The Westboro Baptist Church Just Got Their Milkshake All Drunk Up

[1369]

I drink it up! (http://www.kansas.com/news/updates/story/395052.html)

[Trainwreck2100]

that's pretty sad considering they are a family of lawyers

[Trainwreck2100]

and by sad i mean ironic not sad for them

[Don Quixote]

Few people tick me off more than the people at Westboro Baptist.

As a Christian, and a Baptist, I am truly offended by their lack of grace and hardness of heart. Apparently, they would have us believe that they have never themselves committed adultery, lacked faith, or other sins.

How dare they presume to represent Christ?

Okay, soapbox over. But seriously ...

[clambake]

the whole scam of religion is flawed.

Baylor. The University where morals died.

[Don Quixote]

the whole scam of religion is flawed.


Yep, you nailed me.

I'm a scam artist, and so are my colleagues. As is everyone in my profession.

[clambake]

profession? (you'll like this part)

pray tell, what would that be.

[Don Quixote]

I am a Baptist scholar and minister, as are many of my friends and colleagues. I know, we're in it for the $$.

But really, what does a broadside against all religion have to do with Westboro? They're creeps, everyone knows it.

[CuckingFunt]

As much as I love There Will Be Blood, am I the only one who immediately thinks of Mr. Burns' slant-drilling oil company during the milkshake exchange?

[JMarkJohns]

Few people tick me off more than the people at Westboro Baptist.

As a Christian, and a Baptist, I am truly offended by their lack of grace and hardness of heart. Apparently, they would have us believe that they have never themselves committed adultery, lacked faith, or other sins.

How dare they presume to represent Christ?

Okay, soapbox over. But seriously ...

I too had a very hard time with their hate speech as Christ's love presentation. I had an even tougher time when they started picketing funerals of soldiers who died in Iraq, as I had a high school friend die there (he was a Christian as well). All I could think about was what I would have done had they shown up to my friend's funeral.

Ephesians 4:17-32 helped me out a lot.

For too long I hated this group. While I do believe it to have been the righteous anger the scripture mentioned, it was also consuming my thoughts. It was giving Satan a foothold. Believe it or not, once I started praying for them, my mind-controlling hatred was lifted.

That said, I despise everything they are. But they are no worse than I was/am, and therefore deserve the same grace I received, even if they think they are above showing such at this time.

[clambake]

they're no more crazy than the rest, but thats not what your flock wants to hear, so carry on dreamweavers.

[Don Quixote]

I too had a very hard time with their hate speech as Christ's love presentation. I had an even tougher time when they started picketing funerals of soldiers who died in Iraq, as I had a high school friend die there (he was a Christian as well). All I could think about was what I would have done had they shown up to my friend's funeral.

Ephesians 4:17-32 helped me out a lot.

For too long I hated this group. While I do believe it to have been the righteous anger the scripture mentioned, it was also consuming my thoughts. It was giving Satan a foothold. Believe it or not, once I started praying for them, my mind-controlling hatred was lifted.

That said, I despise everything they are. But they are no worse than I was/am, and therefore deserve the same grace I received, even if they think they are above showing such at this time.

Oh, I agree. We need grace as much as these people from Westboro do. My problem with them is -- they claim to represent Christ, but they act nothing like his body is supposed to act.

And ... isn't grace what we all need?

[boutons_]

Good riddance!

U.S. evangelicals call for step back from politics

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N07482581.htm

[Don Quixote]

Okay, fine. So evangelicals should step back from politics.

I take it that hard-core atheists and members of other religions ought to step back as well?

[clambake]

Okay, fine. So evangelicals should step back from politics.

I take it that hard-core atheists and members of other religions ought to step back as well?

why should they? you're not going to.

[CuckingFunt]

Okay, fine. So evangelicals should step back from politics.

I take it that hard-core atheists and members of other religions ought to step back as well?

I don't think it's necessary that anyone step back. I, personally, would be thrilled if people on ALL sides of the fence would stop getting their religious and political beliefs all tangled up.

[Don Quixote]

Agreed. In fact, that's the view I take, and the one put out by Richard Land in his recent book.

