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Social Gospel

RJ Walters

Christ’s church has cycled from one level to another for almost its whole existence.  I can only hope that the cycle turns positive in the coming years. If it doesn’t I can see the end of that institution. One of the bright periods of the Protestant version of the church occurred between 1890 -1930. It was known as the social gospel.  Here is a little about that from my friends at Wikipedia: In the late 19th century, many Protestants were disgusted by the poverty level and the low quality of living in the slums. The social gospel movement provided a … Continue reading Social Gospel

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Car Guys Are Like Women…

RJ Walters

I have been in the weeds so to speak with my posts here on RJsCorner so I thought I would put out a car post today.  I want to move from the weeds of politics to the green pastures of vintage cars. I know this post title is going to get a lot of attention from my more macho car guy friends. I suspect that they are saying “yeah if I drove around in a pink Cadillac!!” But what I am really talking about is how many car guys fall for the latest trends even if they are totally impractical. … Continue reading Car Guys Are Like Women…

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Permanent Tax Cuts For The Rich, Temporary Cuts For The Rest Of Us..

RJ Walters

Don’t be fooled by all the GOP rhetoric about their proposed tax plan. Study its effect on you before jumping on board. And even more importantly look at what effect it will have on your children.  Of course, we also have to understand that the GOP is primarily a party that gives the most to their rich donors. They are the ones who will primarily benefit from this current plan.  Since the “trickle down” theory they have constantly used in the past has never come to actually happen why should we expect it to happen this time. Too much of … Continue reading Permanent Tax Cuts For The Rich, Temporary Cuts For The Rest Of Us..

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It’s Hard Looking Beyond Self Preservation Nowadays..

RJ Walters

The political news just gets raunchier and raunchier now that we have a “liar-in-chief” in the Oval Office. The president used to be an image that we could give our children for their inspirations. Now we need to shield them from the current occupant’s disrespectful rantings and constant lies.  My tolerance for these intolerable defects continues to erode as each day passes. I used to be a hog for news. I watched multiple sources on a daily basis. Now, the only thing I can seem to stomach is the PBS Newshour and since it is recorded and watched the next … Continue reading It’s Hard Looking Beyond Self Preservation Nowadays..

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A Little More Cheery…

RJ Walters

I decided to let my creative juices flow a little more lately and attacked my blog header to make it a little more cheery. I know most of you guys probably don’t even notice the header but I don’t think you can avoid this one. :)  There is enough in the world today that is simply awful dreary. We need to let the sun shine more in our lives. This is a meager attempt to do a little of that. The main themes for my blog are “Question Everything” and my “InSearchOfAmerica” project.  I am adding another theme to that … Continue reading A Little More Cheery…

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About Atonement..

RJ Walters

One of the current foundations of the Christianity is the atonement. Generally that is thought to be Jesus taking the wrath of God for us with his substitutional crucifixion in order to appease God wrath toward man’s sinfulness.  I, like many others I’m sure, thought that atonement was a foundational issue with Jesus and the early church.  In reality it was post-Constantine theologians who gave us the doctrine of original sin and the blood atonement, the belief that Jesus came to earth solely for the purpose of dying for our sins, was a doctrine not fully developed in the church … Continue reading About Atonement..

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Your Vote Counts, But…

RJ Walters

I am an ultra-advocate to the rights and privileges of voting.  If you don’t vote then you should have no say in what your representatives do in Washington.  Sadly, we are one of the lowest participatory democracies in the world.  Less than half of those eligible to vote in any election usually choose to do so.  When that happens we allow a small minority to choose our elected officials.  That is certainly what happened in 2016. An unlikely coalition of estranged fringe groups eerily chose our president. For the most part the uninformed masses coalesced into an unchallenged voting block. … Continue reading Your Vote Counts, But…

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Madison Indiana

RJ Walters

In Search Of America — My InSearchOfAmerica has taken me to Madison Indiana on several occasions.  The most recent trip was in August of 2016 when I snapped the following gallery of pictures.  With so many small towns  that are dead or dying  it is nice to see some flourishing. Madison Indiana is on the Ohio River and once gained its livelihood from barge traffic. As usual click on any picture to see a larger slideshow view I think I need to explain all the hog butts in one of these pictures.  I got to town a couple of days … Continue reading Madison Indiana

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Lost Dreams..

RJ Walters

It is important to take stock in all the good things we have had. But it is also worthwhile to recognize the opportunities we might have missed. In the past I have told many stories about how, after very humble beginnings, I have had a pretty privileged life.  This post is about the things I might have missed. So, here is that story. The bible says something about not worrying about tomorrow or the past, but just live in today. Those always seemed like wise words to me but being I question everything they also sometimes seem like stifling words. … Continue reading Lost Dreams..

