There is a good dose of Fatah camel hockey here but it's still interesting:
Mohammed Dahlan, 47, is the former head of security for Fatah in the Gaza Strip. In a SPIEGEL interview, he discusses the Israeli war against Hamas and why he believes the Islamist organization will lose the next election.
...SPIEGEL: But doesn't the war offer Fatah a new opportunity to assume power in Gaza again?
Dahlan: We will only return to Gaza after we have won an election -- not through military force. If you ask me personally, though, I am happy about the coup against Hamas.
SPIEGEL: What do you mean?
Dahlan: The Palestinians have now realized that Hamas is not capable of governing. Their leaders were celebrated as resistance fighters and for fighting corruption, but since their election they have lost all legitimacy. Their sole strategy is destruction and chaos. Hamas has lost its appeal -- and it will lose the next election.
Another good article from American Thinker on the destruction and chaos wrought by Hamas:
Hamas leaders take refuge in hospitals
Hamas' cruelty towards Israeli civilians is reflected in its cruelty to its own civilians. Hamas, like the other Arab/Muslim states and guerrillas, considers all Israelis as the enemy, making no distinction between civilians and military targets. Israeli hospitals, schools and homes are deliberately bombed.
But while Israel tries to avoid civilian casualties Hamas cowardly exploits what they think is an Israeli weakness, exposing its own people to the terror it poured on Israel. (more)
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Inauguration 2009: 'So Help Me God' At Risk
From the AmericanThinker some good (if somewhat disheartening) reading on the Establishment Clause (or what is left of it)
With the approach of the presidential inauguration, America's most notorious atheist, Michael Newdow, is back in the headlines. Once again, he and an assortment of other plaintiffs are challenging the long-standing addendum, "So help me God," to the presidential oath of office. The lawsuit, filed by the American Humanist Association on Dec. 30, also challenges as unconstitutional, the pending invocation and benediction prayers to be offered respectively by Pastor Rick Warren and Rev. Joseph E. Lowery at the swearing-in ceremony of President-select Barack Obama on Jan. 20....
...Many words may be used to describe Michael Newdow, but unintelligent is not one of them. It is likely that most Americans view lawsuits against the religious expressions of inaugurations as frivolous and without merit, invoking the same type of ire against those challenging the constitutionality of the Flag pledge and the national motto. Dr. Newdow, however, knows something that most Americans do not.
Newdow knows that the legal precedent of the U.S. Supreme Court is actually on his side. He knows also that when it comes to judging his complaints, the Court has not been intellectually honest in the application of its precedent. So, he keeps at it (in 2002, the 9th circuit federal appeals court applied precedent and agreed with him, ruling that the Flag pledge was unconstitutional)....
...The religion clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution merely prohibits the federal Congress from passing law to establish religion and/or to prevent the people from enjoying free exercise. Under the protection of the Constitution, the feds cannot, by force of law, make you or your State subscribe to a religion and cannot prevent you or your State from carrying out religious expression. In short, the First Amendment ensures that the federal government has no jurisdiction over the religious affairs of the states and the people.
Then came the 1947 case of Everson v. Board of Education, in which the Supreme Court scuffled with the Establishment Clause, turning it on its head and setting it against the very states it was meant to protect. (Jurists refer to that feat as the doctrine of incorporation through which the Court uses the 14th Amendment as a handy tool to apply the Bill of Rights against the states.) Ironically, the clause meant to limit the federal government was used by the federal government to expand its power. Holding the Establishment Clause upside down in a full nelson, the Court forced it to cry Uncle Sam by reading into it a previously unheard-of doctrine: The requirement of government - federal, state and local -- neutrality toward religion.
We have reached the point in which the historic purpose of the Establishment Clause is practically irrelevant....(more)
With the approach of the presidential inauguration, America's most notorious atheist, Michael Newdow, is back in the headlines. Once again, he and an assortment of other plaintiffs are challenging the long-standing addendum, "So help me God," to the presidential oath of office. The lawsuit, filed by the American Humanist Association on Dec. 30, also challenges as unconstitutional, the pending invocation and benediction prayers to be offered respectively by Pastor Rick Warren and Rev. Joseph E. Lowery at the swearing-in ceremony of President-select Barack Obama on Jan. 20....
...Many words may be used to describe Michael Newdow, but unintelligent is not one of them. It is likely that most Americans view lawsuits against the religious expressions of inaugurations as frivolous and without merit, invoking the same type of ire against those challenging the constitutionality of the Flag pledge and the national motto. Dr. Newdow, however, knows something that most Americans do not.
Newdow knows that the legal precedent of the U.S. Supreme Court is actually on his side. He knows also that when it comes to judging his complaints, the Court has not been intellectually honest in the application of its precedent. So, he keeps at it (in 2002, the 9th circuit federal appeals court applied precedent and agreed with him, ruling that the Flag pledge was unconstitutional)....
...The religion clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution merely prohibits the federal Congress from passing law to establish religion and/or to prevent the people from enjoying free exercise. Under the protection of the Constitution, the feds cannot, by force of law, make you or your State subscribe to a religion and cannot prevent you or your State from carrying out religious expression. In short, the First Amendment ensures that the federal government has no jurisdiction over the religious affairs of the states and the people.
Then came the 1947 case of Everson v. Board of Education, in which the Supreme Court scuffled with the Establishment Clause, turning it on its head and setting it against the very states it was meant to protect. (Jurists refer to that feat as the doctrine of incorporation through which the Court uses the 14th Amendment as a handy tool to apply the Bill of Rights against the states.) Ironically, the clause meant to limit the federal government was used by the federal government to expand its power. Holding the Establishment Clause upside down in a full nelson, the Court forced it to cry Uncle Sam by reading into it a previously unheard-of doctrine: The requirement of government - federal, state and local -- neutrality toward religion.
We have reached the point in which the historic purpose of the Establishment Clause is practically irrelevant....(more)
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
What Disappearing Sea Ice?
From American Thinker:
Despite the mountains of contrary evidence, concerns over disappearing sea ice and the unfounded position that the North Pole could melt entirely in 2008, pushed U.S. government bureaucrats to officially list the polar bear as an endangered species in May of 2008. And then guess what happened....
After the onslaught of record breaking bitter temperatures during the last quarter of this year, and with less wind, the amount of sea ice has significantly and dramatically rebounded at the fastest rate ever before recorded. Currently being measured to be about where it was 29 years ago in 1979, sea ice is again as expansive and dense as it was when global cooling proponents of the time said that we were witnessing the advance of a mini ice age.
Reported by the University of Illinois's Arctic Climate Research Center, and derived from satellite observations of the Northern and Southern hemisphere polar regions, sea ice has been restored to pre-AGW levels. ...(more)
Despite the mountains of contrary evidence, concerns over disappearing sea ice and the unfounded position that the North Pole could melt entirely in 2008, pushed U.S. government bureaucrats to officially list the polar bear as an endangered species in May of 2008. And then guess what happened....
After the onslaught of record breaking bitter temperatures during the last quarter of this year, and with less wind, the amount of sea ice has significantly and dramatically rebounded at the fastest rate ever before recorded. Currently being measured to be about where it was 29 years ago in 1979, sea ice is again as expansive and dense as it was when global cooling proponents of the time said that we were witnessing the advance of a mini ice age.
Reported by the University of Illinois's Arctic Climate Research Center, and derived from satellite observations of the Northern and Southern hemisphere polar regions, sea ice has been restored to pre-AGW levels. ...(more)
Monday, January 5, 2009
Hippies for Hamas
From Contentions:
Title of a post at the Daily Kos:
Why Do I Find Israeli Troop Deaths Satisfying?
Read on to learn why. As Glenn Reynolds likes to say: they’re not anti-war, they’re just for the other side.
Title of a post at the Daily Kos:
Why Do I Find Israeli Troop Deaths Satisfying?
Read on to learn why. As Glenn Reynolds likes to say: they’re not anti-war, they’re just for the other side.
DisenFrankenchised
Some good stuff as usual over at And Sometimes Tea: on the election in Minnesota.
Also this Minnesota Madness Update from AmSpec
Also this Minnesota Madness Update from AmSpec
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Focus/Study For the New Year
During Advent I read an article in the local newspaper on a book called Soul Revolution and began to prayerfully consider the possibility of using the exercise it recommended as a part of a study for the New Year. I decided to include "Learn to pray" in my list of resolutions for 2009. A number of things occurred including learning that my church will be focusing on prayer this year when I came across this quote over at MereComments:
...While we all have our plans, and perhaps "resolutions," the best of all is to begin each day on our knees, so to speak, seeking the Lord's grace and mercy upon our lives, our loved ones, and our plans, which have to be tentative and revisable. If we are just too busy to pray regularly, we are doing the wrong things. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain....
