Shout for Mitchell
Maine Public Broadcasting Network’s decision to cut Jennifer Mitchell’s weekend classical program prompts me to end my support for the station after many years.
Local programming should be the core of public broadcasting. Cutting the jazz program and Toby’s Friday program of oldies, in addition to axing Mitchell’s unique, outstanding program, weakens the cultural life of Maine.
I remember when Charles Beck tried to drop Saturday afternoon opera from public radio. Opera fans roared back, and the opera was spared the ax.
I hope that classical music fans will shout just as loudly to save Mitchell’s program, one of the best on the radio. If MPBN does not appreciate the gem it has in Mitchell and the need for jazz and oldies, it does not deserve listener support.
Margaret Cruikshank
Corea
Belcher’s abusive past
I am compelled to respond to a BDN column of Dec. 3 on the murder of Kasandra Perkins by Jovan Belcher and his subsequent suicide. The author described the incident as unfathomable, inexplicable, unpredictable and defying all explanation. I beg to differ. Belcher had a history of violence toward intimate partners during his time at the University of Maine, even while he was charming, personable and respectful to other people in his life. Apparently the women in his life did not merit the same treatment.
Abusers like Belcher often escalate their violence when their control of an intimate partner is threatened. Perkins is described in the media as his on-again/off-again girlfriend.
Far from being unfathomable and inexplicable, Belcher’s actions were consistent with his previous behavior. Suggesting that head injuries or alcohol were responsible for this tragedy is a dangerous distraction from the lethal combination of the abuser’s sense of entitlement to control a partner by any means and the presence of firearms in the situation.
Susan Hamlett
Orono
God hasn’t rewritten Bible
This is for all the openly homosexual clergy men and women out there who, for whatever reason, believe that somehow God has rewritten things as of late, to serve and accept their sexual “preference” and behavior: You see, he hasn’t. The Bible is the same today as it was
100 years ago. Their actions and ideals are an abomination of the Bible’s teachings. They are a farce and a detriment to the people they preach to, so says Leviticus 20:13 and 1 Corinthians 6:9.
Does not the Bible speak out against false prophets and their deception of Biblical law and truth? Does it not condemn them for eternity? Their own self delusion is preposterous, and their ideals blasphemy to their congregation.
David Brown
Baileyville
Uphold ‘Down Memory Lane’
The cancellation of “Down Memory Lane” demonstrates that a once-good public radio network continues its downward trajectory.
Before moving to Maine more than 15 years ago, we visited the state most summers. Maine Public Radio was a delight.
Features included much classical music, daily readings from best-selling books, Humble Farmer Robert Skoglund and, of course, “Down Memory Lane.” In recent years, the best programs have been cancelled and replaced by programs that we consider junk. We rarely listen to the network and never consider making contributions. When I tune in on occasion, there are so many stories (many of a purely U.S. nature) from the BBC that I sometimes think I have crossed the Atlantic and am in England.
Perhaps audience surveys have, in part, led to so many deplorable changes. But a public medium sometimes should lead, not follow, public opinion. I wonder if Charles Beck, who oversees MPBN’s radio and TV programming, has heard this point. Perhaps he thinks that in radio programming, poor taste is better than none at all.
Alan Ginsberg
Corea
Orono ‘right of way’
The article in the BDN on Dec. 5 about the pedestrian hit by a car in Orono tells me that an aggressive and region-wide public-relations campaign is needed to increase pedestrian visibility after dark.
Something like “wear white; carry a light” posted on campuses and street corners might help raise awareness. I travel on College Avenue in Orono after dark at least twice a week, and on two occasions pedestrians have walked out in front of me, exercising their “right of way” and assuming that I saw them on a dark, rainy, low-visibility night.
Les Myers
Old Town
David Brown,
The god you worship is a horrible monster.
That same God calls eating shellfish an abomination.
Yes. Because shellfish are gods. (At least here in Maine.). We ignore that part because only manly men are involved in the lobster industry.
Hey where is my half !!!!
You’re right David. God is the same today as 2000 years ago
Amend to his interpretation of God and I’ll agree with you. Many Christians do not agree with his interpretation.
Jesus told the apostles to teach all nations to obey all things that Jesus taught them. That means every Christian is supposed to believe the exact same way. Christianity today makes a mockery of the words of Jesus. The only true Christian teaching exists in the teachings of the Catholic Church. That is the church which Jesus founded, and the church which Jesus intended every Christian in the world to be a member of. The pride of men and women who founded their own religions has divided the world, and ruined the intent of Jesus. That’s why Christian belief is such a joke and a scandal to those who don’t believe.
You’ve posted these Catholic absolutes before. The Catholic Church was not necessarily founded by Christ, peter was the first Pope only in retrospect, many Popes were secular/political, the Catholic Church has no monopoly on salvation, etc. Also, twice you give a blanket indictment of Christianity so you therefore imply that the Catholic Church is not Christian.
One other thing, your repeated populations that the Catholic Church is the only true church make you an enemy of conservative, literalist Protestant Christians (they think they have the only “true” faith). I’ve been predicting the “unholy alliance” of Catholics and Conservative Christians is overdue for a schism, especially after the last elections.
By saying these things, it is the only way you can defend the illogical positions in your belief system. You believe that truth can be many different things at the same time, which is a logical impossibility. Jesus said that he is the way, the truth, and the life. Truth can logically contain only one, unchangeable component. To believe that 33,000 different, bickering Protestant denominations all contain the truth of Jesus Christ is an illogical absurdity.
If you look at history logically, it’s not very hard to see that the Catholic Church absolutely does have a rightful claim on moral and religious absolutes.
Jesus came to earth claiming that he is God. He proved his authority by performing thousands of miracles. He founded a church, which he meant for all humans who lived after him to join, and he expected the members of his church to believe exactly the same way. All that is in the Bible that you, Gopher, as a Protestant, claim to be true, yet you claim that Jesus did not found an authoritative church.
Jesus also said in the Bible that the gates of hell would not prevail against his church. Logically, that leads to two important conclusions. One is that his church would not be able to teach error (and the Catholic Church backs that up with its rightful claim that its teachings are infallible). The other conclusion is that the church which Jesus founded 2000 years ago must still exist today. The only Christian church which can truly make that claim is the Catholic Church. All Protestant and quasi-Protestant religions have been founded by mere human beings in the past 500 years. The oldest one is 1500 years younger than the church founded by Christ. And none of the founders of any of those religions ever performed a single miracle, while Jesus and his apostles performed thousands of them.
