Sunday, March 31, 2013

EASTER SUNDAY AND “THE RESURRECTION OF THE SHROUD”

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A joyous Easter Sunday to you all! This is the holiest day of the year. I will go to church, I will not purchase so much as a stick of gum (I conduct no commerce whatsoever on Christmas and Easter), I’ll read from The Bible, contemplate the meaning of what was accomplished on this day about 2,000 years ago, and I will spend time with my family. I will eat a chocolate bunny and drink a glass of wine (because I turned 21 last Summer) and I will utter no curses at these Airheadzonans on this one day only. How’s that for a proper Easter Day?
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"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.”
~ Jesus
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For those with open minds, I am posting below a YouTube video and an article that is currently available at WorldNetDaily pertaining to The Shroud Of Turin. I have read a lot of publications and watched a few documentaties about this artifact over the years, and while my faith in Christ hardly hinges upon the authenticity of The Shroud, I am convinced that the evidence leads to it being the genuine cloth that the body of Jesus was wrapped in following His crucifixion and from which He arose at the time of His resurrection. It’s an astounding religious relic that deserves serious consideration. Watch and Read on, Brothers and Sisters.
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There are a few details in this video that I have to question, but otherwise it’s on-target:
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PROOF THAT THE SHROUD OF TURIN IS THE BURIAL CLOTH OF JESUS CHRIST!
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Experiments Prove Sacred Christian Relic In Turin Dates Back To Christ
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By Garth Kant
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A new book on a scientific analysis of the Shroud of Turin confirms what WND reported more than a year ago – the relic is not a medieval forgery. The latest tests date the shroud to between 300 BC and 400 AD.
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The results of the tests are documented in the book “Il Mistero della Sindone” or The Mystery of the Shroud, written by Giulio Fanti, a professor of mechanical and thermal measurement at Italy’s Padua University, and Saverio Gaeta, a journalist.
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Scientists measured radiation intensity using infra-red light and spectroscopy to analyze the shroud, which is kept in a climate-controlled case in Turin, Italy.
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Fanti said the imprint was caused by a blast of “exceptional radiation.” 
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That is essentially what WND reported in Decemeber 2011, that the imprint on the shroud was likely caused by a burst of ultraviolet light that was beyond the technical capabilities of medieval forgers. That finding is also remarkably similar to the fictional explanation WND staff reporter Jerome R. Corsi provided in his 2010 novel on the Shroud of Turin, “The Shroud Codex.”
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In 2011, Corsi told WND, “What the Italian scientists are saying is that the image was created on the shroud in a burst of energy that Christian believers would understand as physical proof of the Resurrection.”
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And, in 2010, Corsi had reported in WND that scientists were building the case that the Turin image was created by radiation that emanated from the body itself, a theory remarkably supportive of the traditional resurrection account that is central to Christian theology.
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A scientific paper co-authored by attorney and historian Mark Antonacci and physicist Arthur Lind argued that the shroud image might constitute what amounts to a photograph taken at the instant Jesus’ body transformed as he rose from the dead.
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Scientists had been unable to explain the image of a bearded man’s body with wounds in the wrist, feet and chest on a 14-foot linen cloth. Many Christians believe it the burial cloth of Jesus Christ. 
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WND reported in 2011 that experts from Italy’s National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Development found, “The double image (front and back) of a scourged and crucified man, barely visible on the linen cloth of the Shroud of Turin, has many physical and chemical characteristics that are so particular that the staining … is impossible to obtain in a laboratory.”
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Experiments in 1988 by laboratories in Oxford, Zurich and Arizona indicated the shroud dated back to only 1260 to 1390, suggesting it was a fake. But, as WND reported, those findings were suspect.
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In 2005, a scientific paper by chemist Ray Rogers of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, a member of the 1978 Shroud of Turin Research Project, argued the samples taken from the shroud in 1988 for the radiocarbon dating were contaminated by medieval reweaving.
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He argued that after a fire in 1532 nearly destroyed the shroud, French Poor Clare nuns repaired the shroud by adding 16 burn patches and stitching to the back of the shroud a reinforcing cloth that is known as the Holland cloth.
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The nuns were able to repair the edges of the shroud by expertly reweaving with cotton much of the damage the fire did to the shroud’s original linen cloth.
