A VIEW from LICK SKILLET by Gerald Largen: What does Holy Bible mean to Romney/Ryan?

Percipient reader, you will doubtless recall that when a major hurricane was descending upon a major U.S. city a few years ago, a prominent Virginia preacher, since deceased, opined that this was a sign of God’s displeasure with some of the things taking place in that city.

We cannot help but wonder whether that preacher, were he still with us, would see the threat of Hurricane Isaac (a good Biblical name) to the city of Tampa, Florida, was a manifestation of God’s displeasure with some of the things taking place in that city - specifically the Republican National Convention, whereat an ungodly platform has been adopted, and two apostates from their claimed religion have received the accolades of the assembled Republicans to be their standard bearers in the forthcoming election.

We label the Republican nominees for President and Vice President apostates advisedly, for this reason: Mr. Romney claims, and no doubt is, a faithful member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, which he and other leaders of the Church claim to be a truly Christian Church; likewise, Rep. Ryan claims to be a faithful member of the Roman Catholic Church, a claim which Bishops, and Nuns have seriously questioned, but for our purposes we will postulate that he is indeed a true and faithful member of the Roman Catholic Church, which is a truly Christian Church.

Yet both these men strongly take a position to serve the interests of rich people, all rich people, and propose, if successful in their quest for the highest offices in the land, to see to the enactment of legislation that will protect these rich people from taxes, lower their taxes, free them from constraints or regulations that they regard as impediments to their acquisition of yet greater accumulations of money, wealth, riches.

Yet it cannot be denied that the Lord Jesus Christ has himself denounced this position in favour of the rich. For has He not been quoted in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, chapter 19, verses 23 and 24, as follows:

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples. Verily I say unto you. That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”

The foregoing quotation is from the venerable old King James Version, but a careful comparison of this to the Revised Standard Version, the New American Standard, the New International Version, the Today’s English Version, the Living Bible, the New English Bible, the Jerusalem Bible, the Phillips translation, the Williams translation and the Beck translation disclose no substantial differences with the King James Version.

Were these two men indeed faithful Christians as they claim, and as so many of their followers claim to be, then they would accept as the ultimate authority of what their religion requires of them, the Word set out in the Holy Bible, not the requirements of a Grover Norquist, or others of like ilk. And it cannot be disputed that Holy Writ clearly and succinctly says that rich men are unlikely to go to heaven, nor God’s Kingdom.

In other words, these plutocrats of great wealth are clearly consigned by Jesus’ own words to the fires of Hell. Yet Messrs. Romney and Ryan place their own souls in jeopardy, and would take with them all their supporters who claim to be followers of Christ, in order to defend and promote those whom Jesus decries and denounces.

Thus can anyone claim that they are not indeed apostates?

Back-sliders?

Enemies of the Faith?

So it may well be that Hurricane Isaac’s visitation is indeed a warning against such apostasy, and a call to return to the requirements of the Faith, rather than the requirements of the malefactors of great wealth.

As St. Paul observes in his first epistle to Timothy (Chapter 6, Verse 10): “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

While these two apostates may love money as much as they like and by their covetousness err from the faith and pierce themselves through with many sorrows, it is un-Christian to try to get the American people to err from the faith, or to pierce themselves through with many sorrows, so that Messrs. Romney and Ryan may edify their love for money, and the possessors thereof.

Here endeth the Lesson.
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Kind reader, although we have observed a degree of hostility towards organized labour from the days of our infancy, the level of that hostility, the openness in expressing it, and the antagonism and downright bitterness of the anti-union sentiment current at large in the land is greater than we have previously encountered.

So, it seems not inappropriate on this eve of Labor Day to discuss the matter of organized labour, and why it is a good thing.

One of the first things to remember is that the people of this land, although they have the reputation of being “rugged individualists,” and gave birth to the nation as a mark of independence, early on saw the virtue of banding together to advance their goals, and deter their opponents from advancing theirs.

Before the Revolution even began, many patriots joined together in united action to protect their rights, and deter the king from asserting his — all under the name of “The Sons of Liberty.”
From this beginning their efforts continued towards a “more perfect union.”

Consider all the different areas of human endeavour in which it is perfectly respectable and widely accepted for people to join together in a union of one sort or another, whatever it may be called, such as chamber, league, association, company, corporation, club, etc., etc.

Manufacturers can unionize by incorporating; Financiers can unionize by pooling their resources in a joint fund; Politicians can unionize by forming political parties; Religious folk can unionize by forming denominations and congregations; Farmers can unionize by forming agricultural co-operatives; Consumers can unionize by forming buying co-operatives; Collegians can unionize by forming fraternities and sororities; Merchants can unionize by forming chambers of commerce; etc., etc.

Every one of these unionizing organizations is looked upon with favour by most conservatives.
But just mention the idea of working people uniting to protect their interest and you will be met with heated antagonism, and declarations of economic, political, or social warfare to destroy them.

These attitudes are un-American. Actions pursuant to these attitudes are not only un-American, but anti-worker, anti-human, and anti-Christian.
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REMEMBER the Labor Day Picnic at Roane County Park, Monday, noon to 3 p.m.