[Vision2020] A Sabbath contemplation for Mr. Schwaller

Sun Jun 24 19:56:21 PDT 2007

Dougs' Hero writes:

"Pastor Wilson sure took a beating last week after the PCA General Assembly adopted a committee report condemning Federal Vision. In case you forgot, the vote was something like 1400 in favor of the report and about 30 against it. Man, talk about a landslide. Someone should call a search and rescue team to dig Wilson out. The poor gumbo never saw it coming."

Such a resounding repudiation from the group which, if any, ought be closest to the Cultmaster's views again illustrates the point about his theological rantings that the following cite makes about his historical ones:

"Wilson's claims about the nature of antebellum slavery give further clear evidence that he is on the crackpot fringe of the crackpot fringe."

"...His claims in these [theological] matters are like the claims of those insisting that unicorns exist.  No one can prove that they don't.  That is the so-called beauty of fantasy -- religious or otherwise.  Wilson can blather on and on about what the Bible means and what God demands without fear of falsification, save inconsistency.  Any crackpot can; any crackpot can even partially convince him/herself that their blather is the "real truth."  Street corners in the tenderloins of large cities teem with such eccentrics, each shouting their own particular religious fantasies, some harmless, others toxic."*

It is very interesting and encouraging to see that the PCA General Assembly solidly rejects and renounces the crackpot theological writings of Wilson whose deeds, words, and life do not even superficially resemble that of Christ's.  And whose writings are not different in quality and believability than the many different rants of the numerous sky pilots found on the street corners of big city tenderloins.

Wayne A. Fox
1009 Karen Lane
PO Box 9421
Moscow, ID  83843

(208) 882-7975
waf at moscow.com

_________________________________________________
*Fantasy versus Reality

It is one thing for Cultmaster Douglas Wilson to write about what he interprets his alleged God has allegedly said or what his alleged God demands.

In these cases there is no way to verify or empirically falsify his claims.  They can be falsified by finding internal contradictions and contradictions with his other writings.

His claims in these matters are like the claims of those insisting that unicorns exist.  No one can prove that they don't.  That is the so-called beauty of fantasy -- religious or otherwise.  Wilson can blather on and on about what the Bible means and what God demands without fear of falsification, save inconsistency.  Any crackpot can; any crackpot can even partially convince him/herself that their blather is the "real truth."  Street corners in the tenderloins of large cities teem with such eccentrics, each shouting their own particular religious fantasies, some harmless, others toxic.

However, it is quite another thing for Wilson to make claims about ordinary reality, especially where there is massive, clear, cogent evidence that makes his claims highly improbable, if not delusional.  Such is the case with Wilson's writings on antebellum slavery.

The latest post from Juanita Flores aptly demonstrates that when the Cultmaster ventures into the realm where professional scholarship, knowledge, acumen, and methodology matter, his extreme egomaniacal arrogance and his abysmal ignorance really shine for all to see.  Wilson's views on antebellum slavery put him irretrievably into that "special" class that includes the Holocaust deniers and those that think flying saucers are going to land to rescue the "Chosen" at end times.

Not unsurprisingly, there are some that accept Wilson's highly unlikely views on antebellum slavery and his other equally or even more dubious claims and pronouncements.  That this belief in the wildly improbable has occurred in our community and other places despite Wilson's transpicuous egomania and megalomania is, among other things, a tribute to Wilson's personal charisma, which causes those enthralled to suspend the use of their critical judgment, his appalling but highly effective manipulative and planning skills, and his singular personal persistence in the face of consistently being shown up as a charlatan.

Whatever the case, Wilson's claims about the nature of antebellum slavery give further clear evidence that he is on the crackpot fringe of the crackpot fringe.

But why does the Christ Church Cult Flourish?

When evaluating the actions, utterances, and writings of Christ Church Cultmaster Douglas Wilson and its appeal to some, perhaps it might do well to consider the carefully and professionally referenced research and writings found in Feet of Clay:  A Study of Gurus [spiritual leaders] by Anthony Storr.

"Confidence tricksters [who are spiritual leaders] are successful at deception because they are more than halfway to believing in their own fictions." ... "[and] who have no hesitation in deceiving other people and extracting money from them..."

