>>The world has been coming to an end for almost 2000 years. I remember when I was three years old (1945), there was a man in San Francisco who walked around 5th and Market Streets with a sign, “Repent! The world is coming to an end”! I saw him walking with that sign whenever I was in that area, until 1963.
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>>The world will indeed come to an end but I am sure that none of us will be aware of it.
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>>A problem with being a Protestant is that God gave you the ability to interrupt the bible, but there is a major issue. You see, Martin Luther in the 16th century threw out the books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, and the two books of Maccabees, as well as sections of Ester and Daniel.
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>>Protestant’s can only pretend to interrupt the Bible as they do not know which books are inspired, since they do not have a complete Bible. Yet Protestant’s may and do disagree amongst themselves as to the meaning of each word of the Bible. This disagreement is the reason that there are 40,000 different Protestant sects today. The passion of disagreement is most evident when you talk to members of any specific Protestant Church concerning scripture. Such discussions are quite entertaining!
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>>A fellow I know who is a Protestant belonged to a Church. The Pastor gave an interpretation of a passage of Bible scripture, and several members of the congregation vehemently disagreed! Members of the congregation immediately split from that church and formed a new church. This occurred three times within one year. Thus where there was once one church there are now four.
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>>While I was in the mid west and south, I became familiar with many different Protestant Churches. One worshiped rattle snakes, and was inspired by the Bible. On occasion members of that Church are bitten and a few have died.
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>>In the mid west and south there is not much tolerance for Roman Catholics and Jews. The country singer Reba McEntire said it best: “In our town, the Presbyterian Church was in the middle of town, next to city hall. The Methodists church was a block away, and the Baptist were a quarter mile away. The Catholic Church was 1 ½ miles out of town”!
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>You must've been in a different south or a different time. Doesn't even resemble today's south. It's very tolerant and almost every religion on earth is represented now. I was born in the north, lived in Colorado, Oregon, and California before I graduated high school. It's changed a lot. I am told often by northerners who come to the south for work how amazed they are at the diversity. Most cultures and nationalities and religions are represented here now. Yet the old prejudiced views of the south remain.


I have noticed that a lot of people from all areas of the United States have moved into the Southern States. In fact there are many Mexican, and Asian faces that did not exist there just a few decades ago. The “old families” that have been in the South seem to have a great deal of resentment towards such people or anyone not just like them.

Another thing I noticed is that the face of California has changed. I find many red necks, and Southerners who have moved here have brought his/her prejudices with them. You can drive 50 miles east of San Francisco and you would think that you are in the deep south around 1950. Things like Confederate Garrison sized flags flying amaze me, which I saw in Holister, south east of San Jose.

Driving up to Minden, Nevada (at the California border) was interesting. There was a 4 wheel drive pickup – one with a really high suspension – and it had a flag pole attached to it. On top of the pole was a Confederate Garrison sized flag. A large sign on the truck read: “Klu Klux Klan sign up here”! It was February and on PBS they had a documentary: “Nevada. The Mississippi of the West”! If you cannot go to Mississippi, may I recommend Nevada?

You may find tolerant people in the South or where ever you go in the United States, but you cannot convince me that everyone is tolerant. But then again I do not know what you mean by tolerant. Things in the South are not as bad as they were in the 1960’s, but talking to the old timers reminds me of those times I experienced and remember well!

As for Oregon, my dad was raised in Ukiah, Oregon – the northeast part of the state. They are survivalist up there and hate anything to do with any branch of any government, local, state or federal. I still have not met anyone in Oregon who can tolerate anyone from California. As a governor of Oregon said, “We built Interstate 5 for Californians! Drive through but do not stop”!

I call this great nation of ours, “The Separated States of America”! We may think of it as we wish, and embrace what is great to ourselves.

I personally find that there are many people in the South who are still intolerant towards Catholics and Jews. Recently I was told by a Southerner that “Catholics are not Christians”! A previous President of the Southern Baptists said on national television, “The Pope is a disciple of the devil”! I see that a black man has been elected President of the Southern Baptist’s, for the first time. I do not go out of my way to find these types of people. For some reason they find me! :)