Before I start, here's a quote from my favorite person ever:
"I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and you disagree with this administration somehow you're not patriotic, and we should stand up and say we are Americans and we have a right to debate and disagree with any administration."
~ Hillary "Double-Standard" Clinton
I'm a zany, quirky person. Humor is a major part of my life. I won't go too far into the details, but just get to know me. I'm a pretty good person to know, methinks.
I'm French (a mixture of regular French and French Canadian, both of which I'm not proud of), Finnish, Scottish, part Irish, etc. (in that order). I'm a direct descendant of Charlemagne, a Holy Roman Emperor. None of these things have any bearing on my life, really, but it's something to talk about I guess.
I'm a 6th-generation Idahoan, and don't plan to move away any time soon. It's amazing here (even better in the North). My mom's family came here in 1855 with Brigham Young and his Mormon pals, starting with the first man to irrigate in Idaho, my great-great-great-grandfather, Francillo Durfee.
I have many very strongly held, and not necessarily mainstream beliefs regarding politics and religion. To point out some of the religious ones:
Many of the things below are going to really bother a lot of people who read them. If it bothers you, I'm sorry, but you really need to lighten up, especially if you make any claim at being "open-minded", whatever that may mean to you. Also, if you find yourself disagreeing with anything I say, please remember that it is you who are wrong, because I'm always right by definition (my own). I'm tired of people questioning my papal infallibility all the time. Geez. Also, if you want to challenge my greatness, argue with me, please. I thrive on it. Also, kitties, damnit.
- "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16), and "God is not the author of confusion" (1 Cor 14:33). I believe that there is a modern version of the Bible that is wholly free from error: historically, scientifically, and theologically correct. I believe that the King James Version, if not perfect, is at least the best English translation, because I've never found anything provably false in it. If you hand me any other modern translation, I'll immediately point you to examples of the many logical inconsistencies and outright distortions they contain. For example, the KJV says Easter instead of Passover in Acts 12:4, and is the only common English translation to get it right. The other versions are better to read than Mein Kampf or the Satanic Bible, and there's enough truth in them to get you by somewhat, but they are riddled with problems. I believe this is Satan's attempt at making us doubt God's word, offering us many conflicting translations of the Bible. There is an eternal Hell (Matt. 25:41, Mark 9:44,45,48, 2 Thess. 1:9, Rev. 14:11, and many other places). The only way to avoid Hell is through sincere faith that Jesus' death on the cross was sufficient to save you and accepting that free gift. There are no other requirements to be saved (Acts 16:30-31), and anyone, no matter how horrible their sins are, can be saved. Everyone believes in the God of the Bible, understanding "even his eternal power and Godhead". Non-belief is not only not an excuse, but it is a lie. (Romans 1:19-21). The universe was created by God some time around 4000BC, about 6000 years ago, in 6 literal 24-hour days. Although, not proof, I'd like to mention here that about 44% of Americans believe "God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so", according to a May 2008 Gallup poll. I'm not the only crazy one I guess. Man was created intelligent, with the ability to speak, within that creation period. Adam was the first man and does not share a common ancestor with an ape, a banana, or a rock. All the basic kinds of animals were created at that time also, including dinosaurs. There was a flood which covered the entire earth around 2400BC, about 4400 years ago. I believe it is responsible for the geologic features we see today, including such gems as the Grand Canyon. Noah, the grandfather of everyone living today, gathered some of most kinds of land animals, excluding the things which could have survived the global flood, such as insects (and anything else not breathing through nostrils) , and put them on his ark to survive the flood. This included dinosaurs, as there is no evidence to indicate it didn't. I believe dinosaurs existed recently, and that any mention of the word dragon is actually a reference to dinosaurs (the new word being created in 1841). Most cultures of the world have some sort of dragon "myth", even cultures which historically have had little contact with each other. Marco Polo, while living in China in 1271, wrote that the emperor raised dragons to pull chariots in parades. The drawings and other depictions of dragons even show correlation between cultures. I believe it is possible that some may still exist today. A radical amount of otherwise not-crazy people claim to have seen Nessie. The same goes for Champ, the Lake Champlagne monster. There have also been a reasonable amount of explorers to the Congo who've returned to tell of either direct encounters with giant reptiles such as Mokèlé-mbèmbé ("one who stops the flow of rivers"), or at least with conversations with the natives who believe in them whole-heartedly.