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Rogers was able to detect under a microscope the reweaving because the cotton had been dyed to match the linen, and the fibers could be distinguished in the reweaving at the edges of the shroud because linen is resistant to dye, while cotton is not.
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Rogers’ change of heart made an impact on the Shroud of Turin research community worldwide, largely because immediately after the results of the 1988 radiocarbon dating were made public, he was an outspoken leading voice among critics charging the shroud was a medieval forgery.
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The shroud will be on display on Italian television Saturday, the day before Easter. Pope Francis has recorded a voice-over introduction.
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The designated “pontifical custodian of the shroud”, Archbishop of Turin Cesare Nosiglia, said, “It will be a message of intense spiritual scope, charged with positivity, which will help (people) never to lose hope,” and, “The display of the shroud on a day as special as Holy Saturday means that it represents a very important testimony to the Passion and the resurrection of the Lord.”
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An app sanctioned by the Catholic Church called “Shroud 2.0″ will let users see details in the shroud invisible to the naked eye.
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“For the first time in history the most detailed image of the shroud ever achieved becomes available to the whole world, thanks to a streaming system which allows a close-up view of the cloth. Each detail of the cloth can be magnified and visualized in a way which would otherwise not be possible,” said Nosiglia.
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You can also examine the shroud in close detail at shroud.com. 
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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Saturday, March 30, 2013

‘THE LIFE OF BRI—’ Er... I Mean, "THE SHROUD OF BRIAN!"

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Loose McDoggs & Loose McDoggettes ~
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It’s time you woke up and realized that christ jesus is here, NOW, and living amongst us!
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How long will you live in ignorance, denying the truth and turning your back on your holy king and the savior of the world?
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Watch this short video below, then get down on your knees and pray to Brian Leonard Golightly Marshall (a.k.a. jesus christ)... and to his wife Holly Golightly-Marshall! Do it now or the Wolfman's Devil's gonna getcha!
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Happy Easter, Y’all. May you receive all the chocolate bunnies and colored eggs yer stomach can stand!
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REINCARNATION Of Jesus/Shroud~ Brian Leonard Golightly Marshall
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

“ON TO THE (9/11) THEATER!” ~Honest John

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THE TRUTH ABOUT TRUTH:
All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed.
Second, it is violently opposed.
Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
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"It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth ... For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst and to provide for it."
~ Patrick Henry
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9/11 In Plane Site - Directors Cut [2004]
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"Cry 'Havoc!', And Let Slip The Dogs Of War" :
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Photo Source: AllEars.Net
"GUILTY! Thank you. That is all."

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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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Monday, March 25, 2013

STEVE MILLER’S HEAVY BREATHING, AND ANTI-BLACK RACISM

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Confession: This blog bit is really just a stalling tactic, or stopgap, while I try to find the time to compose a couple more “legitimate” blog bits.
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My friends and I were sick and tired of a certain someone appearing front and center on my ‘Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends’ home page, so I decided I had to post something – anything! – just to bump the previous posts down a notch. And what appears below is all I could throw together with about an hour’s worth of thinking. And, unfortunately, what appears below doesn’t really fit the themes of this blog: Politics (and by extension, religion / spirituality) and Product Reviews.
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Oh well. Sometimes you just “don't want to get caught up in any of that funky shit kicks goin' down in the city”.
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It was recently stated by a certain someone that I am a “loser”; and she later seemed to imply I don’t have original ideas of my own. Well, on one hand, she was right: I am a loser (but not for the reason she said). BUT... I most definitely do have original ideas of my own, as this blog and my defunct blog ‘Stuffs’ will attest. Here comes an original thought of my own, as I never heard anyone mention it before:
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I have often referred to Rock musician Steve Miller as “The Chameleon” (not “The Joker”) because his music, stylistically, seemed all over the map to me. He had a lot of hits but a lot of them sounded like completely different artists to my ears:
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‘Abracadabra’ probably wouldn’t be out of place on a RICK JAMES album; ‘Winter Time’ probably wouldn’t have been out of place on a YES album; ‘Dance, Dance, Dance’ sounds like JOHN DENVER; ‘The Joker’ sounds like STEALERS WHEEL; ‘Swingtown’ and ‘Jungle Love’ sounds like STEVE MILLER; and ‘Fly Like An Eagle’ sounds like IT’S OVERPLAYED TO FREAKIN’ DEATH! Please, DJs, no more ‘Fly Like An Eagle’ – PLEASE!
