In the current invasion of Gaza by Israel to root out and put an end to Hamas rocket attacks, I certainly don't stand in complete solidarity with Israel, but I am far more with Israel than whatever body their enemy chooses to inhabit. In all the coverage I've seen and the articles I've read, there are questions the mainstream media is shamefully not raising.
What are the Palestinian people doing, knowing that Israel's self-defense was inevitable, to stop the rockets being fired from homes with children in them, from schools, and so on? It's a deplorable tactic when you think about it. Hide artilery and use civilian facilities as launching pads so that when [reluctant] Israel takes action against these, they are villified for kiling children, and so on. Surely, Hamas and the landowners who lend use of their homes to Hamas (perhaps the childrens' own parents) are responsible for holding their children in front of them while they are being shot at. It's a ridiculous notion to hold Israel responsible for brutality when it is obviously the fault of the heartless others.
Why are Palestinians not separating themselves from Hamas? Why aren't Palestinians rising up against Hamas perpetrators to stop the Israeli defense campaign? Why do rockets continue to fly into Israel from Gaza, even while a ground force has gone in? Why aren't they getting as far away as possible from store houses and launching pads? Why are parents putting their children in harm's way, even sacrificing them?
With all the rallies happening around the world today, I doubt many people are looking at this conflict realistically. What should Israel do to defend itself against rocket attacks short of a ground invasion?
Showing posts with label Observations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Observations. Show all posts
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Monday, December 01, 2008
Bless This Food to My Body's Use
A common phrase amongst prayers at the dinner table, I suddenly found it funny the other day, with all my recent study of food, that we would say this prior to consuming some of the garbage we consume. Granted, a lot of our consumption is mindless and based on ignorance, but the habit of asking for a blessing on toxic intake begins to sound ludacris to the one who suddenly discovers what is actually being consumed.
I've gone "extreme" and have begun to eat only organic food, recording all instances of inorganic feedings so that I can limit them and find replacements for them. I decreased dairy intake to nearly nil, stopped consuming refined sugar, I rarely eat red meat, and am trying to replace all meat consumption altogether. Though organic is not fail-safe, it is far safer to ingest than any mainstream equivalent. Significantly reduced are pesticide residues, food formed out of chemically-infused soil, hormones, steroids, and on and on.
We are fools to ask for the miracles we ask for when we want nutrients and energy from a cheeseburger, or any of the other nutrient-starved items we take in. The verse about Jerusalem being charged to pray for protection and "strengthen your gate" comes to mind. Pray for health and the good work of your food, but also EAT GOOD FOOD!
Humans are the only creature to consume the baby's milk of - I hate to say it - "other animals". We keep these hiefers producing by impregnating them like clockwork, and toggle their hormonal nature to keep it coming. Strange we do this. Humans are the only creature to change the chemical balance and nutrition structure of their food before eating it, and by that I am referring to cooking/heating. I heard that an old technique for pig farmers to fatten up their animals was to cook the potatoes before feeding them; feed them raw potatoes, and they stay lean.
Humans choose all kinds of things, in all their infinite wisdom, that do nothing but satisfy the senses, and I hate to keep drumming this beat, but that line the coffers of some corporation. Consumption is based on making money, and as usual, the money motivator has destroyed it.
With so much disease, discomfort, and all the rest, it would seem logical that the first change recommended to us would be the riddance of all nutrient-starved food, and the replacement with a more "organic" diet (ie. organically grown fruit and veg consumed raw where possible, limited animal product intake). But since the healthcare profession is largely dollar-based as well, we hear the recommendation for pharmaceuticals, because these line someone's coffer... a proper diet does not pay commission.
I think that with the science behind the consumption of foods, and how these particles we put into our bodies actually become part of our material makeup, we would do ourselves a much better service by saying something like "this becomes me" just prior to eating. This could develop in us a distaste for anything void of health, and would be us "strengthening our gate". Then the natural "miracle" of digestion and utilization can take place, and we can pray correctly: bless this food to my body's use.
Friday, June 13, 2008
The Train
Funny what taking the train does to me. For 140 minutes a day, I sit there, mostly reading and listening to my ipod. When I'm not reading, I'm staring out the window at the morning sun illuminating the high Fraser, or the vibration rings coming to the shore of the Burrard Inlet - it's a beautiful start to any day.
I'm always drawn to the people as well - my fellow commuters. And without fail, I always get to thinking about the 'system' in all its futility. Where are we going? Why are we going there? The mass sea exits the train at the station and scurries off to their cubicle to do something that merely fills their time and pays their bills. Something only few will admit means absolutely nothing.
I spend a lot of time trying not to be noticed staring at my fellow travellers, so the stares are quick and pointed. I see tired faces, rough faces, sad faces, happy faces. I love the line in As Good As It Gets, when the artist says to his model: "If you stare at someone long enough, you begin to see their humanity". I love doing this every day. They are so precious these people, yet their minds are far from knowing it, grasping it, and enjoying it. They are also so very deep and infinite in fact, but who knows it?
There is so much sub-par living, it is sad. It is precious to see them doing what they think is best to do and what they need to do, but overall they labor in vain, and it is sad. I understand why God came to us then: we're wasting our times in vanity. Everything is vanity.
I'm always drawn to the people as well - my fellow commuters. And without fail, I always get to thinking about the 'system' in all its futility. Where are we going? Why are we going there? The mass sea exits the train at the station and scurries off to their cubicle to do something that merely fills their time and pays their bills. Something only few will admit means absolutely nothing.
I spend a lot of time trying not to be noticed staring at my fellow travellers, so the stares are quick and pointed. I see tired faces, rough faces, sad faces, happy faces. I love the line in As Good As It Gets, when the artist says to his model: "If you stare at someone long enough, you begin to see their humanity". I love doing this every day. They are so precious these people, yet their minds are far from knowing it, grasping it, and enjoying it. They are also so very deep and infinite in fact, but who knows it?
There is so much sub-par living, it is sad. It is precious to see them doing what they think is best to do and what they need to do, but overall they labor in vain, and it is sad. I understand why God came to us then: we're wasting our times in vanity. Everything is vanity.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Identity to Last
It seems in us is a need for identity, for self-definition, and separation. We want so much to be either associated or disassociated, known for something or as something, and called a certain way. A lot of this has to do with the ego, whose food is identity, and whose position is lost as we enter ‘the kingdom of heaven’.
In our relationship with the world of matter – including our own bodies as matter – we define ourselves by our relationship with its parts. Someone who owns a house proudly states “I am a homeowner” should it come up; someone who goes to school says “I am a student”. Most of the time, our communication to the world of matter is nonverbal, which can simply be driving your shiny 2008 car, which in some way identifies you (ie. you are better able to afford this car than someone else).
