That Old Time Religion

Ken and I went to the same church for awhile, as a matter of fact I think that's where I first met him. Ken dropped out before I did, and then I ran into him again in high school. We attended the Elsdon Methodist Church, mostly because it wasn't Catholic. The Catholics pretty much dominated our neighborhood, and they believed that, if you weren't Catholic, you weren't anything. The folks at Elsdon were generally more tolerant and encouraged us to look objectively at other religions. Years later I found out that the Methodists weren't always like that. They originally spun off of the Anglicans because they felt that the Anglicans had become kind of wishy-washy. Indeed, the name Methodist was originally a term of derision because the Anglicans thought the Methodists were too methodical. After it took root in America, Methodism itself became fragmented, each sect believing that the others had drifted away from their founding principles. At some point, most of the splinter groups re-united, forming what is now called The United Methodist Church. Last I heard, there was at least one holdout, The Free Methodist Church. I attended one of their services once, and I thought them to be more like the Southern Baptists than anything.

Do the Lutherans still believe in predestination? I believe that theory was first formulated by Martin Luther himself, although John Calvin generally gets the credit or the blame for it, depending on your point of view. Last I heard, the Methodists totally rejected predestination, which was one of the reasons they spun off in the first place.

I am no expert, but I think I know more about the Bible than the average person, mostly because I read it myself instead of trusting other people to tell me what it says. You see why I would have never made it as a Catholic? People say that the Bible contradicts itself, which is misleading, because the Bible is not one book but a collection of books, written by numerous authors over several centuries. It would be surprising if some parts of it didn't contradict other parts. The Adam and Eve story was probably adapted from an old Mesopotamian myth. I've got my own interpretation of that one, it's probably somewhere in the Beaglesonian archives. We can revisit the subject if somebody is interested, but not tonight.

Speaking of beer, my favorite brand, Milwaukee's Best, recently changed its formula, and I shan't be buying it again. They are calling it a lager now, and it's too hoppy for my taste. I will likely revert to Miller Genuine Draft, unless I can find some Coors around here. I had one at my grand daughter's house on Thanksgiving, and I liked it fine.

My hypothetical wife and I sometimes disagree if a particular shade of color is green or gray, or maybe blue. My pickup truck is supposed to be dark gray, but it looks black to me, and to most others who have commented on it. There are some other overtones in there, but they only show up in bright sunlight, and you have to look at a certain angle to see them. They must have used some kind of trick paint on that truck.