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Television pictures of the civil rights demonstration in Derry on 5 October 1968 being attacked by police sparked anger across the North and South of Ireland and shock in Britain and further afield. In Belfast Queens University students marched from the University into the city centre and set up a new organisation – Peoples Democracy (PD) – when they returned.
On the right of the spectrum, the Nationalist Party withdrew from its position as official opposition at Stormont and endorsed a policy of ‘non-violent civil disobedience’ and the civil rights agenda. This did nothing to change the leadership of the civil rights movement while the running was made elsewhere as the next day PD held another demonstration to the City Hall in Belfast. On 21 October the British Prime Minister Harold Wilson declared that there must be reforms while the Taoiseach Jack Lynch visited London and protested against the events in Derry. Just over a week later Wilson met the leadership of the Unionist Government and demanded the introduction of reforms.
In Derry the movement that had played such a big role in precipitating the crisis was rather easily taken out of the control of left radicals by the local Catholic middle class, intent on instilling its discipline. Thus was created the Derry Citizens’ Action Committee (DCAC) which most radicals joined, afraid of marginalisation if they didn’t, except for Eamonn McCann who walked out of the launch meeting in protest. The presence of the majority of radicals however made no appreciable difference to the course of action taken by the DCAC. The weakness and lack of perspectives that had been discussed by these radicals when they existed in separate loose organisation and alliance was made abundantly clear inside the Citizens Action Committee.
The DCAC brought more planning and organisation to protests, which they began organising, such as the mass sit-down in Guildhall Square later in October. It was bigger than the 5 October demonstration, with between four and five thousand taking part, demanding a crash housing programme and points system for housing allocation. So, while denying it had any political purpose, even the new middle class leaders felt the need to extend the demands of the movement and continue its activity on the streets.
On the other hand the DCAC, run by local businessmen, did not mark itself out as centrally concerned with civil rights and hardly had much to do with NICRA at all, which in itself is symptomatic of both the limited nature of NICRA and the localised and confined perspective of leading figures in the Catholic middle class. There appeared to be no movement to compel the creation of a united and democratic civil rights campaign across the North or, on the other hand, a united left component of it, composed of the Derry radicals, PD in Belfast and others. Instead, histories of the period note that the civil rights association and the wider civil rights movement were separate. As so often, especially on the left, the need to prioritise activity in order to take advantage of a particular conjuncture of circumstances affected everyone concerned.
Another demonstration, defying a Government ban that the RUC could not enforce, was held on 16 November and was much larger that the October demonstration, with at least 15,000 taking part. Two days later 400 dockworkers left work and marched and 1,000 shirt factory women also left work to demonstrate in the city centre as court proceedings arising from the first march started. Later that night Protestant youths attacked the women as the evening shift left the factory, with clashes continuing the following day.
Two days later disagreement developed over a proposed demonstration on unemployment, which the DCAC leadership argued successfully against. As Eamonn McCann later acknowledged, this approach “perfectly matched the mood of the Catholic masses” – “reasonable, respectable, righteous, solid, non-violent and determined. The DCAC “did not challenge the consciousness of the Catholic masses. It updated the expression of it, injected new life into it and made it relevant to a changed situation.” As MCann also observed, it contrived to contain within itself those who wanted to destroy this consciousness.
Nevertheless, the repercussions of the Derry demonstration and the publicity it generated were carried forward – by the actions of the DCAC in leading street action and by the spontaneous demonstrations of workers. Coupled with the defection of the Nationalist Party and the radicalisation elsewhere, including demonstrations in Belfast, it contributed to growing pressure on the Unionist regime to make some concessions. On 22 November the Unionist Prime Minister Terence O’Neill announced a package of reforms.
They included a review of local government that would deal with ‘one man one vote’ in two years’ time, the abolition of the Special Powers Act as soon as practically possible, encouragement to local authorities to use a merit-based points system for allocating public housing (that they could make up themselves), an ombudsman to deal with complaints and a development commission to replace Londonderry Corporation.
One obvious problem with the reforms was that the Unionist Party leadership remained in control of the government with the only significant threat to its parliamentary majority being the threat from hard-right unionists. This dynamic ensured that the reforms were minimised for fear of losing this right-wing support and would continue got come under pressure. For example, the points system for allocating public housing was left for the local authorities to devise themselves. The abolition of the Special Powers Act was to be as soon ‘as practically possible’, while the then Minister of Home Affairs suggested that this might not be for some time.
Most importantly, the package did not end the restricted franchise in local government and included no measures that would actually guarantee the end of unionist control of districts where nationalists were in a majority, except for Derry where a development commission was to take charge. All of the important levers of power remained in the hands of the Unionist Party. ‘One man, one vote’, which had come to crystallise the civil rights movement’s concerns had not been conceded, demonstrating that the Unionist Party couldn’t concede it because to do so threatened a split.
Unionist backbenchers were opposed to the reforms, while the cabinet had carried out analysis that showed that without the property franchise Catholics would make up a majority of the electorate in Fermanagh and Tyrone whilst threatening the Unionist Party position elsewhere.
The rioting that had followed the Derry October demonstration had given rise to concerns about future possible sectarian clashes, although it had been pointed out by ciivil rights protestors that it was the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) that had attacked the demonstrators and not local Protestants. Nevertheless, a small civil rights march in November from Strabane to Derry had been attacked by loyalists, and at the end of the month supporters of Ian Paisley occupied the location of a civil rights march in Armagh town centre, armed with cudgels and sticks, preventing the legal civil rights march from taking its intended route. The denial on full civil rights so evident in the limited concessions offered in O’Neill’s reform package was matched on the streets by the RUC, which stood by while loyalists prevented a legal civil rights demonstration.
It was clear rather rapidly that the reforms proposed were not enough, although they still led to a clash inside the Unionist Government, with the hard-line Home Secretary Bill Craig sacked after his criticism of a televised speech by O’Neill. This had been designed to show the Unionist Government’s commitment to reform – “your voice has been heard and clearly heard . Your duty now is to play your part in taking the heat out of the situation.”
The message was that the Unionist Government had played its part and now the civil rights movement was to play its – by calling an end to the demonstrations that caused so much violence and division. Many Catholics were impressed that the previously aloof Unionist Prime Minister spoke directly to them, even if he spoke on behalf of the Protestant middle class that feared looming violence. The unionist ‘Belfast Telegraph’ newspaper ran a campaign in support of O’Neil with tens of thousands of its coupons backing himl being returned by its readers.
His ‘Cross roads’ speech in December 1968 warned of the situation being on “the brink of chaos”, while he appealed for the civil rights movement to call off its demonstrations, pledging that there would be no watering down of the promised changes. NICRA and the DCAC acquiesced and called a truce on marches while nationalist newspapers welcomed the defeat of unionist hardliners and the reforms that were on their way, hoping that this promised steady progress in the future.
O’Neill had certainly changed the style and rhetoric of Unionist rule somewhat and was, as one author put it, “strong on gestures and bold statements”, but there were very restricted limits to any reforming intentions and those that existed should be seen as part of attempts to modernise and rejuvenate industry and the economy more generally. Unionist reformism, such as it was, assumed that the benefits of British welfarism and economic progress, plus funding for Catholic Church institutions, would nullify any demand for equality. For O’Neill, the ‘Scotch-Irish’ Protestants of the North of Ireland were as different from the rest of the Irish people as ‘chalk from cheese’.
His premiership demonstrated no evidence that the anti-Catholic character of the Unionist Party was changing or that the Orange Order was not still an important part of it. He wanted North-South relations to improve but there were no measures to prevent or combat discrimination in Northern Ireland. He condemned the October civil rights march in Derry as ‘an act of pure provocation’ and supported the police despite its violent attack on it.
Undoubtedly he was limited in what he could do by the right wing of his party, which was rather rapidly and easily to become predominant, but he thought civil rights was only of interest to a minority of Catholics who he believed were more interested in houses, jobs and public services plus funding for their own sectarian institutions.
O’Neill did not so much advance a non-sectarian agenda, and pave the way for measures to reduce sectarianism, as undercut the growing but fragile movements that did and which threatened Unionist hegemony and that might have heralded a real, even if limited, advance on civil rights – the NILP in particular. His liberal image had also made it easier to resist pressure from Westminster for some reform by the Unionist regime, which would have been harder to justify by other hard-line unionist leaders. In this regard however, even the threats from the British Government to start interfering were not meant to speed up reforms but to avert intervention.
O’Neill sought Catholic quiescence to a unionist state, as his reaction to the 5 October civil rights demonstration showed. Rather than criticise or apologise for the violence of the RUC he threatened to mobilise the even more sectarian and ill-disciplined B-Special Constabulary.
The limited character of the November reform package was clear, while his call for an end to civil rights demonstrations was precisely the objective of hard-line unionists, and also of the Paisley counter-demonstrations that had generated much of the violence. Given these circumstances it was not unreasonable or even unexpected that this commitment to reform, and resistance to the right wing inside and outside the Unionist Party, would be tested.
It was only a question of time, although even today some controversy and condemnation attends to the Peoples Democracy march in January 1969 that did the testing.
Back to part 6
Forward to part 8
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This entry was posted in civil rights, Northern Ireland and tagged Civil Rights Movement, Peoples Democracy by irishmarxism. Bookmark the permalink.
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We were given the opportunity to review a costume from Wholesale Costume Club and we couldn’t resist! With Halloween quickly approaching, and the small fact that my two love to dress up… it was time for something new.
Boy were we excited to see the huge selection of costumes for Emma to choose from! This is not Wal-Mart folks… there is just about anything you can think of here! After choosing the subsection for toddler costumes, we started sifting through the categories.
Emma is a very opinionated 3 1/2 year old… but here are a few of the costumes I tried to talk her into
I thought with her fascination with Toy Story maybe we could pretend this was Jessie… but nope! Then I found the Indian Princess… oh how beautiful that would be with her skin tone and her hair & eye color… maybe we could say she’s Pocahontas? Nope…
Goldilocks? I thought this costume was so cute… again a big “uhh, no Mom”. Then I suggested Little Red Riding Hood. She thought a little longer about this one, but again I got the thumbs down. Finally I found the Snowflake Princess toddler costume…
At first I got another no, but then something triggered in Emma’s little brain and she asked me to go back. Emma let out a gasp and said, “MOM! That looks like the good witch from Wizard of Oz!”. Um, okay Emma *laughing*. I won’t tell her Glenda wears pink if you don’t *wink*. She insisted on the wand (I think that “made” the costume for her). I usually don’t purchase the accessories mainly because they are so costly, but at Wholesale Costume Club the wand was only $1.46 (member price).
The website was easy to navigate. We started at the top and choose our sizing section and then sifted through the detailed categories down the left column.
The prices were reasonable and if you join the costume club for only $5 a year you receive the reduced member prices! If you have several children to purchase costumes for, or like me you have a costume diva, this will pay off in no time!
The costume arrived quickly and the fit was perfect. We ordered a medium which stated toddlers sizes 3/4. Emma is tiny around and fits a 3 great, but length wise she is a 4. There is actually a little growing room which will make this princess a happy camper (extended wear!). The wand made the perfect touch to create her “good witch” costume.
Buy It: The Snowflake Princess toddler costume can be purchased for $22.96 member price or $25.48 non-member price. The wand is $1.46 member price or $2.48 non-member price.
I think the smile on her face and the fact that we couldn’t get her to take it off for most of the evening gives Wholesale Costume Club our seal of approval! We will recommend them to our friends!
Heather, the mom behind OurKidsMom, is located in western Missouri. She is 3rd grade teacher turned stay at home mom with 4 children: Ethan (9), Emma (10), Joshua (20) and Kaytlin (25). She spends her "free time" at the gym, planning her next travel adventure, blogging, browsing Pinterest for her next craft and reviewing great products for her family and home.
Be sure to check out all posts by Heather and subscribe via RSS or EMAIL so you don't miss a thing!
Comments
Amanda says
at
Emma is a cute little princess! Looks like the costume is great quality as well.
Rosalie says
at
Your review is very creative and was so much fun to read. The costumes look cute and little Emma is adorable!!!!
Merideth says
at
Kids and their opinions! lol I ordered my daughter's Halloween costume while she was taking a nap…I did pretty well though, I got her "Foofa" from Yo Gabba Gabba, and she asks to wear it all the time..I had to hide it in the back of her closet in hopes she might forget about it until Halloween (no such luck)!
Amber says
at
Oh my gosh, sooooo cute! She makes a great lil princess and she looks very excited to have her very own costume. Love it!
Niecey says
at
She looks adorable! I still need to get a costume for my 3 year old. I'm keeping a list of places I could get one and I'll add this to the list.
Tawnya says
at
The Snowflake Princess costume is adorable! Your daughter is too cute!
Tamara B. says
at
What a beautiful princess she makes, she is just adorable! I love their great costume selections and they have fantastic prices too!
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CSBG Roundtable #3
Tuesday, October 19, 2021, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM EST
Category: Indiana Training Institute (ITI) Training
Click here to register for this event
This roundtable format will allow agencies to discuss CSBG issues, offering support, solutions, and recommendations. Items that the group wants to share widely will be put on INCAA’s website.
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“Companies listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market are required to meet the high standards of corporate governance, as set forth in the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules.” Rule 4350(n), Code of Conduct – “Each company must adopt a code of conduct applicable to all directors, officers and employees. The code must satisfy the definition of a ‘code of ethics’ set out in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and it must be publicly available. A company may adopt multiple codes applicable to different types of employees. Any waivers to the Code of Conduct made to directors or executive officers must be approved by the board and publicly disclosed.”
The NYSE Listed Company Manual, November 2004
303A.10 Code of Business Conduct and Ethics:
“Listed companies must adopt and disclose a code of business conduct and ethics for directors, officers and employees, and promptly disclose any waivers of the code for directors or executive officers.
Commentary: No code of business conduct and ethics can replace the thoughtful behavior of an ethical director, officer or employee. However, such a code can focus the board and management on areas of ethical risk, provide guidance to personnel to help them recognize and deal with ethical issues, provide mechanisms to report unethical conduct, and help to foster a culture of honesty and accountability
Each code of business conduct and ethics must require that any waiver of the code for executive officers or directors may be made only by the board or a board committee and must be promptly disclosed to shareholders. This disclosure requirement should inhibit casual and perhaps questionable waivers, and should help assure that, when warranted, a waiver is accompanied by appropriate controls designed to protect the listed company. It will also give shareholders the opportunity to evaluate the board’s performance in granting waivers.
Each code of business conduct and ethics must also contain compliance standards and procedures that will facilitate the effective operation of the code. These standards should ensure the prompt and consistent action against violations of the code. Each listed company’s website must include its code of business conduct and ethics. The listed company must state in its annual proxy statement or, if the company does not file an annual proxy statement, in the company’s annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC, that the foregoing information is available on its website and that the information is available in print to any shareholder who requests it
Each listed company may determine its own policies, but all listed companies should address the most important topics, including the following:
– Conflicts of interest. A ‘conflict of interest’ occurs when an individual’s private interest interferes in any way – or even appears to interfere – with the interests of the corporation as a whole. A conflict situation can arise when an employee, officer or director takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her company work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest also arise when an employee, officer or director, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position in the company. Loans to, or guarantees of obligations of, such persons are of special concern. The listed company should have a policy prohibiting such conflicts of interest, and providing a means for employees, officers and directors to communicate potential conflicts to the listed company.
– Corporate opportunities. Employees, officers and directors should be prohibited from (a) taking for themselves personally opportunities that are discovered through the use of corporate property, information or position; (b) using corporate property, information, or position for personal gain; and (c) competing with the company. Employees, officers and directors owe a duty to the company to advance its legitimate interests when the opportunity to do so arises.
– Confidentiality. Employees, officers and directors should maintain the confidentiality of information entrusted to them by the listed company or its customers, except when disclosure is authorized or legally mandated. Confidential information includes all non-public information that might be of use to competitors, or harmful to the company or its customers, if disclosed.
– Fair dealing. Each employee, officer and director should endeavor to deal fairly with the company’s customers, suppliers, competitors and employees. None should take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of material facts, or any other unfair-dealing practice. Listed companies may write their codes in a manner that does not alter existing legal rights and obligations of companies and their employees, such as “at will” employment arrangements.
– Protection and proper use of company assets. All employees, officers and directors should protect the company’s assets and ensure their efficient use. Theft, carelessness and waste have a direct impact on the listed company’s profitability. All company assets should be used for legitimate business purposes.
– Compliance with laws, rules and regulations (including insider trading laws). The listed company should proactively promote compliance with laws, rules and regulations, including insider trading laws. Insider trading is both unethical and illegal, and should be dealt with decisively.
– Encouraging the reporting of any illegal or unethical behavior. The listed company should proactively promote ethical behavior. The company should encourage employees to talk to supervisors, managers or other appropriate personnel when in doubt about the best course of action in a particular situation. Additionally, employees should report violations of laws, rules, regulations or the code of business conduct to appropriate personnel. To encourage employees to report such violations, the listed company must ensure that employees know that the company will not allow retaliation for reports made in good faith.”
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The 1901 Census tells us that the family lived at 12 Neston View, Bagillt. The head of the family was George Jones aged 42, who was employed at the Bettisfield Colliery as a Coal Miner. His wife was Catherine Jones (nee Warburton) aged 39 and their 5 (five) children were Benjamin Jones aged 16, who was also working at Bettisfield the Colliery as a Coal Miner. Myfanwy Jones aged 17, Sarah Jones aged 13, Mary Catherine Jones aged 8 and Luther Jones aged 3. Also living with them was Sarah Warburton, Catherine’s mother.
By 1911 Benjamin Jones and Myfanwy Jones had married and left the family home.
Luther enlisted in Flint. He was Killed in Action on Saturday 21st September 1918 during the battle of the Somme, aged 20 years.
On 22 December 1919 a payment of £17.14s.2d was made by the War Office to his father, George Jones, this being monies owed to his son Luther and included a War Gratuity of £11.0s.0d.
He is also remembered on The North Wales Heroes Memorial Arch, Deiniol Road, Bangor, North Wales.
There is a Flintshire Roll of Honour Card for Luther Jones at the County Archives Office, Hawarden. Details of his medals were obtained from ancestry.co.uk
Vis-En Artois and Haucourt are villages on the straight main road from Arras to Cambrai, about 10 kilometres south-east of Arras. The Memorial is the backdrop to the Vis-En-Artois British Military Cemetery, which is west of Haucourt, on the north side of the main road. This Memorial bears the names of over 9,000 men who fell in the period from 8 August 1918 to the date of the Armistice in the advance to victory in Picardy and Artois, between the Somme and Loos, who have no known grave.
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Here’s looking back at some of 2016’s biggest #UnionStrong moments. We stand with you Sisters and Brothers!
In a case known as Friedrichs vs. California Teachers Association, the U.S. Supreme Court was getting ready to impose so-called “right-to-work” status on all public employees in the United States — making dues strictly voluntary and thus weakening unions considerably. But the death of conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in February resulted in a 4-4 deadlock on the case. The threat to labor could return, however, if a similar case is filed after another anti-union justice is appointed.
Unions count Verizon strike as a win
America’s biggest strike in four years took place in April and May as 39,000 members of CWA and IBEW struck Verizon’s East Coast landline operations rather than accept contract concessions at the highly-profitable company. The strike ended after 45 days with a deal brokered by U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez on terms the union called a win, including 10.5 percent raises over four years, and protections against outsourcing of call center jobs.
Clinton loses in the electoral college
In the general election, Hillary Clinton had the support of nearly every labor union in the country, and she won nearly 3 million more votes than Donald Trump. But she lost where it mattered: The electoral college, thanks to narrow Trump wins in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Trans-Pacific Partnership, dead at last
For the first time since NAFTA, a corporate-written trade deal died on the vine. The 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnerhip (TPP) was one of Obama’s top priorities, but broad public hostility to the deal — and the defection of some Republicans over industry concerns — prevented ratification in Congress. Trump’s election sealed its fate.
With unions prepared to put minimum wage increases on the ballot, the Oregon Legislature stepped up to do the job and put the minimum wage on track to 12.50 to 14.75 by 2022, depending on the region. That amounts to an hourly raise of $3.25 to $5.50 an hour for hundreds of thousands of Oregon workers.
Biggest ballot defeat: Measure 97
Despite $16 million in local and national union money, a proposal to raise taxes on the biggest corporations doing business in Oregon was rejected by voters. As a result, instead of new investment in schools, health care and senior services, the state of Oregon faces a budget shortfall next year, once again.
Biggest union organizing wins:
886 support workers at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center joined AFT.
793 PSU grad students joined AFT/AAUP.
310 hospital technicians at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center joined AFT.
165 workers at Boeing paint contractor Commercial Aircraft Painting Services joined IAM.
80 DirecTV workers joined CWA Local 7906.
61 alcohol and drug treatment workers at Volunteers of America joined AFSCME.
Biggest union organizing losses:
205 workers at a Jeld-Wen door plant in Chiloquin rejected the Machinists union in a 52-137 vote.
179 workers at Portland Specialty Baking rejected the Bakers union in a 38-123 vote.
Oregon Bernie vote: a mandate for bolder action by Democrats?
Hillary Clinton won among Democrats nationwide, but in Oregon, Democrats showed an appetite for a bolder kind of politics — backing a candidate who rejected Wall Street money and called for universal health care, free public college tuition, and a $15-an-hour minimum wage. In Oregon, Bernie Sanders packed arenas and outpolled Clinton by over 70,000 votes, 56 to 44 percent.
Minimum wage and sick leave
Raise the minimum wage to $13.50, and give workers the right paid sick leave? Voters did it, approving union-backed I-1433 by 59-41 percent.
Sound gets serious transit investment
Another ballot victory was voter approval for an ambitious 25-year plan to make $54 billion worth of transit improvements in the Puget Sound region, including 62 miles of light rail and new bus and heavy rail service to King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. The project will mean union jobs, less congestion, and a cleaner environment.
Madore is no more, in Clark County
Flamboyantly anti-union Clark County Commissioner David Madore — who once pushed unsuccessfully for a local “right-to-work” ordinance — lost reelection in the August primary. In the general election, union-backed candidate Tanisha Harris lost to John Blom, but local unions were still pleased to see their nemesis go.
Berry boycott ends with union deal
A three-year union boycott against Sakuma and Driscoll berries ended in September, when Skagit Valley agri-giant Sakuma Berries agreed to allow a union election and recognize and bargain a contract with the farmworkers union.
What were some of your biggest #UnionStrong moments of 2016? Sound off on the Union Built PC Facebook Page or on our Twitter or LinkedIn feeds. And don’t forget to subscribe to our monthly #UnionStrong email newsletter for articles like this one delivered straight to your inbox.
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Antalya – a real pearl of Turkish tourism. This city can be called the most popular resort in the country. Due to the southern location of Antalya, the beach season lasts here for seven whole months, even in the first half of November you can still see vacationers on the city beaches.
The first president of Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, called Antalya “the most beautiful city on the Turkish coast.” And this statement is not at all an exaggeration. In Antalya, natural and man-made beauties are closely intertwined. Locals and nature have worked hand in hand to create this Mediterranean paradise.
When is the best time to visit Antalya? There is no single answer to this question, because every season here is beautiful in its own way. So, autumn is ideal for those who prefer trips to calm resort towns that “exhale” after a busy summer season and seem to freeze in time.
Someone loves the contemplation of seascapes more than attending a noisy foam party. And someone wants to warm their hands on a cup of strong Turkish coffee, breathe in the fresh sea air and take long walks around the city and its picturesque surroundings.
Kidpassage will tell you why Antalya is so attractive in November and what it costs prepare while planning your trip.
Holidays in Antalya in November: pros and cons
Even if you specifically set a goal and look for negative reviews about holidays in Antalya in November, then it will take more than one day. Moreover, it is not a fact that this task will be crowned with success at all. Tourists love Antalya in autumn, and here's why:
Not crowded. In November, passenger traffic to Antalya decreases several times. Vacationers no longer have to wait long to get on an excursion, do not have to watch for free tables in cafes and refuse their favorite hotels due to lack of free rooms.
Good weather. Even at the end of autumn, warm sunny days prevail in the Mediterranean resort of Turkey.
Prices for holidays. Since November is the low season, the entire tourist infrastructure is much cheaper.
Seasonal vegetables and fruits. Be sure to visit the local markets – you will not see such a variety of seasonal products in supermarkets.
Antalya in November is certainly beautiful, but during this period the resort also has cons:
The cold sea. Swimming in the Mediterranean Sea is unlikely to succeed. Those who come to Turkey in early November still have a small chance to enjoy a beach holiday, but in the last days of November, swimming is no longer possible.
Closure of tourism infrastructure. Some hotels, water parks, beach activities and a number of excursion locations are not available from October to April. The season is ending for animators in many Turkish hotels.
Possible weather deterioration. At the end of November, weather conditions may worsen. Rain and cold weather are more likely.
Tourists who dream of a beach holiday should not visit Antalya in November. At this time, the Mediterranean Sea is cold and not suitable for swimming. It is also worth considering another season for visiting the resort for those who love noisy and active holidays, – in autumn, Turkey “falls into hibernation” until April and does not indulge guests with a rich entertainment program.
The weather in Antalya in November
Weather in Antalya in November – December is unpredictable, the forecast may change from day to day. The closer to December, the colder it gets at the resort. However, winter in Turkey still passes with positive temperatures and is more reminiscent of rainy autumn in our latitudes.
See also Sunny Beach in September: warm Bulgarian autumn
The weather in early November pleases tourists with warm sunny days. At this time, holidaymakers can still “grab the tail” an elusive beach holiday and even a nice tan. Those who travel to Antalya in the first half of the month should put summer things in their suitcase.
The temperature in Antalya in mid-November remains high enough during the day to wear T-shirts, but it gets noticeably colder at night. In the evenings, in cafes, visitors are increasingly ordering hot tea, rather than iced mojitos. If you want to enjoy the local sunsets and not shiver from the cold, take a long-sleeved sweater or a light windbreaker with you.
The weather in Antalya at the end of November no longer allows resort guests to swim in the sea and walk along the street in a t-shirt and shorts. At the end of the month, it's time to warm up. This, of course, is not at all about down jackets and winter hats – a tracksuit, jeans, turtlenecks and demi-season jackets will be enough.
Air and water temperature
The Mediterranean climate makes Antalya a place where you can relax all year round. The weather in the resort, surrounded on three sides by the Taurus Mountains, is almost calm even in autumn.
Air temperature in Antalya in November
The average day and night temperatures in Antalya in November are +20.1 °C and +14.4 °C respectively. At the end of the month, the mercury column often drops to +18 °C, but not lower than – significant cold snaps are rare here.
Water temperature in the sea
The Mediterranean Sea cools down slowly, so in early November, tourists can try to swim. The average water temperature in the last month of autumn is +22.5 °C. Such an indicator does not stop seasoned holidaymakers, but it is too cold for children to splash around at such a temperature.
November is not a very rainy month, but bad weather is possible this month. The average November rainfall is 72.7 mm. Number of rainy days – 4.
Most of November is sunny (72%, or 21 days). Cloudy and overcast days take the same amount of time – about 14%. Vacationers can do without umbrellas and raincoats.
Beach holidays in Antalya
Antalya is exactly a beach resort. Most tourists come here to soak up a sun lounger in the warm sunshine, swim in the Mediterranean Sea, get a beautiful bronze tan. However, in November these dreams are not destined to come true – the sea cools to an uncomfortable temperature, and the beach infrastructure is closed until spring.
But you can come up with a new dream! For example, sitting on the coast and looking into the distance, where the sky meets the sea, merging into one deep blue background. Take an interesting book and immerse yourself in reading to the sound of the waves and the light whisper of the wind. Drink coffee on the shore and share a fresh bun with seagulls…
Go to the beaches of Antalya in autumn – it is a different, special kind of pleasure, and the cold sea – there is no reason to deny yourself.
On the territory of Olympos National ParkTopcham beach is located, which is considered the cleanest on the coast. This is the perfect place to be alone with nature and enjoy the picturesque views. Entrance is free, the fee is charged only for the rental of sun loungers, but vacationers can sit on their own towel.
In addition, you can visit the Konyaalti beach. It is worth noting that the territory is divided into paid (more comfortable) and free ("wild") zones. It will appeal to those tourists who dream of escaping civilization, and holidaymakers who are accustomed to maximum comfort. There are cafes and bars on the beach where you can dine.
See also UAE in November: the holiday season without any reservations
The 1.5 km zone called “Beach Park” is perhaps the busiest stretch of coast. During the day you can find a lot of water and active entertainment, and in the evenings “Beach Park” pleases guests with discos, foam parties and other night events.
November – the perfect month for a sightseeing holiday. The sun is no longer trying to incinerate the Turks and foreign visitors to the city. The temperature drops to levels at which you can safely spend the whole day outdoors without fear of getting burned or getting heatstroke. The length of daylight hours in the last month of autumn is 9.8 & ndash; 10.7 hours, which means that tourists have a lot of time to see local attractions, which are many in Antalya.
Where to start acquaintance with city? Of course, with a sightseeing tour of Antalya! An ordinary walk through the streets of the resort will give a lot of impressions. The Old Town deserves special attention, where ancient houses and mosques have been preserved, and one of the main local attractions is located – Yivli Minaret, which can be seen from anywhere in Antalya.
Things to do with children in Antalya
For lovers of architectural there are also historical sights to see. Pay attention to the Hydirlik Tower, a monument of Roman architecture made of red-brown brick. Another symbol of the city is the Hadrian's Gate with its stone columns and arches. By the way, the gate – this is the entrance to the Old City.
In early November, it is better to give preference to outdoor walks and visits to interesting open-air locations. For example, you can climb Mount Tyunektepe, on top of which there is an observation deck. Or you can go to the Duden waterfalls and see karst caves.
In late November, when the weather is bad, it is recommended to combine business with pleasure – arrange a tour of local museums. archaeological works in Antalyaand ethnographic museums, Ataturk Museum.
Tourists with children should visit:
Holidays, events, festivals
The most important holiday in Antalya in November (as well as in other cities of Turkey) – it's Kemal Atatürk Memorial Day. The founder of the Republic of Turkey did a lot for its development and prosperity, so the Turks remember the first president with trepidation to this day. Ataturk Memorial Day falls on November 10, many entertainment locations do not work on this day.
Various entertainment events, shows, and performances can take place in November. Tourists who want to catch something like this on vacation should familiarize themselves with the city's Internet poster in advance.
Prices for holidays in November
Prices in Antalya in November are so attractive that it is difficult to resist the temptation to immediately book tickets and a hotel. Moreover, not only the main items of expenditure are getting cheaper – this applies to literally the entire tourist infrastructure, including cafes, excursions and entertainment.
Price of tours
In November, the cost of tours to Antalya drops by 3% -7% compared to October prices.
Flight
In October, November and the first half of December, the cost of the flight practically does not change. Price fluctuations are less than 1%. Significant changes in value occur towards the end of December. Many people want to celebrate the New Year holidays on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Accordingly, increased demand leads to a rise in price. The cost of the flight is increased by 30%.
Catalog of family hotels in Antalya
See also Ayia Napa in November: autumn with a taste of tangerines
Accommodation
Hotels start to become cheaper in October, and by November some hotels even become obscenely low prices. Plan a vacation for the last month of autumn – This is a great way to save money on vacation. The difference between October and November prices is about 25%.
Many local hotels are family oriented. Almost all five-star and most four-star hotels offer a special children's menu, high chairs, cribs, playgrounds. Parents can leave the child in the care of a nanny. Children are entertained every day by animators.
Meals and transfers
In Antalya, there are many catering establishments of different “star”: from cheap canteens to fashionable restaurants. Here you can appreciate the cuisine of many peoples of the world: Italian, French, Chinese, Georgian, Japanese, etc.
The cost of lunch starts from 30 liras and can reach 200 liras. The higher the level of the institution and the closer to the sea, the more expensive. In the city at every step there are kiosks with street food, there is also a McDonald's here. and Burger King.
Antalya has a well-developed transport system. City transport is represented by buses and dolmush. In addition, there are two tram routes. Fare – 2–5 lira.
Resort guests also have the opportunity to take a taxi – it is absolutely safe as all local services are official. Each car is equipped with a meter, a city trip costs about 20–60 lira.
How to dress in Antalya
Tourists will need both summer and autumn things. Those who plan to visit the resort in the first half of November are advised to focus on their summer wardrobe and grab some warm sweaters. Tourists who choose the last days of the month for vacation, on the contrary, should not take too many T-shirts with them, instead they should give preference to demi-season items.
Whatever half of November you arrive, be sure to take a swimsuit with you. If you are lucky enough to swim in the Mediterranean Sea – this will be good. And if the weather makes a beach holiday inaccessible, then you will always have the opportunity to swim in the heated pool or soak in the hammam.
November – excursion period. Tourists, as a rule, often visit excursions and walk a lot. In this regard, you need to carefully consider the choice of shoes – it should be as comfortable as possible so that you can safely walk several kilometers a day and not suffer from pain in your legs in the evening.
Recommendations for families with children
November can be called a good month for a family vacation, but only if you do not count on a beach holiday. At the end of autumn, the weather here is comfortable – no stupefying heat and at the same time warm enough for long walks.
The city has a lot of entertainment for children of all ages, so your child will not be bored. Even if the hotel does not have animators, this will not be a problem. The resort has plenty of options for family activities.
More information about the resort can be found in Kidpassage "Antalya: Family Guide". This city is hospitable not only in the high season, but also in the cold season. Arriving here in November, you will see this firsthand!
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| 17,729 |
Mom and Dad did warn me about the difficulty of show business... while also enrolling me in the "gifted and talented" elementary school and letting me watch Into the Woods on repeat.
Mixed messages. But I emerged from NJ a very gangly and very determined young actor.
I'm an NYC based artist
After graduating from Ithaca College's BFA Acting program in 2021, I moved to NYC, where I joined the acting ensemble of Netflix's Money Heist: The Experience and then
I also acted in my first feature film STAG, most recently featured in the Soho Int Film Festival.
And I'm ready for whatever's next!
In love with Phoebe Waller Bridge but don't have the budget to hire her? I'm also tall and play the ukulele! I'm passionate about experimental theater, female and queer helmed work, and most importantly: any opportunity to wear a silly hat.
| 866 |
It was time for Addison’s 6 months pictures and boy was she fun! Check her out in her bathtub outside!
by CrystalPosted in Baby 3-12months
August 14, 2009
I just love seeing my babies that I shot them in their momma’s bellies, at their births, and then again throughout their first year. Kellen is on of those sweet boys of mine and these are his 3 month pictures. Troy and Kelly thanks for letting me be a part of your memories! And thanks...
by CrystalPosted in Baby 3-12months
August 13, 2009
As I said this morning in my post I didn’t get through all of Ben and Mattie’s pictures the first run through so here is the Ben focused post. Oh and blogging about the Rinehart’s restaurant this morning made me crave their food all day so that is what we all had for dinner. Thanks...
by CrystalPosted in Baby 3-12months
Ben and Mattie
August 13, 2009
Ben was due for his 6 month pictures and decided to have his big cousin Mattie over for some pictures too. I haven’t gotten through all Ben’s pictures yet (we started with Mattie since ben was asleep when I got there). Here are Mattie’s pics and some of them together. Ben and Mattie’s family own...
by CrystalPosted in Baby 3-12months, Children, Families
August 11, 2009
I posted a few of these as a sneak peak the other day, here is Eli’s full post! He was so lively and fun and endured the heat quite nicely. Thanks for being such and easy subject Eli. See you again at 9 months!
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Physical fitness is the focus of this week’s episode! We’re joined by nutritionist and fitness coach Matt Cooper, who explains how microdosing can help optimize both mind and body. He describes how his experiences with psychedelics have helped him become a healthier person, and where microdosing would fit in with a fitness and wellbeing protocol.
Matt describes how a mainstream fitness regime actually left him in poor health.
Switching to alternative fitness concepts helped Matt become healthier and happier.
Matt says that psychedelics can be part of a fitness routine in a way that optimizes both mind and body.
Show Links
Matt's website
00:25 Paul Austin: Welcome, back to the Third Wave Podcast listeners. I’m doing this from Koh Pha Ngan, in Thailand, so on vacation, at least for the next few days before I head to Amsterdam for a week and then onwards to Zurich to speak at a conference on March 14. I will be speaking at a Trend Day Conference hosted by the GDI Institute, a Think Tank in Switzerland, where I will be speaking to business leaders from primarily Germany and Switzerland but also France about the intersection of microdosing and self-optimization. So the title of my talk is, “microdosing, Integrating Psychedelics Into Modern Life.” So I’ve been spending a lot of time preparing for that, spending some time just relaxing on the beach here at Koh Pha Ngan and it’s gorgeous and so that’s a brief update of my own personal life.
01:15 PA: Now, for the podcast I did this with a friend of mine who I’ve gotten to know over the past couple of months Matt Cooper who is a nutritionist and fitness coach and in this podcast we basically go into how microdosing fits into a larger holistic health program to both optimize our own mind and through that state to optimize our body. So in this podcast Cooper goes into his own experiences with psychedelics and how they’ve helped him to become a healthier person and then the details of how microdosing can fit into an overall fitness and well-being protocol.
01:50 PA: And as a note to this Matt Cooper, myself, and Derick Yoder, another business colleague are now starting a coaching program. So we’ve rolled out the Synthesis Retreat which we’ll be holding in Amsterdam in April. That is a retreat using legal psilocybin truffles in Amsterdam, it’s a three-day retreat oriented towards personal development, creativity, innovation, insights and as part of this Synthesis program we’re also rolling out customized coaching protocols for those who want to use both microdoses and macrodoses to optimize their well-being. And that could be to initiate flow states, to explore the boundaries of your own personal development. That could be to look at getting in on a potentially groundbreaking program, if you’re a coach yourself. So if either of those programs either the Synthesis Retreat in Amsterdam or if you’re interested in our coaching program just reach out to me through email or one of our team members and we will get back to you right away. So without further ado I bring it to you Matt Cooper.
03:03 PA: So we’re here with Matt Cooper Peak Performance Specialist and someone who has become a friend of mine over the past few months. Matt and I first hopped on a call, I wanna say back in September as he reached out to me with some of the work that he’s doing around holistic peak performance. So Matt I just wanna welcome you to the podcast, it’s great to be able to have this conversation that we’ve had in private in a more kind of public view.
03:26 Matt Cooper: Yeah, man, thanks for having me on, I appreciate you.
03:28 PA: So let’s just start by digging into who you are. So who is Matt Cooper, how did you become a peak performance specialist/Biohacker/Guru on functional fitness, and where do psychedelic play a role in that process for you in terms of really becoming interested in healing the self?
03:49 MC: Yeah, great question. So I’m actually a nutritionist, strength and conditioning coach and then I also… I work with everyday people, and then also student and professional athletes and I work with them on holistic nutrition, pick a panoramic approach to… I’m optimizing sleep, light and of course macro and microdosing fit into that workflow as well. And then closing that loop by having them do some iteration of movement, strength and conditioning things like that and so I actually got started traditionally back in fitness, just wanting to develop myself and then from there I wound up helping others, long story short, I got far enough down the mainstream health and fitness pipeline that I actually wound up making myself pretty sick using what I would call mainstream health and fitness techniques and then I really was forced to change. I went through a lot of hard times in my life at the same time, and then what I wound up doing was I actually wound up using, I would call it a little bit more of alternative health or preventative health, I started going away from Western medicine I learned about things like biohacking, paleo eating, ancestral health and wellness. And then of course what that did was it helped resurrect my health and it cracked me open to new ventures of self-development too. And that has since evolved and included microdosing and macrodosing as well.
05:13 PA: So let’s dig into that story of yours a little bit in terms of what were some of the “standard things” that you were following from the mainstream medical perspective? And how did that lead you into a bottom point or a place where you just realized that this was breaking you, that it wasn’t effective at all and that you were heading towards destruction so to say?
05:33 MC: So I wound up basically following what everybody thinks is a healthy diet. I wound up eating frequent small meals throughout the day, I was doing it to develop my fitness and then I was not really necessarily paying attention to where my foods were coming from, whether it was organic, was it grass-fed, was it wild caught, sustainably sourced, so on and so forth? And then in addition to that I was taking supplements that were more designed for fitness rather than coming from a holistic perspective and these things actually led to me having hormone issues, blood sugar issues. And while I fancied myself somebody who’s helping others with health I wound up a becoming a cautionary tale and mind you this is when I was 24. And that’s a pretty hard pill to swallow at any age let alone when you’re supposed to be pretty close to your prime physically. And so from there I had a constellation of life issues, personal issues and so essentially that’s what caused me to bark up these other trees. And so I was following things that I had always heard and I even was telling at our people were best practice for health, and it honestly wound up crippling me.