Long story short -- the Left must reject this anti-religious bigotry some of them have, and allow people of all religious persuasions to present their case equally. The Right (and evangelicals) must avoid confusing church & state. The US is not a Christian nation, never was, and never will be. But it has been, and ought to be, at least influenced by general religious principles.

The Right must also avoid instituting a particular state religion. As a Baptist, I am happy for this, since Baptists originated largely as a reaction against state-run churches.

[boutons_]

"hard-core atheists and members of other religions ought to step back as well"

of course, _IF_ they are trying to impose their beliefs on other people through lawas and regulations. The great problem with "Christians" is that all levels of government activity are legally, Constitutionally non-denominational and secular.

[td4mvp21]

they're no more crazy than the rest, but thats not what your flock wants to hear, so carry on dreamweavers.

People like you are just as bad as bible thumpers. You're shoving your beliefs down other people's throats with hate, condescension, and a lack of respect.

[Don Quixote]

"hard-core atheists and members of other religions ought to step back as well"

of course, _IF_ they are trying to impose their beliefs on other people through laws and regulations. The great problem with "Christians" is that all levels of government activity are legally, Constitutionally non-denominational and secular.

The separation of church and state is not lost on all Christians. Indeed, Baptists have historically been at the forefront of separating the two. Not alot of people know this, but when Jefferson first wrote of "the wall if separation," he was writing to the Baptists of Danbury, Conn., supporting their view that Connecticut ought not have a state church. (It did -- Episcopal).

Indeed, this is one of the problems of Islam -- they have no concept of separating the two.

You'll also be surprised by this, but I am actually against (non-private) prayer in public school. It's wrong to try to impose Christianity on, say, Jewish students. For parochial schools, it's a different story, but for public schools, they must remain non-sectarian. On the other hand, public schools ought not be places where religion is outlawed altogether.

Soo ... I would advise my evangelical colleagues to be a generally good influence on society, and by all means, bring their views to the public square. We would be much poorer without them. But it's a fool's errand to think that the government ought to do what the church cannot, and that is redeem society.

[Ignignokt]

Few people tick me off more than the people at Westboro Baptist.

As a Christian, and a Baptist, I am truly offended by their lack of grace and hardness of heart. Apparently, they would have us believe that they have never themselves committed adultery, lacked faith, or other sins.

How dare they presume to represent Christ?

Okay, soapbox over. But seriously ...

These idiots don't say anything different then what's being spoken in arabic in some of the mosques in america. WHy is this news? isn't their church pretty small and inbred?

[Ignignokt]

they're no more crazy than the rest, but thats not what your flock wants to hear, so carry on dreamweavers.

I take it clambake chose the losing side on Pascal's wager. If there isn't a God, clambake gains nothing. If there is, Clambake gets eternally buttraped in hell. Either way, Clambake wins!

[Mister Sinister]

People like you are just as bad as bible thumpers. You're shoving your beliefs down other people's throats with hate, condescension, and a lack of respect.
That's about the one problem I have with atheists, or at least a large portion of the ones I've encountered personally. For all their talk of how Christians are narrow-minded, prejudicial cockfaces who shove their belief down other people's throats, they're just as prone to do the same with their belief, or lack thereof. I consider myself a Christian, though, for personal reasons, I haven't gone to church in quite a while. The, personal reasons are that I had become so jaded with my religion, that going to church caused me to experience something like an anxiety attack, except on crack, steroids, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I respect the belief (or lack thereof) of others, so long as they do the same with mine.

[Ignignokt]

That's about the one problem I have with atheists, or at least a large portion of the ones I've encountered personally. For all their talk of how Christians are narrow-minded, prejudicial cockfaces who shove their belief down other people's throats, they're just as prone to do the same with their belief, or lack thereof. I consider myself a Christian, though, for personal reasons, I haven't gone to church in quite a while. The, personal reasons are that I had become so jaded with my religion, that going to church caused me to experience something like an anxiety attack, except on crack, steroids, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I respect the belief (or lack thereof) of others, so long as they do the same with mine.

i take back all the "cock chugger" "FagayaFrost" "Butt Bandit" talk i spewed over the past year.

[Mister Sinister]

i take back all the "cock chugger" "FagayaFrost" "Butt Bandit" talk i spewed over the past year.
Really? Why?

