Can't Stop the Scaerismania!

I know that I am not alone in appreciating the work of and thus loving David P. Scaer, and so I thought I'd post something of his on the same theme that's been running through the posts here at Theomony--Lutheran v. Reformed thought. Fittingly he titles this "Baptism As Church Foundation."

Below is a snipet of the article which can be read in its entirety here:

http://www.ctsfw.edu/events/symposia/papers/sym2003scaerd.pdf

A chance remark by Walter Kaiser, then at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and now
at Gordon-Conwell Seminary, located the fundamental difference between Reformed and
Lutheran theologies not in how we understood Christ (extra Calvinistium) and the Sacraments
(finitum non capax infiniti), but in where each begins theology. The Reformed begin with God
and Lutherans with Christ. Roots, trunk, branches and not just the shapes of the leaves are
different. Calvin defined God’s existence philosophically and then proceeded to the locus on
Scriptures and the Reformed confessions followed suit. Their concern is God’s rule, which is
reflected in their doctrines of divine sovereignty, providence and election. Lutherans begin with
Christ (or at least they should) and then proceed to the Scriptures. This approach predetermined
for Luther a christological interpretation of the Bible and so Lutheran and Reformed Weltanschauungen are worlds apart. Parallel doctrines may be identically worded, but the
similarity is superficial. For example Calvin defines faith as obedience and so even our doctrines
of justification are different.

Thesis #1

Morality does not belong to Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Catholicism, Buddhism, or any single religious system, but belongs to humanity.

French Fries: The Gateway Drug

Now, yes I am being a little facetious here in the title of this post--kinda. I'm trying to show the abusurdity of one of the arguments made against policies that would decriminalize marijuana in the U.S.. "Once they smoke pot, the next time you see them they could be mainlinin' dope!" is often the cry you hear coming from the mouths of the brainwashed masses. Does "brainwashed" seem like a harsh adjective to use in describing the jibber-jabber of the hypnopaeds? Actually, on the contrary, it is quite gracious. Better they hold their position because of brainwashing and ignorance than arriving at it by actually thinking and reasoning. For in reality, reason would only lead you to support the decriminalization of marijuana, and only irrationality or a lack of reason could lead one to the position now held by a majority of Americans. So then, in actuality I'm describing these folks in terms of their victimization by a propaganda machine that has been churning out its doctrine since shortly before the mid twentieth century--"Reefer Madness" anyone! Yet, it will be their fault if when met by reason and facts they continue to pipe on like good little sycophants will.

Look at these stats, and use reason to deduce what is more dangerous for Americans:

Annual Causes of Death/Death Toll (Year 2000)

Tobacco (435,000)
Poor Diet and Physical Inactivity (365,000)
Alcohol (85,000)
Microbial Agents (75,000)
Toxic Agents (55,000)
Motor Vehicle Crashes (26,347)
Adverse Reactions to Prescription Drugs (32,000)
Suicide (30,622)
Incidents Involving Firearms (29,000)
Homicide (20,308)
Sexual Behaviors (20,000)
All Illicit Drug Use, Direct and Indirect (17,000)
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Such As Aspirin (7,600)
Marijuana (0)

Information gathered from: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/causes.htm#item1

Think about the fact that drugs like Aspirin are responsible for 7,600 deaths per year and compare that to marijuana induced deaths. Work your way up the list from the big fat zero at the bottom. Then, focus on the top three causes of death in the U.S.. Isn't it more likely that Alcohol is the "Gateway Drug?" Isn't it far more readily available than marijuana? Unless I've been missing out, I've never seen joints for sale at the Circle K, but they do carry beer. Even better yet, when I think about it, I had french fries before I ever sucked down a sip of goat whiz from my father's can of Bud. There are two McDonald's, 2 Jack in the Box's, as well as an Arby's within a 2 mile radius of my residence (aka Maelstrom Central Control). How's that for availability? So, next time a hypnopaed asserts that marijuana is a leaping off point on the way to the needle, posit that you instead believe our troubles begin with those items born of the deep fat fryer, and lay out the stats to prove it.

This of course is not the meat of the argument for the decriminalization of marijuana, but is simply one facet of the periphery. There are certainly core issues that far outweigh mere statistical information, and those will be brought to light in subsequent posts here in the Maelstrom.