So that kind of settles it. We'll have a number of postings on prayer in the coming months and some exercises and some links. It is my hope and prayer that these tools will lead us all to a deeper and richer prayer life.
...While we all have our plans, and perhaps "resolutions," the best of all is to begin each day on our knees, so to speak, seeking the Lord's grace and mercy upon our lives, our loved ones, and our plans, which have to be tentative and revisable. If we are just too busy to pray regularly, we are doing the wrong things. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain....
So that kind of settles it. We'll have a number of postings on prayer in the coming months and some exercises and some links. It is my hope and prayer that these tools will lead us all to a deeper and richer prayer life.
Vatican Attacked for Defending Natural Family
ROME, December 3, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Vatican has been attacked for its defence of the natural family and of the countries in which the natural family is still recognised and protected in law. Homosexualist groups and newspaper editorials today attacked the Vatican’s representative to the United Nations, after he said that the Vatican will not support a resolution that purports to “decriminalise” homosexuality.
The proposal, put forward by France, is set to be brought to the European Union later this month. While the Vatican, an independent state, is not a part of the EU, it holds Permanent Observer status at the UN. ...
...Pro-life and pro-family leaders have warned that the use of the language of “human rights” and “equality” have been manipulated by the homosexualist political movement and their secularist supporters to suppress principled opposition to the movement’s anti-Christian goals.
Gabrielle Kuby, a German Catholic writer, wrote recently in an article featured on LifeSiteNews.com, that the movement is a direct attack on the social foundations of western society. “Behind the facade” of equality, she wrote, “lurks the general attack on the moral standards to which we owe the Western culture. Without it, neither the family nor Christianity can survive.”
The proposal, put forward by France, is set to be brought to the European Union later this month. While the Vatican, an independent state, is not a part of the EU, it holds Permanent Observer status at the UN. ...
...Pro-life and pro-family leaders have warned that the use of the language of “human rights” and “equality” have been manipulated by the homosexualist political movement and their secularist supporters to suppress principled opposition to the movement’s anti-Christian goals.
Gabrielle Kuby, a German Catholic writer, wrote recently in an article featured on LifeSiteNews.com, that the movement is a direct attack on the social foundations of western society. “Behind the facade” of equality, she wrote, “lurks the general attack on the moral standards to which we owe the Western culture. Without it, neither the family nor Christianity can survive.”
Employer-Based Health Insurance: Why Congress Should Cap Tax Benefits Consistently
From the Heritage:
Too many Americans do not fully understand how the health insurance they receive through their employer is financed. Health insurance is, of course, a "fringe" benefit. Formal premium payments to health insurance companies are made by employers, just as employers pay for other fringe benefits, such as paid vacation, child care, education and training, or retirement plans.
Technically, however, the employer is not "giving" the employee anything: The employees pay for these benefits through a reduction in their wages or an employer's reduction of full-time staff.The number of part-time jobs is increased to accommodate workload without offering any additional fringe benefits.... (more)
Too many Americans do not fully understand how the health insurance they receive through their employer is financed. Health insurance is, of course, a "fringe" benefit. Formal premium payments to health insurance companies are made by employers, just as employers pay for other fringe benefits, such as paid vacation, child care, education and training, or retirement plans.
Technically, however, the employer is not "giving" the employee anything: The employees pay for these benefits through a reduction in their wages or an employer's reduction of full-time staff.The number of part-time jobs is increased to accommodate workload without offering any additional fringe benefits.... (more)
Where is Global Warming When We Need It?
Fom the American Spec:
Still, shouldn't global warming mean, well, the planet is warming? But it hasn't over the last decade. If the alarmists can't get today's temperature right, I keep wondering why we chould believe them when they purport to predict the temperature a century from now. "Some day we'll get it right" seems to be the mantra of the alarmist lobby.
At least I'm not the only person with questions. Christopher Booker has a wonderful year-ending column in The Daily Telegraph. He wryly observes:
Looking back over my columns of the past 12 months, one of their major themes was neatly encapsulated by two recent items from The Daily Telegraph.
The first, on May 21, headed "Climate change threat to Alpine ski resorts" , reported that the entire Alpine "winter sports industry" could soon "grind to a halt for lack of snow". The second, on December 19, headed "The Alps have best snow conditions in a generation" , reported that this winter's Alpine snowfalls "look set to beat all records by New Year's Day".
Well, I guess that's why the operative phrase now is "climate change." That way the social engineers can justify destroying the economy whatever happens to the temperature. ...
Still, shouldn't global warming mean, well, the planet is warming? But it hasn't over the last decade. If the alarmists can't get today's temperature right, I keep wondering why we chould believe them when they purport to predict the temperature a century from now. "Some day we'll get it right" seems to be the mantra of the alarmist lobby.
At least I'm not the only person with questions. Christopher Booker has a wonderful year-ending column in The Daily Telegraph. He wryly observes:
Looking back over my columns of the past 12 months, one of their major themes was neatly encapsulated by two recent items from The Daily Telegraph.
The first, on May 21, headed "Climate change threat to Alpine ski resorts" , reported that the entire Alpine "winter sports industry" could soon "grind to a halt for lack of snow". The second, on December 19, headed "The Alps have best snow conditions in a generation" , reported that this winter's Alpine snowfalls "look set to beat all records by New Year's Day".
Well, I guess that's why the operative phrase now is "climate change." That way the social engineers can justify destroying the economy whatever happens to the temperature. ...
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Some Thoughts On Gaza
Hamas opted for war, and they're getting it
Israel's enemies -- and even many of its supporters -- are urging restraint, ignoring the fact that Israelis have been displaying remarkable restraint....
...No nation can be expected to put up with such attacks for long, yet Israel held its fire for months. But when Hamas announced a few weeks ago it would not renew the truce and then stepped up its rocket attacks, Israel could no longer ignore the obvious. A full scale war was being renewed against it by an Islamic jihad that declares that Israel has no right to exist, and is sworn to destroy it....
Why Israel Struck
...Besides halting the rocket attacks against its territory, with this offensive against Hamas Israel is also breaking the circle of terror, with which Iran has surrounded it. Hezbollah, Iran’s ally in southern Lebanon across from Israel’s northern border launched a similar rocket campaign in 2006 that resulted in a full-scale Israeli offensive. More than four thousand rockets were launched into Israel during that conflict, which Hezbollah has meanwhile made good in expectation of the war’s next round.
Like Hezbollah, Hamas is also sponsored by Iran. According to intelligence experts, Iran has spent large amounts of money to arm and train Hamas, supplying the Sunni terrorist organization with Hezbollah advisors. Besides its ultimate goal of destroying Israel, Iran is using Hezbollah’s and Hamas’s aggression against the Jewish state to enhance its prestige in the Muslim world vis-a-vis Sunni Muslim regimes it wants to undermine....
The Necessity of Israel
Late Saturday, thousands of Gazans received Arabic-language cell-phone messages from the Israeli military, urging them to leave homes where militants might have stashed weapons. -- Associated Press, Dec. 27
WASHINGTON -- Some geopolitical conflicts are morally complicated. The Israel-Gaza war is not. It possesses a moral clarity not only rare but excruciating.
Israel is so scrupulous about civilian life that, risking the element of surprise, it contacts enemy noncombatants in advance to warn them of approaching danger. Hamas, which started this conflict with unrelenting rocket and mortar attacks on unarmed Israelis -- 6,464 launched from Gaza in the last three years -- deliberately places its weapons in and near the homes of its own people. ...
Cease terror, not cease-fire
...Hamas leaders ordered the cross-border attack against Israel in June 2006 in which two IDF soldiers were killed and Gilad Schalit was taken hostage. They grabbed power away from Fatah the following year, transforming Gaza into a spoiling-for-a-fight Islamist stronghold. Hundreds of Palestinians have lost their lives as a result of Hamas's warmongering.
They locked themselves into the old Arab mantra of "no recognition, no negotiation and no peace." They refused to honor agreements the PLO signed with Israel. They oppose the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. And they've kept Gaza an impoverished basket-case. ...
