Sunday, May 6, 2012

N Front Street at Olive - Philly - 1951




Freight train track running up the middle of North Front Street underneath the Frankford Elevated Line before the "El" in this section was moved to accommodate the great spoiler of urban beauty aka I-95 (Interstate 95).


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Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, LCMS, begging for crumbs at the Catholic/Mormon table - 2012



Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, President of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS)’s bragging rights and admission to the discriminatory, and some, myself, might call the Hate Table of present evangelical American Christianity merged in secret PACs of the RCs with the Mormon Pagan Cult and the fanatical far right politicos is some strange ride for first termer President Harrison up for re-election in 2013.

Of course the LCMS is highly thought of in the RC hierarchy circles for its strict conservative view of Scriptures.  Harrison’s tenure has seen immediate downsizing and outsourcing of the corporate headquarters in St. Louis to displace hundreds of employees.  One wonders how the State of India or the People’s Republic of China will serve in practical function of the outsourcing of Sacraments to save a buck under “Tea Party Matt”.

The saving view of a dying institution like the RC church in Europe and North America is to downsize on people and expenses in the hope that the middle ages will return in the global world view in the future.  The LCMS has taken this survivalist; take no prisoners approach in defending the Bible as literal and jumping into bed, figuratively of course, with the USCCB United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on all political matters with Matt Harrison at the helm of the leaky LCMS rudderless boat.

The landmark Hosanna Tabor case handed down by a unanimous Catholic dominated U.S. Supreme Court stands by “ministerial exception” or “ministerial” Privilege alongside outmoded concepts like Chattel voting rights and people as property in the original U.S. Constitution.  Bravo Matt, enjoy the fruits of your labor at the Catholic feast table against human rights in favor of religious liberty to discriminate against all non-Catholic/Missouri Synod members and non-members within your religious bubble world.  And let's not forget the religious freedom to the feeding frenzy on all your elderly members, their assets and bequests.

The LCMS is at odds with it falling memberships against the larger more progressive ELCA, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, with its more open interpretation of Scripture but sticking to basics.  Even with that, female ordination or monogamous gay ordination are within the boundaries of the ELCA message of Jesus that has its roots going back to tolerant Quaker Philadelphia in mid-eighteenth century America.

LCMS, enjoy the temporary merger in the 2012 election year with the Papes and the Joseph Smith-ers. And don’t yell rape in 2013 when the crumbs the Catholics and the Mormons sweep your way today are not enough to sustain your dying religious base into the future.

Have a nice day. 

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