Articles written by D. Keith Shurtleff

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About me - D. Keith Shurtleff

I have loved writing since I won an award in 5th grade for my short story, Journey Through The Dark. Since that time I have been an avid reader, writer and speaker focusing mainly on social issues in the realm of Ethics, Law, Religion and Politics. My experiences

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Religion & Spirituality > Christian Beliefs & Culture Walking on water as a metaphor: 2 of 23
It was early morning as fierce winds drove the ship containing Jesus' disciples back upon the waters. That was not a new experience for some of them, who as fishermen knew the seas well. Yet when their eyes beheld what they had never before witnessed, a being, walking on the wind tossed sea, headed toward their ship, scriptur... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Racism Discuss the forms of discrimination that exist in your country: 3 of 23
Discrimination is NOT a Four Letter WordCongress's recent attempts to make discrimination based on sexual orientation, illegal, demonstrates again the superficiality of their moral reasoning. True that on the surface, (where most liberals live and think), the word discrimination is always considered evil and calls forth visio... More..
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: Knowing the sex of your baby in advance: 4 of 28
It is amazing what two normally rational parents will do to discover their child's gender early on. Even Old Wives tales came in to play with our first pregnancy. We so wanted to know what to expect for all the usual reasons, preparing clothes, referring to her gender, praying for her safe delivery, choosing a name, etc. Know... More..
Politics, News & Issues > News Industry Commentary: How the news industry sold integrity to pander for profits: 2 of 13
Admit it, we've all felt a little envy, perhaps even anger, toward the (know-it- all) straight A student, or the sports wiz we grew up with. It was as if their success somehow subtracted from what we were. Envy, born of pride and jealously, often caused us to look for weaknesses in those who excelled, finding a weakness in th... More..
Parenting & Pregnancy > Adolescence Tips for increasing awareness and respect toward teenagers: 3 of 16
As a father of eight active children, my life often reminded me of an old recruiting slogan, "More than just a job, it's an adventure". Its true that we did face some fear and trepidation as our children approached the dreaded teenage years. After all, jokes, books, articles, and gossip all seem to malign teenagers and did gi... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Religion & Spirituality (Other) Contemporary religious battles: Faith vs. tolerance: 8 of 40
Their is great power in labeling. For example, classifying someone as a homophobe, means you need not consider the merits of their arguments, just dismiss them with the label. If someone calls you a Christianphobe, they can then assume you have nothing to say, you're simply blinded by hatred of Christians. So it is with toler... More..
Politics, News & Issues > US Military (Other) General Pace has it right: Upholding the US military's ban on gays: 1 of 4
The Army value of Personal Courage was clearly displayed in General Pace's willingness to set aside political correctness or concerns about a hyper sensitive populace and speak the plain truth. "Homosexual acts are immoral!" (See Chicago Tribune 13 Mar 2007) Who knows what the political fall out will be since the current real... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Churches & Organizations The Nauvoo conflict begins anew with rebuilding of Mormon Temple: 1 of 4
The whole reason Nauvoo, is Nauvoo, and not a suburb of the town of Commerce, is because of the vision, faith, work, and diligence of the Mormons. Those Mormons, who, having been brutally expelled from Missouri, by those who harbored the same hatred that inspires many to slander the Church today, gave their all to turn a mosq... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Presidential Elections 2008 Major education issues in the 2008 presidential election: 2 of 7
Why don't politicians say anything anymore! All around me I hear complaints about the lack of substance in the political speeches of candidates on both sides of the isle! Having watched the proceedings carefully I have to agree. They do talk a lot, but hardly say anything at all, anything substantial that is. On deeper look t... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Presidential Elections 2008 US elections 2008: The impact of race on the choice for Obama: 4 of 11
Racism In ReverseThroughout the Democrat National Primary much has been made about the number of Black Americans who supported Obama and the number of White Americans who did not. Since there is very little of substance to be found in any of Obama's stump speeches it very well might be the case that many White Americans chose... More..