Identity can be an association with a religion, with a city, with a country, a race, a political party, even with a gender. In fact, from very early on, we learn how to display our identity as a male or a female. We dress our baby girls in pink and our boys in blue; we demonstrate the identity of the sexes to them as they grow up by involving them with the cooking or working on the car, playing catch, etc.
A lot of the time, identity is in not being something, or not associating with something, or in not thinking a certain way. And the ego comes in, wanting always to be right in either its choices or its non-choices, and points out the flaws of the other way, or points out the best points of our way. The ego feeds on being right.
Identity involves matter, and very rarely non-matter. Many have led themselves down long, dark, and even deadly paths finding much of their identity (and thus worth) in their physical appearance. We identity ourselves as beautiful and enjoy the attention that brings, but when beauty fades, that inner person is left to find something else to grasp onto for identity – or maybe it tries endlessly to never let the beauty fade (plastic surgery?). In our quest to identify with the ‘better thing’ (ie. strength instead of weakness), we go to great lengths to identify ourselves with strength. For the strong of body, spending hours at the gym, having large arms, toning certain muscle groups to maximize the appearance of strength. For the strong of mind, spending years at school or in personal study. If we identify ourselves with the weak thing, we either beef up the weak thing, or highlight our strength and make it stronger.
Not that this is all bad, nor an absolute (ie. not all guys who work out for hours on end have a self-worth problem). This is a commentary.
However, all the things we seem to find identity and self-worth in are temporary; they fade away. What wisdom is there in that? I think it is wisdom to strip away everything we identify with that corresponds to something that won’t last as long as we will – this includes assets, anything to do with our bodies, maybe even our relationships – and to start building again from that foundational core being that we are and add to it things of value and worth and duration.
Each of us is not a body, or a mind, we are a spirit, or some would call it a consciousness. What of you can observe the endless chatter of the mind? What part of you is that in there? What part of you doesn’t belong to the perceived or perceiving world? The world of matter is of the perceiving world, is related to the mind as the perceiver. And there is something deeper in, which is not perceived by the mind, but perceives the mind – the real you – the true existence.
At some point down the road, we get to a point of realization or revelation, when we become true sons of our Father, being like Him, when we can say ‘I Am’, which is how He identifies Himself. We can stop saying I am male, I am 25, I am a supervisor, I am 6 feet tall, I have a blog, my favourite colour is green, I drive a black Civic, I am Canadian, I am this, that, and everything else. I just am. I am. This is where we are going - the simplest, yet the most meaningful existence. It’s an identity that lasts forever.
In our relationship with the world of matter – including our own bodies as matter – we define ourselves by our relationship with its parts. Someone who owns a house proudly states “I am a homeowner” should it come up; someone who goes to school says “I am a student”. Most of the time, our communication to the world of matter is nonverbal, which can simply be driving your shiny 2008 car, which in some way identifies you (ie. you are better able to afford this car than someone else).
Identity can be an association with a religion, with a city, with a country, a race, a political party, even with a gender. In fact, from very early on, we learn how to display our identity as a male or a female. We dress our baby girls in pink and our boys in blue; we demonstrate the identity of the sexes to them as they grow up by involving them with the cooking or working on the car, playing catch, etc.
A lot of the time, identity is in not being something, or not associating with something, or in not thinking a certain way. And the ego comes in, wanting always to be right in either its choices or its non-choices, and points out the flaws of the other way, or points out the best points of our way. The ego feeds on being right.
Identity involves matter, and very rarely non-matter. Many have led themselves down long, dark, and even deadly paths finding much of their identity (and thus worth) in their physical appearance. We identity ourselves as beautiful and enjoy the attention that brings, but when beauty fades, that inner person is left to find something else to grasp onto for identity – or maybe it tries endlessly to never let the beauty fade (plastic surgery?). In our quest to identify with the ‘better thing’ (ie. strength instead of weakness), we go to great lengths to identify ourselves with strength. For the strong of body, spending hours at the gym, having large arms, toning certain muscle groups to maximize the appearance of strength. For the strong of mind, spending years at school or in personal study. If we identify ourselves with the weak thing, we either beef up the weak thing, or highlight our strength and make it stronger.
Not that this is all bad, nor an absolute (ie. not all guys who work out for hours on end have a self-worth problem). This is a commentary.
However, all the things we seem to find identity and self-worth in are temporary; they fade away. What wisdom is there in that? I think it is wisdom to strip away everything we identify with that corresponds to something that won’t last as long as we will – this includes assets, anything to do with our bodies, maybe even our relationships – and to start building again from that foundational core being that we are and add to it things of value and worth and duration.
Each of us is not a body, or a mind, we are a spirit, or some would call it a consciousness. What of you can observe the endless chatter of the mind? What part of you is that in there? What part of you doesn’t belong to the perceived or perceiving world? The world of matter is of the perceiving world, is related to the mind as the perceiver. And there is something deeper in, which is not perceived by the mind, but perceives the mind – the real you – the true existence.
At some point down the road, we get to a point of realization or revelation, when we become true sons of our Father, being like Him, when we can say ‘I Am’, which is how He identifies Himself. We can stop saying I am male, I am 25, I am a supervisor, I am 6 feet tall, I have a blog, my favourite colour is green, I drive a black Civic, I am Canadian, I am this, that, and everything else. I just am. I am. This is where we are going - the simplest, yet the most meaningful existence. It’s an identity that lasts forever.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
The Humility of Wisdom
It takes a certain level of humility to exercise wisdom, because a lot of the time, wisdom is more about not doing something than doing something. Because often wisdom is in the absence of action, it doesn’t get noticed. No one ever knows what you didn’t do – they only know what you did.
If you are in an argument, and you decide to exercise wisdom, and not say the first thing that comes to your mind, when the conversation is over, the absence of saying that thing may have made things work out better in the end (or easier), but the other person has no more (or less) respect for you. They have no idea you’ve acted in wisdom.
The only reward for exercising wisdom is from God – so wisdom is best served with humility and faith. If you go around and say, ‘Did you notice what I didn’t say there??’, all maturity is sucked out of the situation and the reward for using wisdom is lost. This is like the Pharisees who pray with big, theological words, in a booming voice for all to hear. Jesus says they have received their reward in full (the respect of those in earshot), but those who pray in their closet, where no one hears but God, ‘your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you’.
Wisdom is like the silence in sound; the stillness in a frenzy. No one even knows, but God.
