Grafted Ones

Die Birtherism, Die

2011-04-27T10:47:00.003-05:00

In honor of the one year anniversary...of my last post...here's a tidbit that should shut up a lot of annoying criticism of our president.

Birtherism, the belief that President Obama wasn't born in the USA, has at last been debunked. Obama has managed to clear up a big controversy and give himself a popularity boost when he is in dire need of it. If only his budget weren't dire as well...

True Believers will never be satisfied, no matter what Obama does, but the fact remains that his presidency is legitimate. And, as Ed Morrissey puts it, "maybe we can focus on all the ways Obama is failing as President."

One can hope.

Depraved

2010-04-27T19:36:00.004-05:00

Ready for a real downer? A homeless man puts his life on the line to help a woman being assaulted. He is stabbed and collapses in his pursuit of the attacker. Dozens of passersby do just that - pass by - without even calling 911. The man was not reached in time and died for his efforts.

A bit more uplifting is the interview bit afterward. The psychologist tries to make sense of the situation, but naturally misses the most logical explanation. He mentions a couple of possibilities:

1. Passerby Effect
2. Deferral of Responsibility
3. Desensitization to Violence

But misses that the heart is desperately wicked. Who can know it?

Apple Releases Another Ridiculous Gadget

2010-04-05T19:08:00.006-05:00

Many of Apple's devices have a lot of appeal. I admit that. In fact, I wouldn't mind owning an iPhone or iPod Touch some day when I'm independently wealthy. But this...this is just gimmicky. Let me count the reasons that iPad is not that great:

It's a weird size. It's not a laptop replacement, nor does it replace your iPod Touch (which, by the way, has similar screen space). It's more of a flashy, "Look what I can afford to buy from Apple" sort of device.
It's expensive. Only $499 my foot. Try $399 or $349, Apple.
It can't play flash or download programs that are not approved by Apple.
It has no specific purpose (that I've seen). Why should I buy it? (Besides "It's shiny and made by Apple," of course.)
And the list goes on.

I am sure there are numerous other features that I'll never know about. Then again, Apple has as much right as anyone to find a way to make some money as anyone. I still wish they had come up with something cooler.

Palette cleanser and clever analogy:

Thinking About Poetry

2010-03-14T10:30:00.006-05:00

During my time preparing to take the Literature in English GRE Subject Test in November 2009 (go here and here if you're hankering to study for this mammoth exam), I was forced to take time for poetry. True, I had read a few things here and there (some of Paradise Lost, for example) and I had had the good sense to write some poetry of my own (no comment on its general quality), but it was not until fall of last year was I forced to prove whether I believed poetry was as cool as I knew it was supposed to be.

It was.

While I still struggle to read enough poetry (I already struggle to read my Bible enough!), what I have read has enriched my mind.

Poetry, like asparagus and consumer math, is one of those things that you are supposed to enjoy, but don't particularly care for. "Let the literature people read poetry. I'll just...read a fantasy novel." While there is nothing wrong with a good fantasy novel (like this one I just read), digesting such a volume barely scratches the surface of what you can glean from reading.

What is the place of poetry in the life of a believer?

As a Means of Glorifying God. This is probably the most obvious to anyone who has been in a church long enough to notice the pattern of communion services. "Of course it should glorify God," you say. "Everything should." Does this mean that all poetry written by believers should be sacred? Does every poem about my struggles need to end in a moralizing expression linked directly to a Bible verse? While there's nothing wrong with such an expression, I don't believe it to be necessary for a poem to explicitly glorify the Maker of Language for it to glorify Him at all.

We know that God is a God of order (I Corinthians 14:40). Shall the creations of our hearts and minds not reflect that order?

A greater poet than I put it well when he wrote

I wish our clever young poets would remember my homely definitions of prose and poetry; prose—words in their best order; poetry—the best words in their best order.

— Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Table Talk (July 12, 1827)

One of the things that makes poetry as beautiful, as strange, as enjoyable, as disturbing, or as powerful as it is—is order.

As a Mode of Human Expression. Though you may consider the highest form of human expression to be creating new software code, I politely disagree. Poetry, to me at least, speaks more directly to and of the human condition than anything I know. As plumbing as a novel can be, there is something special about poetry that elevates it to one of the highest positions of art possible. Even poetic satires seem better than many of their prose counterparts.

I recall listening to my church's youth pastor deliver a message from a Psalm (I forget which one) where the Psalmist did not turn the initial expressions of exasperation and despair into a concluding positive message. One of the points that my friend drew out of the passage was this: God values sincere human expression. It makes sense: God loves us and understands what we are going through. Jesus Christ lived 33 years as an earthbound human being, so He would know!

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. — Hebrews 4:15 (ESV)

As a Means of Expanding your Brain. Let's face it, not all poetry is easy to understand. In point of fact, most of it will not jump off the page and decry its meaning to you and any innocent bystander.

Aside from warding off premature senility, reading poetry improves your ability to express your mind—to think! Just like knitting and playing first-person shooters, thinking is an activity which, if neglected, becomes difficult to successfully pick up on a whim. The more you do of it, the better you become.

Simply because a poem takes effort to digest does not mean that it is not worth that effort.

So next time you are assigned Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by Wallace Stevens as required reading, don't grumble. You may be able to find something interesting in a poem written by one of those Poet Individuals. Even a poem that is particularly bad may provide some instruction (i.e. what not to do).

While I do not consider myself fully initiated into the ways of poetry consumption, I do believe that poetry is worth the time. For Christians poetry is a means of glorifying God, expressing human feelings, and expanding our brains. I still have much thinking to do on this matter before I can consider my ideas on this matter fully formed, but until then, I not planning on dropping the poetic ball. Or pen.

A Few Poetry Resources:
The Art and Craft of Poetry
Poetry Writing Tips
Wikisource

Reveling in the Simplicity of Reducing ObamaCare to Ridicule

2010-02-26T20:52:00.008-06:00

Once you get past the vagueness of the bill, you are faced with financial disaster, as Republican Rep. Paul Ryan pointed out very effectively at the recent Bipartisan White House Summit:

I love that video.

For a few of the more humorous moments of the Summit, take a peak at the videos in this article. All I can say is, very smooth, Mr. President.

A New Definition of Homeschooling

2010-02-23T15:32:00.003-06:00

Well, not technically, but discovering that a Philadelphia school actually gave out laptops with school-controlled webcams in them does make you wonder.

Blake Robbins and his 18-year-old sister both attend Harriton High School and were among the 2,300 students in the district to receive the Apple laptops. All students and their parents had to sign a “memorandum of understanding” to take the laptops home with wording that explained the rules and regulations that came along with the computers. The paperwork did not include the disclosure that the school district had the ability to remotely activate the embedded webcams at any time, without student’s permission.

Last November, Blake Robbins was called to the office by the vice principal to talk about what she called his “improper behavior” at home. Vice Principal Lindy Matsko allegedly cited as evidence a photograph taken with the computer’s webcam that had been activated in Blake’s bedroom. Robbins claims that the Matsko accused him of selling drugs when she saw him holding up what she believed to be pills. The 15-year-old says he was simply holding his favorite candy, “Mike And Ikes,” which are small oblong, chewy jelly beans.

Anyone for some real homeschooling?

October & November Random URLs

2009-12-04T10:50:00.004-06:00

We begin with a very interesting article on a California measure to ban divorce. The video attached is a definite watcher. Divisive or wise?

Groan aloud with me as I remind you that Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize for...something. Still unsure for exactly what. Perhaps he averted some war we don't know about yet.

A friend of mine was selected to write the conservative viewpoint on Obamacare. The liberal viewpoint may be found here.

I conclude with a cartoon highlighting one of HotAir's Obamaturisms of the Day:

Poem of the Day: The Alter by George Herbert

2009-11-10T17:03:00.002-06:00

The Altar
by George Herbert

A broken Altar, Lord, thy servant rears,
Made of a heart, and cemented with tears:
Whose parts are as thy hand did frame;
No workman's tool hath touched the same.
A Heart alone
Is such a stone,
As nothing but
Thy pow'r doth cut.
Wherefore each part
Of my hard heart
Meets in this frame,
To praise thy name:
That if I chance to hold my peace,
These stones to praise thee may not cease.
O let thy blessed Sacrifice be mine,
And sanctify this Altar to be thine.

Dictionary of Desperation

2009-09-23T09:20:00.002-05:00

While arguing with George Stephanopoulos about taxes and the auto industry, President Obama drops this gem:

OBAMA: George, the fact that you looked up Merriam’s Dictionary, the definition of tax increase, indicates to me that you’re stretching a little bit right now. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gone to the dictionary to check on the definition.

I love Obama’s reasoning here. "Because you looked up something in the dictionary, you’re stretching. If you weren’t stretching…you wouldn’t have looked up something in the dictionary."

He makes no effort at refutation.

When I was in debate, definitions were absolutely necessary to having a clean and effective round. But for liberals, confusion is not a bane but a tool. Or so it often seems.

And while we're talking about Obama and his amazing policies, here are two articles that discuss the wonders of socialized health care. Hot Air's take includes Canada's failures. World View Times gives an amusing list of the "reforms" Obama has already had a hand in, including health care changes.

In This College Useful Knowledge

2009-09-22T08:58:00.003-05:00

This is a must watch. It had me in stitches, even though it's a bit sobering. (These places are accredited???) Anyway, makes me glad I don't have to put up with professors that don't know the answer to basic history questions.

Make sure you stay through to the end. The last 30 seconds or so contains one of the best interviews.

In this college,
Useful knowledge
Ev'rywhere one finds,
And already,
Growing steady,
We've enlarged our minds.

Happiness is the Lord

2009-08-26T11:15:00.001-05:00

"... yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord." - Psalm 144:15

This is something that has been on my mind of late.

Can anyone who is saved truly be sad? Tragedy is inherent in this world - but even if loved ones pass away or cause us pain, will not happiness return? God is always there; our griefs are not.

You may think, "Well, easy for him to say that. He hasn't been through the mess I'm in!" And that may be true. In fact, it probably is. After all, I'm only 19. But if what I am saying is true, then my experience (and yours) does not matter. Let me say that again: Human experience does not change truth. Philosophers may disagree, but I cannot see how truth can be what it is if it is defined by human experience, something malleable and emotional - exactly what truth is not.

But let's examine a bit of that truth:

But the righteous shall be glad;
they shall exult before God;
they shall be jubilant with joy! (Psalm 68:3, ESV)

This is a theme that runs throughout the Bible. Do right, you will be blessed. Do wrong, you will be miserable. That does not mean that riches and comfort are for the righteous, or that the wicked will never prosper temporarily. Blessing is not riches and comfort - not in the fullest sense. How simpleminded of us it would be to decree that we are blessed simply because we have all the comforts Americans hold dear! That is nothing - nothing compared to what we have in God. The problem is remembering that.

In Job 7:7, the title character of that history said:

Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath;
my eyes will never see happiness again. (ESV)

But they did. He was happy again. His outbursts, though very poetic, did not take into account that God works wonders for all of us, weather today, tomorrow, or years ahead.

Perhaps I should back up and examine this on a smaller scale.

After reading a tragedy, rather than feeling depressed for the rest of the day, I feel cleansed. In the literary world, they call that catharsis. Wikipedia, Knower of All Earthly Things, puts it this way:

The term in drama refers to a sudden emotional climax that evokes overwhelming feelings of great sorrow, pity, laughter or any other extreme change in emotion, resulting in restoration, renewal and revitalization in members of the audience.

But the renewal and revitalization that I am talking about does not spring simply from well-deployed literary devices. There is a joy that cannot be garnered from books or plays or music, though those things certainly offer glimpses of it. They point to a better joy - one had through obedience to and love of God. Once we are saved, we have the greatest happiness on earth.

But even that happiness is not the end. We would be fools to think that the joy we know now on account of our salvation to be the end product of Christ's sacrifice. If the blessings of music and reading point us towards the blessings of salvation on earth, then the joy of being saved today points us towards the ultimate Joy. That is, being in the presence of God.

See what I mean? Sure, griefs will touch us, and the fleeting pleasures afforded by earthly things will inflate us occasionally, but the real joy of our lives is something much more stable. Who is more stable than God?

Remember the kids' song, "Happiness is the Lord"? I always remember liking this one as a 12-year-old. Looking at it again, I can see why:

Happiness is to know the Savior,
Living a life within His favor,
Having a change in my behavior,
Happiness is the Lord.

Happiness is a new creation,
Jesus and me in close relation,
Having a part in His salvation,
Happiness is the Lord.

Real joy is mine, no matter if teardrops start;
I've found the secret, it's Jesus in my heart!

Happiness is to be forgiven,
Living a life that's worth the living,
Taking a trip that leads to Heaven,
Happiness is the Lord,
Happiness is the Lord,
Happiness is the Lord!

Musing of the Day

2009-08-13T10:27:00.002-05:00

If health care is a right, who can be denied for any type of care? Can the eldery claim their right to health care and demand some cancer treatment instead of "end of life counselling?"

2009-08-11T17:20:00.002-05:00

Let's listen to other people's ideas...as long as they agree with mine! This is a classic President Obama speech, embodying equally classic liberal ideals:

Doesn't it give you a warm feeling inside?

