Cut Down Day

Are you useful to the team? I take my cues from Miami Dolphins Coach Tony Sparano and Jeff Ireland, in their front office. "Blogroll" links are like players on a football team and if ultimately, there is no foreseeable future for you, you're outta here. Today's Cutdowns are:

Church of God and Messianic News. Reason for the Cut? They retired.

The Naz. A quirky Iranian ex-patriot artist who blogs infrequently. I can explain her being on the blogroll for no other reason than I found her attractive, in art, etc. She's not contributing though. Buh bye.

Medius Oriens. Great Blog. No blogging. For that reason Medius Oriens other blog, "Neda's Voice" are outta here.

Nova Scotia Scott, RPM, and I am Simon Jester. All much loved, all gone for the same reason Medius is.

PUP list (Physically Unable to Perform): Pro Libertate. He's still here but when he gets well, maybe William should think "Link Back."

More cutdowns may take place, and roster additions. To stay on the Pharisee's blogroll, these things are really important. BLOG!, Think, Be Honest, LINK BACK.

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Nothing to see here, move along

Recently a commenter on one of my posts here at Modern Pharisee suggested that the high traffic volume was due to so many people "watching" me.

One take on that comment would be a paranoid "watch out" (which wasn't by the way my first thought, it just occurred to me as I was typing) and the other would be the sort of laughable paranoia of those watching. My organization consist of me, the rest being informants.

If you fall into the latter category, oh please, just GO AWAY, find a life. I in turn will find one of my own. The quick exodus of freaked out paranoid watchers would leave me devoid of viewers and I'd get the message. Today is (God willing) set aside for several writing projects that history tells me I will be fortunate to complete one of, much less all of them. The wife is at work, I have a day off, and when the fuzz clears from my mind, perhaps I can make some headway. It's like that at 55 for me. I was full of ideas yesterday, but distracted by that which I should be distracted, my gainful employment. Good days, bad days the story goes, and good ones don't always line up with the opportunity to pursue my chosen unprofitable vocation. Make that hobby.

Frankly? I'd rather play chess. The simple order and complexities of the game attract me. Testing myself against the skills of others sharpens what little mental pencil I may have left It's fun, it's social. I'm sure I could stroll around Montpelier and find someone who wants to play. Maybe someday the interaction would turn to something important like "Know Christ." "Choose life, in order that you may live, you and your descendants." I repeatedly listen to the song on days like this, that I have plugged in on the top of my blog. Surely, there is "Something More Than This."

When I was younger, I was introduced to Francis Schaeffer by a combination of Wesley Wentworth and by extension, my mother. Schaeffer moved to Switzerland, to make a long story short, and set up shop, hawked his odd ideas (none of which included polygyny), prayed, and got support. I've moved to Vermont, set up shop, with an admittedly more narrow agenda, prayed, and got nowhere. So far. This is sort of my model. I do not have a desire to do organized fund raising, I've got a large enough megaphone. People know I'm here. They know what I'm doing, they know why.

So to digress into site stats again, the Modern Pharisee moved into the top 300,000 of web sites in the world (297,862nd). This is a new high and again, I am continually astounded by such movement. I'm bad at promoting my blog, there are a number of things I could be doing to make myself more visible, and yet, I trend upward, also hitting (if I recall correctly) a new high of 54,476th in the United States. This is bigger than a lot of small newspapers. Ok, really small newspapers, but still. My companion site, Vermont Polygamy has been trending towards the top million category, and also continues to trend upward.

So I go back to my meandering about Wes Wentworth, my mom, and Francis Schaeffer. It is Schaeffer's influence that has led me to think I should do diligently what I have been led to do, pray for support, and see what God does. Hence I have not blogged regularly about financial support until this summer, and have become (I am sure in the mind of some) increasingly grating about it of late. I've not created an email dunning list. I've just hung a PayPal shingle out (over a year ago) and I've let people know where they can email me if they want to do something about it by snail mail. Namely, I can provide a physical address for them to drop something to me.