Take some wisdom from the Tao te Ching:
Thirty spokes converge at the hub
but emptiness completes the wheel
Clay is shaped to make a pot,
and what's useful is its emptiness
Carve fine doors and windows,
but the room is useful in its emptiness
What is
is beneficial, while what is not
also proves useful
If you are in an argument, and you decide to exercise wisdom, and not say the first thing that comes to your mind, when the conversation is over, the absence of saying that thing may have made things work out better in the end (or easier), but the other person has no more (or less) respect for you. They have no idea you’ve acted in wisdom.
The only reward for exercising wisdom is from God – so wisdom is best served with humility and faith. If you go around and say, ‘Did you notice what I didn’t say there??’, all maturity is sucked out of the situation and the reward for using wisdom is lost. This is like the Pharisees who pray with big, theological words, in a booming voice for all to hear. Jesus says they have received their reward in full (the respect of those in earshot), but those who pray in their closet, where no one hears but God, ‘your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you’.
Wisdom is like the silence in sound; the stillness in a frenzy. No one even knows, but God.
Take some wisdom from the Tao te Ching:
Thirty spokes converge at the hub
but emptiness completes the wheel
Clay is shaped to make a pot,
and what's useful is its emptiness
Carve fine doors and windows,
but the room is useful in its emptiness
What is
is beneficial, while what is not
also proves useful
Monday, January 28, 2008
The Power of the Mind, and the God Illusion
Mind over matter is a very real thing. I’m not talking about bending spoons or levitating, but I think the mind has very real capabilities of meddling with our realities, and in fact meddles with our realities constantly. A mind determined towards one thing or another will often bring that thing into being. Those who don’t give up achieve. Those whose minds defer to other things achieve less. 'You can do anything you put your mind to', we say.
Even things of little or no consciousness can be brought forth by the power of the mind. Take for example our friends, who we subconsciously gravitate to based on deep psychological needs or desires. Or how those who find purpose in being needed attract the needy. Or women who’ve been abused attract abusers. Those whose life experience has taught them their value is in their beauty will surround themselves with those who make them feel beautiful. It’s all of the mind - we create our own realities. To “cure” conditions like the girl who attracts abusers, we visit mind doctors, psychologists, and change our minds so that we think differently about ourselves and stop attracting that type.
One can’t help taking a look at the minds of the religious in all their sacred fervor. I think a lot of the time we humans pray to a god we’ve created with our minds. Rousseau said, ‘God created man in his own image. And man, being a gentlemen, returned the favor’. All fine and dandy (whatever helps us sleep at night), but the scary part is that we create an interactive god, whose signs and [therefore] presence follow us.
A god’s people will pray to him corporately and individually, go on with their business, leaving their requests and petitions with him, and then go and answer their own prayers. The one praying for a job looks for a job and finds one. The one praying for a convert preaches and saves some. The one praying for riches keeps his eyes peeled for an investment opportunity or educates himself on better money management. The mother who prays for her children nurtures them and they turn out to be great people. We pray for our deep desires and we can’t help but move in their direction, and in our determination, make them happen. Those who add faith to desire create for themselves an outlook of anticipation, and the physical 'aura' of achievement, and often other people comply with their requests based on this strength and resolve. (Wow, I'm sounding really new age! but it's true!)
We can set our minds to see certain things. If I am considering buying a 1990 Integra and I claim to have never really noticed one before, soon enough, I see an Integra every 5 minutes as I drive around. Am I the only one that things like this happen to? We choose what we see [subconsciously, and because it appears out of our control, it convinces us it's of the external]. I could take the sight of so many Integras as a sign that I should buy the Integra! The same is true for things like sexual attraction – there is a massive glaze of people and passersby, but for some reason, you can spot that one person coming half a block away. Why do our eyes stop there? A person whose context is prayer will see answers to prayer everywhere.
This is the god illusion, the self-delusion. I hate to be the skeptic, but I am so wary of all of this. The god illusion is the source of all kinds of misery: it impassions suicide bombers; it finances private jets and Jags for televangelists; it bankrupts the true church of authenticity and fills its walls with the superstitious; it enlists boys into the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda. On the flip side, it helps a lot of people get through their days, and even their lives. It gives purpose to their waking, and strength for their obstacles. I can’t help but think of a rabbit happily munching on a carrot underneath a crate held up on one side by a stick and a string. The carrot deceives them and leads them to an end.
In Churchianity, we are always taught 2 things that actually enable the God illusion and keep us in attendance. The first is that this is about faith, not experience. Don’t look for an experience; you just need to believe He’s there and that you’re His. The second is that prayer must be accommodated by action. Now I’m not saying these aren’t scriptural; all I’m saying is that it’s convenient we’re taught this. If (when) these points can be backed up with a verse or two, the onus is on us for faith, not God for action. If we believe this, we’re less likely to give up, less likely to stop going to church and to stop tithing. Teaching a God-onus takes some bravery, and humility. In fact, it takes faith!
Here’s a God-onus: “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:22-24
In all I’ve learned, with as many prayer-hours as I’ve put in, I’ve always sought genuine and substantial God experiences. As much as people told me not to seek out these things, I could not live with myself if I could not give some element of sight to my faith.
The true test is to pray and do nothing.
Even things of little or no consciousness can be brought forth by the power of the mind. Take for example our friends, who we subconsciously gravitate to based on deep psychological needs or desires. Or how those who find purpose in being needed attract the needy. Or women who’ve been abused attract abusers. Those whose life experience has taught them their value is in their beauty will surround themselves with those who make them feel beautiful. It’s all of the mind - we create our own realities. To “cure” conditions like the girl who attracts abusers, we visit mind doctors, psychologists, and change our minds so that we think differently about ourselves and stop attracting that type.
One can’t help taking a look at the minds of the religious in all their sacred fervor. I think a lot of the time we humans pray to a god we’ve created with our minds. Rousseau said, ‘God created man in his own image. And man, being a gentlemen, returned the favor’. All fine and dandy (whatever helps us sleep at night), but the scary part is that we create an interactive god, whose signs and [therefore] presence follow us.
A god’s people will pray to him corporately and individually, go on with their business, leaving their requests and petitions with him, and then go and answer their own prayers. The one praying for a job looks for a job and finds one. The one praying for a convert preaches and saves some. The one praying for riches keeps his eyes peeled for an investment opportunity or educates himself on better money management. The mother who prays for her children nurtures them and they turn out to be great people. We pray for our deep desires and we can’t help but move in their direction, and in our determination, make them happen. Those who add faith to desire create for themselves an outlook of anticipation, and the physical 'aura' of achievement, and often other people comply with their requests based on this strength and resolve. (Wow, I'm sounding really new age! but it's true!)