Beacon of Governmental Benevolence Encounters Trouble

2009-08-07T18:35:00.005-05:00

That's right, the very model of that wonderful socialism we're learning about first-hand has a little problem. You could say their economy is in the toilet.

Cuba is running short on toilet paper supplies for its people. Some interesting nuggets from the article:

"Cuba both imports toilet paper and produces its own, but does not currently
have enough raw materials to make it, he said."

"Cuba imports about 60 percent of its food."

Surely there must be some intrepid entrepreneurs who love to make toilet paper and work the rich Cuban farmland...oh wait...nevermind. Oh yeah, Communism.

"Despite the shortages, prices will be cut between 5 percent and 27 percent for
some food, drugs and personal hygiene products, officials said.

A visit to a store in Havana's Vedado neighborhood on Friday found that prices had
dropped for mayonnaise, barbecue sauce and canned squid."

Wouldn't easier access to mayonnaise, BBQ sauce and canned squid compound the the toilet paper problem?

"Cubans receive a subsidized food ration from the government each month that
they say meets their needs for about two weeks."

Well what good is simple math, anyway? Let's just assume two weeks of food is enough for a month.

"Cuba has long blamed the 47-year-old U.S. trade embargo against the island for
many of its economic problems."

Of course. No other country produces toilet paper?

"President Raul Castro told the National Assembly last week that the government
had cut its spending budget for the second time this year and has been
renegotiating its debt and payments with foreign providers.

Castro, who
replaced his ailing older brother Fidel Castro as president last year, also has
complained that Cuba's productivity is too low.

He has taken various
steps to boost output, including putting more state-owned land in private hands
and pushing for salaries to be based on productivity. "

Hopefully this is the beginning of an awakening, Raul. And for Obama as well. That is, if they actually had the good of their people in mind.

My point of highlighting this article is of course to show that liberals' utopian dreams of communism are a fraud. If only they could see this case study - and every single other Communist example - and come to a position of honesty about what is good for societies.

Best View Interview

2009-08-04T16:30:00.003-05:00

This is a must watch: Michelle Malkin on The View. I was quite impressed by how she handles the ladies around her. She determines to be the voice of reason (and to have a voice at all), and succeeds entirely.

I love some of the faces the other ladies make when Ms. Malkin makes her best points.

Hope and Change busted.

The Sudden Appeal to Jesus

2009-08-03T15:48:00.008-05:00

The left loves to ivoke Jesus Christ whenever they try to shove some disastrous piece of legislation down our throats. If it's not illegal immigration or massive stimuli, it's health care. They do it because, you know, they're loving and compassionate like Jesus is (or as they would say, as Jesus was.)

Behold the latest theological nugget from Bill Day:

Jesus indeed spent time among the sick and healed them, but they fail to realize that He didn't overburden other people's lives in order to do it, as heavy taxes will. His health care truly was free.

Anyone who truly knows liberalism will realize that rationing of health care and denying care to "undesirables" are inevitable. They should ask Jesus which people to deny healthcare to because they want to "save money." (Remember, the only time our government actually wants to save money is when by spending it will save people.) While they're at it, they should also ask Jesus how many abortions to fund; think He will jump on board for that?

This piece of garbage legislation is not about love. Never was, never will be. It's about government control. When overwhelming evidence proves socialized medicine to be an absolute failure everywhere it's tried, and when it proves current American health care to be the best in the world - bar none - liberals' attempts to socialize our medicine should be seen right through and realized for the power grab it is.

The Devil Made Her Do It?

2009-07-27T09:17:00.009-05:00

Unspeakable evil was committed in San Antonio recently when a mother murdered her three-week old. This wasn't your standard baby killing either, with a drowning in a river or a throw-away into a dumpster. This one included...

Repeated stabbing, skin flaying, disembowling, decapitation, mutilation and of course, supposed cannibalizing some of the baby's body parts. The mother then stabbed herself a couple times for good measure and called the police on herself. She admitted to the crime and said she wanted to die, and that she was hearing voices.

Did the devil make her do it? Several Biblical accounts of demon possession caused otherwise sane people to do some pretty insane things until the power of the Holy Spirit healed them through Christ and the apostles. Would the devil and his minions retire from this occcupation simply because the sin of humanity was paid for by the Son? Well, if you are an amillenialist you may think so because you believe the devil is already bound.

Another child murder due to assumed satanic persuasion passed through the news not too long ago (I can't seem to recover the link) and the stories are too common if searched for.

And to open a great can of worms, why can't this woman claim abortion? Three weeks prior to this murder the mother could have found legal ways to "terminate" the "unwanted pregnancy." I believe the pro abortion crowd has no right to get angry over a story like this because only a handful of days earlier they would be in support for the mother's "right" to kill the baby, er..."fetus." Does a mere passage of a few inches through a vaginal canal, point A to point B, suddenly make this baby a person?

Update: The mother ate the baby's brain and then sliced her own throat. Wonderful.

Update 2: So now it appears that the mother has a history of mental illness. However, do you think that this could be a case of demonic influence or possession? In many parts of the world, people are definitely more ready to attribute evil to spirits or to the devil. In America we have diagnosed everything away as mentall illness; we Christians also do this even when others act similarly to the demon-possessed individuals in the Bible.

Executive Fly Execution

2009-06-18T13:14:00.003-05:00

Who said President Obama was against capital punishment? At least, that's what PETA's attitude towards the act is. What act? During an interview, Obama swatted and killed a fly. Oh, no! At least PETA did concede that Obama "isn't the Buddha, he's a human being," something that the media may also accept, given enough time and provokation.

If on nothing else, I'm behind President Obama all the way on this issue. He and I are both firmly pro-bug-execution.

By the way, I love how everyone on set gushes over his hand-eye coordination.

Random URLs From March through May

2009-06-15T08:29:00.003-05:00

After a few months of...less activity, I have collected a number of URLs which I have meant to turn into blog articles. The time for that has passed for most of these. Rather than creating a number of discrete articles, I will publish them together.

Here's something from back in March. Pro-abortion groups simply cannot stand having pro-life license plates floating around. How DARE people express that life begins at conception wherever they go?

And another golden Obama moment...

The Citizens' Briefing Book gave me some pleasure. HotAir called it the laugh of the day. It is Obama's attempt to look like he has the same agenda of the people. If only he did!

Lastly, my favorite forum, the InstantCert Forum, deserves a link. It is a place where people discuss non-tradition methods of obtaining college degrees.

Creepy but Cool Technological Innovations

2009-06-01T22:10:00.001-05:00

Microsoft excels itself - for once.

Saying No to the DFL

2009-05-25T11:47:00.003-05:00

I found this story extremely inspiring.

Like most states, Minnesota has been facing a huge budget shortfall -- an estimated $4.6 billion over two years. These dire financial straits didn't deter the DFL-controlled legislature (the DFL is Minnesota's chapter of the Democratic Party), which got to work on big new spending bills. Included were not just the usual increases in appropriations but gems like $1.2 million in grants for TV and film producers and $200,000 for a youth environmental education program. Recession? What recession?

To fill in the hole they'd blown in the upcoming fiscal budget the DFL then proceeded to float every tax hike known to Garrison Keillor. A short list: A new top income tax rate of 9% (the fourth highest in the nation); across-the-board income tax increases; sales taxes on Internet downloads; the end of the local property tax cap (enacted only last year); alcohol taxes; cigarette taxes; eliminating the deduction for an organ donation (no joke); and killing the home mortgage interest deduction.

Throughout this spectacle, Mr. Pawlenty kept voicing three simple principles. "Number one, we must have [because of the constitution] and should have a balanced budget," he told me. "Number two, the state government needs to live within its means, just like everybody else. Number three, we shouldn't raise taxes in the worst recession in 60 years." Minnesota already has one of the highest tax burdens in the nation.

The DFL wasn't listening. As the clock wound down (the session ended at midnight this past Monday), the legislature sent Mr. Pawlenty one large spending bill after another. The assumption was he'd veto them, be forced to call a special session, and then be negotiated into tax hikes. That's when the governor got Minnesota nice.

Upon receiving the last spending bill, he announced that he would exercise the power of "unallotment," which has been on the books since 1939 and which has been used four times. Under it, the governor is allowed to "unallot" (take away) any state spending for which there is no money to pay. Panicked, the DFL passed tax legislation to cover its blowout spending bills, 10 minutes before the session's end. Too late. The governor said he'd veto the bill and would not be calling back the legislature to do any more mischief.

Go Pawlenty! Mr. Pawlenty just went up in my book. His determination to thwart ridiculous Democratic spending is admirable. Really, though, hiking spending on film grants??? Do films even represent a part of the arts anymore? (That's a whole other discussion.) Two hundred thousand dollars for a youth environmental program? Puhlease.

Anyway, this is worth sharing with Democrats and Republicans alike. Anyone who appreciates governmental responsibility should laud Pawlenty's actions.

Entrepreneur in for Rude Awakening

2009-05-18T16:48:00.005-05:00

What would you do if you were an atheist possibly anticipating the rapture? Well, capitalize on it, of course!

The man claims he has read the entire "Left Behind" series, so I wonder if he has some nagging fears in the back of his mind.

And speaking of the rapture, this was e-mailed to me recently. Make sure your sound is on:

The Latest Offering From "Science"

2009-05-18T05:02:00.005-05:00

They really do think we will swallow anything! (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

"The mysterious disappearance of Neanderthals about 30,000 years ago has baffled scientists for centuries.
But now, according to a leading fossil expert, it seems the race may have met a rather grisly end. They were eaten by our ancestors, the modern humans."

Anything to keep the evolution ship sailing, huh? Since activist 'scientists' can't find any evidence to support their theories (a.k.a. whatever they can invent to avoid recognizing a creator of the universe,) they have to come up with any unreasonable stretch they can.

And all of this based on markings on one 'neanderthal's' jawbone. And the obligatory striking social commentary:

"The cuts to the bone are similar to those left on those of deer and other animals butchered by humans in the Stone Age." (Emphasis mine)

Maybe Obama will issue an apology on behalf of all humanity for its atrocious treatment of ancient animals and cavemen.

Still Biased

2009-05-04T13:45:00.002-05:00

I'm shocked — surprised — horrified!

Well, not really.

When one finds a concrete report from the Pew Research that the media's coverage of Obama is substantially more positive than their coverage of both Bush and Clinton, one hardly finds reason for more than a shrug.

The obvious slant of the media is exasperating, but we can remember that the truth is out there nonetheless. It is our duty to share it.

Fail Blog

2009-05-04T09:15:00.001-05:00

Home of ironic and downright funny pictures and movies, the Fail Blog records people's blunders excellently.

You will probably garner more pleasure from browsing the G-Rated fails only, however.

When all is drear, it is comforting to know, there is always someone with less common sense than you.

To the left is a prime example of the sort of failures the Fail Blog captures so well.

No Hope, Just Change

2009-03-17T16:30:00.000-05:00

This advertisement comes from about a month ago:

Another way to attempt to grasp the gravity of the Stimulus Bill is to take a glance at this handy series of illustrations.

Obamacare

2009-03-12T14:40:00.001-05:00

Shudder.

Apart from the feelings induced by the words Universal Healthcare, we can see very logical and disinterested reasons for shunning what has been dubbed as Obamacare. The article I linked to takes the top ten reasons sited for Universal Healthcare and rips them apart.

This comes in direct opposition to the following quote I read in my government text:

“Americanism means the virtues of courage, honor, justice, truth, sincerity, and hardihood—the virtues that made America. The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living and the get-rich-quick theory of life.” (Emphasis mine.)

Theodore Roosevelt was more than right.

And while we're discussing things that are somewhat creepy...take a glance at this.

Best Firefox Add-Ons

2009-03-03T10:33:00.007-06:00

The Top 10 Firefox Add-Ons

10. Abduction!

This handy extension allows you to save internet pages as JPEG picture files.

9. Stylish

Stylish allows you to customize various aspects of the look of Firefox.

8. Facebook Toolbar

As wary as I am of Facebook, this toolbar allows the user to edit his status through Firefox without actually going on Facebook, among other things.

7. Greasemonkey

The main function of this add-on is showing you if a book on Amazon is available at your library.

6. Customize Google

Of all of this extension's functions, its ability to remove annoying Google ads is the best.

5. PDF Download

PDF Download allows you to choose what you want to do with PDF files in almost every case. No more waiting for a PDF to load in your browser before saving it. You can download it directly with this add-on.

4. Download Helper

This add-on allows you to select anything on the page free to download, notably YouTube movies.

3. ForecastFox

This weather toolbar gives you today's temperature, tomorrow's forecast, and a mini radar.

2. ProCon

Meant as protection for children against bad websites, ProCon may also be used simply as a profanity filter. The built-in list removes bad words from any websites you may stumble across (mainly nasty comments on Blogs and such), and replaces them with "***" or whatever you would like.

1. Adblock Plus

Three cheers for Adblock Plus, the ultimate add-on. Not only does it block annoying (or obsene) advertisements, but it allows you to block pictures which, though not advertising, still bother you. Firefox struck gold with this extension.

