Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Why I Am Catholic

Home
Because Fr. Dwight Longenecker Is Wrong UPDATED

Because Fr. Dwight Longenecker Is Wrong UPDATED

Last updated on: January 24, 2017 at 6:15 pm by Frank Weathers

Because Fr. Dwight Longenecker Is Wrong UPDATED 2017-01-24T18:15:58-05:00 Frank Weathers

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What the Sam Hill are you talking about Frank? How dare you say one of the favorite priests of the faithful is wrong about anything! Well, I remember a week or so ago folks were digging how to be a jet-powered, human dolphin. As if that would be a cool present to receive for Christmas. Humbug! How about something a little more practical? Like “cheap speed!” Here’s the thing. Early in November, Father Dwight wrote a blog post about “Boomer Cars” resulting in us becoming Facebook friends. Sometimes this works out well, sometimes not. I’m saying that it has worked out well, except in one teeny, weeny, little department: he’s prejudiced… about cars. I mean, and trust me, I love Fr. Dwight like a “Father” and all, but he thinks the Chevrolet Camaro is better than the Ford Mustang.

So I did the only thing that I could do. I called him a heretic.

Don’t make me make an obvious religious analogy. Because, you see, the Ford Mustang is the original “Pony Car.” Lee Iacocca’s brainchild spawned the whole “Pony Car” category of muscle cars. Without the Mustang, there wouldn’t have even been “cheap” speed available to the motoring public.

Besides, Chevrolet already had the Corvette, which, for the price, beats the pants off of any other sports car just about the world over, both then and now. But I’m talking “cheap,” Joe Six-Pack affordable, speed. And that is where the Mustang shines.

You say, “Frank, you are just biased because you own a Mustang.” And I say to you, “of course I do. Because it’s the original and the best.”

And mine helped make me a Catholic too, in a mechanical, minor-miraculous, sort of way. But like Blaise Pascal said, People are generally better persuaded by the reasons which they have themselves discovered than by those which have come into the mind of others.

So Fr. Dwight? Discover what looking at the Mustang’s tail lights at the end of the quarter mile feels like. Discover what the braking distances show. Discover what the road course lap times, and skid-pad numbers conclude. Did I mention discovering “power-to-weight ratios?” Heck, I’ll even throw in that overweight slug of the Dodge Challenger into the comparison in order to give your Camaro SS some (much needed) help.

The good editors at Motor Trend do all the heavy lifting for me on this one. Basic 5.0 GT Mustang (no, not the new Boss 302, or the Shelby GT 500 Camaro crushers) vs. the Camaro SS & the Dodge Challenger SRT8. Want to bet “pink slips” anyone?

Hmmm. I had also showed Fr. Dwight this old story of a one-off Godzilla Mustang vs. a bespoke Camaro (call it Rhodan) in which the Mustang won in 2 out of three categories, but he still didn’t “get it.” And when I shared the story with him that the wonderful folks at Ford plan on producing a Mustang that puts out over 650 horsepower? He still had scales over his eyes!

Do you think showing him that the new Mustang came within the width of a hair on my head of beating a BMW M-3 in a comparison test would make a difference? All I can say is…pray for him folks. Pray hard, for he probably thinks his motorcycle is faster than these cars.

And remember, “hate the heresy, but love the heretic.” 😉

*Disclaimer time: Drive responsibly. If you race, do so under controlled conditions at the Street Legal drags in your area; or join a club that lets you drive fast on a racetrack, or take up autocrossing. But you can keep that dolphin jet-pack thingy.

UPDATE (10/6/2012):

Let’s revisit this and take it up a notch. The 2013 Ford Shelby Mustang can go 200 miles per hour?! You can’t do that on the 405. But guess where you can?

http://youtu.be/DTFPL3sD00o

And what about the Battle of the Top Dawgs? This one may make Fr. Dwight smile, but not after he lost his pink slip. Brake upgrades? It’s what Mustang enthusiasts do in their driveway on a Saturday afternoon. Randy Pobst knows.

http://youtu.be/FF-db7bX9LI

And how about this? “It was like watching Secretariat win the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths to take the Triple Crown in 1973…This is a performance so ungodly that the Vatican should launch an investigation.”

Yep. 😀

Previous Post

December 19, 2011

Because Of “A Charlie Brown Christmas”

Next Post

December 20, 2011 I Have Complete Control...

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Blog News Conversion Story Culture Learning Living Nature Prayer Uncategorized Working

Select a Month June 2016 May 2016 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: According to 1 John, God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God.

Select your answer to see how you score.

TRUE FALSE