06:40 PA: And so, where did the change come then? You’re headed down this path, you’re following maybe a more standard American diet, taking supplements that obviously are ideal. Where does the change come? Where do you kind of come to recognize that the models that you were following are inaccurate and that maybe it’s time to look into a different paradigm for health?
07:01 MC: I think the breaking point for me was when I had a relative die, and I was having financial issues, and then I just looked myself in the mirror one day and I could see that I looked worse, I felt worse and I kind of broke down and I called the one of my best friends, Ryan Frisinger and he also is a practitioner in the space too. And had some talks with him and I realized that I hadn’t grown personally, as well. I hadn’t been doing these things that I’d wanted to do and I just felt like I wasn’t showing up as myself, day in and day out. And so that was really the pivot point. My friend, Chris Albert, another practitioner in the space, he works a little bit more on what we do, but with veterans. And so he’ll say, “People change out of inspiration or desperation.” And in my case, it was definitely the ladder, and it sucked, but I’m really thankful it happened now because it really helped shape who I am and led me to where I’m at. And so that’s my own anecdotal version of sort of the body keeping a score. And by that I mean, I haven’t ever seen anybody who doesn’t have… Basically, I haven’t seen anybody who has some sort of health crisis, who doesn’t also have some sort of resistance to change, some sort of life issues, some sort of blockage in their life.
08:14 MC: And from there, that led me tying all of my work together too as I helped myself. So, taking more of a holistic approach, I started optimizing not only everyone’s diet from more of a ancestral health perspective, still helping with what I was already good at, the strength and conditioning. And then in addition to that too, also helping people do things like releasing trauma from the body and out of their nervous system and really kind of helping them own their own role in their own life and that’s sort of both where not only myself but my work started to change too and I’ve since helped people in the addiction community with that, and then I’m actually starting working with gang rehabilitation in that space too.
08:53 PA: Well, and so, let’s tie psychedelics into this now, because obviously this is the focal point of our conversation and this is a topic that I touch on from time to time in the podcast is the ability both of microdoses but also higher doses to make us more adaptable to change. So you mentioned this now that a big part of physical illness is resisting change, and being resistant to change. And I think that’s particularly true in our western medical perspective, because so many people have been, we’ve been conditioned to believe in the “Standard American diet,” to believe that low-fat high-carb is quite healthy and now we’re realizing that there were all these profit motives behind it, by and large that the sugar industry paid off certain companies to do research, to show that sugar wasn’t near as detrimental as it actually is. They did specific research to show that fat was unhealthy, when in fact there was actually no relationship between, for example, saturated fat intake and cardiovascular issues.
09:56 PA: So we’re just starting to unwind from this profit-driven, both nutritional and fitness perspective and obviously psychedelics play a tremendous role in this because one other thing that we’re starting to realize as we step out of the Western medical model, is that distinct relationship between the mind and the body. So you mentioned the book, “Your Body Keeps the Score” which is about how when we heal trauma in the mind or as we work trauma out in the body, that also helps to heal the mind. And psychedelics then, are acting as this really interesting bridge that ties the ability to heal the mind to also an ability to heal the body.
10:37 PA: We’re seeing this in anecdotal reports, for example, with microdosing, where people are noticing that as they start to microdose, they’re starting to take more ownership over their life, they’re starting to wake up to the fact that they are empowered to make changes in their health, in their nutrition, in their fitness, with the way that they meditate, in the way that they sleep. And so the key then to that is when we become more adaptable to change, and this is what research now is even showing at Imperial College is that, psychedelics just make us more sensitive to context and environment. So then the key is, if you do start, for example, microdose or take high doses of psychedelics, what isn’t important or isn’t as important, is the actual drug. What is much more important is the environment.
11:22 PA: So this kind of ties well into our conversation, is a lot of people are still misinformed about what an ideal diet and exercise routine is like? I see this most often with people for example who are vegans, and while I think veganism is certainly healthier than the standard American diet, by and large because people are finally eating fresh fruits and vegetables, there are also significant downsides to the fact that most vegan food is not very nutrient-dense. And in fact, having animal fat, has always been a critical part of the ancestral diet. So anyway, all this is to say is… And to wind up with a question and at the tail end of this is, from your personal experience then, how did psychedelics start to tie into this transition for you into a more preventative approach and whether that was microdoses or even higher doses of psychedelics?
12:11 MC: So, in a nutshell, I use psychedelics to reprogram the mind-body interface. And by that I mean, just the same as how I’ll have somebody do trauma relief exercises to help them stop holding tension in their body and help chase some of these ghosts in a machine out of them. Meaning, the way that stress and trauma actually can help, excuse me, can actually help reprogram in a negative way, the nervous system…
12:34 PA: Let’s go into that before we go into the healing. How does stress and trauma genetically reprogram us in a negative way? Let’s go into those details a little bit?
12:42 MC: Yeah, so in a nutshell, what can happen, and this can happen whether you’re just having life stress, or whether there is some type of traumatic event in your past. But basically how it happens for most people is you get almost like a gear shift permanently stuck in some low level of fight or flight albeit permanently or at least much more often than you should be normally. And so from there, this is an evolutionary defense mechanism, your body doesn’t know whether you’re actually just stressed because you have too much work emails, or maybe because something traumatic happened to you in your past, or whether there’s a 300 pound tiger chasing you. So from there, your body is always going to allocate as much energy as it can on defense and survival, it’s just what we’re hardwired to do. And in this case, that means we’re gonna start depleting out our energy from a cellular level outward, from the mitochondria level outward. Flashback to that bio class no one paid attention to, those are the little energy batteries and the energy currency of our cell that fuels everything that we do.
13:44 MC: So from here, picture this, you have all of your energy or at least more of it now being allocated on survival and from there, all of these other systems like hormones, muscle growth, fat loss, detoxification and also balances of neurotransmitters, our brain chemistry, things that make us who we are, all of these things have less resources from which to operate and so we wind up making ourselves sick because of the thoughts that we think, potentially negative emotions that we’re either spiritually bypassing or not dealing with, traumatic events and so on and so forth. And on top of that too, stress and trauma can actually make our nervous system get repatterned in a way that it actually holds tension as well.
14:33 PA: Let’s then continue that in terms of what can psychedelics do then in terms of healing that trauma, healing that stress, particularly in a way that is maybe more accelerated than other modalities?
14:47 MC: Absolutely, so psychedelics can recreate the certain setting biochemically speaking of flow states. And so from here, part of that is also a relaxation of the nervous system and that’s what helps drive this out of the body. Further more, psychedelics also can provide a boost to your neurotransmitters especially, glutamate, serotonin, things like that and having a proper balance of these neurotransmitters, will help you show up as yourself day-to-day. And then from there you’ll have more motivation to make changes in your own life, not to mention the changes that the psychedelics are gonna make on your nervous system and health in and of itself. Furthermore, what I like to do is I actually like to put people on specific types of diets after we do our health intake, and these diets also provide the requisite backdrop, if you will, an environment for the psychedelics to be further enabled even better. So I guess that’s something that people who are already maybe not dealing with all these issues but simply wanna optimize their microdose experience that’s something for them to consider too.
15:56 PA: Well, let’s dig in on that because I think this is really what I wanna start to flesh out in this conversation is this relationship between diet, exercise, sleep, and then potentially something like microdosing. Because I see a lot of people, particularly those who are healing from traumas, we could call it PTSD, depression, addiction, and I see people in the psychedelic space as well who tend to rely exclusively on one modality, psychedelics for healing and insight rather than really looking at the holistic picture and we were talking about this before we went live on the call but from my perspective and understanding even when I was getting into psychedelics earlier on, when I was 19 or 20, psychedelics are what kicked me off on kinda my personal development path in terms of looking at what I could do to optimize my own life to minimize suffering, to find joy and to be content with where I was, to find meaning and purpose and work all of these things.
16:54 PA: But what it took after that psychedelic experience, was in utilizing the insights to make concrete changes to diet and when I mean diet, that’s when I started to eat a paleo diet, eating ancestral health diet, it was a lot of vegetables, high in nutrients, meat, and really looking at where everything came from. That’s when I started to look at crossfit, so functional fitness and paying very close attention to how I treated my body and then also sleep quality. So for example, making sure that I slept in a dark room and that I tried to get seven to eight hours of sleep every night. And what I noticed, and I think this is true for things like depression and other issues that diet, exercise and sleep is about 80% to 90% of what you actually need in order to heal and that psychedelics should ultimately not be something that is used exclusively but that should be used as, what we were talking about earlier, as a, like a ace in the whole. So I’d love to hear your perspective then as we dig deeper into that.
17:55 PA: So first let’s just start by laying the ground-scape for neurotransmitters. What are the main neurotransmitters that people should pay attention to, and if they’re lacking to some degree, what, from a diet perspective, exercise perspective can be done to improve certain neurotransmitter levels? And then after we talk about diet and exercise, then let’s dig into psychedelics a little bit in terms of how that can also help.
18:20 MC: I love the workflow. So the main neurotransmitters you’re gonna wanna pay attention to are dopamine, acetylcholine, serotonin and GABA. And dopamine is gonna be a big one for this self-optimizing crowd and so is GABA, they’re all big. So when I first start with people, I have them take a personality test that actually unveils their underlying balance of neurotransmitters, it’s almost like a scientific astrology test, it’s a lot of fun. And from there, people who are very dopamine dominant, let’s say they have a dopaminergic mind and what that means is you’re very achievement driven. The Michael Jordans, the Kobe Bryants of the world, the Tim Duncans, the Warren Buffets, the people who have… They’re able to put an abstract goal, off on the horizon and do the requisite things day in and day out, to get there.
19:12 MC: And when your nervous system is re-programmed in a negative way, by stress or trauma, it can create a sort of a deficit in some of these neurotransmitters and guess what, if you have a deficit in dopamine, you’re probably gonna have a difficult time finding joy in life. You’re gonna have a difficult time finding joy in achieving some of these little things that ultimately are tied to self-development. And not only that, you’re also gonna have a difficult time with fitness as well, and getting that requisite dopamine hit off of your training regimen, whether you’re a high-level athlete or like most people listening, just an everyday individual. And so, the other side with the neurotransmitters, that people are gonna wanna pay attention to is those of you who are listening who, your head is always swirling with thoughts, and you have trouble being present, and you have trouble getting to sleep at night, and you feel like sometimes you can’t just let go, and you’re often living in the future or the past. People like that, often have an imbalance of GABA, yeah, and Glutamate. And so what that means is that your neurotransmitter balance is shifted and you don’t have enough of the ones that relax and calm your mind like GABA and serotonin. And you have too many excitatory ones.
20:35 MC: Yeah, dopamine, acetylcholine, glutamate is another one that we can kind of amass in large amounts ’cause of the common American food supply. Those are the main excitatory ones and norepinephrine too. But that isn’t often triggered as much or present as much. But basically, balancing those out is something that psychedelics can really, really seriously help with, and the right kind of diet can help with that too. And so, part of what I’ll have people do in a diet, we’re talking ancestral things like that, I’ll have them really, really optimize their Omega 3:6 ratio. And sometimes I might have people do a [unclear speech] fish oil, like a mega-dose bio-hack, another thing my friend Ryan originally turned me on to, and I’ll do things like that. And there’s some other things too we can talk about that make the nervous system and the brain as pliable as possible, via something called neuro-plasticity. And so, through that, I can then sprinkle microdosing into the mix and they will be… You’ll get about as good as a microdosing experience as you will ever have. And I have done it in myself, I’ve done it in folks who are trying to just self-optimize and just show up as themselves, day in and day out, they have some sort of interior goal they’re working on.
21:51 MC: I’ve also had it with professional athletes and maybe people who train at a high intense degree, like people cross-fit and stuff like that. In those crowds, they can get hyperactive reflex times, the game or whatever they’re doing, seems to slow down. And even for every day people, it’s like you’re gonna have a easier time finding the right muscles that you’re trying to work and develop, and again, you’ll have more energy and focus, so your fitness sessions will be better, no matter what level you’re at.
22:18 PA: So let’s dig into this a little bit more than in terms of what’s been your personal experience with microdosing when used within a self-optimized regime? So what are days that you microdose? What do you do on those days? How are you intentionally integrating microdosing to help bring things to the next level?
22:35 MC: So, I did the classic every fourth per day and that was with psilocybin specifically. I’ve also experimented, if we’re just talking strictly microdose for the time being, I’ve also done microdose marijuana, things like that. Although what I got in all my experiences, whether it’s macro or micro, what I got the biggest benefit out of was when I was doing the “psilocybin cycle”. And when I was doing that, the first few times I did it, and then I went to go train, I increased my vertical jump at a pretty noticeable amount, at a ridiculous level. And that’s interesting for me, because I was so far down the fitness and body building pipeline for a while before I started training, and what’s known to a lot of people potentially listening, is more of a Marv Marinovich style, that’s my training style. I basically kinda de-programmed some elements of my athleticism because I was too far down just the building the body spectrum. And then, it was interesting because when I was microdosing, I noticed my muscles were actually able to not hold as much tension. Again, the neurological cascade has other benefits too. And I noticed that I was able to contract, basically reload. So I was able to fire, reload, and then re-fire quickly, which is what athletes need to do in sports.
23:53 MC: And so that was… That was just an anecdotal benefit for me. I know not everybody’s trying to get more athletic or anything like that, but just to tell my own story, that was the first thing I noticed, and I really surprised myself. All my movements, everything was really fluid. And I also noticed that I had a healthy, higher pain tolerance too and was able to exert myself more when I was training, and my focus was off the charts.
24:16 PA: So that was your experience with micrdosing? But that was enabled by your diet and your exercise. So, we haven’t really gone into the specifics of that yet. What do you eat on a day-to-day basis? What does your diet look like? What does your exercise regimen look like? How are you optimizing these other things that we talk about in terms of diet, exercise and sleep?
24:34 MC: Great question. So I should also say it isn’t like I went from starting from absolute zero to making all these changes and then it’s like, “Oh, well which variable is doing the work.” No, actually, in fact, I was doing the diet and training piece beforehand, and really had been… I’ve had a lot of mileage under the tires with that, so by the time I was able to introduce microdosing. It was strictly as a new variable, a solo variable. And so, it was pretty clear to me that that was the only difference in this routine. Again, there’s little minor things, how you’re sleeping day-to-day, things like that, that can always fluctuate with this, stress, stuff like that. But I’m happy to say that there definitely was some magic in that. Now day in and day out, I am a proponent of… For a lot of folks, intermittent fasting and I’ll qualify that statement with women, I’ll dose it a little bit lighter, just because the hormonal system’s a little more complex, but…
25:29 MC: For me daily and a lot of the men listening, I will actually fast by skipping breakfast each day and then I will yolk all of my food intake into roughly six to eight hour window, and then from there I’m basically eating a lunch and a dinner. And so each meal is consisting of being like protein-centric or meat-centric and I’m always using something that’s ethically raised, sustainably sourced and coming with the right set of nutrients. I eat an abundance of vegetables to get enough nutrients. Honestly, you’re looking at like probably roughly 8, maybe as high as 12 palm-size portions of vegetables a day. So it is still a Plant-based diet even though I’m eating meat. I usually, on my days of rest or when I’m not doing a whole lot, I’m going pretty high in healthy fat. Sometimes that’s coming through the meat, sometimes I’m adding things like nuts or avocados. Primal Kitchen dressing is a favorite of mine, though vested interest I cause. And then a couple of days a week, I actually engage in a strategic carbohydrate re-feed and that’s more so just to enjoy life, ’cause the palate’s one of the gifts we’ve been given in life, and also because of the way the effect it has on my body. It helps my performance and maintains my physique enough to the point where I feel like I’m fit enough.
26:44 PA: Sure. So it’s a nutrient-dense diet, you throw in the fasting. Let’s go into the fasting a little bit. What research do we have about the efficacy of fasting? I know it’s something to do with mitochondrial plasticity. I know it had something to do with anti-inflammatory, anti-inflammation, which is obviously linked to things like depression. So yeah, just if you could go a little bit into then what is the science that we have and why fasting is a viable and excellent modality to use.
27:09 MC: Absolutely. So, I’ll give a few answers for health and fitness in general. And then, since it’s mainly microdosing focused, I’ll go into how that ties in a little bit heavier. And so, from what we know about our ancestors, we evolved with much more time spent in a non-fed state than in a fed state. And so, part of the issue that I had with my own health and now I know a lot of people, they have now is they think they need to eat small meals, super often, or they end up grazing and eating too frequently. It’s not necessarily that they eat too much, that they eat too frequently. And so, if you’re always putting water in the reservoir, so to speak, you’re never able to get to the water that’s at the bottom of the reservoir. And so, it’s the same way in the body. Your body, when you’re fasting and spending less time overall eating is essentially cleansing weaker disease containing cells, and pruning them and replacing them with newer ones. And, there’s a few processes: There’s the protein folding or proteostasis, there is cellular apoptosis, and then there’s autophagy.
28:10 MC: And through that, you are getting a few different benefits, fat loss, disease prevention. You’re actually getting a lot more focus, which also that’s where microdosing can tie in as well and you’re sort of optimizing your hormones too. And then from there, it’s actually helping with something called, that I mentioned before, neuroplasticity. It’s actually helping your brain function, your cognitive function, your neurological function, and that’s where you can really bio hack the system by adding in the microdosing because the microdosing is going to super charge that effect.
28:47 PA: How, how will that super charge the effect?
28:48 MC: Essentially, from how microdosing works, with your neurotransmitters, the nervous system in a brain. By having your brain be a lot more pliable for these effects, you’re essentially enabling the microdosing to take place a lot better because of things like BDNF production or Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor and then also kind of co-supporting the production of neurotransmitters and a flexible “nervous system”.
29:13 PA: Let’s kinda now zoom out a little bit. So we’ve been talking a lot about the concrete, we’ve been talking a lot about practical tips, talked about diet. Actually, before we get into the more abstract, let’s just briefly go over then exercise and sleep, if someone’s looking to dial in these other modalities. What are you doing from an exercise perspective, and what are you doing from a sleep perspective to make sure that those are optimized as well?
29:35 MC: So for sleep, what I’m doing… You mentioned them as well. I’m actually having people sleep in as close to a pitch black room as possible with an eye cover or essentially blackout shades. I’m having people unplug their electrical devices within about four feet of the bed, power down their WiFi at night, put what you call anti-blue light settings on, on their devices at night. And then, if they’re really into optimization, which ideally they would be, they would… ‘Cause it’s a set it-and-forget-it type bio-hack, but they would buy amber light bulbs from Amazon and then put those in their apartment or house. And then from there, the one other thing is you can wear blue-light glasses, if you are gonna look at screens. And they’re not fool-proof because some light can get in and outside of that, but you’ve taken those other precautions then you’re probably not… You’re doing a hell of a lot better.
30:25 MC: And as far as exercise goes, it really just depends on the goal. For most people listening, I’m having them go high intensity, low volume. So they’re doing about two to three sessions of strength training a week, and maybe a couple of sessions of movement or walking or conditioning. With the general pop the gen pop crowd, there’s a little bit more room for flexibility there, so I try to just find something that someone’s gonna enjoy doing anyways, and then have them do that, because they’re more, most likely to do that, at least in the beginning. If it’s an athlete then they’re simply just doing their Atheltic Development Program, whatever that might be, some of those Marv Marinovich type protocols that I’ll have people do. I nerd out on that personally because you’ll actually be able to train real athleticism, instead of just making people get better at exercise, and so microdosing can really help with that too.
31:16 PA: So we’ve got into a lot of the practicalities. We’ve talked about a lot of these obviously, I think one higher end note to emphasize is based in evolutionary biology. A lot of the things that you’re recommending from a sleep perspective, from a diet perspective, from an exercise perspective are based in our roots and what we did as Homosapiens for tens of thousands of years. And obviously then the advent of agriculture and civilization has brought on a number of lifestyle changes, particularly in the 20th-century that have proved to be tremendously unhealthy for us as human beings. And so, I’d be curious to hear first your thoughts on, “Where do psychedelics then play that role?” Because you know, one thing that I often think about is the more that I analyze larger trends, the more I see us moving back to this kind of neo-tribalistic… Living arrangement where we’re living in shared living facilities, where we have these festivals like Burning Man that encourage self-reliance and autonomy, where more and more people are transitioning to these ancestral diets and the functional fitness. Where do you see psychedelics fitting into that sort of evolutionary biology framework in terms of being an ideal modality to encourage holistic health?
32:26 MC: It’s interesting because I think at some level with technology, we’re looking at a transhumanist type movement where we’re actually guiding our own evolution, things that Ray Kurzweil would talk about. But at the same time, as you mentioned with the neo-tribalistic movement, we’re actually looking at doing things like recreating rites of passage that have been lost in our society and doing more tribesmanship type activities and ways of living, and also re-evolving the way we eat and live, just enough to run parallel with our own genome, you know what I mean and then we can dose ethically and properly technology. So, I see psychedelics working in both ways. Honestly, I see psychedelics working to help self-development and that might mean relieving stress and anxiety. It might mean being sort of a kickstarter or jumper cables for some sort of goal or self-optimizing path. I see them also in a macro-dose, being used as a substitute for a rite of passage in our society where we really don’t have them.
33:27 MC: And then on more of a technological bio-hack in self-optimization side of the spectrum, I see ’em being used for things like we were talking about, like bio-hacking your health, your athletic performance, your fitness and also just other aspects too, that might not even be related to fitness, but our biological brain function, creative output and again, tying the mind and body together in such a way that you’re optimizing both. And that, in and of itself is really kind of an in-context definition of a holistic program.
34:01 PA: Absolutely, and I think then the one final piece that we’re missing, which I’m sure a lot of listeners are also thinking about, “How much has been on my mind,” in which we’ve probably discussed at some point, is… Obviously this movement towards self-optimization is great, but some might say that it’s reminiscent of typical millennial push, which is this navel-gazing obsession with the self. This navel-gazing obsession with, “I’m just gonna make myself perfect. I’m gonna optimize myself. Who really cares about what’s going on outside of me?” But I’d be curious to hear your thoughts then. How does optimizing the self enable us to be better and bigger contributors to community at large?
34:39 MC: So, I think it, at some level it comes down to just, it’s simple as how I look at relationships is, you gotta be able to fill your own cup before you can fill someone else’s cup and you’re not in a position to help others unless you fully healed and hardened yourself. And it’s not to say you can’t be nice or give back or do charity when you’re in that state, but really it’s sort of the way of the shaman. You have to eat the sin and get sick yourself before you can teach others and help others. And so, that’s actually where I’m gonna pivot slightly and use myself as an example here. The unique journey that I’ve had where I’ve gone from, as a kid, if I was growing up today, I probably would have been on the autism spectrum and finding things that I found and for lack of a better word, cured a lot of those issues that I had and that I also then exacerbated later in life. I’ve sort of done a neo-shamanistic version of that. In fact, I joke I’m a sport shaman now ’cause I work with the athletes still too. And so, now that I’ve been able to go through all that, I actually truly can help others, but I had to then first go through it myself. And now, if you want a little insight into the business model, my 30,000-foot view is to essentially work with a small stable of high-level professional athletes, NBA players ideally for the most part and people I wanna work with.
36:03 MC: And then free up even more of my own time to just simply use my gifts and knowledge to give back, whether it’s having people come to the facility for getting rehabilitation and have them do trauma release exercises, me, go to places like that. And also online too, and give seminars on healthy eating, things like that, ’cause there is a shockingly high amount of this country that even in left and right coast that doesn’t eat healthy and doesn’t source their food properly and things like that. And I just see how it’s gonna trap a lot of people in these states and so that’s just sort of my mission, it’s to use my gifts of health, fitness, performance optimization to help people with some self-transcendence and also simply just getting better health, fitness. And by doing both of those things they’re gonna co-enable. And just to tie this back to the general point now, I think you really have to know how to help yourself before you can really know how to help somebody else.
37:01 PA: And this reminds me of a guy who’s been making the rounds a bit lately within the cultural zeitgeist, so to say, is Jordan Peterson who is this University of Toronto clinical psychologist and who’s been speaking out a lot about the role and power of the individual and the necessity to take ownership over one’s life and really take responsibility for it before you feel enabled to go out and make change on a huge scale. And I think that’s a really important part is there are a lot of people who want to make a tremendous impact or who want to be heard even from an activist perspective or changing the world in a better way, but in many ways, they’re falling short on their own scale in terms of actually working on themselves.
37:47 PA: And I think that for me is where self-optimization plays a key role and I’ll use myself as an example in this framework as well. One of the only reasons that I could take the huge, both financial but also personal risk to my own well-being to start a website like Third Wave which is really the first public website that approaches psychedelics from a non-scientific perspective. So you have organizations like MAPS and Heffter and Beckley and they are still keeping their conversations largely within the institutional framework. And one of the big things that I’ve emphasized of what we’re doing here at Third Wave is we’re looking not at institutions, but we’re looking at generally, culturally how do we change minds and hearts about the use of psychedelics? And that’s a huge risk to take. And I was often, in my early developing years when I was 17, 18, 19, 20… I was called selfish, and I was told that I was focused too much on myself.
38:38 PA: And sometimes I even still receive that feedback. But my rationale, we could say, is the only reason I’ve been able to take on this big goal of changing the cultural perception of psychedelics, is because I’ve done all of the small work of making sure that my diet is dialed in. I’m making sure that I sleep and my sleep is extremely high quality. I’m making sure that, from an exercise perspective, I’m taking care of myself. Even things like traveling. I travel quite a bit because I think it’s important to expand our sense of horizon, and expand our boundaries. That has also played a facilitating role in making me feel comfortable in stepping out about a highly taboo and stigmatized topic. And I know without a doubt that if I hadn’t dialed in all of those little things initially, that I wouldn’t have been able to take the huge risk of doing something like this. And I think this, then dials in to what we’re discussing here, in terms of the role of microdosing in psychedelics, is my early psychedelic experiences and this is with higher doses of LSD, is what really gave me the courage to say fuck all the normal shit that people are going through. Fuck the corporate lifestyle, fuck the standard American diet. I could tell, when I was 19 or 20, that that was all bullshit, and that it wasn’t in-line with really empowering ourselves as individuals.
40:00 PA: And so, it was those early psychedelic experiences that then gave me the courage to go out and do something that was more unconventional. And I think this is representative of what we’re going through as a culture at wide, is more and more people are waking up to the fact that they’re dissatisfied. But not only that they’re dissatisfied, but that they don’t need to deal with this bullshit anymore. That the fact that psychedelics are stigmatized and prohibited is horseshit. The fact that we were sold that a high carb diet is healthy and that a high fat diet is unhealthy, that was also just scientifically, empirically not true. And so, it’s really this… And I could even tie religion into it, which I won’t at this moment, but that was also a big part of me. When we start to leave this old infrastructure, I found psychedelics to be the tool that helped to facilitate and catalyze that total transition into having the courage to step into this new worldview where we really take ownership over ourselves to optimize the way that we live, the way that we interact with others, the work that we do, aligning who we are on an individual level, on a purpose-driven level with what we’re doing externally.
41:09 PA: And so this is why this conversation and why we’ve been able to connect in so many ways about this because I think we’re just at the forefront of a larger movement that’s happening where people are waking up and saying, “I don’t need to deal with this anymore. I wanna live a truly tremendous life.” And we finally now have those tools at our disposal.
41:28 PA: And of course, from my perspective, I think learning and understanding how to work with psychedelics within a larger personal development framework, within a larger framework of taking ownership, is the number one tool that people can use to facilitate and catalyze that transition in a short period of time. And I think this also ties in, then, to what you were speaking about, coming of age ritual, because I think the big thing that everyone has been missing out on, is that coming-of-age ritual. And obviously, psychedelics have been used for thousands, in fact tens of thousands of years for this exact purpose because they are the safest, most consistent, most reliable way to induce this post-egoic experience, where we’re able to see outside the narrow confines of the individual ego of “I just need to take care of myself, I just need to take care of my nuclear family.” Instead, going through that post-egoic experience allows us to see the utility and the beauty of interconnectedness. And I think then once we’re able to operate from that perspective, not only do we take better care of ourselves, but then we also feel a need to take care of our community, and take care of those around me. So that’s my lecture and spiel and kind of big little thing about why I think psychedelics are the number one tool for personal growth and development.
42:49 MC: Yeah, yeah. You’re not on a soap box at all, man. That was very eloquently said, and I couldn’t agree more. And to be honest with you, to be fully transparent, I learned a few things in kind of a rearview-mirror way about my own path hearing you speak. So a, I appreciate you saying that, b, I think, “heal myself, harden myself, change the world,” it’s actually something that my friend Keith Norris, one of the co-founders of Paleo-fx will say. But that resonated with me a lot, whether it was society’s bullshit, society’s version of an American dream, that I wasn’t really consulted on to see if that was what I wanted. And everything else that you said, too. I just… Ever since I was younger, it wasn’t ’cause I wanted to be against society or a rebel of any kind, it just sort of… I would just think through things that everybody else took as the Gospel. That was really just what I took from what you said and how that applied to me too. And I think psychedelics, just to tie it back and not get too far off track, I think psychedelics are, no pun intended, a gateway drug into better things, self-optimization, and through that, it’s gonna come helping other people.
44:00 MC: ‘Cause I know, once I helped myself, I was able to recognize it and see it in other people and then I was like, “Holy shit!” You know, everything from PTSD, people who are stressed out, people who are sick with various health issues, trauma, addiction. I was like, “There’s a biological piece to this that no one is talking about. And how can I now use what I’ve learned to help other people, whether they have a kid who’s somewhere on the autism spectrum disorder, who’s not eating in a way to heal from that, or whether it’s a grown person who needs to heal their body.”
44:31 PA: And I think to continue that then, both to build off of what you said, and also to emphasize something that maybe I didn’t emphasize enough, is psychedelics are a tremendous tool and this is only if they’re used within a responsible, structured, intentional framework. And so, I think that’s the last point to emphasize is psychedelics hold such a tremendous potential to catalyze change in transformation both in microdoses, but I also think, more importantly in macro-doses. And I talked about this on the podcast before, and we’ve probably shared this information. Macro-doses are great for paradigm shifts. If you’re stuck at a point and you need new directions, macro-doses are great to get that insight, “Okay, I need to go in this direction, I need to do this, or I need to change this or make this adjustment.” Microdoses are really great for the ongoing process. And I think the reason psychedelics are making a come back… One of the many, many reasons psychedelics are making a come back, is because people are searching for something that helps them to make meaning.
45:30 PA: Meaning making tools and that’s whats psychedelics are. But if that’s not done within a larger framework of for example holistic health, physical, emotional, mental, if that’s not done within a larger framework of… “Okay, I’ve had this deep amazing, insightful profound psychedelic experience. Now, what do I step into? Now where do I go?” This is then the role the community plays in the psychedelic space because I think it’s so critical that once you will go through that profound shift in waking up to recognize that, Okay, I need to change something. Then what’s so critical after that is, well what are you changing and how are we providing the best information possible to make sure that you’re making the right change because this is where, again, my thing about veganism versus ancestral diet comes in, it’s great if someone goes from the standard American diet to veganism, that’s a step up.
46:22 PA: But I’m not interested in what’s comparatively better, I’m interested in what’s ideal, and I think from our perspective, and my perspective just again to make an example of this, whats ideal is an ancestral health diet in terms of fitness in terms of generally being as healthy as possible. So when people come out of that psychedelic experience, this is why we do interviews like this, because I think it’s important to emphasize that according to empirical evidence that we have is ancestral diet, in all likelihood is the ideal diet, that people should be following. And I won’t go into macro nutrients, in terms of Carbs versus fats versus protein. That’s a whole another thing of ketogenic diet, this is not ketogenic diet but I think generally eating a balanced source of meat, vegetables, nuts these sorts of things is ideal. And so that’s just one example.
47:07 PA: And so this of course then brings up what we’re getting into, which is building out specific customized protocols and containers for people who wanna make this transformation. So that’s obviously a project that we’ve been working on. We won’t go too into detail on this podcast, but it is something that will be coming out for the Rev audience and the podcast listeners and people who are just generally interested in. Okay, I’m interested in this transition. How do I make it now? What are the next steps that I need to take, and I wanna finish up our conversation with that approach, from you. Let’s say someone has already made some of these transitions, so they are generally eating a healthier diet, they’ve been starting to exercise. Maybe they meditate. From your perspective, what’s the 80-20 of making this transition into generally taking care, better care of the self from a holistic perspective?
47:57 MC: So on a diet perspective, what I would say is on an ancestral level, some of it is about elimination, but what you’re gonna wanna do is, you are gonna wanna essentially… I would almost provide an on-ramp period for yourself where you’re gonna be gate what’s the best word to say? It’s almost like a gateway into the microdosing because you’re actually better enabling the backdrop for it. So what I would do is I would be essentially starting with the ancestral diet, I would potentially integrate fasting, I would integrate the sleep protocols that we talked about, and then exercise, that’s gonna look like whatever it looks like for you whether you are an athlete or not, but just making sure you’re moving, you’re getting some of that.
48:36 MC: At least three times per week, ideally a little closer to five. And then from there, there’s some supplements, that you could be taking too such as a high grade omega-3 fish oil potentially if you have taken the personality test as well, which we can may be in reference in the show notes, you’re looking at maybe rebalancing, and re-calibrating the neurotransmitters. And then something I recommend just for optimal health in general, is that people are on a quality vitamin D supplement potentially with Vitamin K in addition to that, too, you are looking at a probiotic and then if you’re in that space where you feel like you might be stuck in fight or flight, you’re probably looking about at rebuilding your mitochondria as well, which should be looking at something like a PQQ-type CoQ10 blend supplement.
49:19 PA: Great, so that’s kind of the diet, then anything else? Just generally from a mindset perspective, that people should be aware of? ‘Cause I know, for example, in the past when I tried to take substantial steps to improve what I’m doing at times, I’ve bit off more than I could chew. So I tried to do all these things at once what would you say, just as a good timeline. Time frame, in terms of a sustainable way to make integrated changes over long term? What kind of model should people be aware of or be utilizing?
49:45 MC: I would say what you are gonna wanna do is again using the dopamine analogy put your abstract goal off on the horizon and then look at it from a day-to-day perspective. And that’s where the microdosing comes into, that’s what’s gonna essentially address those process type goals. So I would say a 12-week period is ideal. If you wanted to get a little more of a specific answer, at least for a diet in microdosing piece. And then on a mindset, level, again, that’s just that abstract goal off on the horizon and using both the diet and the microdosing to biologically and mentally, emotionally, spiritually, begin to self-author yourself. I would say journaling, writing down your goals, honestly, vision boarding. I’m a huge fan of that. I’m also a fan like when you are doing a project like this, a self project I’m a huge fan of some sort of mindfulness practice.
50:38 MC: And in addition to that, if you can, and you’re really trying to create a change, and you’ve had some sort of resistance to change something like a TRE or Trauma Release Exercises can be phenomenal as well. It’s a series of exercises that culminate in you having what would feel like an epileptic seizure, at least in a physical sense. And so you’re doing things like wall sits and you’re doing things like certain foot exercises and certain bridges that essentially cause your psoas, your pelvis to start twitching and that’s where a lot of… That’s the root of your nervous system essentially ’cause it goes from your brain down your spine and then to the pelvis, and then from there, when you trigger these exercises… These tremors what ends up happening is your whole body starts to ride along where that axis is of your nervous system. You really start to twitch, and then it’s gonna probably last for… At least 15 minutes for most people, and it can be kind of scary.
51:36 MC: But the cool thing is, you don’t even have to know whatever trauma you’re trying to release. You don’t necessarily have to relive the painful memories or even know what it is. If you just think something’s buried in your subconscious, or you’re stressed, maybe it’s not one specific thing, you don’t even have to know what that is and this actually will help emotionally release it, neurologically release it. And afterwards you’re left being really present in your body and out of your head.
52:01 PA: Fantastic. Well, this has been… I’m gonna just do an overview, a 10,000 foot view of what we spoke about, Coop, so that our listeners can have a synopsis of it. We basically started with your own personal story about what drove you into desperation to make that change and look at a more holistic health paradigm, in which you switched to an ancestral health diet. You switched to functional fitness. You really looked at your sleep, and now you’re helping, obviously, coach high performing athletes, students, just generally people who want to optimize themselves to live better lives. We talked a lot about that. And then, of course, we talked about the ace in the hole, which is both microdosing and generally high dose psychedelics to help facilitate the acceptance of change much quicker. Because obviously a huge part of development, our own developmental process, is accepting that we do need to make change. Then not only accepting it, but then going out and carrying that out on a day-to-day basis.
52:58 PA: And with things like neuroplasticity, which can be enhanced by looking at Omega-3 to Omega-6, it can be looked at by paying close attention to neurotransmitter levels, but also, obviously neuroplasticity can be enabled through microdosing and high doses of psychedelics. We’re able to make those changes quicker and lock them in to optimize the self, ideally to be able to contribute more to community, to contribute more to society at large because we have the energy and capabilities to do so. And so, I wanna thank you for coming on the podcast. I also want to make sure that our listeners understand that we now are offering, or going to open up a coaching program that will include work with myself, with Coop, and with one other, and we’ll be sending out more details about that soon. If that’s something that you’re interested in, please reach out to us. We can get you more details about that. Coop, is there anything else that you wanted to add to the end of this before we sign off?
53:52 MC: I think you closed the loop quite nicely. I’m excited about the project, and I’m excited to really be the forerunners here of some really exciting research that I think hasn’t been done before. This integration of body with microdosing, optimizing health, optimizing self-development, the interiors if you will, just excited to help a lot of people. And I think that we’re gonna help change the paradigm and, again, maybe people who come to this program are better equipped to help other people just like we talked about.
54:22 PA: Exactly. Well, thank you so much again for your wonderful contributions. I’m also really excited to do this because I think this has been used, or is being used, by people underground, but I think this will be really the first public program to really help catalyze transformation for people by utilizing microdosing and higher doses of psychedelics to facilitate deep personal insight and personal growth and development. So, again, thanks so much for your time Coop, and we’ll chat again soon.
54:49 MC: You bet, brother. Thank you for having me on.
54:58 PA: Okay, so another excellent podcast this week. And we didn’t interrupt it in the middle, instead, we’re going to bring you a few quick announcement and pieces of news until the next time. First of all, there is more research from the Imperial Psychedelic Research group that’s helping neuroscientists in their effort to model the effects of LSD on the brain. The new imaging shows that when study participants are given LSD and played both unfamiliar and familiar pieces of music, structures in their brain are altered so that unfamiliar music sounds more familiar, and familiar music sounds new. In other words, why does LSD make things that are familiar seem unfamiliar? And we provide a link to that, to the study, in the podcast follow-up.
55:43 PA: The second piece of announcement is that Berkeley declares itself a sanctuary city for cannabis to defend against enforcement of federal cannabis laws. Now, Berkeley is the first city to do this specifically for cannabis. They also did this for medical marijuana about 10 years ago when it looked like that there might be impending enforcements against that. So this is a huge first move on behalf of Berkeley. I would not be surprised at all to see this happen with more city councils.
56:10 PA: The last announcement, which again I mentioned in the beginning, is we are holding a retreat in Amsterdam. If you’re interested in utilizing psychedelics in a safe, structured, responsible way, legal way, then check out more details about our retreat at synthesisretreat.com, synthesisretreat.com. We’ll be facilitating three retreats in April, and then we’ll have additional retreat dates at the end of June and early July.
56:36 PA: One last thing, we had a couple of questions this week. We had one question from Tim Bowling on Twitter, “How do you deal with the fear of taking psychedelics? How do you counter the fear of losing touch with reality and doing something terrible while under the influence?” I think there are two elements to this. First is, going back to the metaphor of learning how to swim. Particularly with people who are new to psychedelics, if there is a deep fear of the intense psychedelic experience, what is best to always start with is obviously a microdose to mini-dose regimen, where you might take lower dose amounts until you feel comfortable with a slightly altered sense of reality, and then just incrementally increase the amount until you reach a specific amount that puts you into a clear altered state of reality. So with LSD, that could be something like starting at 25 micrograms, going up to 50, going up to 100 micrograms, and finally stepping up to 150 or 200 micrograms. This incremental increase enables you to get a sense for an altered state without totally losing touch.