Did God Limit Himself in Christ?

2009-03-03T07:54:00.015-06:00

Biblical Repository and Classical Review, published in 1835, contains a detailed explanation of various old heresies:

The common apprehension of Sabellianism has been, that is removes all distinction of personality or hypostasis in the Godhead; and that it considers Father, Son and Holy Ghost to be mere name of the Godhead under one and the same person...

Is Sabellianism the answer to my question today? That question is this: If God is infinite, how could He limit Himself in the person of Christ? If Sabellianism were true, then God never became a separate person; He either disguised Himself as Jesus or sent a good man to play the part. I believe both possibilities are ridiculous.

Before continuing, however, we must realize that the question we are presented with today is a loaded question. It is best broken down into three smaller questions:

❁ Is God infinite?
❁ Is it possible to limit Himself and still be God? (And what does “limit” mean?)
❁ Did He limit Himself in the person of Christ?

1. Is God infinite? Yes. Lewis Sperry Chafer’s Systematic Theology says that “God transcends all limitations which time or space impose.” We can see this depicted in Scripture: I Kings 8:27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!”

2. Is it possible to limit Himself and still be God? According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, to limit means “to confine within bounds; set a limit to; restrict; curb.” According to that definition, no, God cannot be limited by anything. He is infinite and transcendent. Job asks a similar question with the same answer: Job 11:7 “Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?”

3. Did God limit Himself in the person of Christ? God the Father certainly didn’t—but what about Christ? I must answer: No. Christ was still 100% God when He became 100% man.

A theological definition of the incarnation may be found in Lewis Sperry Chafer’s Systematic Theology: a method “whereby a member of the Godhead is entering permanently into the human family and becoming part of it—” Chafer also notes that Christ “was from all eternity. From the standpoint of fact, then, humanity was only added to Deity.” I note that the adding of humanity did not alter or mutate Christ’s Deity.

Christ chose to descend from His high place; God sent Him to become man on our behalf (Galatians 4:4, 5 “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”).

Though Jesus was tempted (Matt. 4), He subjected His will to the Father’s—then and ultimately: Matthew 26:39 “He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’ ”

He was made low for a time but was raised to Glory in heaven, where He is today: Hebrews 2:9 “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.”

In conclusion, God, who is infinite, did not limit Himself in the person of Christ since Christ's Deity was not changed when He became man. Humanity was added to Deity when our Savior was born.

Perhaps Athanasius, early champion of orthodoxy, put it best: “He became what we are that he might make us what he is.” He did not come to make us God, but to make us holy—and that is the focus of our lives.

Global Warming - Facts, Fears, & Fiction

2009-02-23T18:30:00.000-06:00

An Original Oratory - By Riley Pritchett

“Good morning for December 12, 2050. It looks like another hot day with temperatures reaching about 95 degrees. Meanwhile Hurricane Lou is dumping up to 12 inches of rain on parts of the South and Southwest. And it looks like no part of the nation will have a white Christmas this year—our long-range forecast says the temperature will be in the 90s right up through New Year’s Day.” This excerpt from the civics text, American Government: Principles and Practices, hardly paints a bright future for the next generation—and certainly not a cooler one.

Though no one wants to ruin God’s creation for future partakers, many do question the entire movement behind stories such as this. During the next few minutes, I would like to scratch the surface on what has become a very hot topic in today’s world—no pun intended. Global Warming has been called “the most severe problem that we are facing today, more serious even than the threat of terrorism” by some and “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people” by others. Who is right?

Today, I will share the skeptic’s perspective on this issue (by examining what global warming advocates believe, if what they believe is true, and whether it would be terrible if it were true).

In the midst of all the debate, it is easy to lose sight of exactly what is being argued.

(1.) What do global warming advocates believe? Perhaps the greatest supposition they make is that there is a “consensus” on climate change. Al Gore on “The Today Show” described global warming skeptics—specifically manmade global warming skeptics—with these words, “I think that those people are in such a tiny, tiny minority with their point of view. They’re almost like the ones who still believe the moon landing was staged in a movie lot in Arizona and those who believe the earth is flat. That demeans them a little bit, but it’s not that far off.”

Really? What about the Global Warming Petition Project exhorting the U.S. Senate to take a conservative approach on climate change? The Petition Project, “organized by a group of physicists and physical chemists who conduct scientific research at several American scientific institutions,” has been signed by over 31,000 American scientists (9,000 of which are PhDs), dwarfing the number of United Nation scientists that work on the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Besides the modern attitude of many towards global warming—that it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt and anyone to say otherwise is simply a member of an ignorant minority—failing to believe in climate change may even seem callous. Joe Lieberman, former vice-presidential candidate, said that “Today, we can see with our own eyes what global warming is doing. In that context it becomes truly irresponsible, if not immoral, for us not to do something.” How can we argue with that?

Many have chosen to simply not argue: According to a survey on fightglobalwarming.com, “Seven out of ten Americans surveyed believe that global warming is probably happening.” Nowadays, global warming has become a favorable policy plank of most politicians. Who’d want to vote for someone who would stunt actions that may save the world, even if it did cost billions of dollars?

(2.) Well, are they right? Will global warming shortly consume our planet? To answer this, we will first delve deep into the history of the earth’s climate, applying it to our current situation. Edmund Burke once noted that, “People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors.”

A Harvard University team examined “temperature proxies” such as tree rings, ice cores and historical accounts, showing convincingly that “a Medieval Warm Period occurred between the 9th and 14th centuries, followed by a Little Ice Age beginning around 1300”—we are coming out of a cold period; any recent warming has failed to top that of the Middle Ages. Other scientists studied similar records with identical results. In fact, according to meteorologist and climate researcher David Dilley of globalweathercycles.com, new research suggests that we have already entered the first stage of global cooling.

Scientist Roy W. Spenser, in his book, Climate Confusion, says that “science isn’t about winning debates, or taking a vote, or forming a consensus. The climate system is, or is not, sensitive to mankind’s greenhouse gas emissions.” Let’s examine this further.

Climate change advocates maintain that man is emitting too much carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, thus increasing the power of the greenhouse effect. This traps heat in the earth’s atmosphere, melting icebergs, endangering polar bears, and damaging the parka industry.

But this view of how weather works ignores something. Roy Spenser further notes that it is water vapor that “accounts for about 70 percent to 90 percent of the Earth’s natural greenhouse effect.” This leaves other gases, such as CO2 in the remaining 10 to 30 percent. How much of that 10 to 30 percent does mankind control? According to the Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism, only 3% of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere is actually manmade.

Man’s role in the weather is incredibly small. Our earth is warmed by the sun and cooled by infrared radiation. Carbon dioxide is one of many variables. In fact, research suggests that there is a far closer correlation between temperature and solar activity than between temperature and carbon dioxide.

Yet all of this fuss assumes that global warming will have dire consequences. (3.) Exactly what is wrong with the earth getting warmer?

Many things are conveniently blamed on global warming—everything from the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis to the collapse of gingerbread houses in Sweden to decline of the woodlice population to inflation in China.

The twist is that an increased supply of the perpetrator of these woes—carbon dioxide—is actually good for the environment. According to The Petition Project’s article, Environmental Effects of Increased Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide: “We are living in an increasingly lush environment of plants and animals as a result of this CO2 increase. Our children will therefore enjoy an Earth with far more plant and animal life than that with which we now are blessed.” This is a distinct possibility. After all, plants thrive on carbon dioxide, meaning the more carbon dioxide there is, the more that plants will thrive.

Climate variability will always be a reality as it always has been. A warmer earth had no ill consequences during the Middle Ages (on the contrary, it was a time of great agricultural prosperity)—melting icecaps didn’t flood the world 700 years ago: why should today be any different?

Well, where does this leave us? I hope that now you may have a better idea of why global warming skeptics believe what they do. Being informed on this issue will help you to better respond to those who have put faith in climate change’s alarmist science.

Gently remind others that not everyone concurs with what is depicted as the majority point of view—remember the Petition Project, signed by over 31,000 American scientists. Question man’s place in the weather cycle—how can we say that we are affecting the weather when we produce only 3 percent of carbon dioxide, which in turn is less than 10 to 30 percent of all greenhouse gases?

The bottom line is that massive actions urged by global warming advocates need to be motivated by factual research, not hysteria.

So, every time a global warming convention is canceled due to too much snow—as happens all too often—you can recall that global cooling alarmism, all the rage back in the 70s, may again become fashionable. So, I wouldn’t rush over to the department store to buy some extra shorts. Not yet.

Bibliography

Turner, Mary Jane, et al. American Government: Principles and Practices. Columbus, OH: Merrill Publishing, 1991. P. 427.

King, David (UK government chief scientific adviser). January 2004. Accessed 2008, http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Global_warming

Inhofe, James M. (Oklahoma Senator), speech in U.S. Senate, July 28, 2003. Accessed 2008.
http://www.notable-quotes.com/g/global_warming_quotes.html

CBS News Video. March 27, 2008. Lesley Stahl’s interview with Al Gore on 60 Minutes. Accessed August 4, 2008. http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3974505n
A transcription of relevant quote may be found at the following link (Accessed August 5, 2008): www.usatoday.com/news/mmemmottpdf/gore-on-60-minutes-3-27-2008.pdf

The Global Warming Petition Project. Accessed 2008 and January 12, 2009
http://www.petitionproject.org/gwdatabase/GWPP/Frequently_Asked_Questions.html

Lieberman, Joe. BrainyQuote.com. Accessed January 12, 2009
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/joelieberm175646.html

Fight Global Warming, National Survey on Global Warming Summary of Findings: Feb. 27-March 2, 2006, http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/content.cfm?contentID=5118, accessed 2008

Burke, Edmund (1729-1792), Observations on a Publication, ‘The present state of the nation’. Quote found in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, Second Edition (Oxford University Press, Amen House, London, 1953), p. 102

Robert Matthews, Science Correspondent for The UK Telegraph, April 5, 2003 “Middle Ages were warmer than today, say scientists” accessed September 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1426744/Middle-Ages-were-warmer-than-today-say-scientists.html

Spencer, Roy W. Climate Confusion. New York, New York: Encounter Books, 2008. Pp. 45, 48-52

A complete list of things caused by global warming (with links to articles). NumberWatch. Accessed December 9, 2008. http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/warmlist.htm

Environmental Effects of Increased Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide. Copyright 1998-2008 © OISM (Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine). The Global Warming Petition Project. Accessed 2008.
http://www.oism.org/pproject/s33p36.htm

Red Envelopes

2009-02-19T13:05:00.004-06:00

Have a few red envelopes lying around? I think I have found the perfect use for them.

The idea is to address an empty red envelope to the White House...

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Washington , D.C. 20500

...And write this on the back:

This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception.

Give us hope, Obama. Change.

Revelation: The Basis of Faith

2009-02-19T12:03:00.001-06:00

An Atheist wrote the following:

This dosnt r[eal]ly work for me[.] u see becuz I explained myself why I find believing in a specific god a waste of time. There are 2 many possible gods. And even if there is 1, who is to say he doesnt punish Christians just for being Christians? Or sends u to a very unpleasant place becuz u dont lie and kill and becuz u believe in him? Maybe he doesnt want to be believed in. [...] I dont see why would one automatically assume if there is a god, he must be kind and just. So if its fear that drives u 2 believe u should be equally afraid for believing.

Should we? The fact is, that if the God I believe in exists, I know He very much wants our love. The Bible explains it.

One problem with all this debate is that you who are Atheists/Agnostics are searching for tangible human proof that creation is plausible -- that God exists. The fact is, that's not how God operates. (When I speak of God, I speak of Jehovah God of the Old and New Testaments.) He calls on us to believe in Him, not based on how much we know about the nature of the world, but on our willingness to accept that we are sinners and that He, great and perfect, has mercifully cloven a path through the rocks of sin. Christ, His son who is also God (it is not something human reason understands alone), died for us because He loved us.

Christianity agrees with science, and is, in point of fact, the progenitor of science. (Frances Bacon, Robert Fulton, Isaac Newton, Galileo, Albert Einstein, all believe in God. Some said explicitly that the reason for the study of the universe was to discover more of God's nature.)

Definition of science (Webster’s New World Dictionary): n. “2. systematized knowledge derived from observation, study, and experimentation carried on in order to determine the nature or principles of what is being studied” (This said, science is still fallible, coming from fallible man as it does.)

C. S. Lewis said in his book Surprised by Joy (the account of his conversion from Atheism to Christianity): "The universe rings true wherever you fairly test it." What do we see in the observation of the universe? Order and design: Romans 1:20-21 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened."

This is supported by I Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

This said, only Christianity provides an explanation that makes sense. As Susan Schaeffer Macaulay wrote, “What Christianity holds true agrees with what I already know as a human being.”

Because an Atheist has no hope of eternity, he sees the world better than it is since it is all there would be for him. This can be compared to two soldiers. One, about to go on leave, talked to a comrade who was not about to. Would not the latter believe conditions will improve more than the former? (An Atheist's view of the worlds is not objective since he has no other hope but it. Thus ideas of evolution, social perfection, and the like.)