We can set our minds to see certain things. If I am considering buying a 1990 Integra and I claim to have never really noticed one before, soon enough, I see an Integra every 5 minutes as I drive around. Am I the only one that things like this happen to? We choose what we see [subconsciously, and because it appears out of our control, it convinces us it's of the external]. I could take the sight of so many Integras as a sign that I should buy the Integra! The same is true for things like sexual attraction – there is a massive glaze of people and passersby, but for some reason, you can spot that one person coming half a block away. Why do our eyes stop there? A person whose context is prayer will see answers to prayer everywhere.
This is the god illusion, the self-delusion. I hate to be the skeptic, but I am so wary of all of this. The god illusion is the source of all kinds of misery: it impassions suicide bombers; it finances private jets and Jags for televangelists; it bankrupts the true church of authenticity and fills its walls with the superstitious; it enlists boys into the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda. On the flip side, it helps a lot of people get through their days, and even their lives. It gives purpose to their waking, and strength for their obstacles. I can’t help but think of a rabbit happily munching on a carrot underneath a crate held up on one side by a stick and a string. The carrot deceives them and leads them to an end.
In Churchianity, we are always taught 2 things that actually enable the God illusion and keep us in attendance. The first is that this is about faith, not experience. Don’t look for an experience; you just need to believe He’s there and that you’re His. The second is that prayer must be accommodated by action. Now I’m not saying these aren’t scriptural; all I’m saying is that it’s convenient we’re taught this. If (when) these points can be backed up with a verse or two, the onus is on us for faith, not God for action. If we believe this, we’re less likely to give up, less likely to stop going to church and to stop tithing. Teaching a God-onus takes some bravery, and humility. In fact, it takes faith!
Here’s a God-onus: “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:22-24
In all I’ve learned, with as many prayer-hours as I’ve put in, I’ve always sought genuine and substantial God experiences. As much as people told me not to seek out these things, I could not live with myself if I could not give some element of sight to my faith.
The true test is to pray and do nothing.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
The Darkest Days
Vancouver songstress Sarah McLachlan opens her song World On Fire with the lyrics “Hearts are worn in these dark ages”. Every time I hear that song, I think about how a lot of people think that we live in the darkest days in history. My tendency is to think that while yes, there are dark things happening on earth, and horrifying potential, we are actually the most privileged set of human beings ever to live on this planet.
There are famines, there are population problems, there is global warming, there are wars and threats of wars, terrorism, nuclear technology, and outbreaks of diseases. But what are these problems compared to the problems of the past? We are privileged enough to have international law, whereby cruel dictators, which are dwarfed by ancient figures like devil-spawn Nero, can be stripped of their power. We have the technology that has created a better world in so many ways, such as medicine and healthcare and sanitation. We have advanced more in 100 years than humanity advanced in all of recorded human history combined in every way. We have a large portion of the planet’s population living under legitimate democratic government. We no longer have an educated elite hanging on to the ignorance of a general populace who can’t read to fill their coffers with the gold and silver of repentance. I could go on and on…
It’s been said that every generation says that the world is a worse place than when they were young. This all comes down to perspective. When they were young, they didn’t know half of what was going on, and weren’t versed enough in life to know how bad something actually is. When they become an adult, rationality is hijacked by the emotions involved in having children of their own, so mole hills become mountains, and everyone forgets that no one is dying from Polio anymore! Everyone forgets that Christians don’t get dipped in tar, have their mouths sewn shut, set on fire, and hung on a pole to light the road into Rome anymore.
Yet all the visible signs of a better world speak nothing of the heart’s condition. With the freedom of speech and the freedom of lunacy, the ease and universal nature of communication mediums, the inflammatory tendency of the media, there is mass confusion, a hiding of truth in the noise of opinion and commentary. This confusion added to the already confused state of most Western young people, whose legacy is one of confusion and non-clarity. No one knows who they are, where they are, why they are. The hearts of the fathers have turned from those of the sons, and because of this, the sons have done the same to their fathers. Starting with the industrial age, and ending in the death of any resemblance of the family necessary for proper nurture and care. Even though I can spend 8 hours in a plane and land on the other side of the planet unharmed, the world is full of despair and confusion.
Yes, we are wonderful, but we are despaired. Maybe, with this widespread darkness of the inner self, we do actually live in the darkest days... yet.
There are famines, there are population problems, there is global warming, there are wars and threats of wars, terrorism, nuclear technology, and outbreaks of diseases. But what are these problems compared to the problems of the past? We are privileged enough to have international law, whereby cruel dictators, which are dwarfed by ancient figures like devil-spawn Nero, can be stripped of their power. We have the technology that has created a better world in so many ways, such as medicine and healthcare and sanitation. We have advanced more in 100 years than humanity advanced in all of recorded human history combined in every way. We have a large portion of the planet’s population living under legitimate democratic government. We no longer have an educated elite hanging on to the ignorance of a general populace who can’t read to fill their coffers with the gold and silver of repentance. I could go on and on…
It’s been said that every generation says that the world is a worse place than when they were young. This all comes down to perspective. When they were young, they didn’t know half of what was going on, and weren’t versed enough in life to know how bad something actually is. When they become an adult, rationality is hijacked by the emotions involved in having children of their own, so mole hills become mountains, and everyone forgets that no one is dying from Polio anymore! Everyone forgets that Christians don’t get dipped in tar, have their mouths sewn shut, set on fire, and hung on a pole to light the road into Rome anymore.
Yet all the visible signs of a better world speak nothing of the heart’s condition. With the freedom of speech and the freedom of lunacy, the ease and universal nature of communication mediums, the inflammatory tendency of the media, there is mass confusion, a hiding of truth in the noise of opinion and commentary. This confusion added to the already confused state of most Western young people, whose legacy is one of confusion and non-clarity. No one knows who they are, where they are, why they are. The hearts of the fathers have turned from those of the sons, and because of this, the sons have done the same to their fathers. Starting with the industrial age, and ending in the death of any resemblance of the family necessary for proper nurture and care. Even though I can spend 8 hours in a plane and land on the other side of the planet unharmed, the world is full of despair and confusion.
