pledging allegiance

Yes that's the difference for me between the reality of the existence of Moses and Jesus.  Because someone is mentioned in the bible is not proof of existence for me.

I have never heard that there is no documented case of wolves killing a human in North America, and i have to say that didn't sound right to me.  Likely it doesn't happen often, but surely it has happened from time to time.  I googled 'deaths by wolves in North America' and the second article that came up https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wolf_attacks_in_North_America lists about twenty and seems to be well documented.

Cougar sightings in the midwest until maybe five years ago, used to be pooh poohed, the photos were fuzzy and upon close investigation some of them turned out to be large dogs.  But since then there have been documented cases.  Seven years ago they shot and killed a cougar about six miles north of me in a city alley, and anymore I think it is acknowledged that they have returned to the midwest.

There is a difference between twenty local yokels, who have often reported that they have seen UFOs and some kind of expert.  In the case you cite the guy was able to test for DNA.  I suppose if the twenty local yokels were also able to test for DNA then they would have been believed.

The Pledge of Allegiance is in full force today in Chicago Public Schools.  In my subbing career I was in maybe fifty different elementary schools and in only one of them did they not pledge allegiance every morning.  It was a bane of my existence because I would be trying to collect lunch money or something and then bang, the intercom would come on and everybody would be snapped to attention to say the Pledge of Allegiance, sometimes that would be followed by the star spangled banner or God Bless America, and then maybe a school song and then maybe a few words of wisdom from the assistant principal, and I'm just standing there wondering when it is going to end. 

There was one time when i was sitting in the office waiting for my assignment and the intercom clicked on with the pledge.  I took a quick look up from my newspaper, some clerks, maybe a janitor on a ladder changing a lightbulb, but no kids.  So I went back to my newspaper, but there was an eerie murmur and when I looked up all the clerks and the janitor on the ladder had their hands on their hearts and were mumbling the words.  I dropped my paper and stood up ramrod straight and joined them.

Did you ever read Catch 22?  It was a big book in the 60s.  It takes place during WW 2, and there is a character in it named Major Major, who becomes a major.  None of the other guys like him.  For some reason they think he is a commie.  To thwart him they create some pledge that everybody has to recite several times a day.  Major Major Major, not being a commie, has no problem with this and says the pledge along with everybody else.  This pisses off his enemies who realize that of course a commie would have no problem reciting anything, so they changed the rules so that Major Major Major was not allowed to say the pledge.

Have you heard of the Donatists?  It isn't in the bible, but it is church history.  As you know the Christians got into trouble with the Romans because they refused to sacrifice to the emperor, or the gods of Rome or whatever.  It wasn't a big deal, not unlike saying a pledge and once you were done with that you could go on and worship whoever you liked.  But you know how they Christians were, they refused to do even this little token and that got them in big trouble with the Romans. 

Well not all of the Christians.  Some of them said what the heck and went along to get along, it was only some little sacrifice for Chrissake.  Later on the Christians took over the Roman empire, and the ones who had been persecuted were pissed that the ones who went along to get along were good standing members of the church and wanted to toss them out.  It was a big deal, there was a lot of fighting, in the end the Donatists lost out.