What would a “perfect” atheist world, untainted by religion look like? Would anyone have reason to do good? Romans 7:5 “For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.” Doesn’t sound like the makings of utopia, does it? Because man is sinful, any hope of a better world is impossible without intervention.

Paul bests sums up atheists’ position in II Timothy 3:7 “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

British Agree to Place Koran Above "Common" Books

2009-02-18T12:30:00.001-06:00

Pander! Again the British show their propensity towards selecting a state religion.

Librarians are being told to move the Bible to the top shelf to avoid giving offence to followers of Islam.

Muslims have complained of finding the Koran on lower shelves, saying it should be put above commonplace things.

So officials have responded with guidance, backed by ministers, that all holy books should be treated equally and go on the top shelf together.

This means that Christian works, which also have immense historical and literary value, will be kept out of the reach and sight of many readers.

This is not the first time something like this has happened. Borders Books has caved in the same manner as the British libraries.

This has nothing to do with sensitivity; it’s all about pure, simple fear. If a Christian group complained to Borders about Bibles being placed on a bottom shelf, they would be laughed out of the room. But when Muslims do the same thing, Borders institutes a store-wide policy. The difference? The implicit or explicit threats of violence that accompany the latter.

No religion claims as much raw "fear-power" as Islam. Who would fear a religion like Christianity, which commands to "turn the other cheek" and become involved in only righteous causes?

Google Makes a Choice

2009-02-12T22:36:00.003-06:00

Two famous birthdays today. Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin, both born on this day 200 years ago!

Which one did Google choose to celebrate? Or, which one did they choose not to celebrate? Well, of course they went with...Charles Darwin!

At least they could have done a side-by-side graphic celebrating both men, but you can't have anything, how should we put it...American representing your website, now can you?

It is obvious to those who have quaffed no Kool-aid that liberals (as the folks at Google most certainly are) hate freedom, (let's play liberals' favorite game) but do they hate the freedoms President Lincoln brought to the slaves? Why does Google hate black people!?

A Small But Important Speech

2009-02-12T20:54:00.002-06:00

This is an excellent presentation by a young lady who knows the truth about abortion:

I hope she continues to develop her speech skills.

Four Years Yet

2009-02-11T15:00:00.000-06:00

Ignorance is bliss. Obama, aside from lying about what Republicans are doing and shifting some facts about the past to his own advantage, has decided the stimulus is without pork. Even the AP sees that something is wrong.

President Obama's claim that the stimulus bill contains no pork is almost as ridiculous as his insistence that Republicans want to "do nothing" about the economic situation we find ourselves in.

We have four more years of this. At least we will be entertained in the meanwhile.

Evil Siren Brought to Holy Justice

2009-02-11T05:55:00.003-06:00

So says our kind little friend Sharia law. Another day, another woman gang-raped in Saudia Arabia - jail time and a floggin' to ensue. These stories are getting way too common. No doubt the events have been plentiful for centuries, but the reporting on them seems to grow, at least.

Let's run down the glorious list of Islamic values, shall we?

A non-married woman charged with adultery...check!
Rapist men (who probably are married) getting off free and easy...check!
A victim of a horrible crime being punished for being a victim...check!

That'll teach her! Seriously, Islam continues to show itself as the backward, satanic religion it is.

Indulgences: Get 'em while they're Hot!

2009-02-09T21:33:00.005-06:00

In the continuing spirit of history repeating, the Roman Catholic church has unearthed a classic: indulgences.

"You cannot buy one — the church outlawed the sale of indulgences in 1567 — but
charitable contributions, combined with other acts, can help you earn one."

In other words, you can buy one.

"There is a limit of one plenary indulgence per sinner per day."

Well then, don't spend them all in one place!

"Getting Catholics back into confession, in fact, was one of the motivations for
reintroducing the indulgence. In a 2001 speech, Pope John Paul described the
newly reborn tradition as "a happy incentive" for confession."

I suppose when a large part of your religious system is based on marketing, you have to do what you can. It is afterall a recession, is it not? Maybe that is why they are "free."

To rabbit-trail a little, I recall a girl in high school who had a lunch item with meat in it from the school cafeteria. She was Catholic (as far as she knew since her parents were,) it was Friday, and it was lent. After a couple of bites, a friend told her she had just eaten meat - she dropped her fork in fear and asked if she was going to hell. She was serious.

Her church kept her in fear and in the dark of what God's grace is all about. Not that her church knew any better after millenia of confusion.

The apostle Paul said, "Once I was alive apart form the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died." (Romans 7:9) He did not know wrongdoing until God' standards were revealed to him; hence, he was "alive apart from the law." The girl at my high school knew no better, as she didn't seem to ever learn much contained in God's Word...I wonder why.

Bringing back indulgences from the good ol' Tetzel days? How about bringing back some truths of Scripture form the good ol' Peter and Paul days; the Catholic Church may have heard of them.

I suppose I am not being very sensitive to Catholicism in this post. Oops, maybe I just don't have much sympathy for heretics. Although, even I can be enlightened...

Woman Punished for "Allowing" Muslim Girl to Convert to Christianity

2009-02-09T17:39:00.004-06:00

A British foster mother, who has a perfect record caring for numerous children over the past ten years, has been removed from the list of eligible foster parents after a Muslim teenager in her care converted to Christianity.

"...officials insist she failed in her duty to preserve the girl's religion and
should have tried to stop the baptism. "

How dare she!? Would it had been so devious if she allowed a Christian girl to convert to Islam? Or a Muslim girl to anything else? How about a theist changing to atheism? Would any of that be punished...or celebrated?

More interestingly, officials ruled that the girl should stay away from church for six months. If that is not state-sponsored religious persecution, nothing is. This is what swarms of people half a millenium ago fled to the United States from.

To quote Peter and John the Bold, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

It's All Just a Little Bit of History Repeating

2009-02-06T23:45:00.004-06:00

In the latest entry of Jacob's diary of mistreatment against his children, Jews are now being targeted in a wave of hate crimes in...Venezuela! Who would have thought with the ungodly, socialist, Iran and Palestine coddling, maniacally self absorbed dictator ruling the country - facing an upcoming vote that could give him power for life?

Follow the link and read the whole article. It is a common precurser to what inevitably happens in nations hostile to the Jews. What harm could the Jews have possibly inflicted in Venezuela of all places to stir up hatred against them in that region? Oh wait, they control all of the world's money in turn holding down poor people in the Caracas slums, right?

...or it could just be the devil up to his old tricks again. It is, afterall, still the most reasonable explanation.

Just in Time

2009-02-06T10:56:00.007-06:00

I miss Bush.

Barack Obama has ... also reversed an unwritten but much-noticed Bush policy: Be on time, all the time.

Obama has been routinely late to events and news conferences, including the ones at which he reversed Bush's orders. This has led to an already familiar refrain from the Obama camp: "He's running late."

Of course, the explanation is simple. Mark Lindsay, a Democratic consultant, explained that Obama's cause for tardiness was probably the same as Clintons -- that he was "making accommodations for logistics or average citizens." Of course, the emotionally charged pretense of helping the average man must be the real reason for Obama's inability to arrive to his obligations in time. Except that this isn't a new pattern.

Comparing President Obama to former President Bush is unfair, I suppose. Still... More hope, less change, please.

The God of the Testaments

2009-02-03T12:16:00.002-06:00

(Initial Draft.)

Some have read the Bible and come to some very wrong conclusions. Tchaikovsky, for example, wrote to his patroness that he could not understand the difference between the God of the old testament, and Christ in the new. He thought they seemed by nature too different from each other to be in harmony -- much less two persons of the same God.

He was not the first to suppose that “The Old Testament God is a God of hate while the New Testament God is a God of love.” To the orthodox Christian, this statement seems ridiculous, yet we must realize that it is a common supposition by unbelievers. They read God's command to wipe out the peoples of Canaan and see nothing but destruction.

What is our answer? I believe that this statement is false because 1. God cannot change, 2. hate cannot be confused with justice, and 3. both love and perfect judgment are attributes of our Lord.

1. How is God's inability to change (His immutability), a proof of the falsehood of this statement? Well, if God was one way during the Old Testament, how could He change during the New Testament? He could not be unloving for X amount of years, yet loving for a further X amount.

Malachi 3:6 says “ For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” The only explanation that would still encompass this statement is that there are two gods, which is not so: God is one. As Paul said in I Corinthians 8:4 “Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.”

The fact is that you can only have God one way or the other. If God did change over the years, then there is no such thing as God. What sort of a supreme Being could be subject to the influence of what He created?

He is outside of time anyway! Indulge me as I quote the Mikado:

Nanki-Poo. A month? Well, what's a month? Bah! These divisions of time are purely arbitrary. Who says twenty-four hours make a day?

Pitti-Sing. There's a popular impression to that effect.

With God, those divisions of time are in effect arbitrary. They have no baring on Him at all! II Peter 2:8 clearly exhorts us, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

He moves according to His nature, not according to His whims. There is one, everlasting God: He Himself said in Isaiah 48:12 “Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last.”

2. Hate must not be confused with justice. According to the Moody Handbook of Theology, “The justice of God means that God is entirely correct and just in all His dealings with humanity; moreover, this justice acts in accordance with His law.”

If God punishes someone, we may safely infer that the recipient of this punishment was fully deserving of it.

Does that mean God hates all of us sinners who all deserve punishment? By no means! Take the example of Israel:

Ezekiel 18:31-32 “ ‘Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘Therefore turn and live!’ ”

You will note with me that this passage is from the Old Testament. Well, we know God is just as all will be requited for sin at some point. As Colossians 3:25 says, "But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality." Hebrews 2:2-4 continues similarly:

For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?

3. All this means that God is loving and just. God gives mercy and punishment, not just one or the other.

Love: I John 4:16 “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”
Justice: Romans 1:32 “Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” (I.e. "Those who approve those who practice such things are also guilty.")

Happy we, knowing that Love and Justice are both attributes of our Lord!

To say that “The Old Testament God is a God of hate while the New Testament God is a God of love” cannot be true because: 1. God cannot change, 2. His justice cannot be confused with hate, for they are entirely different, and 3. both love and perfect judgment are attributes of our Lord.

Let us rejoice over the nature of our perfect God. Psalm 102:27 exalts, “But You are the same, And Your years will have no end.” Can we but praise the Lord for it?

Marriage: Out of Style?

2009-02-03T10:16:00.010-06:00

Strephon. ...Phyllis, I think we shall be very happy! (Embracing her.)

Phyllis. We won’t wait long.

Strephon. No. We might change our minds. We’ll get married first.

Phyllis. And change our minds afterwards?

Strephon. That’s the usual course.

But it isn't the usual course. Not anymore.

While emptying the last remains of my extemporaneous box (from the 2006-2007 speech season), I came across this...provocative...article. It claims that divorce rates are lower than they have ever been since the 1970s. The reason is easy to guess:

The number of couples who live together without marrying has increased tenfold since 1960; the marriage rate has dropped by nearly 30 percent in past 25 years; and Americans are waiting about five years longer to marry than they did in 1970.

Adding such factors together, Patrick Fagan of the conservative Heritage Foundation sees a bad situation.

"Cohabitation is very fragile, and when unmarried parents split, for the child it might as well be a divorce," Fagan said. "Among those who are marrying there's increased stability, but overall the children of the nation are getting a rawer and rawer deal from their parents."

A bad situation indeed. Try this bit:

Amber Settle and her partner, Andre Berthiaume, are among the couples who have opted not to marry, even as they celebrate 10 years of living together and raise a 3-year-old daughter in Chicago. Each teaches computer science at DePaul University, each is 39, each has parents who divorced.

"We decided a long time ago that marriage wasn't for us," Settle said. "We have a number of friends who got married, and we've supported them. But it's not something we want to do."

Among their reasons, she said, was their belief it would be unfair to get married until same-sex couples across the country had the same opportunity.

Marriage just "wasn't for you," huh? I guess morality doesn't appeal to you either... Yukky.

I am sure Grafted, a happily coupled man, will agree with me when I say that marriage and "being together" are ENTIRELY different. One is God-ordained, the other (cough) a tool of Satan to division and despair.

Sorry, people, but if I fall in love, it's marriage or nothing. Too bad the world doesn't see it like that.

Stimulus Means Failure

2009-01-30T11:05:00.002-06:00

Inching towards stimulus doomsday... Except that the "package" merits every title but "stimulus."

At least its popularity is going down. According to a recent Rasmussen Poll, 39% of all voters (liberals and all) oppose the stimulus. Conservatives and independents oppose it and liberals support it. This bill is all the Democrats'. It is encouraging to see that every republican voted against that monstrosity we know as the stimulus package.

Michelle Bachmann hit the nail on its head when she compared Obama's efforts to Hoover and FDR.

These measures proved a dismal failure, and things got only worse. In the 1932 campaign, Franklin Roosevelt actually attacked Hoover for his big-government policies, decrying Hoover’s presidency as “the greatest spending administration in peacetime in all of history.”

Yet, once elected, Roosevelt not only maintained Hoover’s programs, he used them as a foundation for his titanic New Deal expenditures. He even expanded Hoover’s failed housing program and launched the now-infamous mortgage giant Fannie Mae. And even in the face of a staggering 25 percent unemployment, FDR held fast to the big-government philosophy — jobs programs, handouts, tax hikes — and, as a result, presided over a decade of economic misery.