Yes, we are wonderful, but we are despaired. Maybe, with this widespread darkness of the inner self, we do actually live in the darkest days... yet.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Legislating Gluttony
I am always bothered by the imposition by some Christians of their beliefs and values on everyone around them by political means. Mostly, it bothers me because it seems to be selfish. For example, Christians may lobby against legalizing gay marriage, but gay marriage is of little or no consequence to them. It seems the underlying motivation for this is purism; they want nothing more than a "Christian nation" if there can be such a thing, meaning anything that is perceived as sin to them must go, or must be made illegal.This is contrary to what the Bible has to say on the very issue of homosexuality. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 it says: "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” I think this is very clear that any of the above “sinners” (yet we are all still sinners), only limits themselves from entering the Kingdom, they don’t limit the Kingdom. And this is absent from the minds of many as they parade and protest, lobby, and vote. The sins of others are sins against themselves.
I am not one who believes you can legislate someone into salvation, how about you? If you make a person’s sins illegal, does it make them a non-sinner? Is a non-practicing homosexual not a homosexual? To make another point on that statement, wasn’t it Jesus who said that to even entertain the thought of committing adultery is the same sin as committing adultery? I'm trying to say that to ban a certain sin wouldn't get rid of the sin, dare I say, even if it went unpracticed on back streets and in dark rooms.
It also bothers me that these people are out there (defaming our good name mind you) judging for themselves which sins are worse than others. It always seems that homosexuality is the worst of all - the "triple X-rated sin" as my friend puts it. I could think of a million other sins to attack before homosexuality. In the Catholic tradition, there are the Seven Deadly Sins, which are: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride.
How about legislating lust? How about pornography, which is a $10 Billion (yes billion!) industry in the US alone, and growing every year. Pornography not only works its black magic on those involved in its creation, but the end user also gains the potential for serious relationship problems (whether they have a relationship or not!).
How about legislating gluttony, which, as we all know, is an absolute epidemic in our society. Why not limit the marketing power of fast food companies? Why not restrict morbidly-sugared soft drink companies from gaining contracts with school districts? All these things are actually physically killing people – giving them diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. There's a cause worth fighting for!
What about greed? Why doesn’t the Christian-Right lobby for restrictions on what you can own, or how much you can shop, or how late stores are open? It sounds ridiculous to us in our psycho-consumer society!
To all of the above, we can object and say, “It’s up to the individual person to make those choices! It comes down to your choice whether or not to be greedy or slothful or gluttonous or proud. The government shouldn’t interfere with that!” Well hello! How does that not apply to homosexuality? Who is it hurting? IMO, the above are worse and are actually destroying lives and bodies!
I would hate to live in a society where all wrongs were outlawed, quite frankly. There would be no real people, including myself. We would all walk around with a face on like nothing’s wrong and we didn’t do anything wrong, hoping no one catches on. In fact, that’s how people have lived for centuries in the church and under the reign of the church, or under the religious regimes of Israel (I’m speaking historically here), or under past and present Islamic regimes. In fact, in many of our present churches it’s the same; we all walk around like nothing is wrong, smile on our face. How horrendous to have no freedom of choice! How prideful of a government to take up the responsibility of legislating salvation.
I am so bothered by this; it turns people off of us, and could in fact be keeping people out of the church. How ironic – trying to legislate for the salvation of everyone is actually keeping people away from salvation. I guess our method is contrary to God's design (the same argument they use about homosexuality).
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
A Good Recruit
We have a new hire in the office, and he is passionate about mutual funds. I wish I was kidding! No, he's great. He loves to help people, he's enthusiastic about life and living and saving money, and doesn't waste time telling everyone around him how best to invest (whether or not they ask for it! ha).
I guess old habits die hard. When I got a glimpse of his enthusiasm and charisma, I thought that at a church I attended in the UK, this man would be a target by all the evangelists there. He'd make an awesome Christ-advocate. He'd be so enthusiastic, and would tell every person he saw about Christ without fear; he'd have that sanctuary full in no time! What a good recruit!
I remember being in that atmosphere, before I knew anything. We used to sing a song called "Souls and Cells", and there was a dance to it. The air was completely filled with numbers-theology, and how to best get the numbers up. People like my new co-worker, with natural charisma and charm and excitedness, were targets. It was more an object of recruitment than pure evangelism.
But now I know a thing or two (I like to think so anyway). Now I know that God often uses the foolish things to shame the wise, the Davids to fight the Goliaths, Gideon and his small regiment to route a large army, Paul the Pharisee, the Christian-hunter to create new Christians. He never seems to choose the things we think are obvious answers. In fact, He tends to go for the opposite of our expectations. It is said that while we humans look at the outward appearance and make judgment calls based on what we see, God looks at the heart, at what is unseen.
I wonder why it always seems that those with the hearts most ripe for His impartation and work always seem to have an outward appearance which says they are the last person He'd select for the job. One of God's mysteries I presume...
I guess old habits die hard. When I got a glimpse of his enthusiasm and charisma, I thought that at a church I attended in the UK, this man would be a target by all the evangelists there. He'd make an awesome Christ-advocate. He'd be so enthusiastic, and would tell every person he saw about Christ without fear; he'd have that sanctuary full in no time! What a good recruit!
I remember being in that atmosphere, before I knew anything. We used to sing a song called "Souls and Cells", and there was a dance to it. The air was completely filled with numbers-theology, and how to best get the numbers up. People like my new co-worker, with natural charisma and charm and excitedness, were targets. It was more an object of recruitment than pure evangelism.
But now I know a thing or two (I like to think so anyway). Now I know that God often uses the foolish things to shame the wise, the Davids to fight the Goliaths, Gideon and his small regiment to route a large army, Paul the Pharisee, the Christian-hunter to create new Christians. He never seems to choose the things we think are obvious answers. In fact, He tends to go for the opposite of our expectations. It is said that while we humans look at the outward appearance and make judgment calls based on what we see, God looks at the heart, at what is unseen.
I wonder why it always seems that those with the hearts most ripe for His impartation and work always seem to have an outward appearance which says they are the last person He'd select for the job. One of God's mysteries I presume...
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Personal Jesus
by Johnny Cash
Your own, personal, Jesus
someone to hear your prayers,
someone who cares
Your own, personal, Jesus
someone to hear your prayers,
someone who's there
Feeling unknown
and you're all alone,
flesh and bone,
by the telephone,
lift up the receiver,
I'll make you a believer.
Take second best,
put me to the test,
things on your chest,
you need to confess,
I will deliver,
you know I'm a forgiver.