John Cardinal Newman was a bishop in the Anglican Church in the 19th century. He was extremely anti-Catholic. Newman undertook a research project, in which he traced back Catholic belief century by century, in order to prove that Catholic belief was a late-comer “invention” by humans. Before he finished his project, he knew that if he wanted to be a true Christian, then he had to become Catholic. Newman later declared, “To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.”
Cardinal Newman used the process of logic to determine that the Catholic Church is the church which was founded by Christ. If all Protestants would apply logic to their beliefs, they would all become Catholic, if they were sincere about practicing Christian truth. The only things Protestantism has supporting it are either ignorance or willful, illogical emotion.
The Catholic Church assembled the Bible, and declared its contents to be the Word of God. All Protestants believe the original Catholic claim that the Bible is the Word of God, yet they don’t believe that Catholicism is the true faith. Again, an illogical absurdity on the part of Protestantism.
Gopher63, I challenge you to apply logic to your Christian beliefs, also. If you don’t apply logic while you’re here on earth, then you’ll have to try to logically explain your beliefs to Jesus Christ when you meet him.
Logic and religion = oxymoron…..try again
The best way faith in God can be known is through the use of reason. That is a very important tenet of Catholic teaching, and it makes perfect sense.
I’m sure it makes ‘perfect’ sense…..if you believe Santa, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman…..again whatever you need to do to feel better. LOL
You don’t know what you’re missing.
You’re wrong….I have read the bible and listen to all the current religious people who hate and pass judgement on others and I will happily PASS. I don’t need to believe in a pretend/invisible friend. I’m not that weak to need such a crutch.
If it is what you are spouting from all your memorization,etc., many are not impressed. It comes across very empty.
Christ did not create the catholic church. The catholic church was created by men.
Prove it.
I think the burden of proof is on you. All you can quote or rely on are words written by ancient mere mortals that were tripping on bad wine while they tried to calm their fears by writing about them.
All you have to do is study history. Read secular history, church history, the Bible. Not very hard to figure it out if you are willing to give it a try. Then try miracles. Millions of healing miracles by Jesus and other Catholics over the past 2000 years. I am the recipient of one of them. Then try googling Eucharistic miracles (especially the Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano), google Incorruptible Saints. You will see plenty of evidence that the Catholic Church is the church of Jesus Christ.
In the Bible, Jesus did not condemn those who refused to believe merely his words. He condemned the Pharisees, and he condemned entire towns, for refusing to believe in his words after they had witnessed his miracles.
And by your post, I’m guessing that you consider the Bible to be a collection of fairy tales (I’ve heard that one often). My son in college just 2 days ago told me he just read about a guy who was recently prospecting for gold underneath the Red Sea. He found some gold. It was plated over a chariot wheel. With that wheel, he found 7 other chariot wheels, with human and horse bones mixed in with them. Fairy tale, I suppose?
I have another son in chiropractic school. He has to study a lot of biology and medicine. He recently studied mitochondria, which is the part of a human cell which produces energy. Mitochondria are so specialized that they have their own DNA, apart from the DNA of the cell as a whole. The way a baby inherits mitochondrial DNA is through only its mother. Scientists who have studied mitochondrial DNA have recently concluded that all human beings living on the earth are descended from a single woman. But I suppose, that’s just a fairy tale, too, even though science has confirmed it?
Evolution and Mitochondrial Eve. She was our common ancestor in Africa.
Mitochondrial Eve is a misnomer. It does not imply that she was the first or only woman on Earth when she lived.
This woman, is the most recent person we can trace our genealogy to, there were many women who came before this Mitochondrial Eve. She was not the first woman to roam the Earth and not the Eve of your bible.
I find it interesting as a person who studied anthropology in college that you brought her up.
Again, where’s the proof? And I see that you didn’t comment on the recent finds in the Red Sea.
The parting of the Red Sea is easily explained .
Where Moses crossed differs from where biblical scholars have him crossing. It was more than likely a large lake in Northern Egypt on the edge of the Mediterranean not the Red Sea of today.
In your book it says the lord drove the sea away…. with a strong east wind which turned the sea into dry land.
The blowing of the wind was supposed to expose a sand bar in the sea that the Israelites walked across on. If the wind were blowing this hard they would not have been able to stand up to cross.
Simulations have been done to explain the phenomenon. A steady wind blowing all say would push the water west, south and up river. It exposed wide mud flats where the river entered the lake and would leave a land bridge for hours.
The point is the Red Sea of today probably isn’t “yam suf”
Yam suf mean sea of reeds in Hebrew.
I surmise Moses studied the moon, wind and tides and had a long time to plan for the right moment.
The red sea was much different before the Suez Canal was dug
You nailed it.
THE Catholic church means nothing. It is nothing any more special than any other church or religion or faith.
If you knew the truth about God, you wouldn’t be able to say that.
The Bible clearly states that no man is above another yet the Catholic church thrives on it’s heirarchy. It says no to flaunt yet the Catholic church is the biggest and richest. They wear big hats and kiss inanimate objects. These are all against God.
Read Matthew 18:15-18. In it, Jesus tells the apostles, that they, as leaders of the church, are the ultimate authority in matters of religion. If the Catholic Church did not have a hierarchy, then its religion would be just anarchy, just like pope-less Protestantism. People need guidance. People need leaders. That’s why Jesus instituted an hierarchy when he made his apostles the first leaders of his church. Without that leadership, nobody would know the right path to follow to serve God and to be saved.
It ‘s ridiculous. All flash and show and ritual. By all accounts Jesus was dark skinned (and would be in that area of the world) who wore sandals and a humble looking toga. Constrast that with the bright colored flashy robes the Catholic priest wear. Look at the contrast. I doubt Jesus would be impressed with all that ritual and flash. He was considered to be a humble person.
Jesus never said the Roman Catholic church is the only true church. Catholics try and sell that though.
And you can’t possibly think that catholic means the same thing as Catholic.
What’s your proof that Jesus did not intend that the Catholic Church is the only true church? Did Jesus say to Peter, “Upon this rock I will build many churches,” or did he say, “Upon this rock I will build my church?” Read the prayer of Jesus in John, chapter 17. Jesus intended for all Christians to be perfectly one with the beliefs of the apostles, as perfectly as Jesus and the Father are one. The apostles were Catholic. Does that leave any room for something other than the fact that the Catholic Church is the true church? Let’s use some logic now. Let’s not use just emotion.