[With such individuals]… "We hover on the borderline between confidence trickery and psychosis."

"A contemporary described him [the Bhagwan] as being very bright, but also being a habitual liar."

Many people ask:  "If Wilson is really so far off, why does he have a following, especially in a community like Moscow, Idaho, where the intelligence and educational level of the populace is likely much higher than that of the average community?"

Information from Feet of Clay offers more than just a hint.  In the chapter on the Bhagwan, we read:

In 1985 the Bhagwan's north-central Oregon settlement had 2,500 permanent residents and another 2,000 long term visitors.  The educational profile of this group:

83% were college educated,

64% had college degrees,

36% had advanced degrees, and

12% had doctorates.

Storr refers to research into the people in the Bhagwan's commune that describes them as being "very needful."  Their strong needs seemed to be strivings for discovering some deeper "truth" of the universe and/or a way to escape the contingencies of worldly life, a life which they found insufficiently rewarding.  They believed that the Bhagwan could deliver them to the "truth" and the way to a "higher state of being."  Thus these needful people overlooked or forced themselves not to see the Bhagwan's many obvious failings and dishonesty, nor did they critically question the truth of his teachings, but swallowed them whole.  For example, they were induced to plan acts like poisoning the municipal water supply of The Dalles, the residents of which city the Bhagwan had declared their enemies.  They even ran a successful test poisoning in one small area of The Dalles by infecting several salad bars with salmonella.

Clearly then, being intelligent or educated is not an effective prophylactic against being deceived and taken on an expensive ride into a toxic fantasy by a predatory, power and wealth-hungry confidence person.  [It is useful to realize that the Bhagwan at one point had accumulated 83 Rolls Royces.  His Oregon settlement was described as being run like a concentration camp.  It abounded with intrusive spying devices and agents to root out possible dissenters and doubters, alleged dissenters and doubters who were subsequently treated to very harsh measures should they not repent of their dissent and doubt.  The structure and operation of the Christ Church Cult ward system comes to mind in this regard.]

In his assessment of successful, but manipulative spiritual leaders Storr is in sync with a large body of research by psychologists and mental health professionals:

Short term, limited in scope fantasies are generally normal and mostly healthy coping mechanisms people use to deal with immediate problems of various kinds.

However, long term, large in scope fantasies, raise the question of pathology.  This is especially so of long term, large in scope fantasies which are not subject to verification or to falsification.

The question of pathology depends on the effects a particular long term, large in scope fantasy has on its believers' ability to function and on the effects that the believers' actions have on society.

Long term, large in scope fantasies which are merely palliative and/or inspirational and which inspire no or little harm, or which might even promote generally accepted secular good for society are not generally considered pathological by many professionals in the field.

However, other such fantasies which advocate or bring unjustifiable harm or depletion of assets to the believers, advocate or bring harm to selected targets of the believers, or advocate or bring harm, sometimes massive harm, to society, are rightly considered pathological.  Current newsworthy examples of believers in long term, large in scope pathological fantasies would include members of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups.

For the sake of saving words, henceforth such pathological, long term, large in scope fantasies will simply be called toxic fantasies for the purposes hereinafter.

The fantasy promulgated by Cultmaster Douglas Wilson includes plans for a instituting a theocracy to govern all of the world's inhabitants, and which theocracy would result in the execution of most of such inhabitants.

http://www.credenda.org//old/issues/vol3/magi3-11.htm

http://www.credenda.org/old/issues/vol3/magi3-9.htm

Wilson's long term, large in scale fantasy is certainly pathological as defined above, and thus is a toxic fantasy.  It is toxic in other well known ways.  For example, its toxicity shows in the justification of his and other cult members' otherwise unjustifiable, dishonest, sometimes illegal actions by the Doctrine of Covenantal Dishonesty.

Those falling prey to toxic fantasies promulgated by a manipulative leader suspend their critical evaluation tools with respect to these fantasies.  They do this because they are in situations where such toxic fantasies may offer escape from pain and distress, were something deeply implanted into them in childhood, appeal to other deeply felt needs, may give satisfaction not easily found in other ways, and/or seem to offer the promise of realizing something "far better" than is afforded by ordinary, worldly life.