Reach out and touch faith
Reach out and touch faith
Your own, personal, Jesus
someone to hear your prayers,
someone who cares
Your own, personal, Jesus
someone to hear your prayers,
someone to care
Reach out and touch faith
Reach out and touch faith
Reach out and touch faith
Monday, July 16, 2007
A passing thought today as I was driving home from Abbotsford. For all the statistics I've heard about the size of our planet in context, I've never thought of it this way before. It's beyond comprehension to think that our planet is as a single particle of dust on an elephant in comparison to our universe. And to add to the analogy, what are we as individuals in comparison to our planet? How many trillionths of the size of that piece of dust are we? What's more stunning and even more incomprehensible is that these trillionths of a piece of dust claim to be able to define, by their surroundings, the elephant. How proud are we!
Sunday, July 08, 2007
The End is(n't) Near
If you live on planet earth you should definitely take the time to watch the documentaries An Inconvenient Truth and The End of Suburbia. These may give you some good-to-know info.
The basic premise of my point today is that there are two very real – and very global – catastrophes that are looming. In fact, they are predicted to be so close they’ll happen in our lifetime, even in the lifetime of someone my parents’ age.
Catastrophe 1: global warming, polar ice caps, an uninhabitable planet, and so on (though the science has been questioned, it is a generally accepted truth now – heck, even Pat Robertson is on the global warming band wagon!).
Catastrophe 2: the unpublicized end of oil, the sustainer of life on earth. Yep, the well is going to run dry. And who saw that coming? I mean, it’s not like we take it out of the earth, wash our cars with it, and it seeps back into the earth’s belly – we burn the stuff, and it’s gone forever!
I was thinking as I was watching The End of Suburbia today that the two of these catastrophes may sort of end up cancelling each other out. As soon as oil production peaks (and I’m not sure if it’s happened already but it’s speculated to happen near 2010), the supply will slowly begin dwindling, and the price of the stuff – the sustainer of life – will skyrocket. And of course, as time continues, the supply of oil will become so scarce, it’ll be a substance for the rich of the rich (like Dick Cheney). It is predicted, in this film, that this will cause all of humanity to completely reform their way of life, especially out in the West. The American Dream will become a memory, that of endless consumption, proud pillaging, and the 3000-mile dinner plate. People will be forced to revert, as it were, to the old way of life: village style. So long commute (yes!), not to mention not-a-second-thought heating and air conditioning, hello home-grown food, and who knows, maybe even the family will make a reappearance! Remember the family?
It had to be foreseen that our way of life, with the extreme level of consumption and waste and earth-domination, could not be sustained. Resources that are not given the time to replenish, and fields that are pesticide-showered to death, and a completely foreign goods-manufacturing force (think goods movement… shipping). How could we be so proud?
But alas, I had to believe that Al Gore would be the hero! While he’s gallivanting the planet advocating less consumption and more sustainable innovation in the name of slowing down the inevitable meltdown, he’s completely neglected the fact that in my lifetime, using a car will be out of my price range. Having electricity extracted from my walls at the rate I do now won’t be possible; I will have to rely on everything my solar panel and windmill can provide. Soon, my commute won’t be possible on my wage. Soon I won’t be able to afford a shirt that was brought into being in Bangladesh. Soon I won’t be able to bring my Caesar Salad in from California. Soon, I won’t have a choice!
Then, THEN, our problem will be solved! The earth will take away our choice to live more or less sustainably. It will save itself (so to speak – I’m not on the floor to Gaia!). With no one driving cars, and a lot of hard-core industrial plants being shut down, and no one being able to afford anything that has anything to do with oil (which is almost everything), maybe the earth will calm down on this whole atmospheric build-up thing, and begin to heal itself before it's too late for us all.
Who knew there’d be an end to oil? But it makes so much sense. Maybe this means there’ll be an end to war as well! Haha, now I'm just getting excited! All major causes of the end of our existence could be nipped in the bud by the end of oil. It's that Texas Tea whose blackness has been a witch's brew for all these years.
I wonder if the scientific elite at thebulletin.org have pitted these catastrophes against each other. I think not, since the clock remains at 5 to midnight. Maybe I’m just blowing smoke with my little theory here. One can hope!
The basic premise of my point today is that there are two very real – and very global – catastrophes that are looming. In fact, they are predicted to be so close they’ll happen in our lifetime, even in the lifetime of someone my parents’ age.
Catastrophe 1: global warming, polar ice caps, an uninhabitable planet, and so on (though the science has been questioned, it is a generally accepted truth now – heck, even Pat Robertson is on the global warming band wagon!).
Catastrophe 2: the unpublicized end of oil, the sustainer of life on earth. Yep, the well is going to run dry. And who saw that coming? I mean, it’s not like we take it out of the earth, wash our cars with it, and it seeps back into the earth’s belly – we burn the stuff, and it’s gone forever!
I was thinking as I was watching The End of Suburbia today that the two of these catastrophes may sort of end up cancelling each other out. As soon as oil production peaks (and I’m not sure if it’s happened already but it’s speculated to happen near 2010), the supply will slowly begin dwindling, and the price of the stuff – the sustainer of life – will skyrocket. And of course, as time continues, the supply of oil will become so scarce, it’ll be a substance for the rich of the rich (like Dick Cheney). It is predicted, in this film, that this will cause all of humanity to completely reform their way of life, especially out in the West. The American Dream will become a memory, that of endless consumption, proud pillaging, and the 3000-mile dinner plate. People will be forced to revert, as it were, to the old way of life: village style. So long commute (yes!), not to mention not-a-second-thought heating and air conditioning, hello home-grown food, and who knows, maybe even the family will make a reappearance! Remember the family?
It had to be foreseen that our way of life, with the extreme level of consumption and waste and earth-domination, could not be sustained. Resources that are not given the time to replenish, and fields that are pesticide-showered to death, and a completely foreign goods-manufacturing force (think goods movement… shipping). How could we be so proud?
But alas, I had to believe that Al Gore would be the hero! While he’s gallivanting the planet advocating less consumption and more sustainable innovation in the name of slowing down the inevitable meltdown, he’s completely neglected the fact that in my lifetime, using a car will be out of my price range. Having electricity extracted from my walls at the rate I do now won’t be possible; I will have to rely on everything my solar panel and windmill can provide. Soon, my commute won’t be possible on my wage. Soon I won’t be able to afford a shirt that was brought into being in Bangladesh. Soon I won’t be able to bring my Caesar Salad in from California. Soon, I won’t have a choice!
Then, THEN, our problem will be solved! The earth will take away our choice to live more or less sustainably. It will save itself (so to speak – I’m not on the floor to Gaia!). With no one driving cars, and a lot of hard-core industrial plants being shut down, and no one being able to afford anything that has anything to do with oil (which is almost everything), maybe the earth will calm down on this whole atmospheric build-up thing, and begin to heal itself before it's too late for us all.