[1369]

I think your clarity of thought gave him wood.

[Mister Sinister]

I think your clarity of thought gave him wood.
Adjectives fail me.

[Ignignokt]

Really? Why?

Seriously, just you're not a pretentious teenage fag.

well at, least not pretentious.

[Mister Sinister]

Seriously, just you're not a pretentious teenage fag.

well at, least not pretentious.

:lol Come June 22, I won't be teenaged, either. I'm going to let the "fag" part go, though, because I am waaaaaaay too balls-to-the-wall tired for that argument.

[Ignignokt]

:lol Come June 22, I won't be teenaged, either. I'm going to let the "fag" part go, though, because I am waaaaaaay too balls-to-the-wall tired for that argument.

seriously, penises. A dude liking penises?? WTF? it doesn't make sense. Why like something you already have.

There's no logic too it. I mean, if there was.. MannyisPrimate would get off on his man jugs.

[1369]

because I am waaaaaaay too balls-to-the-wall

Regardless of which side of the plate you swing from, you're doing it wrong.

[Mister Sinister]

Regardless of which side of the plate you swing from, you're doing it wrong.
Meh. I like that expression. Think about it for a second. It implies the exhaustion brought on by having your balls thrown against a wall, to say nothing of everything brought on by having them ripped off to *be* thrown at a wall.

[Mister Sinister]

seriously, penises. A dude liking penises?? WTF? it doesn't make sense. Why like something you already have.

There's no logic too it. I mean, if there was.. MannyisPrimate would get off on his man jugs.
Why only girls?

[Ignignokt]

Meh. I like that expression. Think about it for a second. It implies the exhaustion brought on by having your balls thrown against a wall, to say nothing of everything brought on by having them ripped off to *be* thrown at a wall.


Spurtalk :fro qouta of the day, check.

[Ignignokt]

Why only girls?


Cuz they have pretty hair, tits, and they're hospitable warm soft shuddered pink wet chambers are asking for a penis. A dudes ass is only asking for a toilet and a sports magazine to read.

[Mister Sinister]

Cuz they have pretty hair, tits, and they're hospitable warm soft shuddered pink wet chambers are asking for a penis. A dudes ass is only asking for a toilet and a sports magazine to read.
:lol God-damned breeders. But seriously, attraction isn't something that I can easily explain...at least not when I'm this tired.

[Ignignokt]

Girls look better than guys. Case closed. Unless you've been molested, theres no reason to think otherwise.

[Mister Sinister]

Girls look better than guys. Case closed. Unless you've been molested, theres no reason to think otherwise.
Well, I'm *fairly* certain I've never been molested.

[Clandestino]

Not all, but many religions are just money hungry organizations. Look at the mormons, you can't even go to the temple without paying your full tithe!

plus, all those evangelists with million dollar houses. there is no need for million dollar homes paid by the congregation.

[Clandestino]

$11 Million Awarded in Funeral Protest Suit

By Ruben Castaneda
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 1, 2007; Page B01

A federal jury in Baltimore awarded nearly $11 million in damages yesterday to the family of a Marine from Maryland whose funeral was disrupted by members of a Kansas-based fundamentalist church.

One of the defendants said the civil award was the first against the church, whose members have stirred anger across the nation by picketing at funerals for service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, often carrying placards bearing virulent anti-gay slogans. The church maintains that God is punishing the United States, killing and maiming troops, because the country tolerates homosexuality.


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Fred Phelps, pastor of the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church, scoffed at the jury and the award.

"It was a bunch of silly heads passing judgment on God," he said. "I don't believe anyone in the courtroom knows what the First Amendment is. Religious views are expressly protected by the First Amendment. You can't prosecute a preacher in civil law or in criminal law for what he preaches."

Phelps said the church would appeal, and he predicted that a higher court would overturn the award "in five minutes."

In the lawsuit, the family of Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder argued that it had suffered invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress.

"The fact of the matter is, a funeral's private," said one of their attorneys, Sean Summers. "There was no public concern when [church members] showed up with a 'God Hates You' sign."

Messages left for Snyder's parents at their home were not immediately returned.