FDR’s own treasury secretary, Henry Morgenthau, had to admit as much in 1939: “We are spending more than we have ever spent before, and it does not work. … We have never made good on our promises. I say after eight years of this administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started. And an enormous debt to boot!”

"History repeats itself because no one was listening the first time." Americans do not know their history.

Global Warming Reaches New Heights

2009-01-29T17:39:00.008-06:00

Climate Change is really getting out of control, as proven by the example of planet HD80606b.

The enormous planet outside of our solar system reaches a searing 2,240 degrees as it nears its sun. Take away their grocery store plastic bags!

Al Gore could not be reached for comment, but he was spotted to be in a fetal position behind his couch and wetting himself...slowly rocking back and forth and muttering something about extra terrestrial SUV's wreaking havoc on "poor ol' auntie HD8."

"This is indeed an oddball planet, where the temperature range of the season
changes from hellish to super-hellish," said Carnegie Institution astronomer
Alan Boss. "This place makes Venus look like a nice place to live and that is
saying something."

And zing! Take that, Venus!

An Allegory from Beowulf

2009-01-28T08:01:00.005-06:00

Written September 8th and 22nd, 2008

Though the epic poem Beowulf was written before the year 1000, long before Edmund Spenser and William Shakespeare, it embodies great beauty of style and displays fine craftsmanship by the unknown author. It is odd that one of the world’s greatest classics—certainly the greatest of its time—should have no known author. Nevertheless, identity and quality have no correlation. Beowulf cannot be disputed as one of the greatest contributions to English literature; it displays incredible relevance to all times and all peoples. The Geats and the Danes of the story as peoples are little remembered, but we can see ourselves in them. After examining the allegorical nature of this classic, I will examine a particular example and its application to us.

All throughout Beowulf, our minds wonder, “Did he mean for this to mean—” or “Could he be referring to—” Some have compared Beowulf to David. Beowulf, like the biblical figure, began humbly; as the text explains, “had been poorly regarded / for a long time” (Lines 2183-2184).

Following Beowulf’s adventures in Sweden, the hero reigns prosperously for 50 years in his native Geatland (Denmark) before battling a dragon angered by the theft of a single cup. Beowulf’s immense pride forbids him from fighting with assistance, therefore the 10(?) thanes which accompanied him do little during the beginning of the struggle. Nevertheless, as the struggle began to run against Beowulf, Wiglaf, a young noble, reminded the others of their duty. They do not move. Wiglaf’s following call to the Geat shirkers is a call to every Christian. The following are relevant excerpts from lines 2631-2660:

“I remember that time when mead was flowing,
how we pledged loyalty to our lord in the hall,
promised our ring-giver we would be worth our price,
make good the gift of war-gear
[...] “He picked us out
from the army deliberately, honoured us and judged us
fit for this action, made me these lavish gifts—
[...] “And now, although
he wanted this challenge to be one he’d face
by himself alone—the shepherd of our land,
a man unequalled in the quest for glory
and a name for daring—now the day has come
when this lord we serve needs sound men
to give him their support. Let us go to him,
help our leader through the hot flame
and dread of the fire. As God is my witness,
I would rather my body were robed in the same
burning blaze as my gold-giver’s body
than go back home bearing arms.
That is unthinkable, unless we have first
slain the foe and defended the life
of the prince of the Weather-Geats. I well know
the things he has done for us deserve better.”

Though the poet may not have intended this passage to be interpreted allegorically, the passage nevertheless remains a potent illustration applicable to the Christian walk. Are there not many chosen by Christ who forsake Him when dangers loom? Continually in the Scriptures, Christians are exhorted to be faithful. One example may be found in I Corinthians 4:1-2: “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.” (ESV)

Perhaps more applicable are Christ’s words Revelation 2:10: “ ‘Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.’ ”

May we second Wiglaf’s bold proclamation: “As God is my witness, / I would rather my body were robed in the same / burning blaze as my gold-giver’s body / than go back home bearing arms.” Echos of martyrdom and persecution—Christians may not cease in faithfulness.

Humorist Josh Billings (1818-1885) gives a prime analogy of our situation: “Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing until it gets there.” Indeed, we are to pledge our fealty to God, act upon it, and stick it out until we get there.

Perhaps the best way to sum all up is through the provision of a rarely sung fifth verse of “Who is on the Lord’s Side?”:

Chosen to be soldiers, in an alien land,
Chosen, called, and faithful, for our Captain’s band,
In the service royal, let us not grow cold;
Let us be right loyal, noble, true and bold.
Master, Thou wilt keep us, by Thy grace divine,
Always on the Lord’s side—Savior, always Thine!

Sources:

Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney

"Who Is On The Lord's Side?", The Cyber Hymnal

Persecution quotes, Christian Quoting

Depravity of Man

2009-01-27T17:28:00.004-06:00

Heartbreaking is when a mother beats her two-year-old girl to death with the help of her new husband. Heartwrenching is when the little girl keeps telling her mother "I love you" in an effort to get her to stop - to no avail.

Kimberly Trenor met Robert Zeigler II through an online game and moved down to Texas to marry him. They were repotedly punishing the girl for failing to say "please" and "thank you." The punishment included whipping her with a belt, holding her head underwater and throwing her across the room. The girl's body was then stuffed inside a plastic container and kept in a shed for a couple of months before being sent out to sea.

I am no professional psychoanalyst, and I don't lament that, but let me make two stabs in the dark here: 1) knowing the addictive nature of many online game players, they may have been trying to keep the girl out of their business when playing their game; I know of a separate case where kids went neglected and malnurished by their parents because game time was apparently more important, and 2) the girl's pleas of "I love you" may have angered the mother even more because the girl was convicting the mother of what she was doing.

Regardless, this is selfishness to the extreme, which is the essence of every sin. Pride and selfishness are what Lucifer couldn't control when he fell from heaven and he has taken great spiteful steps to make sure everyone else is controlled by it as well.

The Era of Hope Begins

2009-01-27T10:11:00.004-06:00

Change:

Denouncing “those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents” comes ill from a man whose flagship legislation, the Freedom of Choice Act, will impose abortion, including partial-birth abortion, on every state in the Union. It seems the era of Hope is to be inaugurated with a slaughter of the innocents.

Sign the petition, then pray.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Update: This should become a medically approved test for the presence of the gag reflex.

Do all Men have a Longing for God?

2009-01-25T15:57:00.000-06:00

(Rough Draft)

Though we know that man can see the existence of a God through creation, and that every human has what I have heard described as a “God-shaped hole,” the question can still remain: does man have an inert longing for God which he either suppresses or fulfills?

The short answer is: The natural man does not desire Jehovah God, but does long for a satisfaction that only God can fill. (Always defining God as: Jehovah God; and Original Sin as: “the sinful state and condition in which men are born.” “Systematic Theology” by Louis Berkhof.)

1. Man is depraved, and 2. because he is depraved, he will not come to God unless God allows it. (Always refer back to “longing”)

We know well that man is depraved. Charles C. Ryrie explains the concept well in his Survey of Biblical Doctrine:

Total depravity does not mean that everyone is as thoroughly depraved in his actions as he could possibly be, nor that everyone will indulge in every form of sin, nor that a person cannot appreciate and even do acts of goodness; but it does mean that the corruption of sin extends to all men and to all parts of all men so that there is nothing within the natural man that can give him merit in God’s sight.

The sentiments of this definition are echoed in Romans 8:6-8

“For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Mankind will not choose right if left to his own devices (as we can clearly see in the news). This fact about man has definite implications, one of which is the answer to the question at hand. Because man is depraved, he will not come to God unless God allows it.

Though man can naturally see that there is a God (Romans 1:20), we know they do not do so by default. Romans 1:20, 21 demonstrate both of these points:

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Their hearts, darkened by sin, may have known God, but did not glorify Him as such.

God saves us; it is only because of Him that anyone comes to faith in Christ. It is more than silly for anyone to say “I got him saved.” God saves, and longing for Him is placed in man by Him.
To our humility, God must be given all credit for Salvation:

II Corinthians 4:3-4, 6 “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age [Satan] has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. [...] 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Conclusion: All men do not have a longing for God because: 1. Man is depraved, and 2. he will not come to God unless God allows it. The state of man is an empty one, and it is only through God’s infinite grace that the unbelieving see Christ as the satisfaction in this life. May we always present ourselves a living sacrifice to God.

IMAGE of VIRGIN MARY APPEARS on GRAFTED ONES!!!

2009-01-24T01:18:00.003-06:00

BEHOLD!!!!

...now the traffic should start picking up...

Double Whammy

2009-01-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

Racism: No stimulus money for white males...I suppose they are unable to jump start the economy, so why bother?

I am concerned, as I’m sure many of you are, that these jobs not simply go to high-skilled people who are already professionals or to white male construction workers. … I have nothing against white male construction workers. I’m just saying that there are a lot of other people who have needs as well. … Criteria can be set so that the money does go to others, the long term unemployed minorities, women, people who are not necessarily construction workers or high-skilled professionals.

Sigh. How about this?

Sexism:

Mrs. Clinton resigned from the Senate on Wednesday, immediately after being sworn in as secretary of state. The governor has said privately and publicly that he would like to select a woman to succeed her, noting that if he were to choose a man, the number of female senators would drop to just 16.

Oh, no. Terrible. The representation of women would go down! That would be sexist. How about choosing a successor because she is a woman.

And some extra discrimination, just for good measure, may be found here and here.

Greatest Headline of 2009

2009-01-22T06:56:00.005-06:00

"Former French President Chirac hospitalised after mauling by his clinically depressed poodle"

Now I've seen it all!

...the poodle was surrendered to within 15 seconds.

Kenyans Find the Light

2009-01-21T06:36:00.004-06:00

Quite a celebration coming out of Kenya for Obama's inauguration. Let's look at some of the juciest snippets, shall we?

“This man is Jesus,” shouted one man, spilling his Guinness as Barack Obama
began his inaugural address. “When will he come to Kenya to save us?”

Aaaand there we have it - a grand slam right off the bat. I hope they have a lot of patience to wait for this one. Yet another attribution of godliness hurled Barack Obama's way, and yet another non-rejeciton of such adulation.

“Now he is president we will get food and jobs,” said Ben Ochieng, as he
danced to the traditional music that replaced the planned show.

Wow. I also hope these people have proper ways of handling disappointment. We'll see what happens on that front.

The Kenya National Theatre even revived its hit show Obama The Musical, which
wowed sell-out audiences during the US election last year. It uses parallels
with the Bible Story and Mr Obama’s own struggles with racism and drugs —
documented in his memoir Dreams From My Father - to portray the incoming
President as a saviour for downtrodden peoples of the world.

Again with the...Messiah stuff.

“It is right that when people get power they look after their family, so we know
that Obama will build lots of good things for us, like schools and roads and
clinics,” said George Opiyo as he left the theatre.

Well, Obama has had a little trouble taking care of his own brother who lives off, by all accounts, $1 per day in a little hut. And since when has he been in the habit of doing what's "right"?

Luo dancers from Mr Obama’s tribe draped in monkey skins put on a traditional
show, while onlooker waved American flags.

That part I actually like. Especially the monkey skins. Wish I had me some monkey skins!

“This is an incredible opportunity for us, because a lot of investment will
come,” said 20-year-old Faith Achieng. “It’s already thanks to him we have
electricity and water.” Not bad for a man trying to play down his tag as the
“chosen one”.

Wait, what? He has already brought you electricity and water? Trying to play down his tag as the chosen one? Use your electricity to follow the news every once in a while.

If God is Holy, Why did He allow Sin in the World?

2009-01-19T07:12:00.009-06:00

The question above is one which I avoided in Apologetics until this past week. Why shouldn't I have a card for this difficult issue?

❁ If God is holy, why did he allow sin in the world? ❁

As far as I could tell, there would be two reasons: 1. for His glory, and 2. on account of free will.

God's glory is the purpose of our lives and of His creation (why else would He create?). Isaiah gives an example of God using creation for His glory: Isaiah 49:3 “ ‘And He said to me, “You are My servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified.” ’ ”

God is worthy of all glory possible to receive (and then some). The twenty-four elders give us this very impression in Revelation 4:11 “ ‘You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.’ ”

In Ephesians 2:1-7, Paul tells us that God saved us from the horrors of sin so that we might glorify the Lord forever:

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

But of course we should not presume on understanding God entirely, for as Psalm 145:3 says, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.”

The issue of free will and latent sin also come upon the scene. Far less noble, these factors relate to why mankind fell. We know we did fall: Ecclesiastes 7:29 “ ‘Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes.’ ” We also know there was potential for sin; after all, it did happen (I Corinthians 15:21 “For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.”).

While considering free will, C. S. Lewis wrote the following in The Problem of Pain: “Try to exclude the possibility of suffering which the order of nature and the existence of free-wills involve, and you find that you have excluded life itself.” What Lewis is saying, I believe, is that you must choose: (a.) suffering and free will, or (b.) no suffering and no free will. The two go hand in hand, since man is weak—that is, man's weakness means that his free will would end in his succumbing to the temptation to sin.