57:30 PA: And I think the second part then is the classic paying attention to set and setting. What is your mindset before you’re going into a high dose experience? And what is the environment like? When I first started taking psychedelics, I did it in a comfortable place that I had been many times in a sober state. This was the Sand Dunes by Lake Michigan, by where I grew up in Holland, Michigan. So when I did them for the first time I had been there multiple times, I was with really close friends, so it wasn’t really a challenge at all. So I think that’s the other thing to pay attention to, is really cultivate a great mindset and an excellent setting for your first high dose experience. And my preference is always the outdoors, because I find that when, particularly people who do psychedelics for the first time, in a more, we could say, “clinical setting,” where maybe they have the eyeshade on and are sitting down in the sofa, that can get really intense. If you’re starting out with high doses, doing it in a more outdoor setting, I think, is an easier transition rather than just jumping right into the deep end of your psyche immediately. So that’s all for this week. If you enjoyed the podcast please leave a review on iTunes, that will help us tremendously. And please do not forget to send us your questions on Twitter or Facebook. Till next time.
This Week in Psychedelics
Why LSD makes things that are familiar seem… unfamiliar
Berkeley declares itself sanctuary city to defend against enforcement of federal laws.
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A common misconceptions that plagues beginner pixel artists is the notion that size = realism. That is, that a small sprite doesn't give them enough space to create a character with realistic proportions. However, it all comes down to economy of space.
Obviously, the sprites on the right are the least realistic. However, the answer to making them more realistic isn't to just make them larger, but to use the space differently. The sprite on the far left cuts down on the size of the head as much as possible without sacrificing the ability to be expressive, freeing up the rest of the space for more realistic proportions and more dynamic poses.
Economy of space, in my opinion, ends up being the longest learning process for an artist. When creating the player's first idle pose, I often spend hours tweaking a simple standing pose until I finally feel as though I've stumbled upon the best balance between resolution and detail. The face tends to be the biggest factor.
Never be afraid to spend too much time on the initial pose or facial features. The more time you spend on it, the easier it will be to create poses and expressions that you're satisfied with. Nothing is worse than feeling limited by your own work. I can't tell you how many times I've looked at a sprite's earlier state half an hour later and thought "Damn I'm glad I didn't settle for that"
Posted by Kyrieru at 12:15 AM
14 comments:
Dijitz January 1, 2013 at 12:26 AM
I'm so bad when it comes to utilizing space. I almost always make stuff too big. These tuts are all nice though, Thanks and Happy New Years!
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Kaiser Dragon January 1, 2013 at 2:45 AM
I hope you have a happy new year Kyrieru, and of course to all the fellow followers of your amazing work!
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ZeroEXE.ZX17 January 1, 2013 at 4:16 AM
happy new year dood, lol the one on the left looks like she belongs in the game "disgaea" i'm just asking but is she going to be used in a game of yours?
ReplyDelete
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Kaiser Dragon January 1, 2013 at 9:18 AM
I agree, she reminds me a bit of the Nekomata from Disgaea
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Taleir of Deynai January 1, 2013 at 4:35 AM
I really appreciate these little tutorials and technique blurbs. I hope you'll do one on animation soon. Always wondered what is the best tool to use to create and preview sprite animations.
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Kyrieru January 1, 2013 at 12:03 PM
I use game maker's built in image editor.
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Anonymous January 1, 2013 at 3:32 PM
You guys are so glad to each other always(so gay),but in Soviet Russia we,bears on bysicles,are very serious to promises....So....Kyrieru.....Didnt u said your short game will be done in the end of the month?I am big fan of your works but I am do not like when promises like this dont at least commented by developers.When will u take my munny mate?
ReplyDelete
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Thundragon January 1, 2013 at 6:48 PM
He said he would probably finish the game by the end of December, but that the CG making and testing could take one more week, so I guess he will release it in the first week of January
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Anonymous January 2, 2013 at 5:49 AM
In Soviet Russia, good manners learns you
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Kyrieru January 2, 2013 at 11:47 AM
Yes, it's important to keep promises. That's why I never make them.
The notion of being finished by the new year was pretty much blown out of the water by stuff happening around Christmas.
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Anonymous January 1, 2013 at 3:44 PM
Can you give some quick tips on soundtrack?
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Anonymous January 5, 2013 at 4:14 PM
Person on another project said Melodyne Uno was a really good program, though I have yet to try it...
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A good fish finder for a small boat should be able to produce images that are clearly visible. The resolution of the screen is also an important factor. A high resolution allows the fish finder to differentiate between fish and other objects in the water, such as weeds and floating debris. However, sonar returns aren’t always consistent. Some of them are just reflections of larger objects. In this case, a pinging feature is helpful. best fish finders
There are several types of fish finders for small boats. Each one has its own pros and cons. If you’re unsure about the features you’ll need, read some reviews to make a decision. A fish finder should be able to provide you with the information you need in a short amount of time.
Fish finders should also be able to perform side imaging. This type of imaging allows you to zoom in on objects based on their position on the water. This feature is also known as Side Scan or SideVu, and it provides an aerial-like view of the bottom of the water.
When choosing a fish finder, make sure you choose one that is castable and has a transducer. These types of fish finders are more versatile than their transom-mounted counterparts, and offer greater flexibility. They are also more affordable than transom-mounted options.
When you’re looking for a fish finder for your small boat, you should consider the number of features that are available. Transducers send and receive sonar waves that enable you to determine the size, shape, and distance of objects in the water. The transducer is also the heart of the echo sound system, converting electrical pulses into sound waves. You should also consider the size and backlight of the display. Some fish finders are designed to work in any lighting conditions, while others are designed to operate under a dim light.
The Humminbird PIRANHAMAX 4 Fish Finder has a large display screen, which is a perfect size for smaller boats. It also comes with a transducer and has GPS. The unit is also very affordable, so it’s an excellent choice for a beginner.
The Garmin ECHOMAP UHD 73sv Fish Finder is a great choice for those looking for a high-quality fish finder. This unit features a 7-inch touchscreen, which is ideal for kayak anglers and small boats. It has Garmin’s traditional CHIRP sonar as well as the newer ClearVu and UHD SideVu sonar. It also comes with a mount stand and quick-release mount.
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From an African perspective, the G7 Leaders' Summit must focus on the immediate and urgent need to end the war in Ukraine, but the G7 must also address the unfolding multi-crises from Cape Town to Cairo.
Democratic change with the Greens as the tip of the scales in Montenegro
Published: 4 September 2020
The small Adriatic state and EU candidate Montenegro is at a historic crossroads after Sunday's parliamentary elections. After 30 years of permanent rule by Milo Đukanović and his DPS, a change of power is possible for the first time.
Democratic change with the Greens as the tip of the scales in Montenegro
Published: 4 September 2020
The small Adriatic state and EU candidate Montenegro is at a historic crossroads after Sunday's parliamentary elections. After 30 years of permanent rule by Milo Đukanović and his DPS, a change of power is possible for the first time.
Open letter for conservation with a conscience: no place for gene drives
Published: 16 November 2016
With this open letter, 30 international conservation and environmental leaders demand that “gene drives should not be promoted as conservation tools.” The letter was also signed by Barbara Unmüßig of the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
Reckless Driving: Gene drives and the end of nature
Published: 16 November 2016
Imagine that by releasing a single fly into the wild you could genetically alter all the flies on the planet. This is the terrifyingly powerful premise behind gene drives: a new and controversial genetic engineering technology that can permanently alter an entire species by releasing one bioengineered individual. Civil society groups are alarmed by this newfound ability to reshape the natural world.
Old and new markets for compensation credits
Published: 20 October 2016
Trading in compensation credits is used to legalize emissions that exceed binding regulatory limits. It also occurs in areas without legal limits.
“Boko Haram is not yet in the past, but still in the present”
Published: 19 October 2016
The German politics on Africa was busy on migration and refugee issues in West Africa, especially Nigeria. But the crisis of internally displaced people within Nigeria is far greater. Mausi Segun, Head of Human Rights Watch in Nigeria, warns that the conflict continues to smolder despite.
Gene drives: Who decides for Hawai’i and beyond?
Published: 27 September 2016
At this year's World Conservation Congress in Hawai'i ethical and social concerns about the use of a controversial synthetic biology technology were raised: gene drives. This genetic engineering technique has the ability to change the world we know.
With or Without Him? The German Debate on Putin’s Suspension from the G7
Published: 10 June 2015
Under Germany’s presidency, the G7 convened for the second summit in a row in the absence of Vladimir Putin. As long as Putin does not change course in Ukraine, the G7 are well advised to stick to their suspension of Russia from their ranks.
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This product is 100% SILK, used in needlepoint. Each skein contains 14 yds. of silk. This fiber is suggested to use on 18 ct. needlepoint canvas. This is distributed by Planet Earth Fiber, and the entire line of their products can be located at www.planetearthfiber.com. We will be listing these products by color and dye lot. This listing will include the solid and Variegated colors. Some of the Variegated listings will be colors that have been retired by the vendor.
Feel free to contact us with any questions at all, we do also carry the full line of the Planet Earth Silk, Pepper Pot Silk, essentials on cards and essentials skeins. We will be listing these products on Etsy in the future.
With some listings you will see items that have been marked down. The dye lot in the picture may not be the lot you will receive, it is for color verification only. These may be older dye lots, or colors that show dramatic changes in color from one dye lot to another or colors that the vendor has chosen to retire. With any of these, they will be listed by dye lot or color to identify the item and priced differently.
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Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
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Gift wrapping is not provided, however packaging notes; all orders are processed daily. To save you money our shipping method listed on Etsy is first class. We do offer priority and next day air saver with UPS. These services are available at increased shipping rates including tracking and feel free to contact us for rates which will vary based upon size of order and location of delivery. We do track all orders up to delivery, and will provide you with a tracking number at the time of shipment so that you can track your package as well. You can also contact us at any time, regarding questions you might have relating to your order or shipping.
All items are wrapped by color in individual bags. As we are aware that individual colors like to "play" with each other during shipment, we have learned that packaging by color individually will ensure that like colors will only "play" with like colors. As such, you may receive 10- bags if you have ordered 10 different colors. This may seem wasteful, however, this is a protective measure, to ensure your products remain safe.
We would prefer not to take returns- please see the 2 reasons below-
1. with COVID-any product being returned, will not be resold, - (We are sure you want fiber that you knew was not in a COVID home...) so as of this point, any fiber that is returned, is being destroyed.
2. Allergies are also a concern,
Some can be severe, so again, fiber returned from a home with pets-cannot be resold- This may seem extreme, but a reality for many.
If you have any issue or problem with your product purchase, please contact us directly to discuss your issue, we are willing to assist in any way we can.
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What was the most sinister criminal plan foiled by a random traffic stop? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board
What was the most sinister criminal plan foiled by a random traffic stop?
minor7flat5 April 6, 2007, 7:52pm #1
A plot device I have seen in more than one novel of the Tom Clancy genre has agents of the Dark Evil Empire cruising along on their way to do something Really Bad when they commit some trivial traffic violation and then a local cop pulls them over.
Of course, at this point, the reader begins to breathe a sigh of relief thinking that the cops will discover their plans, but the next thing that happens is that the cop dies in a hail of machine gun fire before he gets to the car, never knowing what the bad guys were hiding. And the story goes on.
This makes me wonder what really is the most sinister criminal plan foiled by a random traffic stop.
At first thought, it seems like there would be lots of big league drug busts that would fall in this category, and maybe some high profile felons on the run caught, but what about Really Bad Stuff?
(Not sure if there is a solid answer to this, so if it needs to go to IMHO, please move.)
Anne_Neville April 6, 2007, 7:58pm #2
The Millennium Plot was foiled by a fairly routine customs check. Not quite a traffic stop, but close.
wring April 6, 2007, 7:59pm #3
wasn’t Tim McVeigh caught via random stop? (after the fact, but still)
A random traffic stop locally found several armed guys on their way to shoot up a family.
Maus_Magill April 6, 2007, 8:03pm #4
At first thought, it seems like there would be lots of big league drug busts that would fall in this category, and maybe some high profile felons on the run caught, but what about Really Bad Stuff?
(Not sure if there is a solid answer to this, so if it needs to go to IMHO, please move.)
When I was life guarding many, many years ago, a cop pulled a fellow over into our parking lot. As soon as the offender’s car stopped, he got out and ran into the woods. I don’t remember how long it was before they were able to search the car, but when they finally did, they found several pounds of cocaine.
The cop said the offender failed to signal for a turn, and he was just going to give him a warning.
whole_bean April 6, 2007, 8:04pm #5
I believe Eric Rudolph was caught by a rookie cop who saw him digging through garbage behind a store.
Skammer April 6, 2007, 8:34pm #7
wasn’t Tim McVeigh caught via random stop? (after the fact, but still)
Yes, this was the first thing I thought of.
casdave April 6, 2007, 8:35pm #8
Peter Sutcliffe, the serial murderer was caught by a routine traffic check when his registration plates were found to be false.
Annie-Xmas April 6, 2007, 8:36pm #9
Ted Bundy was caught via a routine traffic stop TWICE. One cop said “Maybe he should have some driving lessons before execution.”
Sonia_Montdore April 6, 2007, 9:30pm #10
Joel Rifkin, the necrophiliac serial killer, was caught with a body in his car when state troopers noticed a missing license plate.
“He put the body in the back of his pickup … A short while later, state troopers saw that the rear license plate was missing from his truck and tried to pull him over. After a 20-mile chase, he ran into a light pole , and was arrested. Within hours, he confessed to killing Ms. Bresciani and 16 other women.”
zamboniracer April 6, 2007, 9:33pm #11
wasn’t Tim McVeigh caught via random stop? (after the fact, but still)
A random traffic stop locally found several armed guys on their way to shoot up a family.
Constitutional Nitpick, but there is a difference between a “random” stop and a “routine” stop.
A routine stop would be where the driver committed some sort of violation: speeding, broken tail light, driving on the sidewalk, etc. A random stop is much more rare, and is only lawful when part of a plan to check every Xth car for vehicle inspection or drunk driving or the like. Generally speaking, American cops cannot stop cars at random.
Reloy3 April 6, 2007, 9:37pm #12
Warren Jeffs was caught because of a routine traffic stop.
As a prosecutor working in a community on the 1-80 interstate, relatively large amounts of drugs are often found due to routine traffic stops, but our officers, particularly the highway patrol, are well trained to look for the signs.
Constitutional Nitpick, but there is a difference between a “random” stop and a “routine” stop.
A routine stop would be where the driver committed some sort of violation: speeding, broken tail light, driving on the sidewalk, etc. A random stop is much more rare, and is only lawful when part of a plan to check every Xth car for vehicle inspection or drunk driving or the like. Generally speaking, American cops cannot stop cars at random.
I admit being casual with the word “random” – as a clarification, the intent of the OP was about folks who get stopped in some fairly commonplace fashion (e.g. going a couple of miles over) unrelated to their true crime.
Scornhole April 6, 2007, 11:20pm #14
You would think that people who have committed or are planning to carry out high-profile crimes would try not to speed and do other things that draw attention to themselves.
Operation_Ripper April 7, 2007, 12:08am #15
Yeah, you’d think any criminal would try not to, but no.
You would not be merely surprised at how many don’t, you would be profoundly, jaw-droppingly astounded by how many don’t.
This thread mentioned three or four serial killers… I’d wager there have been plenty more caught by accident, or who had contact with police in the middle of their crime for some relatively innoccuos reason and were allowed to go on their way. Richard Allen Davis, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Arthur Shawcross are three examples that come to mind. Berkowitz – the alleged Son of Sam – was caught because of a parking ticket issued for parking too close to a hydrant. Wayne WIlliams – the alleged Atlanta Child Murderer – first came to police attention when they found his car stopped on a bridge with its lights off.
But the OP asked about criminals whose deeds were foild by accidental police intervention, and none of these cases apply.
Annie-Xmas April 7, 2007, 12:32pm #18
Since it’s known that most serial killers keep on killing untl they are caught or die, I think arresting them does stop future crime. Remember, after Ted Bundy escaped from prison, he went to Florida (home of Old Sparky) and killed three more people, his last victim being 12 years old!!! Stopping serial killers at a traffic stop prevents their future crimes.
Loach April 7, 2007, 4:01pm #19
This thread mentioned three or four serial killers… I’d wager there have been plenty more caught by accident, or who had contact with police in the middle of their crime for some relatively innoccuos reason and were allowed to go on their way. Richard Allen Davis, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Arthur Shawcross are three examples that come to mind. Berkowitz – the alleged Son of Sam – was caught because of a parking ticket issued for parking too close to a hydrant. Wayne WIlliams – the alleged Atlanta Child Murderer – first came to police attention when they found his car stopped on a bridge with its lights off.
But the OP asked about criminals whose deeds were foild by accidental police intervention, and none of these cases apply.
You are saying that this thread should only be about people being arrested for crimes they haven’t committed yet? Wasn’t that the plot of a Tom Cruise movie?
Except for something like the Millenium plot it would be nearly impossible to tell if someone is going to commit a crime. Some of the arrests for gun possesion across the country may prevent a future crime but it is not possible to tell. Stopping a serial killer does not seem to me to be that far from what the OP is looking for.
wasn’t Tim McVeigh caught via random stop? (after the fact, but still)
He was stopped for either not having a plate or having one that was flapping in the wind. After he started acting squirrely a gun was found on him (or in the car, I don’t remember which). He was in jail on the weapons charge when his name was linked to the crime (VIN on the rental truck). The traffic stop at least stopped a major nationwide manhunt. I’m sure he had some bolthole waiting somewhere in the country.
casdave April 7, 2007, 5:32pm #20
There is absolutely no doubt that had Peter Sutcliffe not been arrested, he would have killed again, and very likely the victim would have been the prostitute who was in the car with him at the time of his arrest, remember that he had the murder weapons on him, he was not carrying them because they resembled jewelry.
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Fall not just provides the great relaxing winds from the Mediterranean however will provide much less congested streets. The winter season is extremely chilly as well as loaded with frequent snow showers while the summer season are incredibly damp and offer crowded hotels and also streets. The majority of Hungary is covered in either forests or marshes as well as will certainly flaunt a range of wildlife for the adventurous travelers. The national forests offer a method to obtain a peek at the countries wildlife in a risk-free setting. The structural fault line is where Hungary lays so the many warm springs will bring satisfaction to those wanting to rest their mind and their bodies. Several medspas use hot springs together with their various other first-rate treatments. The most exquisite style in Europe is discovered in Hungary such as the 3rd biggest church in Europe called the Esztergom Basilica. The city is rich in history as well as use some of the a lot more popular sightseeing and tour locations such as the Buda castle that brings in several visitors from all over the world. Hungary is deeply enriched where the arts are concerned. The shops teem with embroideries, paints, carvings, and ceramic items that can be added to your collection. The summer season might be somewhat higher and discovering a room harder with so many visitors flooding the streets. Autumn and cold weather have the better rates and also supply much less crowding throughout your stay. Considering that Hungary generates red as well as white wines you can be expected to be served a glass during dinner. The Hungarian Forint is one of the most common currency but you will find many places approving the EURO as well.
Tourist accommodations in hungary – hotels in hungary
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Life is full of surprises. When the unexpected happens, you want your loved ones to be prepared. Do your part to make that happen with intentional and thorough estate planning.
Whenever you have free time, take advantage of it by revisiting your estate plan. Here’s how:
Create or revisit your will. This one document is the starting point for all estate planning. A valid will saves your loved ones months of headaches debating your desires and endless hours waiting for probate.
At its most basic, a will identifies your executor (the person you’ve chosen to execute your will), lists your assets, and names your beneficiaries — including new grand-babies. It’s important to keep your will updated as your family grows or relationships change.
Track down necessary documents. Now is the time to track down documents related to estate planning. Everyone needs the big four: a will, an advance directive, a medical power of attorney, and a financial power of attorney. Depending on your estate, you may need other legal documents.
List your assets and debts. You may think your spouse or children have it covered, but chances are they don’t. Compiling all your assets and liabilities in one master list will make estate planning and end-of-life issues a little easier to bear.
Include your real estate assets as well as valuable personal property items in your home, garage, backyard, warehouse, storage unit, or small business.
Another list should detail your bank and brokerage accounts, retirement accounts, and insurance policies. Make sure to include current password information and ensure a spouse or family member is authorized to manage your accounts.
Lastly, list your credit card debts, mortgage, lines of credit, and any outstanding consumer loans.
Take the next step. After you have gathered this information, work with a qualified wealth management advisor. Do-it-yourself estate planning is not recommended, especially if your estate is large enough to trigger financial, legal, or emotional issues upon your passing.
While it’s difficult to imagine life after you’re gone, making sure your estate is in order is a final act of love and care for those you leave behind. We have created a document to help your data collection and to use as a reference for your heirs after you are gone. Click here to access it.
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It’s amazing isn’t it when a certain truth is revealed to you at an unguarded moment and your awareness has an Aha moment and the brain lights up with a brilliance. Such revealed knowledge occurs as a result of the grace of our Satguru and our personal sadhana and has the potential to transform us but might have little significance for someone else. This happened to me on a recent visit to Kashi.
Yes took off for a long time, but thats the beauty of a blog, no deadlines and no compulsions ha ha. Anyways here I am back from Kashi with what I’m hoping is another small step towards divinity….or not huh.
It was a peaceful time to visit this city.
Being the monsoon season the Ganga flowed majestically full, pregnant with water; her movement evoked in me a nostalgia of many lifetimes spent in her arms on the ghats of Kashi. A familiarity with her ebb and flow which could not have come from this life. The city streets felt the same, intimate knowledge akin to the free pariah dog who has marked territory and knows every secret of the winding gallis. On each visit to Varanasi as this city is now known, I have experienced this homecoming. The last visit was with my beloved Satguru Yogiraj Siddhanath and his wife Gurumata Shivangini.
On the second day of my visit as I sat in a state of heightened happiness in my room overlooking the Ganga, I felt as if I too was in flow as she flowed towards the north, North? and the realisation fell like a lightning bolt that, this is the message of the Ganga from aeons of time- Go back to your source. She who is perceived to have emanated from Shiva’s locks in the Himalayas was here flowing back to her source! This has been her hidden message to the millions who took a dip in her year after year for thousands of years. Practice as I did Mahavatar Babaji’s urdhavaret breath of the Kundalini Kriya Yoga as taught by my Satguru Yogiraj Siddhanath, this realisation spurred on a movement of uncontrollable delight in my spine. At the same moment emanated within me, a sense of awe at this special revelation.
In her journey from the Himalayas in the north towards the Bay of Bengal to the south and east, the Ganga in Kashi turns back and flows North. Of course there must be a geophysical ‘reason’ for this but that is not of the essence here. What happened was a sudden inflow of divine insight for me. I had not read or heard about this phenomenon in any scriptures or ancient text, I don’t remember anyone ever mentioning the river in this spiritual context. Yes, it was as if Ma Ganga revealed to me a secret which was forever visible through the ages but not realised. I wonder if I am the first person to chronicle this understanding of the urdhavaret message of this ancient river.
After this realisation the daily morning dip took on a new meaning. “Do not depend on externals for your happiness,” says Yogiraj urging his disciples to tap into their inner well of joy independent of material possessions or external supports. The Ganga was reiterating this as she flowed accepting the garbage and the flowers of love, the ashes and the sweet offerings, the greedy and the sincere devotees.
Sitting in the river I could feel all my energy reversing, a fountain of love, aided by the flow of the loving Ganga. We are truly liberated when we are able to unhook ourselves from the externals, she was indicating to me. A profound sense of peace and contentment filled me and continues to fulfil me.
Visit to my Satguru and his Param Guru Sthan
There was a special reason for my trip at this time, a visit to Lahiri Mahasaya’s home which was open to public only on GuruPurnima day. On my earlier visits I have visited this house, almost difficult to find, and sat and stared at the door of an all too familiar house. The first time was on September 26th, 2011, at the time of the spontaneous visit I was unaware that it was Lahiri Mahasaya’s samadhi date in 1895. I had from many years ago had visions of Lahiri Baba and remembered a past spent with him in his presence, a close connection where I handed him his umbrella and his shoes when he ventured out, glass of water when he returned from work and how he blessed me as a young girl in my Bangla marriage attire.
Circumstances had made it impossible to realise this heartfelt desire earlier but this year being free from many responsibilities I undertook this pilgrimage.
On Gurupurnima day, early in the morning accompanied by two others I set off on a journey which for me was a completion of a karma from the past.
But first we visited the Nandi Ghat or Gaai Ghat, hallowed as it was by its association to our Satguru Yogiraj Siddhanath who spent his childhood days in this ghat owned by his family. Disciples rooted in the Guru/Shishya tradition always pay first respect to their living guru. There is a well known couplet by Kabir who says, ” गुरु गोबिन्द दोउ खडे काके लागूँ पाँय, बलिहारी गुरु आपने गोबिन्द दियो बताय,” meaning-” when the Guru and Gobind are both present whose feet should I touch first? beloved is the Guru who has shown me the way to God.” The Guru who has enlivened the spark within to even comprehend Gobind (a name for Krishna) will always take precedence in the heart of a true disciple. But for me my Guru is Gobind and I look no further.
Nandi Ghat/Gaai Ghat and Yogiraj’s family Temple.
After a special aarati and sadhana at this very personal shiva temple we headed towards Lahiri Mahasaya’s home near Purana Durgaji in Chowsatti Ghat. Since the boats were banned due to the fast flowing river we made our way through the narrow familiar streets of the old city. No photographs were allowed inside so I managed to take some from the narrow street outside.
Lahiri Mahasaya’s Home as seen from the street.
Soon as I entered the house I was pleasantly surprised at the layout, which was exactly as I remembered it, the stairs coming down, the open space in the centre, this confirmation of my remembrance was very comforting as I realised it was not just an imagination of the closeness. As I bowed in front of the seat of Lahiri Baba I had a meltdown moment as past life associations came flooding out. At the same time there was a sense of a completion and I knew I did not have to come back here again. Interestingly, when my forehead touched the asan of Lahiri Baba it stuck there for an instant and I realised that some wet red paint had adhered to my forehead from my gurus temple which had been freshly painted and this now had been transferred to the seat of Lahiri Mahasaya, a smudge of red on the blanket! In small signs great connections are revealed! We received the prasad from the family members and left.
Daily breakfast was at the corner kachori shop which would open at 8:30 and shut at 10 am. The father and son duo seemingly happy with what they make in that time. The whole day was peppered with stops at The Blue Lassi shop with wifi for a mango lassi, the Kashi Chat Bhandar on Dasashwamedha Ghat for an amazing tamatar (tomato) chat or tikki and kulfi!! Of course our progress was often marred by majestic cows and bulls on the street who had to be cajoled out of the way.
On the last evening we made it for the Ganga Aarati at Dasashwamedha Ghat.
It is right that I end this with the Manikarnika Ghat or the burning ghat. From the balcony of my room I could see the constant burning pyres, a testimony to the fleeting moment of human life. This too evoked a nostalgia and yearning for I know not what.
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Author: jyoti
I am therefore I write. Introduced to concepts of yog at home and asanas in school since 1970. I practiced it as a form of exercise. I continued the practice of asanas through adolescence and married life to complement other forms of exercise- cycling, swimming, walking, aerobics and gym. At a period of time in my life I grew restless in my role as wife and mother and started experimenting with new age techniques such as reiki, crystal healing and the Kwan Yin Magnified healing. I also participated in Native American Shaman rites. But it was after my mystical meeting with the Himalayan Satguru Yogiraj Siddhanath first in a vision and then as preordained at the forest ashram near Pune, India I came to the Hamsa Way- The Way of the White Swan. Initiation into the powerful practices of the Siddhanath Yoga Parampara opened my consciousness to higher planes of existence, accompanied by perception of auras, past lives and other paranormal visions. A realisation of the continuity of the souls journey. Empowered to teach the Kundalini Kriya Yoga since 1999, I take great pleasure in sharing with others all that I learn and receive from my Satguru. My book One Master one disciple is a reminder of faithful integrity that a disciple must have to the Satguru to be propelled forward on a fast track evolutionary path. Since 2004 I have actively practiced and developed a system of yog- pranayam, chakra sadhana and techniques to loosen the grip of the debilitating qualities of the mind and emotions and the intellect, these practices lead the practitioner to a deeper understanding of their inner spirit dissolving the barrier between human and divine. The realisation is firmly rooted in practice of many lives, a knowingness that this wisdom is freely available to any who sincerely apply the principles of yog and to claim it as my own is contradictory to the nature of this gnosis. Today, I share these practices with others on the path and together we evolve.
11 thoughts on “Kashi- Flowing us back to our source.”
August 15, 2015 at 9:46 am
Yes when you churn your Shakti at the base of the spine to coax it to move to the north you will have many a devotional sights and feelings and it is said that instead of stopping their your efforts should be to move up and up till you merge with the goal
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Rajeshree Joshi
August 15, 2015 at 3:37 pm
U have a way with words Jyoti that made me feel as if I too was a part of it. Superb as usual. The urge to visit Benares has only strenghtened after reading Ur blog. Thanks
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August 16, 2015 at 12:35 pm
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August 16, 2015 at 12:38 pm
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August 19, 2015 at 5:20 pm
You are blessed to have experienced all these wonderful inner thoughts and feelings. I am lucky to have you as my guide, teacher and friend. Your moments in Banaras are truly enriching.
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praveen manhas
August 20, 2015 at 1:19 pm
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August 20, 2015 at 11:09 pm
thank you so much jyothi for sharing your experiences, it was like we had a walk through , thru your experiences, heavenly, blissful, thaaank you sooo… much
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September 18, 2015 at 12:18 am
Lovely blog , Jyoti can you expand a bit on the river reversing and flowing north. It is so profound . I read about it for the first time and i think you should dwell on it a bit more . Thank you, I learnt something today
September 18, 2015 at 10:40 am
What a place! Well understandable _ I was blessed by Swami Trailinga here in my earlier birth and we met the first time too here!
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September 16, 2016 at 11:11 am
I loved your writing and the strong spiritual essence in it
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June 29, 2020 at 6:08 am
What a beautiful, deeply divine journey you made us witness through your writing. Tears flowed, it was as I was walking the path you walked. Your experiences are the result of discipline, hard work, and devotion. We are so so blessed that you have guided us, taught us. These experiences say so much about you, which cannot be put into words…. Thank you for sharing… Your writings are making us richer by the day.
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My talk organizes a lot of the major questions Jews are asking about modernity under the framework of the loss of ‘memory’ that the modern age has brought about. I hope that both the questions I ask in this talk – about why and how the past can continue to hold great appeal to Jews who do not want to live in it – as well as the framework that I try to offer for modern Jews to be forward thinking while looking backwards, will resonate with you as you navigate your way through contemporary Jewish life and its challenges.
Dr Yehuda Kurtzer is President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America – teaching, writing, and building the organization. The Institute is a pluralistic research and educational centre, attempting to address the central challenges facing Jewish life through the world of ideas – bringing new thinking to both old and new challenges, and inviting Jewish leaders to grapple with the questions of the day. Yehuda describes himself as a proud American Jew who cares deeply about Israel, a historian and author committed to sharing ideas beyond the walls of the academy, and a committed Jew who wants to live both a real and aspirational Jewish life. He lives in Riverdale, NY with his wife Stephanie Ives and their children.
For a people obsessed with our past we seem to be doing a lousy job of holding on to it. It seems that one of the defining questions of life in the modern world for Jews is, “how do we hold onto a past that none of us actually wants to live in and certainly not want to retreat to?” I’ve been thinking about memory and the Jewish past for a long time trying to come up with some understanding of what it means for us to hold on to the deep past in a meaningful way because we know that that’s a critical feature of being Jewish and at the same time not try to mount an argument for somehow believing that Tevye the Dairyman marked the greatest time in Jewish history. We don’t want to return to it but we want to hold on to it and for a people who are so obsessed with our past, with our books, with our literature and our history I say we are having a hard time holding on to it because of this pervasive sense of what I like to call “Memory Anxiety as one of the many anxieties that we have in Jewish life and one that I think manifests in a whole variety of ways and I want to suggest today three big questions. Three big questions that I hear a lot, you can substitute your own words, you can substitute the voice of your grandparents, editorials in Jewish newspapers or whoever else seems to be asking these questions over and over again. The most obvious sight for memory anxiety and for Jews in the modern world is, “How will we remember the Holocaust when the survivors are gone?” a phrase I continue to hear in Jewish magazines, in periodicals and publications. Usually I write an op-ed around the time of Yom-Ha-Shoah when the community continues to ask, “how will we remember the Holocaust when the survivors are gone?” Regardless of the fact that we have built museums, we have built store houses of memory, we have chronicled the lives and the stories of as many survivors as we can get a hold on and if you saw recently they’ve even started to create holograms of survivors who can appear in our classroom with students to continue to tell their stories and yet in spite of all of the efforts to try to capture the memory of the Holocaust, we continue to ask the question in contemporary Jewish life, “how will we remember after the Holocaust when the survivors are gone?”. A second big sight of memory anxiety for Jews, of courserelates to Israel, in this formulation, “Why are younger Jews less emotionally attached to Israel?” Betraying the fact that the previous generation of Jews, of course, had the benefit of living through 1948, 1967 and Entebbe and if you happen to have been unlucky and born after any of those things it’s no surprise that it’s much harder to hold on emotionally to Israel. If like me your formative gap years in Israel were spent around terrorist attacks and the assassination of a Prime Minister no doubt your emotional relationship to the State of Israel is going to be different than if you happen to have been lucky and lived through a miracle. But if we’re asking these questions we are relying heavily on what we happened to live through and not particularly on what it means as Jews to have an historical memory of 1948 a deep memory is a community of 1967, a meaningful memory of Entebbe. In our third sight of ‘Memory Anxiety’ that we see in Jewish life, “why does there seem to be a lack of ‘continuity’ between the Jewish past and the Jewish present?” If I have one pet peeve more than any other is this word, continuity. This amazing word that suggests that what we really want out of the next generation of Jews is that they continue the mistakes or even the good decisions of those that came before them and yet you hear this enormously in the Jewish establishment, “why is there no continuity, why does it seem that the future seems so unsettled compared to the stability of what came before us?” ‘Memory Anxiety’ is pervasive throughout Jewish life, we fear that we are losing the grasp, losing the hold on what came before us and if we do that we are all together unfamiliar terrain, incapable of amounting a credible claim for why we are Jewish and why we continue to be Jewish. I want to posit that part of the problem is not what we actually remember but how we remember. Part of the problem is that we, as Jews have forgotten how we’re supposed to remember. We as moderns think that memory I somehow defined by the fidelity or the sincerity of the original thing you are trying to hold onto, if you remember every detail of it you’re getting it right and as things fade from your memory you’re losing it. This is not how, classically, Judaism understood what memory was supposed to mean and the best example of it is to compare and contrast the two primary Jewish holidays of memory, one ancient and one modern. How do Jews Remember on Passover? We ask the questions about meaning, the Haggadah starts off with a set of four extremely banal questions intended to invite us to ask questions about what it is that we’re actually doing there. The Haggadah is about stories about stories, anyone ever noticed that when you read through the Haggadah you never actually tell the story of the exodus from Egypt? If you were going to actually tell the story of the exodus from Egypt, right, well first thing you would do is you would have a hologram with a survivor from the exodus from Egypt, but the second thing that you might consider doing is that you would read Exodus 2 to Exodus 12. You don’t read virtually any of the Book of Exodus when you read the Haggadah, you tell stories about other people telling stories that’s why you have these crazy little bits about Bnai Brak. I read a story about my ancestors telling the story, or if you come to my Pesach Seder and probably many of your own, you tell stories about your families previous Pesach Seders and that’s doing it right. We don’t really care about what happened 2500 years ago in Egypt, we care about the evolution of a story because it has mattered in the past and should continue to matter to us now and I tell people when they ask about “Why is it that my kids are so disinterested in Passover, they come to the Seder but they hate it?” I say “Throw out the Haggadah. Ask an important question and that’s a legitimate performance of Pesach.” We invite participant involvement in Passover right that’s why we do all of these sill things so children will ask and if they stop asking about the silly things they remember the answers from the previous year you’re supposed to invent new silly things. You want everybody involved in a story because involvement in a story is ownership of a story that is memory. And of course we have rituals and play acting, depending on your ethnic background and your community, you perform, you dance, you march around the table, right, you hit each other, my in –laws family they hit each other at various times with leeks, I don’t know why, but you remember it. I don’t know that you remember the Exodus from Egypt but you remember what it is to participate in the story and in contrast how is Yom-Ha-Shoah, the memory holiday that has been created in our generations, primarily been commemorated and of course there are exceptions but the primary way in which Yom-Ha-Shoah’s commemorated is through fear of meaning; number one, the legacy of much of the generation of Holocaust survivors was; don’t talk to me about the meaning of the Holocaust in the presence of a survivor, it is obscene and it is banal and I don’t mean to contest that, it is probably right but it makes it very hard to understand something, absorb its meaning when our primary mechanism to remember it operates within a culture of a fear of meaning. We have fixed stories. In my upbringing, when I went to Shul on Yom-Ha-Shoah it was the survivor standing on stage and telling their stories . we fear the falsification of Holocaust stories again with very good reason, there’s virtually no transgression we can do in Jewish life worse than falsifying a Holocaust story. But in contrast to the stories about stories that make for good memory on Passover, we are obsessed with the fixed accurate stories of Yom Ha-Shoah as opposed to participant involvement, which defines Passover, we listen. When they told this story recently about the holograms and the creation of holograms of survivors the newspaper article reported that ‘they were creating holograms in order for younger students of generations to come to have a dialogue with survivors”. I’m not sure whether they understood what the word hologram meant, right? But in any case, the notion of what we are supposed to do around the memory of the Holocaust is to listen to someone else’s story. It is not to dialogue with them, it is not to invent our own version of the story. The attempts that people have done to do this over the last number of years, one synagogue attempted to write a Yom Ha-Shoah Haggadah and 25 years ago to write a Yom- Ha-Shoah Haggadah in the presence of survivors was obscene and it’s banal. To actually sit on the floor and eat potato skins and to cordoned off the children and to play act rituals of something that’s in our very recent past is hard to do in the presence of survivors and yet there’s’ got to be some middle ground between the notion that on Passover we’re actually telling a story that has lasted for 2500 years and continues to matter to Jews, it has required all of these elements and when we are trying to hold onto a story that happened only 50 years ago, around which we have enormous anxiety in the present of losing, we’re ritualising it almost entirely wrong. And fourth as opposed to rituals and play acting we’re obsessed with testimony and we’re obsessed with truth. And this, perhaps misses the biggest component of Jewish memory that there is, that Jewish memory was never about something being right it was never about something being accurate, it was about something being usable, it was about something being meaningful. I don’t care, as David Waltby says, I don’t care if these stories from the Bible happened or not, they don’t tell stories like that about me or you.” We’ve allowed those stories to evolve over time to be defined differently from our own life experience and by our own need for meaning we have to figure out a way as Jews to do that to our present day stories as well. So I want to share three critical Jewish ideas about what memory has meant and what memory should mean; the first, if you actually lived it, it’s going to be very hard for you to Jewishly remember it. The first story of the Exodus, the story that we actually tell in the Haggadah comes from the book of Deuteronomy and it is the Jew, who after they have come to the land of Israel, generations after the Exodus and has first fruits, bring it to the temple and tells their story as a Jew, this is what happened to my ancestors and this is why it matters to me. It may be possible that part of the reason we’ve forgotten how to remember is because we’re obsessed with telling the stories that happen to us and not the stories that couldn’t possibly have happened to us. The second Jewish idea of remembering requires stories and rituals, we saw this with Passover, we’ve got to loosen up. As opposed to being fixated on the exact accurate version of our recent past or our ancient past, let’s loosen up, let’s allow that the stories and the rituals evolve the story, they change it, they make it different, and they make it matter. Are we capable and confident of doing that for even the episodes in our recent past that we feel so nervous about their accuracy? And third and this is the most difficult but the most important; Yosef Hayim Yeerushalmi writes in the book Zakhor about the audacity of the classical Rabbis in antiquity. The Rabbis lived through a moment called Hanukkah, the first post biblical Jewish holiday that they create and what do they do after Hanukkah comes around? They write a blessing that says, “Blessed are you oh Lord our God who has commanded us to light the Hannukkah lights.” On what planet and in what book did God command the Jewish people to light the Hannukkah lights? “And he calls this, “the audacious creativity of living in history and being free to interpret it and what it leaves us with is this unbelievable wild idea that while we tend to think that being creative is the opposite of being authentic to the Jewish past, that in classical Jewish thinking, ‘Audacious creativity’ is identical to being authentic to the Jewish past. You want to hold onto the Jewish past? You’d better make it different and you’d better make it your own. Franz Rosensweig wrote in 1926, important, Jewish philosopher in the 20th Century, writes in 1926 that, “we don’t need any more books on Jewish subjects, what we need are Jewish human beings” now, I like books. I’m not ready to jettison them quite yet. I’m not sure if we want to hold onto the past that we need more testimonials and more museums, we need more Jewish human beings, and if we’re human beings knowing our own story, integrating it to the past and allowing the past to evolve with us we may then start to be able to remember. Thank you
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License
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Campaign week for the 2014-2015 SAC elections closed today with the making of speeches and the removal of the posters plastered along first floor halls and the cafeteria. Forty-five candidates made speeches to students in Grades 9, 10, and 11, each being allotted thirty seconds to make their pitch, with the exception of the Presidential candidates and next year’s Vice President, each of whom was given a minute to speak. The audience cheered enthusiastically as students made promises, addressed the crowd directly, and performed raps.
