Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. (KJV)

Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, And cause it to give off a foul odor; So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor. (NKJV)

Thomas Paine was born in Thetford, England on January 29, 1737. He came to America in 1774 and gained much fame from his writings which were considered brilliant. He wrote and published anonymously, a pro-independence monograph called "Common Sense" which became a best seller in the American colonies as well as in England. It was influential in the American Revolution and the writing of the Declaration of Independence. He was regarded highly by then General George Washington and by other national leaders.

But Paine was called a deist and perhaps that best fits his religious stance, however it seems more to me as if he was actually atheist. Here is his own quote from Age of Reason:

"I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church.

All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit."

And another: "How different is [Christianity] to the pure and simple profession of Deism! The true Deist has but one Deity, and his religion consists in contemplating the power, wisdom, and benignity of the Deity in his works, and in endeavoring to imitate him in everything moral, scientifical, and mechanical."

Having read a considerable amount concerning Paine's childhood, it is reasonable to deduce the cause of his anti-religion attitude. His father was a Quaker and his mother, Anglican which very well may have caused religious dissension in the family, plus during his early life there was considerable strife between Catholicism and the relatively young protestant denominationalism. The history of the church of Rome and the Jews had been tumult and fighting only a few centuries earlier during the Christian Crusades.

Also, his parents were very poor and he left school at age 12. I found no other records of formal education though he, somehow, became a very knowledgeable fellow in several areas. His writings reflect an impressive intellect, yet with an over reaction to those who are pseudo-Christians. I hope that students will take time to read at least some of his writings, always remembering that the Holy Bible is the inspired word of God and should take precedence over any man's reasonings. It is easy somethimes, to see the hypocritical way many Christians live and to charge Christianity with those things. That is wrong! His writings are carried on the Infidels.org website, so beware.

A fanciful tale
Re “The Iraq War and Jesus” (Speak Out, March 14):

Letter writer Philip Rowe spins a tale about the warrior Jesus Christ and his nemesis, the equally warlike Satan. There are no historical documents that corroborate the Gospel accounts of Christ's proclamations or existence. Many contemporary historians produced copious documentation of the era's events. Philo of Alexandria was present at the times and places where Christ was allegedly performing his miracles, being crucified and resurrected. He never mentions Christ.

Flavius Josephus published a 20-volume history of the Jews. Two brief passages mentioning Christ appear in Josephus' works, but biblical scholars and historians believe these passages were added by Christians after Josephus wrote his histories.

The first Gospel, Mark, was not written until circa 70 A.D. The Gospels were written long after the supposed events and are inconsistent. For example: one woman came to the sepulcher, John 20:1; two women came, Matt. 28:1; three women came, Mark 16:1; more than three came, Luke 24:10.

“Eternal suffering” for rejecting a myth is an unwarranted fear.
David N. Miles
Orange Beach

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." --Mahatma Gandhi

"Gossip is always a personal confession either of malice or imbecility." --Josiah Gilbert Holland

It must have been a very emotional scene as the Marine Commandant visited the young men who lay wounded on their hospital beds following the terrible truck bombing of their barracks in Beirut on October 23, 1983. One young marine, who was critically wounded and could not talk because of the tubes in his throat, made a sign with his hands as the General visited him. It was soon understood that he wanted a pen and pad in order to write something. Upon receiving them, the marine wrote the words “Semper Fi”, short for “Semper Fidelis”. The message, “Always Faithful” is a motto of the Marine Corps. In the face of death, in pain and discomfort, here was a person loyal to the cause, faithful even unto death. Our hearts are filled with admiration for young men with such courage, fortitude and faithfulness.

My mind was filled with exhortations from the Holy Scriptures regarding the faithfulness of Christians to the Captain of our salvation, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:10). The encouragement in Revelation 2:10, “Be thou faithful unto death…” must be understood in the light of the context. Many of the saints in Smyrna were being imprisoned and not a few were being killed because of their love for and their loyalty to the Lord. Regardless of the severity of the persecutions, Christians were urged to be faithful to Christ even if it cost them their very lives. If they would not recant but die confessing Christ, the Lord promised them “the crown of life.”