I guarantee that if Jesus somehow returned today that the first people demanding he be locked up in a mental hospital would be the diehard Christians.
What’s your reasoning for that? Is it because diehard Christians defend the teachings of Jesus?
Christian belief is no joke to me. But the Catholic Church certainly has its own experience with men twisting its teachings. How do we know today’s reading is correct?
Please quote the Bible where it says anything about Catholic?
It doesn’t. He is deluded. He also probably thinks catholic means the same thing as Catholic and it does not.
He speaks of logic! What a farce. Logic and reason and sanity is that there is same sex attraction in the animal kingdom. We learn a lot from science (from verifiable things we witness with our own eyes.) Logic is that no one would choose to be homosexual and thereby be demonized by the likes of that commenter. Who needs it!
He must have chosen to be heterosexual then, or maybe he isn’t really. (and who cares…)
He sure seems to obsess about the wrong things. And, he doesn’t have a clue about logic.
Faith in God can be determined strictly through reason. Faith is not a feeling. Feelings can come and go. Faith in God is the acceptance of 100% of the truth that God has revealed to man. Faith is very easily derived through the use of logic. Delusion can lead one to reject faith in God and his teachings.
Read the Bible, it is straight forward with regard to homosexuality. Just like the word Matrimony is straightforward. The latin root of the word is matri meaning mother. The liberals think they are smarter than the dictionary and can redefine our words. Perhaps next you will redefine adult, then pedophilia will be “marriage”. Again, homosexuality is nothing new. Just as the libs like to say some animals are gay, always have been . You are victims of the media and propaganda this is why you cannot recognize a phony like Bob Carlson, you have no distinction between right or wrong.
Yes, many animals have same sex attraction. Very definitely. But then, someone like you who dismisses intelligence, science and logic would not be able to understand that fact.
Once again…..heterosexuals do not choose to be heterosexual. They just are. Once again, homosexuals do not choose to be homosexual. They just are.
And, you show your ignorance bring up Carlson in this context. I guess one should feel sorry for someone like you who has no real knowledge or wisdom. You cannot even make correct connections. Many of us abhore the thought of Bob Carlson, the evil pediophile. And we cannot understand why those in his church (other church leaders) and other people in authority did nothing. They suspected and more, but did nothing. They apparently have no real morality . They do not know right from wrong, or if they do , do not practice it. Shameful.
That’s what I meant.
No, it would be the other way around.
And what you worship is a real stinker.
Les Myers, I agree. Too bad that people just don’t get the message. One of the first things my parents taught us kids was never assume that you have the right of way. Always look with your eyes and ears to check for potential danger to yourself. Your ears are the eyes in the back of your head.
Stop, Look, and Listen! Your eyes will tell you feet, when the signal, says walk across the street! First you stop! Then you look! Then you listen hard-you can make just any street as safe as your back yard-Jiminy Cricket.
While I do agree, stop look and listen, I am in Orono frequently duringt he day trying to corss Main Street in front of the Town Hall, in the crosswalk when motorists keep on trucking through, not even slowing while I am trying to corss te street. I hope that eventually they will be cited by the LEO’s
The problem with the cross walk in Orono is it is right directly in front of the bus stop canape which makes it confusing as to whether some one is waiting for the bus or to cross the street .I don’t know how many times I have stop to let people cross and had them look at me like I am stupid.
M. Cruickshank, A. Ginsberg, L. Meyers; good letters.
D. Brown: the Bible has changed over the centuries including in the last hundred years. New translations have appeared, many more accurate. The original manuscripts were often written long after the occurrences and were written for specific audiences in specific times. Statements I’ve seen, like “The KJV is the way God meant us to read it” would be laughable if the writer wasn’t serious.
Disclaimer: I’m a life-long member of a main-line Protestant church.
How can some vote this down?
I’m puzzled too but not surprised based on past discussions.
And what current transcripts haven’t been written and re-written again and again, long after their original occurrences??? if I were a betting man, my money would be on the original, or as close to the original transcripts as I could get… The histories of current society has proven that as of late, propaganda, dis-information and mis-representation of histories and ideals have become the norm so as to suit personal selfish preferences or for political gains… Or may even be served to twist the word of God so as to suit Satans attempts at destroying Gods creation… And I’m not a church member bud… but I do believe…
David Brown it’s that kind of vitriol that are driving people away from The Christ everyday.Its not your job to judge or to tell others how to live ,it’s your job to love your neighbor as your self ,love the Lord your God with all your heart and might and to show forth the kingdom of God.Your letter does none of those things so I wonder who you wrote it for.
If you love your neighbor as yourself, then the greatest good you can wish for your neighbor is his salvation. Mr. Brown is getting people to think about their salvation. I know I would want to be told if my salvation were in jeopardy. Mr. Brown is merely doing what Jesus Christ commands all Christians to do.
The funny thing is, Jesus never said anything about homosexuality.
How do you know? Were you there with him when he spent 3 years, teaching his apostles and large crowds? Do you think all that he taught in those 3 years are in those few pages of gospels in the Bible? There are many instances in the Bible where it says that Jesus taught crowds for days, or that he gave commandments to his apostles, but the Bible doesn’t say what those commandments were.
Jesus did say in the Bible, however, that the Holy Spirit would lead the apostles to all truth. And Acts, chapter 1, tells about how Jesus gave commandments to the apostles through the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul did not know Jesus while Jesus was on earth, but Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus, and taught Paul all that he was supposed to know about Christianity.
Since the apostles all taught that homosexual acts are sinful, and the teaching is especially forceful by Paul, we can conclude very logically that Jesus had plenty to say against homosexual acts.
Many Christians and non-Christians alike falsely believe that all of Christian teaching is contained in the Bible. The totality of Christian teaching is contained in the Bible AND in the oral teachings of the apostles. The fullness of Christian teaching is contained in the teachings of the Catholic Church, which was founded by Jesus and his apostles. The church had no Bible for the first 400 years of Christianity. The Catholic Church assembled the Bible circa 400 AD, and the Bible was meant to be an adjunct to Christian teaching, and it was not meant to be a catechism.
33,000 Protestant religions, founded by mere human beings in the past 500 years, have hijacked the Catholic Bible and tried to claim it as their own. They try to use it for a catechism, which it is not, and their divisive interpretations have led to much confusion, and to loss of belief by many people.