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But now comes an original thought from me (for the one who thought I never thought one). Be FOREWARNED, what I am about to point out to you regarding the Steve Miller hit Jet Airliner is something that, once you’ve heard it, you will never be able to “unhear”. If you like the song and don’t want it ruined for you, you should click off this page NOW.
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Still here? OK, then this is on your own head.
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I noticed decades ago, at the time ‘Jet Airliner’ was a #8 hit (1977) that Steve Miller can often be heard inhaling heavily (“HUuh!”) as he prepares to sing the next line. Once I noticed it, I was never again able to “not hear” it. The song was pretty much ruined for me from that point on. Now all I can hear is Steve going “HUuh!”
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You won’t need to listen to more than just the first verse of this song to hear what I’m yakking about. In fact, you’ll hear the first “HUuh!” just before the first word he sings, and you’ll hear it frequently throughout the rest of the song:
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Jet Airliner | Steve Miller Band
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If anything, the song ‘Wild Mountain Honey’ is even worse! (And also right from the start of it.) If you are a woman and heard this guy over the telephone you’d protly call the cops! Then again, maybe that pronounced inhaling sound is just “The Joker” transforming himself into the “Midnight Toker” (Dude! Don’t bogart that joint!)
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The Steve Miller Band "Wild Mountain Honey"
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Recently, I was listening to an old music cassette I’d put together many years ago which included a #8 hit from 1974 by a One-Hit Wonder called REUNION. Their song was titled ‘Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)’. I remember the song as an AM hit, but I didn’t appreciate it then like I do now. Now, I simply can’t hear it just once; I always replay it two or three times.
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You know that song by Johnny Cash, ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’? Did you think that was fast singing? You ain’t heard nuttin’ yet! Wait 'til you hear Reunion singing ‘LIFE IS A ROCK’.
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A person at YouTube posted the following comment:
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LMAO! Had the lyrics right here in front of me to read and still could not keep up with what he was singing! [I] remember when this song first came out and heard it on the radio, what a fun time that was trying to figure out what was being sung! Great song though and one of the classic tongue-twisters of all time!
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I can’t help wondering how long it took the lead singer, Joey Levine, to memorize all the lyrics and how many takes were required before he got through the entire song flawlessly. I also can’t help wondering what Steve Miller’s breathing would sound like if he ever attempted to sing ‘Life Is A Rock’. (An interesting side note: Johnny Cash is mentioned in the lyrics.)
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Life Is A Rock - Reunion - Full Lyrics
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A great song; I really LOVE it. But what’s up with all the White people mentioned in ‘Life Is A Rock’? Yeah, alright, Ray Charles is included, as is Smokey Robinson And The Miracles. But most of the others “name-dropped” were White. In fact, ‘The Beach Boys’ had four (count ‘em: 4) song titles mentioned, and it just doesn’t get any Whiter than ‘The Beach Boys’!
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Why weren’t more famous multi-major-hit Black artists mentioned, such as ‘Blood, Sweat & Tears’, ‘Three Dog Night’, ‘Rare Earth’, and ‘The Doobie Brothers’?
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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Sunday, March 17, 2013

FROM SIXTY TO ZERO IN ONE BLOG BIT (Or, UHP! I’M AN IDIOT, AND A “LOSER” TOO!) Part 1 Of 2

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This is Part 1 Of 2:
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“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’.”
~ Jesus
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It has hardly been a habit of mine to use my blog installments to publicly criticize other bloggers. In fact, prior to today, I believe I’ve only done that to one other blogger - Loony Leftist Len Hart, author of the blog ‘The Excremental Cowboy’ ‘The Existentialist Cowboy’ : 'The Cowardly Cowboy Speaks But Only “Owns” The F-Word’ (Or, ‘The Existentialist Cowboy Practices Censorship!’)
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But Loony Len was begging for it –  the pseudo-intellectual, F-bomb-tossin’, censorship-lovin’, ten gallon hat-wearin’ Texas Liberal.
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Now, years later, I find myself posting a critical blog bit about another blogger, Susan Shannon (SS) of the blog ‘Short Little Psycho‘Short Little Rebel’ (SLR). Ironically, I have come to think of Susan Shannon as the Conservative equivalent of Leftist Len – two extremists on opposite ends of the spectrum – but both of them tossing irrational barbs at anyone who dares disagree with them, and both of them not hesitating to resort to censorship in order to give the appearance of having vanquished their critics. The difference? Len argues for the Democrats; Susan argues for Jesus.