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China And The US.. A Perfect Storm..

RJ Walters

To get started, let’s look at how Wikipedia  defines “a perfect storm”: A “perfect storm” is an expression that describes an event where a rare combination of circumstances will aggravate a situation drastically. I think the idea of a perfect storm is where we likely are in world events today.  China is aching to take over as “the” world leader while at the same time the current US administration is shrinking into a protectionist mode and recklessly abandoning its responsibilities in that regard. We are headed for a perfect storm and much sooner than many might anticipate. Let’s look at … Continue reading China And The US.. A Perfect Storm..

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The Bible As A History Book..

RJ Walters

I think I have let it be known that I view the Bible as a history book of the early period of Christianity. As such maybe it needs to be updated from time to time? New chapters need to be written and old ones modified to more accurately reflect information found. The Bible was put together about 400 years after the death of Jesus. It was primarily assembled under the oversight of a Roman Emperor who intended to use it as a guide for his kingdom. It contained several of the ancient documents found at the time but by no … Continue reading The Bible As A History Book..

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Auto School – 1920 Style

RJ Walters

In Search Of America — I am always on the lookout for group photos from the past. Looking at the individual faces helps me to remember that history is about people as well as events.   It is hard to believe that so many were learning to work on cars as early as 1920. Of course the primary auto in those days was the Model T. This photo was found at the “American Pickers” garage in Le Claire Iowa during our recent visit there. Click on the picture and it will expand to a large view. Continue reading Auto School – 1920 Style

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Henry Clay Historic Site… Sigh…

RJ Walters

  I have always admired Henry Clay for being a statesmen during some tumultuous times in America and was looking forward to visiting his home during my last micro-RV trip through Kentucky and Tennessee. I don’t like giving negative reports here on RJsCorner especially when it come to important historical site but this one deserves it. I got there at 1:05pm to tour the home and small grounds and was told I would have to wait an hour as they only gave 15 minute guided tours on the hour.,  I explained that I was deaf and wouldn’t get anything from … Continue reading Henry Clay Historic Site… Sigh…

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Why are so many women low esteem masochists?

RJ Walters

Be forewarned that I am putting on my satirical hat for this post so don’t take it too serious even if it does ring of truth. The title of this post may shock some of my readers but that is what my Aspie side sometimes thinks when I sees some women. It just looks to me that too many 21st century women will go through whatever present and future pain is necessary to make themselves into what others expect. I know I have this maybe abnormal fixation on this topic but for the life of me I can’t understand why … Continue reading Why are so many women low esteem masochists?

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Science Is Not The Enemy Of The Church..

RJ Walters

Being an engineer I consider myself a scientist and I can tell you first-hand that I felt very much attacked whenever I brought up science in my weekly bible classes. In that church the word “scientist” and “liberal” seemed to have an equally negative bias and I was both! I could never understand why so many were threatened when I asked questions based on scientific knowledge. If I did that it seemed I was immediately labeled a heretic. I found out my feeling were by no means unique. Here are some words about that from a book called Saving Jesus … Continue reading Science Is Not The Enemy Of The Church..

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Writing is Recursive

RJ Walters

Often times in my life I feel like I am going in circles.  The same things seems to always crop up to mess things up.  I didn’t get married until I was forty so I had my share of dates.  But on second thought I really didn’t.  I knew I was not very good at it so I didn’t even attempt that often. Except for a very few occasions I just never could get past the second date.  With those kinds of experiences in life I knew I was different from many around me. I would also later learn that … Continue reading Writing is Recursive

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Writers Should Make People Uncomfortable..

RJ Walters

One of the axioms of  writing is that it should make people uncomfortable. If it doesn’t then you are not stretching the horizons of those reading your words.  Even before I heard this it was in my heart. One of the foundations of RJsCorner is that I try to get people to think outside their boxes to other possibilities.  I am constantly looking for ways to stretch my horizons and I think everyone else should do the same. Being stuck in place is one of the primary causes of where we are today. Why do I think that maybe I … Continue reading Writers Should Make People Uncomfortable..

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Religiously Powerful…

RJ Walters

Jesus had some very stinging words about the religiously powerful of his day. The Gospel of Mark 7 is one of those places.  Let’s study some of those words. He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:” ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order … Continue reading Religiously Powerful…

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Having No Religion or Faith..

