In a quest to better understand the ORIGINS and INTENTS of the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence, I have been readIn a quest to better understand the ORIGINS and INTENTS of the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence, I have been reading a LOT of non-fiction related to those subjects of late. My list of reading has included John Locke, Brion McClanahan, Frederic Bastiat, Ezra Taft Benson, J. Reuben Clark, Heber J. Grant, Abel Upshur, Thomas Paine, Cleon Skousen, Hugh Nibley, and also George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, short quotes from many other Founders, and much more. Latter-Day Liberty by Connor Boyack further cements everything I have been discovering by these other authors: that Natural Law is GOD'S LAW, and every one of God’s children has rights that COME FROM HIM, including LIFE, LIBERTY, and the right to PROPERTY so that we might pursue happiness.
Mr. Boyack does a phenomenal job of explaining these principles to the reader, but goes further than that . . . he ties these principles to the intents of the founding fathers, and thereafter shows not only some of the origins of our sacred founding documents (because, YES, it DOES matter what the founders were reading at the time of their inspired work), but also some of the key historical turning points where government was improperly, and deceitfully, changed into the tyrannical leviathan that we have today. Truly, our Founders would not recognize their produced Republic any longer. For that matter, even “we the people� can’t seem to understand that this is NOT a democracy, and was never intended to be such. But, I digress . . .
Kudos, Mr. Boyack: This is one of the best books on the subject of Liberty that I have ever read....more
Fantastic book. Having had Professor Nibley as an instructor in college, and knowing a little bit about the man and his incredible skills in languagesFantastic book. Having had Professor Nibley as an instructor in college, and knowing a little bit about the man and his incredible skills in languages and history (both ancient and modern), I looked forward to the day when I would have the funds to add this book to my library, and the time to read it. And it did not disappoint! Bravo, Professor. Incredibly well done....more
Full of truth, this book will change the way you look at the powers of government. Put very simply, government should be EXTREMELY LIMITED in power. BFull of truth, this book will change the way you look at the powers of government. Put very simply, government should be EXTREMELY LIMITED in power. Bastiat further cemented my belief that socialism, and its close cousin communism, are both pure evil....more
The Healer is a tale so excellently woven that the reader has difficulty discerning where myth and legend stop, and where truth begins. How many stranThe Healer is a tale so excellently woven that the reader has difficulty discerning where myth and legend stop, and where truth begins. How many strands of folklore were interlaced to create the stunning literary braid? Was it four? Five? More?
Completely fixated by the skillful telling, I found myself experiencing every emotion of the protagonist�-the self-doubt which sprang up again and again with each of his set-backs; his internal struggle to choose between facts and faith, logic and belief; the intensely sincere compassion that he had for his fellowman . . . all the while being ferried back and forth across the idyllic countryside of Wales.
If you are looking for a story that will bolster your faith in humanity and convince you that miracles really do happen . . . perhaps even a story that will change you . . . then this is the book.
**spoiler alert** I finally read the book 1984 by Orwell. My opinion: Borderline genius descriptions of war, tyranny, surveillance, propaganda...
But..**spoiler alert** I finally read the book 1984 by Orwell. My opinion: Borderline genius descriptions of war, tyranny, surveillance, propaganda...
But... the book still sucked. Why? Winston was a weak-minded pansy. And because of that, the ending was an awful, depressing, Satan-inspired call to simply give up and give into his system.
Sorry folks, but I'm thinking 1984 is doublethink. Pure progressive propaganda, written by a communism-hating socialist. From wikipedia: "Orwell stated: "a real Socialist is one who wishes � not merely conceives it as desirable, but actively wishes � to see tyranny overthrown.""
Too bad he didn't realize that socialism and communism are two faces on the same satanic coin.
