from table to table telling the story of why we were there, and soon there were lots of smiles and handshakes for me, and I had a lot of drinks that night but didn’t have to buy even one for myself.

In spite of all the whiskey I drank, I still remember that night vividly. I was surprised to see a couple of Native American soldiers in the bar and I realized that they shared bars with the black soldiers. That had never occurred to me before, but it made sense. Most surprising, though, was the uneasy feeling I got being the minority person for one of the few times in my life. Even though I knew I was among friends, and we were having a great time, there still was a feeling of being out of place, of not really being part of the group. 

I make it a point now of being the first to welcome the new guy into any group I’m in, especially if he is in a minority group. I was nervous being in a minority temporarily--how much harder to always be the different guy, always on the outside. 

To his credit, CWO4 Gregory never mentioned it again to me, and no reprisals or other persecution came my way. A week or so later somebody put some spark plug cleaner abrasive in his gas tank, but he spotted some around the opening, drained and cleaned the tank, and no harm was done. I was under suspicion at first, but I had no axe to grind anymore, having won the battle, and since he lived off base, I really had no opportunity if I had wanted to. Which I didn’t.

After I got out of the Army in 1967 I lost track of all of my buddies. Al Williams briefly met me in Southern California on his way back to Steubenville, OH, his home town. We haven’t seen each other since.

Shortly afterward, the US Army Records center in St. Louis burned down and many of my official records were lost. Luckily I kept copies of most of them in a folder and was able to prove my service later to get a Veterans loan on a house.

The 185th Engineer Company HM* never returned from duty on Okinawa. The unit was disbanded, and I can’t find any records that it ever existed now.

At the time, I was sure I hated the Army for interrupting my life, but later I came to realize that I was changed by my service, mostly for the better. For sure I went in a boy and came out a man, with far more self assurance and confidence. Most importantly, I developed a healthy disrespect for authority. If you want my respect now, be prepared to earn it!

• Warrant Officers are technical ranks between Non Commissioned Officers (Sergeants) and Commissioned Officers (Lieutenants and up) There are four levels, and all are addressed as Mister rather than Sir.

• Skoshi cabs were small taxis, mostly Toyota Coronas, which were ubiquitous on the island of Okinawa. The word comes from the Japanese word sukoshi, meaning “little”. I developed a real appreciation for how tough these Toyotas were, and bought several after I returned to the states.

• HM for Heavy Maintenance, as opposed to Combat Engineers.  The unit was part of the 2nd Logistical Command, a third echelon support group based on Okinawa.

June 2, 2013

Don Rogers

The Sabbath - who changed it?

The Sabbath--who changed it?

I was raised a Seventh-day Adventist, and went to Adventist schools through one year of college in 1963. I was taught all the right texts to prove that the 7th day is the true Sabbath, and all the rest of Christianity is deceived because the Catholic Church changed the day to Sunday at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD.

Never satisfied to just accept someone else’s word for it, I studied deeper and noticed that the Nicean Creed doesn’t claim to change the day of the Sabbath, it just says the first day of the week is the one that Christians observe. Nowhere in there does it say we used to keep Saturday holy, but now we are changing to Sunday. That would be a big change, and would not be omitted or ignored.

After I left the Adventist church in 1964, I still wondered what really happened to change the day of worship? How could such an important event just go unnoticed in the record?

(I left the Adventist church over disagreement with Paul’s attitude toward women and marriage in 1 Corinthians 7, not over any dispute about the Sabbath day.)

Since then I have spent fifty years sporadically searching for the truth about who changed the Sabbath day, why and when. I may be a little obsessive, but that is just my nature.

What I found is fascinating. The Catholic church didn’t change the day of worship, but they did choose the 27 books we call the New Testament after the Council of Nicea. The first to list these 27 books, and only these, was a bishop of Alexandria named Athanasius. So what were Christians reading from about 50 AD when Paul wrote his first epistle up until the middle of the fourth century when the New Testament came to be?

They were reading lots of other books, other gospels, other epistles, other apocalypses. But we didn’t know that for centuries, because the Catholic church weeded out all books that didn’t agree with their doctrines or practices. The Gospel of Thomas didn’t make it because it says an individual can find heaven without the intercession of the church. The Gospel of Mary Magdalene and the Gospel of Philllip were cut out, along with the Acts of Thecla, because they exalted women in the church, and by 325 AD the Catholic church had relegated women to secondary status, even though a cursory reading of Acts of the Apostles makes it plain that women were active leaders in the early Christian church.

