So I started a blog today...

I mean, I had no idea I could do such a thing! And now, with technology the way it is, it's unbelievably easy.

So, what's on Kate's mind today?

LOTS of things. I mean, LOTS and LOTS of things. It can get pretty cluttered up in the mind of Kate. I've got tons of things going on up there, but today I am just going to share one of them.

My mother and I were discussing the recent Republican Debate that occurred this past week on CNBC, and how well some of the candidates came across in the debate. One apparent "winner", according to the people on CNBC, was Mitt Romney, even though I will not be voting for former Gov. Romney in the upcoming Republican Primary. (Yes, for those of you who don't know, I am a registered Republican. I consider myself closest to being a Libertarian, which is not very Liberal, as most people believe. Libertarianism tends toward small government and personal freedoms, which means it looks socially liberal and fiscally conservative. As an example, most Libertarians would say they are for gay marriage and against the Welfare state. You may draw any conclusions you wish from this.) I have chosen to register Republican because my vote in a primary might actually count for something, and has recently in local government. If I register as a Libertarian...well, you get the idea.

Getting back to the point at hand, we began discussing that Gov. Romney is a Mormon and began reminiscing about the last time Mormons dared to darken the doorstep of the Hiler household in little Mexico, NY. It's really a shame they don't come around anymore, but we are absolutely convinced that there is a big, bold, black "X" over my parent's house on their maps.

Why, you ask? Perhaps you would like me to remove you from their maps as well?

I might not be able to do it personally, but it's not a difficult prospect. All you need are the following items:

*A Bible (more than one translation on hand is fantastic--I used our 4 translation Parallel in these cases)
*Any book by Josh McDowell, but I highly recommend "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" and/or "A Ready Defense"
*"The Kingdom of the Cults", by Walter Martin (with or without updates by Ravi Zacharias)
*Absolute conviction that the people who are there to convert you haven't heard the actual truth.

Back in the 90s, shortly after I graduated college (well, undergraduate, anyway), two young men came to the door wearing nameplates. They identified themselves as Jehovah's Witnesses, and asked if I would be willing to have them come in and let them talk a while. I readily agreed, but told them to get ready, because they weren't going to be the only ones talking. I left them briefly and came back into the Living Room with our Parallel Bible, Josh McDowell's A Ready Defense, Josh McDowell's Evidence That Demands a Verdict, Walter Martin's Kingdom of the Cults, my German Bible, a German/English Dictionary, and a couple of John Piper books about theology just for kicks. In other words, I had about 60 pounds of books that I placed in front of me as I sat down and said, "Okay, gentlemen, where would you like to begin?"

These poor men had no idea what they were getting themselves into.

They began quoting Scripture. I looked up each and every passage in the Parallel Bible and said, "Who translated your bible? They did a terrible job! Genesis 12:5 doesn't say that at all! Not in any one of the four translations in front of me says that." When they began saying that their scholars were superior, I got out one of the Josh McDowell books, looked up "Translations", and began giving the evidence regarding the translation of the King James and New International Versions, respectively. I think I even went as far as using my German Bible and looking that up word for word--hey, they might be right in that language, but no, it said what every other translation in English said as well.

After about 30 minutes, I had decimated their version of Scripture, their inability to interpret the Bible on their own without going through Charles Taze Russell's version of things, and affirmed that Jesus is the second part of the Trinity. I encouraged them to actually use their own noggins for a change.

They haven't been back to the house since.

About a year later, it was two twenty-year-old women who ended up openly weeping as I began to explain to them why there can't be any more Scripture than what is in the Bible, and if you take the writings of Joseph Smith as Scripture, then your soul is in serious trouble.

I think I converted them to Christianity. And I'm pretty sure that's why they haven't been back since. My mother has reported that she's seen plenty of Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses on our street--but they never, *ever*, come to the house.

See, here's how I see it: if these organizations are silly enough to try to send people to win me over, I am well within my rights to explain why Christ alone is the better way.

Whew! Good to get that one out of my head. I'm sure I'll be back for more ramblings (dang, this is actually FUN!)