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It’s no secret that I don’t take a lot of crap from people: I am my Mother’s son and my Brother’s brother. So when Susan Shannon (SS), the Short Little Rebel, suddenly and shockingly turned on me and publicly slandered me, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that THIS blog bit was going to get written. I confess to being only a mediocre follower of Jesus, and when someone hits me, I hit back – and harder.
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Having admitted that, however, I want it clear from the start that this blog bit is only 6.66% (or maybe 66.6%) about revenge; the rest of it is about regaining my credibility by retracting my past praise for SS and distancing myself from her ‘Short Little Rebel’ (SLR) blog. In my recent 3-part series about Christ and Bible Study - an idea inspired by a post on SLR - I highly and prematurely praised SS and suggested that my readers also become her readers. But a couple of my friends said I was not like her. It took me awhile to realize it, but they were right... thankfully.
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Because it struck me as being so rare and refreshing, when I first discovered SS’s SLR blog, I was pleasantly surprised to see she seemed so bold, so fearless in facing off against the Socialists, Communists and God-haters. I was immediately impressed by her ability to silence her critics. Here’s one of the very first comments I submitted to her blog, on the post titled What Does a Christian Sound Like?:
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Stephen T. McCarthy says:
SLR ~
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>> . . . “Even the rough edges that some of us have.”
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Ha! In all honesty I can say that if it weren’t for your “rough edge” I wouldn’t be following your blog. It’s the “rough edge” and the way you handle your critics that makes me come back here to this site.
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One thing I like about you is that you remind me of . . . me. 
: ) No, seriously. I think I may have become so notorious that the Libs won’t even fight with me anymore. *Sniffle* I miss ‘em sometimes.
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Do you know that Tom Petty song ‘I WON’T BACK DOWN’? That’s you (and me) and some of my other favorite followers of Jesus.
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In one of your other comment sections I said I’d be mentioning you and linking to your blog in an upcoming blog series about ‘The Bible And A Reading Plan’. I haven’t finished it yet, but I’ve already written the part where I mention and recommend your blog (so THIS particular installment of your blog did NOT influence in any way what I will be posting soon), and I essentially said that I like your writing because you ‘don’t sound like a Christian’ – the milquetoast Ned Flanders variety, anyway.
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Stay spunky or lose me.
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~ D-FensDogg
‘Loyal American Underground’
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She replied in a positive, respectful manner... but then I was praising and agreeing with her, right?
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On March 1st, I submitted a comment to the SLR installment Obama Wants Supreme Court To Overturn California’s Gay Marriage Ban- WHY? Later I questioned why my comment had not yet been posted (like I do on my blog, SS has the ‘Comment Moderation’ safeguard activated on her blog), and she responded:
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Stephen, the reason your comment was awaiting approval was the claim that Obama is gay. I wanted to read your link and to do a little research. It’s a compelling article. ... I will leave your comment, however, and let readers make up their own minds.
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Uhp! I’m an idiot! And that’s why her response to me there was only the very first time I got an inkling that something might not be quite right with SS. I did not care for the way she had twisted my comment and I tried multiple times (on various SLR blog bits) to post a correction but I could never get her WordPress blog to accept my submitted comment. (Incidentally, I believe the rejection was due to a buggy system; I never suspected SS of personally rejecting my submitted correction.) Here’s what I was attempting to post on her blog:
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SHORT LITTLE REBEL ~
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>> . . . “Stephen, the reason your comment was awaiting approval was the claim that Obama is gay.”
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“I did not make the claim that Obama is gay.
(Although having seen him throw a baseball, it's difficult not to have a great deal of suspicion about that. OK, that was a joke... sort of.)
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“But I always choose my words very carefully, Susan, and what I said was: "Obama’s support of homosexuality MAY indicate that he himself has a vested interest in it. There is reason to CONSIDER the POSSIBILITY that Obama himself MAY in fact be a homosexual."
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“My statement was not a clear, straight-forward (pun intended) declaration that Obama is gay - unlike the comment Bob Jones made, in which he wrote: "It’s not a very well kept secret that Obama is gay."
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“I myself would not make a statement like "Obama IS gay" until I KNEW he was and believed I had plenty enough evidence to support my knowledge in a serious debate with one of his worshipers.
