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TheScout

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  1. George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation

     

    Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

     

    Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

     

    And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

     

    Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

  2. "Taxes. That's how every 1st world country with universal health care pays for it. Instead of paying a for profit health insurance company, you pay taxes. Instead of your employer paying for a group plan, they pay you your salary plus the amount they would have paid for the benefits. You pay the taxes. The taxes should equal the cost of the program. No debt. Unless you want to follow the tax break and spend policies of the last 8 years of course."

     

    But of course this will never happen. If we could just raise taxes to make our debt go away, why do we have any debt?

  3. "I confess that I am not reconciled to the idea of a chief magistrate parading himself through the several States, as an object of public gaze, and in quest of an applause which, to be valuable, should be purely voluntary. I had rather acquire silent good-will by a faithful discharge of my duties, than owe expressions of it to my putting myself in the way of receiving them." --Thomas Jefferson

  4. "There is one Universal Church of the faithful, outside of which there is absolutely no salvation." -Innocent III, Fourth Council of the Lateran, 1215

     

    "Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for Unam Sanctam, 1302 salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff." -Boniface VIII

     

    "[The Holy Roman Church] firmly believes, professes and preaches that all those who are outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans but also Jews or heretics and schismatics, cannot share in eternal life and will go into the everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless they are joined to the Catholic Church before the end of their lives; and that nobody can be saved, no matter how much he has given away in alms and even if he has shed his blood in the name of Christ, unless he has persevered in the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church." -Eugene IV Council of Florence, 1442

     

    The body of work has been added to but it seems pretty clear to me.

     

    Then you look to modern sources like the Catcheism:

     

    838 "The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter." Those "who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church." With the Orthodox Churches, this communion is so profound "that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common celebration of the Lord's Eucharist."

     

    It says to me that other Christians can still be granted eternal life by through their imperfect communion with the Catholic Church, because it is still the only way.

     

  5. You correctly point out that the stomping out of heresy has been much watered down in recent decades, especially since Vatican II. However, the Church still has an array of sanctions against heretics that are used when it deems appropriate.

     

    Nonetheless, the Church still holds it is the only earthly aid to eternal salvation. Perhaps we should go back to a more active stomping out to save more souls.

  6. SR540Beaver,

     

    So the problem isn't with the label itself. It was a guy who didn't know what a libertarian was.

     

    OGE,

     

    Of course what you say is true. Labels make communication is quicker. I have been saying that the whole time.

     

    But you obviously do not think we should hear and understand all points of view. This is how this all started. Not listening, and in fact blocking a homophoboic, anti-semetic, pedophile.

     

    So I guess what you are saying is we should only listen to people whose views fall within your acceptable range of discourse?

  7. Well from a Roman Catholic perspective, obviously Luther and his followers were heretics. . .

     

    Why shouldn't a church do its best to stamp out heresy? It is like saying a state can't fight treason or sedition. I am sure you don't believe that.

     

    I am not sure why people make excuses for communism so much. The system is so impracticable that it always degenerates into what we saw in the old Soviet bloc states every time it is tried. Its an idea that requires coercion which requires force. Lenin himself believed that the it was the duty of the party as the "vanguard" of revolution, to set up a "dictatorship of the proletariat" to bring about the vision.

  8. I know all that. I keep saying labels are blunt.

     

    However they are easier!

     

    Pick any figure. Past or present. Describe them. Easiest way to do so is labels.

     

    Hiter - Nazi, Facist

    Stalin - Communist, Authoriatarian

    FDR - Democrat, democrat, New Dealer, capitalist

    Churchill - democrat, monarchist, imperialist, capitalist

     

    Gets the point across quick, though not precise.

     

    They do have a point!

  9. I said labels are blunt. Thats the point. They make communication easier. We all know there are exceptions.

     

    What is easier?

     

    To say someone is a"

     

    1. "socialist"

     

    Or

     

    2. To say they believes in a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating public or state ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and a society characterized by equality for all individuals, with a fair or egalitarian method of compensation, that, in its modern form originated in the late 19th-century intellectual and working class political movement that criticized the effects of industrialization and private ownership on society.

     

    The benefit of labels.

  10. I want different things in my secular governments or a Boy Scout forum than in my religion. I want my government to promote liberty. I want my Church to crush heresy with all its power.

     

    I have never read his Discourse. As I mentioned I don't like the Social Contract. I have read it and some of what I thought were good libertarian critiques of it, explaining how taking the "general will" concept to a logical conclusion can lead to a very statist (forgive me OldGreyEagle) end.

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