In the post 1958 below .. Bill mentioned forgetting the present ..

[JimT]

during reading it. I understand that. Late last year a friend sent me 12 American Rifleman magazines from 1943. They start in January and go through December! The entire year. I have been reading one a month. It is AMAZING how the nation came together compared to today, fractured, broken and hating. Reading about what people were doing here in the US to help the war effort, what the GI's were doing, how the firearms industry was the pride of the nation, how people understood the value of teaching the young how to safely use firearms .... it takes me back to my youth. I was born in 1946 so I missed the war years, but when I was young and starting to shoot in the 1950's those attitudes still existed.

The "progress" our nation has made since has been mostly in the wrong direction. We have abandoned our national foundations and been set adrift in a sea of chaos. You can read the history of what happens to a nation that goes in this direction in the Book of Judges in the Bible, starting about chapter 17. There the writer states "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes." The societal breakdown that followed seems to be where we are headed ......

Sorry ... but not really .. I am enjoying those American Rifleman magazines immensely.

[Bill in Oregon]

Lots to think about here, Jim. I was born in 1953, but every dad on the block was a WWII vet. I grew up with church, among Scouts and even better --fine men as Scout leaders -- near military bases (Fort Lewis, McChord, Camp Murray) and as far as I can tell, those values were broadly still in play. I think that war and the assassinations of the 1960s were the roots of much of the current unpleasantness, when things most of us believed proved not necessarily true.
The Internet is playing a much larger role in societal changes -- many of them not good -- than we can see from up so close. The AI stuff scares the heck out of me.
Thank gosh for old magazines, indeed.

[gamekeeper]

My ex girlfriend used to laugh at me for choosing old movies to watch instead of the latest big screen sensation about life now or even worse life in the future but having to live in the 21st century I prefer to relax in better times. Same thing with gun magazines the older the better...

[Walt]

I was born in 1950 in Germany. My parents wanted to get outta Dodge and came to the USA. What scares me most is that each succeeding generation sees theirs as the "new normal" and has no idea of the direction in which we're progressing.

[Ysabel Kid]

You can read the history of what happens to a nation that goes in this direction in the Book of Judges in the Bible, starting about chapter 17. There the writer states "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes." The societal breakdown that followed seems to be where we are headed ......

Sorry ... but not really .. I am enjoying those American Rifleman magazines immensely.

Jim, I decided to do a "bible in a year" study this year. I've read the bible through once, front to back, and of course read it a lot daily, but this study is great as you will read the whole bible in a year, but it groups things much more understandably. We just got through Judges. That was my thought as well... "every man did that which was right in his own eyes." So sad.

[JimT]

I like to read it in different translations. I have a number of them. In Mozambique I used a Bible (and still have it) that had each verse in English and in Portuguese. It was really easy using that with translators. These days I am reading The Passion Translation and The Mirror Bible. Fresh perspectives.

[Bill in Oregon]

I just read the last chapters of Judges as well. I understood Jim's point. But why the gentleman had to cut his dead concubine into 12 pieces and send her body parts around, I'll never guess. The Old Testament often befuddles me. I think part of this is that my father read to me from it from the time I was about four or five, and some of that material is just not suitable for young children.
Sorry for the derail here, Jim.

[JimT]

No derail Bill. Much of the old testament should be read as an allegory. The rabbi's understand that but our western culture does not easily embrace allegory. The Puritan influence literalizes things often way too much. This could be seen as a lesson on how certain things not only kill, but the harm that is done touches everyone, even those who are not in close proximity and who do not agree with what was done.

The effect of understanding that is what energized the nation to rise up against the things that were destroying it.

The point is not whether the story is true or not. The point is of the story is much more important than that.

[Bill in Oregon]

Well now that makes sense, Jim. You know, you might have a future in ministerial work ...

[JimT]

Well now that makes sense, Jim. You know, you might have a future in ministerial work ...

At this stage of life I am avoiding anything that has the idea of working associated with it. As Tom Sawyer said, "Work is what you obliged to do. Play is not what you are obliged to do."

[samsi]

I picked up a New World Translation a while back just to see how different it might be, read Judges in it last night myself. One of my thoughts was "wow, they sure did tone this stuff down for us Sunday School kids".

Also, I always thought of the Old Testament as parables, so today I learned the difference between parable and allegory (thanks Jim). Gotta be careful hanging around this Leverguns place, you might learn something!

[Blaine]

"There the writer states "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes."

Mainly due to an incorrect understanding of the 1st Amendment.

[Griff]

"There the writer states "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Mainly due to an incorrect understanding of the 1st Amendment.

Whether incorrect or not... I've always felt that 1st Amendment allowed me to swing my fist as far and as fast as I want until it provokes a fear in someone that it'll strike them. Substitute "words" for "fist" if you must.

[Blaine]

"There the writer states "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Mainly due to an incorrect understanding of the 1st Amendment.

Whether incorrect or not... I've always felt that 1st Amendment allowed me to swing my fist as far and as fast as I want until it provokes a fear in someone that it'll strike them. Substitute "words" for "fist" if you must.

The government cannot make laws to oppress speech.

Individuals can control activities on/in their privately owned entities asking you to cease and refrain, or leave.

You are correct as far as being on/in public areas. Words and actions are two different things. Who is to determine what someone else considers a physical threat?
Sadly, today people, usually stinking liberals, think they can scream obscenities 2" from a person's face and get away with it. Or, occupy a public space and try to control it according to their whims ie Safe Spaces for negros, LGBTQ+, etc. Even worse is when they try to do this in a privately owned area.
There's a fine line between allowed and gentlemanly......Far too many don't know the difference.