Friday, September 24, 2010

...and to the Republic for which it stands...


The United States of America is not a Democracy.
It was never supposed to be.
Let's review.

In a Democracy the people are the source of both the power and the authority, creating an emphasis on a system of majority rule. So in a democracy if the majority arbitrarily decided to outlaw Santa Claus, nuke the dolphins, and institute a national dress code requiring everyone to shave their heads and wear only one shoe -- well, that's what would become law. Because that's how a Democracy works.

In a Republic the people hold the power, but the authority rests in the Law. Which makes a surprisingly BIG difference. It means that there is a higher power, some ultimate authority greater than the will and whim of the people.

At the founding of the United States the moral authority of the Christan Bible was widely recognized and understood as the LAW upon which our government was founded. (There's plenty of proof on this point if anyone bothered to actually read it.)

When we have shaken off the last vestige of Christianity, when we have abandoned even the Ten Commandments, when we are no longer responsible to a higher authority -- then we will be a Democracy.

And in that day when the majority rule becomes that ultimate arbiter of right and wrong, the majority may decide to outlaw Santa, may decide that Thou SHALL Kill... might declare it unlawful to wear matching socks, or eat oatmeal cookies, or have a vegetable garden... may decide to reinstate slavery, or institute martial law, or seize corporations as government assets, or abolish the institution of marriage...

... because that can happen in a democracy. But we were never supposed to be a democracy.

I pledge allegiance to the flag and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands, one nation under GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Returning

Suspended here, my hand
has the memory of flying,

of curving, arching on air.
My palm tingles, drawn back

inside the car. I reach back
into the buffeting wind,

the invisible resistance,
the heavy push – uplift.

Pivot from the elbow.
The sweeping movement,

tilt, turn, glide, tilt back,
the slow aerial infinity,

this memory of freedom.
It is possible

to echo the motions,
even now.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Quote


God doesn't use us based on what we look like.

He uses us based on the condition of our souls.

- Judith Couchman

Thursday, September 9, 2010

IQ: Carpenter's Squares

From my latest IQ (infant quilt) class comes Carpenter's Squares. Based on a traditional quilt block rich in symbolism, the design has been enlarged and modernized. The L shaped tool known as a carpenter’s square has been used for centuries to help square-up and measure in carpentry. Early quilters of the traditional (much smaller) block recorded their beliefs in this block, referencing Jesus as The Carpenter. Harking back to traditions in early Gaelic Christianity, Celtic interlace represented the way in which all life is woven together. The interlace patterns represented in this design symbolize the idea that the afterlife (heaven) and this present world (earth) intersect creating a pattern that, at least for now, only God the Creator sees the whole of.

The use of triple bands to create the interlace in this design also suggests the Trinity, a concept of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together as One. Another use of religious symbolism is seen in the repetition of the four isolated background squares in each corner. This design feature suggests a relationship to the idea of the “foursquare gospel” (meaning a good foundation for one's faith), terminology borrowed from the Biblical book of Revelations.

To make the quilt shown in this post I used a dark purple reproduction fabric from P&B for the background, with a Michael Miller Asian print and one of Northcott's Quilt for A Cure(TM) fabrics as the bands. Machine quilted in a random free-motion swirliness. The combination of these fabrics, I think, is visually striking but also speaks to diversity -- reminding me that there are many different people with many different backgrounds, talents, and gifts who come together to make up the beauty of the body of believers.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

...Shall Set You Free

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -- John 14:6