Israel's enemies -- and even many of its supporters -- are urging restraint, ignoring the fact that Israelis have been displaying remarkable restraint....
...No nation can be expected to put up with such attacks for long, yet Israel held its fire for months. But when Hamas announced a few weeks ago it would not renew the truce and then stepped up its rocket attacks, Israel could no longer ignore the obvious. A full scale war was being renewed against it by an Islamic jihad that declares that Israel has no right to exist, and is sworn to destroy it....
Why Israel Struck
...Besides halting the rocket attacks against its territory, with this offensive against Hamas Israel is also breaking the circle of terror, with which Iran has surrounded it. Hezbollah, Iran’s ally in southern Lebanon across from Israel’s northern border launched a similar rocket campaign in 2006 that resulted in a full-scale Israeli offensive. More than four thousand rockets were launched into Israel during that conflict, which Hezbollah has meanwhile made good in expectation of the war’s next round.
Like Hezbollah, Hamas is also sponsored by Iran. According to intelligence experts, Iran has spent large amounts of money to arm and train Hamas, supplying the Sunni terrorist organization with Hezbollah advisors. Besides its ultimate goal of destroying Israel, Iran is using Hezbollah’s and Hamas’s aggression against the Jewish state to enhance its prestige in the Muslim world vis-a-vis Sunni Muslim regimes it wants to undermine....
The Necessity of Israel
Late Saturday, thousands of Gazans received Arabic-language cell-phone messages from the Israeli military, urging them to leave homes where militants might have stashed weapons. -- Associated Press, Dec. 27
WASHINGTON -- Some geopolitical conflicts are morally complicated. The Israel-Gaza war is not. It possesses a moral clarity not only rare but excruciating.
Israel is so scrupulous about civilian life that, risking the element of surprise, it contacts enemy noncombatants in advance to warn them of approaching danger. Hamas, which started this conflict with unrelenting rocket and mortar attacks on unarmed Israelis -- 6,464 launched from Gaza in the last three years -- deliberately places its weapons in and near the homes of its own people. ...
Cease terror, not cease-fire
...Hamas leaders ordered the cross-border attack against Israel in June 2006 in which two IDF soldiers were killed and Gilad Schalit was taken hostage. They grabbed power away from Fatah the following year, transforming Gaza into a spoiling-for-a-fight Islamist stronghold. Hundreds of Palestinians have lost their lives as a result of Hamas's warmongering.
They locked themselves into the old Arab mantra of "no recognition, no negotiation and no peace." They refused to honor agreements the PLO signed with Israel. They oppose the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. And they've kept Gaza an impoverished basket-case. ...
Voted for Prop 8? You're fired
From WND:
...Kevin Snider, chief counsel for PJI, told WND of a worker at a financial company who was asked before the November election how he would vote on the issue of homosexual marriage. The employee gave an evasive answer. Following the election, the employee was asked repeatedly how he voted.
When it was learned the employee had voted in favor of Proposition 8, he was written up for discrimination, Snider reports, and fired within a couple of days.
WND reported earlier of a pair of radio hosts who were fired, they believe, because they questioned on air a local politician's call to boycott businesses that supported Prop. 8.
"I voiced my opinion," radio host Marshall Gilbert told WND. "I voted yes on Prop. 8, and I was fired over that."
While some employees have been fired outright, others have been harassed by fellow workers or risk losing their jobs because of protesters hounding their companies.
The Los Angeles Times reported the story of El Coyote, a coffee shop that became a target of protest after the manager's name was put on a blacklist for giving $100 to support Proposition 8. Mobs of protesters harassed El Coyote's customers, shouting "shame on you," until police in riot gear settled the crowd.
The customers, the Times reports, abandoned the once-thriving business, and now El Coyote's 89 employees, some of them openly homosexual, have had their hours cut and face layoffs if the customers don't return soon.
Advocates for homosexual marriage have even set up a website, AntiGayBlacklist.com, which lists hundreds of California residents, churches and businesses that donated money to the Proposition 8 campaign, urging sympathizers not to patronize those on the list. ...(more)
...Kevin Snider, chief counsel for PJI, told WND of a worker at a financial company who was asked before the November election how he would vote on the issue of homosexual marriage. The employee gave an evasive answer. Following the election, the employee was asked repeatedly how he voted.
When it was learned the employee had voted in favor of Proposition 8, he was written up for discrimination, Snider reports, and fired within a couple of days.
WND reported earlier of a pair of radio hosts who were fired, they believe, because they questioned on air a local politician's call to boycott businesses that supported Prop. 8.
"I voiced my opinion," radio host Marshall Gilbert told WND. "I voted yes on Prop. 8, and I was fired over that."
While some employees have been fired outright, others have been harassed by fellow workers or risk losing their jobs because of protesters hounding their companies.
The Los Angeles Times reported the story of El Coyote, a coffee shop that became a target of protest after the manager's name was put on a blacklist for giving $100 to support Proposition 8. Mobs of protesters harassed El Coyote's customers, shouting "shame on you," until police in riot gear settled the crowd.
The customers, the Times reports, abandoned the once-thriving business, and now El Coyote's 89 employees, some of them openly homosexual, have had their hours cut and face layoffs if the customers don't return soon.
Advocates for homosexual marriage have even set up a website, AntiGayBlacklist.com, which lists hundreds of California residents, churches and businesses that donated money to the Proposition 8 campaign, urging sympathizers not to patronize those on the list. ...(more)
Back From Travels and Thanks
Drove back from MO on New Years Day and was pleased to find that the blog had not gathered cobwebs. New contributors JD and Magister Christianus (Latin teacher can you tell? :-) )took time from their holiday schedules and posted a few thoughts. Many thanks to the both of you and Merry Christmas (today is the 10th day of Christmas if you're counting) and Happy New Year to you and the 10's of folk who visit here every now and again.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Feds Couldn't Even Manage the Ranch?
The following is from a little local newspaper in Westfield, Indiana. It is not available online, so I am transcribing it here.
Back in 1990, the government seized control of the bawdy Mustang Ranch brothel in Nevada for tax evasion and, as required by law, attempted to run it. Alas, the feds failed miserably (surprised?), and the joint was shuttered. Fast-foward 18 years. Today, we are entrusting our nation's economy and $850-plus billion to a pack of nit-wits who couldn't make money running a whorehouse and selling booze. Now, if that doesn't make you nervous, what does?
Back in 1990, the government seized control of the bawdy Mustang Ranch brothel in Nevada for tax evasion and, as required by law, attempted to run it. Alas, the feds failed miserably (surprised?), and the joint was shuttered. Fast-foward 18 years. Today, we are entrusting our nation's economy and $850-plus billion to a pack of nit-wits who couldn't make money running a whorehouse and selling booze. Now, if that doesn't make you nervous, what does?
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Why Protestant/Catholic/Orthodox?
I have emailed this question to several friends, but have received surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) few responses.
I have been a Protestant my entire life, yet I acknowledge what R.R. Reno described as "the insanity of [the] slide into self-guidance." (Catholic Matters, Richard John Neuhaus, p. 65). I also whole-heartedly agree with Neuhaus himself when he says, "The allegedly autonomous self who acknowledges no authority but himself is abjectly captive to the authority of the Enlightenment rationality that finally collapses into incoherence." He adds, "Confronted by such truth claims, we necessarily ask, 'Sez who?' By what authority, by whose authority, should I credit such claims to be true?" (ibid., p. 70)
And so I ask: If you are Protestant, why are you Protestant and why are you not Catholic or Orthodox? If you are Catholic, why are you Catholic and not Protestant or Orthodox? If you are Orthodox, why are you Orthodox and not Protestant or Catholic?
Note that whatever question applies to you is actually in two parts, asking a positive affirmation of why you are what you are and an answer of why you are not what you are not.
Thanks in advance to all who search deeply and share good, honest thoughts.
I have been a Protestant my entire life, yet I acknowledge what R.R. Reno described as "the insanity of [the] slide into self-guidance." (Catholic Matters, Richard John Neuhaus, p. 65). I also whole-heartedly agree with Neuhaus himself when he says, "The allegedly autonomous self who acknowledges no authority but himself is abjectly captive to the authority of the Enlightenment rationality that finally collapses into incoherence." He adds, "Confronted by such truth claims, we necessarily ask, 'Sez who?' By what authority, by whose authority, should I credit such claims to be true?" (ibid., p. 70)
And so I ask: If you are Protestant, why are you Protestant and why are you not Catholic or Orthodox? If you are Catholic, why are you Catholic and not Protestant or Orthodox? If you are Orthodox, why are you Orthodox and not Protestant or Catholic?