The needs of those captured by toxic fantasies are so strong that they make such needful, many times naïve, uncritical, and/or submissive people, easy prey for unscrupulous, exploiting flimflamers, some of whom may even partially believe their own hooks and lines of deception.

It is important to remember this about these toxic fantasies:  They are neither verifiable nor falsifiable, save for logical inconsistency.  If any were so, there would not be nearly so much room for disagreement, and hence, there would not be the great variety of such incompatible, competing toxic fantasies.

There are a minimum of tens of thousands of these toxic fantasies, each different from and inconsistent with the others, each with followers who "know" they have found the "truth," and who have made the "leap of faith" to one particular toxic fantasy.  This disconcerting, but telling fact apparently neither occurs to, bothers, nor mildly stirs the critical faculties of those committed to one of these particular toxic fantasies.  Such is the power of strong needs and the usefulness of knowing how to exploit these strong needs for gains of personal wealth and power by egocentric, megalomaniacal, sociopathic, and/or psychopathic spiritual leaders.

Occasionally, one of the followers of a particular toxic fantasy promulgated by an unscrupulous exploiter awakens from their acritical, submissive state and realizes the ignominy of the situation they find themselves in.  When this happens, they become pariahs from the point of view of the remaining believers of that particular toxic fantasy.  The remaining believers often go to great lengths to discredit and to harm the apostate, often dishonestly with little or nor remorse, and whether such vengeful tactics are prohibited by beliefs found in their particular fantasy or not.

Sometimes, however, the escapees from a particular toxic fantasy are successful at opening the eyes of some of the still committed and still exploited, and thus an exodus occurs despite the security and control measures of the organization promulgating the toxic fantasy.

Will this happen in Moscow, Idaho?

Stay tuned.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: News of Christ Cult 
To: Vision2020 at moscow.com 
Sent: Monday, February 19, 2007 5:20 PM
Subject: [Vision2020] Fantasy vs, Reality Second Installment

Fantasy: 

SOUTHERN SLAVERY, AS IT WAS
Douglas J. Wilson

Here are some excerpts from the booklet:

  * "To say the least, it is strange that the thing the Bible condemns (slave-trading) brings very little opprobrium upon the North, yet that which the Bible allows (slave-ownership) has brought down all manner of condemnation upon the South." (page 22)

  * "As we have already mentioned, the 'peculiar institution' of slavery was not perfect or sinless, but the reality was a far cry from the horrific descriptions given to us in modern histories." (page 22)

  * "Slavery as it existed in the South was not an adversarial relationship with pervasive racial animosity. Because of its dominantly patriarchal character, it was a relationship based upon mutual affection and confidence." (page 24)

  * "There has never been a multi-racial society which has existed with such mutual intimacy and harmony in the history of the world." (page 24)

  * "Slave life was to them a life of plenty, of simple pleasures, of food, clothes, and good medical care." (page 25)

  * "But many Southern blacks supported the South because of long established bonds of affection and trust that had been forged over generations with their white masters and friends." (page 27)

  * "Nearly every slave in the South enjoyed a higher standard of living than the poor whites of the South -- and had a much easier existence." (page 30)

Reality:

Bullwhip Days: The Slaves Remember: An Oral History 
Creator:  James Mellon
Publisher:  Grove Press 

Synopsis:  In an unflinching oral history, former slaves eloquently describe their experiences in captivity and portray the harsh conditions they faced in everyday life as slaves.

URL

Customer Reviews:  

 The Bad, The Sad, And The Extremely Ugly   June 12, 2006
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is the real deal. Ex-slaves telling their own experiences; a few not-so-bad, many extremely heartbreaking. This is one of the best insights into what slavery was really like during the 19th Century. This is the story, in there own words, of how a people were totally dehumanized during America's most shameful period. A country claiming "liberty and justice for all" while denying that freedom to millions of fellow human beings. And many still ask the question, "why do African-Americans still lag behind in so many areas, while other ethnic groups had to struggle as immigrants also?" This book is a reminder that blacks were forcibly brought here, and denied-for-years even the simplest education. Maybe the reading of this book, will help some realize the continual uphill struggle, blacks have tried to achieve in a few short decades since the Civil Rights Movement. Trying to makeup for Centuries of bondage, and inequality. Just as we can never forget the evils of the Holocaust, so it should be equaly true with the era of slavery.

