Thinking About Current Events EDITORIAL

LIBERTY, December 16, 2010 – I’ve covered news in Liberty County for ten years now and next year will start year eleven. Over this time we as a community have suffered one scandal after another. It seems that it will never end and that any justice that ever comes is far too slow. At the same time, it seems that the wicked continue to prosper. That got me to thinking about something that happened to me about 18 years ago.

At that time Pastor Darryl Watson baptized me, an educated minister from Australia whose religious education was strongly influenced by religious background, heritage and tradition from Great Britain and Australia.

Protestant religion goes back many years over there before the United States even came into existence. Those folks thought it all through and wrote it down centuries ago.

My baptism was unlike I had ever witnesses before in this respect. With me and Brother Watson chest deep in water he began to speak a lengthy recitation in the old King James English that was different but OK. Every thing was fine until he got to the last sentence when he asked, “Do you resign and give up ALL the wiles of the devil?”

That’s a little bit of an unusual expression not heard very often any more.

I agreed and with short order the Baptism was complete.

To understand the meaning of the word, "Wiles," it's best to look at its' synonyms which are, tricks, trickery, guile, ruse, deceit and charm.

Given the fact that the wicked seem to prosper at the expense of others all the time I’m just wondering if things could have worked out a little better for me.

In retrospect I just wonder if at the time, I could have found a brilliant, impartial Jewish attorney, well versed in the Old Testament, that could have easily worked out an agreement, that would have been to the mutual benefit of all parties, that would have made everybody happy and that would have allowed me to hold onto just 3 or 4 of the, “Wiles of the Devil,” that may have been useful to me latter on in life in exchange for giving up all of the rest of them? Things may have been differnt today.

Had this been accomplished and if ever in the future I was confronted about the use of or employ of any of the, "Wlles of the Devil," that I had retained as part of the original agreement it would have been in writing and I would have had something to fall back on in my defense. As it stands, I have nothing.

Well what’s done is done and it’s too late for me. I’ve given up all the, “Wiles of the Devil,” years ago.

But it’s not too late for you. Don’t rush in, get some help, do your research and really think it through before you decide to become a Baptist.

Think about it.