If I Were the King of NASCAR For a Day...

NASCAR is, undoubtedly, the most popular form of motorsport in the United States. But that does not mean it is perfect. Not at all. In fact, if I were given the reins at NASCAR to make any sweeping changes that I wanted, here’s what I would do:

CIRCUITS

NASCAR currently has 36 races per season, spread across 23 tracks. If we maintain the 36 race schedule, I would alter the races just a bit. If a track hosts two events per season, then one of the two races must be run using the infield road course (where available) or in the opposite direction of a standard NASCAR race. The detractors of this idea say that it is too difficult for a race engineer to set up a car for right-hand banked turns. I say, if a race engineer finds that kind of car set-up “too difficult,” then perhaps he is in the wrong profession.

For example, Daytona hosts two races per year. The Daytona 500, iconic as it is, should stay on the oval circuit. So the Pepsi 400 on the July 4th weekend, should go to the configuration shown below. This is the track layout used for the 24 Hours endurance race.

Atlanta Motor Speedway, in the past, hosted two races, but has since cut down to one. That doesn’t mean the infield road course should be off limits. I happen to like AMS’s infield portion.

 

My favorite infield road course, though, has to be Homestead-Miami’s layout. The road course portion uses only the main oval circuit’s front and back straights, while providing a layout that would give fans some interesting racing.

 

Also, since we’re stuck with a “playoff,” I would alter the schedule to include at least one road course in the playoff format.

RACES

Most NASCAR races are 500 miles. Let’s be honest, that’s too much. I would limit races to no more than 400 miles or 400 laps. The only exception would be Bristol and Martinsville, the short tracks. 500 laps there feels right.

I would also develop set-in-stone starting times. Often a NASCAR race will be listed as starting at 1pm, but the cars won’t take the green flag until after 1:30pm. With Formula 1 (here we go again), it’s a safe bet that any of the European races will start at 8am (Eastern Time Zone). The Asian races and the Canadian, Brazilian, and United States grand prix races have different times, of course, but otherwise the race start is set. You can wake up at 7:55am and have enough time to get the TV on and watch the race.

With NASCAR, you never really know.

POINTS

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about Formula 1 taking on a NASCAR style scoring system, so now let’s turn the tables.

I keep going back to the well of Formula 1, but they seem to have developed a really good system. In Formula 1, you don’t get bonus points for leading a lap, you don’t get a bonus for winning the race, you get points based only on where you finish. First place is awarded a greater point total than second place. Only the top ten get points, and the structure looks like this: 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1. In Formula 1, second place gets about 72% of first place’s points. Currently, in NASCAR, second place gets nearly 86% of first place’s points.

Under my revised system, which is simply co-opting Formula 1’s points system for NASCAR, we get some interesting results.

CURRENT POINTS				REVISED F1 POINTS
1	Jimmie Johnson	821		1	Jimmie Johnson	205
2	Clint Bowyer	-18		2	Kyle Busch	-17
3	Carl Edwards	-53		3	Kasey Kahne	-40
4	Kevin Harvick	-61		4	Matt Kenseth	-46
5	Kyle Busch	-82		5	Clint Bowyer	-68
6	Matt Kenseth	-85		6	Carl Edwards	-78
7	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	-107		7	Kevin Harvick	-78
8	Kasey Kahne	-120		8	Joey Logano	-97
9	Greg Biffle	-123		9	Brad Keselowski	-99
10	Joey Logano	-136		10	Kurt Busch	-100

You can see already that, under the F1 system, the points spread is much closer than under the current NASCAR system. In fact, further analysis shows that, in the F1 system, there are currently 17 drivers within six races of the points lead, and it is much easier under the F1 points to make up ground, as any driver has a less than 25% chance of finishing in the Top Ten.

Looking back, in 2012, Brad Keselowski won the points championship by 39 over Clint Bowyer and 40 over Jimmie Johnson. Applying the F1 points system shows that Jimmie Johnson would’ve taken the points title by 57 over Keselowski.

In 2011, Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart finished tied atop the standings, but Stewart won the title by virtue of more wins during the Chase for the Cup. Under the F1 points, Edwards would’ve been champion and Stewart would have finished 78 points off the lead in fifth place.

Applying the Formula 1 points system to NASCAR would undoubtedly increase the incentive to win, but would also simplify the points for fans. It would also get the backmarkers off the track once they find themselves 20 or 30 laps down. If you’re 20 laps down and still in the Top Ten…well, let’s just say I’d like to know what happened in that race.