 The Slaves Own Words   January 31, 2006
  1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I have used this book as part of my Black history classes for 5 years now. It would be impossible to make up the stories that actually happened to a people held against their will and it is riveting to read about the memories and nightmares. This book gives a name to slaves, personalizes it and makes the suffering immortal. These recollections, though they belonged to individuals, makes the suffering universal. The experience of one is the experience of all. But yet, these people on occasion find some humor in various memories and you can share there collective joy over 150 years later. I highly recommend this book to anyone, not just students and historians.

 "The Real Deal"    October 19, 2005
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I first read this book back in 1991. Even today, I will occasionally reread it. It is very informative and very much real. I can truly say that I love this book and this is a must have. You will truly enjoy it. My people have come a long way.

 Powerful & Moving   February 7, 2005 
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Wow...That's all I can say. This is a wonderful book and a must read for everyone. I read this as part of a book club discussion for Black History Month. What a way to open my eyes to a part of American history. Very moving.

 Telling it like it was    December 26, 2002
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Forget Tara, forget Falconhurst... this was the real deal. Based on the results of a U.S. Government project in the 1930's to capture the memories of living former slaves on tape, this awesome book is the history of slavery in the United States by those most qualified to tell it -- the blacks who actually lived it. And by telling their stories, we live through it with them; we feel what it must have been like to have your family members sold away from you, to be forced into cohabitation with a fellow slave you despised for the sole purpose of breeding new slaves, to be treated like a beast of burden, and the crushing indignity of being a piece of property to be treated however your master's whim takes him. The former slaves remembered it all, and their reminiscences aren't pretty: "For miles around you could hear those dreadful whuppins. They were a turrible part of livin'." We hear their voices through the dark years of Reconstruction, which for many former slaves was escaping out of one hell and landing into the next, and we hear the stark statement of one old man who sums up the results of all his labor, paid and unpaid, over the decades: "Ain't got nothin, ain't got nothin, ain't got nothin." And finally, we can only wonder at the strength and resilience of so many who claimed their humanity after so many years of being treated as something less than human, and who managed to not only survive, but to keep on keepin' on.

 WHAT A BOOK    April 26, 2002
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

FOR SO LONG, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT SLAVERY WAS LIKE. I'VE READ ABOUT IT IN BOOKS BUT THERE REALLY WAS NO DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE ACTUAL SLAVES. THIS BOOK REALLY HELPED ME TO FEEL THE DEVASTATION AND HUMILIATION OF THE AFRICAN SLAVE. IT HAS ALSO GIVEN ME A DIFFERENT OUTLOOK ON WHO I AM AND WHERE MY PEOPLE HAVE COME FROM. LONG BEFORE THIS BOOK I HAD DOUBTS ABOUT BEING AFRICAN. I DON'T MEAN AFRICAN AMERICAN. AFRICAN! FROM THE TRAUMATIC STRUGGLE MY PEOPLE HAVE ENDURED HAS MADE ME REALIZE THAT I WOULD BE SO IGNORANT TO CHANGE WHAT THEY HAVE GIVEN ME. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE AUTHOR OF THIS BOOK FOR NOT CHANGING EVEN THE DIALECT OF THE EX-SLAVES. IT REMINDS ME HOW FAR WE HAVE COME AND HOW FAR WE HAVEN'T. THERE IS SO MUCH HEALING THAT HAS TO COME TO THE SO CALLED AFRICAN AMERICANS. READING THIS BOOK, I REALIZE THAT I HAVE FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS WHO ARE STILL IN THE SAME STATE OF MIND. -MENTALLY ENSLAVED-

 A MUST READ for EVERYBODY!!!   February 27, 2002 
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This is a fat book which you don't have to read cover to cover. You can skip around and read what real slaves said about raising children, their white masters, their work, what they ate, how they celebrated, how they worshiped, etc. This really tells what life was really like on plantations. If you like this book I recommend I WAS BORN A SLAVE which is similar. Two novels I recommend are THE DIARY OF A SLAVE GIRL, RUBY JO which tells about pirates and how runaways sometimes joined pirate ships where they were treated equally. Also, THE JOURNAL OF LEROY JONES, A FUGITIVE SLAVE.