The money would go to full time support of the Vermont Polygamy effort. When I am alone, even on bad days, I can churn out a lot of passably fair work, and I can more visibly pursue the confrontation of the church, and the setting up of a legalization scenario in Vermont. Or New Hamsphire. They are right next door you know. I could organize conferences of Christian Polygynists, or attend them. Etc.

The thundering response to this less and less subtle hinting is, well, not thundering. I've received two PayPal donations, one of which was to pay for my lobbyist registration. A whopping $70.00. Both from the same man. Namely, I have $10.00 to show from a reader's support. I have to fill out complicated confusing lobbyist paperwork to report on even the financial activity that I don't have.

I have something of a "contract" with my employer, and it runs out in 6 months. I don't lose my job, but it becomes easier for me to lose that job, in 6 months. Vermont. In winter. Unemployed. 2600 miles from what I think of as home. This is a looming fear.

Popularity as I continue to mention, is it's own worst enemy. I blog with full record of who I am. I advocate controversial views, with full record of who I am. There is an onrushing turnover point at which I will doubtless be fortunate to be offered the choice of continuing this, or giving it up. More likely, I would be told that my private activities and reputation are not compatible with the goals of a retail organization. I would entirely understand. I would be like Aesop's dog, losing that which I grasped for, and that which I had.

The stated goal of this effort made over three years ago was roughly "pick up, where the reformation left off." I think the marriage issue is the tip of the spear in that work. It leads to a better understanding of family relationships, which are foundational to the life of the church, and it leads to less cultural interpretation of the Old Testament, the majority of the Bible. It might also lead to less divorce, a tragedy that has touched my life as well as many others who are or used to be in church.

I may be wrong, but I can't see the Modern Pharisee going on in the same direction, and with the same resources. A fish or cut bait moment is rapidly approaching. I don't know when it will occur but it almost certainly will if I live to see another day. So far, my experience is that one day follows after the next, but I have no illusions. Life is authored by God and it's end is dictated in his book. At my age I'm betting that I'm in the latter part of that book.

There are emerging voices on the polygyny front that may take the tiny rag that passes for the mantle I wear. They are younger, and perhaps better ones. I will happily cut bait. This is something though, that you the reader chooses for me. I continue to need legal help, and financial help to go forward. If I can't, I can watch someone else, and happily drop a check in the mail once in a while.

I bluster, report, rage (pick one!), you decide.

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Site News, Progress, Navel Gazing, Pondering Warren Jeffs, etc.

The Modern Pharisee hit World Wide Web Highs at "Alexa" with a rank of 323,544th 317,464th. That means that there are 323,543 317,463 web sites around the world with better traffic. This is a new high for my humble one author web site.

In the United States, I have flirted with the "Top 50,000's" and fallen back a bit. It seems I am gaining a wider global following. My viewers are dominated by young women, at home, with children. That fascinates me. It also explodes the myth rather thoroughly that I am a man talking to men about things that only men care about, or wish for.

I continue to compose rather long involved posts over at Vermont Polygamy which are designed to lead up to a justification for my activity on the legalization of polygyny. It is my belief that for me to speak publicly, a series of discussions must take place privately. Those are the persons to whom I owe submission in the Godly order of things. Those discussions have taken place.

Laying that out before the world so that it is known I did my due dilligence takes time. If it seems murky, technical and overly long, I apologize. It's necessary. It takes a lot of time to do it correctly.

For this reason, several writing projects are backing up on the desk, that, and I do work for a living. Work has been thankfully busy of late. Being busy is exhausting though and takes away from free time I have to compose the posts necessary to hold your interest, and the interests of others.

Warren Jeffs has been on my mind. There was a particularly nasty CBS article on him at the end of last week playing heavily to the "Child Rapist" angle. I couldn't bring myself to write clearly on it, because the article was so heavily skewed in favor of a "Lynch Warren" sort of viewpoint, and because I am increasingly angry with Warren himself. I believe he is betraying his people in not maintaining his health.

