Freedom First and others have initiated the Fourth annual "Blog Against Theocracy" event. I am interupting Reunited... this week to participate in this blogswarm. I hope the story I wrote is very fitting for this weekend's event. For more information on other blogs participating click on the logo to the right. Thanks and enjoy! (As always, comments welcome!)

With the efforts of Dr. Daniel C. Hever and his team, several groups learned how to revive long dead individuals. Of course, there were some caveats. The bodies had to be mostly intact. That is, the process would not work on decapitated individuals. Further, there was an issue of shock. If the last thing they remember is bursting into flames, they generally could not take the shock of being revived. These individuals would immediately go into cardiac arrest, and revert to their dead state.

The revival of individuals from historic periods shed light on many events of the past. Sadly, badly decomposed specimens could only be cloned, and these individuals would not retain the memories of the original. Hence, this technique was most useful in learning about more northern cultures where the propensity for freezing was much higher. If the Egyptians did not remove the organs of their dead, ancient mummies could have also been revived. Removing the brain through the nose caused catastrophic damage to the organ. Again, mostly northern peoples benefited from this revival technique.

Roger Chillingworth was a Puritan from the 17th Century England. He briefly settled in the Netherlands, but then took his family aboard a Dutch colony ship headed for the Americas. Sadly for him, but fortunately for others he never made it to the New World. His body was discovered centuries later when the permafrost of Greenland, where he had been entombed, had significantly melted.

The team of scientists followed the Hever Protocol in their revival. Mr. Chillingworth was revived in a nondescript room to allow him to acclimatize to his new environment. All attempts were made to make him believe that he had fallen asleep, and the team simply awakened him a short time later.

The following is a transcript between Mr. Ghillingworth and the noted antropological researcher Dr. David R. MacDonald:

"Good Morning Mr. Chillingworth."

"Prithee, where am I?"

"You are in a New England hospital."

"Egads! Oh! pardon me."

"It is quite all right. What do you remember?"

"A great lot of Spanish Pirates!"

"Yes the La Cazadora."

"If thine purpose to tell me it is true, I will not doubt."

"What do you remember about them?"

"Yon brigands set me a-sail."

"In the boat we found you in..."

"Again, I will not doubt."

"What else do you remember?"

"Thine speach is strange... May I ask who thine art?"

"I am Doctor David MacDonald."

"A Scot of Irish decent - no doubt? I will converse no longer."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Thee have beliefs that I find distasteful. Now, if you please take myself to me wife."

"How do you know what my beliefs are?"

"You deny not that thou art a Scot. Thus, thou must follow liberal Anglican beliefs. None of our people were Scottish. Alternatively, thou could be of Catholic persuasion -- a far lesser belief. Now, if you please...."

"How can you be sure?"

"Prithee ask such questions?"

"If your assertions were true, we would still both be Christians. Thus, our beliefs would not be that different."

"Avast man! Catholics are the lowest form of life -- as that Spanish band of brigands demonstrated by sending me adrift. And Anglicans are scarcely better."

"Your sect is not part of the Church of England?"

"Where hath thou been living?"

"Could you please tell me more about your journey?"

"Egads! Paardon me again. Very well... I verily owe you since thou didth save me."

"Please."

"Thine humble servant left yon barbarity in Amsterdam to find religious freedom in the New World. Great freedoms were promised, as it was a new land. Mine family had felt great oppression from the heathens whom I discussed previously. The new world promised to keep the government and religion separate."

"Pardon?"

"Those Anglican governmental leaders oppressed mine people of faith; hence, our people believe and have always believed that government must be kept separate for those with superior or differing belief systems. Simply put, government cannot be trusted to keep the faith. The twain serve different masters and thus must remain separate."

"But America was founded as a Christian Nation...."

"I know not of this America with which thine have spoken. Nonetheless, when a group of mine people settled at Plymouth Rock they wanted to make sure that Government would not pollute religion and the converse. They wished to escape persecution for our non-mainstream yet more pious beliefs. The only way to accomplish this was to keep everything separate. It is the only way!"

"But what about non-believers -- they do not count right? As long as it is Christian it is okay right?"

"Scotsman you are an odd one. I could not be more plainspoken for thee. In order to ensure that everyone with a belief -- or non-belief -- does not encounter persectution the government must remain free from religious entanglements."

"What about ..."

"Silence! Does thine not have ears? Perhaps your Scottish nature makes you thicker than most. Let me illustrate. Suppose a leader -- perhaps a king or maybe some sort of elected official -- hath some belief -- whether mainstream or not. It can be any belief. Now, those men holding that belief are with the governmental leader. Hence, they can impose said belief on thine that do not hold it, as our people have endured. In this way, persecution for groups that have different beliefs is inevitable. This situation is exactly why we left for the New World."

"So..."

"Unless everyone has exactly the same belief, religion and government are best separated."

"What if where you are now has a theocratic government?"

"Then place me in mine boat, I will put my fate in divine hands."

"You, a religious man, would rather die..."

"Than live under religioius rule? That is unequivocally true."

"Even if it is a Christian Theocracy?"

"As mine people did in England? Thou art thick!"

"So, if I took you in front of a group of people, you would not praise a Christian Nation's Government."

"I cannot be more plain, and thou still have not heard. My people came to this New World to escape religious persecution -- not to inflict it. I do not know what kind of Christianity your people practice -- clearly not a very pious one from what I hear from thou. I grow weary of repeating that religion and government must remain separate. Lest not speak of government again. Taketh me to mine family if thou please."

"I thought for sure you would be on my side on this."

"Studieth thine history closely. No good hath ever come from a mix of religion and government."