The jury ordered the pastor and two other church members -- his daughters, Shirley L. Phelps-Roper and Rebekah L. Phelps-Davis -- to pay $8 million in punitive damages and $2.9 million in compensatory damages. Snyder, of Westminster, died in a vehicle accident March 3, 2006, in Anbar province.

Members of the church protested at Snyder's funeral, displaying signs, including one that read, "Thank God for Dead Soldiers."

The church reportedly has fewer than 100 members, and it is far from clear whether the award will be collected. After the jury awarded the smaller compensatory damages, U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett noted that the size of that award "far exceeds the net worth of the defendants," the Associated Press reported.

In his closing arguments during the punitive damages phase, plaintiffs' attorney Craig Trebilcock described church members as bullies who "seek out those among us who are at the weakest point in our lives," the news agency reported.

"That's why they've gotten away with it until this point," the attorney said, adding that grieving families were too weak to fight back "until this man."

As a result of the pickets, several state legislatures have passed bills restricting protests at funerals or tightening existing limits, and lawmakers in more than a dozen other states are considering such measures, the Associated Press said.

Shirley Phelps-Roper said the verdict made her 50th birthday yesterday a happier one. She said the verdict would help the church, many of whose members are from the Phelps family, get its message out.

"We're making new signs: 'Thank God for $10.9 million.' Listen to that amount. It's so laughable," she said. "It was all I could do not to laugh. You guys think you can change God?"

[Don Quixote]

That's about the one problem I have with atheists, or at least a large portion of the ones I've encountered personally. For all their talk of how Christians are narrow-minded, prejudicial jerkfaces who shove their belief down other people's throats, they're just as prone to do the same with their belief, or lack thereof. I consider myself a Christian, though, for personal reasons, I haven't gone to church in quite a while. The, personal reasons are that I had become so jaded with my religion, that going to church caused me to experience something like an anxiety attack, except on crack, steroids, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I respect the belief (or lack thereof) of others, so long as they do the same with mine.

Thank you for the perspective. Yes, I agree that the atheist world is far less tolerant toward religion than it used to be. I imagine they feel emboldened by the likes of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, et al.

I appreciate your honesty and forthrightness. I'm always open for friendly dialog about faith, life, and whatever.

[Don Quixote]

Not all, but many religions are just money hungry organizations. Look at the mormons, you can't even go to the temple without paying your full tithe!

plus, all those evangelists with million dollar houses. there is no need for million dollar homes paid by the congregation.

Yes. These groups are an easy target. The existence of them, however, does not entail that all religious organizations are $$-hungry or fraudulent. In the schoolhouse, we tend to view such "evangelists" rather dimly.

[Don Quixote]

Cuz they have pretty hair, large supple breasts, and their hospitable warm soft shuddered pink wet chambers are asking for a wiener. A dude's butthole is only asking for a toilet and a sports magazine to read.
:lol
I think what our Ignoramus friend is stating, albeit crudely, is the classic "nature" argument against homosexual activity.

I find no fault with his logic.

[Mister Sinister]

:lol
I think what our Ignoramus friend is stating, albeit crudely, is the classic "nature" argument against homosexual activity.

I find no fault with his logic.
All those things he mentioned, plus a few others, attract me to women. But there are just about as many things that attract me to men.

[Don Quixote]

I was just kidding.

[Mister Sinister]

I was just kidding.
:lol Funny thing, I realized that right as I hit the submit post button.

[RandomGuy]

I drink it up! (http://www.kansas.com/news/updates/story/395052.html)

Today's vocabulary word:

Schadenfreude (shah-den-froi-dah)

German, literally "painjoy", translated into English is "taking pleasure in others' pain/misfortune".

This word is used often enough in English in that context to be listed in most english dictionaries.

Useful word for describing the emotion one feels upon reading about something bad happening to those f***tards.

[Mister Sinister]

Today's vocabulary word:

Schadenfreude (shah-den-froi-dah)

German, literally "painjoy", translated into English is "taking pleasure in others' pain/misfortune".

This word is used often enough in English in that context to be listed in most english dictionaries.

Useful word for describing the emotion one feels upon reading about something bad happening to those f***tards.
The Germans call it "schadenfreude", which, in English, roughly translates to, "Hey, look, that Jew fell down."