This produces a frustration where one prepares to do battle on behalf of someone who seems to be lying down and moaning concerning his bad fortune. The thoughts of "Get up, Defend yourself" largely erased my outrage with the hatred expressed towards Warren and the FLDS in the aforementioned article. So I leave Warren with this thought, from 1st Kings 9, verses 2-8, in the hope that it reaches him:

"Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God."

Eat Warren. Be strong for the journey is great. God has put you on this Earth for a purpose. Dying is cowardice. To live is Christ.

For one to live, and serve Christ, which is what the Apostle Paul tells us, one must believe. I do not agree that the faith of the FLDS is a Christian Faith and cannot agree that it leads to salvation. Warren (if he truly believes what he says he does) is a lost man leading others into the pit. I know he reads the Bible and has read it. For that reason, I reach out to him and tell him "Get up, EAT, for the journey is great." I pray that in the end, the journey leads to the LORD, and not where I think he is ultimately going. Warren does play his part though, whether it is used of God as a profane thing like Pharoah, or used of God as a sacred thing, one of his elect.

Why mention this? I firmly believe that Barbara Walther is hoping that Warren dies. It makes it easier for her to rule against the "Motion to Suppress" because if Warren is dead, and she rules against it, there is no second guessing of her opinion in Arizona. Warren will be dead, there will be no case there. Warren then betrays his own flock, who need his help in their cause, which I believe is just. The exclusion of the evidence doesn't just help Warren, it helps the Texas defendants. It helps religious freedom and therefore it helps me. Buck up Warren, Arise, EAT, the journey is great.

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Blogging Future, Navel Gazing, Site Rankings

Count me as having my jaw to about knee level.

I've decided that part of my site ranking increase is the fact that it's summer and weird people like me don't know that, and weird people who read my blog regularly are like me in that regard. No sooner than I think I've topped out (again) but another round of site rankings reveal that I'm still on my way up. For those of you who want some substantive news, skip to the end of this post and I promise something self centered but newsworthy with regard to the Modern Pharisee will be revealed.

First of all, the self congratulatory site rankings post, along with some observations that might be worthwhile for the budding, mid level or semi serious blogger.

As of Today, Sunday July 12th, 2009 the Pharisee ranks 378,185th in the world as a site. That's not too bad really. More importantly my site rank in the United States is 68,639th. Some comparisons and blathering to hopefully make this interesting to the rest of you.

As a blogger, I am several things. In order of formative influences in life, I am a pastors grandson, a missionary kid, a bad student, flunked Greek and Latin, got "A's" in Calculus in Grad School and went on to be a Disc Jockey, a Car Salesman, a Bank Collector then a Loan officer, back to Cars as a "Finance Manager" (this is what I am now) with detours into Radio ad sales, though not necessarily in that particular order. I've read the Bible cover to cover more times than I can count, in excess of thirty times. To scoop all this together and make it into some sort of substantive impact however temporary in the "bloggosphere" impresses me in terms of how unlikely it all is. Mostly, I'm a "Car Guy" and that doesn't lend itself to the word "impressive" in most people's thinking.

So I look across the blogging world and compare myself to other bloggers and therein is the jaw dropping stuff.

Grits, a blog I am very impressed with is ranked 71,791 in the United States. Me? Bigger than Grits? That's like saying I'm the next best thing since sliced bread. Scott is an impressive blogger and a better writer than I.

The Irreverent Bill Medvecky, chock full of hyperbole and fun loving vitriol (how can those two things be said together?) has been swapping FLDS centered blogging leadership with me over the last several months. Bill is at 66,006* in this country and 351,513th in the world. Clearly US rank has a lot to do with World Wide ranking, as we are the biggest consumer of internet services and publishing.

Comparing Bill and Scott and myself though, there are some interesting observations to make. One is about "on site" time. I'm at 8.6 minutes per unique visitor per day, Bill at 2.6 and Scott at 2.0. This brings up the subject of what I think might be called "spamming" a site.