I find it ironic that Protestant churches today are still using the same books the Catholic church chose for them to deny ordination to women.

That brings up another interesting question. When did the early Christian church of the apostles become the Catholic church? If the day of worship was changed by the early church (maybe even the apostles) does that have more authority than if the Catholic church changed it hundreds of years later? 

The Adventist church, along with many other Protestant churches, ignore the period of time after John died, and don’t start studying church history again until the Council of Nicea, over three centuries later. When the New Testament stops, they stop. If it’s not in the Bible, it’s just tradition. Don’t worry about it.

And yet each of the Apostles had their own disciples who carried on the spreading of the Gospel. Why shouldn’t we study them, too? 

Barnabus was a disciple of Paul, as was Silas. 

Clement of Rome was converted by Peter, and in his book Homilies he defends Peter against the “lawless” one. (More about that later.) Clement died around 100 AD. 

Ignatius of Antioch was a student of the Apostle John. He was appointed bishop of Antioch by Peter. He died in 108 AD.

Polycarp was a companion and follower of John. He was known for his speaking abilities. He died around 155 AD.

Ireneaus, the bishop of Lyons, in what is now France, heard Polycarp speak, and wrote about it in his book, “Against Heresies.” Much of what we know about other forms of early Christianity comes from his descriptions of what he considered heresy.

Clement of Alexandria advocated vegetarianism. He died about 215 AD.

Tertullian lived from 160-220 AD. He came up with the doctrine of the Trinity. It was considered heresy at first, because it didn’t fit in with monotheism. Later it was accepted and became the orthodox view of the church.

Origen is considered the first theologian. He had studied the Greek philosophers and was known for his wealth of knowledge. He was a student of Clement of Alexandria.

Eusebius was the bishop of Ceasarea. He lived from 260-339 AD. He wrote a ten volume “Church History” which ties together all of these people. How can you be a knowledgeable Christian and not be fascinated by how all these people created the Christian church?

In reading these histories it soon becomes apparent that there was no single church from the start. Each of the Apostles had their own take on what was important, and what Jesus’ ministry was all about.

But in all these books by all these writers, not one mentions when the day of worship was changed or why. That strikes me as odd in the extreme. That would be a bigger change than Passover to Easter, of which much was written.

The first mention I can find of the first day of the week being the day of worship is in the Epistle of Barnabus. The 15th chapter is all about the Sabbath and the symbolism involved in the days of the ages of the earth. And at the end of the chapter he casually mentions that Christians “celebrate the eighth day with gladness” in observance of Christ’s resurrection on that day. 

The Epistle of Barnabus was written about 130 AD. It was not written by Barnabus, since he was martyred on the isle of Cyprus in 61 AD, but probably by one of his followers. The mention of the day of worship does not indicate when it was changed, but the context makes it plain it didn’t happen recently.

Chapter 10 of the Epistle of Barnabus makes it clear that the Christians then were no longer keeping the kosher requirements for food, either.

So we know that at Jesus’ crucifixion the Sabbath was on the seventh day, when Christ rested in the tomb. One hundred years later Christians are celebrating “the eighth day” with no record of the change. How can that be?

Maybe there was no change! Bear with me here, because what follows is guesswork and conjecture, but it’s the only way I can make sense of this conundrum.

In Acts 15 we read of the dispute between Paul and Barnabus and the “apostles and elders in Jerusalem.” It seems the apostles in Jerusalem had sent missionaries up to Antioch, where Paul and Barnabus had founded a church, and were demanding that all the new converts be circumcised. The apostles in Jerusalem were preaching to the Jews who were already circumcised, but Paul was preaching to Gentiles, who were not circumcised.

It says that “Paul and Barnabus had no small dissension and disputation with them.”  In Galations 2:11 Paul says he got right up in Peter’s face. Was this just about circumcision? That would be painful enough, I suppose, and would surely make it hard to convert Gentiles, but I think there was a much larger problem here. I think Peter and Paul were preaching two different gospels and we have lost that understanding through the years as we tried to make them preach the same message. Paul is angry because he believed that Peter and James were teaching his converts the wrong gospel. It’s that old “faith vs. works” controversy at the start.