RJ Walters

Britain is becoming an increasingly faithless society, according to a new survey that has found 53% of Britons now describe themselves as having no religion. The proportion is the highest ever, up from 48% in 2015 and 31% in 1983 when the British Social Attitudes survey was begun by the independent National Centre for Social Research. The trend is evident across all age groups but is particularly marked among young people, with 71% of 18-to 24-year-olds surveyed in 2016 saying they had no religion, up from 62% percent the previous year. The majority of older people still have some faith, … Continue reading Having No Religion or Faith..

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Museum of Appalachia

RJ Walters

    On my most recent trip InSearchOfAmerica I visited the Museum of Appalachia. I was not expecting too much but was blown away by what I found. It is a museum like no other I have visited. The totally unique thing about this place was that all the building and most of the antiques were identified by the person who owned them and included stories about their lives.  It is almost as if you could picture them living in the buildings and using the instruments and such.   I took literally a hundred photos of the place. Here are … Continue reading Museum of Appalachia

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I Don’t Have Many Friends — By Choice..

RJ Walters

Maybe I should explain the title some more before I continue with the post.  Yes, because of my Aspie traits and my isolation as a deaf senior citizen I don’t have as many friends as I had when I was in the corporate world. That is a fact that can’t be denied but it is not the point of this post. The point I am trying to make is that by Facebook standards my friends list is pretty abysmal.  I think at last count I had about 40 “friends”. Some of them I don’t “follow” because they post multiple times … Continue reading I Don’t Have Many Friends — By Choice..

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My View Of The Bible – Part 6 Closing Thoughts…

RJ Walters

This six part Sunday series was about looking at the Bible as a human document. That is, it was written and assembled by humans with different life experiences, viewpoints, and passions.  Much of their thoughts and words were believed to come from divine inspiration. Many believed they were writing what God wanted them to write. When I study the Bible I try to understand the reasons why some of the writers might have penned what they did.  Of course, I am also a human who has my own life experiences and passions, part of which surely shaped by what I have previously studied. What … Continue reading My View Of The Bible – Part 6 Closing Thoughts…

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The Tail Wags The Dog..

RJ Walters

It is becoming abundantly clear to me now that when it comes to video media that the tails wags the dog.  Keeping me informed so that I can make wise decisions is not a prominent goal of most telemedia companies, especially those like CNN, MSNBC and FOX. Unlike much of the rest of the world our news sources depend of advertising to stay in existence. The more views they can get, the more they can charge for advertising. It is as simple as that. For those of us who are at least middle aged, we know of a different time.  … Continue reading The Tail Wags The Dog..

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My View Of The Bible — Part 5 Summing It Up..

RJ Walters

This is the fifth post on this series about the Bible. If it is not obvious by now I want you to understand that I put my Christianity on Jesus Christ not on a book about him. I will try to keep this brief as it is really a wrap-up of the past posts. About the Literalists: Panic – In some cases I see almost total panic in people when I say not all the words in the bible are literally true. This belief is so ingrained in the foundations of their faith they cannot imagine it could not be true. Irrational – Some say if … Continue reading My View Of The Bible — Part 5 Summing It Up..

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My View Of The Bible — Part 4 .. Misguided Beliefs?

RJ Walters

This, the fourth post on the Bible centers around where I see some others may have gone astray in regards to their beliefs surrounding  the Bible. Some have replaced the Holy Spirit with the book called the Bible… They put so much power in the Bible and so little in the Holy Spirit. Compared to the others in Trinity studies there is very little in-depth theological study about the Holy Spirit. The main exception to that might be  the Society of Friends otherwise known as Quakers. They treat the Holy Spirit as a very equal member of God’s team. Jesus … Continue reading My View Of The Bible — Part 4 .. Misguided Beliefs?

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Green Bay Railroad Museum

RJ Walters

 Yes, I know that the heyday of the railroad is long past but I am one of those who believe they will return again in all their magnificence sometime in the future.  They are just so much more eco friendly than the millions of interstate trucks that currently dominate our highway system. The point of this post is about a recent visit to the Green Bay Railroad Museum. It is a massive place displays dozens of the giant engines of the past. If you are in the area it is well worth a visit. Here are some pics for you. … Continue reading Green Bay Railroad Museum

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Medicine Is An Unsettled Science..

RJ Walters

I don’t think there is anyone around who thinks we have all the answers when it comes to medicine. There have been and will continue to be major breakthroughs in that field but that doesn’t mean that our current knowledge is not to be believed. We don’t go to a witchdoctor for our health care needs because medicine is an unsettled science.  So, why do some allow this convoluted logic to drive their beliefs around climate change. They say climate change is an unsettled science so we want to wait for more answers! Yes, there are between 1-3% of scientific … Continue reading Medicine Is An Unsettled Science..