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All About Me

Bio

Scott Bradford has been putting his opinions on his website since 1995—before most people knew what a website was. He has been a professional web developer in the public- and private-sector for over twenty years. He is an independent constitutional conservative who believes in human rights and limited government, and a Catholic Christian whose beliefs are summarized in the Nicene Creed. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from George Mason University. He loves Pink Floyd and can play the bass guitar . . . sort-of. He’s a husband, pet lover, amateur radio operator, and classic AMC/Jeep enthusiast.

Additional Information

Rundown

Name: Scott Kenneth Bradford

Age: Forty-one

Height: 174 centimeters (5’9″)

Eyes: I think they’re dark green, but it’s debatable

Hair: Brown (with a bit of gray just starting to sneak in)

Spouse: My lovely wife Melissa Bradford

Religion: Christian (Roman Catholic). Currently registered at Saint Veronica Catholic Church in the Catholic Diocese of Arlington

  • Sacrament of Baptism received in 1992
    • Conferred by Reverend Waverly Reames at Community of Faith United Methodist Church in Herndon, Virginia
  • Sacrament of Matrimony entered into with Melissa Bradford in 2005
    • Celebrated by Reverend Rob Vaughn at Community of Faith United Methodist Church in Herndon, Virginia
  • Sacrament of Confirmation received in 2009
    • Conferred by Father Edward Hathaway at Saint Veronica Catholic Church in Chantilly, Virginia
    • Confirmed in the name of St. Maximilian Kolbe, martyr of charity, patron of the pro-life movement, families, political prisoners, journalists, and drug addicts. “Kolbe is the patron saint of our difficult [twentieth] century” – Pope Saint John Paul II

Government-Issued Licenses:

  • Loudoun County, Virginia, Circuit Court
    • Permit to carry a concealed handgun
  • U.S. Federal Communications Commission
    • Licensed amateur radio, technician class (KM4DMF)
    • Licensed GMRS radio (WQSJ974)
  • Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
    • Licensed driver
    • Licensed motorcyclist

Associations and Volunteer Groups:

Politics: I’m mostly ‘small-l’ libertarian on economic issues and somewhere center-right on social issues. I call myself an ‘independent constitutional conservative,’ although you might label me as part of the ‘conservatarian’ movement.

Registered Voter: Of course! My first election was the 2000 election, which I still make fun of Florida about, and I have voted in every general election since.

Favorite Albums:

  • Anything by Pink Floyd (except Ummagumma)
  • The Turn of a Friendly Card by the Alan Parsons Project
  • Mr. Natural by the Bee Gees
  • Desperado by the Eagles
  • Quadrophenia by The Who
  • More Than You Think You Are by Matchbox Twenty
  • Harmonium by Vanessa Carlton
  • Countless others; I have eclectic tastes. . . .

Favorite Movies:

  • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
  • Pink Floyd’s The Wall
  • Dr. Strangelove (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb)
  • The Exorcist
  • The Blues Brothers
  • Airplane!
  • The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine
  • The Abyss
  • countless others. . . .

Organ Donor: Absolutely

Creeds, Oaths, and Pledges Taken

I don’t make promises lightly, so the following creeds, oaths, and pledges that I have taken are especially important in my life. I seriously and solemnly attempt to live by each of them.

Apostles’ Creed

The Apostles’ Creed is among the earliest descriptions of the normative Christian faith, which has been spoken for two millennia as a sign or symbol of believers. As a Christian, I have professed this creed (in one of several English translations) since before I received the Sacrament of Baptism. Below is the English translation of the creed that appears in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.

Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed, a later and more detailed creed than the Apostles’ Creed, is the briefest complete synopsis of the normative Christian faith. It is a key part of the Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican liturgies, and is professed by millions upon millions of believers all around the world. In a sense, the Nicene Creed defines our faith. Those who believe what it says are Christians. Those who do not, are not.

I have professed this creed throughout my life as a Christian, and more completely and definitively upon entering into full communion with the Catholic Church. Below is the version of the creed that appears in in the official English translation of the Roman Catholic Missal.

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Profession of Full Communion

Upon entering into full communion with the Catholic Church, just before receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, I gave the following profession. This was an act of obedience to the church that Christ founded, one that he promised would endure without ever teaching error in matters of faith and morals. It indicates that I trust the church to teach, believe, and proclaim the truth.

I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church teaches, believes, and proclaims to be revealed by God.

Profession of Faith and Fidelity

In my role as a catechist in the Arlington Diocese of the Catholic Church, I give the following profession of faith and fidelity to the church each year.

I, Scott Bradford, with firm faith believe and profess each and everything that is contained in the Symbol of faith, [the Nicene Creed].

With firm faith, I also believe everything contained in the word of God, whether written or handed down in Tradition, which the Church, either by a solemn judgment or by the ordinary and universal Magisterium, sets forth to be believed as divinely revealed.

I also firmly accept and hold each and everything definitively proposed by the Church regarding teaching on faith and morals.

Moreover, I adhere with religious submission of will and intellect to the teachings which either the Roman Pontiff or the College of Bishops enunciate when they exercise their authentic Magisterium, even if they do not intend to proclaim these teachings by a definitive act.

Wedding Vows

Melissa and I entered into the Sacrament of Marriage in 2005 at Community of Faith United Methodist Church in Herndon, Virginia. At the time, we were both Methodists, and so we were married using the ceremony as laid-out in the United Methodist Hymnal. My vows to her, described below, are substantially similar to those in Catholic and other Christian ceremonies. As Baptized Methodists with no impediments to marriage, our marriage was presumptively valid and recognized by the Catholic Church when we entered into full communion.

Officiant:
Scott, will you have Melissa to be your wife,
to live together in holy marriage?
Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her,
in sickness and in health,
and forsaking all others, be faithful to her
as long as you both shall live?

Me:
I will.

[ . . . ]

Me:
In the name of God,
I, Scott, take you, Melissa, to be my wife,
to have and to hold
from this day forward,
for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish,
until we are parted by death.
This is my solemn vow.

[ . . . ]

Me:
Melissa, I give you this ring
as a sign of my vow,
and with all that I am,
and all that I have,
I honor you;
in the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.

U.S. Oath of Allegiance

As a natural born citizen of the United States of America, I have never been required to take any oath or affirmation of allegiance to my country. Those who wish to be naturalized, however, take the following oath of allegiance as part of the process of receiving citizenship. I voluntarily affirm my assent to the oath sworn by naturalized citizens.

I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.

U.S. Pledge of Allegiance

The Pledge of Allegiance is a pledge originally composed by Francis Bellamy in 1892. It was adopted by the United States Congress in 1942 and was most recently edited in 1954. The U.S. Flag Code states that the pledge “should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart.” The pledge is nonbinding. I assent to it voluntarily.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Scott Bradford has been putting his opinions on his website since 1995—before most people knew what a website was. He has been a professional web developer in the public- and private-sector for over twenty years. He is an independent constitutional conservative who believes in human rights and limited government, and a Catholic Christian whose beliefs are summarized in the Nicene Creed. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from George Mason University. He loves Pink Floyd and can play the bass guitar . . . sort-of. He’s a husband, pet lover, amateur radio operator, and classic AMC/Jeep enthusiast.