Well, I don't know if your school system is bad or not. People complain about the school system here too. They complain about school systems everywhere. But there does seem to be a lack of knowledge about the rest of the world amongst Americans. But what I think that what the writers of the 95 Theses are objecting to, when they mention liberty as they do in some of the Theses, is that ignorance can also be arrogance, when people don't know they are ignorant and then make sweeping generalizations about their place in the world vis a vis that of other countries.

Putting something like 'freedom of speech' into a Christian context, for example - we are told to guard our tongues, and be careful what we say so that we don't hurt other people. Far too often 'freedom of speech' means (and this is by no means just an American thing) means freedom from being held responsible for the hurts your words cause. A little more responsibility and a little less freedom isn't all that bad a thing.

I don't want to get into the whole Iraq war thing, but on 60 Minutes they had a show this past Sunday, in which they interviewed the last remaining Christian bishop (I believe he was a bishop) in Iraq. He ministers to a very small Christian congregation in secret - mostly women and children because the men have all been killed since the American invasion.

I don't think that most Americans realised that Saddam Hussein was for a secular society in which all religions were equal. He was not an ardent Muslim. His second-in-command was Christian. Iraq was certainly not a democracy but in many ways there was the kind of liberty that the US is supposedly now trying to bring there.

I don't want to address whether the war was right or wrong, since I think that war is wrong. It is clear that the American public were lied to and it is also clear that by anyone's standards, Saddam was not a nice man. But I think that if the word 'freedom' was not an idol, a sacred cow, that Americans would have been more skeptical and questioned more before rushing into that war. When people believe that they have a monopoly on an idea, like freedom for instance, and there is such a great value placed on that idea that to even question what 'freedom' means is enough to be called anti-American, then I think it is an idol by any definition.

I'm not sure what you mean in your reference to Theses 18. Are you saying that you think that there will still be freedom in the US when the Rapture happens?

I was also looking over the Theses wondering where you got 'repenting' from. From the preamble to the Theses? I think that just as nations have national days of mourning when someone important in that country dies, the intent is broad when the preamble speaks of the nation repenting. I think they are saying that just as Israel 'repented' nationally, time and again of their sins in the Old Testament - which also goes on today during the Day of Atonement - that since by definition we are all sinners, there is always something to repent from.

I guess where they don't make much sense is that if they are saying that the US has been holier than thou in talking as though they are somehow special and have a special Christian heritage, and that Americans should accept the essentially secular character of their country, faith being the province of the individual, then why are they calling on a secular nation to make a religious repentance?

On the other hand, Jerry Falwell also said famously that he believed that 9/11 was punishment by God upon the US for their collective sins.

I think that God does call nations to repentance. I don't think that in God's mind, He says, "oh, yes, the US, well now that's a secular democracy, with freedom of speech so we have to give them leeway and not punish the nation since they were never founded on principles of Jesus Christ."

God clearly speaks of punishing the nations, from Israel, a chosen people, to nations like that of Babylon or Nineveh or Tyre or Sidon, or what the prophets call the nations of the sea. He doesn't excuse any of these nations on the grounds that they are not the people with whom he made a covenant on Mount Sinai. He seems to punish on the basis of an internal moral law, like that which Kant espoused, that should be inherent in all people, regardless of their faith and culture. He doesn't punish Gentile nations on whether they keep kosher.

I think that as partakers of our nation, although we are not of this world, we have a moral responsibility like Abraham had, when he prayed to God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah. We are told that by James to Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

I think particularly in so far as both the populations of Canada and the US were settled predominantly by Christians, when our nations behave badly, either internally or in matters of foreign affairs, we are especially badly reflected upon since we are, as Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

And we are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Our 'house' being our nation, just by acting like Christians, if Christians are a majority in the country, there ought to be an impact in the way a nation, even an officially secular nation, acts. I don't mean in terms of politicizing Christianity or in terms of politicians spouting God's name in order to win elections, but by quiet, every day deeds, Christians ought to make more of a difference than they do.

I can't remember who it was who said this, but someone said that a nation ought to be judged not by how it treats its strongest members, but by how it treats those who are the weakest.

1 Corinthians 5:6 ...Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

Layla