The highlight of the event was perhaps when Presidential candidate Gavin Xu exclaimed, “I do not represent Marc Garneau, I am Marc Garneau!” Other notable moments included Athletic Convenor candidate Michelle Nyamekye rapping to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Spirit Convenor candidate Shazde Mir expressing her goal to be more than “that white guy’s girlfriend.” Unlike previous years, students can vote online by following this link; candidate platforms can be found here. Polls close Thursday night at 11:59 pm.
Photos by Kasra Koushan.
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About The Author
Kasra Koushan is Editor in Chief of The Reckoner. He likes learning, reading, dancing, and talking to people. He also likes watching and playing basketball, though he hasn't done either for a while now. He can be obsessive and awkward, but he's become less so over the years (somewhat). His goal is to live a joyous and fulfilling life.
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This can easily lead to the “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Am I using depression as an excuse for getting to the edge of long-term success and then sabotaging my success? Or is it depression that creeps in and takes away the success I have earned?
I feel like the dog who chased cars for years and finally got a hold of a car wheel.
So, now what do I do? I don’t have an easy answer to what is happening. I can make solid, believable arguments for each side. And while I don’t like thinking that it is all me, I have read the book The Peter Principle, which says a person will rise to the level of his incompetence.
Now that is a depressing thought.
I’ve grown comfortable in certain roles, and depression is forever looking for ways to get me back into its world. After my lost year in 1977, I began putting together a string of solid years. I went back to college where I met my wife. I had a 4.0 semester as I earned my BA. And then the kids appeared.
The kids were older before I heard from depression again.
It was 14, maybe 15 years before my depression began whispering in my ear. I had a young family who depended on me. Having depression was not possible for me at that time. There were school and after-school activities, summer camps, sleepovers, cultural events, and trips to see family.
If depression was active in those years, I never realized it.
Thinking back now, I can picture some of my actions being inspired by depression. But I was so full of other things, work, children, my wife, plus all the family. There was no time to have depression.
I had to be evergreen.
Well, that didn’t turn out to be a sold plan. And while I feel depression was not working on me for those 14 or 15 years, I know the seeds were beginning to be laid by depression as I achieved one major career goal. I’m still chicken to share the company or the position.
It took 3 ½ years for depression to take away the position I had worked so hard to attain. Or is it that I wouldn’t listen to the voice of reason? That would mean I deliberately choose to F&%$ up my position. Yet why would I do that after working 7 years to achieve the goal?
So now I am back to which comes first, depression seeking me or me seeking depression?
There are three ways I see Depression working on me and my successful life.
It wants me to keep secrets, as only it really knows what is good for me
Depression needs me to only listen to what it tells me and to treat everyone else as a potential threat to my relationship with depression
It is never around when the bill must be paid.
I should trust no one, ever. Trusting them, I would need to speak with them. And speaking to them, I would feel obligated to say what I was feeling. I would need to share what depression and I had cooked up.
Depression has me believe that only it has my back. Only depression can truly give me feedback on my plans although they are formerly depression’s ideas. Sharing instead of keeping secrets makes things harder. I need to focus, listen, to understand what is happening.
Depression does all the thinking for me; all I need to do is keep my mouth shut and do what it says
Two – It Needs Me to Listen Only to It, Never to Anyone Else
If only I would just pay attention to what depression is telling me, I would be a lot better off. Getting any sort of opinion or sharing with others, depression sees as bad. This turns out to be a lot like reason number one. The idea is to stay away from strangers, and as much as possible, stay even more distant from those you love. Having friends means there are other ideas floating around that may not be the same as what depression is telling me.
So, keeping my cards close to my chest, I can look like I am listening, but I am trying to hear only depression.
Just three short years ago, I had followed depression’s advice. I had decided to retire early, tossing out over 35 years of planning, and preparing. After I spoke openly about it once, I went deep. I had my instructions and justifications from depression and all I needed to do was retire and depression’s grand plan would be achieved.
After implementing this plan depression and I shared, I forced myself to make a major life choice against depression’s will.
I could end things, keep doing the same while expecting a different outcome, or seek professional medical attention. I was too chicken to end my life and I finally saw that doing the same thing while expecting a different result was crazy.
This left me seeking professional medical attention.
I was in the abyss, shoved so tightly to the wall that nothing could penetrate. There was only me and the darkness. As I began to use the new tools I learned in the hospital and from reading, from a new therapist, from a peer support person, and from a psychiatrist, I could once again begin to see daylight.
This happened in the physical form of hospital and emergency room bills. But it also happened in a “what do I do now” kind of way. So I looked around for my pal depression and he was nowhere to be found. All of the secrets, the “don’t talk to anyone,” the “only I know what you need” were gone. I was left completely and utterly alone. Crickets could be heard where there was once the voice of depression.
And I still have not gotten an answer about whose fault all of this is.
Maybe I have it all wrong. Maybe there are no winners and losers. But did I do that or did depression? Is depression the kind of disease that would let me reach a goal, and then figure out ways to steal it from me?
It’s almost like it sees me being happy and successful and becomes quite upset.
So, it plots new schemes to entice me over to its side of the room. It cajoles and suggests little things that will, over time, lead to a big meltdown. Depression knows that each episode must be done in a way that I feel like it is my idea.
I hear myself saying, “I am going to retire in 6 weeks.”
It wasn’t depression that spoke those words. I said to them. So how can I think that it is depression’s plan? I must be the driving force in sabotaging my efforts to have consistent success. But then I remember that life is not a straight line for anyone. Everyone has bumps in the road. All of us make decisions we later wish we had thought out a bit more.
But does this mean that my life is nothing special, just a life?
Depression or not, would I earn success and then not keep it? That sounds rather defeatist as if it is a foregone conclusion that whatever I achieve will be undermined by me using the same tools I employed to achieve my success in the first place.
It appears there are those whose trajectory is parabolic.
To the world, they have it all. On camera, in the papers, on Youtube, wherever; they look like it is all rainbows and lollipops. But secretly, they pay a price, too. Secret, that is, unless the tabloids get a hold of it. To see what is really going on, I remind myself about the “walk a mile in their shoes” thing.
In the end, we all have personal losses that we keep to ourselves and prefer not to share with the world.
I have certainly done that with my depression. This was often because I was afraid of what they would say. While I am quick to challenge others using this logic, I allow myself to wallow in it. This type of thinking helps depression and I bond. It promotes the three things my depression is famous for and justifies my actions as I go from success to giving it back, then to another success, and then another setback.
I began to write failure but opted for giving it back.
Failure is such an ugly word, yet it is often the basis for ultimate success. Was it Churchill who said something about “going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm?” For me, it may not be each event, but my attitude towards it.
And isn’t that the only thing I have absolute control over?
So why am I making depression such a big force in my life? Yes, it has three tools it employs to keep me in line. And it often attempts to slip its unhelpful thinking into my everyday thoughts. But I have many tools today that help me see what depression is trying to do.
I even have a personal Wellness Recovery Action Plan I constructed.
This has what I wrote about how I look and feel when I am well. Then it has a section on triggers and what I might look and feel like if things are starting to slip. Another section lists things I might do if I was even closer to the drain. More importantly, each section is accompanied by specific actions that I have used in the past to help curb and repair myself if I get in that state of mind again.
I have used this plan successfully a time or two over the past three years.
It seems funny that I used the word successful. That is what I am accusing depression of stealing from me. And yet I have successfully used my WRAP plan 3 times to prevent my circling the drain and ending up in the abyss.
Each of these times I was nowhere near the edge, but just a little off my feed.
And each time my WRAP plan kept me from going beyond just being off a bit. This is a huge success story for me and my 45+ year relationship with depression. So, to hear myself whining that everything hasn’t gone exactly to my plan is a cheap shot I am using to avoid responsibility for my actions.
I cannot say that without depression, I would have made different decisions.
I might have. Things might have turned out better or worse than what happened. But blaming the results on my depression gives me an out. I can be mad at it instead of standing up and taking responsibility for my own choices.
And while I know I am responsible for my actions; I end up returning to the question that peaked this post. “How much of what has happened in my life is the result of my depression and how many of the events in my life are 100% me?”
In the end, I can spend time shoulding on myself, or I can spend time being enthusiastic about the future.
There are future successes I will celebrate, and future failure’s that I will endure. Depression’s three best plans for undermining my success will always be with me. Getting my head on straight and going after the future makes the most sense to me. So, I am going to leave this and get ready for the day.
And I remind myself, “I have depression, depression does not have me.”
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Hello, I am Joel. I have Major Depressive Disorder. I am genuinely determined to figure out my personal relationship with depression. With 40+ years of living with concealed depression, I write my blog to find answers.
I once got so carried away searching for answers that I even earned a certification in SMART Recovery.
Get my latest posts, (your email is never sold or rented)
I developed a 38 Page Mental Health Tools Flipbook. Complete the Form and Get Your Free Copy Now.
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Dear friend, we are New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church, a local assembly within the worldwide denomination of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. We invite you to worship with us and spend some time with us. You will find a friendly atmosphere in which to explore your Christian faith. We stand in the long line of the reformed tradition, which has embodied the rich and biblical distinctives of the Protestant Reformation, personified by men you may be familiar with, like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox. Today, more than ever, the Church at large needs what we have to offer. See below for what that might be.
A commitment to the covenantal institutions God has ordained:
The Church – we are bound in a relationship with God in Christ in the New Covenant, expressed concretely in the life of the Spirit in the Church. Thus, the reformed faith insists that by definition the believer is in covenant with other Christians by virtue of being in covenant with his Lord. Therefore, we have a responsibility to identify with an assembly of believers in membership, taking seriously our commitment to it.
The Family – marriage is, by definition, a covenant relationship. The reformed faith has thus always nurtured marriage and families. It does this by equipping husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, to fulfill their biblical roles. We place emphasis upon spouses and parents teaching and raising kids and loving one another, encouraging each father to be the “theologian” of his family, teaching and catechizing the little lambs around his table.
The Republic – From the beginning we have been bound to govern one another mediately under God in the Civil Covenant, first promulgated by God to Noah (Genesis 9:1-17). This involves far more than voting for president every four years and thinking we have discharged our duties to the civil government. The prime directive of government is the administration of justice and mercy (Deuteronomy 16:19-20; Micah 6:8). History has demonstrated that the best form of government is the Christian Republic. The Church is obliged to be fully engaged supporting a Christian Republic and calling the civil authorities to repentance when they stray from its biblical principles.
Substantial, reverent worship:
The apex for every Christian week is Sabbath worship.
It is the duty of all Christians to present themselves with all of the family in the assembly of the saints to render praise to God, submit to the life changing discipline of the Word preached and the Word made visible in the sacraments of baptism and holy communion, sing the songs and Psalms of the Kingdom, confess doctrine, and give of our earthly goods for the support of the church.
We are called out of the world for these few moments to live in a world fragrant with the air of the coming Kingdom of God. Thus, we seek to provide the true laborers of worship (you, the saints) with all of the ordained elements of worship so that we might provide the true audience of worship (not you, but God) with worship that will be pleasing to Him.
Consistent, biblical teaching and doctrine:
Christianity depends for its eternal, life saving message upon an objective, written revelation from God himself: the Bible. We hold to the inspired, inerrant Word of God as the supreme source and fountainhead for doctrine and teaching.
As a summary and aid to understanding the major teachings of the Bible and in subordination to it, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church embraces the historic creeds of the Church and, in particular, the Westminster Confessional Standards, consisting of the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger Catechism, and the Shorter Catechism. These serve as brief, systematic summaries of what the church has taught and believed over the centuries.
101 4th St.
Pastor: The Rev. David A. Bass
Sunday Morning Worship: 10 a.m.
Sunday School/Fellowship Meal: 12 noon
We're pretty easy to find. We're on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. (map)
Sunday School
Join us for our lunch fellowship and Sunday school, Contrast Brings Clarity, with Share the Son Ministries.
Our weekly Thursday evening study on church history meets from 7:00-8:15 p.m. at Leo's Place, 155 S Holmes Ave, Idaho Falls. (map)
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Patrisia (Kickapoo, Comanche and Macehual) descends from three generations of traditional healers and teaches about Indigenous medicine and Indigenous knowledge at the University of Arizona. She is a traditional birth attendant and herbalist and is author of several books, including Red Medicine: Traditional Indigenous Rites of Birthing and Healing. She is former national columnist and has won several awards for her writings, including human rights awards. She has worked on Indigenous language policy and planning. As a 2018-2020 Faculty Fellow in the Agnese Nelms Program in Environment and Social Justice, she is engaging the next generation of Indigenous advocates with elders and Native rights activists associated with the Alianza.
David is a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and currently employed by the Pascua Yaqui Head Start on the Pascua Yaqui reservation. David is one of the founders of the Yoeme Commission on Human Rights and has been active in the Yaqui community for over 20 years in promoting social justice and human rights issues on the reservation. He has been a member of the Alianza Indígena Sin Fronteras for the past 10 years.
Dennis is a member of the Tohono O'Odham Nation and activist in promoting environmental production of Baboquivari Sacred Mountain on the Tohono O'Odham Reservation. He is retired and has been an activist for the past 30 years. Dennis has been part of the Alianza Indígena Sin Fronteras for the past 15 years.
Ernest is an elder and member of the Tohono O'Odhman Nation. For more than 30 years, he has promoted environmental protection Baboquivari Sacred Mountain on the Tohono O'Odham reservation, which has been under threat due to expanded militarization of the border.
Son of Leonor and Juventino, partner of Maria Molina Vai Sevoi and father of six children. Over the past 20 years, Chucho has transformed the lives of countless youth through a La Cultura Cura approach through grassroots organizing and youth engagement and later as an employee of Chicanos Por La Causa. Additionally, Chucho has served as a central facilitator of la tradición through his affirmation and maintenance of Nahua cultural practices and way of life, commitment to social justice, and obligation to the Tucson community, Chucho has served as a central facilitator of la tradición Nahua within the Calpolli Teoxicalli, a constellation of Nahua familias in Tlamanalco. Chucho has always answered the call to meet the needs in of the Chicana/o community as cultural advisor, authentic community leader, and “barrio intellectual”. Chucho has worked to create indigenous solidarity by building intertribal relationships with indigenous communities across Turtle Island.
Juan is a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, and has been involved in community issues and advocated for human rights for more than 13 years. He has been a member of the Alianza Indígena Sin Fronteras for the past 10 years.
Shi ndé isdzán shimaa kónitsąąíí hada’didla’łepaiyé shitaa cuelcahen shash ndé. I am an enrolled citizen of the Lipan Apache Band of Texas. My clans are the Big Water, Lightning Windmaker, Tall Grass and Bear. I was born in Austin, Texas in the traditional and unceded territory of the southern Ndé Nation. I currently work in British Columbia, Canada, as a professor in the Indigenous Studies Program, at the University of British Columbia, Kelowna, Canada. I reside on the Okanagan Indian Band #1 Reserve, near Vernon, BC.
Mona Polacca is a Havasupai/Hopi/Tewa elder and Chair of the International Council of the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers. Grandmother Mona is representative of the Indigenous World Forum on Water and Peace, a coalition of Indigenous leaders and organizations that was envisioned by the elders to protect the water. It has the support of 60 organizations globally at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
https://www.grandmotherscouncil.org/who-we-are/grandmother-mona-polacca/
Octaviana V. Trujillo (Yaqui), Ph.D., is founding chair and professor in the department of Applied Indigenous Studies at Northern Arizona University and teaches courses on Tribal Nation Building. Professor Trujillo’s studies have been augmented through such activities as a Fulbright Fellowship in India, attending the Instituto Cultural de Guanajuato in Mexico, participating in study sessions of the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, and the Salzburg Institute in Austria, as well as serving as a delegate to the international “Beijing UN Forum on Women.” She has traveled extensively internationally related to her own research interests, as a Kellogg Foundation Leadership Fellow, and in conjunction with international community development and human rights delegations in Mexico, Israel, Ecuador, Northern Ireland, Bolivia, Guatemala, and Colombia.
A primary focus of her work now has been developing programs that provide the use of her academic and human rights advocacy training to Indigenous communities regionally and globally. Professor Trujillo’s international experience includes the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, EPA Governmental Advisory Committee, which helps to shape U.S. policies intended to improve environmental and health conditions of the United States, Canada, and Mexico and Global Diversity Foundation which promotes agricultural, biological and cultural diversity around the world through research, training and social action. She was appointed by President Obama to serve as a member to the Joint Public Advisory Committee for the governing Council of the trilateral North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation.
Roberto (Dr. Cintli) is an associate professor at the Mexican American & Raza Studies Department at the University of Arizona. He is a longtime-award-winning journalist/columnist who received his Ph.D. in Mass Communications in 2008) at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. His current field of study is the examination of maiz culture, migration, and the role of stories and oral traditions among Indigenous peoples, including Mexican and Central American peoples. He has a forthcoming book (Fall, 2014 University of Arizona Press): Nin Toanantzin Non Centeotl: Our Sacred Maíz is Our Mother. He teaches classes on the history of maiz, Mexican/Chicano Culture and politics and the history of red-brown journalism. In 2013, a major digitized collection was inaugurated by the University Arizona Libraries, based on a class he created: The History of Red-Brown Journalism. He currently writes for Truthout’s Public Intellectual Project and is currently working on a project, titled: Smiling Brown: Gente de Bronce – People the Color of the Earth. It is a collaborative project on the topic of color consciousness. He is also writing a memoir on the topic of torture and political violence: Yolqui: A warrior summonsed from the spirit world.
Long-time activist and community organizer as well as traditional practitioner, Tupac serves as Yaoatachcauh of the grassroots community based organization TONATIERRA in Phoenix, AZ. This responsibility, a designation of the Indigenous Mexican (Nahuatl) communities is a reference to traditional custodial and community organizing duties in the various realms of community development work from local to regional, continental to global.
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For those print lovers out there our print collection combines our pretty printed beads with matching coloured beads.
Our teethers are easy to care for and can be rinsed with a little water, or cleaned with a baby wipe.
This teether can also be put in the fridge or freezer to provide extra relief for those sore gums.
Please don't put this one in the fridge or freezer if you add rattle rings.
All of our teethers are independently safety tested in a UK accredited test house and carry the CE/ UKCA mark. They meet all UK safety standards (EN71-1, 2 & 3).
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Something happened this week. One young lady I know and love experienced her first week in front of a classroom full of students. She was hired on Sunday evening and drove two hours out-of-town for her first teachers’ meeting which was to take place at 8:00 on Monday morning, the very next day. Her new students arrived Wednesday. She had never even seen the school before her first day. How did this happen? Who knows? But embarrassingly it happens all the time in our profession. My young friend was tired of the endless interviews for teaching positions. It was the last week in August and she was determined to take any job offered. The good news is…she has her start. Even better news…she’ll be a good teacher.
What was her email comment on Friday after her first week of school?
I used to think I looked forward to and appreciated Fridays. Turns out I was way under appreciating them all these years.
I laughed when I read her comment. It took me back to the toughest year I ever had as a teacher. It was a year I’ll never forget, like a bad nightmare that stays in your psyche and haunts you forever. I was luckier than my young fledgling teacher. My toughest year came after I had already been teaching for more than 20 years. By then I was a confident and experienced professional who didn’t think anything a student could conjure would knock me off my game. I was competent. I was prepared. I was wrong.
In one week I went from teaching primary aged students to high school seniors! I went from teaching in a private school that I owned to a high school with students considered “at risk.” I had teen moms, many pregnant students, and kids with parents in jail. On the first day of school when I asked them to introduce themselves with 3 descriptive words, several of them announced they had “an attitude.” They saw this as a positive attribute. They were proud of their attitudes. I went from suburban type students to predominantly urban kids who came from different neighborhoods who didn’t like each other. The only thing that united them was their dislike for me. They all agreed on one thing. I had to go. Those kids reared up and took a bite right out of my backside when I wasn’t looking.
I only made it to the second day of school at 11:00 am when I knew I was going to cry in front of the class. They were passing a basket around the classroom and asking their peers to contribute money to buy me a ticket out-of-town. No, I’m not making this up. I was used to children who loved me. I knew I was going to cry and worse…I knew they would love to see my tears. Not crying in front of them became my number one goal. But I could feel the tears just ready to spill over. What was I going to do?
I was so new in this building I couldn’t even decipher when the bells were ringing. All day long you would hear bings, buzzes and bells coming into your classroom. I later learned that there were a certain numbers of bings and buzzes to call each administrator. The kids knew when the change class tone sounded, but I didn’t. One of those buzzes started to sound. Maybe they were going to leave for lunch but I wasn’t certain. I spotted the closet door. I decided I would walk through that door and act like I was looking for something in the closet so they wouldn’t see my tears. I tried not to run. I tried to look like a woman who was just going to the closet to look for something. I opened the door and walked through. It turned out not to be a closet after all. I was right in the middle of another classroom, not the closet, but I burst into tears anyway.
I got lucky. It did happen to be the lunch bell. My students vacated the room and I had a half an hour to pull myself together before the torture began anew. At the end of my first week I called the friend who had recommended me for the position and apologized to her, but told her I was going to quit. I called my mom and told her I was going to quit. But I didn’t. I hung in there. If I told you all the things my students did to me that year, you would never believe me. You would also stop reading my blog because I would sound like an ineffective nincompoop. I made many mistakes that year. But I grew more as a teacher than during any other year of my teaching career.
What My Students Taught Me
Hearts that have been rejected will reject others in self-defense. They think, “I’ll reject you first so you can’t hurt me.” It has very little to do with you. The rejection isn’t personal, but it sure feels that way until you understand that truth.
Once students know you really care about them, they will be your staunchest champion. But you have to prove you care about them first. And in an environment like this you have to prove it every year.
I’ve learned you can’t talk to high school students the same way you talk to third graders. It doesn’t work. I was used to saying things like “Oh I like the way Megan has started her assignment.” That is how clueless I was. Believe me that strategy doesn’t work in a tough high school environment.
I learned to cuss. I’m not saying that was a good thing. And I never used profanity in front of my students but I was so surrounded by it, I found it peppering my personal conversation when I wasn’t on the job. I was in my forties and had never sworn. I still don’t use the really offensive words, but It makes some of my conversations a lot more humorous, because it astounds people who know me well.
Other than cussing with my friends, I stayed true to myself. I didn’t get pulled into the drama that surrounded me. I didn’t yell. I didn’t meet sarcasm with sarcasm. I stayed calm and was able to be a positive role model. Most of these students had lives steeped in drama. They needed positive role models more than they needed anything else.
That old adage, “The more you put into something, the more you get out of it,” is 100% true. I have never worked so hard in my life, but I also never changed lives so dramatically as I did in that environment. When kids don’t have other positive role models, you can make the most profound difference in their lives.
Teachers measure their worth by the lives that they change.
That first really tough year helped me grow immensely as a teacher. It groomed me to teach future teachers. If you want to be an effective teacher for future teachers you need a wide variety of experiences. It helped me begin writing books. I had a message. I had stories to tell. I spent 12 years at that job I thought I would quit at the end of the first week. I learned I could persevere through challenging circumstances. That alone is an important life lesson.
Those kids groomed me, chiseled me and sometimes even sandblasted me, until I became a true teacher.
Available autographed or in large quantities from the author: dauna@cinci.rr.com
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Filed under Facing Challenges Positively, Teaching and tagged challenges, classroom, education, my toughest year in the classroom, teach, teacher, teaching, teaching strategies, teens, urban students | 1 Comment
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The Karnataka High Court, in its order earlier this month, has directed that the Fifth Additional District and Session’s court Judge of Mysuru should be sent to judicial academy for training in exercising judicial discretion.
The judge has granted bail to three accused in a dowry death case in spite of vehement arguments and evidence against them. The High Court bench has cancelled the bail granted to the three.
A bench headed by Justice H.P. Sandesh, observed that the trial court failed to exercise judicial discretion and had passed perverse and capricious orders. “Since the orders are perverse and capricious, it requires interference by this court,” the bench observed.
The trial court has lost sight of the heinous offence that the lady, who was married in the year 2020 has lost her life within one year of marriage that too by burn injuries and the cruelty meted out to her in the matrimonial home. The lower court was also pulled up for ignoring the message sent by the deceased victim on the day of the incident, which is not less than a dying declaration.
The bench had issued the order on February 4, while looking into the petition filed by Sunil Kumar, a resident of Periyapatna of Mysuru district. He had petitioned against anticipatory and regular bail orders granted for his sister’s husband Manju, his father Rajanna and mother-in-law Shivamma.
Manju, the accused, had married Sunitha, the victim in 2020. Sunitha’s parents had gifted gold jewelry and cash of Rs 3.5 lakh. Manju started demanding Rs 6 lakh from his wife for construction of the house and sent her back. Her parents agreed to pay for installation of tiles for the new house and sent back their daughter.
However, they could not keep their promise due to crop loss. Manju had started torturing Sunitha mentally and physically. Meanwhile, Sunitha allegedly died of burn injuries on 2021, February 14. Piriyapattana police have registered a case of accidental death.
Later, Sunitha’s parents got a message sent by their daughter from her husband Manju’s mobile. In the message she stated that, if at all she is harmed, her in-laws and husband were to be held responsible.
Petitioner Sunil had lodged a case against the accused. The Periyapatna police had lodged a case under 498 A (dowry harassment), 340 B (dowry death).
The Fifth Additional District and Session’s court had granted anticipatory as well as regular bails to accused persons on March 23, 2021, April 4, 2021 and April 17, 2021.
While granting bail, the court said that there are no allegations against accused which would attract life imprisonment or capital punishment. The case has been lodged only after recovery of the message. It is to be identified that the message was sent by Sunitha or others, hence the bail was granted.
Even as the prosecution vehemently argued that the voice in the message is of the deceased person and if accused are granted bail they might destroy the evidence and though, it was brought to the notice of the court how deceased was harassed for dowry, the court did not consider any of it while granting bail.
Sunil had made an appeal to the High Court under CRPC Section 439 (2) and 482. The High Court looking into the petition opined that in a serious offence like dowry death, while granting bail to accused, the inquiring court has not used discretion.
“Registry is directed to seek appropriate orders from the Hon’ble Chief Justice to post the concerned Judicial Officer to the Judicial Academy for training with regard to applying judicious thought process while exercising judicial discretion before granting bail in heinous offences as observed by the Apex Court. The registry is directed to send a copy of this order to the Presiding Officer to make an endeavour to learn exercising of judicial discretion,” the order said.
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Recognizing the need of the community which yearned to have a newspaper that represented the viewpoint of South Asians in Canada and its potential for growth as early as 1999, CanIndia News started publishing in English and distributing free of charge.
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I am feeling much more sparky and with it today. I feel like I have my energy back and by this I mean my emotional energy.
I listened to a preach this morning ‘You complete me’ and I feel like I have fully woken up. There was so much that spoke to me about where I have been in my own life and where I am seeking to move on from. If you follow me on twitter you will have seen plenty of quotes from this message – it is so rich in what it says.
I don’t want this post to simply be a précis of the message – I have included the link to encourage you to listen for yourself. This post is about thinking on a couple of the points raised and how we can ensure we are attempting to work towards them in our every day lives.
What does it mean to socialise like Jesus? Not coming, being consumed with self but looking for creative ways to add value to people.
How often in relationships or social situations do you look for ways to add value to people? In theory we would like to say we do that at all times, in all encounters that is what our relationships are about. Is that really true?
Are not relationships and encounters sometimes more about what we can gain? More about our needs and wants? About self rather than serving?
Ah, I mentioned that word – serving. Did it make you flinch or cringe slightly? The problem is, we have often taken the word serving out of context and associated it with meaning we have to do things we hate. Am I wrong? Serving in the church, serving others has begun to mean that there is a long list of things that need to be done and if you don’t do them then you feel guilty – it has become works based.
What about if we thought about serving as adding value to others. To me there is something beautiful about that, being able to be a part of something that adds value to people.
If we are to live out of the fullness of Jesus, where we are offered fullness and wholeness and completeness, we are offered peace and rest then ‘serving’ adding value to others could become a natural outpouring of our own fullness.
What would it look like if thousands of people lived, related and loved people from a full place. The knee jerk reaction was to give and add value.
Just think about that for a moment. What would it look like? Think of all that is going on in the world now. Think of the latest news stories you have read.
Was your first reaction ‘it could never happen.’?
The thing is, it could. It could start with you.
What would happen if today you sought to serve other people – you set out to add value to others. What would that look like?
What are the best ways to add value to others? What are the most creative ways?
What adds value to you – what things add value to your own life? I love encouragement. I think words are really important and powerful. Words can build up of tear down. Words can be influential, words can provide much needed healing for the soul, words can lift you, inspire you, keep you going even in the dark places.
Who could you add value to by encouraging them today?
What about giving? Again we have taken this word and learnt to associate it solely with money. Yes, giving freely of your finances to support and help others is great but there osis more to giving. Have you been content in your ‘giving’ that is solely monetary. Have you ever thought of other ways to give?
What else could you give that would add value to someone today?
How can you add value to others?
I am so struck today that we are promised a life of abundance and yet we so often live consumed by insecurity and fear. We focus inwards on self instead of on Him. We become selfish ‘all about me’ instead of selfless – All about Him.
I am expectant and excited about what God will do if we seek to add value to others and live out of the fullness of Jesus.
How about today, we focus on adding value? How about we start just where we are serving and giving and loving people?
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October 2022 IG Trend ReportBlack Friday Deals for Writers – 2022How much does it cost to self-publish a book?Time to NaNoWriMo – our best tips for success!BookBub for Authors: Boost your Platform with LitRingSeptember 2022 IG Trend ReportNot Filing Your Copyright Can Get You Banned from AmazonSurprise Publicity: Are You Prepared to Go Viral?August 2022 IG Trend ReportMini Build-A-Book Workshop with Heather Davis
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Mar 31, 2021 | Market
We’re excited to announce another launch that is quickly approaching! We’re helping Emily Myers launch her book, The Truth About Unspeakable Things, into the world. Today, we’re bringing you an interview with the author behind this book, which is a unique of romance, suspense, and emotional storytelling.
Emily A. Myers is a women’s fiction author and blogger living in Louisiana. Her fiction works seek to bring women’s issues to the forefront through realistic, flawed protagonists and authentic relationships. Emily also dedicates time to her blog which seeks to provide aspiring authors with the tools and advice they need to make their passion into a profession. Her debut novel, The Truth About Unspeakable Things, sets the tone for Emily’s future works as it follows a young woman’s journey through the dangerous pitfalls of adult relationships and the complexities of growing up. We’re excited to share our interview with you today!
Please tell us a little about you:
I first fell in love with writing and reading in middle school. I’ve never understood how or why my brain works the way it does, especially not back then. But I remember writing this paranormal romance short story that was based during the Civil War in the 8th grade. Everyone was blown away by it. Their enthusiasm made me feel good and I believe that is when I truly fell in love with storytelling. By the time I graduated high school, I knew I wanted to pursue my writing professionally. But the sensible side of me kicked me and led me down the more stable path of teaching. I put my dream on hold to build a stable life for myself. But I soon learned that stability and certainty is just an illusion.
My dad was diagnosed with Stage 3 Lung Cancer shortly after I began teaching. He passed away after a year and a half battle with the disease. His diagnosis and his passing were a shock to all of us, because he was young and otherwise healthy. Losing him pushed me to go after my dream not in twenty or thirty years, but now. Because those twenty or thirty years aren’t guaranteed. I left teaching a few months after he passed and have spent the last two and a half years trying to find my niche in this incredibly vast industry. With The Truth About Unspeakable Things, I feel I’ve written something I can be proud of. And, I feel, I’ve found my niche in the romantic suspense world.
Please tell us a little about your book:
The Truth About Unspeakable Things is a Women’s Fiction novel that follows a sexual assault survivor on her journey to love again. It pushes the bounds of empathy and forgiveness and presents a valid, if not, challenging dialogue around accountability. From that statement alone you might be wondering, okay, how is this romantic suspense? Set in historic and mysterious New Orleans, Emma Marshall’s journey is filled with danger, drama, suspense, and secrets. What makes Emma’s story different from other survivor stories is the external conflict. Many survivor stories focus on the internal conflict following the traumatic event. I do explore those emotions in The Truth About Unspeakable Things, but the story is more than that. It is filled with even more unspeakable truths that Emma must discover and reconcile. Ultimately, Emma must risk everything to protect her newfound happiness, even if it means hurting the ones she loves.
Who is this book for?
Women’s Fiction novels follow female protagonists through conflict directly related to the female experience. This simple definition means the genre of Women’s Fiction can and does encompass a variety of titles with many different sub-genres. That is why I often describe The Truth About Unspeakable Things as a romantic suspense novel, because the elements of romance and suspense are prevalent enough that readers who aren’t interested in romance, suspense, and the external conflict that creates that suspense, will probably not enjoy this novel. Similarly, those who love romance and thriller-like qualities, and aren’t discouraged by hard-hitting topics such as sexual assault and self-harm will enjoy The Truth About Unspeakable Things. Readers should be advised to review the trigger warnings before reading: sexual assault (depicted), self-harm (implied), abortion (off-page/ discussed).
Why did you write the book?
I struggled for over a year with the idea of perfection. I knew it didn’t exist, not in literary form or any other form. Yet, I still strove to attain it. I allowed my head to be filled with the harshest criticism. I imagined querying agents and having them stop reading after only a few sentences. I put so much pressure on myself to beat the odds and write a book that was worthy of a traditional book deal. Until I became so overwhelmed, I stopped writing altogether. The Truth About Unspeakable Things is the result of me casting aside the shackles of perfection, embracing self-publishing, and just writing. I don’t remember exactly how the idea first came to me. I do remember spending a month outlining the would-be novel only for 80% of my outline to go out the window within writing the first three paragraphs of what is now The Truth About Unspeakable Things.
I allowed the story to flow and the characters to develop in their own unique way. I wrote this novel because I thought it would be good, not great, not perfect, but good. I wrote this novel knowing it wouldn’t be my last. And, in fact, if Stephen King is to be believed, knowing it would be my worst. When I accepted that and truly just embraced the writing process, I was able to create a story that is more than I ever imagined it being. So, in sum, I started writing it because I thought I had a good idea, and a good idea is better than no idea. I continued writing it, because it demanded to be written. The way the story developed on its own, it felt like a story I had inside of me for years. Yet, I can honestly say I didn’t. It didn’t come to me until I sat down to write. That’s what is most exciting to me. I don’t even know the stories I will tell in the future, but I know there will be more. And, like The Truth About Unspeakable Things, they will be more than I can even imagine in this moment.
What is YOUR favorite part of the book?
My favorite part of the book is probably Chapter 31. I can’t explain why this is my favorite chapter without giving too much away. But there is a moment in this chapter that really tugs at my heart. In fact, it broke my heart when I wrote it. Early in the book, an idea is presented: “We’re always one choice, one day away from a completely different life.” In Chapter 31, I feel like this idea comes full circle in more ways than one. I have empathy for the person who doesn’t see a way out of the Hell that is their life. I am proud of the person who does and who chooses to not let their pain destroy them.
When did you start writing books?
I wrote my first novel, Beyond the Scars, when I was 17. It was an experiment of sorts to see if I physically could write a novel before dedicating four years to earning a degree in English. It ended up being about 55,000 words. I went through the querying process and got my first taste of rejection. I’ve come a long way since then. But that was the beginning of me going after my dream, proving to myself I could do it. Over the years, I’ve revisited that novel several times. I plan to revisit it again one day and yes, publish it. That will be a big moment for me, to finally publish the novel that started it all.
Do you have any other books? Where can they be found?
I do not have any other books out right now, but I will begin writing my next book very soon.
Where is the best place for readers to connect with you?
You can follow me on Instagram and Facebook @emilymyersauthor to keep up with me as I write my next novel. You can also subscribe to my email list, so you don’t miss out on any bonus content related to The Truth About Unspeakable Things. I’ll also be sharing early content for my next novel with my email list for feedback. So, if you’d like to be involved with that process, again, be sure to subscribe to my email list. You can subscribe either through my website www.emilyamyers.com or through the link in my Instagram bio.
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If you wish to add your voice against the slogans created by Wicked Campers and hopefully create some change, sign the petition below:
Also complain to the Advertising Standards Board if you have witnessed any of their degrading or dangerous slogans. Photos help a lot.
Thanks for your support, everyone; it’s been overwhelming.
Related
Posted by questionsforus
Filed in Uncategorized
Gaz Crooke said
July 12, 2014 at 07:55
Petition signed. I love what you are doing, and what you are fighting for. I educate my boys to love & respect women, & all people for that matter. Women are truly, my favourite to be around, always. My partner works at a women refuge, & i am so proud of the work she does. Thanks for caring, Gaz.
questionsforus said
July 12, 2014 at 17:21
THANK YOU, Gaz! How wonderful that your boys have you and your partner to help them navigate through this bombardment of the sex-obsessed.
Thank you so much for your encouraging words. x
Lady Lunchalot said
July 13, 2014 at 21:20
Good for you for calling this out. I am so sick of the perception of women in our country that is deemed to be acceptable. For every hundred good men who read this kind of slogan and wave it off as harmless, there is one unbalanced individual who reads it and validates his view of women. It’s up to ordinary everyday people to shout out loud that this is NOT acceptable.
questionsforus said
July 13, 2014 at 21:39
(Love your name)
Dickon said
July 14, 2014 at 12:33
Has there been a complaint lodged with the Human Rights Commission or NSW/QLD Fair Trading? I can’t because I’m a bloke for the former and out of the relevant state for latter?
Best
questionsforus said
July 14, 2014 at 12:49
Thanks Dickson – I’ll be writing to the HRC soon.
statcount said
July 15, 2014 at 14:31
Um, it’s the HUMAN Rights Commission, right…? I don’t think gender features when it comes to lodging a complaint with the HRC…
Meanwhile, Paula, I’ve signed your petition and shared it via FB & Twitter. Discovered that Wicked Campers also has a Twitter account (@WickedCampers). Will be voicing my disgust there next.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 22:16
amybroomstick said
July 15, 2014 at 12:36
Catherine said
July 15, 2014 at 12:40
Hi Paula, I fully support what you are doing and have signed your petition. Unfortunately just by running this campaign you are giving this guy free advertising. I have seen the owner interviewed in the past, he absolutely doesn’t care what you think (I think he has daughters too so try and understand that!) and sees this controversy as a great positive for him and his business. Sorry I don’t have the answers, but what is needed is some way to reduce his business, he seems to appeal to a market who are influenced most by price.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 13:40
No, I don’t at all. The ‘advertising’ is overwhelmingly negative and it’s been the power of social media that has done so.
There are few people who actually defend those slogans as being able to be allowed to circulate so publicly and if we can’t call them out, then how?
I think this is finally going to make them change their practices due to so many being horrified.
Thanks for your support.
Kathy said
July 15, 2014 at 16:22
We should all get onto their website and state our disgust either through the contact us tab or the feedback tab
Alan Howlett said
July 15, 2014 at 12:43
Hi, just an idea to get rid of this wicked campers “signage”. the Police have the right to inspect a vehicle at any time they wish for Roadworthiness. the campers are all quite old vehicles and so a roadside inspection would be quite reasonable. Once backpackers realise that they could have trouble with Police if they rent a wicked camper, business will plummet. How about trying get the Police onside and do a bit of social good in their highway patrol work.