I believe that James and Peter taught from a Jewish perspective down in Jerusalem, where all their converts were Jews. They were all circumcised, they all kept the kosher laws on food, and they all kept the Sabbath. Although they no longer made animal sacrifices, believing that Christ’s sacrifice fulfilled that requirement, in most other respects they believed as Jews and acted as Jews.

However, Paul came to a different understanding. In many of the texts cited by Sabbath keepers showing Paul going to the synagogue on the Sabbath, it was specifically to preach his gospel to the Jews who gathered there. And over and over again, when he spoke to the Jews they became angry and threw Paul out or stoned him.

“But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.” Acts 13:45

“But the Jews stirred up the devout and honorable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabus, and expelled them out of their coasts.” Acts 13:50

“But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.” Acts 15:2

“And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.” Acts14:19

What was the message that Paul was preaching to arouse such anger among the Jews? If it was just that you no longer need circumcision, the response would probably be, “Oh well, too late now!” 

I believe the answer is best given by Paul in Galations 3:23-26. “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwords be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Galations 2:16

“I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Galations 2:21

I believe Paul was teaching that faith in God is what saves you, and you no longer need to keep the law. God will dwell in your heart and show you the right way to behave. You just have to accept Christ as your savior.

You no longer need to be circumcised, you no longer need to keep the laws on clean and unclean meats, and you are no longer required to keep the Sabbath holy. There is a message to make a devout Jew furious!

The text in Acts makes it plain that Paul and Peter came to an understanding whereby Peter continues to preach his message to the Jews in Judea, and Paul goes away to present day Turkey and Greece to preach his message. It doesn’t take a lot of reading between the lines to see two different churches emerging: one led by Peter and James which keeps all the Old Testament laws, and one led by Paul and Barnabus which does not keep the Jewish laws, but remains uncircumcised, considers nothing unclean to eat, and celebrates being released from the burdensome requirements of the Jewish Sabbath.

I believe two circumstances caused Paul’s church to become the dominant church, and the other one to fade away. I see irony here, also, because the Catholic church considers Peter to be its first leader, but their beliefs are closer to Paul’s.

The most important reason Paul’s religion survived is Paul wrote everything down. When he died all his converts could read his letters and continue to worship and preach his message. His writings constitute half of the New Testament.

Another reason Paul’s church survived is they were not in Jerusalem in 70 AD when the Romans invaded and burned down the Temple, slaughtering thousands of Jews and scattering the rest. The Christian church at Jerusalem suffered the same fate as the rest of the Jews. The Romans would not have seen any difference.

James and Peter had already been martyred, and although Clement of Rome was a follower of Peter, and defended Peter against “the lawless one” (he used another name, but it doesn’t take a lot of guessing who he was referring to), no more is heard of Sabbath keeping, kosher eating Christians after Jerusalem was destroyed. (Last line not true. See footnote below.)

Well. except for the Ebionites, a small sect who kept all the Jewish laws and festivals, and believed that Jesus existed, but not in any sense divine. They believed he was a human being, not born of a virgin, just a great prophet come to show them how to live a good righteous life. Most people today would not consider them Christian at all.

So there you are. One Sabbath keeping church, one non-Sabbath keeping church. No changing the day of worship at all--Paul started with no law and no Sabbath, and his church survived.

I can’t prove it, but it makes sense to me. Most importantly, it explains why there is no record of the day ever being changed.

Don Rogers

May 5, 2013

Footnote: I finally got a copy of the book "From Saturday to Sunday" by Samuele Bacchiocchi. The book is out of print and if you can find a new one they run about $150. I found a used one for $19.50. For those who don't know, Bacchiocchi was an Adventist theologian who studied the original documents in the Vatican and taught at Andrews University for over fifteen years. 

His research shows the early change to Sunday around the second century two hundred years before the Council of Nicea. His thesis both confirms and disputes some of my ideas. His quotes from Justin the Martyr confirm that the Sabbath and circumcision were both thrown out together as Jewish anachronisms. Justin wrote in his "Dialogue with Trypho" in 150 AD:

     " We too, would observe your circumcision of the flesh, your Sabbath days, and in a word, all your     festivals, if we were not aware of the reason why they were imposed on you, namely, because of your  sins and your hardness of heart."

