This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016

Comrade Putin

Vladimir Putin is now saying in the Russian press that Trump will lift sanctions against Russia and that Trump is his puppet in the American election. Trump, when asked about all the opponents Putin has ordered killed and all the people who died in the Russian takeover of Crimea said, “We kill people too.” How can the party of Reagan support Trump?

Most Republicans have said that President Obama should be tougher on Putin. Do they now see him as a friend? Trump seems to.

Billions await judgment?

Rev. Randall Mimbs opined in a recent edition of The Telegraph that no one will escape hell and enjoy a pleasant eternity unless he is vetted and admitted to glory land by Jesus Christ. No believers of Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism or followers of the Islamic faith will ever pass the portals of eternity because they worship deities other than Christ. Mimbs test would bar cultures of people that lived millions of years before the birth of Jesus and worshipped with all their hearts mountains, rivers, stars, the moon, the sun, oceans and other objects. Native Americans, long before the star of Bethlehem, lifted up prayers to spirits of ancestors, Stone Mountain, the white buffalo and Lake Superior, a god they called Gitche Gummee.

Arguably, the test of John 14:16 where Jesus said: “no one cometh unto the Father but by me,” would bar heaven for all deceased worshippers of God before the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, because the son of God had not been born when they lived. Perhaps some would counter that argument by professing to believe that everyone dying since the beginning of time still remain in the grave awaiting judgment day. To follow such line of thinking relegates heaven today as a beautiful paradise, empty of people. A view that suggests mom and dad are not on heaven’s bright shore, but await the end of life on earth for all and a judgment that may separate them forever.

Mimbs mentions the columns of Dr. Bill Cummings and my letters to the editor in his Viewpoint piece, and I enjoyed reading his opinion and other letters he has submitted to The Telegraph. It is not my bent to change Mimbs personal religious convictions one iota, nor do I believe it is Cummings as he pens excellent columns on many topics. By the same token, I am not persuaded that a loving God will stand idle while millions and billions of persons perish because they happen to have worshipped other deities or view the Holy Scripture differently than some ministries.

Perhaps, as more scholars study another holy scripture passage, John 14:2, “In my Father’s house are many mansions,” we will come to know that eternity is a mighty big place and there is room for all of us there. To paraphrase a recent Viewpoint commentator, all religious paths leads to the top of the mountain where lodging for everyone awaits.

Details

Which do you want first, the good news or the bad? I know most of you, if not all of you, have heard the old adage that “The devil is in the details.” Well, the bad news is, despite what your mama said, this is not always true. Many of you will be enlightened to learn that if the devil is not in the details, his or her name can most likely be found on the ballot that is given to you on Election Day. Your challenge is to decide which devil do you like the least. You have to decide between a big-mouth-blow-hard-slack-jawed-incompetent bozo and a career (yet to be convicted) criminal that will do “who knows what” to get elected. For myself, I feel like I am standing between a dog and a fireplug

Now for the good news. According to Hillary, everything is fine.

Watch out

If you keep your recycling bucket outside like we do, watch out for Brown Widow Spiders. For the past three years, we have found those poisonous spiders and their tell-tale spine covered orb egg sack, on the underside of the the handle area on the green recycle buckets used in Houston County. A trip to the hardware store for some expanding foam spray insulation to fill the underside of the rolled edge will keep you from putting your fingers into harm’s way, and you’ll still be able to lift the buckets. While they are not as aggressive as their more well known cousin, and typically don’t inject as much poison, their toxin is stronger than the Black Widow.

Question methods

The Dallas police killed the gunman suspected of killing five officers last month. They had every right to do that. However, I question their method. Using a robot to deliver a claymore mine rigged to blow up the gunman? Why would a civilian police force need an anti-personnel device like a claymore land mine anyway? What are they going to use next? Cluster bombs to quell riots?

This story was originally published August 2, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016."