Note that whatever question applies to you is actually in two parts, asking a positive affirmation of why you are what you are and an answer of why you are not what you are not.
Thanks in advance to all who search deeply and share good, honest thoughts.
The God We Pray To
V. Gene Robinson, the first openly sodomite Episcopal bishop, said in NY Times article that referenced Rick Warren's pick as the one to deliver the inaugural prayer, "[T]he God that he’s praying to is not the God that I know." I have never talked with Rick Warren, but I am under the impression that he worships the triune God of the Christian faith. If so, then Gene Robinson is admitting that he does not. Now, I had thought that the Episcopal church worshiped that same God. Would this statement alone not consitute grounds for Robinson's removal?
Then there is Timothy McCarthy, "a historian who teaches at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and an unabashed Obama enthusiast who served on his campaign’s National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Leadership Council." (See NY Times article.) He tells op-ed columnist Frank Rich in that article that Rick Warren should "recant his previous statements about gays and lesbians, and start acting like a Christian."
Don't you love it when non-Christians tell Christians how Christians should think?
Then there is Timothy McCarthy, "a historian who teaches at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and an unabashed Obama enthusiast who served on his campaign’s National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Leadership Council." (See NY Times article.) He tells op-ed columnist Frank Rich in that article that Rick Warren should "recant his previous statements about gays and lesbians, and start acting like a Christian."
Don't you love it when non-Christians tell Christians how Christians should think?
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Letter to General Motors
In this response to Troy Clarke, President GM, Greg Knox of Knox Machinery, Inc. hits the nail on the head.
His response echoes my letters to my Senators and Congressman. We must get out of this immediate self-gratification mindset. We are no longer a capitalistic country and have begun the nationalism of our country. We must stop this “Nanny State” the government is not our “Sugar Daddy.”
"But for some reason we are now deciding that the rest of the world is right and that capitalism doesn't work - that we need the government to step in and "save us"...save us, hell - we're nationalizing...and unfortunately too many of this once fine nations citizens don't even have a clue that this is what's really happening...but they sure can tell you the stats on their favorite sports teams...yeah - THAT'S important..."
"Detroit and the United States need to pay for their sins. Bad news people - it's coming whether we like it or not"
His response echoes my letters to my Senators and Congressman. We must get out of this immediate self-gratification mindset. We are no longer a capitalistic country and have begun the nationalism of our country. We must stop this “Nanny State” the government is not our “Sugar Daddy.”
"But for some reason we are now deciding that the rest of the world is right and that capitalism doesn't work - that we need the government to step in and "save us"...save us, hell - we're nationalizing...and unfortunately too many of this once fine nations citizens don't even have a clue that this is what's really happening...but they sure can tell you the stats on their favorite sports teams...yeah - THAT'S important..."
"Detroit and the United States need to pay for their sins. Bad news people - it's coming whether we like it or not"
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Final Thoughts on Advent Study
So what do we make of Matthew's genealogy? This "rogues gallery" of a family tree. Oh yes there is Abraham "father of the believers in the Old Covenant" through whom all of the families of the earth were to be blessed, the promise fulfilled in Abraham's greatest Son, Jesus and the new people of God, the Church.
Then there is King David mystically typifying the royalty of Christ and also the repentant sinner and a foreshadow of the King of the Church, whose kingdom cannot be destroyed.
We have Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and the mentioning of Bathsheba, all women, sinners and gentiles showing God's graciousness and underscores the role of women in the history of salvation and anticipates the crucial role of Mary, the mother of Jesus. (Orthodox Study Bible)
We see evidence of God's forgiveness in his treatment of Manasseh. In the face of a life of evil, God responds to earnest repentance. It is never to late to turn to God.
We also see that , in His response to Manasseh's son, who tried to take advantage of God's grace and mercy and was cut down quickly, God will not be toyed with.
Still, there are some shady characters in this family at least those who are not completely swallowed in the anonymity of history. What do we make of this?
As I pondered on this I was drawn to an article from some years back over at Touchstone Magazine called God Rest Ye Merry. In the article the author talks about how every year certain carols seem to stand out in his mind:
Then there is King David mystically typifying the royalty of Christ and also the repentant sinner and a foreshadow of the King of the Church, whose kingdom cannot be destroyed.
We have Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and the mentioning of Bathsheba, all women, sinners and gentiles showing God's graciousness and underscores the role of women in the history of salvation and anticipates the crucial role of Mary, the mother of Jesus. (Orthodox Study Bible)
We see evidence of God's forgiveness in his treatment of Manasseh. In the face of a life of evil, God responds to earnest repentance. It is never to late to turn to God.
We also see that , in His response to Manasseh's son, who tried to take advantage of God's grace and mercy and was cut down quickly, God will not be toyed with.
Still, there are some shady characters in this family at least those who are not completely swallowed in the anonymity of history. What do we make of this?
As I pondered on this I was drawn to an article from some years back over at Touchstone Magazine called God Rest Ye Merry. In the article the author talks about how every year certain carols seem to stand out in his mind:
...This year, somehow it’s been “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” that has stuck in my brain, and particularly these words, in the first verse: “To save us all from Satan's power/ When we were gone astray.” We skip by these words so quickly. I always have. And yet how plainly those few words sketch in a somber background, a whole universe of presuppositions without which the song has a very different, and diminished, meaning. The merriness being urged upon the gentlemen (one should always remember that, in the lyrics themselves, there is a comma between “merry” and “gentlemen”—they are not “merry gentlemen” being encouraged to "rest") comes amid a great darkness, a darkness that never disappears, that always threatens to envelop us, a darkness whose presence is subtly conveyed by the minor key with which the song begins and ends.
...There are constant reminders of this darkness, if one has ears to hear them, running through the great liturgy of our Christmas carols, with their evocations of bleak midwinter and snow on snow....We are constantly reminded to “keep Christ in Christmas” and to remember “the reason for the season.” And of course that’s entirely right. But it’s also important, if I may put it this way, to keep Satan in Christmas, and not to skip too lightly over the lyrics that mention him. It changes the way we understand Christmas, if we also hold in our minds an awareness of the darkness into which Christ came, and comes, to save us. Later in "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" the visiting angel tells the shepherds in the field that Christ had come “To free all those who trust in Him/ From Satan's power and might." We ought to remember that being subject to that “power and might” is, as we say these days, the default setting of our human existence. Which means that the “comfort and joy” of which the song sings is not merely some seasonal jollity, but the ecstatic gratitude of pardoned convicts, who suddenly, surprisingly, find themselves emerging out of darkness and into the light.
...There are constant reminders of this darkness, if one has ears to hear them, running through the great liturgy of our Christmas carols, with their evocations of bleak midwinter and snow on snow....We are constantly reminded to “keep Christ in Christmas” and to remember “the reason for the season.” And of course that’s entirely right. But it’s also important, if I may put it this way, to keep Satan in Christmas, and not to skip too lightly over the lyrics that mention him. It changes the way we understand Christmas, if we also hold in our minds an awareness of the darkness into which Christ came, and comes, to save us. Later in "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" the visiting angel tells the shepherds in the field that Christ had come “To free all those who trust in Him/ From Satan's power and might." We ought to remember that being subject to that “power and might” is, as we say these days, the default setting of our human existence. Which means that the “comfort and joy” of which the song sings is not merely some seasonal jollity, but the ecstatic gratitude of pardoned convicts, who suddenly, surprisingly, find themselves emerging out of darkness and into the light.
This year for me the carol that has stuck in my brain, ironically, is the same one he mentions at the start of his article: (I had forgotten until I recently went back to read it) Oh, Holy Night:
...Long lay the world in sin and error pining. Till He appeared and the Soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. ...
...In all our trials born to be our friends. He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger...
...Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother. And in his name all oppression shall cease.
And what greater oppression is there than death? I'll end with an excerpt of the post over at MereComments today:
...Is there anything in the whole world that casts a darker shadow over man than death? Would not a God who loves man address the captivity of death? Again, there is only One who even makes a claim to have done so, before the eyes of many witnesses. That single life, that single death, that single empty tomb, has changed all of history? Are there not evidences from one end of the world to the other of the spiritual power of Christ working in the saints from the day of the first Pentecost?