I am not sure we can ever fully understand this question—remember Deuteronomy 29:29 (“ ‘The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.’ ”)—but we can certainly try. I welcome any appendices to this brief reflection you may be able to add.

Perhaps C. S. Lewis said it best in Mere Christianity, “If God thinks this state of war in the universe a price worth paying for free will...then we may take it it is worth paying.”

The Fear of Faith

2009-01-16T09:58:00.007-06:00

In response to "religion didn’t create morals, God did," one commenter complained,

In your opinion - and that’s all it is. No proof. Just faith. Several billion people on the planet would disagree with you.

And so, you must have the respect for your fellow man to choose to not believe what you believe, and then move on.

The only reason you’re a Christian is because your parents were. And that’s one of the ridiculous realities about organized religion.

Is it not odd how "out-of-whack" people get about this? Atheists have a fear of the faith. It perturbs them to think that some people might actually believe something on the basis of faith.

Is their own religion not a faith as well? You say you have proof…thin proof. Evolution (the only thing that gives atheism any legs to stand on) is very, very weak. You atheists out there must have faith that God isn’t real, because if He is…(the consequence I need not tell).

We know that morals stem from God’s nature (that's who He is); the religion He created revealed those morals to us in His Word. Thank God every day for His merciful kindness toward us!

The commenter's second sentence makes very little sense indeed.

His third, that we only believe in Christianity because our parents do, is equally bunk. In some instances, I'm sure it is very true, but the fact is that all who become true Christians do so personally. That is, no one can help them into heaven but Christ who shed His blood. The faith of a parent cannot convert a child or straighten his ways. I believe Grafted would readily agree with me that it is God who "has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

"Christian" Fears World and is Repulsed by Christianity

2009-01-13T16:07:00.005-06:00

That is the only way I see fit to describe the attitude of gay Episcopal bishop V. Gene Robinson, the one invited to give the prayer at Barack Obama inagural event. You know, the one who was invited as a result of the freak-out over Rick Warren's prayer scheduled for the day the world heals - I mean...January 20th.

Bishop Robinson said he had been reading inaugural prayers through history
and was “horrified” at how “specifically and aggressively Christian they
were.”
“I am very clear,” he said, “that this will not be a Christian prayer,
and I won’t be quoting Scripture or anything like that. The texts that I hold as
sacred are not sacred texts for all Americans, and I want all people to feel
that this is their prayer.”

Pathetic.

Excuse me for being presumptuous, but the only texts this guy holds sacred are the screenplays to "Brokeback Mountain" and "Milk."

We get it, he hates Christianity. He needs to take off the wolf's clothing and start being honest with himself.

Growing Adversity

2009-01-13T16:00:00.000-06:00

Who is Republicans' top public enemy? If you guessed Sir Obamanomics, you were wrong. Albert Franken has apparently all but clinched the Minnesota Senate Race. Republicans are not happy. I'm not happy.

Almost more disturbing however, is Senator Obama's selection of the man to say the inaugural prayer for when Senator O becomes President O.

President-elect Barack Obama has asked V. Gene Robinson, the openly gay Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, to deliver the invocation at an inaugural event on Sunday on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Gay rights advocates saw the move as a way to compensate for Mr. Obama’s decision to give the Rev. Rick Warren, a prominent megachurch pastor from California who opposes same-sex marriage, the high-profile role of delivering the invocation at the inauguration next week.

One must be "fair"—that is, give equal opportunity to every side regardless of how immoral a side may be—at all costs. Obama is not failing his liberal reputation.

Obama Blunders on Vital Policy Decision

2009-01-12T20:29:00.002-06:00

Well, perhaps not so vital...and not policy... This is another classic example of the media's obsession with every move President-Elect Barak Obama makes. At least they have the candor to disagree with something he is doing. Here we go:

A mini-Aussie would have fit right into a White House populated by Rahm Emanuel, Larry Summers, Joe Biden et al. Instead, Obama’s going with a no-drama canine alternative.

Even worse? Obama actually agreed with something that Dick Cheney said:

And he seems to be going for the no-dramatic-change-in-policy-in-the-White-House alternative as well. Consider Obama’s reaction when George Stephanopoulos played a clip of Dick Cheney counseling Obama not to implement his campaign rhetoric until he’s fully briefed on the details of the Bush administration’s counterterrorism policy.

“I think that was pretty good advice, which is I should know what’s going on before we make judgments and that we shouldn’t be making judgments on the basis of incomplete information or campaign rhetoric. So I’ve got no quibble with that particular quote,” said Obama. Usually, presidents pretend their campaign positions are more than “campaign rhetoric.” Not Obama.

Yawn. I'm waiting for the next scandal.

Philosophy Ball

2009-01-05T09:14:00.001-06:00

What happens when philosophers attempt to be normal:

What Could Go Wrong? #78

2009-01-02T11:30:00.002-06:00

Climate Change proponents just keep making me scratch my head. When will the day finally come when the public at large find these guys out to be the frauds that they are?

CO2 emissions are getting out of control, you know, so it's time for Plan B! Man-made cloud cover to block out the evil sun! Weeeeeeeeee!!

Wonderful plan. There won't be any adverse effects on plant and animal life, will there? Who cares? As long as we attack out pet problem, we're fine and dandy! Cutting our nose to spite our face sounds like a sound strategy.

Ants disrupting your picnic? Nuke 'em!

The plan also entails dropping mass amounts of iron into the ocean to "stimulate algal blooms." Seattle refuses to sal their roads in the winter because ut may harm the environment. Dumping iron into the ocean, however, is obviously a measure to save the planet...right.

"Levels of CO2 have continued to increase during the past decade since the
treaty was agreed and they are now rising faster than even the worst-case
scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations
body."

Nevermind that the earth has cooled over the past ten years, but why let the facts get in the way of a good liberal conspiracy?

2008-12-31T10:45:00.008-06:00

Ready for today's dose of racism? Ready or not, here it is (it really begins at 3:25):

I could not believe this. Well, I could, but I at least felt that I needed to put up a show of disapprobation:

It's not the senators denying numerous African-Americans a senate seat, but the people who elect the senators. To say we "need" many African-American senators is, as you know, blatant racism. It is ridiculous in a republic. We elect men and women to represent us. It is OUR CHOICE, not that of affirmative action advocates.

The goal is not to have a balanced senate, but one that represents the people as the people chose.

Something is very wrong with the thought-patterns of liberals. The word "republic" has lost its meaning. Even "fair" has lost its meaning. "Fair" means according to the rules, not according to my Utopian vision of a balanced world. Utopia never works out like we imagine it will.

New Pope Position Available for Al Gore

2008-12-30T13:18:00.005-06:00

Now that we have the wonderful Gay Bible, it was only a matter of time - and I am suprised it took this long - but the Green Bible has descended from the heavens to enlighten we puny earthlings!

"In every book of the Bible, there are references to the world and how we should
take care of it," said Rusty Pritchard, editor of Creation Care Magazine, an
eco-friendly publication for evangelicals. "When you look at it through that
lens, it really jumps out at you . . . that God is calling us to care for the
world around us."

Notice what Mr. Pritchard is doing here; he is taking God's directives for caring for "the world around us" (our doos witness and service to other people of the world) and applying them as directives to take care of "the world" (the floating rock in space called the earth.) That, my friends, is scripture twisting, and people like Pritchard have mastered it throughout the ages.

It is about time we let the greenies form their own Church of Gaia or something so they can stop infiltrating others'. Give them tax breaks, label them an official religion, whatever needs to be done, fine by me. Let them become the new Islam, waging war and committing acts of terrorism against factories, parking garages, and the like in the name of the one true goddess, Mother Earth and her prophets (may their names be blessed and rest in peace, blah blah blah.)

"Although some Christians and many progressive churches have long embraced
conservationism, others - particularly evangelicals - have historically shied
away, viewing it as a "liberal" cause rooted in politics and questionable
science."

Bingo! These people have no love for advancing Biblical truths (even if their enviromental beliefs were among them,) but for advancing liberal ideals, which of course unltimately include the banning of the Bible. Besides, I don't think any Bible endorsed by the Sierra Club and the Humane Society, like the Green Bible is, has the best interests of the real Bible at heart.

Lighting the Dark Continent

2008-12-28T13:57:00.004-06:00

Africa truly is the dark continent; certaintly not because of a lack of sunlight, but due to the long-time absence of the Gospel. For a little while now, however, Christianity has been spreading throughout the continent and transforming lives for the much better.

Such is the testimony of Matthew Parris, an atheist reporter for the UK Times. And better yet, he understands Christianity as the necessary element to bettering Africa:

Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that
Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular
NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not
do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes
people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The
change is good.

Even atheists seeing the Gospel as the source of goodness? Has the world gone sane?

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T15:54:00.002-06:00

That is all - Merry Christmas. I have been so busy lately that I don't really have time to say anything else. But Merry Christmas pretty much covers it all!

Disaffected Atheists

2008-12-24T11:27:00.002-06:00

While casually browsing the Amazon.com discussion forum (something I rarely do), I ran across a particular website containing a list of the "contradictions" in the Bible. It is something we must have an answer for. May I direct your attention to I Peter 3:13-17?

13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

—and Hebrews 12:14:

14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

The challenge is great. Only God's love can turn them to Himself, but that is no excuse for incompetence. Enjoy studying up!

Can Obama Save the World in Time?

2008-12-16T20:54:00.007-06:00

Oh, no! The Obama administration has only a little time to save the world from utter ruin. Can Obama work his magic in time? That is the question all but asked by AP science writer Seth Borenstein.

When Bill Clinton took office in 1993, global warming was a slow-moving environmental problem that was easy to ignore. Now it is a ticking time bomb that President-elect Barack Obama can't avoid. [...]

Mother Nature, of course, is oblivious to the federal government's machinations. Ironically, 2008 is on pace to be a slightly cooler year in a steadily rising temperature trend line. Experts say it's thanks to a La Nina weather variation. While skeptics are already using it as evidence of some kind of cooling trend, it actually illustrates how fast the world is warming.

Aside from the fact that "Mother Nature" is oblivious to everything, this paragraph is almost laughable. Yes, cooling is the best proof of global warming.

Happily, other scientists have called the AP on this, as reported by the ever-worthy FOXNews.
He took issue with the AP article's assertion that melting Arctic ice will cause global sea levels to rise.

"When the Arctic Ocean ice melts, it never raises sea level because floating ice is floating ice, because it's displacing water," O'Brien said. "When the ice melts, sea level actually goes down.

"I call it a fourth grade science experiment. Take a glass, put some ice in it. Put water in it. Mark level where water is. Let it met. After the ice melts, the sea level didn't go up in your glass of water. It's called the Archimedes Principle."

I remember learning about this principle long ago. It is easy to forget about when the numerous Climate Littles are running about proclaiming the utter destruction of the earth as we know it.

The Devil, Evolution, and Size 10 Shoes

2008-12-15T08:30:00.009-06:00

As have noted in conversation, a recent Harris Poll discovered that more Americans believe in the devil than in evolution.

The issue spawned over a thousand comments on the Hotair.com article.

This video is also interesting:

Throwing a pair of shoes at the president during a press-conference is hardly gracious.

Bush, who reacted spryly as he saw his assailant winding up, joked about the incident, saying, "That was a size 10 shoe he threw at me, you may want you to know. "
As security grabbed the man, White House press secretary Dana Perino got knocked beneath her eye by a microphone and ended up with a small shiner.

After order had been restored to the room, the man could still be heard screaming from another room.

Is it normal to call President Bush "Mr. Bush," as the New York Times does in this article on the shoe matter?

Leftism's double standard is slightly infuriating, to say the least. Imagine if this had happened to President-Elect Obama? National outrage! Do you feel the love?

Poised to Fall

2008-12-11T07:25:00.000-06:00

Will Iowa become the next state to allow the ignominy? Knowing the general nature of judges in this country, especially in blue states like Iowa, I can say with some certainty that the battle is far from over in this state. When will the bane come to Minnesota?

At least "Call in Gay" day bombed.

What Could Go Wrong?

2008-12-11T05:51:00.002-06:00

A short time ago, liberals were given their opportunity to finally seize America for their nice little Communist Utopia - the rise of radical environmentalism. It is the perfect vehicle for acheiving their dream; defining new crimes in which one can nail anyone they want any time they want.

Which is why the govenrmental creation of a most-wanted list of environmental criminals is concerning. Sure, it sounds innocent enough at first, but where will it lead? Those who know us here at the esteemed Grafted Ones will know where we probably stand on that one. What may begin as fines for polluting public ponds may down the road turn into executions for speaking out against "The Order" because you used oxygen in a non-approved way, thus causing harm to the environment.

Too crazy? Well, George Orwell himself couldn't have written a more eerie scenario than what we have been seeing going on for the past decade or so (a crawl and then a sprint to cultish liberalism.)

Global Warming Rampant

2008-12-09T14:52:00.002-06:00

Many things are blamed on global warming—everything from collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis to the collapse of gingerbread houses in Sweden to a rise in HIV cases to inflation in China, global warming is conveniently cited as the culprit to many, many woes.

