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Christian Soldiers of Rome

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          The hymn, onward Christian soldiers has been one of my favorites for as long as I can remember.  I would march around the couch with my cousins when we’d sing the hymn at Family Reunions.  The rhythmic melody and grand chords conjured up images of marching legions and waving banners.  It made me want to charge out the door into the chill night air.  If I could just lead the ring of marching cousins out into the streets of Farmington Ut., I was sure that we’d find ourselves in the thick of a battle raging between Michael and Lucifer.  Though such childish imaginations have long since faded away, the brave harmonies conveyed in the song still inspire action and unearth a feeling of invincibility.  It’s not hard to see the connection to the invincible legions of ancient Rome.              The first verse and the chorus of the son...
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Greek Honor Vs. BYU Honor

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Honor is a flexible concept. Honor to Achilles was very different than honor to Kleibos and Biton (Herodotus 1.31). Yet, it is perhaps the most ubiquitous and widely accepted rationale for action throughout the ages. Specific prescriptions for honorable conduct evolve with the rest of civilization, yet, honor, the central framework of moral direction and self-governance, undergirds both ancient Greek and modern BYU civilization. Consider the evolution from Hobbes’ brutish and nasty  state of nature  towards a platonic ideal civilization. In a state of nature, every man is an island. Instead, decisions are based on immediate evolutionary requirements. A single person can only extend influence as far as his or her direct power permits. A subordinate will unerringly act in the subordinate’s best evolutionary interest. An alpha can influence a subordinate’s “best interest” with a threat of corporal punishment or immediate reward. Examples of these types of organization c...
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Epithets

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Curios Student I'm not a passive learner nor merely an active doer. I Love to chase new knowledge and challenge old assumptions, my own and those around me. I read a new book every 2 weeks and listen to 1-3 podcasts daily. I often find myself inadvertently dominating a conversation with an interesting new acquaintance by asking too many questions. Lover of Natural Majesty I love things that cause me to reflect, to be grateful and humble. Things like massive snow-covered volcanos made more appreciable through a climb to the top. I spend a lot of my free time seeking out new and impressive views, challenging adventures (like rock climbing), or little beheld wonders (like spelunking or stargazing). Civil Guardian Few things get my blood pumping like a defending that which I find deeply important. I think the society we live in is precious and worth defending. Key values like the value of life, liberty, and property are rare and I believe extremely valuable. I find th...
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This is my first post. I'm just testing how these things might work
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