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Aloha All,<br>
It's always fun to glance over a backlog of 20/20 and find such
edification. Joan's been paying me high compliments, Tom's posted a
list of horrendous things composed by Dr. Q. (who knows better) on his
website. It's nice to see a family conference I'm working on included
with some cultural terrorism, bombings, serial killings, and a murder
on Moscow Mountain. And Wayne is just being the self he has to be. I
only have one direct comment and that's to Wayne, who took it upon
himself to bring some class into his allegations that my father has a
serious mental disorder, and add an insult to my mother, the woman to
whom I owe my life (and a lot more). I had to dig back into my past
(back in the fourth grade when I had to deal with a foul kid who'd
climbed into my yard) before I remembered what to say -- Watch your
mouth Wayne, if you're able. That sums it up nicely.<br>
To the rest of you I think RFK said it best: "What is
objectionable, what is dangerous, about extremists is not that they are
extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say
about their cause, but what they say about their opponents." I think he
was talking about villification.<br>
Thanks for another day in Moscow. Cheers.<br>
NDW<br>
<br>
Art Deco wrote:
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<div><font size="4">Joan,</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="4">It is interesting that you post about the
flailing of Cult Master Douglas Wilson of members of his own cult.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="4">Has he just now caught on that his mental health
and imperially dictated wisdom is being questioned by an increasing
number of congregants, and not just women?</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="4">Overheard conversations and discreet murmurings
indicate that Wilson's gargantuan egomania and megalomania are finally
being realized by a larger number of congregants of both sexes, and not
just as a character fault, but possibly as a serious disorder. </font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="4">In fact, some appear to wonder if a breakdown is
on the horizon: He has allegedly become a beleaguered laughing stock
nationally among some of the Trinitarian community; he already is a
laughing stock among many in his own community; certain male
congregants are joining a larger number of female congregants seeing
him as a pitiful, self-absorbed demagogue; <font color="#ff0000">given
his behavior, some wonder if he really believes in the alleged god and
son whose alleged word he uses to manipulate people with;</font> NSA
president Atwood now publicly claims that Wilson does not speak for
members of the cult; the ultra hypocritical Dickison
divorce/remarriage debacle has certainly shaken the faith and
confidence of many congregants in Wilson's (and Dickison's) integrity
and sincerity; etc; etc.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="4">Wilson can control the upper hierarchy of the
cult since so many of these are economically dependent upon him and
need to stay hypocritically in the cult to keep their and/or their
relatives' jobs. But does Wilson have enough jobs to retain the larger
part of his congregation? What will happen when sales tax
investigations reach into the many shadows of the cult?</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="4">Old saying: "Old sins have long shadows." The
payback for extortion is likely to be much greater than the pay-in. I
wonder how many are really aching to really stick that payback in?</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="4">Oh, yes. Will Cult Mistress/wife Nancy suddenly
take her half of the accumulated gleanings and migrate to a more
joyful, fulfilling, independent life erelong?</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="4">Stay tuned.</font></div>
<font size="4">
<div><br>
Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)<br>
<a href="mailto:deco@moscow.com">deco@moscow.com</a></div>
<div><br>
</div>
</font></font>----- Original Message ----- </div>
<blockquote
style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px;">
<div
style="background: rgb(228, 228, 228) none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>From:</b>
<a title="joanopyr@earthlink.net"
href="mailto:joanopyr@earthlink.net">Joan Opyr</a> </div>
<div
style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>To:</b>
<a title="vision2020@moscow.com" href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Vision2020
Moscow</a> </div>
<div
style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>Sent:</b>
Thursday, August 04, 2005 2:40 PM</div>
<div
style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>Subject:</b>
[Vision2020] Correction (plus a fresh, if pointless, rant)</div>
<div><br>
</div>
Just noticed that I misspelled Galatians in the post below. Before
Heirloom or Studly hop on me for my glaring ignorance, that was a typo,
son. A typo. Keep your eye on the ball, son. Eye on the ball. Eye.