Who knew there’d be an end to oil? But it makes so much sense. Maybe this means there’ll be an end to war as well! Haha, now I'm just getting excited! All major causes of the end of our existence could be nipped in the bud by the end of oil. It's that Texas Tea whose blackness has been a witch's brew for all these years.
I wonder if the scientific elite at thebulletin.org have pitted these catastrophes against each other. I think not, since the clock remains at 5 to midnight. Maybe I’m just blowing smoke with my little theory here. One can hope!
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
The Pope Has Never Read the Bible?
I had heard in the news that the pope’s jeep had been jumped on by an intruder today, so I went to youtube to see if I could get a video of it. Searching “pope” I came up with, and watched, the following video:
I find it quite disturbing and immensely immature. I don’t think it’s disturbing in the cases and points it makes, but that it uses such simpleton logic that would convince the uneducated [in matters of the Bible] very easily. I’m guessing, and I think somewhat accurately, that the creator of this video does not like the pope, or any religious leader for that matter, nor does he believe in any religion. That’s fine, he can do what he wants. But to evangelize with such a lack of tact?
I don’t have much more to say on it other than the fact that I’m quite disturbed that people will see this and generate an opinion using it. I hate closed minds, and I hate when only one side is presented, and this is oozing with those things.
I find it quite disturbing and immensely immature. I don’t think it’s disturbing in the cases and points it makes, but that it uses such simpleton logic that would convince the uneducated [in matters of the Bible] very easily. I’m guessing, and I think somewhat accurately, that the creator of this video does not like the pope, or any religious leader for that matter, nor does he believe in any religion. That’s fine, he can do what he wants. But to evangelize with such a lack of tact?
I don’t have much more to say on it other than the fact that I’m quite disturbed that people will see this and generate an opinion using it. I hate closed minds, and I hate when only one side is presented, and this is oozing with those things.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Emotion
One of the most insulting things anyone has ever said to me (and this wasn't too recently) is that I am "emotionally retarded". I don't know, I just can't shake it. Normally, when someone says something like this, I step back and evaluate the words said; I think we all do. This statement has just stuck into me like a thorn; I don't agree at all! It cuts even deeper when it's someone who's very very close to you. I'm sure everyone has a story like this.
In having this comment in the back of my mind for some time, I've thought a lot about emotions and emotional maturity, and I've come to realize that there is a fine line between 'emotionally retarded' and 'emotionally mature', or at least the perception of which is which. I know that sounds odd at first, but do let me continue...
I think what this person was referring to was the ability to feel, or feel much. To me, this can be said as I don't wear my heart on my sleeve. This is very true, and I find nothing wrong with it. I'm not entirely public with my inner workings, at least I haven't been in the past. However, this does not mean I don't feel, or have perception of the feelings of others. Quite the contrary ... hello! I write poetry! :)
I find it is in fact those who feel uncontrollably that are lacking some maturity. That is, you can feel all you want, and have feelings to no end, but to have no control, and to learn nothing from the experiences of having uncontrolled emotions wreak havoc on relationships is not the ideal emotional state. It creates misery for more than just the "emotional" one.
I've had my share of emotions, I've had truckloads, cement truck loads, and of course, when that happens to us, we learn to cope. We learn what's real and what isn't, what's worth dealing with and what is based on stupid guesses or assumptions. We learn about the intentions of others, about how difficult it is to communicate, to hear what's really being said. For example, when suddenly offended by something someone says, is being upset really valid? Was it said with the intent to offend? Or am I drawing offense out of a statement meant otherwise? Yet the ability to pick our battles is impossible without inner strength, being defined inwardly, rather than by the words of others.
For emotional maturity to come across as being "emotionally retarded" did well to teach me what emotional maturity really is.
My rants on emotions... thanks for reading!
In having this comment in the back of my mind for some time, I've thought a lot about emotions and emotional maturity, and I've come to realize that there is a fine line between 'emotionally retarded' and 'emotionally mature', or at least the perception of which is which. I know that sounds odd at first, but do let me continue...
I think what this person was referring to was the ability to feel, or feel much. To me, this can be said as I don't wear my heart on my sleeve. This is very true, and I find nothing wrong with it. I'm not entirely public with my inner workings, at least I haven't been in the past. However, this does not mean I don't feel, or have perception of the feelings of others. Quite the contrary ... hello! I write poetry! :)
I find it is in fact those who feel uncontrollably that are lacking some maturity. That is, you can feel all you want, and have feelings to no end, but to have no control, and to learn nothing from the experiences of having uncontrolled emotions wreak havoc on relationships is not the ideal emotional state. It creates misery for more than just the "emotional" one.
I've had my share of emotions, I've had truckloads, cement truck loads, and of course, when that happens to us, we learn to cope. We learn what's real and what isn't, what's worth dealing with and what is based on stupid guesses or assumptions. We learn about the intentions of others, about how difficult it is to communicate, to hear what's really being said. For example, when suddenly offended by something someone says, is being upset really valid? Was it said with the intent to offend? Or am I drawing offense out of a statement meant otherwise? Yet the ability to pick our battles is impossible without inner strength, being defined inwardly, rather than by the words of others.
For emotional maturity to come across as being "emotionally retarded" did well to teach me what emotional maturity really is.
My rants on emotions... thanks for reading!
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Reformation: Cont'd
So Peter brought up a good point (see comments on Reformation post); however, my approach to the subject was not meant to imply which of the Protestants or Catholics were right, but to highlight the fact that they both thought they were right. Let me explain...
It's human nature to think that what you believe is right. It's also human nature to tend towards separation upon hardship rather than maintaining union. When the church was split (for a second time, after the great East/West Schism was formed), the Protestants called it a Reformation, which by its implications, is a slam to the Catholic institution. The maturity level seems to be very low, and it continues today. Whether you're Mennonite, Catholic, Lutheran, United, Methodist, Pentecostal, Non-denominational, Eastern Orthodox, and to expand our horizons, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Scientologist, or whatever... you think you're right. In itself, there's nothing wrong. But then creating labels to enforce your superiority is a bit childish (I think).
On the backburner in my mind, while thinking about the mislabeled Reformation, I'm thinking of the ideal outcome of that era. What do you think? I think ideally, we'd be one church. When it's all said and done, will Catholics go to one side of heaven, Eastern Orthodox the other side, and pockets of Protestants everywhere in between? I think not. Truth will be known, and until then, everyone seems bent on dividing over what they believe that to be. Did you know the Protestants have divided themselves into more than 30,000 different denominations? 30,000!
