Comments on: What George Washington Didn’t Say about Barack Obama in the Relief Society Magazine, the Saints’ Herald, or Even the Millennial Star

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:09:43 +0000

Nope. In fact, we’re planning the First Annual Keepa Retreat, to be held in your town in October. You did offer to put us all up at your house, right? And drive us to these sites? Don’t worry — we’ll stay long enough that we can go to BOTH Valley Forge and Philadelphia. Sign-ups are open now, and be sure to give Researcher a detailed list of your dietary preferences, and whether you’re a night owl or early bird.

(Really, by this point in a thread with a goofy title where we’ve said all that probably can be said about a goofy document, any of us still reading deserve all the fun we can get. There’s no such thing as a threadjack now!)

By: BruceC

BruceC — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:07:23 +0000

And to think I just moved away from Maryland. I lived a little north of Baltimore. I was practically in your back yard. Of course, there was so much to see in Maryland and Virginia I never made it to all the sites in Pennsylvania. So many places. So little time.

Tents? I think there is a campground at Valley Forge. The BSA uses it for National Jamboree sometimes. We could do it in December, during a snowstorm. You know, to get the feel for it. Maybe have an out of body experience or ~~halucinations~~ visions just like Washington.

By: Researcher

Researcher — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:42:09 +0000

October? Sure. Everyone come. You can help us rake leaves. You might have to sleep in a tent, though.

By: Researcher

Researcher — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:52:36 +0000

Despite my “underwhelmed” comment earlier, if you are in Philadelphia for more than one day and have transportation, Valley Forge is very much worth visiting. (There is a bus line that goes to the visitor’s center, but that wouldn’t solve the problem of how to get around the very large park. Well, I guess you can rent a bike, depending on the season and the weather. Ok, so it could be done without a car.) If you only have one day or part of a day, you would probably want to stay in the city and see our great national icons: Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the Betsy Ross house, and so forth.

Is this a threadjack?

By: BruceC

BruceC — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:36:49 +0000

Queuno (#29) I love doing that. I travel a bit in my profession and when ever I get the time (and if there is any daylight) I find the local historic sites and “browse”. Valley Forge has not made it on my list of “already visited” but hopfully it will soon.

By: queuno

queuno — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:23:51 +0000

Let’s talk about Valley Forge…

Every time we take visitors to see it, they are severely underwhelmed.

I had the opportunity to spend a Sunday afternoon there (quiet, lazy) while in the area on a business trip in April.

I thought it was great. If you’re not rushed, it’s a very enjoyable time (I checked out all of the little cottages and the signs and whatnot).

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:15:49 +0000

Thanks for your discretion, Bruce — I don’t want to be a clearinghouse for breathless endtimes rumors, although it’s fine to acknowledge how many of them exist within our own corner of the culture, never mind in broader Christianity.

It’s that kind of “prophesy” I think too many people have in mind as “meat” when they complain about being fed “milk” at Sunday School. Dunno for sure why so many people are attracted to that, but it’s clear there’s a substantial market for it, and always has been (gnosticism, anyone?).

By: BruceC

BruceC — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:50:17 +0000

Velikiye Kniaz (#24) I found that one about bodies in the streets too. It claims to be in Wilford Woodruff’s journal where he records a vision John Taylor had. Double the prophets means double the credibility. There is even a video version on YouTube. I won’t create a link here since I think it is nothing but a “virus”.

By: Ray

Ray — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:04:56 +0000

Wow, Researcher, I am impressed.

By: Researcher

Researcher — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:16:11 +0000

Not to give Ray’s comment any more attention than it deserves but some of these urban legends and fake prophecies are very much like viruses.

Virus: an infective agent that … is able to multiply only within the living cells of a host.

Herpes (the George Washington prophecy) is a virus that affects the skin (politics, perhaps) or nervous system (maybe religion).

One kind of herpes virus is chicken pox, also called varicella, and after the original infection (the publication of the “prophecy” in c 1861), it can live quietly within the nervous system for years before breaking out and causing the horrible rash and other side effects of shingles (its use as a club in the 2008 presidential election).