Michael said
July 15, 2014 at 14:12
I think this is an excellent idea. Need to hit their bottom line, the only thing that will alter their behaviour.
Tony Williams said
July 15, 2014 at 16:20
I think this is a great idea. This bloke should be put out of business. (I dread to think what his daughters are like or how they will turn out with such a horrible father).
Stephen price said
July 16, 2014 at 08:52
Not fair to make judgement about the blokes daughters tony as they probably have no influence or input in the business
Sheila Beer said
July 15, 2014 at 12:44
One of the caravan parks in my town banned them a while ago because off the slogans on them, perhaps if more did that it would get through.
When people hire vans, they have no idea what will be written on them and some overseas travellers possibly don’t understand what it says, at first, ( I’m sure it gets explained fairly quickly) but what can they do then. I have been sorely tempted to get busy with a can of spray paint on more than one occasion.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 13:33
I’ve heard of that too, Sheila, so yes, we’ll be targeting them too.
Thanks
Liz said
July 16, 2014 at 08:37
I really like this idea of approaching businesses in a systematic, prepared way (produce stickers they can put up in their window etc/ brochures) to firstly inform businesses and then support them to refuse clients who are driving a Wicked van. Something like ‘We are a local business who care about our community and will not accept business from travelers supporting Wicked camper vans’.
David Darlington said
July 15, 2014 at 12:44
Good on you. Can you find out if they are affiliated with another hire car company so people can start to boycott that one as well. Try to get support from the various Ministers who have women’s issues as part of their portfolio..
I am sure you will achieve success
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 13:33
We’re looking into that.
MIke said
July 15, 2014 at 12:46
Police should be pulling these vans over whenever they sey one, do a defect check.
Even if they find none, word will soon spread these are cop bait, no one will rent one, not worth the constant hassle
PatrickC said
July 15, 2014 at 12:55
How about you put a call out for everyone to ring the phone number on the van and complain about their slogans. If we all do it we can shut down their bookings and if we do it also after hours we can fill up their recorded message server and no one will be able to make after hours bookings either.
Kimberly said
July 15, 2014 at 13:32
I tried ringing numerous times but no answer. I’ve told everyone I know to do the same.
chris willcock said
July 15, 2014 at 15:12
Dont bother even the girls at the (1800 246869) call centre when I asked about the comments thought they were funny and light hearted. Unbelievable.
Still if more people ring less time to sell rentals.
Lizz Higgins said
July 15, 2014 at 18:56
If you want to tell them personally how little you think of the choices available try this link.
Peter said
July 15, 2014 at 12:58
Announce that you/we will be filing HRC complaints against the RENTERS of these vehicles. Getting the customers worried will hit them.
Sasha said
July 15, 2014 at 13:03
Have you considered sending a review to Trip Advisor?
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 13:30
Rob said
July 15, 2014 at 13:33
daniel flesch said
July 15, 2014 at 16:39
Seeing a lot of renters are young overseas backpackers , targeting the social media they use for tips on Australia might be a goer.But having said that i saw a Wicked van in a servo with an offensive sexist mysoginist tag and the two gorgeous young blonde European women seemed unconcerned. I felt like saying something to them but didn’t , knowing they’d be uninterested in the opinion of a 60 year old man. I enjoy a good dirty joke as much as anyone , but the “joke” on that particular van was beneath crass and far from clever.
Muj said
July 15, 2014 at 13:04
I have signed your petition, shared it on Facebook and some of my sphere of friends have done likewise. It is quite simply appalling, and I applaud your taking action, lines are continually crossed and it seems that less and less is done to stop this onslaught. The advertising standards should have a 3 strikes policy, as obviously Wicked just comes up with an alternative slogan that is an assault on women. Not quite sure what their target demographic is as I really struggle to comprehend who would be comfortable with their slogans, they are just disgusting. I don’t personally know anybody who would find Wicked’s slogans funny.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 13:31
It’s young, tourists and backpackers, I think.
I believe their prices are cheap and is appealing to those on a budget.
Dean said
July 15, 2014 at 13:08
As much as this activity galls me, I think the petition should be aimed at the Victorian Minister of Transport. 4 months from an election, it would be easier to legislate against inflammatory slogans and advertising on vehicles than it would be to appeal to the business owner and give attention and therefore a reason for these morons to continue. All it takes is one state to make it illegal, these vans will not be able to cross the border, and they’ll comply pretty quick.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 13:28
Thanks to the overwhelming positive reaction, we will be writing to different bodies that may be able to help.
Silvia Ford said
July 15, 2014 at 13:10
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 13:22
Not my way of fighting but it’s been suggested often on this forum.
Rob said
July 15, 2014 at 13:27
Ron said
July 15, 2014 at 13:10
How about speaking to businesses in tourist areas and get them to boycott travellers in these vans. No one will rent them if no one will serve them.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 13:20
That’s the next step we’ve already started rolling.
Thanks, Ron.
Chill said
July 15, 2014 at 13:12
I spent five years living in a popular tourist town seeing these gross slogans everyday!
shouldn’t be hard to get them off the road,most of them are not road worthy!Queensland transport department love taking them off our roads!! ; )
Laura said
July 15, 2014 at 13:12
Well done on this excellent and worthwhile campaign. I’ve seen Wicked Campers on the road and been disgusted. Also, I’ve seen one where the drivers who hired one used gaffa tape to block out offensive language. It’s peurile, juvenile and unacceptable. I agree in pursuing whatever legal avenues there are available. I know most of it is misogynistic but I wonder if any of it is rascist and breaches Victorian state legislation on racial vilification? Go well, many people are behind you.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 13:19
Rachel Teaupa said
July 15, 2014 at 13:14
I think that this story should be taken to A Current Affair, I know Tracy Grimshaw would be disgusted! This also needs to be taken to a department that monitors businesses advertising.
These slogans aren’t even funny, there are a million jokes that are hilarious that could be painted up there.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 13:18
I was on The Project last night and I would be happy to speak to anyone who wished to discuss this issue.
Rob said
July 15, 2014 at 13:15
Hit them where it really hurts – in the wallet. A well-aimed and focused ‘name and shame’ approach (partly achieved through the petition already) coupled with a ‘boycott Wicked’ campaign should do the trick.
And, if Wicked are promoted or advertised by local tourist bodies as service providers, alert them too. Truly respectable bodies would not want anything to do with such an organisation.
Hope this helps.
Richard said
July 15, 2014 at 13:16
I’m also thinking that it might come under the Advertising Standards as well, on http://www.adstandards.com.au/
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 23:12
That’s where my daughter lodged her complaint. Thanks.
Victoria said
July 15, 2014 at 13:17
Hi Paula, I’ve often wondered whether “offensive language” is still a crime – if so, I’d be pretty sure that Wicked have a case to answer. It might be worth contacting the NSW police dept to find out exactly what constitutes offensive language?
Luke Jecks said
July 15, 2014 at 13:17
Paula, I signed your petition on Sunday and I am once again amazed at the power of social media… well done on harnessing it!
These guys think that what they are doing is “clever marketing”! It is far from it.
Would be great if they saw the light… got rid of their marketing director and starting writing positive statements on their vans.
If they were clever, that is exactly what they would announce… “we’ve seen the error of our ways and we’re going to change all the statements to positive and empowering statements”
They could then ask for submissions on Facebook etc
Agrow Carbon said
July 15, 2014 at 13:18
Fiona said
July 15, 2014 at 13:19
Thanks for starting this petition Paula – I saw a horrid slogan on a wicked camper last summer at our beautiful national park The Prom, and should have done the same. I have signed and shared.
It concerns me that international tourists are booking these vans, based on price, location and availability, with no idea that they carry these awful messages; or potentially these customers have language and cultural differences that mean they don’t even ‘get’ what message they are driving around our country. Can we target these customers of Wicked Campers somehow? Perhaps through reviews on booking sites??
Rob said
July 15, 2014 at 13:19
I’m not sure whether Wicked is a monolithic organisation or a franchised operation. If the latter, it may be individual franchisees who are getting up to these shenanigans.
But even so, ultimately the main organisation would still be responsible for ensuring that franchisees act properly. There should be a binding code of conduct that the main organisation is prepared to enforce, right down to revocation of the franchise for such blatant misconduct.
May I suggest you look into Wicked’s administrative structure for this purpose.
Fiona Amarasinghe said
July 15, 2014 at 13:20
I’m so glad that this petition has gathered so much support and press. Yet still they don’t get it. Here’s another suggestion:
Can we make it difficult for people to use these vans? Is it legal to go around with these slogans in public? Can we alert authorities (police; local councillors) every time we see a van parked, and get them moved along? Can we pressure any caravan parks they turn up in to refuse the right to stay? Can we get counsillors to publish statements saying these vans are not welcome in their towns? Esp in those holiday towns where they’re likely to turn up?
Make it difficult for the customers to use the product and Wicked Campers will be hit where it hurts – in the hip pocket.
Lou Jovanovski said
July 15, 2014 at 13:21
as i said in my comments when i signed your petition , companies such as this gain higher ratings on their websites by the Google search engines due to the amount of traffic been generated to their websites, i think we should be writing to Google and others and maybe even getting a petition going against Google for allowing traffic to such sites and businesses and lets get all their email addresses and get everyone to bomb them at once , sounds harsh perhaps but well deserved.
Kimberly said
July 15, 2014 at 13:22
I have emailed the wicked vans company:
Why on earth would you write on one of your vans sexual and pedophilac messages such as “in every little princess there’s a slut who wants to try it just once” do none of your staff have children? My 7 year old daughter read this out and asked me what it meant. Can you help me try to explain to her what it means? How would you explain this to your child? Obviously a pedophilac company.
I am awaiting their reply.
I supprt you 200% and good on you for raising this issue! My mother and family are right behind you passing on this message. You should go to A current affair with this story. Would be interesting to see if the company has a response once a TV channel contacts them. Once again good on you for starting a petition like this one. Your daughter shod be proud of her mummy. If only there were more people like you on this earth. Much love xo
Ron Goodrick said
July 15, 2014 at 13:22
Hi Paula, good one you for taking a stand. I travel a bit and have seen these mobile billboards for the gutter end of the market. Why would anyone with a shred of decency be seen driving them? Another indication of a society in decline unfortunately. Best wishes for the campaign.
Ron
Michelle Milward said
July 15, 2014 at 13:22
Hi Paula Yes I too am horrified. I saw one of these vans this very morning…covered in graffiti art penis’s from around the world! WTF?? Mt Gravatt Brisbane Queensland. I was driving it happened so quick so no photo..However I am on the lookout!!!Is this the message we send to our tourists who come to our beautiful country and rent these hideous vans…seriously its not right! The misogynistic messages are abhorrent beyond belief. May I suggest contacting radio stations. Family oriented radio such as 96.5 FM in Brisbane. Thank you for bringing this to our attention Woman Warrior! Much love to you. Peace
Jennene said
July 15, 2014 at 13:23
I agree with this – why not lobby camp grounds and caravan parks like BIG 4 to do the right thing and ban these campers from using their facilities or to at least say they aren’t welcome. What kind of person that would drive one of these around and feel that it is ok.
gonemango said
July 15, 2014 at 13:23
You could also encourage them to get back to their original motivations! The first campers they sent out were witty and clever! this is just dumb promotion!
Monica Yurik said
July 15, 2014 at 13:25
I agree with the notion of having a can of spray paint in the car and if given the opportunity, I would spray out the comment and Yes, be prepared to wear the consequences. Imagine the free negative advertising that Wicked Campers would get then!
bigglesOz said
July 15, 2014 at 13:26
If you believe in ‘fighting fire with fire’ or ‘one good turn. etc..’, then here’s a strategy or two (evil as they may be)…
1. It would be a reasonable proposition that WC is spreading/continuing an disinformation campaign against women. Why not return it in-kind & tell the prospective renters that WC vehicles are unreliable safety &/or mechanical record. Maybe via the WC fB or other social network accounts.
2. Mobilise sympathetic comrades into taking direct-action with spray cans & altering/erasing the debasing slogans. This may morally very justifiable,pretty anonymous & will put most renter right-off. Just need to choose the moment when the occupants aren’t in it.
WC has declared a war (albeit via bullying tactics), so take it to them & in their faces.
You have done well to bring it to this point – don’t let up.
July 16, 2014 at 00:58
June Lennie said
July 15, 2014 at 13:26
Hi Paula – thanks for starting this important campaign. It’s great that it’s getting such good support. One suggestion I have is to get in touch with Australian backpacker websites that list Wicked Campers such as http://www.backpackaround.com/transport/car-van-hire/australian-car-van-hire.html and try to get them to remove this business from their site. Good luck!
Alex Thomas said
July 15, 2014 at 13:27
I have a 6yo girl and find some (but not all) of the van slogans offensive. I just rang their 1800-246-869 number and politely told them that, and that I would definitely not recommend their services to any international visitors.
It simply needs to be made very uncool to be seen in one of these vans.
Maybe some non-violent direct action is justified. For example, smearing dog or human faeces on the windscreen is not violent and causes no harm to the van. It’s probably still some sort of misdemeanour though, so I take no responsibility and anyone doing so would need to be prepared to take responsibility for their actions.
laura said
July 15, 2014 at 13:27
David Edmunds said
July 15, 2014 at 15:07
Germaine Greer in Britain would support this I am sure and she carries weight and has a very loud voice. Good luck in our campaign.
marty said
July 15, 2014 at 13:29
How about writing “appropriate” reviews to discourage particularly overseas visitors (I think a lot of their clientele are backpackers) on sites like Yelp or Tripadvisor. For example at http://www.yelp.com.au/biz/wicked-campers-fortitude-valley http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g255060-c119399/Sydney:Australia:Rental.Vehicles.html
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 13:47
We’re doing that as our next step. We have started planning.
Thanks Marty.
(Of course, anyone can write in to them a put in a review)
guyredden said
July 15, 2014 at 13:29
Thanks for starting this campaign. It’s unfortunate that ASB complaints amount to nothing but a scolding by a quango – something that I’m sure wicked believe can build their brand.
“In every princess there is a little slut who wants to try it just once” is remarkable however. I’m just wondering if there is a legal route on that one – demeaning, incitement to something. ‘Just once’ seems to me to be a reference to virginity; ‘little slut’ is not just slut, but a juvenile one; princess is an every day term of endearment for young girls. Unfortunately many people who experienced coerced sexual abuse will recognise this as the angle their abuser used to work on them (if you replace slut with grown up).
Good luck with the HRC. I think a case can be made about sexism, but also abuse. I will make a preliminary enquiry with fair trading.
Liz said
July 15, 2014 at 13:32
Hi how about taking it to Nick Xenaphon
Alex Thomas said
July 15, 2014 at 13:33
Michael Ireland said
July 15, 2014 at 13:37
Have the link so this can be shared via email as well. I personally do not like Facebook as too many kids end up on it and get into to trouble so we are a Facebook free family.
Secondly ask everyone to call the company to complain and clog their switchboard until they change their ways. If they hang up redial works well.
Sandra Watson said
July 15, 2014 at 13:37
Thank you so much Paula for starting this. I would be happy to help in any way I can. What your daughter saw is absolutely disgusting and the mentality of these people thinking it is okay to say such things has got to be questioned. Surely its illegal, if not it should be. Its a form of abuse as far as Im concerned. The general protection of children in the country is shameful.
I tried going to the Wicked website to find an email address to give them a piece of my mind and it seems to be disabled. (?) Please let me know what I can do to help. Im in Sydney.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 13:44
Yes they have taken down their Facebook page and disabled their website – it seems we have not been afforded the same ‘freedom of speech’ they so casually abuse on their vans.
Thanks for your support, Sandra.
craig arnold said
July 15, 2014 at 13:38
i’ve just signed your petition, although some of their vans have witty captions or great street art, a few are really offensive. When holidaying in WA last year, my uncle said that the local councils were going to move a motion that any ‘wicked’ van that had offensive slogans would be banned from camping in that council area. At the time i thought that sounded a bit over the top but since then I’ve seen a few that are really quite tasteless. If they find out that certain vans wont be allowed to camp anywhere, they’ll have a hard time renting them.
David said
July 15, 2014 at 13:39
I’m prety sure, as this is advertising, it would be consider offensive, just like some billboards, are taken down due to complaints
guyredden said
July 15, 2014 at 14:22
You’d think so but which authority oversees signage – on moving vehicles?
Lois Stubley said
July 15, 2014 at 13:41
Who does their sign-writing? Whoever it is should be thoroughly ashamed.
Nigel said
July 15, 2014 at 13:41
Hi everyone. A possible suggestion for another course of action is to have holiday parks and camp sites make it known that they will not allow these vans to enter their premises if they have degrading slogans.
A good argument for this is not only how much the slogans affect other holiday makers, but also the strong possibility that the slogans are a reflection of the idiots that choose to hire and drive them and therefore are probably not the types of people they’d want staying on their grounds anyway.
Alastair Harris said
July 15, 2014 at 13:46
Hi Paula, I just sent the following email to john@wickedvans.com:
As a long term resident of backpacker central, otherwise known as Cairns, I have grown used to seeing childish slogans on the back of Wicked Vans and thought these were just another annoyance from living in a tourist area, however I have since been made aware of some of the more choice slogans you appear to believe are amusing.
References to little princesses as sluts, to harpooning Japanese, and one of the most offensive references to wives (the things you screw on your bed to get the housework done) are not funny but vile racism and misogyny. Do you have any female friends or acquaintances? Are there any women you respect? Did you have a mother? Or sisters? Or, God help her, a daughter? If you answer yes to any of these questions I wonder why you need the offensive nature of your vans’ slogans explained to you.
As a man who loves and respects women and cherishes the ethnic diversity of the community I live in, I for one will commence my own little guerilla war against your stupid vans from the start of August if I don’t hear media reports of your sincere apology and commitment to remove all racist and sexist slogans from your vans.
This war may take the form of direct action against your offending vans or it may be as simple as speaking to the drivers of your vans and explaining the error of their ways.
Hey, John, try being a real man and showing women the respect they deserve. Grow up little boy!
Rob said
July 15, 2014 at 13:46
I’ve just tried the website and found it to be working. It appears to take some time to load.
The ”contact us” hyperlink, however, leads to an online e-mail facility rather than giving one an e-mail address. In my experience, this is often a perfect way of ensuring that messages are ‘lost’. Still, give it your best shot.
July 15, 2014 at 13:47
As a long term resident of backpacker central, otherwise known as Cairns, I have grown used to seeing childish slogans on the back of Wicked Vans and thought these were just another annoyance from living in a tourist area, however I have since been made aware of some of the more choice slogans you appear to believe are amusing.
References to little princesses as sluts, to harpooning Japanese, and one of the most offensive references to wives (the things you screw on your bed to get the housework done) are not funny but vile racism and misogyny. Do you have any female friends or acquaintances? Are there any women you respect? Did you have a mother? Or sisters? Or, God help her, a daughter? If you answer yes to any of these questions I wonder why you need the offensive nature of your vans’ slogans explained to you.
As a man who loves and respects women and cherishes the ethnic diversity of the community I live in, I for one will commence my own little guerilla war against your stupid vans from the start of August if I don’t hear media reports of your sincere apology and commitment to remove all racist and sexist slogans from your vans.
This war may take the form of direct action against your offending vans or it may be as simple as speaking to the drivers of your vans and explaining the error of their ways.
Hey, John, try being a real man and showing women the respect they deserve. Grow up little boy!
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 20:53
Thank you! You’re awesome! I think more people should write to him.
Sandra Watson said
July 16, 2014 at 09:30
Mark Roberts said
July 15, 2014 at 13:47
I came across a Wicked Camper in the Auckland region and I was disgusted with their slogan. Thank you for starting this petition. Maybe we can ring their 800 number and give them a huge phone bill so they get the message that degrading women is unacceptable. Their number in New Zealand is 0800-246 870.
Best regards,
Richard said
July 15, 2014 at 13:51
I’ve lodged a complaint with ACMA. As a father of young girls and boys, and a businessman, this is an outrage and needs to be stopped.
Stefan said
July 15, 2014 at 13:52
Hi, thank you for starting this petition, it is long overdue that this company be held to account for their misogenistic marketing/branding on vans. May I suggest that the target market of this business, travellers/ back packers, be made aware of how offensive and indeed dangerous these vehicles actually are, as their patronage or lack of it may “drive” the message home to Wicked. This countrie’s culture of disrespect towards women is seen as part of the Australian “experience”, let’s correct that misconception one petition at a time.
Best regards,
Barbara said
July 15, 2014 at 13:52
Paula well done for calling this out. The Advertising Standards Commission might also be worth contacting as well if you haven’t thought of it already.
Andre said
July 15, 2014 at 13:53
Hi Paula – after signing your petition it occurred to me that one the of best ways to draw attention to this is to add pictures and review on travel review sites. Travellers rely on these more and more, and posting the images of the offensive vans will speak for itself. I’ve put a review on Yelp, but other can do the same on TripAdvisor and other such sites
Alan said
July 15, 2014 at 13:53
Your doing all of us a great service. On the petition of which I readily signed, it also asks if we had any ideas which may be effective in getting rid of this offensive trash. I’m sure if the tens of thousands who also support the petetion also ring the company and after getting all the long and detailed information on their rates and conditions firmly tell them of their disgust and objections the company would notice in many ways. A phone number I gleaned from the camper van on the post was 1800246869, I’m sure there are many more contact numbers, so let’s give them all ago! That number again… 1800246869
Alex Thomas said
July 15, 2014 at 13:55
Getting their entry banned by music festivals could REALLY hurt.
guyredden said
July 15, 2014 at 14:25
Presumably Wicked vans are often illegally parked on streets when their occupants want to avoid paying campground fees. Now it might feel a bit like reporting somebody for breaking a petty law, but it is a law, and if you and your family also have to walk past an offensive slogan I’d have little problem reporting someone who has chosen to rent that van.
Fiona Duigan-McKay said
July 15, 2014 at 13:58
Let’s boycott wicked campers or better still take over the business and run it with uplifting mottoes.
Sarah said
July 15, 2014 at 14:00
Good on you for taking a stand. I heard about your petition via twitter.
However I think you need more T.V coverage have you tried A Current Affair? I think John Webb needs to be chased down by a couple of outraged journalists don’t you.
I would love to see the look on his face. Wouldn’t you? I think he’s hoping this will all blow over – but don’t let it. Get more television coverage and I think that’ll get him to make a change. Especially when confronted with 150,000 signed petitions.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 23:04
I was on The Project last night with my daughter, which was great. x
Paul said
July 15, 2014 at 14:00
Park a semi-trailer outside of each of their premises with slogans on the sides of their capopys that state how terrible this company’s ethics and morality is.
Positive slogans could also be adopted on the semis.
Melissa said
July 15, 2014 at 14:02
I have another one. The photo isn’t the greatest but I seen it on Saturday night with my four children aged Girl 15 girl 13 boy 9 and baby 8 months old.
Let me know if you would like me to send it to you thanks.
Kathy said
July 15, 2014 at 14:04
Thank you for bringing this to our attention & for your standing up against this “Wicked” manifestation. So often we feel powerless to stop this type of bullying & promotion of evil against other human beings. (as someone wrote on the petition “when a rapist sees this type of slogan, they understand that they are ‘supported’ by society”. & this is not the behaviour our society supports). Evil is evil & needs to be dealt with appropriately.
The biggest collective voice we have, is like you said. complain to the Advertising Standards Board EVERY time you have witnessed any of their degrading or dangerous slogans. It wouldn’t hurt to complain to our local MP’s too, letting them know we are not happy about this bullying & promotion of evil.
Elizabeth said
July 15, 2014 at 14:05
Wicked Campers should be shut down until whoever approved this kind of rubbish can be retrained. For those of us who think, it’s just a harmless laugh, think about school kids reading this crap. I don’t want my son or any of his peers exposed to it. For anyone who thinks it doesn’t influence society, look at what happened to Jill Meagher (and countless others). There are those in society who only need a little push to fall over the edge. Let’s put some boundaries up and show some respect for each other. Thank you Paula for the work you’ve done raising awareness of this rubbish that we should not tolerate.
Elizabeth said
July 15, 2014 at 14:12
I’ve put the petition on my Facebook page and tagged them in a complaint on Twitter, drawing in the European and American Wicked Campers since the Aussie one doesn’t seem to want to talk to any of us. I guess awareness is one of the best ways we can help, but if there’s anything more that we can do to help, please let us know.
Sue Jackson said
July 15, 2014 at 14:05
I have signed and lodged a complaint with the Advertising Standards Board. As well as arguing that the ad is offensive, I stated that it is misleading to broaden the scope of the complaint. How could one prove that every ‘princess’ is in fact a ‘slut’.
Boycotts must be the next step.
1) I am willing to write to Lonely Planet for example and ask them to consider taking some action to deter backpackers from using this company when visiting Australia.
2) I would also be be prepared to help with a campaign that notified backpacker lodges of the widespread community outrage over this company’s actions.
3) And, one of the bloggers above referred to WA local council outrage. How about a letter to the Local Government Association of Australia calling on them to request all local govt camping sites be closed to Wicked Campers. There are other chains of camp grounds too – Big 4. They could be targeted.
I am furious over this issue. Over the past 25 years this kind of advertising has got a lot worse. We have to put an end to it.
Jacqueline said
July 15, 2014 at 14:08
I applaud what you are doing to bring these cloth brains at Wicked to the attention of the public. Thank you. Their deeds are appalling, atrocious and totally unacceptable.
Being one of those 1 in 3 Australian women you mentioned, I shudder with disgust at their words.
What I can’t understand is why something hasn’t been done to eradicate these morons before this.
What goes around eventually comes around. So, hopefully now, they will suffer the consequences of their actions. The sooner, the better,
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 22:21
There are no rules to enforce the removal of the slogans. That’s the real problem.
Fergus Campbell said
July 15, 2014 at 14:11
Other action which I think is worth taking is to message all their employees on LinkedIn, I’ve sent one to the person listed as the MD, though no reply. Also, posted on the Trip Advisor forum and forwarded your photo to Tourism Australia, NSW and QLD.
May also be worth handing out flyers at Bondi Beach where there campers are often seen.
Rgds,
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 22:18
Excellent, Fergus. Thank you.
tracey said
July 15, 2014 at 14:18
Take the petion of wicked campers to the TODAY show on 9 or to SUNRISE on 7. The degrading slogans need to stop women are to be cherished not abused.
Margaret Harriss said
July 15, 2014 at 14:25
Chill said
July 15, 2014 at 14:26
Evil & morally wrong!!
Mark Roberts said
July 15, 2014 at 14:31
There were two other negative reviews and my one is calling for a boycott of Wicked Campers.
I hope that helps.
Best regards,
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 22:17
merle grace said
July 15, 2014 at 14:31
Hi Paula, Thanks for giving a damn. Many years ago I stopped taking my 10 yr old daughter to a drama class as she was required to call another child a slut in play rehearsals! Regarding Wicked: I think he/they are in breach of both the decency laws and the
W H &S Laws, the public are Stakeholders. You could let Worksafe know, send an email with pictures and a complaint as well as lodge a formal complaint at the police station closest to his business about the indecent slogan that your daughter saw. It would be interesting to know whose great marketing idea this was!
Good for you for standing up
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 22:16
Thank you, Merle. I appreciate your support.
Jeff said
July 15, 2014 at 14:32
I have signed the petition and put a comment on Trip Advisor. These disgusting people should not be in business. Phone them on 1800 2468 69 and tell them what you think of them. Everyone should keep ringing and not let up. Don’t let them get away with this revolting behaviour.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 22:15
Sue Jackson said
July 15, 2014 at 14:33
I have just written to Nick Xenaphon, Adam Bandt, Family First and the Victorian Transport Minister appealing for their help.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 22:15
Kelly said
July 15, 2014 at 14:34
Sandie Cornish said
July 15, 2014 at 14:37
The Wicked advertising contravenes 2.2 of the AANA code of ethics:
2.2 Advertising or marketing communications should not
employ sexual appeal in a manner which is exploitative
and degrading of any individual or group of people.
We should be complaining to the Advertising Standards Bureau as well as signing the petition:
If AANA won’t do its job, we need to push the case for something stronger than a voluntary self-regulation by the industry.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 22:14
The complaints have been lodged and the ASB has upheld many over the years – the problem is that they have no authority to *make* WC remove them.
That’s the problem – there are no ‘laws’ or fines to enforce their removal.
But it’s being worked on.
Steven said
July 15, 2014 at 14:41
Can I suggest that you take the word “slut” off change.org as a lot of emails being sent are probably never reaching their intended recipients as they are being blocked by spam filters. Substitute it with “sl#t” or similar. Cheers
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 22:12
Thanks for the heads up, Steven.
peachy said
July 15, 2014 at 14:43
just a thought – many of these campers also have blatant rip off pictures of characters – Mickey Mouse, Bart Simpson etc… These are not licenced images and the creators of these original characters may be interested to learn how they are being used (Misused).
Carolyn Rutherford said
July 15, 2014 at 14:46
Dear Paula, I have found the most effective avenue is to contact the relevant politicians. Not sure which ones, Senator Michaelia Cash is Minister assisting the Prime Minister for Women, so I would start with her and Tony Abbott, also your local State and Federal pollies. Make a media event out of it, take copies of your petition, let the politicians, media and supporters know the time and date in advance, and invite supporters to accompany you. Good luck, and congratulations on your achievements so far.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 22:11
Thanks for your suggestions, Carolyn.
Jacqueline said
July 15, 2014 at 14:46
With reference to my last message that is awaiting moderation.
Maybe it is because I said cloth heads.
What I meant by that is, they have no brains. What I should have said is ‘cloth brains’.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 22:08
Hi Jacqueline, I haven’t even arrived to your first comment yet! I’m wading through over 100 comments just this afternoon while I was teaching and then had the usual dinner routine. It works backwards – latest comments first.
Thanks for clarifying, though. I’m sure the comment is fine – I can fix it for you, if you like.
Mark Roberts said
July 15, 2014 at 14:48
I’ve also left a google review on the “wicked campers christchurch” search, “wicked campers christchurch nz” search, and the “wicked campers queenstown” search.
My reviews are calling for a boycott of Wicked Campers.
I suggest an Australian goes through and writes reviews on all searches for wicked campers in Australia.
I hope that helps.
Best regards,
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:58
chris willcock said
July 15, 2014 at 14:50
Find out the following:
Insurers of vehicles
Advertising mediums.
Servicing breakdown arrangement for vehicles.
Approach those corporate entities identify how committed they are to being associated with this brand.
As a side issue drop the misogynistic and hone the relationship of daughter sister mother etc.That will connect and personalise more males than the use of misogynistic which unfortunately has been hijacked by right wing feminists. Which this argument is not related to.
Susan said
July 15, 2014 at 14:52
Petition the Government demanding action. Surely there is something in the law?
lisa said
July 15, 2014 at 14:53
Thanks for starting this petition. I hope it puts enough pressure on the business to rethink their slogans.
If individuals want to spout that kind of nonsense, you can talk to them directly or thankfully most cases ignore them. However this is a business, commercial vehicles, on the road, using rot as mobile advertising. That’s not on in my book.
I think if you had a chance to read this interview I found about the founder, it may need more than a public shaming to get him to chance his business stratagem. And what a sadly troubled individual he is. From a former member of a religious cult. to this..
Webb: “If you make people uncomfortable, it creates emotion. And if that happens, it means they won’t [forget you] … Also, if kids are in a car with their parents, and the parents disapprove of something they see on a Wicked camper, the kids will probably laugh. The kids are our future customers.”
I do believe that gaining support to apply pressure to his hip pocket in the form of lost business may be the only tune he is willing to dance to.
Some suggestions are;
Their overseas branches (so far their chile page had posted that they are really unhappy with the slogans are are trying in talks about it……
Wicked Campers Chile: Hi Kelly, you are in the wrong wicked Facebook page. We don’t have appalling slogans in our vans in Chile, we don’t have anything to do with it. This is a problem in Australia, not in Chile. We understand you, but here things are done different as the culture is very different than in oz. Yesterday at 14:10
Wicked Campers Chile It’s not about supporting or not, as you said we are part of an international brand… international as in different continents, different countries, different cultures, different clients, different costumer services and different marketing plans. Sure, we share something as a brand, but the work done can never be the same and should not be related. We are sorry about what’s happening over there, we are worried too, but we have happy costumers over here
Councils (pressure to change laws to prohibit vans with these slogans being parked in their area),
tourist accommodation and promotional centres locally and overseas,
business affiliates,
banking institution (that process their payments),
church groups (for the failed attempt attempt by ABS at having them remove reference to burning down churches),
transport authority (no etags issued to vans perhaps with these slogans or more roadworthies?),
other transport bodies (supporting removing the dangerous vehicles from the road),
child protection authorities/support groups (‘save water have a bath with your next door neighbours daughter – have copy of that van slogan if you want. Or person had posted on a blog that had one about having lollies and come inside and get them – sadly that woman found it funny!)
A myriad of places that could make an impact on his bottom dollar
Hope other readers of this post will also take the initiative to contact at least one of these to garner support for this worthy cause.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:54
WOW Lisa! Thank you so much for your detailed comment.
Very much appreciated! x
(would like a copy of that photo – petralunga@hotmail.com)
abloke999 said
July 15, 2014 at 15:14
I have shared and posted on my Facebook page, I can’t think of any other useful suggestions to add to the ones above that have already been suggested. Best of luck in bringing this rotten to the core company/franchise to in knees. Dave
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:53
Thanks Dave, appreciate it.
Annemaree said
July 15, 2014 at 15:23
Appreciate what you are doing Paula, this company has been offending me for many years with their racist, sexist, homophobic and disturbing slogans, well done…and off course I have signed and shared your petition. Tahnks.
Jeannette said
July 15, 2014 at 15:26
Just drove past one of these awful campers in Queenstown,NZ- picture of a smurf blowing the brains out of another smurf. I spent 15 minutes explaining to my 8 year old who was not very happy.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:52
Tonya said
July 15, 2014 at 15:33
Thanks for taking this initiative – it’s good to remember that we don’t just have to put up with this type of behaviour. And I agree that it’s especially important to create safe spaces for our daughters,
I wonder if some of those messages fall within the legal definition of sexual harrassment – if they do, the Australian Human Rights Commission could be another avenue to take this through. Their definition of sexual harrassment is here:
http://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/sex-discrimination/guides/sexual-harassment
Sharni said
July 15, 2014 at 15:41
Thanks for starting this. Have you thought about lodging a complaint with the Human Rights Commission for Sexual Harassment and discrimination? Might be worth looking into. Best of luck with the campaign.
Nicolle robinson said
July 15, 2014 at 15:46
Petition signed i also love what your doing paula, im glad you took a stand its more than appauling and as a mother im disgusted by it as a female im offended by it. Good on you! Definitely have my support x
Claire Boyd said
July 15, 2014 at 15:49
Thank you for your intelligence in handling this terrible subject. I’m so grateful that you have acted and I’d love to help in any way. I’m fed up of despairing in our society and would cherish the chance to make the world better and safer for our kids.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:51
Gunjar Sutherland said
July 15, 2014 at 16:01
try emailing:
Tell him how you feel about his companies ‘foul mouthed’ misoganystic advertising, an avalanche of mail filling his inbox & jamming the companies mail system, might go towards persuading them that this is not the way to go if they want to inhabit the same planet as the rest of us.
While one is about it 10 free calls per day from each of us to his 1800246869 number telling whoever is on the line how we feel will both tie the line up, make it unpleasant to work there and cost the company a lot of money and after all the ‘Bottom Line’ is all he really cares about.
wendy K said
July 15, 2014 at 16:06
Thankyou so much for starting this petition! How disgusting that this company seems to think its ok to advertise like this. They should be fined big bucks just for starters! Perhaps you could get a message through the early morning TV shows like Sunrise?
Lyndell Williamson said
July 15, 2014 at 16:06
I’m so glad you have started this. I made a complaint a few years after I became stuck in traffic behind a Wicked Camper. The slogan was so offensive I had to get my children to look down so they couldn’t read it.
I spoke to someone at Main Roads. Their number is 132380. I was told I would need the registration, make of car and photo. I didn’t have those things, so nothing was done. I think it should be obvious enough to Main Roads that there is an issue with the company and the onus should be on Main Roads to investigate, not an innocent driver to take a photo of an offensive slogan.
Wendy Francis started a campaign a few years ago to try and pressure the government to make outdoor advertising G-rated. Perhaps you could contact her for more help. Here is a link to help:
I’m not sure this falls under advertising. Perhaps under the law it is the same class as a bumper sticker? Either way, the bottom line is that these vehicles are being used on tax-payer funded roads. It is ridiculous that the government has child welfare agencies which are there to protect children, yet they allow children to be subjected to such sexually explicit language on their roads.
Due to the nature of the Wicked Camper business, I think it would be difficult to dissuade potential clients from using them. Is there a way people power can target the business? Could you appeal to any businesses that could boycott users of Wicked Campers?
One last thought. How about the Minister for Tourism? Is there anything that could be done there?
All the best. Keep fighting and keep everyone posted. I’m sure there are many of us who will fight against it with you.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:48
Thanks for all your suggestions, Lyndell.
John M said
July 15, 2014 at 16:07
Approach a rival business to wicked campers encouraging them to signwrite positive messages. Their advertising campaign could then be a comparison with wicked campers and asking customers which one would you rent? Hit them at their own game.
L. Williams said
July 15, 2014 at 16:11
It is called obscenity and not sure but that used to be an offence. We cannot accept bad behaviour and teach the next generation that we didn’t have the guts to stand up and change it.
Tom said
July 15, 2014 at 16:33
To put pressure on Wicked Campers post links with petition on Gumtree sub heading community/rideshare and travel partners (many backpackers listed). Cheers Tom
Jacqueline said
July 15, 2014 at 16:34
No Kerri, sorry I can’t. I replied to your message, unsure if it went through OK.
Regards,
Mickleseered said
July 15, 2014 at 16:42
Drop in to your local backpackers with a sign saying that wicked camper renters maybe boycotted. Persuade the potential market to choose another company
Bruce said
July 15, 2014 at 16:55
I for one will not be using this company as I would have done on my up coming trip to Queensland unless they are prepared to take action to remove these stupid degrading displays
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:46
Thanks, Bruce.
Roslyn Hamilton said
July 15, 2014 at 17:12
Hi I am not sure where the wicked campers are based. But mayb a stand up picket type protest out side all there premises. May be a start.
Kim said
July 15, 2014 at 17:19
Boycott Wicked Vans and DO NOT HIRE THEM……they will get the message. No one wants to do business with anyone with such a pig mentality.
Lisa said
July 15, 2014 at 17:25
Hi Paula, I commend your stance against these repugnant slogans getting around our communities. I too am a mother and find it disrespectful and degrading. We live in noosa and often see these vans on their tourist routes.i happily signed your petition and forwarded it onto the Noosa deputy Mayor and selected councillors to see if we can’t get some heavy weights behind this as well.
Hooray to both you and your daughter for having your voices heard loud and clear…and for creating a platform for others to do the same.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:45
Peter said
July 15, 2014 at 17:28
This is an outstanding example of the ridiculous waste of resources, on issues that are incredibly unimportant in society. This society has become so bogged down with people expecting political correctness, that it encroaches on how most normal people live their lives. There are people starving, big corporations, and world leaders are ruining our planet. And you are worried that a sexist joke on the back of a van, is a problem for your children to see. I have met Peter Webb. He probably is a misogynist. Who gives a Fuck? This is the world we live in,and rather than try and stop every idiot in the world from offending you or your children, perhaps you should spend that time educating your kids on why they should just avoid people like that. Are you going to try and stop someone from wearing a t shirt with a sexist slogan, because you’re kid might see it? Wake up to yourself. The real problem is people like you that are easily offended by ridiculous things, then get all righteous about other people who are just dickheads . Stop wasting your time on trying to change people that won’t ever change, and use your energy for something that actually matters in this world.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:45
Your clichéd arguments are peppered throughout this forum. What I don’t want to waste my time doing, is spelling it out for you, so you can look for my response yourself in other comments like yours. But they’re not common.
The overwhelming support this has created from people around the country would suggest that we do, in fact, have a problem that needs addressing.
sarah said
July 15, 2014 at 23:17
You sound like a very ignorant individual, you only need to talk to a woman who has felt threatened at some point in their lives (which is a huge percentage of us) to understand why these statements are dangerous… They reinforce the belief that some men have that they have the right to treat women as sexual objects. You say that people today are wanting to be too politically correct but in the past this kind of language was restricted to adult only audiences, after hours radio, tv, or within pubs etc, it is now being brought out onto the street where children and their parents cannot escape it!
