If you make a careful and objective examination of all the work the ACLU has done and continues to do, you will find that they have been working in favor of religious/evangelical/Christian causes in many cases around the country. I don’t support their position in everything but to categorize them as you have only proves my point about more eloquently than I could have.

Jim,

You make me smile too. Have a great Thanksgiving and I’ll see you at the Rapture. That is, assuming you’re a pre-millenial dispensationalist.

No, the conversation will never move on as long as there are two extremes. At the moment, one extreme has had their way for 40 years. Why is it so hard for some Christians to admit that this “live and let live” philosophy has not produced success?

Where is the supposition? Check out the statistics and read your local newspapers. Reason all day long but the facts are the facts.

Jesus was an extremist. Why else would they have crucified him?

God prefers us to be either hot or cold. His disdain for the lukewarm (the comfortable ones who love to piously float in the middle and look down their condescending noses at both sides) is very apparent according to the book of Revelation.

Evidently this pointless rhetoric is neither pointless or rhetoric. Seventy-five posts convince me that there is an important issue at the forefront that should be addressed. How far should the church venture into the political fray? I don’t know, but if it doesn’t….nobody will.

Those who subscribe to extreme views will continue to point fingers and engage in arguments that are based in supposition rather than reason, while those of us who may be somewhat comfortably described as more ‘in the middle’ tend to tire of the charade. At some point, extremists only end up talking to themselves. And their ability to convince people like us, failed but forgiven humans who seek to use intellect, conscience and good will to process life and our part in it, is lost in the din of their own pointless rhetoric.

My parents chose to raise me and my four siblings without it for which we are very grateful. I’ve continued that tradition with my six children and we all agree that we are better off without it. Television could have been a wonderful thing but today it is about 80% worthless trash and I don’t have the time or patience to pick through it to find a few palatable viewings to offer to my family. Neither am I willing to sacrifice the minds of my children for the few times that it would be profitable during a disaster. The internet and radio stations give live coverage to those events and if necessary I can pull an old set out of the closet and plug it in. With the internet you have more control of the choices and you can block most of the commercials. I know this may seem to have wandered somewhat off of the subject but it’s another example of the slow cooking frog. The Christian family is shocked at what is being shown in their living rooms but become desensitized through the years and never revolt or draw line in the sand. My parents were considered oddball to have made that decision in the 60’s but 40 years later the family has grown to 48 members and every one of them serve God. The anti-television stance played a big part of that blessing but few are brave enough to attempt it.

So we are shocked when our courts one by one pick off the trappings of our Christian heritage but we shrink back because we don’t want to be classed with the wild-eyed, Bible thumping fundamentalists. And puhleeze…let’s not start up the ridiculous “it never was ours” argument. Anyone who believes that has been glued to the TV too long. This generation knows more about Britney Spears and Tom Cruise than they ever knew about Thomas Jefferson or George Washington.

True, Mr. Avery, we may not be persecuted in a physical sense but if we continue to lose the battles in our courts and public schools, it will eventually follow. If you would have told the German people in 1925 about the atrocities that would occur in the early 40’s they would have shook their heads and laughed.

The reason America has broken all longevity records for a Christian nation is because enough people have stood up through the years and drew a line. Jeff Steele may have crafted it rather crudely but it is a line in the sand none the less.

I figured somebody would bring that up. As i said, i’m not asking anybody to agree with me. I understand that some people feel that television is a vital part of their lives; i happen to not feel that way. I do not have internet at home because our modem freaked out, but i do use it elsewhere, quite obviously. To me, newspaper, internet, & radio are more controllable than TV. Since there’s never been one in my home, i can’t say that for certain. But, it’s just one way that i/my parents choose to limit evil influences in our home. Does that make sense to you? Also, when i have my own home, i’m not entirely certain that i will have internet at home if i can access it somewhere else, as i do now. Too big of a time waster for me…i get addicted to reading blogs & commenting on them…lol!! Anyhow, you are the only one that can make the decision on how important television is to you. As for me, i’ve lived 20 years without it, and i can’t say as i’ve missed it. I hear the news on Christian radio, i read the headlines in the paper, and i occasionally check up on things on the web. Seems like i’ve got it covered! If anyone wants to call me sheltered, let them go ahead; my life works well!! Oh and did i mention that my parents replaced TV time with reading wholesome books at an early age; in addition, I, at the ripe old age of 20, will graduate in May from Southern Wesleyan University with a Bachelors Degree in Accounting. My current GPA is 3.91. No TV works for me!!

Avery, notice how the conversation went “uncivil” after you stated your thoughts? It’s all YOUR FAULT!!! Just kidding…i enjoy hearing your side of it, too!

Which brings me to one of my pet peeves. You don’t have to agree w/ me…i’m not even really asking you to. But please tell me how in the world people (NOTE: i’m not referring to ANYONE in particular…seriously!) can complain about their kids & what they do when they’ve used a TV for a babysitter for years?! I grew up in a home w/out a TV (I’m 20 years old), and I can honestly say that I don’t feel I have missed very much. Wait a second…I have missed A LOT!! Thanks to my parents, I didn’t get hooked on sexed-up “teen” shows, soap operas, raunchy talk shows, or cartoons that push it to the limit. Thanks to my parents, I didn’t develop an addiction to seeing violence, hearing cursing, and imitating those vices. Call me sheltered if you want…this is one chick who sees enough of junk just going to Wal-Mart! So, people, WHOEVER you may be…don’t complain about ANY of the immorality if you have it sitting in your living room. Or especially if you have it sitting in your child’s bedroom. There’s a rant for the day. Thanks, guys, for listening!