Scott ranks 113,476th in the Philippines. Are people really interested in the goings on in Texas criminal law practices to that extent, in the Philippines? Let's look at another site, that of LaShawn Barber. Lashawn has appeared on national cable programs and;

"Barber is a native of South Carolina. An alcoholic in her younger years, Barber took a vow of sobriety and abstinence shortly before her thirtieth birthday. She later moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as a legislative correspondent for a Democratic senator. She eventually became a political conservative and a Christian.

Since Barber turned to writing, her articles, book reviews, columns and essays have been published in The Washington Times, The Washington Post, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Denver Post, the Baltimore Times Online, Today's Christian Woman and other publications. Her work has also appeared online at Jewish World Review, National Review Online, Townhall.com and other sites."

So she's a big deal. Credentialed and all that jazz. I outrank her nationally but not world wide. You'd have to figure that LaShawn is an important read in North American, and perhaps England but really, France and India? I'd say "spamming" is an issue with her site as well, with a cumulative unique visitor on site time of 1.4 minutes a day. This is not to say that LaShawn doesn't have legit readers, she certainly does, but it would seem that some sites have their numbers "massaged" to some degree.

Then there is my friend Rick Beckman who has a legitimate site rank of 60,464. Rick wrote a plug in for Wordpress bloggers and that accounts for the majority of hits on his site, he says. They have to go to "Rickbeckman.org" to download it I guess, and there you go. Apparently it's a very handy plug in and Rick is profiting from that.

60's and 70's musical counter culture Icon Joni Mitchell? Yes, the Modern Pharisee draws more world wide. Weird to me, believe me, very weird. Bob Dylan? He kicks my hiney, trust me.

So it would seem that you can make a dent in public perception coming from about anywhere in the social spectrum. You can even pass your childhood music idols which has a truly disturbing quality to it. Some part of me never wants to be more popular than Joni Mitchell in any way shape or form, no matter how trivial.

All of this makes me wonder how someone ends up being on a "Bill O'Reilly" or "Sean Hannity" or "Anderson Cooper" or "Larry King" show. Certainly I have controversial enough views to rate. Clearly there's a bit of a machine and a selection process when it comes to allowing people into the corridors of powerful publicity. My friends tell me that having a book would do the trick or at least grease the skids towards that sort of appearance. That of course, will have to wait.

So the last part of the post on navel gazing site rankings and superstar comparisons and site news is this: I've settled a way of handling my religious obligations to my church who of course, disagree with me on a prominent blogging topic of the Modern Pharisee. I will for a time, if necessary, suspend the blogging on that topic for the duration of my debate with them, should they elect to compel me in that regard.

I strongly believe for good reason that I should submit to the governance of my church, even if I think they are wrong, and of course, even when I disagree with them. This has limits. They owe me edification. Assuming I am wrong simply telling me "you're wrong" and "shut up" only works in venues like the Catholic Church. In venues such as conservative reformed and Presbyterian denominations, you owe a man an explanation when he agrees with Luther but not the Westminster Confession of Faith. To that end I will archive all my advocacy regarding a certain marriage doctrine until that debate is over, should they agree to "edify" me in that way. Those of you who know me, know what I'm talking about. If there is to be a book it will be on the other end of this process. It might even end up to some degree being about that process.

On a completely different note I've been listening to Pandora Radio during the composing of this post. I've observed that as far as Pandora is concerned, my favorite song is "End of the Line" by "The Traveling Wilburys." There is some justification for this even though I am sometimes dubious. I never tire of hearing the song. The Wilburys consisted of George Harrison (The Beatles) and Roy Orbison when they were alive, and also the still living Bob Dylan, Tom Petty (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) and Jeff Lynne (Electric Light Orchestra). I like them all and no doubt Pandora figured that out and plays "End of the Line" in what I would call "Hot Rotation" on my personal Pandora Channel. There are days I just nod my head and say "They're right."