NumberWatch, a UK website, has published an eminently enjoyable list of cited results of global warming. You can run but you can't hide!

Israel and Palestine

2008-12-08T08:25:00.001-06:00

Here is my somewhat confused/confusing paper on Israel and Palestine. Tell me if it makes sense!

The nation of Israel, extant in the eyes of the international community since 1948, is a Jewish island amid a vast ocean of Islam. On account of the violent nature of the fundamental Muslim religion, however, this proverbial island has been continually besieged since its inception. Israel’s claim of religious right through the Biblical covenant is countered by Palestinians’ own religious claims through Allah, rather than Jehovah.

Lebanese Shi’ite Muslim group Hezbollah and the radical Palestinian Hamas organization both figure prominently into recent violence against Israel. In July 2006, when two Israeli soldiers were captured along the Israel-Lebanese border, a brief war erupted, ended (if temporarily) a month after it began by a UN cease-fire.

Two of the territories which spark this controversy are the Gaza Strip, a tiny enclave formerly occupied by Egypt, and Golan Heights, claimed by Syria but occupied by Israel. A third territory is perhaps the most influential: the West Bank has been a region of constant strife for well over a century. Jerusalem, third holiest city of Islam and now capital of Israel, is the focal point of the controversy.

This brings us to a pertinent question. Whose land is Palestine?

According to some, the geological area known as Palestine covers land both to the east and west of the Jordan river. Others define Palestine as Israel and the West Bank. Regardless, “Palestine” has never been a nation as such at any time following 70 A.D., and Palestinians have never designated themselves as “Palestinians” until a relatively recent time.

Today, the region is embroiled in conflict. Various Arab peoples claim they have a right to the land of Israel—Israel claims it should be the sole benefactor of its territory. Amidst this struggle, we can see clearly that Israel’s claim is stronger than the Arabs’ by looking at Israel’s past covenant with God, the current issues of land ownership, and Israel’s future destiny.

In Genesis 15:18, we read: “On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates...’ ” This is the first passage in which God’s covenant delineates specific portions of land to Abraham and his descendants.

Of course, Ishmael and Isaac (who birthed Jacob, later named Israel) were both sons of Abraham, if the former illegitimately. Does Ishmael have a claim in this inheritance? No, for God specifically bestowed it upon the descendants of Israel (Jacob), maintaining His covenant despite unfaithfulness on the part of His people. (Deuteronomy 30:5: “And the LORD your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers.”) It is also difficult to substantiate any argument that modern-day Palestinians actually are descendants of Ishmael. Ishmael’s posterity form only a small portion—if any—of Arabs today.

Popular opinion in modern times tends to shift in favor the Muslims, for reasons not topical to this discussion. The United Nations has shown more support to Palestinians than to Israelis. “The international community should spare no effort in assisting both Israel and Palestinians to reach a solution that will fulfill the goal of two states—Israel and Palestine—living side by side in peace and security,” said UN General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto. This entirely ignores that such an arrangement can never be satisfactory to both parties. Both Israelis and Palestinians believe they have full rights to all the land in question. The fact that three fourths of Palestinians are Muslims complicates matters: Muslims hold that once a territory becomes Muslim for any period of time, it is perpetually Islamic.

Palestinians never had their own country. The Jews never vacated the land labeled “Palestine” by the British during the colonial era. Exactly how much of the blame the British should take is uncertain, however, it was the United Kingdom which described much of the anti-Jewish Islamic prejudice prevalent even before the 20th century as “Arab Nationalism,” rather than as the terrorism it truly was.

Palestine as defined by the League of Nations in 1922 included Israel, Jordan, West Bank, The Gaza Strip, and Golan Heights. In the United Nations’ original partitioning of Palestine, it gave only 23 percent of the land involved to Israel, which later conquered a greater portion despite overwhelming odds against them. In essence, “Palestinians” already have a specific nation for them to dwell in: Jordan. When the British promised land to Palestinians and to Israelis, who could have envisioned that they would both desire the same land?

Israel’s future is also of interest in this matter. We have seen that God gave the land of Palestine to Israel, but what is His plan for Israel overall? Will all of Israel be saved? According to Scripture, a remnant of the Jews will.
Hebrews 8:7, 8, 11-13, which quotes from Jeremiah 31 says,

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. 8 For he finds fault with them when he says:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah, [...]
11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
and I will remember their sins no more.”

13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

As far as the writer can discern, only the remnant of Israel will be saved—that is, all who remain in belief (“they shall all know me”). Paul mentions this subject in Romans 9:27: “And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: ‘Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved’ ”. This implies that Israel’s actions have impacted the number of Jews that will be saved.

Thus, despite Arab ubiquity in the region of Palestine, the past, present and future of Israel point toward a single truth: Israel has every right to the land it currently occupies. May God’s sovereign will for Israel be carried out in full.

Sources:
Deuteronomy 30:5, English Standard Version, accessed November 26, 2008
Hebrews 8:7-13, English Standard Bible, accessed November 25, 2008
“Encyclopedia of Islam Myths: Arabs are not descendants of Ishmael!” accessed November 25, 2008
yNet News, November 24, 2008 “UN: Support Palestinians' rights to self-determination, statehood,” accessed November 25, 2008
Middle East Maps, accessed November 25, 2008,
Genesis 15:18, English Standard Version, accessed November 24, 2008
Congressional Report Service (RCS) Report for Congress, “Lebanon: The Israel-Hamas-Hezbollah Conflict,” Order Code RL33566, September 15, 2006, accessed November 24, 2008
The Israel Report, September/October 1999, WHOSE LAND? "Facts" Versus "Myths" in the Arab-Israeli Conflict, accessed November 21, 2008
Cecil E. Maranville, World News & Prophesy, June 2002, Palestine/Israel – Whose Land Is It, Really?, accessed November 21, 2008
Darrell G. Young, Focus on Jerusalem: The Preserved Remnant of Israel, Bible Prophecy Ministry, 2001, accessed November 21, 2008

Train Up a Child...

2008-12-08T05:53:00.003-06:00

In an effort to further dumb-down the youth of Britain, Oxford University Press has removed words from its Junior Dictionary relating to Christianity and Britain's history, such as "aisle", "bishop", "chapel", "sin", "devil", "empire", and "monarch".

The reason? Well, because England is now a multicultural society and all religions are to tolerated! Except Christianity, of course.

They focused on adding words to the dictionary which reflect the modern culture, such as "MP3 player", "voicemail", "database", etc. I wonder if the dictionary also provides the chat shorthand for every word it added, loLz!!!11!!1! ;-P

Aida and Eve

2008-12-03T21:40:00.002-06:00

They will stop at nothing. New Mexico based Revision Studios is publishing a new gay version of the Bible. The name? The Princess Diana Bible - what a shocker...

Princess Diana is what gay guys name their little dogs (I know one who did) and she is someone who they wish they were. Doesn't every gay guy have a Princess Diana just dying to get out?

The studio also wants to make the gay Bible into a two part film series. "There are many different versions of the Bible" says Max Mitchell, the creator. That is part of the problem, Max, there are many versions of the Bible. There is a women's Bible, an edgy teen Bible, etc. How about the Greek and Hebrew Bible faithfully translated into other languages, does that mean anything?

Mitchell goes on to say, "There are 116 versions of the Bible, why is any of them better than ours?" I'll tell you why they (at least some) are better than yours. They contain the messages of the original authors, moved by God Himself, accurately copied and translated over centuries of time. They contain timeless truths that have never once and never will be proven wrong, that's why.

Yours twists the message of the Bible into your own message. Why do you call it the Bible? Why not just make up your own reality and call it something else? Oh whoops, that would be called evolution.

The Princess Diana Bible contains a story of how God puts Aida to sleep and takes her rib to create Eve. I would hate to see their version of Paul and Barnabas' split; a lover's quarrel over a dashing young John Mark?

On a Lighter Note

2008-12-03T17:22:00.002-06:00

Smile! The world looks up as a astronomical grin smiles down upon it. This picture is particularly fine. In the midst of trials, we cannot help but appreciate the aesthetics of God's creation.

I recommending enjoying every Astronomy Picture of the Day, each taken from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day Archive. It is one of the best things NASA has done. We had might as well get something from our tax dollars!

Patriotism Lives?

2008-11-30T21:00:00.003-06:00

There has been a lot of fear among conservatives that Americans are stabbing their country in the back over the past several years; myself included.

We have seen much anti-Americanism around the world, at least according to the media (several conservative pundits think the truth is that there is much more love for America around the world than we are being told.)

However, a recent Rasmussen poll indicates something surprising indeed - yet very encouraging.

*77% of American voters believe that school children should say the Pledge of Allegiance every day.

*82% say that the phrase "under God" should remain in the Pledge. Even 74% Democrats support this, and self-identified political liberals support it by a two to one margin!

*75% are proud of American history

If this data is correct and people stick to their guns, then Americans should get outraged at the half the craziness I and others expect Obama and company to push down our throats.

What is not surprising...

*81% conservatives claim the country has become too concerned with political correctness while only 56% liberals agree; 76% whites vs. 59% blacks agree.

Craziness

2008-11-29T12:32:00.000-06:00

No doubt you have heard of the death of a salesman this weekend. A Wal Mart employee, while opening the doors of the store, was trampled to death by shoppers who actually tore the doors of the building off their hinges.

The unions have weighed in:

The retail giant has rigorously resisted being unionized. But the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500 termed the death "avoidable" and called for federal and state labor authorities to investigate. Union president Bruce Both said the store had failed to provide a safe workplace.

Was it preventable? I do not believe the death was Wal Mart's fault. They could have perhaps planned a better exit route for those opening the doors or found a way to open them automatically, but in the end, it is those who trampled Mr. Damour who must take the blame.

"This crowd was out of control," said Fleming, who described the scene as "utter chaos."

Dozens of store employees trying to fight their way out to help Damour were also getting trampled by the crowd, Fleming said. Witnesses said that even as the worker lay on the ground, shoppers streamed into the store, stepping over him.

Kimberly Cribbs, who witnessed the stampede, said shoppers were acting like "savages."

"When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling, 'I've been on line since yesterday morning,"' she said. "They kept shopping."

This incident is indicative of our materialistic society. It is perfectly dreadful to think that people would continue to shop after stepping over the body of a man they had inadvertently killed. Shoppers were irate when the store was closed for investigation.

The Ultimate Internet Demotivator

2008-11-29T11:14:00.003-06:00

Awesome.

Science Finally Catches Up to the Bible...Again

2008-11-28T15:40:00.003-06:00

First there was the discovery that the earth was round, centuries after the Bible revealed it. (Isaiah 40:22).

Then there was the discovery that blood was a pretty big deal to the human body, putting a rest to bloodletting. (Leviticus 17:11).

And now there is research which suggests that children are born with an innate belief in God.

Now if only more scientists would admit the obvious of where objective research leads, and that is to a creator, we can start getting back on the right track.

The Gospel According to Barack

2008-11-27T18:54:00.004-06:00

I can easily brush off the typical koolaid drinking Obamabot as someone who refuses to address reality, because the shoe usually fits.

It hits harder when people who claim to be Christians, and claim that it is very important to them, fall in love with the man. Such was the case at Thanksgiving with my in-laws today.

Let's see one of Obama's thoughts on Christianity. Keep in mind, he claims to be a Christian and many Christians voted for him in hopes that he would be a positive force for Christian values. From the Wall Street Journal:

Obama: There’s the belief, certainly in some quarters, that people haven’t
embraced Jesus Christ as their personal savior that they’re going to
hell.
Falsani: You don’t believe that?
Obama: I find it hard to believe that my
God would consign four-fifths of the world to hell. I can’t imagine that my God
would allow some little Hindu kid in India who never interacts with the
Christian faith to somehow burn for all eternity. That’s just not part of my
religious makeup.

I understand that a vast majority of people in the world rejects Jesus Christ as the only way to God, but there is someone who disagrees with Barack Obama here - and that is Jesus Christ (and the Bible authors):

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" 1 Timothy 2:5

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" John 14:6

The debate and rhetoric of whether Obama is a secret Mulsim or not is somewhat comical, but let's drop the charade that he is a Christian. In fact, if anyone denies there is one way to God, and that is through Jesus Christ, then they are not a Christian. One cannot claim to be a follower of Christ and also reject His teachings. It just doesn't work that way.

Are we saddened that a Hindu would die and suffer an eternity apart from God if he never understood the Gospel? Yes...because he was a sinner and never repented. You're right Obama, your god would never consign people to hell. The holy and just God of the Bible, however, does. God doesn't owe salvation to anyone.

A Picture of the Next Four Years

2008-11-26T16:22:00.004-06:00

Endless entertainment.

The vision for America? Why, that's my job. Gotta love it.

Science Find a Solution...Again

2008-11-26T09:26:00.004-06:00

The solution finally occurs to scientists:

It is an intriguing solution to end the AIDS epidemic. [...] In their model, people were voluntarily tested each year and immediately given drugs if they tested positive for HIV, regardless of whether they were sick.
Within 10 years, HIV infections dropped by 95 percent. Other initiatives like safe sex education and male circumcision were also used.

