CRAIG CONLEY (Prof. Oddfellow) is recognized by Encarta as “America’s most creative and diligent scholar of letters, words and punctuation.” He has been called a “language fanatic” by Page Six gossip columnist Cindy Adams, a “cult hero” by Publisher’s Weekly, a “monk for the modern age” by George Parker, and “a true Renaissance man of the modern era, diving headfirst into comprehensive, open-minded study of realms obscured or merely obscure” by Clint Marsh. An eccentric scholar, Conley’s ideas are often decades ahead of their time. He invented the concept of the “virtual pet” in 1980, fifteen years before the debut of the popular “Tamagotchi” in Japan. His virtual pet, actually a rare flower, still thrives and has reached an incomprehensible size. Conley’s website is OneLetterWords.com.
"Jesus' use of exaggeration is not surprising. What may be surprising are some cases where it seems he wants to be taken literally." —Herbert Basser and Marsha B. Cohen, The Gospel of Matthew and Judaic Traditions
"I don't see why they couldn't have some religion pumped into them out in the woods and along the road, just as they inflate their rubber tires with air" (Walter Barr, Shacklett: The Evolution of a Statesman, 1901). His dream came true during the fuel crisis of 1974: "Fill up with the holy ghost and fire."
The central figure is perhaps wondering, "So it's snakes, wings, and fire on the one side, and what's the other side promising again?" From The New England Primer by Heman Humphrey, 1830.Speaking of which, what exactly are a snowball's chances in hell? See A Snowball's Chance in Hell.
Here's a precursor to the "What would Jesus do?" meme, from Christian Herald and Signs of Our Times, 1895. The song is entitled, "What will You do with Jesus?"