Ball. Eyeball. That's a joke, son. A funny. A ha-ha. Get it?<br>
<br>
Sorry. I've been possessed again by the spirit of Foghorn Leghorn. It
happens all the time.<br>
<br>
Posting to you from Portland, Oregon, I am,<br>
<br>
Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.auntie-establishment.com">www.auntie-establishment.com</a><br>
<br>
PS: I'm enjoying Portland, though I have to admit that, in my opinion,
there are far too many men here wearing brightly-colored Ikea rubber
clogs. I have a thing against men in clogs. It's not rational; it's not
reasonable; it's none of my business. I just think they look dorky.
Shoes with laces, boys, shoes with laces! Get 'em on, damn it! Get 'em
on!<br>
<br>
On Aug 4, 2005, at 2:09 PM, Joan Opyr wrote:<br>
<br>
<blockquote>Nick writes:<br>
<br>
"This column has appeared in the on-line magazine New West and will
appear in the Sandpoint Reader very soon. My interaction with Pastor
Lillback has been a model of civil interchange. Perhaps the good
pastor can teach Pastor Wilson a few manners during his stay in
Moscow. Since the eloquent dressing down that he received from an
anonymous Christian, I've noticed that Wilson has reduced his name
calling dramatically. (I'm now just an enemy rather than a banshee.)
But he has a long way to go to meet the challenge of his kind Christian
critic."<br>
<br>
I'm pleased to report that Nick has become a regular contributor to New
West's Northern Idaho node. He's written a review and analysis of
Michael Hayes' documentary "My Town," and his latest piece is a model
of truly appropriate (and constructive) theological discourse. As New
West's Northern Idaho Editor, I am delighted to have him on board. He
has greatly enriched the site with his knowledge and carefully reasoned
arguments.<br>
<br>
About models of civil exchange -- on my drive to Portland yesterday, I
happened to catch a Pastor Rogers preaching on the lower end of the FM
dial. His sermon was taken from Paul, 11 Corinthians and Galations. A
few things he had to say interested me greatly -- and, being a closet
fan of Baptist preaching style, I really couldn't help listening.
Pastor Rogers is a master of the form. Every sentence ends with an
exclamatory "ah," as in "Jesus-ah!" Rogers preached about the "real
Jesus" and a "false Jesus," declaring that Paul in II Corinthians
warned us of a false Jesus to be found in false gospels and false
ministers. <br>
<br>
(For some reason, Rogers specifically castigated the Jehovah's
Witnesses and the Mormons as worshipping a false Jesus. I can see why a
Baptist (or proto-Baptist) preacher might disapprove of the Mormons --
Southern Baptists, at least, consider the Mormons polytheists. This has
to do with that telestial versus celestial kingdom business. Also, The
Book of Mormon, "another testament of Jesus Christ," is an
insurmountable problem for the Baptists. It freaks them out like
nothing else short of Wicca, Catholicism, and lesbians wearing jeans,
flannel, and Danner steel-toed workboots. Gay men, on the other hand,
are A-okay with most Southern Baptist women: someone has to decorate
their homes and tease their hair. <br>
<br>
I must admit that I am puzzled as to why would Rogers slam the
Jehovah's Witnesses. My understanding is that the JWs are a sort of
primitive Primitive Baptists -- very strict, very literalist, not a lot
of fun at surprise birthday parties. If anyone can enlighten me about
this, please do so offlist. Keely? Scott?) <br>
<br>
Okay, where was I? Ah yes, Pastor Rogers and II Corinthians. He quoted
Verse 4: Am I therefore the enemy because I tell you the truth? There
has been a lot of talk coming from Christ Church and the Christ
Church-affliated blogs lately about Doug Wilson's "enemies" and the
"battle to come." Doug launched an astonishing attack on the members of
his own congregation (<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://dougwils.com">http://dougwils.com</a>) last week that beat all I
have ever seen. He accused members of the church of being traitors and
turn-coats, weaklings and cowards. He castigated them for not
supporting him in his battles; for daring to have opinions and ideas of
their own; and for not being what Rose would call "lock-step toadies"
to his particular (and frequently peculiar) interpretation of the
Bible. He talked about enemies existing both within and without the
church, but his focus was on those within. <br>
<br>
"Am I therefore your enemy because I tell you the truth?"<br>