It's a claim that reasonable men should consider on its own merits, not using the failures of Christians as excuses: even in Jesus' lifetime, while personally present with his disciples, he told them they would fail him often, that they would misunderstand, that they didn't get it. So why should now be any different? That's not an excuse for failure, and our failure to meet the standard set by Christ does not negate the standard. It is all about Christ, not us. We look to Him, who is God with Us, the Creator in our midst, in humility, confessing our sins, rejoicing in his fathomless love and mercy that bind up our broken hearts and set us free.
It's a claim that reasonable men should consider on its own merits, not using the failures of Christians as excuses: even in Jesus' lifetime, while personally present with his disciples, he told them they would fail him often, that they would misunderstand, that they didn't get it. So why should now be any different? That's not an excuse for failure, and our failure to meet the standard set by Christ does not negate the standard. It is all about Christ, not us. We look to Him, who is God with Us, the Creator in our midst, in humility, confessing our sins, rejoicing in his fathomless love and mercy that bind up our broken hearts and set us free.
Fall on your knees!
I'm off to Missouri. See you next year.
Merry Christmas- Eutychus
Monday, December 22, 2008
Ave Maria?
I saw the post about the season for porn and couldn't help thinking of this recent article. Playboy Mexico has released its December issue. On the cover is a model wearing nothing but a head covering. The caption reads, "Te adoramos, Maria." Bill Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Human Rights has raised the alarm. Playboy contends that this is not a reference to the Virgin Mary. Apparently Hef's PR people think that the public is as stupid as it is addicted to his smut.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
A New Web Journal- The Christendom Review
MereComments has highlighted a new journal The Christendom Review. It is not light reading but it is thoughtful writing. Those of you poor souls with the philosophical bent (you know who you are) will no doubt enjoy it very much. Those of us who wish we were capable of such discussion will enjoy it as well but it just may take us reading it more than once and in the company of good beer. One of its first articles THE IRRATIONAL FAITH OF THE NAKED PUBLIC SQUARE is a good example. Enjoy!
Advent Study #13
The last in the genealogy of Jesus as given by Luke. Please refer to previous parts of this study for the focus questions. after this Sunday I will provide some notes and thoughts on Matthew's genealogy. I hope you will provide your own.
Joseph the husband of Mary
From Christian answers:
Joseph (the foster father of Jesus Christ)
Meaning: remover or increaser
Joseph, the foster-father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:16; Luke 3:23) livedat Nazareth in Galilee (Luke 2:4).
He is called a "just man." He was by trade a carpenter (Matt. 13:55).
He is last mentioned in connection withthe journey to Jerusalem, when Jesus was twelve years old. It is probable that he died before Jesus entered on his public ministry. This is concluded from the fact that Mary only was present at the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee (John 2). His name does not appear in connection with the scenes of the crucifixion along with that of Mary (q.v.), John 19:25.
Author: Matthew G. Easton, with minor editing by Paul S. Taylor.
Joseph's ancestry - Joseph was in the line of King David and therefore held a legal right to the throne. However, because he descended from Jechonias (Matt. 1:11-12) (also called Jeconiah and Jehoiachin, he would have been disqualified by God from taking the throne. However, Mary's son would not (see: Mary).
From the Catholic Encyclopedia
Genealogy
St. Matthew (1:16) calls St. Joseph the son of Jacob; according to St. Luke (3:23), Heli was his father. This is not the place to recite the many and most various endeavours to solve the vexing questions arising from the divergences between both genealogies; nor is it necessary to point out the explanation which meets best all the requirements of the problem (see GENEALOGY OF CHRIST); suffice it to remind the reader that, contrary to what was once advocated, most modern writers readily admit that in both documents we possess the genealogy of Joseph, and that it is quite possible to reconcile their data.
Residence
At any rate, Bethlehem, the city of David and his descendants, appears to have been the birth-place of Joseph. When, however, the Gospel history opens, namely, a few months before the Annunciation, Joseph was settled at Nazareth. Why and when he forsook his home-place to betake himself to Galilee is not ascertained; some suppose -- and the supposition is by no means improbable -- that the then-moderate circumstances of the family and the necessity of earning a living may have brought about the change. St. Joseph, indeed, was a tekton, as we learn from Matthew 13:55, and Mark 6:3. The word means both mechanic in general and carpenter in particular; St. Justin vouches for the latter sense (Dialogue with Trypho 88), and tradition has accepted this interpretation, which is followed in the English Bible.
Marriage
It is probably at Nazareth that Joseph betrothed and married her who was to become the Mother of God. When the marriage took place, whether before or after the Incarnation, is no easy matter to settle, and on this point the masters of exegesis have at all times been at variance. Most modern commentators, following the footsteps of St. Thomas, understand that, at the epoch of the Annunciation, the Blessed Virgin was only affianced to Joseph; as St. Thomas notices, this interpretation suits better all the evangelical data.
The Incarnation
This marriage, true and complete, was, in the intention of the spouses, to be virgin marriage (cf. St. Augustine, "De cons. Evang.", II, i in P.L. XXXIV, 1071-72; "Cont. Julian.", V, xii, 45 in P.L. XLIV, 810; St. Thomas, III:28; III:29:2). But soon was the faith of Joseph in his spouse to be sorely tried: she was with child. However painful the discovery must have been for him, unaware as he was of the mystery of the Incarnation, his delicate feelings forbade him to defame his affianced, and he resolved "to put her away privately; but while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. . . And Joseph, rising from his sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife" (Matthew 1:19, 20, 24).
The Nativity and the flight to Egypt
A few months later, the time came for Joseph and Mary to go to Bethlehem, to be enrolled, according to the decree issued by Caesar Augustus: a new source of anxiety for Joseph, for "her days were accomplished, that she should be delivered", and "there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:1-7). What musthave been the thoughts of the holy man at the birth of the Saviour, the coming of the shepherds and of the wise men, and at the events which occurred at the time of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, we can merely guess; St. Luke tells only that he was "wondering at those things which were spoken concerning him" (2:33). New trials were soon to follow. The news that a king of the Jews was born could not but kindle in the wicked heart of the old and bloody tyrant, Herod, the fire of jealousy. Again "an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: Arise, and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee" (Matthew 2:13).
Return to Nazareth
Death
Joseph the husband of Mary
From Christian answers:
Joseph (the foster father of Jesus Christ)
Meaning: remover or increaser
Joseph, the foster-father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:16; Luke 3:23) livedat Nazareth in Galilee (Luke 2:4).
He is called a "just man." He was by trade a carpenter (Matt. 13:55).
He is last mentioned in connection withthe journey to Jerusalem, when Jesus was twelve years old. It is probable that he died before Jesus entered on his public ministry. This is concluded from the fact that Mary only was present at the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee (John 2). His name does not appear in connection with the scenes of the crucifixion along with that of Mary (q.v.), John 19:25.
Author: Matthew G. Easton, with minor editing by Paul S. Taylor.
Joseph's ancestry - Joseph was in the line of King David and therefore held a legal right to the throne. However, because he descended from Jechonias (Matt. 1:11-12) (also called Jeconiah and Jehoiachin, he would have been disqualified by God from taking the throne. However, Mary's son would not (see: Mary).
From the Catholic Encyclopedia
Genealogy
St. Matthew (1:16) calls St. Joseph the son of Jacob; according to St. Luke (3:23), Heli was his father. This is not the place to recite the many and most various endeavours to solve the vexing questions arising from the divergences between both genealogies; nor is it necessary to point out the explanation which meets best all the requirements of the problem (see GENEALOGY OF CHRIST); suffice it to remind the reader that, contrary to what was once advocated, most modern writers readily admit that in both documents we possess the genealogy of Joseph, and that it is quite possible to reconcile their data.
Residence
At any rate, Bethlehem, the city of David and his descendants, appears to have been the birth-place of Joseph. When, however, the Gospel history opens, namely, a few months before the Annunciation, Joseph was settled at Nazareth. Why and when he forsook his home-place to betake himself to Galilee is not ascertained; some suppose -- and the supposition is by no means improbable -- that the then-moderate circumstances of the family and the necessity of earning a living may have brought about the change. St. Joseph, indeed, was a tekton, as we learn from Matthew 13:55, and Mark 6:3. The word means both mechanic in general and carpenter in particular; St. Justin vouches for the latter sense (Dialogue with Trypho 88), and tradition has accepted this interpretation, which is followed in the English Bible.