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“On the other hand . . . I HAVE seen him throw a baseball.”
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Well, I figured SS’s remark was probably just an oversight; that she had simply not read my comment carefully enough and noted how I was implying a possibility rather than making a direct accusation.
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On March 2nd, I posted my 3-part blog bit and the following day, I left a comment on the SLR blog installment Facebook Censors Conservative Speech! There is Another Great Option! in which I said:
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“...the primary reason for this visit is to inform you that the 3-Part blog bit series I mentioned previously, which was inspired by your ‘May I Suggest A Bible & A Reading Plan?’ post, has now been published on my blog. Therein I acknowledge the inspiration I got from your idea and urge my handful of readers to check out your SHORT LITTLE REBEL blog.
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“In case you’re interested in taking a look, below is the URL for Part 1. There’s a link to the next installment in the series at the conclusion of each blog bit. Hopefully some of my readers will begin following your excellent blog as well.”
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Then, while waiting for the Short Little Rebel to acknowledge my post and at least (even if she disagreed with some of my content) say something like “Thanks for the nice compliments and for publicly supporting my blog”, I began responding to the comments left by my friends and my blog’s few ‘Followers’.
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Exhibiting incredible rudeness for a “Christian”, Susan Shannon never left so much as a peep or any indication that she had bothered to read even the first of my 3-part blog bit series.
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Some of my friends, however, having taken my advice (sorry ‘bout that, pals) visited the SLR blog and returned with some unfavorable impressions:
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HeFriend: 
She has some serious unresolved issues; it’s apparent in her posts and comments. ... I think she represents the biggest reason why so many people run away from the Bible, and reject the idea of getting to know Jesus. Who knows, she may be in for a rude surprise come judgment day. ... I don’t think she would understand honest compassion.
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I was greatly surprised by HeFriend’s comments and I replied: “Other than the ‘obvious’, I’m really not sure what the difference is between Short Little Rebel and me. ... I’m a bit mystified by why you seem to dislike her so. But I value your opinion enough to request and consider [more of] it.”
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HeFriend: 
It's amazing how similar [your blogs] are. Almost seems like fraternal twins on the surface. SLR is obviously very intelligent, well-versed, and she puts together an immaculate post. She seems to keep a short leash on her comment section, though. I would have liked to hear some of the comments that she didn't allow just so I could read what she considered unimportant, frivolous, and a waste of her time.
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I don't think of her as "feisty" so much as angry, and self-righteous. In one post, "Jesus Used FaceBook to Rebuke Me", it seems like she had a moment of self-awareness or clarity where she admitted that anger had gotten the better of her. Seems like a recurring theme. It amazes me how such an intelligent person doesn't have the ability to communicate in a manner that could actually further her cause. (If she actually has a cause). She would rather rant about her atheist attacks, or call Facebook or whoever "evil", instead of using her gift and accepting the challenge of stepping out of her comfort zone and actually trying to change the hearts and minds of people who aren't already in her Christian camp. What a wasted opportunity when someone with her ability continually tries to put out fire with gasoline. (Only you can get away with that!)
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It's not dislike; it's more like disappointment. It's her blog, though. Maybe it's just a way for her to vent, or kick up some dust, and nothing more. Admittedly, she's un-humorously entertaining in a way.
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You don't see where there's a whole lot of difference between you and her? Read between the lines. You'll never be like her; you're smart enough to realize that to catch a fish you sometimes have to put a little slack in the line. There's only two people who ever got me to crack open a Bible, and you're one of them. Smart as SLR is, she would never have accomplished that feat.
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I was truly WOWED! by the exceptional compliment from HeFriend (amongst my favorite compliments ever!) Meanwhile a SheFriend submitted some similar opinions:
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SheFriend: 
I tend to agree with HeFriend that often she [Susan Shannon] uses a sledgehammer to get her point across. ... She has a delivery that comes across more like, "This is it and you better believe it, or else". Certainly she stands up for what she believes, but your posts follow more... like, "Let those who have ears to hear, hear". ... She ... is hard to like. ... [S]he does bring up some interesting points, and follows up with good links, but her basic delivery, is... very different from yours.