Dereen said
July 16, 2014 at 10:40
Peter, while the issue appears to you to be “incredibly unimportant in society”, you must admit that to many people it obviously isn’t unimportant. They are not taking offence easily; instead they are deeply distrurbed by the slogans and the mentality that fosters the slogans.
And if people are so deeply concerned that they are willing to take a stance, it is their right to do so.
You have your opinion, that’s fine – but please respect the opinion of others.
Marcel Remmers said
July 17, 2014 at 21:32
Thank you, Peter. You are demonstrating exactly why this change is very needed.
lockyervalley said
July 15, 2014 at 17:39
Have you thought about searching “backpacking in Australia” to find sites where you can leave a message about your campaign? These are the main target market for these vans.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:38
Yes, we have started with them.
Thanks!
Jane Thomson said
July 15, 2014 at 17:43
Hi Paula. Thanks for doing this – so important. I live in the ACT but you may be able to make a complaint of sex discrimination or sexual harassment against Wicked. The Women’s Legal Centre would be able to give you some advice on this:
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:36
Keith said
July 15, 2014 at 17:46
The best way would be to get all the state police and vehicle inspectors to pull these vehicles over for a roadworthy check up every time they spot them. Harass the renters and “Wicked” will soon start to lose business.
Bruce said
July 15, 2014 at 17:47
If you find these messages offensive you’re probably justified in painting over them, do it!
magswell said
July 15, 2014 at 17:51
Perhaps we might email caravan parks and camping grounds. voice our cocerns and explain that we won‘t be staying there while they allow campers exibiting such highly offensive slogans sites. Surely park owners and managers will act. Money talks.
Sophie said
July 15, 2014 at 17:58
Good work Paula. I suggest you also put this petition on http://WWW.CARE2.COM – it is supposed to be the worlds biggest petition site. The world needs to know what a disgusting company Wicked Campervans are.
On holidays in New Zealand I saw these moronic vans and firstly thought the locals were a bunch of bogans who had no respect for society until I realised they were hire vans, then I thought the renters were drugged – out losers.
What is society coming to when you are allowed to have those filthy messages on vans that are seen by young children. If a shop sold tee-shirts with those slogans they would be withdrawn – what is the difference?
Lynette Pyke said
July 15, 2014 at 18:00
Maybe you could ask the petrol companies not to sell petrol to anyone driving one of these vans. That way, the owners lose business and anyone stupid enough to think these slogans are funny, won’t be able to drive the vans far.
Imogen said
July 15, 2014 at 18:22
i know this suggestion is left of centre, but how about asking folks to come up with alternative slogans? Ones that are funny, positive and cheekily ‘aussie’, which is apparently what Wicked is trying to achieve. Show by overwhelming example how much funnier it is to be witty and clever, not sexist, rascist and fatist.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:34
It wouldn’t hurt. Apparently they used to be better in the earlier days.
K said
July 15, 2014 at 18:35
Spread the word on YHA websites, woofing forums, backpackers that they will be targeted. Tell them they will get their brake lines cut, windscreens smashed, flat tyres, sugar in the gastanks, apple up the tail-pipe biz. International scare campaign.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:32
Have already started with the travel sites!
Not sure about the other suggestions. Not my style.
Thanks Kasey.
Samuel jukes said
July 15, 2014 at 18:48
I have used wicked campers on several occasions in the past and can safely say they are the most unreliable and useless vehicle rental service I’ve ever used. Mould in the vans, one time they have us a ‘4’ man camper which was identical to the ‘3’ man but with additional tent (half of which was left and possibly designed for a 4 year old) they are also the only company to give you the vehicle on a empty tank urging you a petrol station is just up the road. I do believe that in civilisations like here in the uk and in Australia need not worry about these leading too misoginistic views because in reality sexism doesn’t really exists in this day and age especially in the work place… Of course there will always be a few rotten eggs but I think if you take a step back and look at our ‘societies’ we really have a equal place for both men and women. I do agree with offensive slogans like this to be stopped because it is simply offensive and confusing for a child who can easily come across them. Saying it leads to people beating there wife’s I think that’s a little far fetched and believe alcohol and hard drugs are the major cause of this. You would defiantly have my backing if you started a campaign to abolish sexism and discrimination of woman in Muslim communities who have been degraded and continue to do so in the name of ‘religion’ I believe that they are centuries behind where were at and could do with a voice to effect a change in there rights and well being.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:31
A few things: I never said these slogans lead to any person to do anything – like beating their wives (?) I don’t think there’s any slogan about that. What they DO do is normalise and support perspectives that are dangerous. Calling all girls sluts or wives an attachment you screw on the bed – sexually objectifies females and makes them inferior. This is a dangerous perspective to drive around in a van.
Secondly, Sexism *does* exist and it doesn’t help to think that it only manifests in one manner – e.g. in Muslim communities. The rape culture amongst our youth is prevalent (I’m a high school teacher) and the sort of attitude that accompanies rape culture are slogans such as ‘Nice legs, when do they open’ or ‘Drink till she’s pretty’- these Wicked Camper slogans all support a culture where the female in question is irrelevant; getting in her pants is the ultimate goal. That’s rape culture and it’s being driven around our roads – educating and normalising.
I have written and supported the plight of females around the world – but this affected my daughter directly and I’m supporting her (and all girls).
Thanks for your comment.
Sandra Watson said
July 16, 2014 at 09:38
Well said Paula.
July 16, 2014 at 14:50
Hi Samuel, how does the statistic which reveals at least one woman every week dies from domestic violence here in Australia (no, not Pakistan but here in our own country) stand up to your claim about gender equality here? It is estimated that at least one third of all Australian women and girls are sexual assaulted. We may not be living under the horrors of a Taliban regime here but we got a long way to go.
karen said
July 15, 2014 at 18:56
Personally, I think we should have large stickers made to cover the offensive material.
treehousesecrets said
July 15, 2014 at 19:06
Hi Paula, has you been in direct contact with Wicked? If so what was there response? I so support your cause but am concerned at the free press they are getting from this. I’d like to know if any negotiations have been tried and if they have shot themselves in the foot at all? I am involved in women’s self defence and they need to be held accountable. Just following through for info as would like to see a positive outcome. Cheers Tracey Jones-Smythe
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:08
No, I have not tried to make contact because this all went viral only a day after I put up the petition and it was a Sunday.
On that Sunday I was interviewed by the ABC and they had spoken to John Webb and he said he didn’t care.
In terms of ‘advertising’ – it’s overwhelmingly negative against them. So very many have expressed their relief at finally having something being done. There may be a few who support them but they are in the minority.
We’ll be hitting other avenues until they comply. (hope)
Thank you so much for your comment.
July 15, 2014 at 21:22
All the best Paula, a worthy endeavour and I’m back in Aus next week. Any help that we can offer you let us know.
ADS said
July 15, 2014 at 19:40
picture on left & right seems strange given the context
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:02
On my blog, do you mean?
I am a warrior for balance and think this image is beautiful – of two people perfectly balanced.
ADS said
July 15, 2014 at 19:41
July 15, 2014 at 19:48
I left a message on all Wicked Facebook pages, they have to stop this stupid advertising and go back to painted bands on there campers like the early days! We were proud ,12 years ago ,to drive in a camper with David Bowie painted on it!
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:01
Thanks Els. Yes, I’ve heard that they used to be much cooler. Let’s hope they realise that that’s the way to go.
Jo Roberts said
July 15, 2014 at 20:16
Apologies if this suggestion has already been made, but how about asking the operators of al the major camping music festivals that, in support of an end to misogyny and to say they support the safety and respect of women at their events, they ban these eyesores from festival sites? Splendour, Bluesfest, Falls Festival, Confest, FRL, Meredith, Golden Plains, Boogie … if this guy just ignores upheld complaints, the only thing that might make him think twice about changing his van ‘branding’ might be the thought of a potentially substantial loss of income.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 21:00
Noone has suggested music festivals, but we have started going to travel businesses – such as Trip Advisor and camp sites – to disassociate themselves from WC.
Jo Roberts said
July 15, 2014 at 22:03
Great work Paula. Please let me know if you’d like contacts at some of the festivals, I can help. Cheers.
Leonard Schafer said
July 15, 2014 at 20:23
I do not subscribe to Facebook or to Twitter so I cannot sign your petition in the way that I am used to.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 20:58
The link is on the post you commented from. A link is also on the post titled ‘From little things big things grow’.
Otherwise go to Change.org and it’s the first petition on their site.
Thanks for your support, Leonard.
Deb Windsor said
July 15, 2014 at 20:28
Has anyone forwarded this filth onto the NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Skipione? Commissioner Skipione may well be fully informed and he would simply not tolerate this. I am sure it will come under some form of offence, after all there are restrictions on the type of number plate you are permitted to have. It cannot translate into something offensive. Secondly, try contacting Ben Fordham at 2GB, he has supported petitions before with much success and absolutely loathes this sort of thing, he will encourage more signatures, I am totally sure of it. Ben’s email address is Ben@2GB.com or you can reach him by via the 2GB website http://www.2gb.com.
questionsforus said
July 15, 2014 at 20:56
I spoke to Ben live on 2GB yesterday and was really supportive.
I’ll give the Police Commissioner a try.
Thanks heaps.
diana said
July 15, 2014 at 20:51
Hello i totally support your petition..maybe as an idea is to get the “WHITE RIBBON CAMPAIGN” to support you its a campaign against violence towards woman I know that its in auzzie cause im on the committee here in NZ…hope that helps the cause move forward
Alex McKellar said
July 15, 2014 at 21:30
Paula! Ace job bringing this issue into the spotlight. I’m thinking Wicked are only concerned about “controversy” (I prefer to call it misogyny) to promote their brand while making more money from unassuming backpackers. Why not join forces with one of the other camper companies and undercut their van rental package prices? I’m getting on tripadvisor right now. Oh, and did you know I can’t complain to advertising standards bureau because I haven’t actually seen the princess/slut van? Preposterous.
Marcel Remmers said
July 15, 2014 at 22:29
The slogan about the princess needs a bit added to it : “And regret it for the rest of her life”. The Aussi culture is still young but it is certainly time to make it more civilized.
The photo that is showing is amazing. My son is a dancer. They are more fit than a footballer.(that is another Aussi ignorance)
Mr Atomodong said
July 15, 2014 at 23:00
Help them to change. Offer some alternative slogans for them to use. Remove some of the burden and pressure and turn it into a constructive energy and a development.
Ask for a people’s brain storm of funny – respectful slogans. Maybe wicked won’t like them, but it changes it from an attack to an improvement.
sarah said
July 15, 2014 at 23:07
I am a strong supporter of your efforts! I have both a son and a daughter and I strive to teach them both how to properly treat others and what treatment they should accept & more importantly what NOT to accept!!! I have signed petition and also sent wicked campers a message via their ‘contact us’ page, if everyone takes a moment to express disgust and bombard them with thousands of messages, we can only hope they will listen….i love the other ideas especially getting caravan parks etc to ban the vehicles.
Rob said
July 16, 2014 at 00:37
Re Sarah’s response to Peter, whilst I am against political correctness per se (which I consider both negative and destructive), I consider all of the objections to Wicked’s actions expressed here entirely right and reasonable. These slogans are crass, inexcusable, several universes away from funny and totally beneath contempt. Possibly even criminal – incitement to commit offences of rape and child molestation?
Incidentally, I fully support the spray can approach proposed by some colleagues. Give Wicked a lot of the wrong publicity by making the colours as garish as possible. Spray the boss and his premises as well, while you’re about it. I bet he’ll care about that!
And before anyone writes to say we are inciting the commission of the offence of criminal damage, so what? Let them prosecute.
July 16, 2014 at 01:28
Thankyou for putting up the “Wicked Campers” petition, which I signed yesterday, and sent to several friends. I guess there are a few people with the emotional maturity of a 15-year-old who might find the messages hilarious, but nobody else. Like you, I think my kids (son, 9 and daughter, 12) definitely don’t need to see such trash.
To me, it is not the sexy stuff which offends, but the appalling insensitivity and lack of respect for others. And it seems there are a huge number of fellow Aussies who agree.
As I write this (10:50pm), I see the petition signatures are pushing towards 114,000 with new signatures coming at 12 to 15 per minute – that’s about 700 – 900 per hour.
Unfortunately, as others have noted, John Webb seems to think any publicity is good publicity, so there should be further action taken to ensure his business takes a financial hit. Maybe a social media campaign targeting his customer base, asking them if they would like having such comment directed to their own families (and kids in particular)?
And of course, there’s always direct action.
I wonder how John would like slogans modelled after his own, like:
Melanie said
July 16, 2014 at 02:57
I sent a message to thier Facebook page saying how disgusted I was. Maybe other people can do the same
EdwardianLady said
July 16, 2014 at 08:49
Hi Paula, Well done for starting this petition. I saw one of these vans in April but it never occurred to me that it was a company/business signing off to these messages. Shocking. You asked for further suggestions & I wonder if its worth you making contact with the ‘No more Page 3’ team in the UK. They have been enormously successful applying pressure to ‘The Sun’ newspaper in order for them to remove the topless Page 3 model from its pages.
questionsforus said
July 16, 2014 at 12:35
Thanks Felicity, I’ve been an avid follower of their campaign.
Rachel said
July 16, 2014 at 09:07
Wicked campers are all appallingly maintained and can’t be roadworthy. Pressure the motor vehicle registers in each state to blitz them and put them out of business.
Dereen said
July 16, 2014 at 10:24
Chelle Of Steel said
July 16, 2014 at 12:52
I’ve signed and shared on Facebook, also saw Paula and her daughter on The Project last night talking bout this disgusting statement, outrages how we can’t say certain words in TV shows yet is advertised if violence or swearing will be shown, yet it’s ok for a van to have the word “slut” in plain sight for anyone to see in general public? That makes me sick! My daughter just turn six and is extremely smart, if she were to see that van, and ask me what does slut mean, I dread on how I could reply, the sooner this company removes all of their offensive statements the better it will be…
Mark Roberts said
July 16, 2014 at 14:28
Because of the google reviews I wrote on various wicked camper searches e.g. “wicked campers auckland”, if you google “wicked campers” in New Zealand you get my pic with my “BOYCOTT WICKED CAMPERS!!!” message and link to my review right underneath the link to wickedcampers.co.nz. This however doesn’t work on Windows 8.1 unfortunately, which sucks so no one should want to upgrade to it anyway. As a result of my campaign, if you google “mark roberts” in New Zealand (not on Win 8.1), you will see a pic of me with “BOYCOTT WICKED CAMPERS!!!” underneath my pic at the very top of the right side of the page. The most famous Mark Roberts is a British streaker! Don’t get us confused!
Best regards,
Mark Roberts said
July 16, 2014 at 17:53
I had some spare time so I’ve posted reviews for wicked campers in brisbane, queensland, sydney, nsw, woolloongabba, melbourne, adelaide, perth, and south africa. If I google “wicked campers sydney” from New Zealand there is your news story on the left side of the page and my pic and review a little lower on the right side of the page. I’m not sure what appears if you google from Australia. Again, Windows 8.1 shows nothing. Google only shows my reviews at 7 but I’ve done more than that. If you google “boycott wicked campers” or “wicked campers boycott”, I’m at #2 on the first page. I had to rewrite some of my reviews cos google flagged some of my reviews as not complying with their content policy. Maybe they thought I was spamming???
Hopefully between your news stories and my reviews people will be warned away.
Best regards,
Jennifer Beahan said
July 16, 2014 at 18:29
Nice work Paula. Hope the contents of this article are true and they indeed apologis to you and your daughter.
Rialanna said
July 16, 2014 at 19:57
This news just in regarding Wicked Campers. The Senate just unanimously passed Qld senator Larissa Waters’ motion condemning the sexist, misogynist and racist slogans that Wicked Campers have on their hire vans.
brooke said
July 16, 2014 at 20:05
hoorah! just read the media release ‘Senate passes Greens motion condemning Wicked Campers’ promotion of sexual violence against women’. they have already removed one of the slogans and will remove more shortly. THANK YOU!!!
Rialanna said
July 16, 2014 at 20:10
There’s an announcement on the 4ZZZ (Brisbane radio station) facebook page regarding this press release, and someone’s posted a photo of a Wicked van, before with a really gross phrase, and then after someone’s sprayed over it in the same style – “If you wouldn’t say it to ya nan… don’t write it on ya van!”
Mark Roberts said
July 16, 2014 at 21:24
The media statement said they’d remove the slogans over the next 6 months. It might take me that long to stop my BOYCOTT WICKED CAMPERS campaign.
SjB said
July 17, 2014 at 10:46
I will take Wicked Vans’ reported commitment to phase out / spray over / modify the language somewhat / say whatever they have to do for now …. with a large grain of salt. This company and its owner have form over a long period. I engaged in an extensive email and personal conversation with them years ago after seeing their vile intrusion into the public space and they really don’t care.
They said they have a successful business model and they told me that the people who complain aren’t their customers so they don’t have to care. Even this petition, which I signed, will be irrelevant in pressuring them long term. I carry a spray can of paint, and should I see a van I will use it. I suspect that they pay to have these slogans painted on, despite the graffiti like appearance, and paying to have them constantly repainted might push the only button they have, their bottom line.
questionsforus said
July 17, 2014 at 23:58
I think it’s important to give them a chance. This campaign was different in the magnitude of the outcry and the reach of the negative press.
They have been compliant, whereas they never were in the past.
I think this time they realised their ‘successful business model’ – is no more.
Thanks for your comment.
SjB said
July 17, 2014 at 12:01
Oh, and by the way, well done with the petition and the resulting action. If anything can change them, your action will be the start.
questionsforus said
July 17, 2014 at 23:59
Jamie said
July 17, 2014 at 12:53
I don’t like most of the crap written on the wicked camper and would never rent one but I don’t think we should ban something because we don’t like it. If most people really are offended by it they won’t rent their vehicles and they will change of their own accord. Banning something because you find it offensive is a slippery slope, whatever happened to freedom of expression?
questionsforus said
July 17, 2014 at 13:57
I never called for the banning of anything. I’ve been very, very clear that I never wanted the demise of the business; merely the removal of dangerous slogans like the one my 11 yr old daughter saw.
The problem is that the person that uses the business (the driver) is the only one who *doesn’t* see the slogan – just the rest of us. And the slogan in question, amongst many others (but not all) are abhorrent.
The outcry of support would suggest that people agree.
Freedom of speech is a right – one I have been allowed to utilise through this petition – but where do we draw the ethical line?
Thanks Jaime.
Marcel Remmers said
July 17, 2014 at 21:36
Congratulations. It is a win for civilisation. marcel
questionsforus said
July 18, 2014 at 00:00
Rob said
July 18, 2014 at 13:57
Wonderful as our achievement is, I regret I share SjB’s reservations as to the long-term effects. The owner has frequently made clear how he cares not one jot about adverse opinion and reactions. He is only taking apparent action now because he has been forced to. This is of an entirely different order to a heartfelt acceptance that he has done wrong, a heartfelt apology and a heartfelt commitment to do better and ensure no repetition.
So, my message is: monitor closely what he does, keep up relentless pressure and make sure you keep various tourism-related bodies and media not only on board but on side.
questionsforus said
July 18, 2014 at 17:07
Thanks Rob.
I will be doing what I can.
Rob said
July 18, 2014 at 17:20
I don’t doubt that for one second!
questionsforus said
July 18, 2014 at 17:21
I need to have a bit of a wee rest, though. That was the most surreal six days of my life. Plus a full-time job and family. Crazy.
Rob said
July 18, 2014 at 17:42
Thank God for people with your level of energy and commitment. Do take a break, though. Heaven knows you’ve earned it.
questionsforus said
July 18, 2014 at 17:51
Thank you.
SjB said
July 18, 2014 at 21:46
@Jamie “Banning something because you find it offensive is a slippery slope”…
There is a lot of offensive material out there, but one usually has decided to seek it out. Wicked Campers don’t give you a choice. You can be out walking or driving, and see material that, if in print, would not be legally available to children. The nice young man at Wicked Campers assured me that children see much worse on the internet every day, but that involves a choice to go online. I don’t get a choice, and every time I pull up in traffic behind one of these vans I am exposed to the work product of a world view that is at best misogynistic and denigrating, and at worst rapey. I don’t want to educate, transform or convert these people. I just don’t want to read their contumely. It’s not censorship, it’s good manners.
questionsforus said
July 18, 2014 at 22:40
That was so articulate and spot on.
Thank you. x
August 26, 2014 at 00:06
I just saw this and you already hit goal. Had to take some time off WordPress, but wow.
Pretty proud of you. And I thank-you right along with your daughter and other daughters (who might) I’m sure.
questionsforus said
September 6, 2014 at 15:28
It was pretty-full on but SO positive. A good (and very fast) win that for all the way to the Senate in four days.
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Allan was born in Victoria B.C. His father was in the Canadian Air Force so he grew up at several bases across Canada, including Tofino BC, Whitehorse Yukon, and Chatham New Brunswick.
In New Brunswick he became an Air Cadet and later went through university in the ROTP program. He received a Pilot Officer commission in 1966. After graduating from UVIC with a degree in Math and Physics he did not pursue an Air Force career and became a Physics lab instructor. He met his future wife, Kathy Rauchert, in the line up at the UVIC graduation ceremony. They were married in 1972.
When the university closed for the summer, he went scuba diving, surfing at Long Beach, and fishing. Within a few years he answered the call of the sea and forgot about working ashore.
His first boat was a tiny west coast troller, the Jibbs. Two other small trollers he fished with belonged to Henry Nolla of Tofino and Alex Mulholland of Ladysmith. They all became lifetime friends. In 1973 Al and Henry, who was a Tofino artist, purchased the 86 ft. old sardine packer, the Pride of Fundy, on Grand Manan Island NB, and sailed her home through the Panama Canal. They used the boat for fishing tuna and halibut and then later as a fish packer and cash buyer.
The Reimers moved to Salt Spring Island in 1979, and quickly became part of the island’s dynamic maritime community. Their boat joined an iconic fishing fleet, including the Annie Tuck, the Pacific Prowler, Lady Patricia, Miss Universe, the Crazy Horse, and the Salty Isle.
In the summer of 1985, The Pride of Fundy, with a full load of 50 tons of Sockeye Salmon from Rivers Inlet, struck a rock in the night, just off Port Hardy. The crew survived but the boat could not be salvaged intact. Instead, the shoreline was gradually covered with tons of rotting salmon much to the disgust of the local residents.
Al’s next boat was the Pescadero, a bowpicker gillnetter, he built in 1986. After that he had many happy years at sea with his deckhand nephew, Byron. He fished along side local legends like bowpickers Billy Hitchcock, Pat Fraser and Ray and Arnie Hengstler. Some of his happiest fishing times also were off San Juan and the Nitinat Bar, with his friend Carl on the Silver Surfer.
As the salmon openings became few and far between he purchased a share in a classic old wooden troller turned crab boat, the Pride and Joy. For a few years he also fished king crab in the Portland Canal area, north of Prince Rupert along the Alaska border. When the salmon fishing declined, in the late 1990s, he sold his licences and boats and retired from the fishing industry.
After retiring Al kept busy caring for his family. He spent a lot of time with his parents and built a house for his aunt, after all of them had moved to Salt Spring Island. He saw his son James through years of medical care including two double lung transplants. Despite some good times playing pool at the Legion, and taking a memorable trip to Europe with his friend and scrabble partner, Sam Bawlf, retirement was not easy for Allan. He suffered two strokes, first in 1996 and again in 2011, after which he endured 9 years in extended care – long enough to see his son married to Adena and to meet his precious granddaughter Lilah Joan.
Allan was predeceased by his beloved daughter Laura Jane (1982), his parents Ed and Vivian, and his wonderful uncle and aunt, Don and Irene Roper. He is survived by his wife Kathy, son James (Adena), amazing granddaughter Lilah Joan, favorite nephew Byron Nutton, and cousin Ron Sangster (Linda). He also has many in-laws and Reimer cousins as well as dozens of good friends along the coast.
A memorial will be held later, when it is safe to do so, at the Royal Canadian Legion, Salt Spring Island.
Donations in memory of Allan can be made to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or to the Island Stream and Salmon Enhancement Society.
“It’s those times ashore that kill a man, not his days at sea”
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All three of these goals are in perfect alignment, and they mix and mingle in different ways depending on which aspect of Mustachanism we are discussing at any given time. Today we’ll be focusing in on #2: What actually makes us happy.
Now, everybody knows that I like to promote a relatively frugal lifestyle. Critics of my approach have said things like this,
“You can’t take your money with you when you die, buddy. How’d you like to die tomorrow after scrimping and saving for your whole life, never having spent your money?”
“I happen to like driving around in a nice car. There’s no way I’m going to bike to work all week and work hard every day just so I can drive around in a $5,000 shitbox on the weekends” *
“I like to buy myself something nice a few times a year. What’s the harm as long as I’m staying within my budget?”
In fact, even the relatively frugal financial blogger I call Mortgage Free Mike once wrote this comment on an earlier MMM article:
“You have a really great.. and unique… attitude about money. I’m not sure if I can regularly deny myself purchases, but at the same time tell myself that it’s a win, but it’s worth a shot!”
All of these statements would have sounded perfectly rational to me when I was just a little younger. In fact, the one breakthrough that flipped my thinking on the matter was learning about the scientific studies that have been done on hedonic adaptation.
In less fancy terms, what this term means is that “no matter what happens to you in your life, you’ll very quickly get used to it”. Hedonic Adaptation is a feature built right into your Human DNA that allows you to function efficiently in a wide variety of environments, even very harsh ones.
A most striking example of this was a 1978 psychological study that evaluated the happiness levels of recent lottery winners, and recently injured paraplegics relative to the general population. As you’d expect, the lottery winners were pretty upbeat immediately after their win, and the paraplegics were pretty pissed off. But within just two months, both groups had returned back to the average level of happiness.
“That’s Impossible!” , I thought. “How could this be!?”
Well, it turns out that when a person jumps to a new level of material convenience, he loses the ability to enjoy the things he previously thought were pretty neat. A cold Bud Light was once a true delight after a work day for the lottery winner, but after the win he quits the job and takes up high-end scotch, poured by a personal butler. Both serve the same purpose, and the pleasure is about the same. Similarly, when moving down the hedonic scale, either voluntarily or involuntarily, we can learn to appreciate simpler things with just as much gusto as we would have appreciated more expensive things. I truly love the sound of the wheels of my bike slicing through the quiet wind on an open road, just as much as I enjoyed the whirring sound of the gear-driven camshafts and the rich tuned exhaust note of my old VFR800 motorcycle.
This happiness averaging also explains why we the people of the most materially abundant country in the world, the United States, where the gas is the cheapest and the cars are the fanciest and the houses are the biggest, are actually quite far below other less wealthy countries in the world when we evaluate our own happiness. Depending on the survey, you’ll see countries like Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, Bhutan, Mexico, Cuba, and others kicking our ass, and the US rarely ranks above #17 on the list.
It is intuitively hard to believe these things at first, when you have been raised as a consumer. My cravings for the crisply carved seats and slickety smooth gearshift of a Mini Cooper S felt very real. Just as Mrs. Money Mustache’s cravings for the artistic perfection and self confidence boost offered by the latest names in athletic fashion felt real. In fact, the cravings ARE real, and the adrenaline rush of buying these new things is real as well. They really do make you feel happy – for a very short time.
The key for me is not denying the existence of the craving or the short term rush. It’s zooming out and reminding myself, “Dude, the scientists have already figured this out for you. You can buy the Cooper, and get a short term rush, or you can put that same energy and money into doing something that creates far more lasting happiness.”
And that’s the golden nugget for you. You only have a limited lifespan, and you’ve got a real chance to go get yourself some lasting happiness. Are you going to spend that time chasing the scientifically-proven-to-be-ineffective short adrenaline rushes that you get from buying yourself some more shit? Or would you prefer to actually experience Several Golden Decades of Deluxe Life that are so good you look back and laugh at them even when you are a Skeleton?
Luckily, the wise scientists and psychologists who came before us have already done the work, and we know, in a general sense, what is most likely to make a person happy. And when it comes down to a battle between my own emotion-biased intuition, and real scientific research, I’m going to side with the scientists every time, because I always bet on the side where the odds are in my favor.
In no particular order, the biggest factors influencing human happiness include meaningful work (with lots of autonomy, low stress, and low fear of losing your job), private life, community, health, freedom, and a philosophy of life.
Pretty simple isn’t it? And you will note that the Way of the Money Mustache addresses all of these areas.
Because work is such an important part of human happiness, as a Mustachian you will work as quickly as possible to take the money component out of it, so that you can have the option of deciding like a real Adult what kind of work you want to do each day. To achieve this, you will lower your expenses and put the incredibly high level of savings that result, directly to work for you. And in the process, you won’t suffer at all, because all you’re giving up is a little bit of the Hedonic Adaptation Crack Cocaine.
By gaining financial independence, you will naturally turn more to helping others, bonding with your own family and friends and community, and you’ll have the extra time and the reduced stress levels allowing you to take better care of your health. Freedom goes without saying – here in the rich world, the only widespread form of slavery is the economic type**. Debt and an addiction to high consumption are a very real form of slavery, and gaining freedom from it is a genuine contributor to Real Happiness.
People who are already financially independent might now step in and say “Aha, but if I’ve already got the freedom and the health, then am I allowed to go out and buy myself a whole bunch of fancy shit?”.
This question becomes more complicated. I’ve pretty much been cured from the desire for a lifestyle any more luxurious than the one I already live. And I’m actually hoping to step it down gradually over time. The obvious reason to reject things like a fancier car or house is that they use up more of the planet’s natural resources that could be used to help someone else instead. On the other hand, buying more services and experiences in your own community might end up supporting younger and less wealthy people (students, actors, musicians, artists) which might do a bit of good to society and share your wealth. I like the idea of starting businesses that employ a wide variety of people and treat them unusually well. Or creating funding incentives for schools and students in such a way that they up their game significantly. It’s a tricky problem, deciding what is the most efficient use for extra money, but I’ll leave it to you to think it over when you get there.
So when you hear people who are still in the Sukka Consumer mindset, telling you that they don’t want to deprive themselves of the happiness afforded by buying things for themselves, even while they struggle with debt or unpleasant work, tell them to look into the science behind what they are saying. They’re actually like a dangerously unfit person saying they don’t want to deprive themselves of the pleasure of sitting on the couch all day and go out for a walk instead.
Science has proven they are both wrong. The sooner you can accept this convenient fact, the sooner you can become rich. And happy!
* Actual closely paraphrased quote made somewhere online about an MMM article.
** Correction: years later, a reader pointed out to me that literal slavery still exists and it’s still a big problem due to Human Trafficking – even in the US. More information at the Polaris Project and there’s also a Wikipedia entry on it. (Thanks Seth!)
You might also like:
Which is Safer: Rental Houses or Stock Investments? (a Case Study)
rjack October 22, 2011, 7:15 am
I’ve read about one-half of the Stoicism book you recommended and I too found the Hedonistic Adaption described in the book useful. I’ve found that forcing myself to have 2 week “evaluation period” before I buy new stuff that I often no longer need what I thought I needed.
Garrick October 18, 2012, 10:49 am
What is this book called?
Joe July 16, 2013, 8:46 am
“A Guide to the Good Life, The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy”. From MMM book review dated October 2, 2011
RetiredToWin Alex March 28, 2015, 5:35 pm
The mirror side of Hedonistic Adaptation is what I call “frugalistic adaptation.” It’s implied in the tenets of Stoicism, and it is very real.
(1) You get quickly used to living with the frugal choices you’ve made — particularly if they are what I term frugality without sacrifice.
(3) The frugality then becomes self-reinforcing.
And you are then riding a virtuous cycle that gets you to be more frugal AND be more satisfied with it. It’s a pretty neat — and helpful — psychological effect.
BrunoB October 22, 2011, 8:02 am
This is the reason I come back here every now and then. This blog is so much more than personal finance. It is a way of life in balance with your inner values. This is the future I would like our next generation to grow up in. It wasn’t much different two generations ago… I still have hope.
Kristi October 22, 2011, 8:05 am
Thanks for this great article. I will be revisiting this one from time to time when I need a little perspective. :) Keep up the great work.
bigato October 22, 2011, 9:06 am
What a piece of wisdom you’ve got here.
I would add that the contrast between not having and having is what gives us pleasure.
For example, the best drink you can have is a simple cup of fresh water after you are really thirsty.
The best food is the most simple one, tasted when we are really hungry.
Any piece of plain wood can be a king’s bed for the one that is really tired.
Hard work helps to get thirsty, hungry and tired, and that is the reason it is one of the best sources of happiness.
The feeling of acomplishment that comes when you see the result of your work materialized is also a great source of joy. That’s also why hand labor can make one feel so good: you see the useful outcome of your work in front of you.
Tom Armstrong October 23, 2011, 1:20 pm
Well put! I’ve HAD that most wonderful drink of water.
Megan December 20, 2016, 1:25 pm
I hear you on that. Years later we still talk about the best pear we ever had. It was waiting in the car for us at the end of a 13-mile hike.
Valerie October 22, 2011, 9:08 am
An insatiable desire to buy more shit is definitely our downfall.
I’m not financially independent yet, but being entirely debt-free brings me a lot more happiness than buying crap on credit ever did! Don’t get me wrong. I still get cravings for luxurious and desirable crap, but if I simply view these purchases in terms how much longer they’ll force me to work before I can retire, it’s a lot easier to dismiss them outright.
And by ‘retire’, my goal is to be able to work very part-time doing something I truly enjoy, and using the rest of my free time doing things I love, and volunteering. The less ‘fancy shit’ I buy, the sooner I get there!
So, I raise a cold Bud Light to you Mr MM on another excellent post!
The Peter October 22, 2011, 9:13 am
Wait, is this really news to people? I thought it was pretty obvious that happiness was relative. Duh?
MMM October 22, 2011, 11:44 am
Hopefully you’re joking.. because while this is old information, it’s still THE BIGGEST SECRET IN THE RICH WORLD!!! .. If this old-school wisdom could fight its way to the top of public consciousness, above the current dominant consumer mindset, it would completely change everything. I’m talking a change on the level of one of those Naturalist Utopia planets that they occasionally visited on Star Trek.
Kathy P. October 22, 2011, 2:23 pm
It would pretty much eliminate the need to Occupy Wall St. too. It’s our endless consumption of stupid crap that not only feeds the corporate/political machine but is killing the planet as well.
Much better to Occupy the Mustache I think.
Nuno André October 22, 2011, 10:09 am
Great post, may I recommend this book?
Amonymous July 4, 2016, 10:22 pm
Chris October 22, 2011, 10:24 am
Great article MMM. I’ll have to re-read that one again this evening to let it soak in some more. I suspect what most people (including myself at one time) don’t see in frugality and being debt free is that it actually does “free you.” I find that being debt free and not having an expensive vehicle and lots of expensive gadgets actually makes me happier in the end, because, a) my life is simpler and b) my stuff doesn’t “own” me. I couldn’t appreciate thees two facts, however, until I’d lived the other way and found out it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be! Being debt free and watching my money grow has become a sport in itself. I get more satisfaction out of watching my money grow than I do spending it on just about anything these days. However, its all in a philosophy and until that philosophy is adopted, it doesn’t seem to compute with most people. I’m amazed how Thoreau figured these principles out at such a young age and with little “life experience.”
BTW-Completed trip 1 of 5 to the grocery store on my bike yesterday. Loaded all my groceries into my backpack at the checkout and it felt strange and good at all the same time. Looking forward to more of those!
MMM October 22, 2011, 11:46 am
Awesome Chris! I like your 5-trip test idea too.
Mike October 22, 2011, 10:42 am
Love, love, love the MMM blog. I’ve been gradually migrating towards this sort of lifestyle / mindset for a while now, and this site just gives me more motivation to accelerate the process. What I’ve found interesting is that once you overcome the hedonistic adaptation problem, your feelings towards purchases are almost the exact opposite of those experienced by someone who has not overcome it. In other words, before you kick the habit, not buying something you really want causes you real pain. Afterwards, the mere idea of buying something that you know will only cause a few days or weeks worth of satisfaction causes you even more pain!
I’d love to know how you would approach a situation where you have 2 loans that you would like to pay off, one of which is a student loan and one is a mortgage. Which would you go after first, or would you try to hit both at the same time?
On the meaningful work part of human happiness, I think you would really dig this: http://calnewport.com/blog/2010/01/23/beyond-passion-the-science-of-loving-what-you-do/
Mr. Frugal Toque October 22, 2011, 11:03 am
He’s going to say “Make the minimum payments on both debts so as to avoid penalties. All extra money then goes to the debt with the higher interest rate.”
This isn’t the place where they tell you to do the smaller debt first to give yourself an endorphin rush when it’s gone. This is the place where the grown-ups with Mustaches are.
MMM October 22, 2011, 11:46 am
Yup, Frugal Toque is right as usual :-)
Weston October 25, 2011, 9:00 am
Wouldn’t it depend on a couple of factors that are not addressed in Mike’s question?
To me it would very much matter
1. Is the home upside down or is there equity?
2. Is the home located in a recourse or non recourse state?
3. How secure is Mike’s income and how confident is he that he will be able to pay off both debts?
4. How much is the difference in interest being paid?
I have found that if all else fails there are dozens of options to fight or avoid Mortgage foreclosure.
But if you don’t pay your student loans they will garnish your wages so quickly and easily your head will spin.
Three Wolf Moon December 7, 2013, 1:40 pm
Also, mortgage interest is tax-deductible where student loan interest is not. So, if the rates are at all close to each other and you have enough deductions on schedule A to itemize, it may make sense to pay off the student loans first
IAmNotABartender December 3, 2014, 12:12 am
Student loan interest is deductible if you make less than a certain amount.
Mr. Frugal Toque October 22, 2011, 10:59 am
A refreshing departure from the consumerish attitude of every other place I visit on the Internet these days.
This goes hand in hand with your admonitions against television. Now that over-the-air TV went Hi-def digital – and I didn’t – I’m almost completely unaware of the Products that are “missing” from my life. People mention Products at work, but they’re just Names of things – entirely disconnected from the sales pitches that excited my colleagues so much.
It’s kind of like when I stopped going to church when I was younger. Suddenly, certain things just stop bothering me.
I’m pretty sure that this was the overarching theme of the Wizard of Oz.
Tom Armstrong October 23, 2011, 1:03 pm
Nice touch at the end!
I quit attending church as a kid as well. I’ve been happier ever since. Something about a system that tells me to be afraid of X AND tells me how to get around X when X is so clearly a creation of that system instead of a separate phenomenon…
I quit watching television over twenty-five years ago, due at the time to my own financial situation–I couldn’t afford to buy one. I got used to the luxury of a public library that was within cycling distance, and never looked back. I have a skeptical outlook on most advertising as a result–your bit about “Products” is refreshingly similar to my own experience.
Anyway, being afraid of not having all the toys is not for me. I have no interest (pardon the pun) in being in debt up to my upper follicles so that I can have the toys.
Good for you.
Thomas Varney March 27, 2014, 6:56 pm
It feels both rude and awesome to be reaching 2.5 years into the past but can you explain how this could be a theme of The Wizard of Oz? I’m genuinely curious.
slugline June 1, 2014, 3:28 pm
Reaching a few months into the past: Next time you watch the movie, notice how the Wizard doesn’t really take Dorothy home, give the Lion courage, the Scarecrow a brain, or the Tin Man a heart. But all their quests are satisfied in the end anyway.
Joel June 23, 2014, 1:16 pm
I think the command from the Wizard says it all: “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!”
CMartel2 January 2, 2016, 10:31 pm
Or for me, church is the single most fulfilling and meaningful place I could be. I have come to the point–with all of my education, professional attainment and earnings–that religion and faith are all that really matter. .y spirituality informs all relationships in my life. This hedonism treadmill actually fits in quite well with Christian humility and warnings against materialism.
Monax February 9, 2016, 2:42 pm
I agree with Mr Frugal Toque, being disconnected from television has never hindered me in my life. I find it frees of some of my short-term energy (brain RAM – no idea how to call it ;) )
As for church, I second CMartel2.