Marriage
It is probably at Nazareth that Joseph betrothed and married her who was to become the Mother of God. When the marriage took place, whether before or after the Incarnation, is no easy matter to settle, and on this point the masters of exegesis have at all times been at variance. Most modern commentators, following the footsteps of St. Thomas, understand that, at the epoch of the Annunciation, the Blessed Virgin was only affianced to Joseph; as St. Thomas notices, this interpretation suits better all the evangelical data.
The Incarnation
This marriage, true and complete, was, in the intention of the spouses, to be virgin marriage (cf. St. Augustine, "De cons. Evang.", II, i in P.L. XXXIV, 1071-72; "Cont. Julian.", V, xii, 45 in P.L. XLIV, 810; St. Thomas, III:28; III:29:2). But soon was the faith of Joseph in his spouse to be sorely tried: she was with child. However painful the discovery must have been for him, unaware as he was of the mystery of the Incarnation, his delicate feelings forbade him to defame his affianced, and he resolved "to put her away privately; but while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. . . And Joseph, rising from his sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife" (Matthew 1:19, 20, 24).
The Nativity and the flight to Egypt
A few months later, the time came for Joseph and Mary to go to Bethlehem, to be enrolled, according to the decree issued by Caesar Augustus: a new source of anxiety for Joseph, for "her days were accomplished, that she should be delivered", and "there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:1-7). What musthave been the thoughts of the holy man at the birth of the Saviour, the coming of the shepherds and of the wise men, and at the events which occurred at the time of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, we can merely guess; St. Luke tells only that he was "wondering at those things which were spoken concerning him" (2:33). New trials were soon to follow. The news that a king of the Jews was born could not but kindle in the wicked heart of the old and bloody tyrant, Herod, the fire of jealousy. Again "an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: Arise, and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee" (Matthew 2:13).
Return to Nazareth
Death
Advent From MereComments and STR
Advent postings from MereComments:
19 December:
Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths, Whom the Gentiles shall seek, come to deliver us, do not tarry.
Isaiah 11:1 In that day the root of Jesse shall stand as an ensign to the peoples; him shall the nations seek, and his dwellings will be glorious.
and 20 December:
And I will place upon his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. Isaiah 22:22
The Advent Antiphon for December 20:
O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, come to liberate the prisoner from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.
With the added treat of having the audio link over at STR blog. This link will not last long so enjoy it while you can. Highly recomended. Also there at STR is an explantion of the O Antiphons
19 December:
Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths, Whom the Gentiles shall seek, come to deliver us, do not tarry.
Isaiah 11:1 In that day the root of Jesse shall stand as an ensign to the peoples; him shall the nations seek, and his dwellings will be glorious.
and 20 December:
And I will place upon his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. Isaiah 22:22
The Advent Antiphon for December 20:
O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, come to liberate the prisoner from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.
With the added treat of having the audio link over at STR blog. This link will not last long so enjoy it while you can. Highly recomended. Also there at STR is an explantion of the O Antiphons
The top 10 warming predictions to hit the wall this year
It's from Australia but still is rather humorous. As is pointed out many of the alamist predictions can now be checked out (e.g. the so called increase in hurricane activity). But of course the weather guys will tell you we are now in a low period cycle...
From the Herald Sun:
GLOBAL warming preachers have had a shocking 2008. So many of their predictions this year went splat.
Here's their problem: they've been scaring us for so long that it's now possible to check if things are turning out as hot as they warned.
And good news! I bring you Christmas cheer - the top 10 warming predictions to hit the wall this year.
Read, so you can end 2008 with optimism, knowing this Christmas won't be the last for you, the planet or even the polar bears.
...3. GOODBYE, NORTH POLE
IN April this year, the papers were full of warnings the Arctic ice could all melt.
"We're actually projecting this year that the North Pole may be free of ice for the first time," claimed Dr David Barber, of Manitoba University, ignoring the many earlier times the Pole has been ice free.
"It's hard to see how the system may bounce back (this year)," fretted Dr Ignatius Rigor, of Washington University's polar science centre.
Tim Flannery also warned "this may be the Arctic's first ice-free year", and the ABC and Age got reporter Marian Wilkinson to go stare at the ice and wail: "Here you can see climate change happening before your eyes."
In fact, the Arctic's ice cover this year was almost 10 per cent above last year's great low, and has refrozen rapidly since. Meanwhile, sea ice in the Southern Hemisphere has been increasing. Been told either cool fact?
Yet Barber is again in the news this month, predicting an ice-free Arctic now in six years. Did anyone ask him how he got his last prediction wrong?
Lesson: The media prefers hot scares to cool truths. And it rarely holds its pet scaremongers to account. ...read the rest of the top ten here
From the Herald Sun:
GLOBAL warming preachers have had a shocking 2008. So many of their predictions this year went splat.
Here's their problem: they've been scaring us for so long that it's now possible to check if things are turning out as hot as they warned.
And good news! I bring you Christmas cheer - the top 10 warming predictions to hit the wall this year.
Read, so you can end 2008 with optimism, knowing this Christmas won't be the last for you, the planet or even the polar bears.
...3. GOODBYE, NORTH POLE
IN April this year, the papers were full of warnings the Arctic ice could all melt.
"We're actually projecting this year that the North Pole may be free of ice for the first time," claimed Dr David Barber, of Manitoba University, ignoring the many earlier times the Pole has been ice free.
"It's hard to see how the system may bounce back (this year)," fretted Dr Ignatius Rigor, of Washington University's polar science centre.
Tim Flannery also warned "this may be the Arctic's first ice-free year", and the ABC and Age got reporter Marian Wilkinson to go stare at the ice and wail: "Here you can see climate change happening before your eyes."
In fact, the Arctic's ice cover this year was almost 10 per cent above last year's great low, and has refrozen rapidly since. Meanwhile, sea ice in the Southern Hemisphere has been increasing. Been told either cool fact?
Yet Barber is again in the news this month, predicting an ice-free Arctic now in six years. Did anyone ask him how he got his last prediction wrong?
Lesson: The media prefers hot scares to cool truths. And it rarely holds its pet scaremongers to account. ...read the rest of the top ten here
Friday, December 19, 2008
Tis the Season for Porn?
From Townhall:
...We all know how far the pornification has gotten. A mainstream movie apparently treats the subject as cute and fun ("Zack and Miri Make a Porno") and it runs at the multiplex next to "Four Christmases" and "Madagascar." Hotels offer pornographic movies and omit the titles from the final bill. Victoria's Secret graces every mall -- and its windows resemble the red light district of Amsterdam.....
...Last week the Witherspoon Institute convened a conference on pornography at Princeton University and invited scholars from a variety of fields to contribute. The statistics are mind-numbing. ...
...Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, author of "The Brain That Changes Itself," noted that pornography use actually changes the brains of consumers. Like other addictions, pornography use breeds tolerance and the need for more intensity to get the desired result. He quoted Tom Wolfe's "I Am Charlotte Simmons," in which a college kid asks casually, "Anybody got porn?" He is told that there are magazines on the third floor. He responds, "I've built up a tolerance to magazines I need videos." Tolerance is the medically correct term, Doidge notes, which is why pornography becomes more and more graphic.
The men (and they are overwhelmingly men) who become hooked on this bilge are often miserable about it. They know that it affects their capacity to love and be loved by real women. As Doidge explained, "Pornographers promise healthy pleasure and a release from sexual tension, but what they often deliver is an addiction, tolerance, and an eventual decrease in pleasure. Paradoxically, the male patients I worked with often craved pornography but didn't like it." Hugh Hefner, the godfather of mainstream porn, apparently does not have normal sex with his many girlfriends. Despite the presence of up to seven comely young women in his bed at a time, he uses porn for sexual satisfaction. Think about that. ..(more here)
...We all know how far the pornification has gotten. A mainstream movie apparently treats the subject as cute and fun ("Zack and Miri Make a Porno") and it runs at the multiplex next to "Four Christmases" and "Madagascar." Hotels offer pornographic movies and omit the titles from the final bill. Victoria's Secret graces every mall -- and its windows resemble the red light district of Amsterdam.....
...Last week the Witherspoon Institute convened a conference on pornography at Princeton University and invited scholars from a variety of fields to contribute. The statistics are mind-numbing. ...
...Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, author of "The Brain That Changes Itself," noted that pornography use actually changes the brains of consumers. Like other addictions, pornography use breeds tolerance and the need for more intensity to get the desired result. He quoted Tom Wolfe's "I Am Charlotte Simmons," in which a college kid asks casually, "Anybody got porn?" He is told that there are magazines on the third floor. He responds, "I've built up a tolerance to magazines I need videos." Tolerance is the medically correct term, Doidge notes, which is why pornography becomes more and more graphic.
