An excellent research paper by Steve Gibson explains better than I can some very good reasons to despise Cleartype, and Microsoft font rendering techniques. This, I believe, is reason enough to make every computer you own a Macintosh, or at least attempt to install MacOS on your computers. Unless you enjoy reading at the MS mandated font size using the MS mandated fonts under cleartype (which is good, but I don’t prefer the MS recommended settings).
Well, I am cheap, and even though Apple hardware is typically cheaper than comparable non-Apple hardware, I am not in the market for that kind of hardware. As such, I have used Windows, and the Safari browser for reading on Windows (Safari uses the MacOS font technology). That is, until about a month ago, when I read this post about gdi++. I use gdi++++ under Windows now, and am not forced to use Safari at all anymore. Now I am back to using Opera on my $300 Acer laptop, and the text is much more readable. The japanese developers of this software have my gratitude. 
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Pastor Geoff Surratt joins the ranks of an increasing amount of people dissatisfied with what I call “Modern Christianity.” It is refreshing to see a pastor have the same views as I on the modern christian culture. In his blog post, I’m through with Christianity, he declares that he will no longer describe himself as a Christian, because he “cannot in good faith associate any more with what the label Christian has come to represent in America.” This is a sad, but undoubtedly a well thought out decision.
When people ask me if I am a Christian, I sometimes cringe, much the same way that I cringe when asked if I am a hacker or a libertarian. That cringing is well founded; some people, being disgusted at the actions of “Christians,” refuse to talk to me after I say yes. Back in Florida, I had to append my yes with, “but I did not vote on amendment 2.” Only then could I talk with some people. And if I say no, what do I call myself? A “God follower?” That phrase is taken.
I’ve noticed that a large amount of words are misconstrued to be things that they were never intended to be, and now the word Christian has joined their them. I fear I live in a fascist society, where words are redefined so that you can’t read and understand intent outside of what the state would have. What is worse, is that all the words I use to describe myself are being redefined to either associate me with a crowd of “crazy” people that make things explode during protests or a crowd of totalitarian statists. My world is being polarized, and I am caught between two extremes I do not like, and am being forced to choose one.
Perhaps I will continue to refer to myself as a Christian, a follower of Christ. When asked if I am, I might have to ask the person what their definition is. Perhaps we could start calling the statist christians something else? I’m up for suggestions.
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Last year, some Christians I know became infuriated at my refusal to support a marriage amendment that made their definition of marriage “the law.” I had a few reasons, the main one being that government has no business in defining marriage. The other reason was that, if we kept pushing such laws, then a homosexual definition of marriage will be pushed to be “the law” and likely succeed.
The Christian Coalition is now panicking; Vermont and New Hampshire are entertaining legislation to make a redefinition of marriage “the law.” The overturning of the Defensive Marriage Act is gaining support. The actions of the aggressors are having unintended consequences. When do I get to say “I told you so?”
When did Jesus support aggression to force His views on the the pharisees and others who did not agree with Him, and even wanted to kill Him? And here we are, claiming to follow Christ, forcing, by law, our definition of marriage. It is sick and wrong. We are hypocrites for doing so. The Christian’s job is to spread the Gospel and teach others the truth, not put a gun to our neighbors head and force them to abide by our beliefs, which may not even be biblical!
Now that I live in NH, I will oppose the redefinition of marriage just like I did the marriage bans. I am doing it because God is the authority on marriage, and not government, not because I have some sick goal of forcing people to believe my ideas of marriage.
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Many people teach that the main purpose in going to church is to hear “what God says through the preacher.” Because that is church, they can stay home and watch church on TV. This morning, I realized that they were very wrong.
If you are lucky, you may hear a decent sermon on TV (Try Crossroad Baptist for a good one), but the sermon does not make church. I believe that church, the event, in its simplest form is the fellowship of believers. It is not the music that moves your mind into a suggestive state, it is not the tithe, it is not sitting in a pew and it is not the preacher. It is not even all of these. Without fellowship, the church might as well be just an indoctrination center.
This morning, watching Chuck Baldwin from New Hampshire, I realized that I have not been in a church with actual fellowship for a long time. Watching a sermon on the internet does not count.
Thankfully, I got in touch with a pastor in the area, and may meet with him next week. God is good.
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On the week of April Fools, I completed my move to New Hampshire, for the Free State Project. My first week there was very eventful and exciting. Now that I am settled in, the hard part comes: finding a job.
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