QUALIFYING

I would explore making NASCAR’s qualifying a similar event to Formula 1. In F1, qualifying can sometimes be more exciting than the actual race. Establish a series of knock-out segments working down to the fastest ten drivers battling it out for pole position.

TEAMS

Hendrick Motorsports has four cars. Roush has had as many as five, but currently has three. I would consider capping the number of team-cars at three, perhaps even two. To go along with this idea, I would also institute a “salary cap” of sorts that would preclude a top tier team like Hendrick from massively outspending a smaller team like BK Racing or Phoenix Racing.

Football Future-see 2013: Opening Week

On September 5, 2007, I launched the first ever edition of Football Future-see, a weekly college football preview and prediction post. With the exception of 2009, I’ve offered up weekly predictions every year since then. Last season, I went 62-23 on my picks (picking straight-up winner/loser) for a winning percentage of .729. I provide a score, just to see how close I can get, but it’s more important to me that I get the winner and loser correct.

This year, I offer more of the same. Every week I’ll pick five games. I’m not talking about the easy games (which is almost any game on Ohio State’s schedule), but I go for the tough ones. Opening week and Bowl Season get longer prediction columns. As you can see below, our opening week slate is sort of a mixed bag. There seems to be fewer “big” games this year than in previous years. The SEC typically makes up the bulk of my prediction slate, and Georgia is always on the calendar, when they have a game. Also, again this year, after Week 6, I’ll once again unveil the Right Wing Top Ten. (See, poll voters, it’s really not that hard to wait until you have stats on each team before you throw out a poll.)

So here’s the opening week Football Future-see for 2013.

RECORD
Week One........7-2

North Carolina at 6 South Carolina     CORRECT

The Gamecocks welcome in the Tar Heels of North Carolina for an interesting week one match-up. South Carolina is primed for a run at the SEC Title, assuming they can get by Georgia and Florida. North Carolina, on the other hand, really isn’t expected to make a lot of noise in the ACC. South Carolina’s defense will lead the way for much of this game, as Jadeveon Clowney establishes himself as the premiere defensive player in the nation.

Final Score: South Carolina 34, North Carolina 14

12 LSU vs 20 TCU (in Arlington)     CORRECT

TCU is the trendy pick to play BCS dark horse this year. The Tigers of LSU, though, know what it’s like to play big games. They play Alabama every year. The Horned Frogs may be good enough to challenge for a Big XII title, but in opening week action against LSU, look for the Tigers to roar to victory in a very solid defensive battle.

Final Score: LSU 20, TCU 17

Toledo at 10 Florida     CORRECT

On paper, this should be the closest thing to a blowout we see on this slate. But on the field, Florida has turned into a team that struggles against the MAC, especially in opening games. It doesn’t help the Gators that they suffered a string of injuries during spring ball. Look for Toledo to hang around far longer than the Gators want them to, but Jeff Driskell will eventually power the Gators offense to a win.

Final Score: Florida 31, Toledo 17

1 Alabama vs Virginia Tech (in Atlanta)     CORRECT

When I first started to write this column, I thought that this game would be much harder to predict, given that Virginia Tech is one of the better defensive teams in the nation at any given time. Alabama, though, has a great QB in AJ McCarron and a really good running back in TJ Yeldon. VaTech may hang with the Tide for a quarter, maybe even an entire half. But ‘Bama will pull away to end the game.

Final Score: Alabama 36, Virginia Tech 17

5 Georgia at 8 Clemson      INCORRECT

This is the biggest game of the opening weekend. Georgia, led by star QB Aaron Murray will bring arguably the SEC’s best offense into Death Valley to take on Tajh Boyd and Clemson. Both teams are awfully young on defense and both teams feature really solid offenses. This may be one of those games where the first team to 50 points wins.

Final Score: Georgia 38, Clemson 31

Ole Miss at Vanderbilt     INCORRECT

I don’t often predict that a game will require overtime, but this one has that feel. James Franklin has Vanderbilt feeling like something special, which is not often said for Vandy’s football program. Hugh Freeze recently landed Ole Miss one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. Not since the days of Eli has Ole Miss been this excited about a football season. Look for these teams to battle in the trenches as they both find their footing. Vandy comes away with a win. If this had been at Oxford, I may have chosen differently.

