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#6 In This Issue:Articles Quote Noah Webster is perhaps best known today for his dictionary, but in his time he was known as the "Schoolmaster of the Nation." He served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War and was also elected to the Connecticut General Assembly for nine terms. If it is true that the philosophy of the schoolroom today will be the philosophy of the government tomorrow, Noah Webster has done a great deal to influence the philosophy of government long after he was gone. You can read more about this American Hero in the biography section of our website. On the lighter side, the article "I Can't Believe We Made It" really has nothing to do with the mission of Faith Of Our Fathers, but it was one of those Internet things that circulate that I really got a kick out of. Enjoy! We would love to hear any questions, comments, or ideas for future articles, just email us at info@faithofourfathers.org Chris
Van Buskirk Article - Interview with a Secularist "If I lived 200 years ago in Europe, I would have been tempted by the argument that reason alone, without God, religion and sacred texts, can lead us to goodness. After the depredations of the French Revolution; the horrors of two secular doctrines, Nazism and Communism; the low moral state of American and European universities; and the moral cowardice and appeasement of evil in contemporary secular Europe, one has to be -- ironically -- a true believer to believe that reason alone will lead us to a more moral world. Of course, we need reason. But we also need God and moral religion." So concludes an interview that Dennis Prager conducted with Sam Harris, author of the book, "The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason." The interview is an excellent window into the thinking of those who believe the Age of Reason was a good thing and that morality is improved by questioning religious dogma. The reasoning that Harris uses is that it was religious dogma that caused Islamic extremists to fly those planes into the World Trade Center. The interview also delves into the "political correctness of academia today. Prager states, "There's no taboo on criticizing Judaism or Christianity. There's only a taboo in the university on criticizing Islam." This viewpoint pervades not only liberal colleges but liberal political thought as well. For the complete
interview, in the Essays section of our website click on "Interview
with a Secularist." I am indebted to Mr. Prager for permission
to use his material. Article - About Christopher Columbus According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's or even the early 80's, probably shouldn't have survived. Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint. We had no childproof lids or locks on medicine bottles, doors, or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. Not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking. As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors! We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the street lights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. No cell phones. Unthinkable! We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, personal computers, or Internet chat rooms. We had friends! We went outside and found them. We played dodge ball, and sometimes, the ball would really hurt. We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame but us. Remember accidents? We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it. We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out any eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rang the bell or just walked in and talked to them. Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Some students weren't as smart as others, so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade. Horrors! Tests were not adjusted for any reason. Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. The idea of parents bailing us out if we got in trouble in school or broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the school or the law. Imagine that! This generation
has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, and inventors,
ever. We had freedom, failure, success, and responsibility --- and we
learned how to deal! Article - The Search For The Book From Heaven Four Indian chiefs representing the Flathead and Nez Percé arrived in St. Louis in 1832 and came to see the Superintendent of Indian Affairs, famous explorer William Clark, of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The tribes had held a council fire and chosen these four men to go east in search for a book they had been told about called the "Book from Heaven" Clark told them what he knew of the Bible and then took them on a tour of St. Louis, thinking that this would impress them. Unfortunately, during their stay two of the chiefs died of an illness for which they had no natural immunity. When the time came for the two remaining to return home, Clark held an elaborate banquet, where one of the Indians stood and said: My people sent me to get the white man's Book from Heaven. You took me where you allow your women to dance, as we do not ours, and the book was not there. You took me to where they worship the Great Spirit with candles [Roman Catholic Church] and the book was not there. You showed me images of good spirits and pictures of the good land beyond but the book was not among them. I am going back the long, sad trail my people of the dark land. You make my feet heavy with burden of gifts, and my moccasins will grow old in carrying them, but the book is not among them. When I tell my poor blind people, after one more snow, in the big council, that I do not bring the Book, no word will be spoken by our old men or our young braves. One by one they will rise up and go out in silence. My people will die in darkness, and they will go on the long path to the other hunting grounds. No white man will go with them and no white man's Book, to make the way plain. I have no more words. In 1833, George
Catlin, noted painter of the old west, met these two Indians and heard
their story. Doubting the truth of the story, he contacted Clark, who
answered, "The story is true; that was the only object of their
visit. On learning this, George Catlin told his friends, "Publish
it to the world." "That book,
Sir, is the Rock upon which our republic rests." ABOUT Faith Of Our Fathers Faith Of Our Fathers is dedicated to spreading revival in America by teaching Americans the true and inspiring story of their godly heritage. For more information, visit our website at faithofourfathers.org
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