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I've run into many people in my life who want to use The Bible and particularly the Gospel of Jesus Christ to beat you into submission, rather than open your heart to truth and understanding. BTW, I hope it wasn't a disappointment to you that I wrote that in an email as opposed to a comment. I'm reluctant to leave a public comment where I say something negative about another persons blog. I figure they have the right to say things in any manner they like and I have the right to read or not. Although, I doubt she would ever read those comments, because I doubt she bothers to read the blogs of others. She seems far too self-important for that. Your buddy described her perfectly with two words: ‘angry’ and ‘self-righteous’.
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She's starting to sound  a little crazy along with angry and self-righteous. ... I had not read the SLR post until you directed me there. Looks to me like she's starting to unravel. ... Anyway, she also openly states that she shuts her Facebook account down from time to time to keep liberals 'from pooping on it' (her words not mine). That's also a way to clean up your account and take down comments or discussions you don't like. I recognize there are lots of nuts in the world, but someone like SLR who SEEMS so confident and has ALL of the answers, sure does a lot to keep certain comments and discussions from the eyes of the public.
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Did I say she was hard to like? Add “hard to trust” to that comment also. I'm starting to think that she is someone who is, quite possibly, doing more harm than good to the cause of spreading the Word of God and Truth about the New World Order.
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Uhp! Being an idiot, I still really didn’t get where HeFriend and SheFriend were coming from – I thought SS and I were two birds of a feather. However, I felt a Voice inside me say, “Wait and watch”. So I kept monitoring the SLR blog, reading the posts and comment responses from SS. Meanwhile, I wrote to HeFriend:
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“I have been thinking about what you and my other friend wrote, and I have been reading some of Short Little Rebel's recent posts, and I have been running all of that through the 'Rinse and Spin Cycles' of my mind. ... I WILL be back here again, so please don't give up on me too soon, Brother.”
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Continued in Part Two. For Part Two, click HERE.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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FROM SIXTY TO ZERO IN ONE BLOG BIT (Or, UHP! I’M AN IDIOT, AND A “LOSER” TOO!) Part 2 Of 2

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This is Part 2 Of 2. For Part 1, click HERE.
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“Why do you see the splinter which is in your brother’s eye, and do not feel the beam which is in your own eye?”
~ Jesus
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“If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”
~ Saint Paul
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I continued reading the ‘Short Little Rebel’ (SLR) blog written by Susan Shannon (SS), attempting to discern all the negativity that my friends were seemingly finding in her writing and the differences they seemed to see between the two of us.
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I was about ready to give up again and write to my friends something like this: “Well, thanks for the great compliments, but honestly I still don’t see where the ‘Short Little Rebel’ blog and the ‘Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends’ blog are all that much different.” But then, for a second time [the Biblical concept of at least “two witnesses”], I felt that Voice inside of me say, “Wait and watch”. So I waited longer and watched more – continuing to monitor the posts and comments of SS on her SLR blog.
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And then, to my surprise, it seemed to me that SS was beginning to come unhinged; she was becoming even more strident and more extremist than usual. And after submitting one last comment to Susan Shannon’s ‘Short Little Rebel’ blog and getting “yelled at” [her words] and slandered [my word], I sent an Email to SheFriend. Although I am not a psychiatrist and I don’t even play one on this blog, I wrote to SheFriend: “You can color me ‘convinced’. I suspect that SS [is] almost certainly [suffering from] paranoia – and she is using Jesus and The Bible to lash out at the rest of the world.
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"[HeFriend] was right, and so were you. ... She may be the worst ‘Know-It-All’ I’ve ever encountered. ... I have decided that, after having praised SLR in my 3-part blog bit, I now need to distance myself from her in no uncertain terms. May I quote you, anonymously?”

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So, what was it that finally convinced me that my friends were right about SS and that I had been wrong? Aside from her constant contentious, angry, and humorless demeanor in general, it was the over-the-top post and comment responses found here: “Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin?” That’s Not What God or Jesus Do!
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I had been reading, watching and waiting, and then finally she posted a response to one of her readers that I simply felt COMPELLED to question her about. In part, here’s how that exchange went:
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siloampastor4huck says:
I would not dispute any piece of your arrangement of Scripture quotes, nor any of your expositions of those quotes. I would only add a couple of Scriptures and a bit of my own exposition. “God demonstrates His Own love for us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” All your points are well-made, but they belong in a context that includes this one too: the whole motive behind salvation was a love of sinners by a God who hates sin. Nor did he wait for an “I’m sorry” before he forgave: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” — just as none of us fully understands the impact of our sin upon the heart of God. I would also caution any human being making this critique of the “milktoast Church”: there is a difference between God’s anger at sinners in the Word, and man’s anger expressed in preaching of the Word. I already believe in, and accept, the reality of God’s anger: but preachers (and bloggers) are subject to “man’s anger” that “does not bring about the righteous life God desires” (James). To me, a passerby, this article sounds a little angry with the anger of man.
