PASSING DOWN THE REDEMPTION STORY. At the annual Passover Seder, Jewish families say: In every generation, each person must look upon himself or herself as if he or she personally had come out of Egypt. As the Book of Exodus says, “You shall tell your children on that day: it is because of what the Eternal One did for me when I went forth from Egypt.” Ephesians 1:7 says "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins."

HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE. Not everyone shares the Christian values that permeate our American culture. In Madison, Wisconsin, the state capitol grounds, decorated for Christmas, also sport a Winter Solstice sign posted by the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

The sign reads as follows"At this season of the Winter Solstice may reason prevail.
There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell.
There is only our natural world.
Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."

The FFRF feels it needs to balance all the religious symbols of Christmas. The foundation, and its leader, Anne Nicol Gaylor, are confused, however. Gaylor said "The nonreligious are 14 percent of the U.S. population. If religious activities are going to take place in the Capitol, then there should be representation of the views of Wisconsin's nonreligious citizens as well."

However, most winter solstice celebrations were religious. They were expressions of pagan religions, some of which have been revived today. The fact is, there have not been many “non religious” celebrations of this sort.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation said its sign "reminds citizens of the real reason for the season" -- the Dec. 21 Winter Solstice, which is the shortest and darkest day of the year. That might be a good thing. The Catholic Church appropriated the winter solstice celebration by deciding to celebrate Christ’s birth at the same time and keep the “faithful” out of the pagan celebrations. It did not work. The Faithful just merged the two and kept celebrating. So, you have the pagan tree, presents, partying, lights, and feasts, but you go to church to keep the veneer from peeling from the pagan traditions.

The pagans probably worry too much. Each year the veneer cracks more. Our celebrations are less and less Christian and more and more pagan. Which do you hear more about these days, the birth of Christ or the shopping? I’ll bet your church even sings secular songs at their Christmas concert.

It is comforting to know that even the pagans and irreligious need God. The back of the FFRF sign has a sign taped on it that says "Thou shalt not steal."

Sometimes, you just have to appeal to a higher authority.

God bless Anne Nicol Gaylor, who cannot decide if she is a religious pagan or an irreligious Christian, or what. May she be one of the sheep who hear the voice of the good shepherd and comes into the fold of eternal life.

WHO'S THE BOSS. “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!' " Abraham Kuyper.

OXYMORON ANYONE? Only the government would do this, surely. While researching the law on a particular issue, I came upon the "Interim Final Rule".

WHAT AMERICANS BELIEVE. A recent Newsweek poll reveals the shocking truth of American religious beliefs. Newsweek reports that seventy-nine percent of Americans believe in the virgin birth, that is Jesus was born to Mary without the intervention of a human father.
The poll also revealed that sixty-seven percent of Americans believe that the entire Biblical account of the birth of Jesus, from the angels appearing to the shepherds, the Star in the East, the Wise Men from the East, and the virgin birth is historically accurate.

Here is other startling, but good, news:

1. 93 percent of Americans believe Jesus Christ actually lived;
2. 82 percent believe Jesus Christ was God or the Son of God;
3. 52 percent believe Jesus will return to earth someday (only 21 percent do not believe it) Bad news for the premills, only fifteen percent believe Jesus will return in their lifetime. I guess that goes to show that even Hal Lindsey can only be wrong so many times before people quit listening.

Before euphoria sets in, however, can we determine what effect this belief has on us as a society? Only 11 percent of those surveyed believe our culture very closely reflects Christian values, but 53 percent believe it somewhat reflects Christian values.

Newsweek also reported that 86 percent believe organized religion has a “a lot” or “some” influence on American life.

Here is a result that will set scientists, humanists, and liberals teeth on edge: Sixty-two percent favor teaching creation science in addition to evolution in public schools. A strong minority, Forty-three percent, favor teaching creation instead of evolution.

I sure Newsweek itself is stunned and dismayed by this information.

Well, then, what conclusions can we draw from this information? I’ll address that in the coming posts.

I’M MARRIED TO PETER PAN. “Peter was quite gay again. He had no sense of time, and was so full of adventures that all I have told you about him is only a halfpenny-worth of them.” She works, she shops, she socializes, she drives all over the Metroplex, talking on the cell phone all the while, takes meals to people, runs errands, worries about the kids, calls her mother, cooks gourmet meals, and treats the dog like a baby, all with a great deal of energy, limitless optimism, enthusiasm, love, and an insatiable thirst for more.

She will plan two days of activities for the next hour, cannot figure out why she could not do them all, and be genuinely disappointed. The essential story of her being is that of the 15 minute break on a trip to New York, when she used it to run up the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty, take a picture, and run back down.

She did not tell me this story before we were married.

She may wear out, but she won't burn out.

More likely, I'll wear out and she'll keep going.

I just can't help but love her.

HELLO AGAIN. Yea, I got on! I have not been able to get Blogger going from that place I spend time at during the day all week. What a relief. All those comments, pent up inside. Imagine what its been like for my family.

Here is a good one. Microsoft woke up and decided to make software for bloggers. They say they want to make blogging "mainstream". Hello? Is anyone there awake? There are zillions of bloggers all over the world. That's mainstream, baby.