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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Solon who wrote (14633)	5/27/2001 3:39:53 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

Given your fondness for scripture interpretation, and apropos of the earlier thread discussion on such activity at the Department of Justice, I thought you might find this interesting. While you're reflecting on that, take a moment to share my joy as an American in anticipation of receiving this summer a just passed tax rebate of .7% of my '00 tax payment. Perhaps you might also be able to offer advice on how I can avoid spending that awesome sum in on one place. <<TAKING LIBERTIES Wholly Scripture, Very Debatable By Henry G. Brinton Sunday, May 27, 2001; Page B02 I'm neither a lawyer nor a politician, so I would never dream of telling Attorney General John Ashcroft how to run the Department of Justice. When it comes to Bible study, though, which he conducts in his office at 8 a.m. each workday, the attorney general is in my ministerial territory. I'm all in favor of Bible study. But in 15 years as a pastor, I've found the Scriptures to be full of volatile material, capable not only of inspiring the soul and stimulating the intellect but also of challenging contemporary notions of justice. With this in mind, I offer a series of lesson plans for the study group: MATTHEW 18:21-22, in which the question is asked, "How oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times?" Jesus answers, "I say not unto thee, until seven times: but until seventy times seven." Discuss whether this approach conflicts with the standardized penalty scheme set forth in the federal sentencing guidelines established by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. LEVITICUS 20:10 "And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death." Debate whether adultery should be a federal crime -- and, if so, where among the federal sentencing guidelines' 43 levels of "offense seriousness" it should fall. Should it be a capital offense? LUKE 16:18 in which Jesus says: "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery." If adultery were to become a federal capital offense, discuss the budgetary implications of executing all those who fall under this definition of adultery and are thus subject to the death penalty. (See Leviticus 20:10, supra.) PSALM 10, which calls for God to break "the arm of the wicked and the evil man" whose "mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity." Reflect on the appropriateness of arm-breaking as a penalty for fraud. DEUTERONOMY 15:1-2 "Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of debts. And this is the manner of the remission: every creditor shall remit the claim that is held against a neighbor, not exacting it of a neighbor who is a member of the community, because the Lord's remission has been proclaimed." Ponder the impact of absolving all debts at such set intervals on federal bankruptcy policy and on the continued solvency of banks and other lending institutions. MATTHEW 5:38-39 Study Jesus's sermon on the mount, especially the passage concerning retaliation: "Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." Discuss the implications of this passage on the use of force by federal law enforcement officers. LUKE 4:18-19, the mission statement of Jesus. The Spirit of the Lord has sent me "to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." Examine the relationship between "deliverance to the captives" and the abolition of parole under current federal sentencing guidelines. Also consider what impact this passage mighthave on future presidential pardons. MATTHEW 5:34-35 in which Jesus says: "Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the Great King." Discuss whether it is compatible with the Scriptures to "swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God." ISAIAH 1:16-17 "Cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." Reflect on whether these priorities match the mission of the Department of Justice. Henry Brinton is pastor of Fairfax Presbyterian Church. © 2001 The Washington Post Company>> washingtonpost.com

To: Solon who wrote (14633)	5/27/2001 6:08:33 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

My request was for you to supply a breakdown on "the number of non religious communities which you have compared to the religious communities I poked around the referenced link for a bit while I was watching the NCAA softball championship series. I ran across a few non-religious groups. There were a number of places around Tucson. The ones I looked at had quite different approaches. Some sounded more like group homes. Others seemed like regular housing developments but styled around community interaction--houses facing each other around a green and auto access only from the rear. I've seen those profiled before. One specified that it was "textile free." I'll bet that one wasn't religious. Karen