If you want the real truth about the Bible and the teachings of Jesus, then stick with the teachings of the Catholic Church, which has the authority that Jesus gave to humanity.
No, stick with Judaism, the “real” true faith that for centuries has been “hijacked” by Christians. Do you believe that the Jews crucified Jesus? I hope not.
Judaism is one of the 2 “real” true religions which were founded by God. Jesus Christ, as God, supplanted Judaism with Catholicism. God proved his authority to the Jews by performing miracles. There are no longer miracles in the Jewish religion. Jesus proved his authority by performing miracles. His apostles, who spread the Catholic Church far and wide, performed miracles. There have been millions of miracles performed by Catholics in the past 2000 years, and they still happen today. I had an injury that was instantly, miraculously healed on Oct. 27, 2007, while at a Catholic healing prayer service. I saw 20 other people miraculously healed that same afternoon. The Catholic religion is the true religion currently endorsed by God. We would all do well to pay heed to its teachings.
Currently endorsed ? Hilarious.
For you to think that is hilarious is so sad.
You’re an uneducated fool….whatever you need to do to make YOURSELF feel better.
LOL at Heistheone. You made a little bit of sense a few posts back. You now appear to be getting in deeper and deeper. Just a suggestion; I’d stop digging before you have to set up a Chinese immigration post. LOL
Are Isalamics not children of Abraham, too? God has forsaken them?
God endorses one particular religion???!! That’s amazingly outlandish and as far fetched as can be.
Mind over matter is a strong force.
As if the thousands of religions in this crazy world could be all true. Of course there’s only one true religion! Why would God make a mockery of himself by endorsing the religions founded by his mere creatures, instead of endorsing only the one that he founded himself?
LOL, that’s rich— you’re going to argue against the spirit of the Gospel because those who disagree with you weren’t there?
News flash: you weren’t there either. Nor were you around when Christians were using the Bible to justify human slavery here in America in the 1800’s.
Good point…we don’t know everything he said. Perhaps he said quite a bit about love, including same-sex love.
Now that is logic .
You speculate about what Jesus would say, and base your hate and bigotry on that. Disgusting. You should be ashamed of yourself.
I don’t speculate. When you believe in the teachings of the Catholic Church, you KNOW what Jesus taught the apostles. No speculation needed. It seems to be the non-Christians who do the speculating on what Jesus did or didn’t say. And non-Christians seem to show plenty of hate and bigotry toward Christians. Once again, as Paul said to the Galatians, “Have I become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?”
The disgust , bigotry and hate by many so called Christians towards certain people is horrible. Jesus would not like that one bit.
Love sinners, but hate sin. Not the same as hating people. If someone is a true Christian, then she would want all people to be saved. I want all people to be saved. But if I see someone seriously sinning, and I say nothing about it to them, wouldn’t I be showing them a lot of hatred? If I say nothing, it would mean that I wouldn’t care if they went to heaven or hell. That is true hatred.
Who are you to determine what “salvation” is appropriate for your neighbor?
Christ suggested that you take care of your own faults before you started mucking about in your neighbors life. And he most certainly did not “command” all you sanctimonious religionists to go butting into other peoples lives and making “salvation” decisions for them.
And no Mr. Brown is not trying to get people to think of their “salvation” (what ever he has determined it to be); he is spouting off against giving homosexuals equality before the law and using the Bible to justify hating another segment of society.
People that think as Mr. Brown thinks are petty, judgmental, punitive, hypocritical and very probably not too bright.
And who are you to do the same? I don’t determine the way to salvation by my own invention. I follow the teachings of the Catholic Church, which has been given authority to teach about salvation by Jesus Christ, who will decide whether we will be saved or not. Whose authority do you stand on regarding salvation? Your own? Another mere human’s? I prefer to hang my hat on the teachings of the God who will personally decide our eternal destinations.
Who’s authority ? LOL. If you need to hang your hat on an invisible friend to feel better while you fumble your way through this life while only focusing on what doesn’t happen after this life- that’s your choice. That said everyone else also has choices to not share in your silly delusions.
I guess George Washington and Abraham Lincoln must be invisible friends, too, because we can’t see them any more. Jesus came to earth, and many thousands of people saw him. He proved who he was by performing miracles. He said that his followers would perform miracles. Many Catholics have performed a total of many thousands of miracles in the past 2000 years. My grandmother, my sister, and myself have been healed by miracles. If you think Jesus is imaginary just because he’s not standing in front of you now, then you have to believe the same about the multiple billions of people who have lived before you, including your own ancestors. Use logic and reasoning. Don’t base your beliefs on emotion.
and I’m sure your grandmother and sister and you never went to see a doctor….you’re a joke and a sad one. Try again.
I went to a Catholic healing service at LifeSong Ministries in Sherman, ME, on Oct. 27, 2007. Lorraine Louvat at LifeSong has the gift of healing miracles.
I went hoping for a healing for my two disabling conditions. When Lorraine prayed over me, neither of those conditions were healed. She asked me if I had anything else bothering me. I told her that most of my joints had problems. She put her hands on all of them and prayed, and nothing happened til she got to the last one, my right ankle. It had been injured 27 years before, and I had constant pain and limited motion in it. Lorraine placed her hands on it and said, “In the Name of Jesus, be healed.” Her hands became smoking hot, and about 15 seconds later, they cooled off. My ankle hasn’t had a second of pain, and has had full range of motion since.
I saw 20 other people healed at the same time. One woman had a terminal case of pancreatitis. Her belly was inflamed as if she were about 7 months pregnant. She was prayed over, and her belly flattened out in seconds, in full view of everyone. The woman sitting beside my brother had a trigger finger. She couldn’t open or close her hand. After being prayed over, she instantly had normal function of her hand. Another man there could barely move, and was in agonizing pain. He had been in an auto accident 3 years before, and had broken almost every bone in his body. He had 3 separate spinal injuries. He was instantly healed and became perfectly normal.
In the Bible, Jesus said that there would be followers of his who would have the gift of miracles. The Catholic Church is merely fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus. By the way, this is no joke.
Quite a number of fundamentalist and Pentecostal leaders have claimed the same (healing). Come to find out, it was all a sham.
I do believe that for many, their problems are psychosomatic. While I don’t buy major problems simply disappearing (such as above), mind over matter does have power. Like a placebo, if it works, it works…though there’s nothing mystical about it.