I do however have other tastes as reflected by the selection of songs like these:

"Something More Than This" - October Project from "Falling Farther In"
"The Flood at Lyons" - Renaissance from "Azure D'or"
"Polar Nettles" - Nico Case from "Middle Cyclone"
"Hold on, Hold on," also by Nico Case but from "Fox Confessor Brings The Flood"

I wish Pandora would realize how much I like Mary Fahl and her former band "October Project." "Something More Than This" shows the immense power of Fahl's voice in a way that brings tears to the eyes. Sadly there is no Mary Fahl and the "October Project" any longer, but for the music lover, that makes it easy on the budget since all that can be had under that band's banner is out there and is small enough a collection so as not to break the budget.

Enough rambling for the evening. Please put me on your prayer list. I'm really going to need it next Sunday. In other news, tomorrow is the Anniversary of my wife and I marrying on Flathead Lake in Montana. We have two other anniversaries of marriage. Yes, I know it's weird and I won't explain. Tomorrow is the one my wife likes best. It was our public ceremony and we composed our own vows. Their was no priest or minister in keeping with our marriage beliefs. It was on a lake, not in a church. I am a fortunate man indeed.

*as of July 15th, I moved slightly ahead of Bill. Again. Post something Bill!

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Blog Changes, Baby, Link Back.

As of this weekend, probably last week actually, the "Modern Pharisee" became the biggest "FLDS Centric" site on the internet. Worldwide. By a long shot.

As always (depending on when you read this) that could and almost certainly will change. As of THIS MOMENT though this site ranks 87,262nd in the United States. No other blog with highly FLDS oriented content, no other site in fact, ranks that high through Alexa. None in fact, rank even in the top 100,000 in this country.

I am therefore putting several blogs and sites on notice. I link to you, I watch my stats. I know you get a lot of traffic as a direct result of my blogroll linking to your site. Link Back, or "Baby, step back."

On a case by case basis, I will be eliminating the link to certain sites, starting with "the Plural Life." If I cite them for any reason, solely based on the fuzzy feeling I may have, I will or will not include a hyperlink. If I do not include a hyperlink, I will cite the source in a more traditional literary way, as a footnote or as a detailed description of where the article might be found.

The reason behind this? This morning I made a comment on "the Plural Life" which is Brooke Adams Salt Lake City Tribune sponsored blog. Brooke has stated she would moderate comments, then said it wouldn't work for her, and then this morning the comment I made was flagged as "awaiting moderation." Hmmm, I think, moderation is "Back on." Then several other posters commented and mine is still pending. One of two things is then true.

I have had my registered identity at that site flagged for moderation.

I used a "keyword" that automatically flagged the comment for moderation, (kinda like farting in church.) If so, the keyword was probably "Nazi" as I said the following: "The trip to the Nazi side of the street is only a short walk and most of us believe we are too far from that reality to worry about it. We have never been far from it, ever, in this country’s history."

If the latter is true, it's excusable and I get it, totally. Really. But it did get me to thinking and once the pink color of my neck died down I still think this is best.

Brooke has an uncomfortable relationship with FLDS supporters. She talks to them, she has talked to me though I will not say what about. She has in fact solicited such conversations and we have had more than one over the phone. I probably did more to initiate contact, but it's been a two way street, or has been.

Combining the fact that I regard the following from her blog regarding Brooks Long to be potential plagiarism of the blog "Sore Toes and a Bleeding Heart" who is a good friend and a thorough researcher, there are a number of similar concerns and I simply can't in good conscience promote someone who links to blind FLDS haters, and won't link to the best of the blogs out there on the FLDS supporting side. Here's the possibly plagiarized remark/research:

"The Schleicher County Medical Facility has 14 beds, according to a December 2007 report by the American Hospital Association.

That year, there were 766 visits to the emergency room. That is less
than 3 patients a day."

Toes first mentioned that. It deserved a cite. Toes offered that research to me, as always I said to her "you found it, you blog it and you get the credit." It would have been fun to look like an omniscient genius but credit should go where credit belongs, and I'm disappointed that Brooke can't seem to do that.