The strategy would cut the estimated number of AIDS deaths between 2008 and 2050 by about half, from about 8.7 million to 3.9 million, leaving only sporadic HIV cases.

Dare I say it? Yes: "Duh!" The solution to the AIDS/HIV pandemic has always been the same and always will be: Don't violate God's standards. If you wait until after marriage to attempt to have children, there be be no problem. Out of your difficulty at once.

Other scientists are also seeing things as simpler than they could have imagined. Or perhaps more complex in this instance...

And I must mention this year's prevalent case of Thanksgiving derangement syndrome, as Michelle Malkin calls it. What is the best liberal way to celebrate a traditional holiday? Refuse to participate and call it racist. And speaking of racism...take a gander at this.

Ismael Still Seeking Revenge Against Isaac...and He's Bringing Friends

2008-11-25T11:59:00.004-06:00

How does the UN hate thee? Let me count the ways. 17,894...17,895...

Follow the link and read the article for yet more examples of how the UN undermines Israel and seeks its destruction. Nothing new, I know, but let's see how wild it gets when Obama, a UN worshiping liberal, takes over as America's representative.

Interesting how the world continues to hate Israel for no legitimate reason. Gee, I wonder Who called that one...

It's Torture...

2008-11-25T07:44:00.006-06:00

It is torturous to me at least. Learning that the government is supplying Guantanamo Bay detainees with Gameboys, art classes, et al. "to distract them from global Jihad" makes the soul sigh.

"We want to keep their brains stimulated. We're not here to give degrees," Zak, the camp's Arab-American cultural advisor, told the Miami Herald.
"Once they are engaged and busy, they leave the guards alone."
Initiatives will include circulating Egyptian newspapers and Game Boy-style electronic games around the tiny cells and holding more "movie nights" featuring pre-recorded sport.
Art and geology classes will also be offered, although the former will not include sharp objects. Prisoners are already allowed to have crayons and Zak said some were "good artists".
Geology was chosen as a subject because it is grounded in earth and science issues rather than more sensitive areas such as politics and religion, he said.
"They draw greeting cards for family. They draw weapons," he said. "They draw whatever they want. You can't stop a detainee from thinking." Kristin Wilhelm, a lawyer who represents Guantanamo detainees, said the cultural programme was seven years too late.
She said that when one of her clients made greetings cards for people at her law firm, camp censors stamped each of them "secret" and confiscated them.
"It was always my view that the government was afraid to allow the drawings to be released, because it humanised my client," she said.

I agree: no Guitar Hero is oppressive.

Lizard People update: the author of the ballot has come forward, ruining almost all of the romance we associate with the Lizard People ballot. Oh, well, little lasts forever, though it looks as though Norm Coleman's lead will.

Delivered Over To Death

2008-11-24T12:35:00.004-06:00

Pray for the believers in India!

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you.

-2 Corinthians 4:7-12

The Drama Continues

2008-11-20T14:30:00.000-06:00

The BBG (Big Brother Government) is gearing itself up for a new round of anti-Christian rulings. It certainly isn't worried about quelling the violence that seems to float around this issue.

After hearing about the former happening, I wrote the following to a friend:

Sickening. Of course, most things in this realm are to a certain degree.

How these people need Christ!

I do not think I believe in any discrimination lawsuits, much less this kind. They lead to too much abuse, as is clearly evidenced by this incident. Capitalism will take care of discrimination without the help of courts. If eHarmony discovers that its profits will be greatly boosted if it caters to homosexuals, it will do so (unless the proprietors rightly believe that homosexuality is immoral). If the market is not great, it will refrain as it has in the past. Why do must the courts intervene? Making them the delineators of economic justice not only damages the company (who knows how many will leave eHarmony's services for a cleaner, better competitor or simply find a spouse like everyone else), but degrades morality and ruffles the feathers of Christians WHO REALLY NEED SUCH RUFFLING. As horrible as this is, who knows how horrible the church's wake-up call will need to be?

It's pretty bad.

Now is a good time to pray, unless I'm much mistaken.

I do not think I was.

Also: I don't want to beat a dead horse (well, maybe I do), but we have recently been allowed a unique look into the "part" in "bipartisan" as Obama picks lobbyists and a man who defended Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan's assassin in court. Who knows, maybe even Hillary will get in on the action?

It Just Can't Be True

2008-11-20T11:35:00.003-06:00

After watching a two-hour "documentary" on the Bible and archaeology, I am yet surprised at the attempt skeptics make to disprove Christianity. But in order for one to disprove something, one would have to assume that it is true. But really! They go out of their way. As if that was their job in life. To proclaim that the Bible is just a book of myths that are unreliable. And to "assert" its truthfulness is like trying to argue that, "the earth is flat." And it blows my mind away to see many people accepting arguments based off of assumptions and hunches.

After all, it just can't be true.

Let The Festivities Begin!

2008-11-19T21:13:00.005-06:00

Minnesota now gets to go through the long process of a hand recount of all the votes between Norm Coleman and Al Franken. The race is "too close to call" and we will not know a winner until mid-December. Oh joy!!

The candidates are able to challenge the clarity of certain votes, like this one which Franken is challenging...

No further questions, your honor.

Never let it be said that Franken didn't put any effort into it! I know that a voter is supposed to fill in the complete cirlce and not scribble outside the lines, but that is for the sake of the computer reader, not to redefine common sense. I would be surprised if a Democrat didn't challenge this!

Seeking First the Kingdom

2008-11-18T07:17:00.002-06:00

Throughout tumultuous times, through all worries and fears in the lives of Christians everywhere, Jesus Christ gives us an important medicine: Seek ye first the kingdom of God.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well." (Luke 12: 22-28)

When Christians focus on the here and now, the temperal, we trouble ourselves. We worry about tomorrow, about finances, about our careers, about relationships, about everything. When Christians focus on the eternal, on Christ and His kingdom, we can then be comforted that all that needs to be taken care of will be.

When we focus on the temperal, we may avoid evil. when we focus on the eternal, we will pursue good. I think Christians spend way too much time running from the devil instead running to God. This can be seen in many ways, but it is another topic for another day.

Which fears grip me when I focus on the temperal, the earth below? I may jump to the worst scenario and worry about that future. How far down the road will Obama and his far left government outlaw Christianity? When will churches be shut down? (Even though these things may not happen.) I then lament that I may not be able to enter the ministry full time, which is my plan. Nothing will stop me from ministering, but I may be stopped from doing it professionally and getting a paycheck for it. Will I have to minister while constantly looking over my shoulder?

By focusing on the kingdom of God, keeping my thoughts and mind on heaven above, of which I am a citizen, I can then keep the goal in my sights while trusting that God will take care of the details here on earth.

Politics has been the largest distraction in keeping my focus on the temperal for me throughout the recent election, but it may be any number of things for any given Christian. Christ's command remains the same, no matter the severity of the issue.

Three Cheers for Tolerance

2008-11-14T11:00:00.002-06:00

Wearing a McCain t-shirt in a pro-Obama school is more suicidal than one might expect. Tolerate a man of (half) African decent becoming president! Okay, sounds good. Wearing a McCain t-shirt is intolerant! Huh?

Another example of tolerance going only one way would be in the Ayers business. We are convinced that the two are indeed closely connected. Obama claimed he was just "a guy who lives in my neighborhood." Now Ayers comes out with the truth:

We had served together on the board of a foundation, knew one another as neighbors and family friends, held an initial fund-raiser at my house, where I’d made a small donation to his earliest political campaign.

I think "a guy who lives in my neighborhood" and "a family friend who helped launch my political career" are a bit different. We should tolerate Ayers, but Obama should not tolerate our just accusation.

The modern conception of tolerance probably had a hand in this incident. When a school supplies face social security numbers for "foreign educators" (who are really illegal aliens), one must wonder: Does rule of law mean anything to the pro-amnesty crowd? Or should we tolerate only that belief?

It all comes down to the meaning of tolerance. Today, tolerance means that every belief has merit (except Christianity according to some), and that we should recognize that everyone's beliefs may be true. That isn't what tolerance means at all. Tolerance has to do with persecution.

I think I'm going to go listen to some Berlioz now.

Government Excess Reaches New Heights

2008-11-13T12:19:00.000-06:00

Learning that the government owns over 640,000 vehicles paid for by your tax dollars does not shock as it should. Our government has grown to be much larger than it was ever intended to be. Is reform possible?

Some people, however, like their big government. (Warning: do not watch past 21 seconds; that is plenty to get the picture.)

(NB: This is an old edit that I am resurrecting. That is why the articles are dated.)

Pointless Public Advertising

2008-11-12T10:48:00.006-06:00

It's here.

First London, and now Washington D.C., liberal heaven (every poll I have seen shows D.C. leaning almost as far left as is conceivable) can attest to having a group of Atheists spend money on an add like this.

The U.S. version of the advertisement reads, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake." Why one should be good for goodness' sake is not explained.

It is annoying that this sort of thing would appear at all.

Yet few Americans describe themselves as atheist or agnostic; a Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life poll from earlier this year found 92 percent of Americans believe in God.

Who knows what the future brings. I await with joy and hope in my heart, smiling that God is sovereign regardless of the number of ads attempting to defame His glorious name.

Brawl at Church of the Holy Sepulchre

2008-11-12T08:22:00.005-06:00

"Greek Orthodox and Armenian worshippers traded blows Sunday in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Christian denominations jealously protect their hold over areas of the traditional site of Jesus' crucifixion."

I guess that's what you get when you make up truth as you go along (I suppose I am showing no reverence for the Greek Orthodox and Armenian denominations - oh my!) Being led by your own human spirit, as opposed to the Holy Spirit, will make you beholden to human instincts, such as fighting each other to get what you want.

This is the shame of divisions within the body, even though many are not even in the body. Relics do not matter. The pieces of wood which Jesus were sacrificed upon do not matter (and I highly doubt they could be found three hundred years later.) His action and intent on the cross are what matter.

The brawlers' attention was fixed not on heaven above, but on earth below.

Social Justice

2008-11-10T14:30:00.000-06:00

In a geography assignment I am working on, the professor asks, "What is 'social justice?' Does it exist?" After looking into it a bit, I think I am prepared to say that I do not like it. Social justice seems to be an elaborate excuse for doing anything to achieve a good end. It has too much room for abuse.

I like the non-aggression principle better.

Soon they'll be justifying things like this...and this...and this.

Revelation Watch #428

2008-11-09T22:49:00.005-06:00

Looks like our very own Barry Obambi has some competition in the ol' antichrist department!*

England's Prime Minister Gordon Brown Is scheduled to deliver a speech tomorrow about the need for a "new world order." He is primarily referring to financial issues, but he declares that we need to "build a truly global society." And I thought Halloween was over...

However, Obama has one important leg-up on Brown in the messianic department:

*Standard disclaimer

Random Disturbing Articles

2008-11-07T20:05:00.001-06:00

Actually, only the first two qualify as being disturbing.

Some judge in Arizona has figured out how to solve the problems of social injustice.

Arizona’s Supreme Court Justice has agreed to enforce the Hispanic Bar Association’s demands of banning the terms “illegal” and “aliens” in all of the state’s courtrooms.

Claiming that the terms are inflammatory, the president of Arizona’s Hispanic Bar Association, (known as Los Abogados) has asked state Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor to stop using them at trials or hearings because they create perceptions of judicial bias.

I think banning the inflammatory words "murder" and "rape" would go a long ways in destroying judicial bias as well. Pathetic.

Meanwhile, the Treasury Department is taking its first steps towards Sharia Banking.

This article is funny, and this one is on a familiar theme.

Mount Obama

2008-11-06T21:45:00.002-06:00

Antigua's Prime Minister wants to rename the island's highest peak to "Mt. Obama" in honor of the president-elect.

What do you get when the entire world is in love with a fraud? Antichristmania!*

*Standard disclaimer of not officially claiming Obama as the antichrist blah blah blah soon I'm not going to bother.

Can't Resist...

2008-11-05T16:34:00.002-06:00

What can I say? It tickles the funny bone.

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

Californians Vote to Ban Gay Marriage

2008-11-05T13:26:00.003-06:00

In a Conservative triumph, voters in the state of California have supported the institution of authentic marriage between a man and a woman.

The family still lives - for now.

Gay marriage banning amendments were also voted through in Arizona and Florida, and Arkansas passed a measure which prohibits gay couples from adopting children - bans on gay marriage did not fail anywhere.

This is further proof that Conservatism continues in some ways in America, reinforcing my belief that voting Obama was fashionable and something to "just get over with and move on." Conservatives did not do as bad in the House and Senate as was expected, especially the Senate.

America remains a center-right nation, in my opinion, and now the country will start to learn what liberalism is all about when Obama and his majority government begin ruling - er- governing.

Picture of the Day

2008-11-05T10:31:00.004-06:00

Here it is in full splendor:

Consolation Prize

2008-11-05T07:35:00.004-06:00

Despite McCain's definite failure to win the presidency, it is promising to see that Norm Coleman won, if only by under 800 votes (which means RECOUNT!). We also get a nifty little article by Michelle Malkin. Erik Paulson won too.