Oh, how we need to emulate the traits of courage and faithfulness of the young marine, and especially of our brethren in the first century, many of them dying horrible deaths. The example of faithfulness exemplified in the lives of men and women of every age needs to be imitated today. No greater example of endurance and faithfulness to the Lord can be found than that of the apostle Paul. Think of his rejection, his suffering, and his imprisonments; yet, he never wavered in his faith. He, too, could have written, “Always Faithful” at his death. In fact, this is what he did write during the last days of his life on this earth: “For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure is come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith…” (2 Timothy 4:6-8). His faithfulness cost him his life but he received that “crown of righteousness” from Jesus Christ.

It is truly disheartening to learn of brethren, after many years of faithfulness, falling from the grace of our Lord. Some apostatize because of apathy, others because of carnality, while many falter because of their unscriptural marital relationships. Some apostatize from Christ, embracing religious errors and practices. How foolish for a person to ‘quit the church’ because of hurt feelings or an injury to one’s pride. In contrast, it is so wonderful to know of brethren who remain faithful to Christ all their lives. I spoke at the funeral services for an elder of a congregation where I had formerly served as a preacher. It was with confidence and assurance made possible by God’s grace, love and the death of Jesus Christ, that it could be said that this brother had gone to be with the Lord. It could have been written on his grave marker, “Always Faithful”. Whether your life may be taken because of your love for the Lord or whether you live until you die of natural causes, may it be written of you, “SEMPER FIDELIS!”

I freguently read letters to the editor in newspapers and news magazines. And I often read some foolishness from atheists. And foolishness it is according to the psalmist. Above, you will see one such letter and my response to it. Recently I wrote a short article on vex and vexation, and these fellows are a large part of mine.

The writer above mentions Philo of Alexandria and Flavious Josephus. And he never mentions the fact that both were Jews and the majority of the Jews felt Jesus was an imposter and they failed to give him any credence in their writings. Josephus did but the writer tries to show that this was a Christian trick!!

What he is trying to prove is that only the writers included in the Bible made mention of Him. WRONG! There are a number of other writers who mentioned him. One is Quadratus of Athens. He was born after Jesus death, but in the 1st century and was known to some of the Apostles. He is thought to be the first Christian Apologist. He wrote an apology to the emporer Hadrian in defense of the Christians and testified that many of those who Jesus healed were known to him personally years after the fact. Here is a quote from Eusebius about him:

  After Trajan had reigned for nineteen and a half years Aelius Adrian became his successor in the empire. To him Quadratus addressed a discourse containing an apology for our religion, because certain wicked men had attempted to trouble the Christians. The work is still in the hands of a great many of the brethren, as also in our own, and furnishes clear proofs of the man's understanding and of his apostolic orthodox. 2 He himself reveals the early date at which he lived in the following words: "But the works of our Saviour were always present, for they were genuine:-those that were healed, and those that were raised from the dead, who were seen not only when they were healed and when they were raised, but were also always present; and not merely while the Saviour was on earth, but also after his death, they were alive for quite a while, so that some of them lived even to our day." Such then was Quadratus.

Aristides is another of several such ancient writers who acknowledged the existence and works of Jesus.

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At one time the Horse had the plain entirely to himself. Then a Stag intruded into his domain and shared his pasture. The Horse, desiring to revenge himself on the stranger, asked a man if he were willing to help him in punishing the Stag. The man replied that if the Horse would receive a bit in his mouth and agree to carry him, he would contrive effective weapons against the Stag. The Horse consented and allowed the man to mount him. From that hour he found that instead of obtaining revenge on the Stag, he had enslaved himself to the service of man...Aesop