<br>
I recently re-read "Labour of Love" (which is available on Tom Hansen's
website, <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.tomandrodna.com/notonthepalouse">http://www.tomandrodna.com/notonthepalouse</a>) and was struck by
the difference in tone between its gentle but firm Christian
remonstrance and Doug's flailing about, his girding up his loins for
battle, his turning up rocks, searching behind trees, and looking under
the bed for heathen enemy boogeymen. I doubt Pastor Rogers and I would
enjoy one another's company. He's anti-choice; he's anti-gay; and he
probably has hair taller than the Empire State Building, with Fay Wray
and King Kong shellacked to the side, but yesterday he said, "When
looking for the devil, fail not to look in the pulpit."<br>
<br>
Doug is welcome to attack me. So, too, are his minions -- my dear
blogstalkers, who give Brother Carl and I a good fifteen minutes of
free radio material every Sunday -- but when a shepherd begins to
assault his flock, I begin to worry. I begin to worry a lot. I fear for
those who cannot escape the onslaught for whatever reason, social,
spiritual, or financial. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts
absolutely. Doug recently announced that his son, Nathan, was his best
and wisest advisor. Nathan is a foolish and sheltered 26 year-old. He
edits Doug's magazine, Credenda Agenda, a nightmare publication of
hateful bigotry, willful ignorance, and distasteful, snotty, immature
arrogance. He acquired a few years of nearly-real life experience at
the margins of the wider world by attending a couple of small,
sheltered liberal arts colleges, but he came home and entered his
father's employ. On the whole, he knows about as much of the world as a
novice in a nunnery. Nate's father is his be-all, end-all, his boss and
his minister, his teacher and his guide, and yet Nate is now the man to
whom Doug turns for his best and wisest advice? Nate is a filial echo
chamber. This is a sad case of the snake biting its own tail . . . when
it's not biting its own flock.<br>
<br>
"Am I therefore your enemy because I tell you the truth?"<br>
<br>
The answer, clearly, is yes. I don't expect Doug to listen to me. Doug
doesn't believe I have access to the truth. I'm not saved. I don't
believe in Jesus Christ, and if I did, I wouldn't be a Calvinist. I
wouldn't buy into the notion that God created some of us to be saved
and the rest to be damned. That's not a god worthy of worship; that's a
capricious god worthy only of fear and contempt. But Doug believes in
this god, and so too, I must assume, do his followers. When Doug
attacks those followers -- when he calls them enemies and traitors --
they must fear for their salvation. How extraordinarily cruel their
minister is -- how cruel, and how contemptuous of his flock. I am sick
and sad and sorry for them, and I pray for their deliverance.<br>
<br>
(Jerry Falwell says that God doesn't answer the prayers of Jews. Jerry
Falwell is a jackass. God answers the prayers of all of us, just as
surely as the staff at the Wendy's Drive-Thru answers Jerry's
late-night Frosty orders.) <br>
<br>
Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.auntie-establishment.com">www.auntie-establishment.com</a><br>
<br>
PS: Though I will continue with the blogstalker update on The Auntie
Establishment & Brother Carl Show (when and if any of their bloggy
nonsense amuses Brother Carl and me), I am hereby unilaterally
declaring a Sunday night blackout on Doug Wilson and Christ Church. No
news, no jokes, no nothing about the BM (Big Man) of New St. Andrews,
Anselm House, Logos School, Credenda Agenda or Christ Church. If you
tune in expecting to hear it, you will be disappointed. For the time
being, I am done. Finished. Finito. The sign is up: Do Not Feed the
Bear of Moscow. He doesn't want our secular berries -- he's got
parishioners to eat. <br>
<br>
PPS: Another reminder that Brother Carl's and my show is now on KRFP,
92.5 FM from 3 to 5 PM on Sundays, rather than 5 to 7 PM. This is
because Carl is an old man. Don't let his youthful, sexy voice fool
you; he's actually 107 years old, and not only does he want 1.7 more
beers before dinner, he wants to be in bed and asleep by 7:30. This is
so he can get up at 4 AM and wake all the area roosters. Without a
nudge from Brother Carl, they might forget to crow. <br>
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<p> </p>
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