Scatter Shooting (Hoping to Hit Something)

As those who are familiar with us here at Nib Manor may be aware, we have always been Christians of the Protestant sort. Specifically, this writer is a hard shell Baptist and the ever lovely Lady Nib leans more toward the Evangelical Anglican version of Christianity.
This has not always been the case. A a young man your faithful correspondent was a member of the United Methodist Church. There was a time when the Methodist Church, in the United States, was a very conservative and Protestant church. They had no truck with Roman Catholic liturgies or Roman Catholic practice. The displaying of images of saints or members of what Catholics call the Holy Family (Baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary) on anything but lawn displays during Christmas or on Christmas cards, were considered as indications of idolatry.
Over the years things have changed. The United Methodist Church, in an effort to stem the flowing away of their members to other denominations, has decided to take a stand by not taking a stand. They have decided that sodomy is not such a bad thing, that divorce is just a part of marriage, that abortion is pretty much okay and that Jesus Christ is more of a role model than God Incarnate.
The UMC has also made an effort to attract Latin American immigrants to the denomination has undertaken to change the traditional Protestant Methodist practices to those of a more Latin American Catholic bent. In other words, the UMC is beginning to move toward a "Catholic Lite" theology and practice to attract Latin Americans instead of pointing out the traditional theology of the Reformation and its truth in Spanish. One wonders if the leaders of the UMC think that Latinos are not capable of understanding the Three Solas. Or perhaps the UMC is, in certain geographical ares, sailing under false colors.
What brings this up is that the church that this writer used to attend is now offering a La Posada celebration for its Spanish speaking members. La Posada is a uniquely Latino Roman Catholic celebration. It has never been part of Protestantism.
There used to be a joke that Methodists aspired to be Anglicans once they made enough money to buy a pew. Now it seems that they want to be Latino Catholics without the Pope. One wonders what Wesley and Fletcher would make of it.
Earlier this week a Marine Corps F18 jet fighter, while on practice maneuvers off the coast of San Diego, crashed into a residential neighborhood killing a woman, her mother and her two infants children. It was a tragedy, to say the least. The woman's husband made a public statement that he did not blame the Marine Corps for what happened; it was an accident. The two Senators from California, on the other hand called for an immediate and fast investigation of the incident in order to affix blame.
Here's the problem. Do these two women, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, not think that the Marines will not investigate the causes of the crash without their urging? And do they think that a fast investigation will be better than a thorough investigation? Is there a point at which a politician will not stop grandstanding?
Finally, today an Iraqi journalist threw a pair of shoes at President Bush. The throwing of shoes, in Iraq, is considered a grave insult. Mr. Bush handles the incident well and went as far as to joke that he thought the shoes were size 10. One wonders what Mr. Obama's reaction, as well as the American press' reaction, would be in the same situation. But this writer forgets: no one would throw a shoe at The One.