The men (and they are overwhelmingly men) who become hooked on this bilge are often miserable about it. They know that it affects their capacity to love and be loved by real women. As Doidge explained, "Pornographers promise healthy pleasure and a release from sexual tension, but what they often deliver is an addiction, tolerance, and an eventual decrease in pleasure. Paradoxically, the male patients I worked with often craved pornography but didn't like it." Hugh Hefner, the godfather of mainstream porn, apparently does not have normal sex with his many girlfriends. Despite the presence of up to seven comely young women in his bed at a time, he uses porn for sexual satisfaction. Think about that. ..(more here)
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Advent Study #12
Where is Advent Study #12? Good question.
After Eliakim we have Azor, Zadok, Achim, Eliud, and Eleazar. Interestingly there does not seem to be any information on these individuals.
Then we have:
Matthan
Meaning: gift
one of our Lord's ancestry (Matt. 1:15)
and then
Jacob
A later man named Jacob was the father of Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:15-16). Nothing more is known about him.
And so because I know you are going through withdrawal not having anything to read I offer these possibilities:
First, a chart of the Kings of Israel. Notice Matthew's genealogy goes through Judah. The chart outlines nicely whether the King did evil or good or some combination.
Second, I offer two Advent postings from MereComments which once again I don't think are entirely unrelated to our study:
First from December 17th this excerpt which includes canticles from the Orthodox : (you can read the whole posting here)
..Also from the Orthodox synaxarion: The "new martyrs" Paisius the abbot and Habakkuk the deacon: Saint Paisius was Abbot of a monastery in Serbia and Habakkuk was his deacon.
They were both impaled by the Turks at Belgrade on December 17, 1814. Dragging the stake on which he was to suffer through the streets of Belgrade, Habakkuk chanted the hymns of the Church. When his mother threw herself at his feet, begging him to adhere to Islam in order to save his life, he thanked her for her maternal solicitude, but rejected her advice as he recalled the great men of the Old Testament who suffered for the glory of God.
"Great men of the Old Testament"--like Daniel, and the Three Young Men in the furnace of Nebuchadnezzar. Habakkuk the deacon, in chanting the hymns of the church may well have sung one the traditional odes from matins before Christmas:
Scorning the impious decree, the Children brought up together in godliness feared not the threat of fire, but, standing in the midst of the flames, they sang: "O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou." (Canticle 7)
The furnace moist with dew was the image and figure of a wonder past nature. For it burnt not the Children whom it had received, even as the fire of the Godhead consumed not the Virgin's womb into which it had descended. Therefore let us sing: Let the whole creation bless the Lord and exalt Him above all for ever. (Canticle 8)
Take courage!
And this from today:
O come, o come, Thou Lord of might,who to thy tribes on Sinai's height in ancient times did give the law,in cloud, and majesty, and awe. Rejoice! Rejoice!Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!
(more here)
Enjoy!
After Eliakim we have Azor, Zadok, Achim, Eliud, and Eleazar. Interestingly there does not seem to be any information on these individuals.
Then we have:
Matthan
Meaning: gift
one of our Lord's ancestry (Matt. 1:15)
and then
Jacob
A later man named Jacob was the father of Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:15-16). Nothing more is known about him.
And so because I know you are going through withdrawal not having anything to read I offer these possibilities:
First, a chart of the Kings of Israel. Notice Matthew's genealogy goes through Judah. The chart outlines nicely whether the King did evil or good or some combination.
Second, I offer two Advent postings from MereComments which once again I don't think are entirely unrelated to our study:
First from December 17th this excerpt which includes canticles from the Orthodox : (you can read the whole posting here)
..Also from the Orthodox synaxarion: The "new martyrs" Paisius the abbot and Habakkuk the deacon: Saint Paisius was Abbot of a monastery in Serbia and Habakkuk was his deacon.
They were both impaled by the Turks at Belgrade on December 17, 1814. Dragging the stake on which he was to suffer through the streets of Belgrade, Habakkuk chanted the hymns of the Church. When his mother threw herself at his feet, begging him to adhere to Islam in order to save his life, he thanked her for her maternal solicitude, but rejected her advice as he recalled the great men of the Old Testament who suffered for the glory of God.
"Great men of the Old Testament"--like Daniel, and the Three Young Men in the furnace of Nebuchadnezzar. Habakkuk the deacon, in chanting the hymns of the church may well have sung one the traditional odes from matins before Christmas:
Scorning the impious decree, the Children brought up together in godliness feared not the threat of fire, but, standing in the midst of the flames, they sang: "O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou." (Canticle 7)
The furnace moist with dew was the image and figure of a wonder past nature. For it burnt not the Children whom it had received, even as the fire of the Godhead consumed not the Virgin's womb into which it had descended. Therefore let us sing: Let the whole creation bless the Lord and exalt Him above all for ever. (Canticle 8)
Take courage!
And this from today:
O come, o come, Thou Lord of might,who to thy tribes on Sinai's height in ancient times did give the law,in cloud, and majesty, and awe. Rejoice! Rejoice!Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!
(more here)
Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Campus PC Gone Crazy
From FrontPage:
Political correctness ran amuck in our nation’s school system this past year, and Young America’s Foundation has once again compiled our “best of the worst” academic abuses for 2008. From “free speech zones” to transgendered speakers at military academies, the following list may make you both laugh and cry in the same breath. That probably isn’t too surprising, however, since we are talking about academia after all…
1. The free speech “zone.” A student at Yuba College in California was sent an ultimatum by the school’s president: discontinue handing out gospel booklets or face disciplinary action and possibly expulsion. That’s right—gospel booklets. Ryan Dozier, the 20-year-old student, had the audacity to distribute Christian literature without a school permit, which restricts free speech to an hour each Tuesday and Thursday. Yuba College even directs students to where on campus they are allowed to exhibit free speech. In this case, it’s the school theater. Campus police threatened to arrest Ryan if he didn’t comply with the “free speech zone,” oblivious to the fact that students don’t need permission to exercise the First Amendment’s free speech and religious clauses.
2. Transgendered activists in, pro-life speakers out. Liberal administrators at the University of St. Thomas, a Catholic institution in Minnesota, censored the appearance of prominent pro-life speaker Star Parker because campus officials felt “uncomfortable” and “disturbed” by previous conservative speakers at the school. The University’s mission statement claims it values “the pursuit of truth,” “diversity,” and “meaningful dialogue.” Except, not really—or better yet, as long as the said “pursuit” doesn’t offend leftist predilections. Meanwhile, within the past year, the same school hosted Al Franken, the bombastic liberal comedian, and Debra Davis, a transgendered activist who believes God is a black lesbian. Realizing they had a public relations disaster on their hands, the head honchos at St. Thomas eventually reversed the ban on Star Parker....
the rest of the list is here
Political correctness ran amuck in our nation’s school system this past year, and Young America’s Foundation has once again compiled our “best of the worst” academic abuses for 2008. From “free speech zones” to transgendered speakers at military academies, the following list may make you both laugh and cry in the same breath. That probably isn’t too surprising, however, since we are talking about academia after all…
1. The free speech “zone.” A student at Yuba College in California was sent an ultimatum by the school’s president: discontinue handing out gospel booklets or face disciplinary action and possibly expulsion. That’s right—gospel booklets. Ryan Dozier, the 20-year-old student, had the audacity to distribute Christian literature without a school permit, which restricts free speech to an hour each Tuesday and Thursday. Yuba College even directs students to where on campus they are allowed to exhibit free speech. In this case, it’s the school theater. Campus police threatened to arrest Ryan if he didn’t comply with the “free speech zone,” oblivious to the fact that students don’t need permission to exercise the First Amendment’s free speech and religious clauses.
2. Transgendered activists in, pro-life speakers out. Liberal administrators at the University of St. Thomas, a Catholic institution in Minnesota, censored the appearance of prominent pro-life speaker Star Parker because campus officials felt “uncomfortable” and “disturbed” by previous conservative speakers at the school. The University’s mission statement claims it values “the pursuit of truth,” “diversity,” and “meaningful dialogue.” Except, not really—or better yet, as long as the said “pursuit” doesn’t offend leftist predilections. Meanwhile, within the past year, the same school hosted Al Franken, the bombastic liberal comedian, and Debra Davis, a transgendered activist who believes God is a black lesbian. Realizing they had a public relations disaster on their hands, the head honchos at St. Thomas eventually reversed the ban on Star Parker....
the rest of the list is here
Haggai & the Persians- Just in Time for Study #11
Just in time for Study #11 is this fine post from over at MereComments. It is not entirely unrelated to our study and may help with some of our own meditations...or not. but I hope you'll find it interesting just the same...