He cites many sources for Sabbath keeping by some Christian groups past the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, including a group that escaped to Syria before the Romans invaded. So strike the line about no Sabbath keepers after Jerusalem fell. 

He failed to find much evidence of Sunday keeping before 130 AD. My findings are the same, but my contention is that the removal of the Jewish Sabbath requirement came first from Paul, and the substitute day followed sometime later. I think the use of the terms "celebrate" and "gladness" in the Epistle of Barnabas in reference to the observance of the eight day is an intentional contrast with the bondage and yoke of the law as Paul referred to it. 

Bacchiocchi correctly attributes the adoption of Sunday as a reaction to the bitter, violent anti-Jewish beliefs of the second century, and the desire to differentiate the Christian church from the Jews as the Romans continued to persecute the Jews. But I don't see much evidence that he considered the idea that the seventh day Sabbath might have been rejected by some Christians long before the Sunday observance began.

Don Rogers
May 8, 2013

Facebook discussions on massacre

Let’s make Guns Scarce and Expensive.

I just sent a letter to Senator Harry Reid suggesting a solution to the proliferation of guns in our society. I think the government is going at it the wrong way. Coercive confiscation will arouse the opposition and lead to more violence and bloodshed.

What if the government declared it would buy back all guns at twice their street value? Anybody could bring them into the closest police station and after a check to make sure it’s not stolen, would get cash in hand no questions asked. An excise tax at the manufacturer would prevent new guns from flooding the market. The idea is to make guns scarce and expensive, using market forces.

Instead of taking away guns, the government would be raising their value. No problems with the 2nd Amendment there. Gun dealers and pawn shops would have a field day rolling in profits while helping take guns off the street. Every small time crook and gang-banger would be stealing guns from each other to make a quick buck.

For the funding, I suggested a website for concerned people to donate to the gun buyback fund. I, for one, would much prefer donating to get guns off the street than donating to hear more political adds on TV and radio! I think there are a lot of people who are coming to the conclusion that the time for action is upon us.

Since it would be completely voluntary, who could object? I think such a program could be up and running in a month or so.

Might even help the poor! I can see a gun totin’ redneck looking at the monthly pickup payment in one hand and his pistol in the other and deciding he’d rather keep the pickup.

Tommy Peterson likes this.

Vickie Rock Better yet ... put a huge tax that would quadruple the price of anything other than a hunting rifle or a revolver.

Donald Rogers I'm trying to stay with the carrot, rather than the stick. I think it would draw less opposition that way.

Donald Rogers Since the government would set the prices, it could favor any type of weapon desired. My own preference would be higher prices for handguns of al kinds. Long guns and shotguns OK, kind of like Canada. Yeah, political ads uses just one d. I knew that!

Laverna Satterfield Would work for some of them I guess, but I can pretty much assure you that nobody I know around here would sell back their guns for double or even triple the price if they couldn't get another one. Might sell you their spouse or first born child, but not their guns!

Vickie Rock Maybe we should make bullets for assault rifles out of reach ... financially ????

John Rogers According to an official being interviewed on NPR today, it was a rifle used in every one of the Connecticut kids murders. She was very specific. She said every bullet wound in each one of those kids was from a rifle. There are no easy answers to this issue. I don't know anyone who would sell their guns for a few easy bucks. That would simply leave those who disarm themselves at the mercy of those who would do them harm.

Donald Rogers @Laverna: Yeah, I'm aware of the cultural biases regionally. Northern Nevada has the same culture. But I think the ones who own several might part with their least favorite ones for enough money. Especially during these hard times.

John Rogers I used to hear kids in the classroom talk about the "shock factor". They were constantly trying to figure out what they could do to shock their parents and other adults. Couple that attitude with video games that make it seem fun to see body parts flying and blood spattered all over the screen. Listen to the "music" they listen to. Much of it is a lot of very angry noise. The issue is much deeper than having guns.

Donald Rogers I suspect some areas, especially rural, would be very slow to cash in their guns. Maybe the inner city kids would be more likely to trade for cash. Those in it for the money-pawn shops and gun dealers-should be easy. It would not happen overnight. But I think as more and more people see the massacres increasing and their children in schools, malls, etc in increasing danger, attitudes will be shifting. They are already. I'm just proposing an idea to avoid the bloodshed Australia went through a few years ago.