How difficult to bite the bullet, to swallow your pride, but isn't that what life is for those led by the Spirit rather than the "survival of the fittest" beast?
Anyway, I rant I rave... nothing will ever change!
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
"Reformation": a Positive Spin
For those of you familiar with Church history, the Reformation refers to a period of instability and power-challenging in the 16th century led by the likes of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox. The result of this challenge to the Roman Catholic establishment, the Protestant church(es).
Maybe I’m not seeing something here, but why do we call this the “reformation”? This has puzzled me for several years; that, by the very definition of the word, it really seems to be a mislabeling of a very important era in church history. In fact, it’s more of a church split than an internal improvement or correction.
If the church had remained united as one, under the Roman head, then yes, we can properly call it a reformation, but a reformation is not a creation of something separate and different. Does anyone agree?
In fact, the Catholic church followed this shake-up with their very own [now also mislabeled]
reformation: the Counter-Reformation. This did away with the practices that rightly troubled the “reformers” like Luther and Calvin. Things like countering corrupt bishops and priests, banning the selling of indulgences, creating barriers to other financial abuses, as well as returning to a more foundational spirituality were all on the table at the Council of Trent (pictured right).
The Counter-Reformation, in my opinion, should truly be called the Reformation since, by its definition (the act of reforming; state of being reformed; improvement, betterment, correction, reform), implies an internal change and not the creation of another entity that is different.
Old Label / New Label
Reformation / Church-Split
Counter-Reformation / Reformation
Screw the Positive Spin - Yay? Nay?
Maybe I’m not seeing something here, but why do we call this the “reformation”? This has puzzled me for several years; that, by the very definition of the word, it really seems to be a mislabeling of a very important era in church history. In fact, it’s more of a church split than an internal improvement or correction.
If the church had remained united as one, under the Roman head, then yes, we can properly call it a reformation, but a reformation is not a creation of something separate and different. Does anyone agree?
In fact, the Catholic church followed this shake-up with their very own [now also mislabeled]
reformation: the Counter-Reformation. This did away with the practices that rightly troubled the “reformers” like Luther and Calvin. Things like countering corrupt bishops and priests, banning the selling of indulgences, creating barriers to other financial abuses, as well as returning to a more foundational spirituality were all on the table at the Council of Trent (pictured right).The Counter-Reformation, in my opinion, should truly be called the Reformation since, by its definition (the act of reforming; state of being reformed; improvement, betterment, correction, reform), implies an internal change and not the creation of another entity that is different.
Old Label / New Label
Reformation / Church-Split
Counter-Reformation / Reformation
Screw the Positive Spin - Yay? Nay?
Saturday, February 17, 2007
...a time for fun...
Big T was right, Matt needs a little fun. “He’s so serious and deep all the time!” It was true, and I have reformed! I’m happy to say that I’m intentionally having more fun now, and I’m finding it’s so important and healthy! Yes, be serious and contemplative, but not all the time. Loosen up! Have some fun! Let go for a while!
What a great lesson to learn… thanks Big T!
(PS – do you even know I call you Big T?)
What a great lesson to learn… thanks Big T!
(PS – do you even know I call you Big T?)
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Monday, February 05, 2007
Good Anger
How tired am I and horrified
of this atrocious world.
Time and again reminded,
time and again reangered.
Idi Amin, Rwandan cleansing;
Sudanese camps, "famine";
international law created and unenforced -
the armies of enforcement too busy
conquesting for profit -
Hijacking Islam, hijacking Christianity,
hijacking anything of use;
Saudi royal terrorists;
Russian democratic facade;
making gain off the uneducated
and impoverished;
promising teenaged boys paradise;
brainwashing and bestowing weapons;
using every tragedy for political gain;
the White House regime.
When will the day of peace come,
when the evil get their reward
and the used get back what was stolen?
How long will we wait
for a new world order?
More than justice, we need peace.
of this atrocious world.
Time and again reminded,
time and again reangered.
Idi Amin, Rwandan cleansing;
Sudanese camps, "famine";
international law created and unenforced -
the armies of enforcement too busy
conquesting for profit -
Hijacking Islam, hijacking Christianity,
hijacking anything of use;
Saudi royal terrorists;
Russian democratic facade;
making gain off the uneducated
and impoverished;
promising teenaged boys paradise;
brainwashing and bestowing weapons;
using every tragedy for political gain;
the White House regime.
When will the day of peace come,
when the evil get their reward
and the used get back what was stolen?
How long will we wait
for a new world order?
More than justice, we need peace.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Jesus Ball
They have Christian toys now. You can buy a scrunchie ball for the tyke in your life and have no guilt about it ... if you buy the Christian version of the ball - the "Jesus Ball". Yeah, my eyebrows are way up there too!
I don't know that there's much else to say about it. It's a new level of ... something. Not quite sleeze, but not quite hype either. It's hard enough to walk through a typical Christian book store without laughing these days. You've got all the fanchise book series' like the endless Left Behind saga. You've got the big hits like Jabez or PDL (and that's not a southern gospel 'prais
e da lowad!' but Purpose-Driven Life). You've got the murky pond of new books that bubbles up when the latest acceptable Hollywood blockbuster comes out (they're all the same book with a different cover!), like Narnia or The Passion. Yesterday I saw a book called 'Extreme Prayer Makeover' (I guess Jesus isn't the only one being hijacked). Let's not forget the other merchandise like jewellery (remember that WWJD band? I'm so proud I never got one!!), Jesus fishes, and bumper stickers proclaiming something to the effect of "see you in hell... from heaven!". And then there's the music, but let's just stop. It's getting to me...
The Jesus Ball!
What
the
I don't know that there's much else to say about it. It's a new level of ... something. Not quite sleeze, but not quite hype either. It's hard enough to walk through a typical Christian book store without laughing these days. You've got all the fanchise book series' like the endless Left Behind saga. You've got the big hits like Jabez or PDL (and that's not a southern gospel 'prais
e da lowad!' but Purpose-Driven Life). You've got the murky pond of new books that bubbles up when the latest acceptable Hollywood blockbuster comes out (they're all the same book with a different cover!), like Narnia or The Passion. Yesterday I saw a book called 'Extreme Prayer Makeover' (I guess Jesus isn't the only one being hijacked). Let's not forget the other merchandise like jewellery (remember that WWJD band? I'm so proud I never got one!!), Jesus fishes, and bumper stickers proclaiming something to the effect of "see you in hell... from heaven!". And then there's the music, but let's just stop. It's getting to me...The Jesus Ball!
What
the
heck
is
a
Jesus
ball
???
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