Today the Orthodox church remembers the Prophet Haggai, who prophesized in the 6th c B.C. after the exiles returned to Jerusalem. The Persian King Cyrus sent Zerubbabel back to govern, and gave authority to the Jews to rebuild the Temple under Ezra the High Priest. Haggai spoke on behalf of the Lord, urging the Jews to get on with the rebuilding, scolding them for leaving the Lord's temple in ruins while "you busy yourselves each with his own house." He asks, "Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?" The Lord notes that they harvested little, eat, but never seem to have enough. Why don't they put first things first? We know the Temple was built, of course.
Cyrus the Persian is spoken of in Scripture as the Lord's instrument in history when it came to the fate of the Jews. Fr. Pat Reardon reminded me of this story about President Truman recently:
Once, after his retirement, he was introduced as "the man who helped create the state of Israel." Without a moment's hesitation, Truman shot back, "What do you mean, helped create? I was Cyrus, I was Cyrus" - referring to the Persian monarch who enabled the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem after the first dispersion. [A websource for this here].
...At the close of the short prophecy of Haggai, the Lord reminds us of his Lordship over history: "I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations..." (2:21-22)..
You can read the entire post here
Today the Orthodox church remembers the Prophet Haggai, who prophesized in the 6th c B.C. after the exiles returned to Jerusalem. The Persian King Cyrus sent Zerubbabel back to govern, and gave authority to the Jews to rebuild the Temple under Ezra the High Priest. Haggai spoke on behalf of the Lord, urging the Jews to get on with the rebuilding, scolding them for leaving the Lord's temple in ruins while "you busy yourselves each with his own house." He asks, "Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?" The Lord notes that they harvested little, eat, but never seem to have enough. Why don't they put first things first? We know the Temple was built, of course.
Cyrus the Persian is spoken of in Scripture as the Lord's instrument in history when it came to the fate of the Jews. Fr. Pat Reardon reminded me of this story about President Truman recently:
Once, after his retirement, he was introduced as "the man who helped create the state of Israel." Without a moment's hesitation, Truman shot back, "What do you mean, helped create? I was Cyrus, I was Cyrus" - referring to the Persian monarch who enabled the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem after the first dispersion. [A websource for this here].
...At the close of the short prophecy of Haggai, the Lord reminds us of his Lordship over history: "I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations..." (2:21-22)..
You can read the entire post here
Advent Study #11- Finally
I got back from working the Christmas tree lot (in windy 32degree temps) with my son last night and crawled into my recliner and hacked and coughed the night away. In between coughing fits I napped. Alas, the Advent Study took a back seat. My apologies to the two of you who are reading it... Tonight we start back in earnest. Get your specs on...
Here is #10
#9 is here #8 can be found here
Study #7 and links to previous studies is here.
Our focus questions are:
who are they?
where are they from?
what place do they have-
-in the Biblical text
- in the story of salvation
-and in relation to Jesus specifically.
Continuing with Matthews genealogy, the third group beginning in exile in Babylon:
All of the below information comes from ChristianAnswers
Shealtiel
Meaning: asked for of God
father of Zerubbabel (Ezra 3:2, 8; Neh. 12:1)
And then returning from exile:
Zerubbabel
Meaning: the seed of Babylon
theson of Salathiel or Shealtiel (Hag. 1:1; Zorobabel, Matt. 1:12); called also the son of Pedaiah (1 Chr. 3:17-19), i.e., according to a frequent usage of the word "son;" the grandson or the nephew of Salathiel.
He is also known by the Persian name of Sheshbazzar (Ezra 1:8, 11). In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, he led the first band of Jews, numbering 42,360 (Ezra 2:64), exclusive of a large number of servants,who returned from captivity at the close of the seventy years. In the second year after the Return, he erected an altar and laid the foundation of the temple on the ruins of that which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar (3:8-13; ch. 4-6). All through the work he occupied a prominent place, inasmuch as he was a descendant of the royal line of David.
Abihud
Meaning: father (i.e., "possessor") of renown.
One of the sons of Bela, the son of Benjamin (1 Chr. 8:3); called also Ahihud (ver. 7).
A descendant of Zerubbabel and father of Eliakim (Matt. 1:13, "Abiud"); called also Juda (Luke 3:26), and Obadiah (1 Chr. 3:21).
Eliakim
Meaning: whom God will raise up
The name of four biblical men… Our guy is simply:
The son of Abiud, of the posterity of Zerubbabel (Matt. 1:13).
Here is #10
#9 is here #8 can be found here
Study #7 and links to previous studies is here.
Our focus questions are:
who are they?
where are they from?
what place do they have-
-in the Biblical text
- in the story of salvation
-and in relation to Jesus specifically.
Continuing with Matthews genealogy, the third group beginning in exile in Babylon:
All of the below information comes from ChristianAnswers
Shealtiel
Meaning: asked for of God
father of Zerubbabel (Ezra 3:2, 8; Neh. 12:1)
And then returning from exile:
Zerubbabel
Meaning: the seed of Babylon
theson of Salathiel or Shealtiel (Hag. 1:1; Zorobabel, Matt. 1:12); called also the son of Pedaiah (1 Chr. 3:17-19), i.e., according to a frequent usage of the word "son;" the grandson or the nephew of Salathiel.
He is also known by the Persian name of Sheshbazzar (Ezra 1:8, 11). In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, he led the first band of Jews, numbering 42,360 (Ezra 2:64), exclusive of a large number of servants,who returned from captivity at the close of the seventy years. In the second year after the Return, he erected an altar and laid the foundation of the temple on the ruins of that which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar (3:8-13; ch. 4-6). All through the work he occupied a prominent place, inasmuch as he was a descendant of the royal line of David.
Abihud
Meaning: father (i.e., "possessor") of renown.
One of the sons of Bela, the son of Benjamin (1 Chr. 8:3); called also Ahihud (ver. 7).
A descendant of Zerubbabel and father of Eliakim (Matt. 1:13, "Abiud"); called also Juda (Luke 3:26), and Obadiah (1 Chr. 3:21).
Eliakim
Meaning: whom God will raise up
The name of four biblical men… Our guy is simply:
The son of Abiud, of the posterity of Zerubbabel (Matt. 1:13).
Monday, December 15, 2008
‘Layoff survivor syndrome’??
Organizational psychologists call it “layoff survivor syndrome,” the collection of emotional, psychological and physical reactions long documented in workers who remain on the job. Being left behind, they say, can sometimes be as distressing as being let go.
“In fact, the survivors are also victims,” said Harold G. Kaufman, a professor of management and director of the organizational behavior program at the Polytechnic University of New York.
No Laughing Matter
I am bewildered, as if stumbling around in a dream. Why is the throwing of shoes by an Iraqi reporter at President Bush not receiving more attention? Why is the attention that it is receiving limited to:
- amusement over anything anti-Bush
- amusement over a social curiosity
- outrage, in the Middle East, over the detention of the reporter
Perhaps I have missed it, but there should be outrage over a physical attack on the President of the United States and questions as to why the Secret Service did not immediately put themselves between the projectiles and the President. The goofy nature of the event and the unpopularity of the President have obscured the more important facts. This is not about shoes or George W. Bush. A citizen of a foreign country directly and physically assaulted the person and therefore the office of President of the United States. It is utterly irrelevant that Mr. Bush himself laughed off the event.
It is troubling that our "entertainmedia" have obscured a serious event. Legitimate protest has its limits. It is one thing for someone to burn a flag or an effigy in protest and quite another to launch a physical attack, however harmless, at a person holding office.
I am fairly certain that no one would be laughing had an American reporter acted in a similar fashion when the President of Iran visited the U.N.
Advent Study #11- confession
I could blame it on the cold or something noble but the truth is I watched the Cowboy game last night instead of doing #11. Sorry- #11 will be posted this evening after I work the Cristmas tree lot....If I don't freeze or get blown away in the wind it should be up around bedtime (2200) (that would be 10 p.m. for those who might have a question...
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