My experience with the Christian faith is best put as C.S. Lewis puts it: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” In terms of consumerism, I find it is my faith that drives me to understand and quell those inner yearnings of my heart and to look for contentement elsewhere than in material possessions. I want to glorify God by being a good steward of the resources he’s lent me. I want to be thankful of what I have – it’s a blessing not many have, we don’t choose the country we are born in. I want to give lovingly (which I believe is one of the big distinctions between frugal and cheap). And I don’t want to be a slave to all of this material stuff.
Reading the Bible, I find myself encouraged again and again to look at my intents and to question how I live and why I do the things I do. For me, it’s refreshing, and it’s actually what pushes me to do things our society views as “crazy” .. such as trying to be frugal, to be content with little, etc.
I guess mustachians come from many different backgrounds, eh? ;)
Shane October 22, 2011, 11:42 am
I had just been thinking of this topic the other night but couldn’t recall it’s name! I actually realized a couple years back that my biggest drive to buy new and great things was not only a social situation (peer pressure for example) but an inner emotional thing as well. Well within the first month of not buying anything for myself I realized it was all just for that tiny adrenaline rush you get when you get the final recipt after clicking buy now or walking out the doors of a store bags in hand. Now I realize it was in an attempt to feel what I truly wanted and would really make me happy, financial freedom.
megan October 22, 2011, 12:08 pm
i like this article, and am really glad you mention spending more (once you’re far enough ahead to do so) on better stuff.
because, to me, an even bigger problem than hedonic adaptation is the fact that we are buying such a high quantity of stuff with very low quality. so then we don’t value it, or it needs to be repaired or replaced more often, or we just end up never using or wearing it because it’s shittily made.
it’s a GOOD thing if people spend a little more on well-made things that exactly fit their needs. maybe it’s from a local artisan, or someone you find online, or maybe you use resources from books or websites to make it yourself, spending more time/ money… for instance, it costs a lot more to knit a wool sweater than buy one… but that is all OK to me. the issue is the cheapy plastic dollar store crap that cost nothing, is super easy to throw away, and ends up in the pacific ocean. argh terrifying!!!
so how bout let’s all get rich and produce and sell and buy the very best, smartest, most elegantly designd and beautifully constructed products that perfectly meet people’s needs, made in the cleanest greenest ways!
megan October 22, 2011, 12:14 pm
bruce sterling says this much better than me in his last viridian note … i’ll paste a small excerpt below
It’s not bad to own fine things that you like. What you need are things that you GENUINELY like. Things that you cherish, that enhance your existence in the world. The rest is dross.
Do not “economize.” Please. That is not the point. The economy is clearly insane. Even its champions are terrified by it now. It’s melting the North Pole. So “economization” is not your friend. Cheapness can be value-less. Voluntary simplicity is, furthermore, boring. Less can become too much work.
The items that you use incessantly, the items you employ every day, the normal, boring goods that don’t seem luxurious or romantic: these are the critical ones. They are truly central. The everyday object is the monarch of all objects. It’s in your time most, it’s in your space most. It is “where it is at,” and it is “what is going on.”
It takes a while to get this through your head, because it’s the opposite of the legendry of shopping. However: the things that you use every day should be the best-designed things you can get. For instance, you cannot possibly spend too much money on a bed – (assuming you have a regular bed, which in point of fact I do not). You’re spending a third of your lifetime in a bed. Your bed might be sagging, ugly, groaning and infested with dust mites, because you are used to that situation and cannot see it. That calamity might escape your conscious notice. See it. Replace it.
Tom Armstrong October 23, 2011, 1:05 pm
My grandmother often told us to “put your best money in your everyday shoes.” I’ve always felt that she was getting at this very concept with that adage.
Di January 2, 2013, 8:30 am
I was just thinking about the same thing Megan!
I think I have a naturally mustachian approach to life, BUT I am often weak and end up consuming too much stuff. It gets easier as I get older and my mustache (both physical and metaphorical :-) ) grows, but I still have a long way to go.
TV is a terrible one. Luckily because I live in the UK it is at least free, but what a waste of life most of that stuff is. Big goal for this year is to watch LESS and DO MORE!!
But there are certain types of consumption that bring me a pleasure that doesn’t dull for me even now I am financially more comfortable and get to enjoy them more often. A ride in a London black cab still gives me a thrill like it did when I was a kid and it was a rare rare treat. Or drinking out of the lovely wine glasses my Dad gave me a few years ago gives me real pleasure every single time time! So can putting on my favourite sweater dress.
In a way I think this is actually quite a good test of whether a purchase is OK or whether to put the wallet away and step away from the till. For example, I like clothes, and used to buy a lot of clothes in sales: but now I avoid sales because they just tempt me to buy things I will never enjoy enough to wear regularly. Only today I nearly bought a t-shirt that was £4 because it was so cheap and perfectly nice: but I didn’t, because I know that once I get it home it will no longer be a bargain £4 t-shirt. It will just be one of the several t-shirts in my drawer that I don’t like enough to wear very often unless I am WAY behind with my laundry. It’s so easy to spend £2 here, £10 there, with no real gain in happiness or satisfaction, with the only winner being the charity shop/thrift store. The same is true of an hour spent sitting in front of a pointless TV show or the last half hour of a film I have seen before (but without even the tiniest benefit to anybody).
So my big resolution this year is to be more mindful in all areas of my consumption and spend my time and money only on things that really bring pleasure to somebody (hopefully including me!)
jd October 22, 2011, 12:23 pm
What I’ve found interesting as I’ve moved away from the consumer mindset is that the adrenaline rush I used to get when buying something new has been replaced with an adrenaline rush (maybe a bigger one) when I sell or give away something I no longer use or need. It’s a combination of getting some work done (decluttering) and seeing someone get some use out of my old stuff.
AlexK October 22, 2011, 1:08 pm
I am still addicted to the rush of buying something, however I have found I get the same rush when I buy something as an investment as I do when I buy something which depreciates. For example I get giddy when I first take possession of a new rental property to fix up. Or a new stock that I don’t already own, checking how it’s performing every day with excitement.
My mind was opened up to the idea of cheap happiness when I visited Thailand and saw how happy these people were who owned almost nothing and lived in shacks.
I do think some component of happiness has to do with how well your peers are living. For example if everyone you know lives in a mud hut, you will be happy if you also have a mud hut. But if your neighbors live in brick houses with air conditioning, you will feel unhappy with the hut.
Shawn October 22, 2011, 3:48 pm
MMM, you are on a roll! The Safety Margin post was stunning. Your words on Hedonic Adaptation are……well…. really, really good. I want to print this one off and post it on the fridge…..Or as a pre screen that must be viewed before logging in to Amazon.
We are reformed(ing) hearty consumerists within the last year or so. We know what should be doing but have a “weak” moment from time to time and a dumb spending urge will creep in. We have obliterated impulse purchases but as late as this weekend were pondering something we really “needed.” Know that your words read by me today have obliterated that “need”! People I associate with have noticed my changes and if they end up engaging me in thoughtful conversation about ERE I try to leave them with this statement. “The only thing worth spending your money on is your freedom” Thank you for helping me reinforce my own words today!
Thaed October 22, 2011, 4:27 pm
A few months ago, I bought a 2005 Mustang Convertible GT at auction with 44k miles. God, I love that car! Every morning I smile when I see it in the garage. I smile when I drive it too which is only on weekends because I have a company car too.
Executioner October 22, 2011, 8:59 pm
A few years ago, my wife and I sold our second car. Man, do I love having only one car now. Every time I ride my bicycle to work, I smile when I think of our only car parked in our garage, not being driven, not burning up money, not polluting the air. I smile when I don’t have to drive the car on weekends either because I can think of about 1,000,000 things which are more interesting than driving around in a car.
MMM October 22, 2011, 10:28 pm
Tom Armstrong October 23, 2011, 1:08 pm
I agree. It’s WONDERFUL to not have to drive. My wife’s car died in April of 2010, and we have yet to replace it. We just don’t need a second car. I get to work by bike ninety-something percent of the time, and on the few times I need the car AND she needs a car to get to work, I can drop her off on my way.
Kevin Meyers October 22, 2011, 6:17 pm
This is the best article you’ve ever written. Instapapered, favorites, saved. If I had a place to hang it on the wall, I would. Well done.
MMM October 22, 2011, 10:34 pm
Just like Gerard liking the term “enlightened hedo-minimalism”, or the commuting article that belatedly got a bunch of views and 2000 facebook likes, I can never tell what will be a hit.. So I’ll just continue typing randomly and see what happens. Thanks again. :-)
Adam Godet October 22, 2011, 9:11 pm
Yep. Consumerist economy works by convincing people they need to hate their job; they then seek pleasure by buying shit, and then have to go hit the sweet nectar of consumer crack every paycheck to keep the high going.
Alternatively, even the wealthy tap into this Hedonistic adaptation…keeping up with the Jones or, Madoffs, or Trumps…competitive consumerism…biggest boat wins!
I get the high by watching the savings account increase every paycheck…and think about the clock running out on how much longer I have to clock in every day.
Brave New Life October 23, 2011, 9:27 am
I’ve studied Hedonic Adaptation quite a bit. I found a study that I like to reference on occasion:
You should read it if you have a spare hour sometime. It shows that there is one factor that has proven to overcome the adaptation: the feeling of freedom. It mostly discusses personal freedom, but I think it can also come from financial freedom and time-freedom as well. Which really just proves your point.
I’ve started a post on this study and how it works on a micro level, but I’m struggling to get it more coherent. Hopefully sometime this year…
Tom Armstrong October 23, 2011, 1:12 pm
How is “sukka” pronounced? It reads like a homonym of one pronunciation of “sucker.” If that is, indeed, the case, it becomes a rather funny play on words.
MMM October 23, 2011, 1:27 pm
Yeah, you’ve got it right. Just watch a video of Mr. T during the A-team years, and you’ll know how to pronounce it. As in, “That’s enough from YOU, SUKKA!”
Bakari Kafele October 23, 2011, 8:52 pm
You sort of touch on it in the last paragraph, but some form of charity / helping others is missing from your list. One of the things scientists have found is that spending $5 on a gift for someone else actually creates more happiness – even short term – than buying something for one’s self, and of course it creates the feeling of “meaningfulness” which is more lasting.
Also, you have to be careful with the term “freedom” – a lot of people equate “freedom” with “choices” and studies have also shown consistently that more choices make people LESS happy (assuming they have at least one good choice), as they forever second-guess themselves that maybe the other grass was greener all along. And for some reason, even when one choice is clearly better from a rational standpoint, in some circumstances people consistently choose “wrong”, causing themselves to be less happy.
Which I suppose ties in directly with “emotion-biased intuition” VS “real scientific research” – the one you accept as more likely to be correct makes you a bit of a freak, at least in the America I know!
Any time someone claims I am missing out on some supposedly wonderful thing, I usually go straight to the crack/heroine/meth analogy – I have no doubt that those things feel wonderful too, but its really not worth the costs too me, and honestly, I don’t feel like I’m missing out.
Logic January 7, 2012, 2:55 am
Thanks for clearing that up. At first I thought you meant “sukkah” as in the hut where you live during the 8 days of Sukkot.
Dancedancekj October 24, 2011, 12:28 am
The less I have, the easier it is to just focus on the things that are important, like family and friends. I wish I would have discovered this years ago, it would have saved me a lot of stress and heartache over wanting this and that.
I’m not quite done yet, since I have items that just functionally I need to either purchase or obtain (e.g. a shell for a winter coat. I finally learned why I was always so cold when it was windy despite wearing a good quality coat) But I’m slowing up on my possession acquisition as I am coming to find I am perfectly happy with what I own, and I don’t need anything more.
Thaed October 24, 2011, 6:33 am
Upgrading to 1st class for $150 gave me great pleasure this morning. I got to go through the very short security lane and I get breakfast on my flight. I will have plenty of room too.
MMM October 24, 2011, 8:43 am
Donating $1000 to my local underfunded elementary school gave me great pleasure last week. I got to see the look of surprise on the faces of my fellow Parent Volunteers as they noticed that 3% of the entire fundraising budget had come in from this single (anonymous) donor. I like how this will help the teachers have plenty of funding for in-class school supplies, too.
Fu Manchu October 24, 2011, 12:49 pm
Haha, pwn3d. Thaed, methinks there might be some larger regrets/anger issues you need to work out…
Thaed October 24, 2011, 2:57 pm
But what if I *want* to work until I die? What if I want to die at my desk? Retirement isn’t for everyone. Also, MMM, 1st class upgrades does not necessarily imply non-giving. I happily donate money to a variety of causes all year long. The way has many paths.
MMM October 24, 2011, 3:35 pm
Good show, Thaed, for putting up with our knuckling and still coming back with a nice thought ;-). The reason Executioner and I were countering your comments is because you were deliberately undermining the whole message I’m trying to share, which is “Expensive things don’t make you happier than less expensive things”.
If you can afford the expensive spending, and you’re either not looking for financial independence or you already have it, in the form of never wanting to leave your job, that’s fine too. But that’s not the target audience of this blog.
I’m trying to break the news to people that they can drastically reduce their spending while taking NO long-term hit to their happiness. In fact, they will almost certainly drastically increase their happiness. This allows people to try a whole new lifestyle that wouldn’t have occurred to them before.
So while you’re happy with your own lifestyle, it still is not helping anyone for you to go talking about Leisure driving in Mustangs and first class tickets. You’re just going to tempt people who are on the edge, back into thinking they require these things for their happiness and thus they had better stay in their unsatisfactory jobs and spend less time with their kids.
The goal of these comments is not to validate your own lifestyle to others.. it’s to help people who WANT financial independence, to get there in an exciting and happy way. Examples like yours would be more appropriate over on the Mr. Bigspending Beard blog rather than Mr. Money Mustache.
Charles S. October 24, 2011, 7:11 am
Love your site and advice. My biggest discretionary expense, by far, is going to football games, which I’d argue aren’t subject to hedonic adaptation. Why? Because every time I go, I get the same awesome jolt from the atmosphere – the crowd, the cheers, whatever happens in the game. If anything, it’s only gotten better over time.
I’m reluctant to save money NOW and forego these experiences in the fall, which I usually have with my wife and kids (so there’s the intangible/incalculable benefit to bonding to go along with the game experience). I can save money simply by avoiding games, but I can’t get back the game experiences or the bonding.
Granted there are other ways to bond, but this is my life’s passion and my whole family happens to share it.
Point being, there are some “frivolous” expenses that are worth it. Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder.
Thanks for your blog, Every article is great food for thought.
Amanda September 25, 2018, 8:59 am
Would you get a similar level of enjoyment going to a local college or high school game for a few dollars instead, along with the satisfaction of helping to support their sports program?
Giskard October 24, 2011, 9:59 am
The thing that makes you happiest is your family, thus it isn’t surprising that Americans are buried in debt due to high rate of divorces, not sure what is the cause or what is the affect here. The one constant in almost all personal finance blogs is the writer is always happy with their significant other. It seems to me, the best personal finance choice is finding someone. So if you are single and lonely, you are screwed.
Bakari Kafele October 24, 2011, 7:01 pm
AFY October 24, 2011, 12:22 pm
“I happen to like driving around in a nice car. There’s no way I’m going to bike to work all week and work hard every day just so I can drive around in a $5,000 shitbox on the weekends.”
I was seeing a guy who was in management, sort of a sales role. He took the bus to work everyday. While we were dating, he decided he was bored with his current BMW (in still very nice condition), bought an M6, and sold the older car. So now on weekdays, he avoids the gridlock of commuting, and in the evenings and on weekends, he tools about in his upgraded slice of indulgence. I really liked him for how smart he was about it.
burntout October 24, 2011, 12:44 pm
Excellent write-up. The philosophy is simple, but application is where I struggle. How do I reconcile frugality today (85% savings) with the opportunity cost of spending that money now to create experiences? Not easy!
Mr. Frugal Toque October 24, 2011, 1:23 pm
I used to feel this way about sporting events and teams.
Then I went to Medieval Times. It’s a dinner and entertainment package where a bunch of knights have all sorts of fights while they serve you food. When you enter, they assign you a knight to cheer for and give you a pennant in his colour to wave in support.
After a beer, I found that it was *exactly* like cheering for my favourite hockey team. We even cheered when our guy (the drunken lout, green pennant) took out the noble paladin guy (white pennant) with a kick in the ‘nads.
So you might be able to save some money by picking a high school football team that has your favourite colour (this may be important, mine was and still is green) and attending their free games. I understand the crowds in the U.S. are really into it, even at the high school level, so it might provide the bonding you need right inside your community.
I know it sounds patronizing, but it really does work.
Dancedancekj October 24, 2011, 7:46 pm
Man, I wish they had a “Medieval Times” in my zipcode!
I watch So You Think You Can Dance, and I find myself justifying and rooting harder for my favorite dancer than any sports enthusiast. Sometimes to the point of anger or despair (like in Season 6 when Jakob Karr was ROBBED). It’s free (technically) and I don’t have to deal with crowds or parking.
Point being that yes, you can still have a similar experience and the same fun in a less expensive way for like, 99% of the time. You just have to be creative, I suppose…
Mr. Frugal Toque October 25, 2011, 1:36 pm
Medieval Times was over a hundred dollars for the two of us, and that was almost a decade ago.
I didn’t bring it up as a frugal alternative, but to illustrate the Fungibility of Teaminess.
Joe Average March 23, 2015, 2:28 pm
I’m not much of a game watcher aside from my kids’ soccer games. I root for them no matter what of course. I love the vib of the parents at soccer games. Not as mean spirited as we have witnessed at other competitions.
When I’m out visiting and a friend wants to watch a game/race/whatever – I usually just pick whoever is losing when the game is tuned in. ;) I like really the underdog.
Philip July 24, 2012, 7:29 pm
Even high school football games aren’t free in most places.
bwall February 11, 2014, 11:19 pm
Compared to college and professional games they are! :)
Lily April 19, 2014, 8:50 am
Some of my best baseball memories (aside from playing the game) are from dropping in on local games between teenaged teams, sitting in the simple bleachers or even in park benches behind the backstop.
BDub October 24, 2011, 6:02 pm
I think one nuance of the topic that could be extrapolated in the future is how all of this pertains at the individual level. The happiness survey and the parapalegic/lottery winner study give good detail on happiness at a macro level (averages for a population) but not how it works at the individual level.
For an individual, we all have a baseline level of happiness. Some people are just happier than others. The good news is our levels are not pre-determined 100%. We can enhance happiness for ourselves by testing/challenging our emotional state to keep it from adapting to positive things (new hobbies, meeting new people, traveling to different places).
This is also why a shitty commute to work sucks. There are too many variables in a shitty work commute for our minds to be able to adapt to it. This every, every day commuting can feel just as bad as the day before. This is yet another reason that a long commute is for sukkas!
Weston October 25, 2011, 8:45 am
Outstanding posting. Some of your best work yet.
Dividend Mantra October 28, 2011, 5:42 pm
Great job here.
Earlier this year I couldn’t imagine functioning without a car, but since getting rid of it 5 months ago I almost can’t remember what it was like driving everywhere. I get by with a combination of using the bus and walking. I’ve also grown quite happy spending more time reflecting and watching my goals become closer and less time watching TV and worrying about how I was going to pay my bills.
Gerard November 15, 2011, 4:58 pm
I thought of this post when I saw this ad today:
Yes, you read it right. It’s five percent off a remote control flying shark. At what point do people decide that they need a remote control flying shark? Is the five percent off the deal-maker?
Gus January 25, 2012, 3:40 pm
Do they shoot lasers from their eyes?
CountryMom March 23, 2013, 10:13 am
Amonymous July 5, 2016, 12:52 am
This is gold. Thanks! Almost blew off my afternoon coffee from my nose.
Davis R January 7, 2012, 9:15 am
It is unusual that someone with such an enviable career path and relatively smooth pay upgrades should have such a well balanced perspective on money, materialism and meaningful living… Thanks for the refreshing and uncommon insight.
Petey C February 8, 2012, 4:13 pm
I really like your comment at the start about ‘saving the human race from destruction of its environment’. Far too often, people have a narrow view of saving the environment (like turning off light bulbs, or unplugging their mobile phone charger when not in use). EVERYTHING costs energy to make, and the flow of money really comes down to a flow of energy at the end of the day. So enjoying life without waste – that’s what MMM is about, and that’s what saving the environment is really about.
Great to see MMM has a sensible perspective on the environment as well as personal finance.
Clint April 18, 2012, 6:57 pm
What a great post, MMM. I’ve got to figure out a way–without being obnoxious about it–to get all the people I love to read you, too. It would be nice to have some company on this journey. I’ve read the posts about “having the talk,” but I think a better idea would be to point them here, then discuss.
All that aside, I’ve got to ask a stupid question: am I misreading this one or did you get another motorcycle?
anonymous June 22, 2012, 4:56 pm
I think you’ve definitely hit on one of the single biggest core issues that affects happiness and leads to consumerism. However, I think you could potentially take it further, to increase your happiness even further in a way that will not affect your baseline.
As you pointed out, many things will provide a short-term boost to your happiness level, which will subsequently become your new baseline. If you enjoy that short-term boost, and want more of it, then you can do more of those things. If you apply this to purchases, you get consumerism; if you apply this to drugs, you get an addiction.
In your case, you’ve learned to live without those short-term boosts for the most part, and you very thoroughly enjoy the ones you allow yourself to have. You’ve also learned to calibrate your mental baseline somewhat lower than your body’s actual pleasure responses; in other words, you have the discipline to appreciate a bike ride even though you’ve done it many times, without allowing yourself to recalibrate to consider a bike ride boring and commonplace.
However, you don’t necessarily have to choose a destructive habit to enjoy frequent short-term boosts. In my case, and in the case of numerous geeks and others who value knowledge and experiences, *change* and *variety* provide the same kind of short-term boost, but I can obtain change and variety in repeatable and non-destructive ways.
I get the same or higher levels of joy from solving an interesting CS problem that most people get from buying a new toy. (Let it not be said that I refrain entirely from occasional toys, so I have a direct basis for comparison here; however, I can justify most of my toys the same way you can justify your construction tools.) And my happiness grows with the difficulty of the problem. Hand me an “impossible” problem, or a problem nobody in the industry has solved yet, and mere *stuff* can’t even hope to compare with that kind of bliss.
This kind of joy, at least to me, does not reset my happiness baseline significantly. I do grow to expect interesting problems on a regular basis, such that I would find it upsetting to go without them, but that does not decrease the happiness I experience from individual problems; it just causes me to seek out even more interesting and difficult problems to solve. Together with corresponding increases in my skill level, driven both by experience and by the *need* for those skills to solve the problems I choose to take on, I have a lovely upward spiral of happiness with no end, that as a quite intentional “side effect” allows me to have a significant impact on my version of goal #3: making the world a better place in the most efficient possible way.
Heath September 11, 2012, 11:04 am
This is still the single best post on your blog. It addresses SO MANY of the problems that I hear from people on a daily basis. I keep coming back to this post and re-reading it (on a weekly basis, at least).
Katy September 19, 2012, 10:49 pm
I read this just in the nick-of-time! My fiancé and I have been obsessing over your blog lately. (reading start to finish). Just tonight I almost had a shopping addiction relapse. I’m rather addicted to sportswear much like your very own Mrs. MM. I almost left Lulullemon with “the perfect” bag tonight but instead came home to read more MMM. This is basically my 13 step program. Thanks MMM…. I keep reminding myself “it will be better to be home with my future babies than have X”. But MAN I love Lululemon.
hands2work September 25, 2012, 3:36 pm
So I have a question, a real question, not trying to be difficult. Let’s say this lifestyle you have built survives for decades. (I, for one, certainly hope it does.) You and the Mrs. live in complete contentment with your 700k plus employees working away for you. You raise Mini-M to be equally frugal and he raises his own family of Tiny M’s. In your old age you and Mrs. M fall asleep one night and neither of you wake in the morning. What happens to your 700k+ employees? Do you leave them to the son? Do you leave them to charity? You really can’t take it with you.
Mr. Money Mustache September 26, 2012, 6:39 am
Given such a fortunate situation, we would probably give away more money to charity as we got closer to kicking the bucket. I don’t really believe in family estates and inheritances, although my son can have a say in whether he wants the dough or not. If the younger generations are already happy and capable of making their own way in life, there’s no need to throw them off balance with a bunch of unneeded cash.
hands2work September 26, 2012, 6:42 am
Good! That seems like a fabulous solution, of course young Mini M will be as skilled as his parents in amassing his own employees, so he will have no need of the excess. :) Thanks for answering!
CALL 911 February 19, 2013, 7:10 pm
In my line of work, we have a saying for a very similar type of issue: “the good ones don’t need it; the bad ones don’t deserve it” (referring to a type of aid/assistance that can decrease overall outcomes). I believe it can be applied to inheritance as well.
stutter-k February 7, 2013, 7:27 pm
I just want to say, for my very first comment, and upon this olden poste, how very much I appreciate the fine use you make of capitalization in your writing.
A peculiar and wonderful thing, though: I’ve been riding a bike for my entire life – nowadays, over 1,000 miles a year – and yet it seems to be immune to hedonic adaptation. I still grin like an idiot every time I ride.
KWAK September 12, 2013, 9:33 pm
I’ve been having a MMMathon since a friend told me about your blog. I almost skipped this post because I’m beginning to feel a bit guilty about all the time I sit on my butt reading these. Am I ever glad I didn’t skip this one! I’ve already sent an excerpt and link to others I think would benefit from this particular post, plus I’ve selected a nugget to add to my refrigerator door — right below Romney’s picture. He’s my patron saint of Just Say No to Helping the Rich Get Richer. Well done, Mr. MM, well done!
Army Colonel K September 30, 2013, 2:37 pm
MMM – I know you may not get back to this (brilliant) thread for some time, but when you do….
How about things that cost a lot but provide lasting enjoyment? Especially if you already have the other meaningful aspects of happiness covered?
My wife and I (you met us both in Kailua) are both healthy, love our kids and family, are active physically and in the community. We are having a TON of fun. But we’re having a bit of turmoil about a potential house purchase here.
Personally, I really want a house that doesn’t have neighbors right next to it, because I do NOT enjoy hearing my neighbors have a party every three weeks (which they do, and even though I like them, it gets old hearing drunken partying next door, and no, I don’t want to go join the party every time) and I’d also like a place with serious views, because that is somewhat like riding a bike – the enjoyment of looking out my window every day at a beautiful view doesn’t seem to wear off. Maybe because it’s nature and somehow refreshes my soul, I don’t know… but it does make me happy. I don’t need a big place, just some space to breathe and something beautiful outside the window. The wife, well, not as much. And most of the houses with space and views are, unfortunately, somewhat largish.
Needless to say, a place like that on Oahu doesn’t come cheap. After a lifetime of Mustachianism, however, we can afford it. Yes, it actually would involve working for three more years than the “quit tomorrow” option that is already in front of us if we live in a crackerbox. But by God, I really don’t want to live cheek by jowl with the neighbors… I want people around, just not too close. And I have to admit, I’m a bit intoxicated by the amount of money I’m making at a job that I actually enjoy (and that allows me an amazing amount of free time), so I wouldn’t mind working the extra years.
Is there room in the philosophy of the Mustache for dropping a lot of hard-won Mustachian coin to solve this particular situation? Or are we supposed to move somewhere else in the world, leaving behind friends and relationships, so that I can have some privacy without spending seven figures? To me, that doesn’t seem the path of happiness either. Or are we supposed to set up a foundation to educate the impoverished, while suffering through drunken goat-ropery next door every few weeks?
IAmNotABartender December 3, 2014, 11:14 pm
We’re over here on the Big Island, and I hope you bought the place.
EarningAndLearning April 25, 2017, 2:26 pm
I hope you bought your beautiful dream home with the awe-inspiring view & space all around! And work another few years at a job you love, that pays so well (I’d love to know what you do!). I’m a naturally frugal person, but I’ve always spent more to live in a beautiful home, because as a frugal homebody with an interest in interior design, my home is a source of endless daily happiness & fulfillment. It would be a no-brainer for me to buy a beautiful house with a stunning view that I could pay off and stay in for a good many years, and I sincerely hope you did!
Steve March 25, 2014, 8:55 pm
I “discovered” this blog about three months ago. But about six months ago, the tranny in my 13 year old Acura TL blew. My wife had been driving her forlorn 2001 Subaru Forester for 13 years. So I did what any loving husband would do. I dropped $50,000 on a new Lexus SUV. And I took possession of her Forester, put some money into it to fix it up, and am driving it. Then I started reading this blog. MotherFUCKER! Oh well….May as well make the best of it. I’ve started taking a commuter bus most of the way to and from work, and and have a car free day every weekend.
And the ‘win’ happened last Sunday. My wife said, “Steve. I don’t want to make you angry. But that Lexus? It’s a nice car and all, but after six months of driving it I’ve got to tell you, I’d be just as happy with the Subaru. I know it’s not what I said at the time, but it’s what I’m saying now.” So yes, I pointed her right to this blog post. It’s never too late to learn and become bad assed one baby step at a time.
P.S. We DID save 46% of our take home pay last year. Not 50% but not terrible.
I have read ‘a guide to the good life” and it is a fantastic book that fits within my own philosophy of life and has given me many other stoic principles to take and mold into existance. I regularly “cherrypick” chapters to re-read when I feel I need a reminder/inspiration/advice. ( oddly enought I seem to re-read the chapter on how to deal with annoying people a lot :s)
I absolutely was lured into buying things for the initial rush before reading the book but now if nothing else it makes me think “do I really need this purchase” and just the thought thwarts many impulse buys! slight shift of mindset works wonders!
Joe June 5, 2014, 2:19 pm
“59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot” By Richard Wiseman is another great book that talks about Hedonic Adaptation. Lots of great scienitific tips for a life well lived in that book.
Tim June 13, 2014, 8:22 pm
I’m quite late as I’m playing catch up (as so many other commenters have done) but maybe this will find someone. Besides just the adaptation, there is the very real danger of becoming too attached and worried about your possessions. This is true when you let your happiness be determined too much by any external factors, but especially for possessions. Some people have asked my dad over the years why we always leave all the doors to the house unlocked, and the answer is always one of two things: “If I need to worry about my stuff being stolen, then I have too much stuff”; or “if someone comes in and steals from me, they probably needed it more than I did anyway”. And then there’s his remarks on being unemployed: “It’s a bummer being unemployed, but for an American family we’re still doing incredibly well. If you think about the whole world, we’re living a life of absolute luxury. And if you think of every person who has ever lived, we’re living so opulently that complaining is impossible.”
JenSF July 29, 2014, 12:32 pm
That’s funny, Tim. I often tell myself something similar to your dad when I’m feeling stressed out about things or sorry for myself: “Since 99% of people in the history of the world would probably happily trade places with me, my life just can’t be that bad!”
Soooo true. My spendthrift aunt made that very comment about DEPRIVING myself of things just to save money. I told her, “DEPRIVE myself? I buy anything and everything I want.” I just don’t WANT the luxury goods and cars she buys. That’s what she has a hard time wrapping her head around. She can’t imagine why I don’t desire those things.
EDSMedS December 17, 2014, 7:42 am
This is BY FAR my favorite MMM article (and I am a disciple)! I hope that MMM can revisit this notion again and again and again because it is in direct opposition to billions of dollars of advertising campaigns, deep-seated “American dream”ism, and convention. Thank *dog* for MMM.
Muscle is far more sustainably joy-giving than petroleum.
Amy January 13, 2015, 9:18 pm
I’m in the reading it through group… but this post made me think about a great video that ties this more closely to the environmental cost of our materialism: The Story of Stuff
I saw this about 5 years ago and it totally resonated, and what you are talking about jumps right in on the correct frequency.
I show it to all my college students– hoping that it will keep them from heading off down the wrong path as they start lives as adults.
I am trying to figure out if I can justify your blog as required reading…….
Amonymous July 5, 2016, 1:15 am
Oh, I hope you do make MMM as a required reading. Maybe censor some F bombs here and there…
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In the early years, drummer, Randy Clark, and guitarist/vocalist, Kyler Davis, formed a strong relationship based solely on a mutual love for music. After developing their abilities further, they recruited another long time friend and bassist, Domonic Franco. As a 3-piece, Misnomer established themselves and their individualistic sound. The band added fourth member and producer, Logan Brown, after collaborating with him to independently record and release their first full length album that
In the early years, drummer, Randy Clark, and guitarist/vocalist, Kyler Davis, formed a strong relationship based solely on a mutual love for music. After developing their abilities further, they recruited another long time friend and bassist, Domonic Franco. As a 3-piece, Misnomer established themselves and their individualistic sound. The band added fourth member and producer, Logan Brown, after collaborating with him to independently record and release their first full length album that is now steaming on Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, and Soundcloud.
Misnomer has played the Cincinnati circuit for roughly four six until recently picking up momentum. With the successful independent release of their first full-length self-titled album in 2016, they plan on taking their sound to new destinations.
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Each week we will highlight a few of our picks for the weekend. Some may be local, some may not, but as long as you are seeing live music in Cincinnati you are contributing! Our picks are below, but you can choose for yourself with our calendar here. (Or download our iPhone...
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Marketing starts with the ForeclosuresDaily.com toolbox. The toolbox will get you up and running if you are new to investing. Marketing probate real estate leads include using a 4 to 6-step mailing campaign. Being first at the door and being consistent with marketing is crucial when investing. As a result, “The early bird gets the worm” and “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” is the key to success. Unique marketing techniques will also help ensure that your mail gets opened. In addition use different sized envelopes, colored letters, handwritten letters, special markings. In addition, statements on the back of the envelopes can also help. Additionally, postcards are the latest effective method.
Motivated sellers with equity in Allen County
Defining a “motivated seller” is a property owner willing to sell the home below market value. The term could also refer to someone who would considerably sell their property with terms that favor you. You’ll find a seller that meets many of these criteria.
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When something seems too good to be true in life, it often is. However, certain real estate investments buck the trend and prove to be the exception when capitalized on effectively.
Find wholesale real estate with equity in Allen County or a city near you.
Another critical point is real estate networking. A point often overlooked is real estate meetups and clubs. There are plenty of resources for new and seasoned investors. Were approved vendors nationwide. Meet our staff at an event near you. Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Calendar of events here
In particular, decades of experience in the real estate industry. Our highly skilled professionals are committed to providing unparalleled personalized services to all our clients. In other words, we make sure that our customers find motivated real estate sellers.
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Nepal, formally the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked South Asian nation with a population of 26.4 million. It is a multiethnic country whose official language is Nepali. Kathmandu is the capital and biggest city of Nepal. Nepal is a secular parliamentary democracy.
Nepal is bounded on the north by China and on the south, east, and west by India. It has a short Indian corridor with Bangladesh and is separated from Bhutan by the Indian state of Sikkim. Nepal is situated in the Himalayas and is home to eight of the world’s ten highest peaks, including Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak. Its Madhesh area in the south is rich and humid. The nation has an area of 147,181 square kilometers (56,827 square miles), ranking it 93rd in terms of land area. Additionally, it is the world’s 41st most populated nation.
Nepal is endowed with a rich historic cultural legacy. Nepal is initially mentioned in Vedic literature, the period that gave birth to Hinduism, the country’s main religion. Nepal was the last Hindu kingdom in the world. Siddharta Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was born in the southern Nepalese town of Lumbini. Tibetan Buddhists, Muslims, Kiratans, and Christians are the major minorities. Nepalese are also referred to as Gurkhas. They are renowned for their valor throughout World Wars I and II.
The early modern Kingdom of Nepal was founded in the 18th century by the Shah dynasty, after Prithvi Narayan Shah’s unification of many kingdoms in the area. Nepal is one of the few nations in Asia that has never been colonized. Nepal became a British Empire ally after the Anglo-Nepalese War and the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816. Between 1951 and 1960, when King Mahendra implemented the panchayat system, a multiparty democracy developed. King Birendra reinstated parliamentary governance in 1990. Nepal was afflicted by a decade-long Maoist insurgency and huge demonstrations against autocratic King Gyanendra in 2005, which resulted in the monarchy’s overthrow in 2008. In 2015, the country’s second constituent assembly adopted a new constitution. In contemporary Nepal, the major political parties are communists, social democrats, and Hindu nationalists.
Nepal’s government is a representative democracy comprised of seven constituent provinces. Nepal is a developing country, coming in at 145th on the 2014 Human Development Index (HDI). The nation is undergoing a difficult transition from monarchy to republic. Additionally, it has a high rate of hunger and poverty. Despite these obstacles, Nepal is making steady progress, with the government pledging to lift the country out of the least developed country category by 2022.
Nepal has pacts of friendship with India and the United Kingdom. It is a founding member of SAARC and hosts the organization’s permanent secretariat. Additionally, it is a United Nations and BIMSTEC member. Nepal is strategically significant owing to its proximity to Asia’s two superpowers, China and India. Additionally, it is significant for its hydropower potential.
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Geography Of Nepal
From south to north, Nepal is split into elevation zones:
Outer Terai – Northern India’s level plains are a cultural and linguistic expansion. Nepali is less widely spoken than the Hindi and Maithili languages Awadhi and Bhojpuri. This zone includes Lumbini (the birthplace of Lord Buddha) and Janakpur (the birthplace of Hindu Goddess Sita). Dhangadhi, Nepalgunj, Bhairawa, Butwal, Birgunj, Janakpur, and Biratnagar, for example, are more like transit hubs and border towns than tourist attractions. Nonetheless, the Terai may provide chances for close encounters with traditional Indian culture that are becoming less common in India.
Siwalik Range or Churia Hills – the lowest and westernmost series of foothills, rising to approximately 600 meters (2,000 feet). It stretches from east to west throughout the nation, although there are numerous gaps and subranges. Soils are poor, and there is no agriculture to speak of. There are no established tourist attractions, but the woods are untamed, and the small community of primitive hunters and gatherers is one of a kind.
Inner Terai – Between the Siwaliks and the higher foothills to the north are vast valleys. The biggest valleys are the Dang and Deukhuri valleys in the Mid West, which provide chances to learn about Tharu art and culture. Another of these valleys is Chitwan, south of Kathmandu, which is home to the Chitwan National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where tigers, rhinos, crocodiles, deer, and birds may be seen. These valleys were formerly malarial and sparsely inhabited by Tharus who had acquired resistance and created architectural and behavioral adaptations to minimize exposure to the most deadly nighttime insects. Mosquito control using DDT in the 1960s allowed people from the hills to enter the lowlands, clearing forests and displacing and exploiting Tharus. Nonetheless, the most isolated sections of these valleys retain a Garden of Eden feel, with endless fields, meandering rivers, and intriguing aboriginal peoples.
Mahabharat Range – Except for small transecting valleys, a conspicuous foothill range runs from east to west throughout the nation, with heights reaching up to 3,000 meters (10,000 ft). The steep southern slopes constitute a cultural and linguistic crossroads between lowland and Pahari (hill) cultures and languages, which start along the crest and softer northern slopes. From nearly everywhere on the summit, there are panoramic views of the upper Himalaya in clear weather. Daman and Tansen are appealing tourist sites despite being underdeveloped in comparison to India’s ‘Hill Stations.’
Middle Hills – Valleys and hills up to 2,000 meters north of the Mahabharat Range (6,500 ft). are mostly populated by Hindus from the Bahun (priestly Brahmin) and Chhetri (warriors and kings) castes who speak Nepali as their primary language. The hill tribes from whom the British recruited Gurkha troops while the soldiers’ families cultivated crops suited to temperate temperatures are mostly Magar, Gurung, Tamang, Rai, or Limbu further up where it gets too cold to grow rice. These ethnic groups’ men may also work as porters or herders, bringing their flocks into the high mountains during the summer and into the lower valleys during the winter. With streams and terraced fields, beautiful towns, a diversity of ethnic groups wearing unique clothing, and vistas of the high Himalayas from high places, trekking across the highlands is unremittingly scenic.
Valleys – Kathmandu and Pokhara, to the west, are located in vast valleys in the highlands. Historic neighborhoods, temple complexes, pagodas, Buddhist stupas, palaces, and bazaars dot the Kathmandu Valley, which was developed long before the arrival of the first Europeans. Newar farmers, merchants, artisans, and government employees make up the majority of the population. Newar culture is a fascinating blend of Hindu and Buddhist influences. Unfortunately, views of the Himalaya are obstructed by a series of hills to the north of this valley. Pokhara has fewer urban attractions but offers spectacular views of the neighboring Annapurna Himalaya. The Newar population in Pokhara is limited to bazaars. Upper caste Hindus, whose origins were most likely Khas peoples from far western Nepal, rule elsewhere. Both valleys provide great chances to see Nepal without having to do hard hiking. In the highlands, narrower valleys around streams and rivers are significant rice-growing areas. Only a small portion of this land is available, and the most of it is held by higher caste Hindus.