Final Score: Vanderbilt 24, Ole Miss 21 (OT)

Mississippi State vs 13 Oklahoma State (in Houston)     CORRECT

Two Mississippi schools in the same prediction column? You got it. The Bulldogs of Mississippi State travel to neutral site Houston to face the Cowboys of Okie State, who have dreams of a Big XII Title and maybe more. While I don’t really foresee a blowout of epic proportions in this game, I do think Oklahoma State is one of the better teams in the Big XII and Mississippi State is definitely NOT one of the better SEC teams.

Final Score: Oklahoma State 35, Mississippi State 14

Northern Illinois at Iowa     CORRECT

Last season’s “Cinderella” team, Northern Illinois, makes the trip to Iowa to take on a Hawkeyes team that may or may not be worthy of attention. From where I sit, deep in the heart of SEC country, the entire state of Iowa has been rather quiet about football. The Huskies of Northern Illinois will look to prove that their BCS berth last year was no fluke. I look for both teams to struggle at first, but NIU should W-I-N.

Final Score: Northern Illinois 27, Iowa 23

Louisiana-Lafayette at Arkansas     CORRECT

Welcome to the SEC, Bret Bielema. Your first task is to vanquish the Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette. This should not be difficult for an SEC school to do. However, the program you’ve taken over suffered one of the worst seasons in SEC history last year (and yes, I know that statistically it wasn’t as bad as others, but check the media representations of Arkansas last season…) This one may be close until halftime, but the Razorbacks should win going away.

Final Score: Arkansas 37, Louisiana-Lafayette 17

11 Florida State at Pittsburgh

Every season Florida State shows up with National Title aspirations. This year may be different, as there is a feeling that FSU is in a sort of rebuilding mode, and not really built for a title run. Going to Pittsburgh in week one will be a nice test, but I look for the Seminoles to roll in this one.

Final Score: Florida State 34, Pittsburgh 20

You did something charitable without consulting the government first? Oh, the horror...

Paying it forward. Most of us know the term from a 2000 film starring Haley Joel Osment as a kind-hearted kid who starts a groundswell of good-will...of course, this being a Hollywood film, and violence almost a requirement, and knowing that no good deed goes unpunished, the boy is killed by the end. If I just spoiled a thirteen year old movie for you, then you should probably get out of the house more often.

Here in Georgia, we have a road called GA 400. It’s essentially an interstate running about 55 miles, from Atlanta to just south of Dahlonega. Near the south end of GA 400 is a toll plaza. Standard toll on the road for a passenger car is 50-cents. Depending on the vehicle, the toll can go over $2.00. Since the bulk of the traffic is standard passenger cars, it became common enough for a driver to pull up, hand the toll worker a dollar, and just say that they were paying for the car behind them.

Call it karma, call it good will, call it a random act of kindness…the state called it a practice that had to end. The government, you see, did not like the idea of people being charitable and paying it forward on GA 400.

The state’s decision came as a result, they claimed, of toll-workers keeping the “goodwill” money. That’s right, in the eyes of the state, if someone abuses charity money, you don’t deal with that person, you just shut down the charity. Which is exactly what they intended. Even though GA 400 will cease to be a toll road in 2014, the state was set to crack down on people who pay it forward. That is, until their decision was met with vigorous uproar by people who actually enjoy being kind to one another.

The state relented, it seems, sometime between 3:00pm Thursday and lunchtime Friday. State Senator John Albers (R-Roswell) issued the following statement:

“I would like to applaud ....the Executive Director of the State Road and Tollway Authority, Christopher Tomlinson for reinstating a popular goodwill measure at Georgia toll booths today. Georgia is well-known for our southern hospitality and charity, and it isn’t uncommon for Georgians to demonstrate random acts of kindness by “paying it forward” at toll booths statewide – particularly along the Ga. 400 corridor.

“The original decision ... to remove the ability for motorists to pay for the car behind them was simply unacceptable. I, along with countless other motorists who travel along Ga. 400 and desire to help others, am glad GDOT worked to resolve this matter immediately. This is a positive example of the branches of government working together and doing what’s right.”

The toll is set to end exactly 99 days from today, August 16.

Hiroshima: 68 Years Later

“I realize the tragic significance of the atomic bomb … it is an awful responsibility which has come to us … We thank God that is has come to us, instead of our enemies; and we pray that he may guide us to use it in His ways and for His purposes.”

August 6, 1945 – Tinian, North Field Aribase. The Enola Gay is taking to the skies, flanked by The Great Artiste and the then-unnamed, but later (arguably) appropriately named Necessary Evil. This is no routine flight, however. There is a six-hour flight time to reach the Japanese Islands. The target city this morning is Hiroshima. The men aboard the Enola Gay have been tasked with using the most powerful weapon of war ever devised.

