J.D.R. Hawkins

One bullet can make a man a hero… or a casualty.

Archive for the tag “Christian”

Friday the 13th

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As you know, today is Friday the 13th. This year, there are only two. The first one was in April. Today is a celebration of all things macabre, thanks to long-time superstitions.

“The fear of Friday the 13th stems from two separate fears — the fear of the number 13 and the fear of Fridays. Both fears have deep roots in Western culture, most notably in Christian theology.

“Thirteen is significant to Christians because it is the number of people who were present at the Last Supper (Jesus and his 12 apostles). Judas, the apostle w­ho betrayed Jesus, was the 13th member of the party to arrive.”

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This is from a really interesting article I found, so check it out: https://people.howstuffworks.com/friday-thirteenth1.htm

Speaking of all things macabre, there was plenty of that going on during the Civil War. One of the grossest things that struck me while I was researching the strange and interesting Victorian era was the fact that, because medicine at that time was so primitive, doctors stole cadavars to conduct experiments and learn more about human anatomy. Ew!

Frankenstein

Here is an excerpt from my novel, A Rebel Among Us, describing the nightmarish practice. BTW, Mary Shelley’s infamous novel, Frankenstein, published in 1818, brought to the surface integrated fears of resurrecting the dead, but not to their previous state of being. We have always had a profound interest in death and the undead, like the vampire rage a few years back, Pet Cemetery by Stephen King, and the recent zombie fascination.

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Excerpt From A Rebel Among Us

“Where’s the feller who was occupyin’ this cot?” David asked him.

The man seemed too weak to respond, but finally uttered, “Dead house.”

Stunned, David quickly walked to the morgue. He entered to see several attendees place frozen bodies into pine coffins. The cadavers’ bones cracked as they were forced into their eternal chambers. David grimaced. Meandering down an aisle, he unwittingly found a coffin with a wooden marker tied to the top of it that read:

Ltn Hershel P Harrison

42nd Mississippi

Died 2-5-1865

He stood over the pine box, staring down at the chiseled lettering. A cart lumbered up and came to a halt outside the morgue. With a heavy sigh, David departed the cold charnel. He barely noticed the other inmates, who loaded coffins onto the back of a wagon before transporting them to Woodlawn Cemetery.

One of the attendants saw him and said, “No need to fret. John Jones will tend to them proper.”

“Who’s John Jones?” he asked.

“He’s the ex-slave who’s markin’ every grave. Doin’ a right thorough job of it too.”

David watched for a moment, still trying to comprehend that Hershel was truly gone. He slowly shuffled through the deep snow, dismally wondering if he might soon end up the same way. He remembered what one of the Tar Heels had told him about grave robbers. According to Sherwood, the loathsome ghouls unearthed buried cadavers and sold them to area doctors who conducted experiments on them. He hoped such a fate wouldn’t befall Hershel’s body.

Making his way past the guardhouse used for solitary confinement, he looked up. A few feet in front of him, sitting on its haunches, was the largest rat he had ever seen. It looked to be at least the size of a tomcat. The enormous rodent bared its long, yellow teeth at him. Astonished, David gasped. He hurried back to his bunk; continuously glancing over his shoulder to make sure the giant rat wasn’t coming after him. All the while, he shivered from the cold, and from the sight of the frightful creature he had just encountered.

Reaching the sanctuary of his confines, he rubbed his hands together for several minutes, sat down, and forced himself to construct a sympathy letter to Hershel’s family. The sad event filled his heart with melancholy. He was thankful he didn’t have to tell them in person.

Glancing around, he noticed how some of the convicts were invested in lively games while their comrades lay dying on the beds beside them. It appalled him that no one seemed to take notice. Death was nothing more than a trite matter of circumstance. But to him, it was a life-changing event. He knew he would never forget Hershel. Struggling to hold back tears, he started writing.