Continuing to use Brooke as the "Bad Example," here is her blogroll:

* Bountiful Elementary-Secondary School (never been there)
* Coram Non Judice (biased FLDS hater)
* Holding Out Help (even more wildly biased state subsidized FLDS hatred)
* Introspection of Plural Wife (Daddy Like)
* Just Ducky (FLDS Supportive, but "Ducky" has had a stroke and doesn't blog)
* Merry Wives (Daddy Like)
* Share The Light (Daddy occasionally cites)
* Truth Will Prevail (Daddy Cites, is quoted in, is linked to by, and Daddy regularly mentions)

In that the "Modern Pharisee" is bigger than each of them, and probably all the sites other than "Truth" combined and hourly refers traffic to several of them, "the Plural Life" included, they benefit from the association. Only "Introspection" links to me. "Truth" is not a blog, and isn't on my blogroll, but they cite me, I cite them.

So, as time goes by, depending on how I feel and on how I'm treated by other sites, I'll be pruning my blogroll. Last year for instance I trimmed internet behemoth "Little Green Footballs" from my blogroll, and I've been getting bigger ever since. It's content people, not backscratching but if I scratch your back, show some courtesy. I know I do.

The Modern Pharisee's blogroll will continue to be dominated by what I think is interesting and include some sites that I frequently question, and some that don't choose to link back. It's my blog after all. But if you don't link back because you think this site is somehow toxic, and I perceive that (ahem), I'll cut you off.

Love you all! Ta ta for now.

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Creeping towards 100,000

I use Alexa Ranking because it is readily available to every reader of this blog, and widely considered to be roughly accurate.

As of today, the "Modern Pharisee" ranks as 109,358th most popular web site in the United States. That's bigger for instance than the "Big Fork Eagle" or the "Whitefish Pilot" or the "Eldordo Success," which are all newspapers.

I have however, not made my first $100.00 in ad revenue. Why is this remotely interesting, at least to me? Because I'm for the first time, less than 10,000 places away from the 99,999th ranking spot in the United States. Clearly if I ever get to something like the top 10,000, this will be a full time job. I'm not there yet, but I can break that 5 significant digits barrier, and I'm working on it.

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Broken Broke Blogger

For a while at least, I can only post when near a computer. The power supply is fried on the one at home.

I'll post a picture later, of my attempts to revive it. Maybe. Of course if someone sends me those internet millions someday, I'll just buy on off the shelf Cray Super Computer, and a host of white cote engineers to maintain it.

And I'll move it all to a remote place in the North Fork, and blog with renewable energy sources. This post was beamed in using my telepathic powers.

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Upgrade! Now I Get It.

I'm an idiot blogger when it comes to the Tech stuff. I kept wondering why this wasn't easier. I had an old template that Blogger kept asking me to upgrade. I'd try, it would take me to "Template selection" and I'd look and, well, I had the one I wanted so I'd save it and continue.

Nothing new.

This has been going on for MONTHS and I couldn't figure it out.

Recently I visited "Sphere" and it had a widget to install to give out site feeds and it warned that if I didn't have the NEW Blogger, it wouldn't work. I says to me, "SELF, you've upgraded your template about five times that you can remember, so you should be able to do this." Me and myself couldn't do it. So I got suspcious that perhaps I had not upgraded my template after all.

So I plunged back into the cyber forest again tonight, closed my eyes, and selected that same template I was using and SAVED IT........

Shazzam. This time it worked because I actually saved the template that LOOKED like mine but was an update of the one I used to use. Now I'm a NEW blogger and playing with the format is in fact infinitely easier.

In the process I lost my paypal button but no one left money in the tip jar anyway so I'll figure out how to get it back. I also lost my blogflux feed and a few other things. I'll bumble my way through putting them back in and it's off to the races, in the blogger format of the Future. More →

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New Year Goals

Of course, they would not be restricted to happening in 2008, though I doubt there is enough time left in 2007. Oh me of little faith.

I don't think I can put God on the clock, I can only tell you what he has placed in front of me. As always, I pray that I am a vessel for sacred use in all that I do, not a vessel of profane use. God has use for me always. I fit perfectly into his plan. Even Peter did when Jesus said to him, "Get thee behind me Satan".