I agree totally. There is definitely mind over matter (body). There is a strong connection. We can believe in someting and therefore make it happen sometimes (strong will, discipline,etc.) But of course, that is not what that person is saying .
Me? I’m an atheist. I don’t muck about in anyone’s salvation.
If you are an atheist, then what someone else believes about God should mean absolutely nothing to you. Why should you care if someone believes in someone else whom you believe to be imaginary? But you seem to care a lot, for some reason. Atheists claim to have no religion. Yet many atheists, including you, try to promote your beliefs to others. When you do that, then your belief becomes a religion. And when your religion starts leading people away from the truth which God has taught mankind, then you are mucking about in other peoples’ salvation. Again, use logic, not emotion.
What someone believes is up to them as long as they keep it to themselves and other similar believers. What I dislike are the sanctimonious that think their religion gives them the right to set the moral standards for everyone else.
There are scriptural ways to go about correcting those in your body and They don’t include a public excoriating .In every case I can find Jesus came to the aid of those being publicly denounced, I will not get into a theological debate on this site I should not have even posted what I did I am just tired of my brothers and sisters in Christ casting stones .
If Christians don’t stand up for the truth of Christ, who will? If Christians don’t show people that they are acting in opposition to God’s will, how will sinners be saved? If you are a brother in Christ, then you have an obligation before Christ to call out sin when you see it, and to direct people on the right path to their salvation.
Sorry but I honestly don’t want to do this on here but you are sadly deceived the only people Christ ever called out were the Pharisees not those that were lost only those living by the law.i would be glad to carry the discussion to a more personnel forum but this is not the place.
Take your Bible and read Matt. 18:15-17. Read the Book of Ezekiel, chapter 33, where God tells the prophet that he will be responsible for the blood of a sinner whom he allows to keep on sinning, without calling him out for it. Read in the gospels where Christ condemns the entire towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida, because they did not convert when they saw his miracles. He certainly called those people out, and they weren’t Pharisees. Christians have serious obligations regarding the salvation of others.
O k you made my point for me.Matt18 Read the entire exchange in context and you will see that it is directed at those in your fold that you have relation to in your local body[those in your church ].You have to be careful in the old testament where they were still under the law of judgement and not under the grace that came with Christ.Tho there is a time of judgement coming it is not until the end and only the One will Judge .Remember “judge not lest you be judged”,”take the plank out of your eye before you worry about the splinter in your brothers” ,”let he who is without sin cast the first stone”and “how you judge it will be judged unto you”.I am going to end it with this and I mean I am done debating this with you,It is the Spirit of Gods job to convict of sin[remember Christ had to leave in order for the Spirit to come] not mine the way I understand it It is only my job to show forth the love of Christ and to try to live as He did which is no easy task.At the same time it is not my place to try and tell you how to live your spiritual life and if you are comfortable being the judge of others that is your decision to make not mine .
You don’t have to reply, but I want to make it clear that it is not a Christian’s job to judge. Judgment is done by Jesus alone, after we die. It is, however, the job of a Christian to warn someone that they are sinning, in order to prevent them from receiving an unfavorable judgment from Jesus. With the “log in your eye” statement, Jesus meant that we shouldn’t be hypocritical. We shouldn’t be sinning in the same way that we warn others about.
I can’t leave it alone, so here goes how can you warn somebody out side of your body of there transgressions with out judging whether or not they are in sin and are you implying its ok to be in sin and warn others about theirs as long as its not a sin you indulge in.I have a hard enough time trying to live the faith I ascribe to without worrying about somebody else s walk .
I’m not sure that anything Christ does needs a human to “stand up” for it. But Christ says I AM on the right path to my salvation, so why are you trying to lead me astray?
Your salvation is in jeopardy- there feel better ? My ‘salvation’ or lack there of- is no one else’s business. It’s called mind YOUR own business.
If you think we should mind our own business, then you need to stop posting on the BDN. If Catholic beliefs are not valid, then neither are yours.
I don’t believe in a pretend or invisible person….if you need to good for you…..you probably believe in unicorns as well…..that doesn’t make them real…
I don’t believe in pretend persons, either. I believe in the one true God, who has revealed himself to man in many unmistakeable ways. It’s not too hard to find the evidence for the existence of God, especially in the history of the Catholic Church. But you have to be willing to look. If you don’t want to believe, then you’re not going to believe, no matter what the evidence.
What evidence ? Just like Apollo and Zeus and Thor all existed too right? R I G H T.
Um, Jesus Christ commands us to love one another, help those less fortunate in society, and ignore worldly wealth for spiritual rewards.
Nowhere has Jesus Christ condemned gays and lesbians. The Spirit of the Gospel is entirely compatible with acceptance and love for gay and lesbian Christians living in truth.
Yes, and it is many Christians (fundamentalists, Catholics and others) who are extremely materialistic. They didn’t “get” that part of the Bible it seems, but would rather narrowly focus on trying to deny other human beings rights. What kind of people are these so-called “Christians”! Certainly nothing to admire or want to be like.
Jesus told Peter and the apostles that whatever they declared bound or loosed on earth, would be bound or loosed in heaven. In other words, Jesus approved of everything the apostles taught in matters of faith and morals. The apostles did not condemn homosexuals. The apostles said that those who practiced homosexual acts were serious sinners. Therefore, Jesus says that they are sinners, too. Make your arguments based on logic, not on emotion.
Wait, logic? So Paul tells some guy, “____.” The guy says, “According to who?” “Jesus.” “Jesus said ____?” “Well, no, but before He left, He said whatever I say is to be taken like he *did* say it.” Convenient…and Catholics laugh at the LDS’ golden plate translation story?
Heist… If you want to make religious arguments based on logic, you are using the wrong tools altogether. Religion transcends reason and logic, and speaks to our spiritual selves.
Jesus never condemned homosexuals, but he did say we should love one another and not judge.
We are more focused on this world and how much good there is in it. We are should help others and treat them as we would want to be treated. Help relieve suffering . Jesus did that. That was the true and compelling message of his earthly life.
That bunk your ilk always spouts about if we love our neighbor, we worry about their salvation…..what hypocrisy and empty words. You are the first to put down gay people and others who don’t fit into your narrow category.
If God made one person, he made them all. Just the way they were born. (and that is not all the same.)