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Short Little Rebel says:
No, not true. He most certainly is waiting for an apology before forgiveness. Is not repentance an apology? Do we not say, “Lord, please FORGIVE me???” You are, literally, speaking a lie. If people don’t repent, Jesus himself will send them to hell - or, at the very minimum, allow their life to be snuffed out. He, himself, said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”- a FEW! So, obviously repentance is a requirement.
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If telling the TRUTH about the Bible ‘sounds angry’, what can I say? I guess that is why Jesus, who spoke as lovingly as possible (when he called the Pharisees and Sadducee ‘hypocrite!’, ‘you den of vipers!’, ‘false teachers!’ ‘white washed sepulchers of death- full of dead men’s bones!’ and then thrashed their friends at the Temple market) was condemned as a ‘liar’, ‘demonically possessed’, ‘trouble maker’, ‘evil’, ‘blasphemer’! right? Because HE said it wrong! HIS words were ‘too full of anger’?
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What you ‘hear’ from me is not anger- it is urgency and passion. You attack my PERSON, but can not and do not contradict the article. Why? because you can’t. God did say those things. It is our job to make sense of them.
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I find it interesting that you call yourself a pastor, but do not know your Bible. There is no ‘right’ way to deliver the word. The sower has nothing to do with the germination of the seed- it is 100% about the QUALITY of the soil it hits. Throw it hard, throw it soft. Doesn’t matter. ...
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You simply want God to be packaged in a way you find comfortable. One that will not make others hate YOU! One that won’t make people leave their pews!
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This article was to show that God is awesome in his power and might. His personality can hate. Not my words. His. He doesn’t need to be apologized for. Or sugar coated. HE said those words. Why do you, a supposed pastor, want to say he didn’t?
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God is our maker and we are his little, insignificant pots. He has claimed his RIGHT to make us for special purposes, common purposes or to throw us away as unworthy. That is what makes him God. Only when you understand his full power in the matter can you APPRECIATE him when he has such patience, such forbearance, such love and attention for each of us. Only when you can accept his RIGHT to bless, hate or take away can we feel the incredible wonder of this same God when he turns from his great anger and says, “come, let us reason together…” ...
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Stephen T. McCarthy says:
SLR ~
Siloampastor4huck is “literally, speaking a lie”? You mean he can’t possibly have (mistakenly?) arrived at a different interpretation from yours? There can be no honest disagreement? He is “literally lying”, as in deliberately twisting truth in order to maliciously present a falsehood in order to deceive others?
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Short Little Rebel says:
as a pastor? come on, Stephen. If he is a pastor, he knows the Bible and thus, yes, he is lying about the Bible. IF he is not a pastor, then he is lying in his name. Many do. Your point? Ah. I know your point. Your point is to personally criticize my personality, my motive, etc. Why should I answer you? It seems to me that if my article was FALSE- as in, not supported biblically, rather than attack me PERSONALLY, you and people like you would use the BIBLE- (you know, that thing containing GOD’S WORD?), to show me the error of my ways, my thinking and my conclusion. But you don’t- you just get personal. That would make you a loser, wouldn’t it? I don’t like that, Stephen. Your motive is just anger and frustration- as is mine right now. Only, I don’t try to HIDE it. Not like you and your ilk do. Let’s evaluate THAT. I wrote and honest essay. It’s biblically sound. There is no other way to be more sound than to be in concurrence with God’s owns words. Don’t like his words? Take it up with him, BUDDY!. Personally, I am sick to death with people like you. How’s that for personal? Now, beat it off my page. You can go to Pastor Mr. Love & Cuddles and the two of you can sit around making up more stuff about God and Jesus and the Bible and teach it to others. Explain it later to God, alright?
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The Prosecution rests, your Honor. Occasionally the accused does all the work so the prosecuting attorney doesn’t have to. The demeanor of Susan Shannon resembles the Peace of God... only in that it “passeth all understanding”.