Once again, Marsha Ward nails it: A very well written western (the dialogue and old-west vocabulary are perfect) which, without preaching, illustratesOnce again, Marsha Ward nails it: A very well written western (the dialogue and old-west vocabulary are perfect) which, without preaching, illustrates the great moral foundations of family, honor, hard work, loyalty, and true love. I highly recommend this series! ...more
I must admit that I like the movie starring Charlton Heston better than the book, but maybe that's only because I viewed it a dozen times before readiI must admit that I like the movie starring Charlton Heston better than the book, but maybe that's only because I viewed it a dozen times before reading the original story. The book is VERY long, with rich descriptions that are almost purple prose at times. But don't take my mention of the descriptive narrative as a huge downside to the story. If you can be patient with it, the story is actually quite good. As you experience the tale, you should reflect on the time period when Ben Hur was written . . . when a truly educated person really did have a knowledge of languages, lands, customs, the arts, and so many more things that most school kids of today are totally clueless about. This book has one of the largest vocabularies of any book I have read in recent years. Take that as a challenge and enjoy it.
Although it will be jarring for many readers to have the narrator talking directly to you (the story is written in a universal omniscient voice with a very active narrator), don't put the book down just because you see the narrator address you as "dear reader". The interaction of the characters and the change you will witness in the character Judah Ben Hur will be worth the read.
One more thought: Although many of the characters from the movie are in the original story, you will find that quite a few of them do things and say things that are quite different from the cinematic telling. In some places, the book is actually a better story. In others, the movie does a better job. One of my favorite parts of the movie, when Ben Hur offers water to the exhausted and trembling Christ, is not depicted in the book in the same fashion. But as a whole, the book is more religious, and more morally instructive than the movie is.
I don't want to give away all the differences between the two. Go find out for yourself. I read this book on my phone with my Kindle reader whenever I had some time to kill and so it took me a couple months to get through the book. But it's always been a goal of mine to read it. And I'm glad I did....more
Good book, and enthralling story. But I must admit, the writing style of the 1940s wasn't all that tightly structured. Lots of POV shifts that were haGood book, and enthralling story. But I must admit, the writing style of the 1940s wasn't all that tightly structured. Lots of POV shifts that were hard to deal with, a lack of dialog tags making it difficult to figure out who was speaking, etc. I realize it was written in Omniscient POV, but still... it was not an easy read.
The story line, however, was great. I loved the setting and history of the story. The emotion of the accident with the silver, and the change of circumstances for Johnny, were very well written. I could feel the despair that the boy experienced. Watching his fortune change for the better was one of the reasons the book is so good.
I do have a beef with two items, however. In the introduction (by Gary D. Schmidt, English professor at Calvin College), it says: "And not all the Americans are noble. Sam Adams will use anything to fight for his cause, even means that he knows are underhanded."
I strongly disagree with this. As rebels, I am sure they did plenty of things that may have seemed underhanded to those loyal to the crown. But for Schmidt to say that Sam Adams was not noble... and that is what he means by using Sam as his first example... is downright despicable. These men, although not at all perfect, were some of God's finest sons, fighting for liberty and the hope of a country unlike any other country ever founded. A place where "A man can stand up".
Quote from Chapter 3: "Fellows like Mr. Hancock and Sam Adams, calling themselves patriots and talking too much. Not reading God's Word--like their parents did--which tells us to be humble."
Uh... Wrong. Samuel Adams was very devout. If you read the Writings of Samuel Adams, it becomes quite apparent that he was a scriptorian. He knew the bible quite well. So this assertion by the author did not sit well with me. I'm not trying to set up our founding fathers as being men without fault, but this claim by characters in the novel should have been corrected. Johnny should have seen that Samuel was a good, God-fearing man.
Apart from these items... I would highly recommend the book. A great read!
A very insightful book... or rather a journal, written by an American officer who served in World War One. The author of the journal is a talented wriA very insightful book... or rather a journal, written by an American officer who served in World War One. The author of the journal is a talented writer, and quite adept at describing his experiences. He does so in such a way that you can almost picture the hilly countryside and the little towns and even the cobbled streets between old castles and farmland.
Surprisingly, the tone of the related events is upbeat and positive, even as the author describes in heart-wrenching detail the life-and-death struggles of the Doughboys along the trenches of the Western Front. You will cheer for them as they fight to restore freedom to the French, and successfully prevent the Germans from advancing any farther.
I would recommend this story to anyone looking for an honest, detailed peek into the Great War....more
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