Sacramental Mustang, Summer '07

So, here in a month or so we are going to move about 10 minutes down the road into a rent house in Morgan's Point Resort (fancy huh?). My semester will soon wrapping up and I'll have more time to focus on my ministry at the church and on the Mustang. I really want to get the Mustang at least mobile to help in moving it.

Update on Sacramental:

I've completely replaced the wiring harness, which is a long story, but right now the body/fuel pump harness and engine harness are from a 1993 'stang, while the dash harness is from a 1992. I've recently situated everything and tried to start it up but the fuel pump didn't come on. So, first I'm going to test the circuits and see if I can figure out the problem before having to put the 1993 dash harness. I may just need to go ahead and put the '93 harness in to make everything match up.

Once I can get the fuel pump wot work, I think I know the reason it has been running so badly. The main thing I was unsure of in setting up the engine was the valve train. I think my pushrods are not the correct length or the roller rockers are not adjusted right and the valves are being held up too long so that I'm not getting any power. I bought a pushrod length tester and will be fixing that if the problem is still occurring after I get the harnesses all lined up. Hopefully I can get Sacramental up and running to help move it and to just be done with it.

In God We Trust

How do people react when they think that God is on their side and when they believe that God condones violence?

A recent study held at both a religious and secular institution found some unsettling results. Both believers and nonbelievers are more likely to act violently when they believe that God is on their side and that God condones violence. Bushman, the main researcher says,

"Even among nonbelievers, if God says it's OK to retaliate, they are more aggressive. And that's the worry here. When God sanctions aggression, when God says it's OK to retaliate, people use that as justification for their own violent and aggressive behavior.

What I find most interesting about this study, is that unlike Sam Harris, Bushman has a personal, as well as professional interest in the research because he believes in God and reads the Bible almost daily. So, its important to reflect on Bushman's final words from the article:

"What worries me is when people use God as a justification for their violence. There are scriptures that say you should not take God's name in vain. This is the most extreme version of taking God's name in vain,"

I don't think most American Christian believe this, we don't get what it means to use God's name in vain. As a matter of fact, the conclusion of the article tells the situation and belief of most Christians I know.

Yet his own research shows that whether people consider
themselves believers or not, they are more likely to be aggressive,
perhaps even willing to start a war, if they think God is on their side.