Weather reconnaissance flights already circle Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Kokura, the alternative targets. But Hiroshima is the primary. For the last many months, the United States had run fire-bombing campaigns against several Japanese cities. Tokyo had, for all intents and purposes, been reduced to a heap of ash. The Target Committee had been tasked with selecting a city. So many had already been attacked in an effort to force the Japanese armed forces into surrender, but the armies fought on. So the committee narrowed their selection to four cities. Hiroshima was an industrial city that housed a military headquarters. It was also an embarkation port for Japan’s naval forces.

Hiroshima was also noted for the surrounding hills, which the Target Committee felt would focus the effect of the blast, thus damaging a larger portion of the city. Since Hiroshima was located on the delta of the Ota River, incendiary raids would not be nearly as effective. The Target Committee hopes earnestly that the use of the Atomic Bomb one time would force Japan into an unconditional surrender, in accordance with the Potsdam Declaration.

Issued on 26 July 1945, the Potsdam Declaration was an ultimatum to Japan. Surrender, it said, or face the full force of the Allied armed forces. Without surrender, the Japanese faced the “inevitable and complete destruction of the Japanese armed forces and just as inevitably the utter devastation of the Japanese homeland.” Neither the potential use of the Atomic Bomb, nor its very existence, was even mentioned in the Declaration. The Japanese government ignored the Declaration, as Emperor Hirohito steeled his army and his government for Allied invasion.

As one of the cities largely unaffected from the fire-bombing campaign, the officials in Hiroshima had taken to knocking down long rows of buildings in an effort to create city-wide firebreaks, should the Americans turn their attention south. Tokyo had burned because of the campaign. Hiroshima officials were determined to not let that happen to their city.

With the target chosen, the pilots were left to wait. The day was marked, and the Enola Gay took off. The bomb was not armed until the plane was in flight over the ocean. No risk would be taken. Thirty minutes prior to being over the city, the safety mechanisms were removed. It was now all or nothing.

Just a few minutes prior to the safeties being removed from the Little Boy, Japanese radar detected the incoming flight and raised an air raid warning. Radio broadcasts throughout the southern tip of Japan ceased instantly. Moments later, the radar operator determined the number of planes to be small, too small for an incendiary raid or otherwise. Likely believing it was nothing more than a reconnaissance flight, the air raid alert was lifted.

At 8:15am, Hiroshima time, the Enola Gay crossed over the original target, the Aioi Bridge, and released the bomb from an altitude of over 31,000 feet. The plane streaked away as gravity pulled the bomb inexorably toward its bitter, but intended, end. The bomb detonated at just less than 2,000 feet. For a brief moment, Hell seemed to reign on Earth. Total destruction was noted for one mile in every direction of the blast origin. Fires sprang up throughout the affected area. Nearly 70 percent of the building in Hiroshima were destroyed while another nearly ten percent were damaged in some way. The blast, and the resulting firestorm that swept the city, caused nearly 80,000 deaths, mixed between civilian, military, and government officials. Due to crosswinds beings stronger than accounted for, the bomb missed its intended target, Aioi Bridge, and detonated instead over the Shima Surgical Clinic. As a result, almost every doctor and nurse in Hiroshima was killed in the blast.

The Japanese 2nd General Army was training in Hiroshima at the time. At the time of detonation, they were undergoing physical training on the grounds of Hiroshima Castle, less than 2,000 feet from the hypocenter of the bomb’s blast. They died in less than a second. Among the dead were twelve American airmen who were prisoners of the Japanese. Their holding cell was only 1500 feet or so from ground zero.

In ruined Tokyo, the Broadcasting Corporation of Japan noted that Hiroshima had dropped off the air. The control operator attempted to contact Hiroshima via telephone, but was greeted with static. The Imperial Japanese Army General Staff quickly organized their own reconnaissance flight. No contact was coming from Hiroshima. The flight was scrambled and in the air as quickly as they could. From 100 miles out, the flight could already see the smoke cloud from Hiroshima. They drove on, flying in shocked disbelief while circling the city. Broad devastation greeted them. Fires burned bright in the afternoon sun. After assessing the damage, Japan began to mount relief efforts.

And this attack was not enough. The Japanese vowed to fight on. It was not within their nature as a people to surrender. Given that only eighty years previous, Japan had been a feudal society, and by 1945 had expanded to control vast swaths of the Pacific and even mainland China and Korea. A degree of ‘manifest destiny’ is understandable. So they fought on.