Donald Rogers @John: Several of the recent shooters dressed up in black in obvious imitation of ninjas, Batman, commandos, etc. I agree on the movies, video games, and "music'. Carolyn and I wanted to see "Lincoln" but we knew it won't be at the local theater. They only play the worst gory, violent, vampire type films to attract the kids. We will have to travel to Reno or wait for it to come out on DVD, I guess.

Wesley Rogers Wouldn't this eventually have the effect of limiting gun access to only the wealthy and creating yet another disparity?

Wesley Rogers I wasn't very keen on Patrick Moynihan's proposal to make bullets scarce and expensive with a tax either.

Donald Rogers Yes, it would create disparity. But if guns became as expensive as cars, those who could afford to own them would be more likely to keep them locked up to avoid theft. I think the days of keeping guns to defend your liberties is about over, unless you can find a weapon to shoot down drones with cameras and Hellfire missiles. With all of the rights that have been already taken away by Bush and Obama, I don't see any patriots from the NRA taking those rights back.

Donald Rogers The attitude of the NRA as I see it is, You can take away my right to a trial before you throw me in jail, you can take away my right to not be searched without a warrant, you can take away my right to vote by restricting the ballot box, you can take away my right to collectively bargain with my employer, but don't take my guns away--that's the only freedom I care about.

Denise Webber I'd rather keep both, (I am an American citizen who is thankful for my ancestors & the right I have to own a gun @ affordable prices) this is one time when we will have to agree to disagree; many women that r not rednecks own guns. We have laws for lawlessness, in my mind we need more jobs to process those breaking the law . And lower pay for those in Congress.

Char Schmidt NOPE, not getting my gun.... I bought mine to protect my home and family. I don't see any criminal or crook bringing in a gun for double the cash. That's insane!! Your idea will just make them try to go in to people's homes and rob them of their weapons, using their own guns and then selling the stolen property for the cash, thus keeping their own guns for more robbery. I am planning on getting another one, for added security. I have a sign in my front window... Think twice before coming in to rob me... I am a gun owner and know how to use it.

Denise Webber We care about more than just guns, and We stand for and fight for many more things the best we can just like others....u can't put us all into one box or category....I don't do that with democrats, or those against guns or etc.....I have a great respect for those with differences even when disagreeing ..... just saying

Leslie Wright Gregg I own several guns and have somehow managed to a. Keep them from being stolen and b. keep myself from going crazy and shoot people. You bet us rural people won't be giving up our guns. 1. Because we like to hunt and 2. Because we believe in our right to defend ourselves. 

You say that the days of keeping guns to defend your liberties is over? I disagree. My house has been broken into twice. (And with the economy in crisis, it will get worse) If they ever break in while we are there, I will protect my family. 

I would love to live in a world of peace but we do not live in that world.

Leslie Wright Gregg People die from drunk drivers- should we buy back their cars?

Donald Rogers A lot of people missing the point here, I think. You are attacking my idea as if I intend to take your guns away. That's exactly what I am trying to avoid. If you like your guns, you are free to keep them as long as you want. I don't want to take away your guns. I have guns myself, Locked up, by the way. But someday if money gets tight, somebody might look at his five, ten, fifteen guns and decide to take the cash for a few of them. I am convinced after looking at the evidence that the fewer loose guns floating around, the fewer massacres occur. Even Wyatt Earp made the cowboys check their guns in Dodge City. They got them back when they left town.

Donald Rogers @ Leslie: I don't know about your state, but here in Nevada if you kill someone driving drunk, the first thing that happens is your vehicle is impounded. Then you go to jail for manslaughter.

Donald Rogers If the government comes to take my guns, I would hope they would pay me well for them. I don't want to be David Koresh or "Crocodile Dundee!"

Wesley Rogers I believe that protecting our liberties from the government is over; the people have tossed out the entire Bill of Rights willingly, and there is no competing with the government's firepower (whether it's the increasingly militarized police force or the actual military itself).