 As a teaching aid   May 10, 2000
  4 out of 4 found this review helpful

This book would make a wonderful teaching aid. Its first hand accounts and lessons in perspective will draw in the reader while reminding them that these are memories that should not soon be forgotten. I have returned to this book several times and have recommended it ( with limited sucess ) to educators around the south and midwest. This book should be in every high school library.

 From a White Woman's Perspective    April 8, 2000
 4 out of 6 found this review helpful

As a wife of a black man (married 14 years), I am constantly learning of the plight of african-americans and their culture in order to better understand and share it with our four children. This book has taught me more and moved me more than ANY OTHER book I have ever read on the subject. The accounts are moving, the pictures are unforgettable, and the book flows easily from one interview to the next. Every household in America with an interest in the "slave days" of the U.S. should read this book and keep it to pass on to their children.

 Wonderful book    October 1, 1999
Great book with a couple of really interesting pictures that make you do a lot of thinking about that time in our nation's history.

 I agree with the reviews below    September 17, 1999
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

I was astounded by this book. The interviews draw a clear, persuasive picture that no dry history book ever could, no matter how learned the author. I now feel as though I have an accurate view of what the lives of slaves were like. 
I am pleased to see that not every slave owner was a monster and that not every slave lived a life of continuous misery. The institution was terrible, of course, and its continued existence so late in this country was a disgrace. Many slave owners were brutes. However, this book illustrates the terrific capacity of human beings to rise above their circumstances, especially of the oppressed, but also of the oppressors.

I agree with every statement in all of the previous reviews, and I recommend the book wholeheartedly.

 Excellent, People come alive again through their experiences   August 12, 1999
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This book is really superb. It puts a human face with each story on an ugly period of American history. The good and the bad, the funny and the quirky experiences are explained sincerely and realistically. The best way to learn about history is through the voices of those who lived through it so I consider this book a valuable document and a tribute to the human spirit

 The Most Neglected Period in U.S. History Comes Alive    September 21, 1998
 4 out of 5 found this review helpful

You wouldn't believe my excitement upon discovering this book at the local library. These are the voices of real slaves, their histories recorded in the 1930's through a government project to collect this data. What a true American gem. All the voices are transcribed in the "native" language - Black English as spoken by ex-slaves, many of them at the time of their stories being recorded nearly a hundred years old. The accounts are fascinating, and non-biased. Some slaves speak frankly of wishing once again for slavery, and they recount the generosity and attention of the "Old Marse". Others tell horrific and moving stories of truly brutal and savage masters and wouldn't want to return to "slave times" under any circumstance. Most of the stories include first-hand accounts of their experiences through the Civil War and Reconstruction, although the primary goal was to record their experiences while slaves. Reconstruction of this country had enormous impact, and what the slaves did to build the nation during it's early years has been such a neglected historical topic. This is by far one of the most important books in my collection. As a white 31-year old middle-class woman, this is a must-read for anyone who might call themselves an American, regardless of race.

 Experiences described here will stay with you a long time.    September 14, 1998
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This book will expand your mind by exposing you to a set of emotions that are (presumably) no longer experienced: how it feels to be owned. Your own emotions will run the gamut from anger to sadness and back again, but it is worth it to hear about slavery from people who experienced it. You will never again think about it in abstract terms .

****************************************************************
http://www.amazon.com/Unchained-Memories-Readings-Slave-Narratives/dp/0821228420

Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives (Hardcover) 
by Spencer Crew (Author), Cynthia Goodman (Author), Henry Louis Gates (Author) "Nothing symbolizes the fragility and inequities of slave life better than the slave auction..."

Customer Reviews Average Customer Review: 

     Search Customer Reviews ( What's this?)  

         Slavery As Experienced By Slaves, January 9, 2007
            Reviewer: N. J. Weaver "lnw567" (Wichita, Kansas United States) - See all my reviews

      Amazing book. I've never read one like it. Quite interesting. Honest experiences. An eye-opener. Anyone interested in history will enjoy this. I am.