I am sure you are very concerned about women being raped and people being tortured. It also must trouble you greatly when people are killed in wars, often women and innocent children. Those are the concerns of most people who care about humanity, and don’t spend their time worrying about what others do in their personal lives and who they love.
You’re right, I do care a LOT about those horrors and injustices that you mention. If everyone lived according to the teachings of the Catholic Church, as Jesus intended, those kind of things would not happen. It all depends on what angle you take to look at the world’s problems. Following the teachings of Jesus is the solution to them all.
Are you kidding !?!?!?! Did you ever read about the crusades and the Dark Ages ?? No horrors there…..Pfffffffffft.
You think I am hypocritical about homosexuals. Let me tell you my personal story I have experienced recently. I hesitate, for fear of outing someone, but I think it’s important that homosexuals hear this.
3 years ago, one of my sons told my wife and I that he was gay. He couldn’t watch a basketball game without getting horny, because of the revealing uniforms the players wore. He was uncomfortable around his male friends, because they got him sexually excited. He was having homosexual wet dreams. He kept having this thought in his head that over and over said, “you’re gay, you’re gay, you’re gay.”
My son did not want to be gay. My wife and I wanted to support him the best we could.
All of us in our family have a strong trust and faith in God, through our practice of the Catholic faith. My son, my wife and I just decided that we were going to put my son into God’s hands, and pray very sincerely that God would help him in his trial. We prayed the Rosary every day for our son, and we offered the Catholic Mass for him, especially the graces that we received in Holy Communion. After a few weeks, his hard-driving thoughts had simmered down. Then he started feeling less attracted toward other boys and men.
It took a full year, but our son is no longer gay, and has not been for two years. He has no sexual attraction toward men, and has no nagging thoughts. His main sexual worry now is that sometimes he might be lustful toward girls. He is a lot happier in his life now, too, and he is a joy to have as a son.
So please don’t tell me I have hatred and bigotry toward homosexuals. I’ve experienced the pain and tears of my own son. I can see what it’s like. But I also know the power of the grace of God. If you have a spiritual need, and you ask God for it with all sincerity, God will usually fulfill that need. Yes, it is very possible to “pray the gay away.” I know that homosexual attractions can be overcome. I live with the evidence every day.
You are completely delusional.
Such a deep, thoughtful reply. If only you knew the power of the grace of God. God can do far more for you than you are currently able to imagine. I’ll pray for you.
Susan Hamlett awesome letter truth from beginning to end.
The Bible lists many abominations. They iclude foods, clothing, sex, womens right violations, etc. When you follow it word for word I will also. God loves you. I love you and I prayed for you today.
David Brown: Perhaps you are a “false prophet.” You pick a few phrases out of the Bible (a book) to emphasize. That means nothing. You do not portray the Christianity of many. You won’t convert many that way. Most people want to treat other human beings with more dignity and respect, not less.
Susan Hamlett’s letter and words should be required reading. I think many would believe she gets right to the core of what much of the domestic violence is about. Control to an extreme degree and the repercussions from that. There are plenty of sociopaths out there….friendly and personable on the surface, but masking something a lot darker underneath.
The Bible is pretty straight forward with regards to homosexuality. Have you ever actually read the Bible? Homosexuality is nothing “new”. The false Reverends such as Bob Carlson are nothing but a mockery of Christianity. IF you agree with this hit the down arrow.
I am not hitting any arrow one way or the other . I don’t follow such suggestions .
Secondly, the Bible (and yes, have read it) is a book written by men (fallible men) centuries ago. People pick and choose the parts they want to adhere to. No one in today’s modern world lives their life literally according to the Bible.
Thirdly….Bob Carlson? Why the heck did you even bring him up here? Carlson was a pediophile….an evil man. A pediophile. Perhaps you are the one who needs to read more. (and not just the Bible alone.)
The Bible IS pretty straightforward. God condemns rape, not love.
The word homosexual was not coined until many hundreds of years after the writing of the BIble. The words it is derived from in the Bible were words for male prostitute. As a Lesbian I can assure you I am not a male prostitute. When it discusses women and men going against their natural urges for unnatural ones it is talking about heterosexual people being homosexual. The bIble clearly states that some people are born homosexual. Even the Catholic church has acknowledged this. God Bless, Go Forward and Sin No More.
Myers, I have driving on campus for undergrad, and grad school, Never once, ever have I came close to hitting some, never had to even slam on the breaks. Why? Because I drive the speed limit and pay attention. Too many people are going too fast and not paying attention. If you where going the speed limit you would never come close to hitting someone, these people are not darting out of the road.
I drive the speed limit too and I have not come close to hitting anyone either. However, you seem to be saying that all responsibility is with the driver and none with the pedestrians. Even the idea of being visible seems to be something that you don’t agree with-it’s all on the driver.
And yes, I have seen kids dart out in front of cars, either watching for traffic or not. And I have seen kids walk along the path and not stop as the path becomes a crosswalk, expecting cars to stop for them before they get to the street. I find it amazing that you are giving these kids carte blanche and absolving them of their responsibility in obeying the traffic laws and just practicing common sense.
common sense tells me, I am in the thing that will kill the other person so I have to be as responsible as possible. I do absolve them because I hit them, I hurt them. Nothing happens to me.
So because you have driven on campus and obeyed the speed limits. Never once had to slam on the breaks to avoid hitting someone. Does that mean it will never happen? I drove truck for 40 years and never once came close to hitting a train at a RR crossing. Does that mean that it can never happen? I have had people walk out in front of me while driving a loaded truck, doing the speed limit or less. I have had deer jump out of the woods in front of me. I have had children scare the hell out of me doing foolish things near the road. I have been lucky on many occasions while driving. So has anyone who puts in lots of miles driving.
People do foolish things, both driving, biking, walking. Who is the most vulnerable? It is everyones responsibility to pay attention to their surroundings.
Ask yourself who can stop faster, a person walking or even jogging or a car going 15mph in a 25mph zone?
All those rail road crossings, did you just run through them with looking, blindly driving? No, I am sure you paid attention when you got to them. Those people that walked out in front of you where they in a crowed campus full of people waling? Look, when I am on campus you have to expect people are going to be crossing the road at any time. People just do not randomly walk then all of a sudden bolt across the road. Its simple as read body language and you can tell pretty quickly when someone want to cross or not. Yes, people need to pay attention too, but that doesn’t absolve the driver.