After the bombing, President Harry Truman took to the airwaves to announce the attack. He stated, while we were grateful to providence that the Germans never succeeded with their atomic program, the US and its allies had undertaken the “greatest scientific gamble in history – and won.” He also sternly warned the Japanese military and government: Accept our terms (Potsdam) or face a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth.

The Japanese, though, continued to ignore the Potsdam Declaration. They began to discuss a conditional surrender that would preserve Japanese national polity (kokutai), no occupation of the homeland, internal punishment of war criminals, and personal responsibility for disarmament.

Japan had been reaching out to the Soviet Union since before the attack on Hiroshima, attempting to determine if peaceful existence was possible between them. The Soviet Union, on 5 April 1945, had informed Japan that they were unilaterally abrogating the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact. Just after midnight on the 9th of August, Soviet Union armed forces launched the Manchurian Strategic offensive. With the Americans closing in from the south and east, and the Soviets now closing in from the north and west, Japan was caught in a deadly pincer. But instead of offering surrender, condition or otherwise, the Japanese government sought to impose martial law on the country to keep anyone from making peace with the enemy.

On the morning of August 9, the B-29 Superfortress Bockscar took off from Tinian. It carried Fat Man, the second, and last, atomic bomb used for purposes of war in human history, toward Kokura. Kokura, however, was spared utter destruction because of unfavorable cloud conditions. The flight turned toward Nagasaki. Were it not for a last-minute break in the clouds there, Nagasaki would also have escaped fate, at least for a time. But the clouds broke, and Fat Man was dropped. Death tolls from the immediate impact of the Nagasaki explosion ranged as high as 75,000.

Seeing the awesome power of the weapons now in the control of the American armed forces, Emperor Hirohito saw no option other than surrender. Both sides knew that occupying the Japanese homeland would cost millions of lives. The Emperor was in a very unfavorable spot. His people did not want to surrender, but he knew that continuing the war was a lost cause that, as President Truman had noted, would result in the “rain of ruin” that would doom his nation. He announced to his family on August 12 that he had decided that surrender was the only real option.

On 14 August 1945, Emperor Hirohito addressed the Japanese people and announced the capitulation of Japan: “Moreover, the enemy now possesses a new and terrible weapon with the power to destroy many innocent lives and do incalculable damage. Should we continue to fight, not only would it result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilization. Such being the case, how are We to save the millions of Our subjects, or to atone Ourselves before the hallowed spirits of Our Imperial Ancestors? This is the reason why We have ordered the acceptance of the provisions of the Joint Declaration of the Powers.”

This episode remains the only example of nuclear weapons used in global warfare. Of the belligerent nations, both leaders recognized the importance and the heavy sorrow with which such weaponry was used. As noted above, Emperor Hirohito saw the terrible power of this new weapon. Below is a full quote from President Harry S. Truman about the dangers, and the potential abuses, of such a power.

“I realize the tragic significance of the atomic bomb. Its production and its use were not lightly undertaken by this Government. But we knew that our enemies were on the search for it. We know now how close they were to finding it. And we knew the disaster which would come to this Nation, and to all peace-loving nations, to all civilization, if they had found it first…Having found the bomb we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretense of obeying international laws of warfare. We have used it in order to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans.

“We shall continue to use it until we completely destroy Japan’s power to make war. Only a Japanese surrender will stop us…It is an awful responsibility which has come to us. We thank God that it has come to us, instead of to our enemies; and we pray that He may guide us to use it in His ways and for His purposes.”

Me & The Pope('s Statement that was redacted by the Vatican)

A few months back we got a new Pope. I say “we” in the sense of the global community. Pope Francis I is, after all, just a man. He has no special powers. If he is closer to God than anyone else, it’s only because he has sought to be closer an others have not. When Jesus Christ gave His life on the Cross, it was as much for me as it was for Pope Francis.

Let’s get some things out of the way, first. Since this is my first “religious” piece in a while, I figure laying out the groundwork is a necessity. I disagree with a very large amount of what Catholicism teaches. I will be writing these religious pieces from my perspective, so I’m not going to sugarcoat my beliefs and try to leave doors open for every other belief out there. This is how I see it. If you see it differently, then good on you. Thank God, in this country at least, we’re allowed to disagree with each other on matters of faith.