        ( Report this) 

      A wonderful historical collection, July 1, 2003
            Reviewer: The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com ) - See all my reviews  
      In this beautiful, historical collection of slave narratives and photographs, we are given a look inside the lives of actual slaves being interviewed as part of a project conducted by the Works Progress Administration. With more than forty interviews, UNCHAINED MEMORIES is a work of art that provides a well-rounded look at the lives of slaves. It includes insight into their living conditions, thoughts about slavery, their families and even the details of actual slave auctions. It is a sometimes sad collection, but much needed to help us understand the progress our ancestors have made in the world. 
      Through their accounts, we are able to see the pain and suffering as well as the spirit and pride of those born into slavery, learn from it, and pass it along to our children. This is a wonderful resource for not only African American families, but for anyone interested in history and the period of slavery and its impact upon the African American race. It is compiled with the grace and dignity deserving of a people who have been through so much!

      Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
      of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

      a href=" http://www.amazon.com/gp/vote/ref=cm_r8n_inapp_confirm/102-9379998-3930564?ie=UTF8&2115%7CR26QM4VPVWPR95.contentAssoc.1.id=A2VKWLCNZF4ZVB&type=pipeline&uri=%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2F0821228420&template=inappropriate&response=report&2115%7CR26QM4VPVWPR95.contentAssoc.1.type=AmazonCustomer&qv=1&voteValue=1&contentId=2115%7CR26QM4VPVWPR95&label=Inappropriate&2115%7CR26QM4VPVWPR95.contentAssoc.1=1&2115%7CR26QM4VPVWPR95.contentAssoc.2=1&qk=%2AVersion%2A&2115%7CR26QM4VPVWPR95.contentAssoc.2.id=1977787&2115%7CR26QM4VPVWPR95.contentAssoc.2.type=ProductSet&context=Reviews ">Report this)

      Sickening true stories of depravity, June 29, 2003
            Reviewer: LF "Keep your feedback to yourself, these are my opinions, not yours" (USA) - See all my reviews 
      This book is hard to read. It is hard to wade through the cruelty. 
      There are stories here of families being split apart by an uncaring master class. Children were callously sold and permanently separated from their parents. Husbands and wives were similarly split up.

      Frankly, it makes you sick.

      Then there are the stories of brutality. Again it makes you sick. How could the slave owners have sunk so low?

      If you are looking for well written stories that bring the institution of slavery to life for you, this is not the book. What you get here are very short and very simple reports by individuals. There's nothing here that you didn't know already. This is not a great work of literature.

      This is just a punch right in the nose to make you wonder how slave owners could have been so cruel.
      ( Report this) 

      A Beautiful Book, February 26, 2003
            Reviewer: S. Hudson "Avid Reader" (Tucker, GA USA) - See all my reviews

      "...Oh freedom, Oh freedom, Oh freedom over me. And before I'll be a slave, I'll be buried in my grave and go home to my Lord and be free"
      __Old Negro Spiritual 
      The words of the spiritual above must not have been uttered to these beautiful human beings who have graciously allowed interviewers from the 1930's Governments Works Progress Administration to chronicle their life stories. For if the words above had been uttered, the slave experience, from an intimate and painful point of view, would never have received the credence they due. Tales of slavery are still passed down from generation to generation, and traditions still are followed but to see a book like Unchained Memories is special. Quite simply, this is a beautiful book. I'm so thrilled to have been given the opportunity to read it and experience it and learn from it. I can treat the book as a textbook, a factual accounting of the lives of former slaves who have wonderful stories that they don't mind sharing with the world. For that reason alone, this book has earned a permanent place on my coffee table, for all who enter into my house to experience. Something about the actual words of former slaves bound in book form validates an agonizing time in American History.

      Unchained Memories is well researched and magnificently laid out. At the beginning of every chapter is an introductory text that accounts for the tenure of the time, followed by a poignant quote and then brief narratives begin. My one regret is that the narratives are so short, when biographers obviously spent a great deal of time with these people. I am grateful that there is an extensive bibliography at the back so that I can, at some point, go and read the entire account by the former slave. Oh where will I find the time? If you read this book, I would highly suggest that you get a copy of the HBO documentary of the same name and watch it as well. There is nothing like "hearing" the words spoken by African American actors of today in the vernacular of the time.

