So you say we aren't Christians

Let me explain to the best of my ability where this accusation against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints stems from.

People who identify themselves as coming from the "traditional" Bible based or historical Christianity exclude any other belief that does not conform to their own. This is peculiar because there are thousands of such denominations that have fundamental theological differences and yet they are part of the accepted Christian grouping.

Latter-day Saints are excluded based on one or more of the following reasons:

1. We do not adhere to the Nicene Creed. This creed is incomprehensible to me. It is interpreted as meaning that there is a Trinity in which God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are the same being. Most Catholics and most Protestants feel that acceptance of this 325 AD politically motivated statement is a true test of one's Christianity.

2. We believe that God the Father has an exalted body. This is blasphemy to the self proclaimed Christians. It should be an honor to acknowledge God as our literal spiritual father and we want to be like Him.

3. We believe that in addition to the Bible God spoke to prophets at other times and in other places. One such record is God's dealings with people on the American continent from 2000 BC to 400 AD. This record is called the Book of Mormon, Another testament of Jesus Christ.

4. We believe in continuing revelation from God. The self proclaimed Christians do not accept this belief. An extension of continuing revelation is that there is a living Prophet to guide us today and that authority to act in God's name is required to carry out his ordinances.

My wish is that the ancient admonition "by their fruits you shall know them" be applied to all beliefs.

Buzz Lightyear

We have named  our new Camry Hybrid after a character in Toy Story. The name is Buzz Lightyear and he has a "sky blue pearl" paint job.  

In the spirit of "Infinity and beyond" let me tell you about some of the car's unique features.

1.  In addition to anti-lock brakes it has Vehicle Dynamic Integrated Management also called Electronic Stability Control.  This helps control problems like fish-tailing and tires spinning.  This is a feature Janeil will probably not need.

2.  Direct Tire Pressure Monitoring.  This detects low tire pressure.

3.  The gear shift has only D(rive) and B(rake) as the forward gears.  B is used when going down steep grades.  It charges the battery, maybe they should have called it C(harge).

4.  Not only the standard driver and passenger seat airbags, but also (a) seat mounted side airbags, (b) front and rear side curtain airbags, and (c) driver's knee airbag.  It will cost a fortune to replace these after an accident.

5.  Smart Key System.  You leave the fob in your pocket and the system unlocks doors and starts the engine when you push the power button on the dash.

6.  Michlin Energy tires which have low rolling resistance for better gas mileage and longer tread life.

7.  Disc brakes on all four wheels and rack and pinion steering.

8.  Lumbar (back) support and  telescoping steering wheel column. 

9.  A full tank of gas.

Unfortunately the floor mats cost $199.  Toyota was offering no rebates (the non hybrid Camry had a $1500 dealer rebate).  No income tax credits on this model.   

It scored 5 stars (the best rating) in frontal and side crashes tests.  It scored 4 stars in rollover safety.

It was built in Georgetown, Kentucky hopefully by non UAW workers not suffering from a moonshine hangover.

The in-town gas mileage is as good as the highway 34 miles per gallon. 

You can pick from a dashboard display of (a) gas mileage, (b) outside temperature, (c) whether power is coming from the engine, battery, or both (d) estimated mileage remaining on this tank of gas, and (e) several odometer readouts.  Instead of a tachometer which gives crankshaft revolutions per minute, it has a needle gauge which shows the current miles per gallon.  This is more information than is really necessary to get from the house to Bi-marts.

The Avalon has been kicked out of the garage and is now looking lonesome parked in the street.