[Fillmoe]

http://richarddawkins.net/images/publicAcceptanceEvolution.jpg

SMH

[clambake]

if your not sucked into organized religion then your an atheist.

sounds like something a charlatan would say.

i think god hates phonies.

[Fillmoe]

http://strangemaps.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/v6i8g11.jpg

http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2007/04/03/97-%e2%80%93-where-and-how-evolution-is-taught-in-the-us/

Read a book please. One that hasn't been altered 8000 times.

[Fillmoe]

if your not sucked into organized religion then your an atheist.

sounds like something a charlatan would say.

i think god hates phonies.

FALLACY

[Don Quixote]

Yep, nailed us again. We're backward and ignorant.

[Mister Sinister]

http://strangemaps.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/v6i8g11.jpg

http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2007/04/03/97-%e2%80%93-where-and-how-evolution-is-taught-in-the-us/

Read a book please. One that hasn't been altered 8000 times.
When is that graph from, exactly?

[clambake]

FALLACY

a false argument?

example: (thou shalt worship no other god)

[Fillmoe]

I am glad you agree. They don't want our children learning evolution but they are more than happy feeding them stuff that has been changed time and time again. Perfect Logic. Let me know when you are having another church fund raiser, I will be more than happy to contribute.

[Fillmoe]

When is that graph from, exactly?

The map first appeared in 2002 in Scientific American, and was based on data collected by Lawrence S. Lerner of California State University at Long Beach.

So even though it doesn't say, I am guessing around that time.

[clambake]

I am glad you agree. They don't want our children learning evolution but they are more than happy feeding them stuff that has been changed time and time again. Perfect Logic. Let me know when you are having another church fund raiser, I will be more than happy to contribute.

:lmao i'm sure you have me confused with someone else.

[clambake]

Could Fillmoe please go back to talking black and discussing either rap music, hos, sizzurp, or tits and stop acting like he's educated? He's far less annoying that way.

evolution hater.

[Fillmoe]

:lmao i'm sure you have me confused with someone else.

Was talking to Don Quixote

[Fillmoe]

http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper851/stills/3d8810977bc0f-43-1.jpg

further proof of evolution

[Mister Sinister]

The map first appeared in 2002 in Scientific American, and was based on data collected by Lawrence S. Lerner of California State University at Long Beach.

So even though it doesn't say, I am guessing around that time.

Ah. Wasn't sure.

[clambake]

Was talking to Don Quixote

pay little attention to him. self promoting baptist preachers always attempt to claim the high ground, even in the depths of their shameless events. take a closer look at baylor and decide for yourself what they really worship.

[Fillmoe]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y78/lityou/nazi-pope2.gif

Bow to your leader, you SHEEP!

[Mister Sinister]

pay little attention to him. self promoting baptist preachers always attempt to claim the high ground, even in the depths of their shameless events. take a closer look at baylor and decide for yourself what they really worship.
Blanket statements are funny. Sad, pathetic, and depressing. But funny.

[Mister Sinister]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y78/lityou/nazi-pope2.gif

Bow to your leader, you SHEEP!
Oh shit, it's Emperor Palpatine!

[Fillmoe]

Oh shit, it's Emperor Palpatine!

LOL!

[Don Quixote]

Was talking to Don Quixote

Very well. Apparently you have gotten me mixed up with a young-earth creationist who leans toward fundamentalism. While I would say that belief in God necessarily entails belief in Creation, it is not at all clear how, and to what extent, evolution played a part in the process. At least I'm not. So I refuse to play your game and be dogmatic on the matter.

I take it, though, that it's okay for YOU to be narrow-minded and dogmatic toward me and believers in God.

[clambake]

every religion should have a pope. he'll protect you from prosecution. he is the perfect example of organized religion.

[Mister Sinister]

Very well. Apparently you have gotten me mixed up with a young-earth creationist who leans toward fundamentalism. While I would say that belief in God necessarily entails belief in Creation, it is not at all clear how, and to what extent, evolution played a part in the process. At least I'm not. So I refuse to play your game and be dogmatic on the matter.