      I'm glad that Unchained Memories was published, and quite fittingly made its debut during Black History Month. These former slaves are the reason why Black History Month is perpetuated now and a fitting tribute for remembering from whence we as a nation have come.

      ( Report this) 

       Exceptional bridging of history and experience, February 16, 2003
            Reviewer: Ann (Dix Hills, New York USA) - See all my reviews  
      An exquisite pictorial and narrative exploration of the institution of American slavery, this book provides readers with the opportunity to experience from personal recollections what it was like to live under conditions of slavery. The text format, an artistic balance of photographs and primary sources, is composed of interviews with former slaves conducted in the 1930s by the Federal Writers' Project. Each chapter focuses on a particular aspect of slave life - auctions, work, family, special occasions, providing a deeply etched portrait of hardships and abuses as well as examples of strength of character and quiet dignity. A worthy addition to one's library!

by Spencer Crew (Author), Cynthia Goodman (Author), Henry Louis Gates (Author) "Nothing symbolizes the fragility and inequities of slave life better than the slave auction..."
-- 

Juanita Flores
Advocate for the Truth from Jesus 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Dougs' Hero 
To: vision2020 at moscow.com 
Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2007 8:50 AM
Subject: [Vision2020] A Sabbath contemplation for Mr. Schwaller

Dear Mr. Schwaller,

Pastor Wilson sure took a beating last week after the PCA General Assembly adopted a committee report condemning Federal Vision. In case you forgot, the vote was something like 1400 in favor of the report and about 30 against it. Man, talk about a landslide. Someone should call a search and rescue team to dig Wilson out. The poor gumbo never saw it coming.

There was something else he didn’t see either: this time the good guys took a page from Pastor Wilson’s playbook and had their blogs ready so that they could CONTROL THE CONVERSATION, rather than concede it to him.

For example, Green Baggins is systematically nailing Wilson, point for point, on his blog, and Wilson, who must always have the last word, is responding. This probably explains why you only posted five times last week and Ms. Tanaka ran interference for you. Too busy getting Bagged.

Dr. R. Scott Clark of The Heidelblog (excellent name) wasted no time making a general application of the “W” word — “wolf” — to the heretics who propagate Federal Vision. Dr. Clark also noted their favorite rhetorical device: “their tactic has been to criticize my person and my conduct of the discussion in order to deflect the discussion away from the issue at hand.” Welcome to the party, Dr. Clark; that’s their only argument. (Note to Ms. Tanaka: the sophists gave birth to the ad hominem.)

And Bob Mattes has made the most brilliant point yet on his blog, Reformed Musings. In fact, I believe his simple comparison will help everyone get their heads around the Federal Vision. You see, Mr. Schwaller, Federal Vision confuses the average Joe because it is so difficult to explain. But Mr. Mattes bypassed a convoluted explanation that would only make matters worse and drew a simple comparison between Pastor Wilson’s Federal Vision and his magnum opus Southern Slavery As It Was:

Together Doug Wilson and Steve Wilkins did for Christianity and US history what the Federal Vision is doing for the Reformed faith. This is theonomic theology at its absolute best. Here’s a quote from page 18 under the section heading of “Unexpected Blessings”:

Slavery produced in the South a genuine affection between the races that we believe we can say has never existed in any nation before the War or since. Whatever its failures, slavery produced in the South a degree of mutual affection between the races which will never be achieved through any federally-mandated efforts.

Ouch; that’s gotta hurt. And you will note that Mr. Mattes served on the committee that wrote the report condemning Federal Vision. He sure did his homework. Just wait until he learns that Wilson and Wilkins plagiarized the whole thing!

So there it is, Mr. Schwaller. Something for your consideration before you join the fossils of Pompeii, a mere hole in the ash heap of history.

Dougs’ Hero

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Dougs' Hero writes:

"Pastor Wilson sure took a beating last week after the PCA General Assembly adopted a committee report condemning Federal Vision. In case you forgot, the vote was something like 1400 in favor of the report and about 30 against it. Man, talk about a landslide. Someone should call a search and rescue team to dig Wilson out. The poor gumbo never saw it coming."