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Just to make certain I wasn’t able to respond to what she had said, Susan Shannon adjusted her blog so that I was unable to post any further comments in that particular comment block. Censorship: the easiest way to win debates! It worked for the Commie “Bullshitviks”, it worked for the Nazi SS, and it works for the SLR SS, too. Now I understand how Susan Shannon was always able to “silence” her critics.
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This woman seems overwound like a 1966 drug store wristwatch and about as stable as a free neutron. Me and my “ilk”? I didn’t know I had an ilk; I thought I was fairly darned unique... I mean, as individuals go. That comes as quite a disappointment to suddenly learn – out of the clear blue bullshit – that I am merely one member of an ilk. (Don’t shoot me, Susan! It’s not ilk season!) Well, what are ya gonna do? If a self-professed “Christian” sez it, it must be twue.
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Apparently SS perceived my simple, honest question as an attack on her personality in the same way that the pastor’s difference of opinion was “literally” a “lie”. Paranoid? I’d say anyone who can’t discern their supporters from their enemies is paranoid, and I apologize for having directed anyone to SS’s SLR blog. Uhp!...
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I believe that Truth is where you find it, therefore, I am not one to throw the baby out with the bath water. Although I have great misgivings about the source of the following quote, I nevertheless think it is one of the better things ever said about The Holy Bible:
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The Bible, the supreme spiritual Textbook of Life, is above all creeds, dogmas, and differences in religious beliefs. It is written to meet the needs of both the wise and the simple. There are surface truths, and wisdom that is veiled. There is guidance to the spiritual life in its pages for every degree of understanding. As consciousness unfolds, its revelations multiply. It is indeed the Wonder Book of all time.
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Statements made by Jesus and Saint Paul allude to the fact that The Word Of God unfolds as spiritual consciousness expands, and that has been proven to me personally over two decades of earnest Bible study. Unfortunately, it seems to me that SS is still dwelling in The Word Of God at the ‘Christian Legalism’ level; she seems to be unaware of literary devices such as Metaphor and Metonymy utilized in Scripture and unaware that much, if not most, if not all, of The New Testament was originally written in Aramaic – the language our Lord and Savior spoke – and not in Greek. So her strict, “legalistic” focus on the meaning of Greek words is bound to lead her somewhat astray.
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Most importantly, SS’s xxxtreme anger makes it difficult for me to believe she is truly being led or guided by The Holy Spirit of God when it comes to her understanding of Scripture. I am convinced that it is the Holy Spirit that answers some of The Bible’s great mystery verses such as...
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For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy.
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What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?
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But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”
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“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself”.
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The answer to those mystery passages can be found in a Biblical verse often quickly read and forgotten, as if it wasn’t loaded with the most profound implications: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”  
[Genesis 1:27]
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I am certain that SS of the SLR blog has not even yet begun to wrap her mind around that verse in Genesis. And for that reason, I would urge anyone to use caution when contemplating spiritual teachings at her blog. In my opinion, there are better, more Spirit-inspired resources available. Nevertheless, I do sincerely hope that SS will eventually know the Peace of mind that God can make available to us.
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Alright, so maybe SS wasn’t gracious enough to thank me for previously praising her and encouraging others to ‘Follow’ her blog, but the very least she could have done was thank me for correcting her embarrassing “milk toast” ways:
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February 19, 2013
Short Little Rebel:
What does a Christian ‘sound’ like? By your measure, neither John the Baptist, nor Christ himself would qualify as Christians! Do you think those two walked around like little milk toasts, smiling at every evil they see?
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Later on... February 19, 2013
Stephen T. McCarthy:
I essentially said that I like your writing because you ‘don’t sound like a Christian’ – the milquetoast Ned Flanders variety, anyway.
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March 11, 2013
Short Little Rebel:
The statement “love the sinner but hate the sin” is just one of many lies being spread by this new Milquetoast Christianity.
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March 13, 2013
Short Little Rebel:
They plotted to kill him - the very Son of God that these lukewarm, milquetoast Christians claim to follow. ... Jesus was a radical in his day- he was no milquetoast.  Why do people insist on this lame version of our awesome King?
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By George, I think she’s got it. So, it was me, your Ferret-Faced Fascist Friend, who wised-up Susan Shannon when it comes to the term “milquetoast”. But I left it up to someone else to correct the Short Little Rebel about her “nick picking”.
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Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Even The Losers
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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