It’s Getting Out of Control

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The PC police are at it again. It seems nothing is immune to what some would dub as “racist.” To me, that just seems like a convenient word to use for erasing our history. This is alarming, because if our history is erased, we have nothing to fall back on or to remind us of our mistakes. I received the following article last week and wanted to share. Let me know your thoughts on the subject.
FEDS SAY REVOLUTIONARY WAR FLAGS RACIST
In the latest of seemingly unnecessary things that the government has its paws in, the Equal Employment Opportunity Office (EEOC) will decide if wearing the Gadsden flag creates a hostile work environment, punishable as racial harassment.
The Gadsden flag comes from the Revolutionary War era. It is a yellow flag with the words “Dont tread on me” emblazoned on it, and a rattlesnake coiled up the middle.
Most recently, it has become a banner of limited government advocates and the Tea Party.
As Fox News reports, “the EEOC said it received a complaint in January 2014 from an African-American federal employee about a coworker wearing a hat bearing the flag.”
The issue of harassment stems from the creator of the flag, Christopher Gadsden, who was a slave trader.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Office has already deemed the wearing of Confederate Flags workplace harassment, The Washington Post explains, adding, “unsurprisingly, this is extending to other political speech as well.”
The case notes that “it is clear that the Gadsden Flag originated in the Revolutionary War in a non-racial context…[h]owever, whatever the historic origins and meaning of the symbol, it also has since been sometimes interpreted to convey racially-tinged messages in some contexts.”
The Feds have admitted, regarding the Gadsden flag that,””it is clear that the Gadsden Flag originated in the Revolutionary War in a non-racial context..” The same is equally true of the Confederate Flag. And the Feds know that too!
This is important because the Feds have just admitted that this has NEVER been about racism. It has been about erasing the history of our nation. Racism is just the vehicle of convenience that they are riding right now to get us there.
The other goal is to turn a Christian nation into a pluralistic non-Christian nation. The code-word for that is DIVERSITY.
So first it was Confederate symbols. Then it was the Founding Fathers. Now it is the symbols of the Revolution.
If you can not bring an American Revolutionary Flag to work, or have a Confederate Flag on the truck that you drive to work, what if an employee came to work with a Trump/Pence bumper sticker? Or has a “Stop Illegal Immigration” sign on his cubical wall? Will these things too be considered racial harassment?
Should the flag be ruled harassment, “all employers – private and public – where employees wear the flag could be held liable for workplace harassment if they receive complaints,” Fox News notes.
(Courtesy of Dixie Heritage Newsletter, August 5, 2016 ed.)

Southern Baptists Against the Southern Cross

 

Southern_Baptist_Convention_logo1A recent decision by the Southern Baptist Convention has received a negative reaction from its congregation. The church requested that members stop flying the Confederate battle flag. As you can tell by the following letters, some members are not happy. What do you think? Do you think the Southern Baptist Church has a case? Or are they merely jumping on the politically correct bandwagon?

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Southern Baptists attempt to appease heritage haters and liberals by passing a resolution condemning the Confederate flag and all those who honor and fly her. Thousands of us are lifelong Southern Baptist and have already begun the search for a new denomination…one with leaders who stand with courage and conviction on the word of God and don’t make resolutions based on which way the PC winds happen to be blowing. Apparently, our souls have been deemed less important than that of the “unnamed offended brethren” who will apparently rush to fill the pews now that the resolution has been passed.
Big mistake, SBC…BIG mistake. You are being used by the left to further their Godless agenda and don’t even realize that you are as much a target as ever, no matter how many resolutions like this one you pass.
We heard today that one SBC church in Georgia voted unanimously last night to withdraw from the SBC, and similar votes are scheduled for other congregations in the coming days. We hope and pray thousands will join them in making a stand. If the SBC is bent on condemning ANYTHING that might offend ANYONE, YOU may very well be the next casualty on their list.
‪#‎HeritageOfFaith‬
‪#‎NothingSouthernAboutTheSBC‬
Susan Frise Hathaway
The Virginia Flaggers
SHNV Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/SouthernHeritageNewsandViews
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Greetings Rev. Smith:

We were in church when you made the announcement that the Convention had voted to pass the Anti-Confederate Flag, Anti-Christian resolution.  The devil shouted with glee that his will has been done!  It is hard for me to believe that with that many preachers present, none took a stand for the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

You are well aware that the Confederate flag proudly displays the Cross of St. Andrew: next to the Cross of Jesus the most scared symbol in all Christianity!  The Constitution of the Confederate States of America plainly stated that God (the Christian God) was the founder of the nation.  It was no accident that the Confederate Congress adopted the Cross of St. Andrew as the symbol of the nation.

The Southern people loved their country and their flag.  Southern Baptist boys fought hard for the Cross of St. Andrew; many willingly gave their lives under that flag!  Those who founded the Southern Baptist Church; those who preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ; those who have been members and who have advanced the church unto this day strongly stood for the Gospel.  Now, the Convention has defecated on all their graves!

By taking an Anti-Cross of St. Andrew; Anti-Gospel stand, the Southern Baptist Convention has replaced Jesus with the devil.

When you made the announcement that the Baptist Church was no longer a Christian organization, we walked out!

If you would like to discuss this e-mail or anything related to the War Between the States, please contact me.

I end most of my personal communications with “God Bless!” but I cannot with this letter.

Southernly Yours,
Gary C. Walker
(Letters Courtesy of Southern Heritage News & Views, June 27, 2016 ed.)

Resolutions

 

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For many people, it is tradition to come up with a New Year’s resolution or two every year. Mine includes the usual: lose weight, quit vices, and be nicer (even though I try to be nice already). Next year promises to hold many adventures in store. I will have a new book coming out, we will hopefully buy a house, and I plan on taking more trips, possibly even abroad. These are also resolutions that I intend to keep.

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Making a resolution means making a firm decision to do or not to do something. Another definition of “resolution,” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “the act of finding an answer or solution to a conflict, problem, etc.: the act of resolving something.: an answer or solution to something.” I hope that this New Year provides resolutions to conflicts and problems as well, such as terrorism, dependency on foreign oil, racial tensions, and political tyranny. May this New Year provide peace throughout the world, fairness, honesty, and a common understanding amongst all people. In other words, I hope to see “the peaceful resolution of all disputes.”

