I watched a good portion of the Democratic Presidential Debate last night. One question that really struck me was “What is your favorite Bible verse?”

Joe Biden said “Christ’s Warning of the Pharisees.”

I thought this was an interesting answer, so I did some research this morning. While there are different interpretations of what Biden may have meant by this, I really like the explanation given by Ann Althouse:

If you understand the reference, it actually is a subtle way to imply that religion should not be used publicly for the purpose of achieving worldly goals. It’s good to remind religious people — especially religious people who crave more religion in their politics — that Jesus set his religion apart from politics and gives Christians a religious basis for the separation of church and state.

It’s more than a bit strange that this question was even asked in a Presidential debate in a country built on a foundation one of the cornerstones of which is the separation of Church and State.

There is lots of good discussion of this particular question on Ann Althouse’s Blog. It’s also a great look at some of the answers that could have been, including Samuel L Jackson’s recitation of Ezekiel 25:17 from Pulp Fiction.

On September 3rd at around 7:00 PM Mountain Time, I wrapped up my 25th year of life on this planet. It’s pretty crazy to realize I’ve been alive for a quarter of a century.

Here are some things I think I’ve figured out in my 9131 days:

Travel as much as possible to places as far away as possible. There’s nothing better than a change in scenery to give you bit of perspective on the world. The older you get, the less time you seem to have, so travel a lot when you are young.

The best way to be successful in life is to surround yourself with people who’s skills, talents and virtues compliment your own. Partnership is very powerful.

Try not to have enemies, they’re rarely worth the time and energy spent avoiding them.

The traditional way of doing things is not always the best way.