There is a need for a New Denomination. It is still possible that an existing one can be revived. As I have maintained, the reformation stalled shortly after it started and clung to vestiges of Romanism that it should have discarded.

The Reformation largely embraces unsupportable doctrines such as the tithe, infant baptism and marriage as monogamy only and Sunday Sabbath observance. The error seems really the same one. If one doubts whether or not to tithe, isn't it safe to do so? Well yes, but to teach others to do so? The error is primarily that of playing it safe.

If there is doubt that Polygyny should still be an extant practice, and if it offends the world, isn't it safe to be monogamous? Yes, personally that would be a safe choice. There is no need even to be married, much less married to more than one. There is however no mandate to refrain from marriage and in fact Paul teaches it is wrong to teach that, yet we have taught for many centuries that one form of marriage which was never condemned, is in fact wrong. Is it safe to teach the "safe path" as the only path?

Where is it that scripture teaches Sunday Sabbath observance? I know of no place yet we have only the documentation of scripture that the followers met on the first day of the week in Solomon's portico. We do not have the claim this is a new Sabbath, to be observed. Again, is it safe to meet on Sunday? Certainly, I would imagine that early believers met on all days of the week as was possible for them. The notion that early Rome allowed them all a day off so they could observe their Sabbath is silly. Just as today, I'm sure there were some then that couldn't make it on Sundays. Do we think they were barred from fellowship as a result. Surely, for safety that comes with early examples of worship it is good to meet on the first day of the week, but should we teach this as the "New Sabbath"? Should we even TEACH Sabbath observance of any kind?

And the tithe. Certainly giving is good, and asked of believers in the New Testament. But tithing? This is an entitlement to the priesthood of Israel, given out of an entitlement of Land given to Israel by God. An entitlement he said they did not work for, that he took from unbelievers to give to his chosen people. Who can show me the deed to their land, given by God as part of a Covenant? Who can then show me who God has chosen as priests to then give the tithe to as an obligation, out of an inheritance? Is it good to tithe to our Churches because it is safe to do so? Certainly. It is good to teach this as an obligation? No, that would be evil.

There is a need to defend marriage in the public sector. For this I propose marriage contracts. We have given ground to the state so much in the arena of marriage that we now have them supposing they may define what marriage is. We need to be able to formulate agreements that are based on our religious freedoms. Agreements that are not "egalitarian" in nature, but Godly. We then need to be able to register them with the state, and use them in the unfortunate case of divorce. If we marry with no contract, and the stay together, there is no problem. Even God's people though were given provision for divorce because marital destruction does occur. Today, I could father children in a marriage and live my life before God, and my wife (no matter how Godly and the outset) could still stray from me, take from me the children we have together and plunder my estate thereby impoverishing other children and wives I might have.

To create a legal context for marriage contracts we need to have a legislative agenda. To do that we need to elect someone or several someones to office. To do that we need a base. For that reason this new denomination needs a home. A place where many of us claim legal residence, for the purpose of voting, for the purpose of electing officials, for the purpose of advancing a legislative agenda.

I have found such a place, and I am sure there are many other great locations that I have not thought of. I will be trying over the next several months to buy land in a rather remote area. If I accomplish that, provided God is willing, I will then ask those of like mind to establish legal residence if not actual residence in that area. I am certainly open to other suggestions for an ideal spot but Montana and a few other states have the low overall population necessary for a few people to have the greatest impact. Other states would be Alaska, Wyoming, and the Dakotas. It is easier to get elected to state office in Wyoming or Montana than California or South Carolina.

I am an amateur in all these things, and I am not by any stretch, a wealthy man. Anyone reading my rather obscure blog, and seeing the same things I see is welcome to contact me, and welcome to propose their help. Right now I could use the help of a real lawyer or two. A wealthy man, and a strong theologian with a reformation background who sees the need for continuing reformation, not compromise with the world, or with the religious errors of the past.

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