Such a reception from the group which, if any, ought be closest to the Cultmaster's views again illustrates the point about his theological rantings that the following cite made about his historical ones:

"Wilson's claims about the nature of antebellum slavery give further clear evidence that he is on the crackpot fringe of the crackpot fringe."

"...His claims in these [theological] matters are like the claims of those insisting that unicorns exist.  No one can prove that they don't.  That is the so-called beauty of fantasy -- religious or otherwise.  Wilson can blather on and on about what the Bible means and what God demands without fear of falsification, save inconsistency.  Any crackpot can; any crackpot can even partially convince him/herself that their blather is the "real truth."  Street corners in the tenderloins of large cities teem with such eccentrics, each shouting their own particular religious fantasies, some harmless, others toxic."*

It is very interesting and encouraging to see that the PCA General Assembly resoundingly rejects and repudiates the crackpot theological writings of Wilson whose life and deeds do not even superficially resemble that of Christ's.  And whose writings are not different in quality and believability than the rants of the sky pilots found on the street corners of big city tenderloins.

*Fantasy versus Reality

It is one thing for Cultmaster Douglas Wilson to write about what he interprets his alleged God has allegedly said or what his alleged God demands.

In these cases there is no way to verify or empirically falsify his claims.  They can be falsified by finding internal contradictions and contradictions with his other writings.

His claims in these matters are like the claims of those insisting that unicorns exist.  No one can prove that they don't.  That is the so-called beauty of fantasy -- religious or otherwise.  Wilson can blather on and on about what the Bible means and what God demands without fear of falsification, save inconsistency.  Any crackpot can; any crackpot can even partially convince him/herself that their blather is the "real truth."  Street corners in the tenderloins of large cities teem with such eccentrics, each shouting their own particular religious fantasies, some harmless, others toxic.

However, it is quite another thing for Wilson to make claims about ordinary reality, especially where there is massive, clear, cogent evidence that makes his claims highly improbable, if not delusional.  Such is the case with Wilson's writings on antebellum slavery.

The latest post from Juanita Flores aptly demonstrates that when the Cultmaster ventures into the realm where professional scholarship, knowledge, acumen, and methodology matter, his extreme egomaniacal arrogance and his abysmal ignorance really shine for all to see.  Wilson's views on antebellum slavery put him irretrievably into that "special" class that includes the Holocaust deniers and those that think flying saucers are going to land to rescue the "Chosen" at end times.

Not unsurprisingly, there are some that accept Wilson's highly unlikely views on antebellum slavery and his other equally or even more dubious claims and pronouncements.  That this belief in the wildly improbable has occurred in our community and other places despite Wilson's transpicuous egomania and megalomania is, among other things, a tribute to Wilson's personal charisma, which causes those enthralled to suspend the use of their critical judgment, his appalling but highly effective manipulative and planning skills, and his singular personal persistence in the face of consistently being shown up as a charlatan.

Whatever the case, Wilson's claims about the nature of antebellum slavery give further clear evidence that he is on the crackpot fringe of the crackpot fringe.

But why does the Christ Church Cult Flourish?

When evaluating the actions, utterances, and writings of Christ Church Cultmaster Douglas Wilson and its appeal to some, perhaps it might do well to consider the carefully and professionally referenced research and writings found in Feet of Clay:  A Study of Gurus [spiritual leaders] by Anthony Storr.

"Confidence tricksters [who are spiritual leaders] are successful at deception because they are more than halfway to believing in their own fictions." ... "[and] who have no hesitation in deceiving other people and extracting money from them..."

[With such individuals]… "We hover on the borderline between confidence trickery and psychosis."

"A contemporary described him [the Bhagwan] as being very bright, but also being a habitual liar."

Many people ask:  "If Wilson is really so far off, why does he have a following, especially in a community like Moscow, Idaho, where the intelligence and educational level of the populace is likely much higher than that of the average community?"

Information from Feet of Clay offers more than just a hint.  In the chapter on the Bhagwan, we read:

In 1985 the Bhagwan's north-central Oregon settlement had 2,500 permanent residents and another 2,000 long term visitors.  The educational profile of this group:

83% were college educated,

64% had college degrees,

36% had advanced degrees, and

12% had doctorates.