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Despising The Old Rugged Crossby

Frederick Meekins

Copyright 2013

In one classic science iction plot! antagonists atte"pt to gain control o the uture by

atte"pting to alter the past# Though it "ight not be as e$citing as a Dalorian speeding at%% "iles per hour! "aniacal orces in our o&n reality are atte"pting to acco"plish nearly

the sa"e thing by drastically reconceptuali'ing our understanding o history#

(art o the &ay history is publicly re"e"bered and allo&ed to e$ert an inluence o)er

the cultural "ilieu is through the erection o assorted "onu"ents and "e"orials# This isitsel a practice that! in part! traces its origin back through the pages o sacred scripture#

In *oshua +,-./! the representati)es o the tribes o Israel are instructed as to the

ollo&ing, ach o you is to take up a stone on his shoulder! according to the nu"ber otribes o the Israelites! to ser)e as a sign a"ong you# In the uture! &hen your children

ask you! hat do these stones "ean45 tell the" that the lo& o the *ordan &as cut obeore the ark o the co)enant###These stones are to be a "e"orial to the people o Israel

ore)er#6

This is not the only incident in 7cripture &here the belie)er is ad"onished to respect

assorted physical historical co""e"orations# In (ro)erbs 22,2%! the child o 8od is

ad"onished to re"o)e not the ancient land"ark#

9o doubt one o the reasons thorough going secularists and e)en their sissiied allies

a"ong certain branches o the clergy leaning to the let anatically lobby or the re"o)alo religious sy"bols and e"ble"s co""e"orating sole"n e)ents in the lie o the nation

is to no doubt alter our perception o history in the atte"pt to shit the country:sunderlying )alues and ocus# ;y so doing! it is hoped that also ?ust as

correctly reerred to as @ictory CrossA in ;ladensburg! Maryland# The

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Egeneral sy"bol o sacriice#E

In "aking his argu"ent! Re)#

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and deeper into the lesh o the back as it slid against a roughly hued pole not crated &ith

co"ort in "ind# This struggle &ould e)entually result in suocation as the )icti" in

agony &ould gro& too e$hausted to continue#

Death upon the cross &as o such a terriying o)er&hel"ing agony that a ne& &ord had

to be coined in order to accurately describe its uni=ue )ariety o suering# That &ord&as none other than Ee$cruciatingE#

7o unda"entally &rong about this unda"ental o the true Christian aith! it is no

&onder Re)#

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buy one#E

7cripture ad"onishes the belie)er to be as &ise as a serpent but as har"less as a do)e#

hile the Christian is not to go around stirring up undue trouble! neither is the Christian

to enter une=uipped into situations that &ill result in o)er&hel"ing bodily har" or

unnecessary physical death#

*ust ho& literally do those raising the turning o the other cheek to so"ething on the le)elo the (ri"e Directi)e ro" 7tar Trek &ant to take the re"ainder o the passage4 In

Matthe& -,+1! the te$t reads! E

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Ges! a cross is a distincti)ely Christian sy"bol# ;ut this particular cross under

consideration goes beyond the i"ple"ent upon &hich the 7a)ior suered and died#