Over a decade ago, I spent a one time sum of $750 for a lifetime membership in the NRA. I've come close to renouncing that membership several times due to their crude demagogic rhetoric aimed at the lowest common denominator. (I get to read their monthly periodicals). But I remain a member because I still see the utility of easy access to firearms for citizens who have no violent criminal record. Personal security is the most compelling reason for me. Restraining orders are often inadequate to protect people who are in danger of assault from someone. Since lower income populations are often less able to rely on law enforcement for protection, I worry about the worsening disparity if guns were to be priced out of legal access for the common man/woman.

I recall an op-ed written by Jerusalem's former chief of police back in 1991 after the mass shooting in Killeen TX (I'm still trying to find the op-ed to link to ... here's the one for the TX incident though: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luby%27s_massacre ). The op-ed's author basically argued that a person with one pistol would never be able to kill dozens of people in Jerusalem due to the significant proportion of Israelis that carry concealed handguns. He then related an incident that happened there that shared some similarities to the TX case. If I recall correctly (and this is pure memory so I might screw up a detail or two) three armed men burst into a crowded diner/cafe and started shooting. Most of the patrons dropped to the floor for cover. Several others, however, pulled their sidearms and shot back. I believe one innocent was killed and two of the three aggressors were killed. The other was wounded and was arrested when the police arrived.
Luby's massacre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.orgThe Luby's massacre was a mass murder that took place on October 16, 1991, in Killeen,TX.

Denise Webber @Don.... one thing I do like/agree with is being able to choose to do something voluntarily.

************************

Good thoughts on both sides of a tricky issue.

This is the best posting I've read on the shooting. It comes from Coach Kevin Keathley: 

I see so may people writing we need tougher gun control laws or we need tighter security within the public school systems. I couldn't disagree more. Evil will always find a way to committ evil acts & crimes. A security guard, police officer or metal detectors won't stop it from happening. Our faith should be in the Lord & what he promises. When you put your faith in man is when disappointment will occur. Living in fear is exactly what homegrown terrorists & foriegn want us to do. I don't want my kids going to a school that feels more like a prison.... it should be a place to learn & grow as an individual. We will never STOP evil acts for God says so.

Donald Rogers Usually when I get asked if I believe in God, I try to be as honest as I can. I say "I don't know" or "I haven't seen enough evidence." But today let me say, if there is an all seeing, all loving, all powerful God, and he just stood there with his hands in his pockets while six heroic teachers and twenty innocent children were shot multiple times in a time span of ten or fifteen minutes, and he didn't lift a finger to stop it, he needs to hang his head in abject shame!

Carey Zegart Two things come to mind. First, if you believe in God, then this may provide some comfort. If you don't or aren't sure, comfort will elude you. Secondly, The best answer I've heard to why God lets things like this happen is from "Oh God," the movie staring George Burns as God and John Denver as the one person God reveals himself to. Person: Why God do you let these horrible things happen?" God: I don't let these things happen, you do!" We chose this path when we chose sin and just as God came and made things right again in Noah's day, he will return one day (Jesus) and make the world right again. It's ironic in that often it is the atheist that has more faith than the Christian. Besides God told us that evil will explode in the last days. There's nothing going on that he did not say or that the bible would not have predicted would happen. Things are unfolding as was foretold. He could have also chosen to save his son Jesus from dying in agony, but did not. How arrogant we are when we misbehave and then complain when God doesn't bail us out of the mess we created! Sometimes a father must let his son get in trouble in order to learn a bigger lesson or one that will stick with him. Sadly, I don't think we learned anything this week. God says to expect more of this, not by his doing,but by ours.

Donald Rogers Thanks for your thoughtful answer but I'm not buying it. The idea of trusting in God and not protecting yourself is the attitude of the Jews as they were marched off to the ovens. The motto of the Israeli army today is "Never Again!"

 Jim Parker Believing in God hasn't prevented previous killings such as this. I think God would be a lot more supportive if humankind took and worked on responsibility for their own issues. The coach is right in that we cannot live in 'armed camps' or in the USA at least, gun ourselves up even more, as the NRA would have you do. Just a Canuck's unsolicited opinion . ..

Carey Zegart Yes, but a Canuck who grew up in Canada, lived in the US and has traveled much of the world and seen and experienced many cultures and ways of looking at things. Do not discount you own opinion; it's probably more valuable than a lot of peoples' facts.

Carey Zegart Thanks Don.

Jim Parker Thanks Carey.