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I have been writing a lot about the situation with the Confederate battle flag. It weighs heavily on my heart that the flag has been misconceived as something evil. When it was first designed, it was modeled after a Christian symbol, specifically Scotland’s St. Andrews Cross. How a cross can become racist is beyond me. I hope that those who suddenly consider Confederate statues to be a “nuisance” and the St. Andrews Cross to be racist will change their biased way of thinking.

Happy New Year 2016 Quotes

In the spirit of new beginnings, I wish you a very happy New Year full of love, laughter, adventure, hope, and joy. May the New Year hold many pleasant surprises for you, and offer us all an opportunity for creative, constructive communication and compassion. Happy New Year!

The Battle of Fredericksburg

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The Battle of Fredericksburg took place a little over a week before Christmas, on December 11-15, 1862. The battle forced citizens of Fredericksburg out of their homes, and some had no recourse but to camp in the woods in subzero temperatures. Union forces invaded the town, looting, shelling, and burning much of it. The Yankees then marched up to Marye’s Heights, where Confederate troops were waiting for them. Because the Rebels were at an advantage, the Federals were forced to march up the hill through an open field, thus making them easy targets. Needless to say, thousands were slaughtered.

When the townsfolk were finally able to return to their homes, they found only destruction, but somehow, they managed to carry on through the terrible sadness that engulfed them. It is interesting to note that, during a lull in the battle, one soldier found the compassion to come to the aid of his enemies. His name was Sergeant Richard Kirkland, a Confederate from South Carolina. Without the protection of the white flag of truce, he braved the open field to provide water and blankets to the wounded and dying Union soldiers. Because of his bravery, the “Angel of Marye’s Heights” is immortalized with a statue at the Fredericksburg National Military Park.

Soldiers who were away from home at Christmas suffered a particular kind of homesickness, different from the usual melancholy they usually felt. Because most soldiers who fought in the Civil War were Christians, the celebration of Christmas was a very special time for them. As Victorians, they believed that Christmas should be celebrated as a happy time of year. But with all the death surrounding them, it was difficult to feel that way, especially in December 1862.

Mississippi Eyes Ballot Measure Preserving Confederate Heritage, Making Christianity State Religion, English Official Language

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If passed, a measure being considered for Mississippi’s 2016 ballots would make Christianity the State Religion, English the official language, and, according to its creators, preserve the State’s Confederate Heritage. That’s not all — the measure aims to ‘restrict or define’ Mississippi’s Heritage in a number of areas: State Flag and Nickname, and even university mascots. It’s currently officially defined as ‘Initiative 46,’ but proponents of the plan call it the ‘Heritage Initiative.’ If the petition garners enough response, it should show up on the Mississippi ballots in the 2016 election.

Promoted by the Magnolia State Heritage Campaign, the initiative proposes to do the following:

Acknowledge Mississippi as a “principally Christian and quintessentially Southern state” and the Christian Bible as a “foremost source of her founding principles, inspiration, and virtues.”

Declare English the official language in the state, and require all government and public communications to be in English only. (There is an exception for foreign language instruction, and those places where Latin or French are traditional, such as in medicine and law.)

The Mississippi Flag adopted in 1894 and confirmed by vote in 2001 will be declared the State Flag. (See below.)

The salute will be “I salute the flag of Mississippi and the sovereign state for which it stands with pride in her history and achievements and with confidence in her future under the guidance of Almighty God.”

“Dixie” be played after the “Star Spangled Banner” at public events.

Declare ‘Colonel Reb’ (depicted in stained glass below) as the official mascot of the University of Mississippi, and affirm that teams will be called “The Rebels.” (The measure also defines mascots for two other state universities, and forbids forcing a list of other universities to merge or consolidate.)

April would be declared Confederate Heritage Month, acknowledged by schools and used to guide curriculum, and the last day of that month would be Confederate Memorial Day, on which government offices would be closed, and employees would receive an unpaid holiday. The week before would be Dixie Week.

The Confederate Flag must be displayed on State Capitol grounds.

Borders would be restored to ‘original’ boundaries, erasing wording established in 1990.

The measure would also ensure that state identification, license tags, and other materials reflect the nickname, state flower, and flag (yes, all state id cards would bear a flag that includes the Confederate Flag as a portion of it), protect the flying of flags over veterans’ graves, and officially protect and preserve any publicly owned or held Confederate memorabilia.

According to a local news agency, the initiative is endorsed by such prominent Mississippians as former Miss America Susan Akin, author Julie Hawkins, and former State Representative Mark DuVall. The petition needs 107,216 signatures, 12% of the number of voters in the last gubernatorial election, in order to be placed on the ballot.

Proponents of the measure believe this is a sure thing. If they’re correct, Mississippi could be on the way to declaring Christianity as the State Religion and English as the official language in two years’ time.

No more pressing “1” for English.

(Article courtesy of the General William Barksdale camp 1220 SCV, Columbus, MS)

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