I don’t agree with confession to a priest. There is no prayer or work that a priest could tell me that would absolve me of my sins. However, when Christ died, there was that little matter of God reaching down from Heaven and tearing the Veil of the Temple in two. The thickness of the Veil notwithstanding, the symbolism of the act is what we find important. This was God’s symbol to man that an intermediary between the carnal and the divine was no longer necessary. As Christians, this act gave opened two avenues for us. The first was that Christ’s death had paved a way for man to approach God for himself; to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling, as stated in Philippians 2:12 “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” The second was that we could approach God for every need, as Paul wrote to the Hebrews (4:16) “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

I don’t agree with the Catholic version of Communion. Some say that the bread and wine become the physical body and blood of Christ, respectively, through the miraculous act of transubstantiation. Others acknowledge it for the symbolic representation that it is. Either way, the thoughts of the people on what happens to the Communion bread and wine is not where I fall out with Catholicism. It is the seemingly flippant attitude that the church carries in the act. We, as Christians, are instructed to examine ourselves deeply and spiritually prior to taking Communion (I Corinthians 11:23-30).

I have spoken with Catholic co-workers and friends, especially while in college, and none of them gave much thought to the idea of salvation. There seemed to be a common ideal among them that going to church and partaking in sacraments like Communion and Baptism was enough to count as salvation. As mentioned early, Paul stated for the church at Philippi to work out their individual salvations with “fear and trembling.” The notion of God’s convicting power drawing a sinner to an altar of repentance was foreign to those I spoke with. When I said that taking Communion and being Baptized imparted no saving grace, they looked at me as though I were crazy.

Yet I feel more than justified in those statements, as I feel Scripture backs up my points. Baptism was only offered to someone after they professed a hope in Christ. For that cause, I cannot hold to the idea of infant baptism. How can an infant profess a hope in Christ? Furthermore, how can an infant be held accountable for any sin? In my study, and in what I know God has revealed to me, infants and children are free from the condemnation of sin until the time in which the Lord reveals to them their standing as a free moral agent. Communion is only to be available to the believer, and it is a symbol of the sacrifice of Christ.

“But couldn’t God just never reveal it to them and save everybody?” Yes, He could. But ask yourself this: is it truly a loving God that doesn’t even give you a choice in where you stand. Man is a sinful being, whether we like it or not. When God reveals that to us, He does so in a way that presents to us Christ as a Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, as a sacrifice needed for all mankind. In effect, God chooses us, and it then falls on us to choose Him in return. But, as I said, we are free moral agents. We can freely accept or reject the gift of God, which is salvation.

And Salvation, once accepted, is eternal. You aren’t saved because you are a good person. You aren’t saved because you do great works. The Bible clearly states that men will stand before God in judgment and try to impress the sovereign Creator with their own works, only to be dismissed from the presence of God. You are saved because God loves you. The saving power of God is eternal, and the only thing man can miss out on after salvation is the blessings that God has in store.

Something most people miss, or are misled to believe by certain other churches, is that the life of a Christian is not an easy one, nor is it ever promised to be. With the exception of John, who died of natural causes after exile on the Isle of Patmos, all those who expressly followed Christ in the Bible met with grisly ends. Some were crucified, some beheaded, some flayed then crucified. Paul was stoned and flogged many times. But they understood that this life was a temporary thing anyway, and that Christ had already sealed them forever. A little suffering here was nothing compared to the glory that awaits us all on the other side.

So, that aside out of the way, let’s return to the discussion of pope Francis I.

See, Pope Francis has dropped some comments that don’t really sit too well with the church establishment. I don’t recall the church ever “redacting” a statement by Pope Benedict, but Francis has been redacted at least once already. Francis delivered a homily on May 22, in which he said that even atheists who do good can be redeemed. The next day, Vatican spokesman Rev. Thomas Rosica offered up a statement quoting the Catholic Catechism saying that those who reject the teachings of Jesus cannot attain salvation.

They’re both wrong. I hate to break it to the Pope, but “doing good” is not going to get anyone to Heaven. The Bible makes that very clear. Salvation is not “of works,” because that would lead to prideful boasting by people. The Vatican spokesman issued a statement that, if taken inversely, seems to imply that simply accepting the teachings of Jesus is enough to grant salvation. Again, this is not actually correct. When we stand before God in judgment, there will be many people there who actually “followed” the teachings of Jesus, but they never accepted Him as the sacrifice required. Salvation comes from God, freely offered, and no work of man or woman can grant salvation.

I’m sure this post will offend. I’m sure someone will be mad, and may never talk to me again. But I can’t sugarcoat the religious posts on here. I’m just going to tell it like it is, come what may.