I take it, though, that it's okay for YOU to be narrow-minded and dogmatic toward me and believers in God.
I agree. I believe in both Creation and Evolution, which, for some reason, seems to confuse people. If, as a Christian, one believes in a single, all-powerful and ever-living God, does it not fall within the boundaries of "omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence", to create life with complex genetic structure, and the potential for that genetic structure to evolve and change over time?

[Mister Sinister]

every religion should have a pope. he'll protect you from prosecution. he is the perfect example of organized religion.
Wow, you're just on a roll with the inane blanket statements today, aren't you?

[Don Quixote]

Don't quote them! I have them on ignore for a reason. :)

[Mister Sinister]

Don't quote them! I have them on ignore for a reason.
Mwa ha ha ha ha...Ha ha ha....heh heh...AH HA HA HA HA HA...Hrm.

[Don Quixote]

Mwa ha ha ha ha...Ha ha ha....heh heh...AH HA HA HA HA HA...Hrm.

Doofus :toast

I've got work to do.

[Mister Sinister]

Doofus :toast

I've got work to do.
:lol Whoops, I slipped into Norman Osborn, Director of the Thunderbolts there.

[clambake]

Wow, you're just on a roll with the inane blanket statements today, aren't you?

i grew up in N. Ireland. i lived closer to the origins of organized religion than you'll ever read about. that is where you get expertise on religion isn't it? by reading about it? but sometimes i forget that americans think they invented everything. so, carry on with your knowledge parade. there's a charlatan preacher in here that can't wait to educate you.

[Extra Stout]

The American fundamentalist rejection of evolution hinges upon modernist assumptions about God and the Bible which stand at odds against the historic orthodox faith.

The stridency of contemporary popular atheists parallels that of religious fundamentalists. As confidence in both the sufficiency and certainty of reason fades from the zeitgeist, each group resorts to yelling louder in a futile attempt to stem the tide.

[Fillmoe]

I jokingly blast religion. I respect your beliefs and have my own personal opinions. Am I highly religious? No. Do I believe that there is some sort of higher power that keeps us on track? Yes.

[Mister Sinister]

i grew up in N. Ireland. i lived closer to the origins of organized religion than you'll ever read about. that is where you get expertise on religion isn't it? by reading about it? but sometimes i forget that americans think they invented everything. so, carry on with your knowledge parade. there's a charlatan preacher in here that can't wait to educate you.
When did I say I thought I invented *anything*? All I said was that you were constantly making blanket statements, which is both illogical and unfair.

[Fillmoe]

:lmao

Now can you please stop with this? Let's get a nice pic of a woman's chest, and then you can say something along the lines of "Ay yo I be payin da mad wack cheese to stick my dick up in dem titties, beyatch!" We can forget the last few posts ever happened.

Stop following me please.

[smeagol]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y78/lityou/nazi-pope2.gif

Bow to your leader, you SHEEP!

Catholic bashing . . . accepted and perfectly fine throughout America :tu

[Extra Stout]

Christian bashing . . . accepted and perfectly fine throughout America :tu

FIFY.

[smeagol]

FIFY.

That is also true, but Catholic bashing is even more fun.

Ever heard of Chick publications?

http://www.chick.com/default.asp

[Extra Stout]

That is also true, but Catholic bashing is even more fun.

Ever heard of Chick publications?

http://www.chick.com/default.asp

Yes, I've heard of those people. They also tell me I'm going to hell because I don't believe the King James Version of the Bible is the only "inspired" English translation, and I think it's OK that the Sunday school director at my church is a woman.

Don't take it personally.

[Don Quixote]

Not a fan of Chick myself. Excellent cartoonist, basically correct theologically, but he utilizes poor methods of evangelism and holds to a wrong KingJamesOnly-ism.

Worse, he puts the KJV-only position right next to salvation and the Trinity in level of importance!

[Don Quixote]

Alister McGrath, the famous theologian at Oxford, also grew up in Ireland. Growing up an atheist, he figured that if you took away the religion, then all the problems between the Catholics and Protestants would go away as well. I guess that's a reasonable conclusion to arrive at.

McGrath obviously didn't stay an atheist. In fact, this summer I will be reviewing a few of his books, both in the areas of science (he's a Ph in molecular biology) and theology (PhD there as well). I am curious about how his conversion came about. I heard him speak last year in New Orleans, but he didn't really get into that.