Regarding politics, if I were to truly label myself, I'm a Christian libertarian. I'm a member of the Idaho Republican Party because there is power in numbers, and they agree with me very closely on many issues, especially those issues which are most important to me. Here are some of my views on politics:
- Everyone has the fundamental right of life. They have a fundamental right of liberty, or the ability to use the abilities God gave them. The right of liberty is an extension to the right of life. They also have the fundamental right to own and defend property. The right of property is an extension of the right of liberty. I believe in killing those who commit certain crimes, swiftly. I believe rape, child molestation, treason, and murder all warrant the death penalty, even after only one act. I believe the death penalty is an effective deterrent. It is especially effective at deterring the offender from committing the crime again. I don't believe you can rehabilitate a rapist, a child molester, or a murderer to the point where they are safe to re-enter society. Life begins at conception, and each person deserves the full protection of the law at that point. I therefore believe abortion is murder and should be treated as such, with equal penalties to that of any other murder, enforced upon all those involved in the act. I'm not saying we ex post facto go back and kill every woman and doctor that has ever committed abortion, but I believe that should become the penalty for new abortions as soon as possible. The only exception where abortion is not murder is in the case of having to choose between the life of the mother or the life of the child, or if both would likely die. Everyone has the right to defend their life, liberty, and property by force. The government should act only as a supplement to this right. Any act unjust for an individual to do is also unjust for the government to do. For example: stealing someone else's money is unjust and illegal, even if you are poor and really need it. This is how it should be. It is currently not illegal when the government steals our money and redistributes it to other people. It is however, very unjust. The government's job, and only job, is to protect its citizens against injustice. Making something legal doesn't make it right. I believe that everyone should be free to go about their lives as they please, with NO government interference or assistance whatsoever, except to protect each from injustice when it arises. This means: Global free trade, except in the case of trade embargos on our national enemies, such as Cuba and North Korea. No redistribution of wealth by the government, whatsoever. (no welfare, no free education, no free health care, no guaranteed employment, no guaranteed profits, no subsidies, no free or reduced interest rate loans, no grants, no tariffs, no minimum wage, no sin taxes, etc.) No government interference in the hiring practices of businesses, including "right to work", and anti-discrimination laws. To clarify, I believe an Asian man should be able to put a sign on his business which reads "No whites allowed". I don't believe a lot of people would frequent his establishment for being such a horrible racist, but it is his right to do so. A flat percentage sales tax, or something equally fair, to cover the government's expenses (no brackets, no loopholes, no breaks for anything) No government-owned land, except that which is necessary to carry out the business of protecting us against injustice No planning and zoning. If I want to put my house in a commercial zone or my office in a residential zone, it is my right to do so. No enforced building standards for privately owned buildings. My own safety and the fear of a lawsuit from my roof caving on someone should be sufficient to convince me to build a structurally sound building. No marriage licenses. Marriage is a religious contract. It is no business of the government. If the details of inheritance need to be settled after someone dies, and they haven't written a will, it should be up to a locally elected judge to decide where it goes. Do I support gay marriage? Absolutely not, but that's their business. If the government doesn't handle marriage, it's a non-issue. I won't have to honor their marriage, and they won't have to honor my decision to not honor it. No gun licenses, business licenses, liquor licenses, tobacco licenses, and probably many other types of licenses. I don't need a license from the government for things I already have the right to do. No drug laws, period. I absolutely abhor illegal drugs, and have never taken any. I've never even had a beer or glass of wine. I do, however, respect the right of other people to decide what they will and will not put in their own body. I believe this goes for all prescriptions as well. If I want to buy a prescription drug and take it, abuse it, etc., it's none of the government's business. Stopping someone from taking drugs not only doesn't protect anyone against injustice, but the prohibition itself doesn't even work. I believe it actually increases the amount of injustice, as people need to resort to injustice to get their drugs. If you need a reminder of how true that is, take a look at Prohibition. It was the catalyst for an explosion of organized crime. If someone commits an injustice, infringing on the rights of their fellow citizens, punish them for the injustice, and don't let them use their drug use as an excuse, but don't just punish them for the drug use itself, which is not an injustice. No gambling, prostitution or other similar laws. These things are also not injustices, and therefore should not be crimes.
Although that barely scratches the surface of the details of what I believe about life, the universe, and everything, it's at least a major start. I'm not afraid to stand up for what I believe in, and I don't believe any unjust means is justified by any end, no matter how good. When I say something about my worldview, I mean what I say. My goal is to choose doing what's right over fitting in or raising my rank in establishment any day.
One last thing I need to add, though, for anyone who hasn't really gotten to know me yet: I have an extremely vulgar sense of humor. I use foul language. I discuss disgusting topics. I say some things that many wouldn't see as Christian. Some people like to use replacement words to express their anger or hatred. It's still anger and hatred. Just because you replace the F-word, the emotion of the F-word is still there. I think profanity and vulgarity is often hilarious, and when not-directed at someone in anger or hatred, is often very effectice at getting your point across. I believe the anger and the hatred are the sins that need to be dealt with. Profanity being often used in conjunction with these sins does not automatically make it evil. They are just like any other word in our constantly evolving language. Arguing that one word is more evil than another is foolish. I try to refrain from speaking of God in vain though, as I do believe disrespecting God is a sin.
As I've had more than one person think I was Mormon after reading my profile, I need to set the record straight that I'm not. I have Mormon heritage on my mom's side of the family, and my dad was one at one point in his life, but I'm a non-denominational Bible-believing Christian. I respect Mormons and have many Mormon friends. They are great people, but I do not believe in the religion they follow. I'm not blindly rejecting the faith. I've spent countless hours researching Mormon doctrine online (both modern and original) and talking with Mormons about their religion. Although I've obviously started with biases toward it from my background, I still feel that I know enough about it to logically rule it out doctrinally. If anyone wants more information from me about it, I'd be glad to have an honest discussion on the subject.
Also, if anyone needs to get in touch with me, my number is 208-669-0499.