Having spent 10 years on the Umaine Orono campus, I would suggest it should be “Pedestrian only” Cars should all be parked at least as far as the Steam Plant from the library. and the price of parking a car on campus should be reflective of the cost of parking a car on campus. The parking lots behind Boardman, and the ones near College Avenue should be eliminated.
There is currently a bike path from Old town downtown, and out to the shopping centers on Stillwater.
In addition to making the campus more pedestrian friendly, this might also do something to combat the obesity epidemic.
For faculty and staff, too?
Absolutely Total pedestrian campus! Have you seen the size of some of those professors?
I have…have seen the ages of some of them, too. Now, if everyone parks at the steam plant (or other feeder lot) and there’s quick shuttle, I’m in!
Not trying to absolve drivers. Just pointing out that the most vulnerable need to pay attention where they are at and what could be a threat to their well being. Walking around with your ears plugged listening to music or whaterver, texting while walking, etc. can be hazardous to your well being. Especially in this day and age when drivers are texting or on their cell phones while driving. Of course the driver will be wrong and the pedestrian will be dead right if the two meet.
Funny you should mention this, but I’ve been driving for over 45 years without an accident, and the other night a person staggered out into the road in front of my car in Machias. I was going the speed limit (luckily) and there were no cars coming in the opposite direction, so I was able to avoid the pedestrian. He would have been easier to avoid if he had been wearing reflective clothing, or carried a flashlight, but please let me give a younger driver some advise. Sometimes “the other guy” does something so stupid that it is unpredictable. I always give bicycles, motorcycles, and pedestrians (particularly drunks and children) a very wide berth.
The message is PLEASE do not think, because you do EVERYTHING according to law, that that exempts you from an accident.
God didn’t write the bible. The bible you know today was put together by man.
Gee David Brown of Baileyville…..please stay in Baileyville.
Is the Bible of 100 years ago the same Bible of 500 years ago or 1000 years ago?
The Vulgate (in Latin) was codified in the 4th or 5th Century. There have been many translations since so it isn’t the “same”.
David Brown–How can we be sure that it is not you who is the false prophet and deceiver?
We can be sure, because Mr. Brown is in agreement with the teachings of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church was given its authority to teach by Jesus Christ, who is God, and who will personally judge each of us according to how well we adhered to his teachings. If you teach others to question the teachings of the Catholic Church, it is you who are being deceitful.
Or perhaps it is you that is a ravening wolf in sheeps clothing?
Intolerance is not love.
Intolerance of sin is obedience to God. I will very confidently stand on that statement. Wasn’t it Jesus who said in John’s gospel, to two different people, “Go, and sin no more?” I think Jesus meant that for all of us, and not just for those two individuals.
Please quote the BIble where it mentions Catholicism.
There is no need for the Bible to mention Catholicism. The Bible is not a catechism. It doesn’t contain all one needs to know about the Christian religion. The Catholic Church existed for 400 years before the Bible, and it is the Catholic Church which assembled the writings of the Bible, and which declared the Bible to be the Word of God. For the first 400 years of Christianity, the Catholic religion was spread by preaching and teaching. You don’t spread religion by passing Bibles around, because if you don’t know how to interpret the Bible, you will have no idea of exactly what Christians are to believe.
The Bible is very clear about one thing, however. In many passages, it declares that there is only one church, and that all Christians are obligated to believe exactly the same way. The Bible says that Christians who try to think outside the box will be condemned to hell. That does not leave room for individual interpretation of Christianity.
The word “catholic” in the Catholic Church implies that the church founded by Jesus would be a worldwide, universal church. It implies, along with the commandment of the Bible, that all the members of the Catholic Church must believe the same way. And the Catholic Church follows that Biblical teaching. If you disagree with a single teaching of the Catholic Church, then you are basically saying that you, as a human, know better than God about religion. If you reject Catholic teaching, then you become a heretic, and you are no longer a true Catholic, even though you still may call yourself one.
But to get back to the subject of your comment, I can give you a little history lesson about the existence of the Catholic Church.
St. Ignatius of Antioch was a Catholic bishop who was a disciple, and good friend, of the apostle John. In 107 AD, Ignatius was arrested, and condemned to be cast to the lions in Rome. It was a long walk from Antioch to Rome, and along the way, Ignatius wrote several letters to bishops of other churches in Asia Minor. In his letter to the Smyrnaeans, Ignatius wrote, “….where the bishop is, there is Jesus Christ, and where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”
Again, Ignatius was a disciple and good friend of the apostle John. He was martyred about 7 years after John died. Again, let’s use logic here, not emotion. Wouldn’t it be logical to assume that since John was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus, that the apostles were the founders of the Catholic Church? Sounds pretty logical to me.
Please – it is NOT the Catholic Church – it is the ROMAN Catholic Church. There are many catholic churches in the world, not just one.
Catholic Church / Roman Catholic Church = one and the same. There are other catholic churches in the world, but they are not THE Catholic Church.
Oh – so you’re a Lutheran as well.
Oh, Mr. Brown. Please let us know when you begin circulating that petition to outlaw the sale and serving of shellfish, including our great lobster. And let us know when the petition is out to require rape victims to marry their rapists.
Susan Hamlett – Thanks for telling the truth, everyone should be aware of domestic abuse.
Les Myers – Thank you for spreading the message. Walkers – In the dark, wear a safety vest, they aren’t all that expensive.
David- you are so right! The world has gone nuts.
I agree. Republicans used to be rational conservatives, but the religious fundamentalists have unhinged them from reality.
Margaret Cruikshank
Alan Ginsberg
Call your representatives and ask them to defund public radio and TV, return your tax money, and use the savings to subscribe to satellite radio.
The $200 per year for a subscription would allow you to listen to what you want, when you want, and would stop the taxpayer funded liberal hogwash that passes for journalism at their stations.
Les Myers
It’s going to be difficult to educate the UMO clientele about simple traffic safety.
Most can’t even register to exercise their voting rights until the very last minute, and none can remember their IDs unless they need it to pick up some Natty Light on the way home.
I fail to see how paying for satellite radio would give us better access to local programming, which was the focus of Margaret’s letter.
That poster never makes any sense.
So glad public radio and TV will keep going strong. Romney was going to defund it as much as possible but luckily do not have to worry about that now. We donate as do many. It is a very worthwhile station to support. Many people do not want satellite, so that suggestion by that poster is meaningless to many.
I love local programming.
I don’t expect the public to pay for it though.
I pay for it myself.
David since the Hebrew word for “crook” (as in shepard’s crook) and the word for “rod” (as in splayer’s rod) are the same word, don’t you think that “god” could have been a bit clearer?
When he handed down the “word” (in Hebrew) couldn’t he just have said: “Spare the crook (fail to lead your child to the correct path) and he will become spoiled” Instead he used a word with duel meaning and abjectly stupid christians have been beating their children with splayer’s rods for centuries, and justifying this action by claiming “god said it.”
I get only ONE message when reading the teachings of Jesus. He said “love one another” He said this over and over, more than any other message. Most “christians” still don’t get it.
Here’s your homework assignment David. Find me ONE, just one incident of Jesus beating a child? I can find you many incidents where he used the crook. When people can’t read well, they sometimes get better reading skills by looking at the pictures.
Matthew 7:12 is all I need.
David Brown, the bible may be the same now as it was 100 or even 200 years ago, but our understanding of each others humanity has surely improved for the better.
An example I think you can agree with is our opinions on human slavery. The Bible does not condemn slavery— in fact, even the New Testament has passages supporting it! Yes, the Bible was used in the 1800’s to justify human slavery here in the United States.
We can now interpret these passages of the Bible as a product of their time— and we would NOT try to enslave other human beings based on what our Bible says.
Similarly, we should NOT try to stone gay and lesbian Mainers to death, just because some passage in Leviticus can be interpreted to condemn them.
The spirit of the Gospel is clear to those of us who have opened our heart to God– love one another, look out for those less fortunate in society, and pursue spiritual wealth, not worldly wealth. Being supportive of those who are gay and lesbian is a Christian value, and allowing our gay clergy to live their lives in truth honors God.
Mr. Brown; you and your religious buddies are free to read and interpret your bible in any way that suits your fancy. If you think your bible says you should hate; go for it. Threaten exclusion, hell’s fire and condemnation to keep your members obedient. The Constitution guarantees you this right.
Just don’t expect those of us who look at the world with joy and hope and acceptance to give your miserable, mean, condemning interpretations any weight in determining what laws we make, what rights we honor and how we chose to relate to those you think we should hate.
Re-read your bible; you appear to have missed that little bit where Christ recommends tending to your own faults before anointing yourself vice president in charge of passing judgment on eternal damnation.
And what faults does he have that he should remove before stating the truth which Christ taught? Do you know Mr. Brown personally? Can you say for sure that he practices homosexual acts, so that he would not have the right to tell others that they shouldn’t practice homosexual acts? My guess is that Mr. Brown is not a practicing homosexual; therefore, there is no board to remove from his eye before he tells others that the speck in their eyes is the practicing of homosexual acts. Like Paul said to the Galatians, “Have I become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” I think that’s the case here with you and Mr. Brown. And I believe it is Mr. Brown who is telling the truth. And Ms. Jones, I would not recommend that you re-read the Bible. I would recommend that you would actually read it for the first time, and apply some logic while you interpret it.
Your obsession with homosexuality says a lot more about you than anything, and it is not good. Honesty and authenticity are not your strong suits.
You don’t know me.
and you don’t ‘know’ god other than reading a book and what your church has to say…..If that’s all we have to do I ‘know’ Nancy Drew.
Yeah, we know you, just not in the biblical sense.
Did you know Jesus Christ personally ? Funny how it only works one way for you people…..try again.
I didn’t have to meet him personally. I know what he taught, because the Catholic Church has preserved his teachings and passed them down over the past 2000 years.
Oh but we all need to meet Mr. Brown personally- is that how it works for you? Really ? and we all know NOTHING get’s lost in 2000 years of translation…..the bible also likes slavery, rape marriage, Marriage between a brother and sister, marriage between one man and 700 women and 300 concubines, misogyny, and the list goes on and on…you clearly need to do whatever it is to feel better about you and if believing in an antiquated, patriarchal, hateful organization is what you need to do in order to feel better….well that doesn’t say a whole lot about you now does it ? Just join the KKK which was also a ‘christain’ based group….Pffffffffffffft.
No, folks made it up long ago.
You’ve been suckered.
Ummmm, I don’t believe I said anything about Mr. Brown’s sexual preferences or practices. In fact I didn’t say anything at all about homosexuality at all. You appear to have completely missed the point of my comment.
You were referring to the statement of Jesus, where Jesus said we should not judge people for a sin, when we are committing the same sin ourselves. You implied that Mr. Brown is a homosexual who is judging other people for committing homosexual acts. If you were not implying that, then you have misunderstood that statement by Jesus, who commands Christians to call out sin when they see it.
I implied no such thing. I said that he and those like him were allowed by the Constitution to operate a hateful, joyless, controlling and punitive religion but not to expect the rest of the happier world to think they were right. I implied that his kind of religion was the fault that he should tend to before sallying forth and judging the rest of the world.
Ms Cruikshank, Mr Ginsberg – great letters. You would think Maine Public Radio would concentrate on Maine. Instead, programs produced in Maine by Mainers have been replaced by, if you will, big box programs. Press a button and it’s there. No effort required. It seems the stated restructuring of the schedule was prompted because Mr Beck wanted to get the Week in Review (re:old news) Friday program of Diane Reims on Friday afternoon because he thought it was popular. So Toby had to go. The problem is, the Reims Show is on live in the morning. In the afternoon, MPBN has a disclaimer that says calls are not being taken “at this time.” More properly, it should say “at any time”. I guess Mr Beck doesn’t think his Maine listeners are sophisticated enough to participate in the live Reims show so he tapes it and puts it on in the afternoon. But I believe the real reason behind all this dropping local shows for national, big box, shows is because if the Reims show were to be put on in it’s live time, Ms Suzanne (teacher’s pet, as it were) would lose some air time. And we can’t have that, can we?
for the record, there are 2 David Browns that live in Baileyville: David A. Brown, who wrote this opinion, and David W. Brown, who is my Dad. If you want to send hate mail and look his name up in the phonebook, please get the right one. My Dad is the least judgmental person I have ever met and would never point a finger and judge someone for their lifestyle. And may this serve as a lesson: Name your children something unique if you don’t want them getting mistaken for judgmental knuckleheads. :)
Good to know, though I wasn’t intent on sending any hate mail. I believe Mr. David A Brown already has more than enough for all practical purposes. BTW congratulations on being related to David W Brown. :-)