Lekhs – Snow sometimes occurs over 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) in the winter and lasts days or weeks, but evaporates in the summer below approximately 5,500 meters (18,000 ft). The treeline is approximately 4,000 meters high (13,000 ft). Summer pastures are utilized in this zone, but not year-round living.
The snowy high Himalayas rise abruptly north of the lekhs along a fault zone to heights of over 6,700 m (22,000 ft) and even over 8,000 m. (26,000 ft). Himalaya means ‘abode of snow,’ and it is an abandoned mountain range. The valleys between the peaks are populated, particularly along trade routes where rice from the lowlands was exchanged for salt from the Tibetan Plateau, as well as other commodities. Since China conquered Tibet in the 1950s, trade has declined, but catering to trekkers and climbers has become an economic powerhouse. Although the people who live along these roads have Tibetan roots, they generally speak fluent Nepali.
Trans-Himalaya – Peaks north of the highest Himalayas in central and western Nepal are lower and gentler, with most being about 6,000 meters (20,000 ft). Below 5,000 m, there are valleys (17,000 ft). People that are basically Tibetan and have adapted to live at considerably greater altitudes than other Nepalis occupy these areas. Because roads have not yet reached thus far, travel is either costly by plane or difficult on foot. Nonetheless, it is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to immerse yourself in a historically important and appealing culture in breathtaking surroundings.
River basins
These are significant geographic divides as well. In Nepal and other areas of the Himalaya, the Mahabharat Range is a significant hydrologic barrier. In a few small valleys, south-flowing rivers combine in candelabra formations to burst through this mountain. Because travel within these candelabra drainage systems is generally simpler than between them, large gaps between river systems have traditionally served as significant political, linguistic, and cultural barriers.
Although a year was historically divided into six different climatic periods: Basanta (spring), Grishma (early summer), Barkha (summer monsoon), Sharad (early autumn), Hemanta (late autumn), and Shishir (late winter), Nepal has a monsoonal climate with four major seasons (winter).
From June through September, the Himalayas have heavy monsoonal rains; nevertheless, the rains are generally milder than in Kathmandu, and the mountain tops are often covered by clouds. Rains in the Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara last an hour or two every two or three days during the monsoon season. Rain purifies the air, makes the streets cleaner, and cools the environment. If you come, bring an umbrella, and expect lower hotel prices and fewer tourists.
The weather is clear and chilly from October to December, and there is less dust in the air after the monsoon, making this an excellent season to explore the hills and mountainous regions.
Kathmandu is frigid from January to March, with nighttime temperatures as low as 0°C (32°F) and severe cold at higher elevations. Although it is extremely cold, winter hiking is possible in places such as the Everest region, and snowfall may prevent ascending above 4,000-4,500 meters (13,000-15,000 feet). Because it remains below 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) and has expected minimum temperatures of -10°C (14°F), the Jomosom trek is a feasible choice (and much better chances of avoiding heavy snow.)
The Himalayas are covered with blooming flowers from April through June, with rhododendrons in particular adding a splash of color to the landscape. Temperatures in the Terai may reach or exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), whereas Kathmandu is about 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). This is the best time to go mountain climbing.
The following is a broad guide of seasonal conditions:
Temperature and rainfall data for key sites throughout Nepal have been collected since 1962, and their averages are used to analyze the climatic trend.
The language variety of modern-day Nepal is equal to its biological and cultural richness. Nepal has an unusually high number of surviving languages for a nation with such a limited geographical mass, many of which are relics of the old Asiatic cultural fusion in the area. In one nation, Nepal boasts more different and unique languages than the whole European community.
Nepal’s official language is Nepali. It’s linked to Hindi, Punjabi, and other Indo-Aryan languages, and it’s written in the Devanagari script (like Hindi), which comes from the Sanskrit language. While most Nepalis speak some Nepali, a significant portion of the population speaks a language other than Nepali as their mother tongue, such as Tharu in Chitwan, Newari in Kathmandu, and Sherpa in the Everest region.
Despite the fact that Nepal was never a British colony, English is widely spoken among educated Nepalis. Even if you just know a few words of Nepali, it’s enjoyable and helpful to learn a few phrases, particularly outside of the tourist area and when trekking (porters often speak very little English and the inquisitive children in the tea houses are delighted to hear a few words of Nepali from their house guests). Nepali has to be one of the simplest Asian languages to learn, and the tourist who makes the effort is unlikely to make worse mistakes than many locals who speak a different first language. Locals are also willing to assist you in improving your language abilities.
A startlingly high number of Nepalese mother languages are critically endangered, and within a generation, they will most likely be relegated to symbolic identification markers.
Internet access is quickly expanding, with the most prevalent availability in Kathmandu (particularly in Thamel and around the Boudha Stupa in Boudhanath) and Pokhara. Most hotels and resorts in those two cities will provide complimentary Wi-Fi Internet access. Many eateries will follow suit. In more and more communities, Internet access will be accessible in certain lodges, typically through Wi-Fi. At 2013, for example, Wi-Fi was provided in Jomsom and Muktinath lodges. However, in some of the most isolated communities, there may only be an occasional Internet café. For example, Chame (on the Annapurna circuit) offers an Internet café that charges NPR15 per minute for protected Wi-Fi. Even more distant communities may get Internet access through satellite, but it is very expensive, costing over NPR100 per minute.
Mail may be picked up at numerous guesthouses or at Everest Postal Care on Tridevi Marg, just across from Fire & Ice. Calls are best made from any of Kathmandu’s international phone offices. NPR1-2/min is typical for voice over internet (VOI).
In Nepal, there are two major mobile carriers. NTC (Nepal Telecom Company) is a government-owned company, whereas Ncell is a commercial company (previously called Spice Mobile and Mero Mobile).
Tourists may purchase SIM cards for about NPR200 from both carriers in Kathmandu and other major cities. You’ll need to bring a passport picture, fill out a form, and photocopy your passport and visa page.
Ncell SIMs are available in a variety of shops, but are best purchased from official Ncell outlets in Birgunj or Kathmandu. If necessary, micro SIMs may be cut for free.
NTC SIMs – NTC SIMs are often only available for purchase at their official locations. They often run out of SIM cards, and you may have to wait up to 10 days for one to arrive. They also don’t make their coverage maps public. They do, however, have better distant coverage than Ncell, especially on the Annapurna Circuit hike.
A three-pronged triangle is the typical Nepalese electrical outlet, although many have been modified to accommodate European and North American plugs. Adapters that alter the form of the plug may be bought for about NPR100 in Kathmandu, and some come with built-in fuses. For inexpensive electrical adapters, go to Thamel or the Kumari Arcade in Mahaboudha, near Bir Hospital in Kathmandu.
Outside of large cities, electricity is limited. Solar-powered lights are often only accessible for a few hours in the evening. Many tea-house excursions, including the Everest base camp climb, charge 100-200 NPR per hour to charge electronics. A bayonet light to electrical power plug converter is an option, however they only function when the voltage is high, and they frequently won’t operate with low-power solar systems found in the highlands.
If you have gadgets that will need to be charged on a regular basis, you may want to invest in a small solar panel and battery pack ahead of time.
Nepal’s gross domestic product (GDP) was projected to be more than $17.921 billion in 2012. (adjusted to nominal GDP). Agriculture contributed for 36.1 percent of Nepal’s GDP in 2010, services 48.5 percent, and industry 15.4 percent. While agriculture and manufacturing are shrinking, the service sector is growing in importance.
Agriculture employs 76% of the workforce, followed by services (18%), manufacturing, and craft-based industries (6%). Tea, rice, maize, wheat, sugarcane, root crops, milk, and water buffalo meat are among the agricultural products produced in the Terai area, which borders India. The processing of agricultural products such as jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain is the mainstay of industry. Its roughly ten million-strong workforce faces a serious labor shortage.
Political instability continues to have a negative impact on Nepal’s economic development. Despite this, real GDP growth is expected to rise to almost 5% in 2011–2012. This would be the second-highest growth rate in the post-conflict period, behind the 3.5 percent growth rate in 2010–2011. Agriculture, building, finance, and other services are all sources of development. Since 2010/2011, spending driven by remittances has contributed less to growth. While remittance growth dropped to 11% in 2010/2011 (in Nepali Rupee terms), it has subsequently accelerated to 37%. Remittances are projected to account for 25–30% of total GDP. The rate of inflation has dropped to a three-year low of 7%.
Since 2003, the number of impoverished individuals has decreased significantly. In the last seven years, the number of individuals living below the international poverty line (those earning less than US$1.25 per day) has decreased by half. The proportion of impoverished individuals fell from 53.1 percent in 2003/2004 to 24.8 percent in 2010/2011 on this metric. Poverty fell by one-quarter to 57.3 percent with a higher poverty threshold of US$2 per capita per day. The income distribution, on the other hand, remains very unequal.
According to a recent survey, Nepal, along with Rwanda and Bangladesh, performed exceptionally well in reducing poverty, with the percentage of the population living in poverty falling to 44.2 percent in 2011 from 64.7 percent in 2006—a drop of 4.1 percentage points per year, indicating that Nepal has improved in areas such as nutrition, child mortality, electricity, improved flooring, and assets. If the present pace of poverty reduction continues, Nepal is expected to half its current poverty rate and eliminate it entirely over the next 20 years.
Nepal’s beautiful scenery and varied, exotic cultures provide significant tourist potential, but the country’s development has been hampered by political instability and inadequate infrastructure. Despite these issues, the number of foreign visitors who visited Nepal in 2012 was 598,204, up 10% from the previous year. In 2012, tourism generated almost 3% of national GDP and is the second-largest source of foreign revenue after remittances.
Unemployment and underemployment affect almost half of the people of working age. As a result, many Nepalese people migrate to other nations in quest of employment. India, Qatar, the United States, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Brunei Darussalam, Australia, and Canada are among the countries visited. The Gurkha troops, who serve in the Indian and British forces and are highly regarded for their skill and courage, provide Nepal about $50 million each year. The overall remittance value was approximately $3.5 billion in 2010. Remittances accounted for 22.9 percent of the country’s GDP in 2009.
A tight connection with India is based on a long-standing business agreement. The United Kingdom, India, Japan, the United States, the European Union, China, Switzerland, and Scandinavian nations all provide assistance to the country. The poverty rate is high, with a per-capita income of about $1,000. The wealth distribution in Nepal is similar to that in many developed and developing countries: the top ten percent of families own 39.1% of the national wealth, while the bottom ten percent own just 2.6 percent.
The government’s budget is about $1.153 billion, with $1.789 billion in spending (FY 20005/06). For many years, the Nepali rupee has been pegged to the Indian rupee at a rate of 1.6. The underground market for foreign currency has all but vanished since exchange rate restrictions were loosened in the early 1990s. After a period of greater inflation in the 1990s, the inflation rate has fallen to 2.9 percent.
Nepal exports $822 million in carpets, textiles, hemp, leather products, jute goods, and grain. Imports of US$2 billion in gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products, and fertilizer are the most common. Its major export partners are the European Union (EU) (46.13 percent), the United States (17.4 percent), and Germany (7.1 percent). The European Union has emerged as Nepal’s biggest consumer of ready-to-wear clothing (RMG). “EU garment exports accounted for 46.13 percent of the country’s overall garment exports,” according to the report. India (47.5 percent), the United Arab Emirates (11.2 percent), China (10.7 percent), Saudi Arabia (4.9 percent), and Singapore are Nepal’s top import partners (4 percent ).
In addition to the country’s landlocked, harsh terrain, few tangible natural resources, and inadequate infrastructure, the country’s economic growth and development has been hampered by an ineffectual post-1950 administration and a long-running civil conflict.
If you are traveling from India, be in mind that the 500 and 1000 rupee notes are not recognized in Nepal since their distribution is banned.
Tourists from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka may remain in Nepal permanently without a visa since they are members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Tourist visas are now available on arrival at Kathmandu airport and specified border checkpoints (see below) for citizens of several countries at a fee of:
In a visa year, a tourist visa may be issued for a maximum of 150 days.
Other convertible currencies like as Euros, Pounds sterling, RMB, and Australian dollars may be used to pay for this on arrival, but US dollars are always preferred, and certain minor entrance points (such as Birgunj) may only take USD, while Kodari only accepts USD and RMB.
Volunteering whilst on a tourist visa is absolutely forbidden unless you have authorization.
You will need to submit a current passport size picture to attach to the visa form, in addition to the visa form, the disembarkation form, and the money, when you arrive. It’s worth noting that there is a photobooth right before immigration, but it’s pricey, so bring your picture for the visa form instead. If you don’t have a picture, you may pay an additional $5. (at least in Kodari).
Make sure you complete the VOA form as well as the arrival card. If you arrive in Nepal by aircraft, you will most likely be given an arrival card before boarding the plane at Kathmandu International Airport, but the visa application form (also known as the long form) is only accessible at the arrivals hall. Before you join any of the lines, choose one up and finish it. If you print and fill out the VOA form before arriving in Nepal, you will save a lot of time. If you arrive by aircraft, there are facilities for taking passport-sized photographs at the immigration counter at the airport, but it saves a lot of time if you prepare the photos ahead of time. Visa costs are waived for SAARC nationals. Departure cards are only given out after you depart Nepal, not when you arrive. To complete the departure card, you’ll need your passport and your entrance visa.
To extend your tourist visa, take your passport and another picture to the Nepal Immigration Office in Kathmandu or Pokhara, and pay USD2 for each day you wish to remain beyond your visa’s expiration date, up to a maximum of 150 days per year.
Get In - By plane
The sole international airport in Nepal is Tribhuvan International Airport, which is situated immediately east of Kathmandu’s Ring Road. Despite the fact that Nepal is a popular tourist destination, most flights from anywhere will make a stop in Asia or the Middle East along the route. As a result, whether you’re traveling from Europe or North America, anticipate lengthy travel hours.
With the improvement in political stability in recent years, more airlines have begun to provide flights to Nepal.
There are just a few amenities in the terminal building. There includes an immigration hall, a customs desk, a tourist information booth, and a currency exchange counter where new visitors may get their visas. After regular planes arrive, the latter may only have services accessible for a brief period. A number of airline ticket desks, an immigration area where your visa and exit card are checked, a security section where passengers and their luggage are searched or scanned, and numerous departure lounges are all located in the departures area. There is a modest shop concession where you may purchase beverages and snacks.
It is possible to have passport pictures taken and immigration forms picked up at tables in the rear of the arrivals area, however your immigration process will be sped considerably if you bring some of your own passport photos and completed visa papers downloaded from Nepal Immigration. Although you may get an immigration card on your trip, you will still need a long form visa application, which you may obtain either online or at the airport’s arrivals hall. Joining any lines is pointless until you have your application form, passport pictures, and visa payments in hand.
Visitors may find it more convenient to conduct currency swaps in the city where they are staying. Thamel, for example, offers a plethora of currency exchange booths with reasonable prices and fast and efficient service. Visa costs may be paid in most major currencies at the airport, although US dollars are preferable.
All “representatives” of the tourism sector are obliged to stay 10 meters away from the front entrance of the airport. Many will be screaming and waving big placards in an effort to get you to hire them as your guide, cab, hotel, or baggage carrier. Before crossing the line, make your decision. Be warned that when you exit the airport’s immigration area and retrieve your baggage, someone with a luggage cart will most likely approach you and offer assistance. This person will accompany you to the exit doors from the airport and to your transportation, unless you insist to carrying your own baggage and luggage cart, and will then demand a gratuity. Even in a foreign currency, having some small denomination notes or coins to use as a tip is helpful. Tipping may be problematic for many tourists who come with just travellers checks or high denomination banknotes.
If possible, book your first night’s lodging ahead of time and request that someone from the hotel greet you. Complimentary airport transportation is available at many hotels and guest homes. It’s conceivable that if you’ve made plans with a trekking agency, they’ll pick you up from the airport as part of the package. If you’ve made such arrangements, someone from your hotel or trekking organization will be wearing a placard to identify themselves. If you are new to Nepal, and particularly if you are coming late at night and are unfamiliar with the city and how things operate in Nepal, any of these two later alternatives are excellent possibilities.
Taxis can be booked before you leave the premises, but if you’re prepared to haggle, you may be able to obtain a better deal. The ideal approach is to agree on a fee with the driver ahead of time. A cab trip to Thamel or Boudha should cost less than NPR500, although this is not always the case. Otherwise, book a cab at the airport’s pre-paid kiosk. This will almost certainly cost more than a fee negotiated outside, although it may save time.
A strike is the only other scenario that might make getting to the city more difficult (bandh). These are less frequent today than they were a few years ago, although a coalition of political parties called one during the week running up to the November 2013 elections. Strikes tend to impact cabs less later in the evening than during the day, and in any event, if you’re coming, there’s not much you can do except wait and watch what happens. It’s a good idea to check whether any strikes have been called before going and make plans accordingly. A journey to the airport in the morning or evening may be a viable option. Your hotel or hiking company may be able to assist you as well.
Get In - By car or motorcycle
Renting a vehicle with a driver is simple in Nepal; but, you’ll need to negotiate to obtain a good deal. If you visit during the summer, you should rent an air-conditioned vehicle. Hiring a vehicle without a driver in Nepal, as well as renting a car in India and driving it over the border, is virtually unheard of.
Many tourists arrive on Royal Enfield motorbikes from India. Foreigners are required to pay customs at the border, although the majority do not. It’s simple to sell the bike in Nepal since other tourists are searching for motorcycles to go back to India.
If you’re traveling from India, you’ll discover that driving in Nepal is far less stressful. The roads are fantastic, and the new east-west highway, which is now being built with Japanese assistance, will offer up new locations for anyone interested in seeing Nepal on a motorcycle.
Please verify the current condition of gasoline before renting a motorcycle. There were gasoline supply issues in late 2009, which may leave motorcyclists stranded. Unless you lease a Royal Enfield, a bike rental should cost about NPR500 per day (Pulsar, Hero Honda, scooter).
Tourists are also infamous for attempting to charge huge sums of money for ‘damage’ that may or may not have been caused by you while returning the bike. As a result, be careful to do a full damage assessment before leaving, and report any attempts to defraud you to the local authorities if the hirer tries to defraud you on your return.
The greatest way to see Nepal on a motorbike is to enter through the Banbasa-Mahendra Nagar border crossing. Just beyond the border crossing, the Mahendra Highway (built with India’s help) is a blast to ride.
To cross the border, you must pay a daily toll of NPR120 and a one-time transport permit of NPR50; the police may request these two papers at any moment throughout your journey.
Get In - By bus
There are five tourist-friendly border crossings. Sunauli-Bhairawa is the nearest border crossing to Varanasi, Raxaul-Birganj is the closest to Patna and Kolkata, and Siliguri-Kakarbhitta is the closest to Darjeeling. In Nepal’s far west, the Banbassa-Mahendrenagar border crossing is the nearest to Delhi. The Bahraich-Nepalganj border is the nearest to Lucknow, which is the most accessible destination from Delhi by air or rail.
Independent travelers are permitted to enter Nepal through Kodari, but only organized groups are permitted to enter Tibet via Kodari.
Get In - By train
Between Sirsiya in southern Nepal and Raxaul in India, cargo and passenger trains run. Foreigners, with the exception of Indians, are not permitted to enter the border. In Janakpur, the internal railway network is restricted to a few kilometers.
Domestic flights – Domestic airlines in Nepal, such as Yeti Air, Tara Air, and Nepal Airlines, provide regular flights to a variety of locations across the country. Biratnagar, Nepalganj, Lukla, Pokhara, Simikot, Jomsom, Janakpur, and Bharatpur are among the destinations to and from Kathmandu. There are a number of on-line booking agencies that can make reservations, accept payment (credit/debit cards/Paypal), and then deliver e-tickets to those outside of Nepal. If you’re purchasing tickets while in Nepal or traveling on short notice, you’ll need to be flexible with flight schedules and dates since aircraft are often completely booked months in advance. It should be noted that weather-related cancellations and delays do occur. Simply take the following aircraft if you have time.
Microbuses have recently become extremely popular. They have a capacity of 10-12 people and provide excellent service. Because of its speed, it has nearly completely supplanted local bus service. Apart from the previous few lines, Micro Bus has developed a number of new routes and currently has a wide coverage area. The fare is higher than that of local buses. Tourists should be warned that microbuses are often driven at high speeds and with little care, and have been responsible for a significant number of traffic accidents in Nepal. Microbuses should be used with care.
Local buses are inexpensive, despite the fact that the system may be complicated. People and domestic animals such as goats, ducks, and other animals may throng them at times. Some buses will not leave until they have reached a specific capacity.
Tourist bus: Make a reservation at a travel agency in Kathmandu or Pokhara a few days ahead of time (or your hotel will book for you). Although it is a step up than local buses (no goats, everyone gets a seat), it is not much safer. The most dependable firm is “Greenline,” which runs excursions between Kathmandu, Chitwan, Lumbini, and Pokhara.
Rickshaw – If you don’t have much baggage and don’t mind getting thrown about, this is a good option for short excursions. Before you go in, haggle, and don’t be scared to walk away and try something else.
Tempo – There are two kinds of tempo. One is a 10-to-13-passenger three-wheeled electric or propane-powered microbus. They operate on several routes around the city and cost from NPR5 to NPR12. The second option is a newer Toyota van that runs the same routes for a little higher fee and is a little quicker and safer. Expect a large crowd.
Taxis – There are two kinds of taxis: “private,” which runs from the airport to upscale hotels, and “10 Rupee,” which does not leave until it is completely filled. When negotiating for a fee, keep in mind that taxi drivers have been struck particularly hard by the gasoline shortage, with lines forming overnight to obtain 5 litres of gasoline at double the market price. So be compassionate, but don’t be taken advantage of. Offer to pay’meter plus tip,’ 10% is more than plenty.
The old-fashioned street cable-car that operated from Kathmandu (near the stadium) to Bhaktapur is now closed owing to “non-existing maintenance” and the fact that none of the drivers paid for the electricity.
Whether it’s a custom or vintage motorbike, the choice is yours. Hearts and Tears in Pokhara, run by a European couple, offers training, guided excursions, and rental of 350cc and 500cc Royal Enfield motorcycles. Himalayan Enfields (behind the Israeli Embassy on Lazimpat) sells and rentals excellent motorcycles in Kathmandu, as well as doing maintenance. Off the ring road at Balaju Industrial Estate is the official Enfield dealer in Nepal.
Another option is to hire a little motorbike in the area. It’s also available for rent in Thamel. With the current gasoline crisis, renting a motorbike has become an expensive option, depending on availability. In addition to the rental price, 1 litre of gasoline costs NPR120-250 (NPR300-800).
Bicycle – You may hire a bicycle to go about Kathmandu for a fairly cheap fee (NPR500-5000), depending on the condition or quality of the bicycle and the length of the rental term.
On foot – despite the fact that automobile highways are expanding into the countryside, many locations are still only accessible by foot (or helicopter).
Regions in Nepal
Officially, Nepal is split into 14 administrative zones and five development areas, however travelers may find the conceptual classification below (based on the country’s elevation) more convenient. In order from north to south:
Mount Everest, Annapurna, Langtang National Park, and The Great Himalaya Trail provide many possibilities for sightseeing, hiking, and other adventure sports.
This region, which includes Kathmandu, Boudhanath, Patan, and Bhaktapur, is located in the center of Nepal and serves as a cultural crossroads with many holy temples and monuments.
The Hill Region (Pahar in Nepali) is mostly situated between 700 and 4,000 meters above sea level. The Mahabharat Lekh (Lesser Himalaya) separates this area from the Terai Range, forming a geographic midpoint between the Terai and the Himalayas. It contains the beautiful Pokhara valley, which is a popular starting point for outdoor activities in the region.
Chitwan National Park and Bardia National Park are located on the western side of the Terai mountain range.
Biratnagar, Nepal’s second biggest municipality, is located in a densely populated region.
Cities in Nepal
Kathmandu — With its Hanumandhoka Durbar Square and the stupas of Boudhanath and Swayambhunath, Kathmandu is Nepal’s capital and cultural center.
Bhaktapur — Bhaktapur is a well-preserved ancient city, as well as a pilgrimage and pottery-making center in Nepal; no motorized vehicles are permitted.
Biratnagar — Biratnagar, near Dharan in eastern Nepal, is an important agricultural center and a hotbed of political activity.
Birgunj — Birgunj is a mid-southern Nepalese commercial hub that connects India and Nepal.
Janakpur — The 500-year-old Janaki Temple may be found in Janakpur, an ancient religious center.
Namche Bazaar — Namche Bazaar is a Sherpa hamlet popular with hikers in the Solu Khumbu area.
Nepalgunj — Bardiya National Park and Banke National Park are both near to Nepalgunj, the major center for the Mid- and Far-Western Development Region.
Patan — Patan is a lovely, ancient city. UNESCO recognized Patan Durbar Square as a World Heritage Site in 1979.
Pokhara — Pokhara is a beautiful lake-side town that is quickly becoming a popular tourist destination owing to its beauty, adventure sports, restaurants, hotels, and live music scene.
Other destinations in Nepal
Nepal has long been a haven for traveling ascetics and tantric yogis, sandwiched between the Himalayan snow peaks and the raging Ganges plain. As a result, the nation is home to a plethora of holy places and natural wonders:
Chitwan National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to tigers, rhinoceroses, and other jungle wildlife.
Daman is a small mountain hamlet with panoramic views of the Himalayas, which are particularly beautiful at dawn and sunset.
Haleshi (Tibetan: Maratika) is the location of a mountain cave where Padmasambhava gained enlightenment.
Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, is located in the Khumbu area.
Nagarkot is a hill station one hour from Kathmandu with spectacular Himalayan views.
Parping is home to many holy caves connected with Tibetan Buddhism’s founder, Padmasambhava.
Tangting is a lovely and little-known traditional Gurung hamlet with a spectacular view of the Annapurna mountain.
Accommodation & Hotels in Nepal
For a double room, budget lodging in Nepal varies from about NPR250 to around NPR750. You should negotiate since the rates you are given at first are not set. You may receive a significant discount if you stay for a longer length of time. Sheets, blankets, towels, and anything else except a bed and a door are typically not included in cheaper rooms. Even if you’ve been there before, most cheap hotels and guesthouses offer a variety of rooms, so double-check what you’re receiving. At Kathmandu, a double room in a three-star comparable hotel (with air conditioning, a bathroom, Internet connection, and satellite TV) costs about USD15 (NPR1,500). In Nepal, lodgings are likely to be the lowest portion of your spending.
If you want more luxury accommodations, the finest hotels are comparable to four-star hotels in Western nations (unlimited access to swimming pool or whirlpool, no power outages, room service, very good restaurant and buffet breakfasts). Expect the price to skyrocket (circa 50USD for a double or 100USD for an apartment, even more in Kathmandu). All rates are typically set in these hotels. Some luxury hotels in Kathmandu require guests to go through a security check before entering.
Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak, is arguably Nepal’s most renowned sight, and the nation is covered with towering mountains.
The 2015 earthquake caused significant (and possibly irreversible) damage to a number of UNESCO monuments.
In Nepal, there are four UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
The Kathmandu Valley, which includes not only the city but also the towns of Bhaktapur and Patan, as well as Sagarmatha National Park, Chitwan National Park, and Lumbini, Buddha’s birthplace.
Things To Do in Nepal
Mountain biking
Mountain riding in Nepal is a fun and sometimes difficult activity. There are many famous bike routes in Nepal that are now operational. They are as follows:
From Balaju in Kathmandu, the Scar Road leads to Kakani, Shivapuri, and Budhanilkantha in northern Kathmandu.
The journey from Kathmandu to Dhulikhel begins in Koteshwor in Kathmandu and continues via Bhaktapur, Banepa, and Dhulikhel. Continue on from Dhulikhel to Namobuddha, Panauti, and Banepa.
The Back Door to Kathmandu begins at Panauti and continues through Lakuri Bhanjyang, Lubhu in Lalitpur, and finally Patan.
The journey from Dhulikhel to the Tibetan Border begins at Dhulikhel and continues along the Araniko Highway, stopping for the night along the route.
The Rajpath in Kathmandu runs from Kalanki in Kathmandu to Naubise, following the Prithvi Highway. Then it’s on to the Tribhuwan Highway, with an overnight stop in Daman. Ride downhill to Hetauda from there, with the option of continuing on to Narayangarh or the Indian border.
Hetauda to Narayangarh and Mugling begins at Hetauda and continues to Narayangarh along the Mahendra Highway. Take a detour to Sauraha, which is close to Taandi.
The journey from Kathmandu to Pokhara begins in Kathmandu and continues via Naubise, Mugling, and Pokhara.
Pokhara to Sarangkot and Naudanda is a road that runs from Lakeside Pokhara to Sarangkot and then to Naudanda. Ride downhill to the highway from there.
Bike riding is ideal between mid-October and late-March, when the atmosphere is clear and the temperature is moderate: warm during the day and chilly at night. Riding is feasible during other times of the year, although caution should be used while biking during the monsoon season (June to September) since the roads are slick. Biking may be done on your own or with the help of Nepalese biking businesses.
You can rent mountain bikes of nearly any quality, but if you’re going on a longer or more difficult ride, bringing your own saddle is a smart idea. Daily rental prices varied from USD3 for a basic bike to USD30 for a western bike with suspension in late 2009.
Motorcycling
Nepal has some of the finest motorcycle roads in the world because to its topography and climate. The traffic is a bit clogged, but not too so, and the speeds are moderate. Even though you may never be stopped by the authorities as a tourist on a bike, you will need an international driving license in Nepal.
Motorcycle touring is maybe the finest and most unique way to see the nation. Beginners should avoid Kathmandu, but the remainder of Nepal is breathtaking. The most well-known names in the business include Hearts and Tears Motorcycle Club, Wild Experience Tours, and Blazing Trails Tours. They specialize on motorcycle tours and have an impressive collection of unique motorcycles. Professional setups with imported safety equipment, systematic training, and well-organized group excursions are available.
Many canyons (khola in Nepali) have been prepared for organized descents since the Nepal Canyoning Association was established in 2007. The 2011 IRC (International Canyoning Rendezvous) was held in the Annapurna region’s Marshyangdi River basin. At least 30 canyons have commercial businesses that arrange descent trips. The Nepali canyons provide magnificent views of the valleys and rice fields below, as well as a variety of difficulty and water level combinations. The majority of canyons are only accessible on foot from adjacent highways, via trails used by people for agriculture, or to go to their houses. The “Himalayan Canyon Team” outfitted one of the world’s longest and most challenging canyons, the Chamje Khola, in a trip in 2011.
Elephant rides, jungle paddling, nature hikes, and bird watching are all available at Chitwan National Park, as well as more daring tiger and rhino viewing. There are also a number of lesser-known parks, such as Bardiya and Sagarmatha.
Food & Drinks in Nepal
Food in Nepal
Daal-bhaat-tarkaari is the national dish of Nepal. Spicy lentils are poured over boiling rice and eaten with tarkari, or spiced vegetables. This is served two times a day, at 10:00 and 19:00 or 20:00, in most Nepalese households and teahouses. If rice is limited, aata (cornmeal mush), barley, or sukkha roti (whole wheat ‘tortillas’) may be substituted. Dahi (yogurt) and a tiny serving of ultra-spicy fresh chutney or achaar may be served with the meal (pickle). This dish is traditionally eaten with the right hand. Freshwater fish is frequently accessible near lakes and rivers, and curried meat, goat or chicken, is an occasional treat. Beef is prohibited since Hindus consider animals to be holy, although it is nevertheless available for a premium price in certain high-end restaurants, owing to the fact that it is imported from India. Some people eat buffalo and yak, while others think they’re too cow-like. Some tribes consume pork, but upper-caste Hindus do not. Vegetarian groups and tribes exist in the United States, much as they do in India.
A variety of snacks may be offered in addition to the major morning and evening meals. Tea with milk and sugar is an excellent pick-me-up. Although maize may be cooked and partly popped, it is not popcorn. This is known as “kha-jaa,” which means “eat and run.” Rice may be steamed and crushed to make “chiura,” which is similar to raw oatmeal and can be eaten with yogurt, hot milk and sugar, or other flavors. Sweets made with sugar, milk, fried batter, sugar cane juice, and other ingredients can occasionally be obtained, as may fritters called “pakora” and turnovers called “samosa.” Make certain that such delights are either freshly prepared or fly-free. Otherwise, flies would settle on the human excrement that litters the streets, then on your meals, turning you into a walking medical textbook of gastrological disorders.
Different ethnic groups typically have their own specialities as a result of Nepali society’s multi-ethnic character, varying degrees of adherence to Hindu dietary standards, and the great variety of temperatures and micro-climates across the nation.
Newars, a Nepalese ethnic group that originated in the Kathmandu Valley, are food lovers who lament that eating is their demise, while Pahari Chhetri is believed to be downfall by sexual excess. The cuisine in the lush Kathmandu and Pokhara valleys typically includes a wider range of products, especially vegetables, than that of the hills. As a result, when compared to Nepal’s other indigenous regional cuisines, Newari food is very unique and varied, therefore keep an eye out for Newari eateries. Some even include cultural performances, making it a great opportunity to eat well while learning about Nepalese culture.
The Terai lowlands’ cuisine is almost identical to that of India’s neighboring regions. Tropical fruits produced locally are offered alongside subtropical and temperate temperate crops grown in the mountains. In addition to the usual bananas (‘kera’) and papayas (‘mewa’), jackfruit (‘katar’) is a local delicacy.
Some Tibetan foods, especially those from the Himalayan area, are somewhat spicy. Momos, a meat or vegetable-filled dumpling akin to Chinese pot-stickers, are one of the delicacies to search for. In the last several decades, momos have grown very popular. Momos are virtually ubiquitous in Kathmandu and other Nepalese cities, whether in a large hotel or a tiny eatery. Other delicacies include Tibetan Bread and Honey, a fluffy fried bread with a thick raw honey filling that’s perfect for breakfast. Potatoes are the Sherpa people’s main food in the Himalayan highlands. Potato pancakes are a popular local cuisine (rikikul). They’re best served hot off the griddle, with dzo (female yak) butter or cheese on top.
Pizza, Mexican, Thai and Chinese cuisine, and Middle-Eastern cuisine may all be found in Kathmandu’s, Pokhara’s, and Chitwan’s tourist areas. Eating local cuisine can save you money if you are on a budget.
Keep in mind that many small restaurants are not equipped to create a variety of meals; stick to one or two dishes if you don’t want to wait while the chef attempts to make one after another on a one-burner stove.
Eat solely Nepali rural goods as much as possible. It will assist them financially if you exclusively eat items made in the community.
Drinks in Nepal
Raksi is a transparent beverage with an alcohol level comparable to tequila. It’s typically brewed “in house,” which gives it a unique flavor and intensity. This is by far the most affordable beverage in the nation. It is often given in tiny, ceramic cups (Salinchha in Newar language) that contain less than a shot on special occasions. It’s a great mixer for fruit juice or seltzer. It may be referred to as “Nepali wine” on menus.
The hazy, mildly alcoholic drink jaand (Nepali) or chyaang (Tibetan) is often referred to as “Nepali beer.” Rice is the most common ingredient, especially in Newari culture. Even if it isn’t as strong as raksi, it will nonetheless have a significant impact. This is often served to visitors in Nepali households, diluted with water. Before consuming this beverage, ask visitors whether the water has been sterilized for your safety.
Beer manufacturing is a developing business in Nepal. Some local beers are being exported, and beer quality has improved to meet international standards. In metropolitan regions, international brands are popular. Two well-known local brands are Everest and Gorkha.
Cocktails are mostly available in the tourist regions of Kathmandu and Pokhara. A number of pubs, restaurants, and sports bars offer watered-down “two for one” beverages.
Although not as well-known globally as Indian brands, Nepal has a sizable organic tea sector. The majority of the plantations are in the east of the nation, and the kind of tea cultivated is quite similar to that grown in Darjeeling. Dhankuta, Illam, Jhapa, Terathhum, and Panchthar are well-known types (all named after their growing regions). Over 70% of Nepalese tea is exported, and the tea you see for sale in Thamel is just the scrapings from the bottom of the barrel, while serving as token memories.
Boiling milk with tea (with or without sugar) is known as milk tea.
Chai is tea with milk added to it, as well as ginger and spices such as cardamom.
Suja is a salty tea prepared with milk and butter that is exclusively found among Tibetan, Sherpa, and a few other Himalayan communities.
Wild flowers from the Solu Khumbu area are used to make herbal drinks. These teas are usually exclusively offered in high-end restaurants or those owned by Sherpas from the Solu Khumbu in Kathmandu.
Water that you may drink without becoming sick is uncommon due to a lack of water treatment and sewage treatment facilities. It’s best to presume that water that hasn’t been chemically treated or boiled is dangerous to drink, which is one reason to stick to tea or bottled water. In many towns and villages, filtered, purified water may be available for purchase. Along the Annapurna Circuit, the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) has set up a number of clean water stations where visitors may buy water at a reasonable price.
The native currency is the Nepalese rupee (NPR).
Although Indian money is accepted in Nepal (at a 1.60 Nepalese rupee to 1 Indian rupee official exchange rate), the INR500 and INR1,000 currency notes are not accepted. In Nepal, it is prohibited to carry Indian rupee notes of 500 and 1000 rupees.
In Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, Nepalgunj, Janakpur, Lumbini, and many more important cities, you may withdraw cash from ATMs or use credit cards. Depending on your bank, you may be charged a service fee. In such places, there are currently a large number of ATMs that are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Keep any currency exchange and ATM receipts since you’ll need them to convert back to your home currency at the airport bank. If you don’t have them, they will refuse to convert your currency and instead recommend that you go upstairs to the Duty Free store, which isn’t a certified money changer. Outside of the main cities, traveler’s cheques may be helpful.
Nepalese government offices and most private companies are open six days a week, with the exception of Saturdays. International organizations operate under their own set of regulations, and most of them are closed on Saturdays and Sundays. The Nepal Gazette publishes the government holidays for the following year. Nepal observes a variety of religious and secular festivals. Most government offices and commercial institutions are closed on these holidays, but privately held companies are not required to shut, and international organizations are free to follow their own schedule.
Some of these events are unique to a certain area, religion, or gender. In Nepal, for example, a specific holiday may be restricted to women exclusively.
Vijaya Dashami is the longest continuous public holiday in Nepal. This festival has six days of vacations, starting with Fulpati and ending with Duwadashi. This festival includes the Ghatasthapana and Kojagrat Purnima vacations, which are distinct from the six-day holiday. These festivals are observed on the basis of lunar dates, also known as tithi, and may not always occur on the same calendar day each year. Bikram Sambat calendar dates are used to commemorate holidays like as Loktantra Diwas (Democracy Day) and Republic Day.
Traditions & Customs in Nepal
With hands together and fingers up, greet individuals with a warm Namaste (or “Namaskar” formal version – to an elder or high-status person). It’s used in lieu of greetings and farewells. It should only be spoken once per person, each day. ‘The divine in me salutes the divine in you,’ says the least watered-down definition.
Feet are seen as filthy. Do not point the soles of your shoes towards people or religious symbols. Avoid stepping over someone who is sitting or laying on the ground. Be aware of when it’s OK to take off your hat or shoes. Before entering a residential building, it is customary to remove your shoes.
Because it is used to wash after defecating, the left hand is considered dirty. In place of toilet paper, many Nepali hotels and guest houses feature bidet attachments, similar to a kitchen sink sprayer. Touching someone with your left hand is considered impolite. With the right hand, you should probe, take, and give something.
In a clockwise manner, circumambulate Buddhist shrines and temples, chortens, stupas, mani walls, monasteries, and so on. There is no such tradition in Hindu shrines and temples.
Smile, joke, and be pleasant while negotiating over costs. Allow for a fair profit margin. Don’t be a miser and criticize excellent workmanship; it’s far better to bemoan the fact that you can’t afford such opulence.
Non-Hindus are not permitted to enter specific areas of several Hindu temples. Be aware of this and respectful of it, since they are religious sites, not tourist attractions.
Being a non-Hindu is considered somewhat ‘impure’ by some Hindus. Allow someone to pour the water into your drinking container instead than touching the containers. Avoid handling food that will be consumed by others. Before entering someone’s home, be sure you’ve been invited. You may only be allowed to sit on the porch or in the yard. Shoes are often placed on the front porch or in a designated location near the entrance.
Hands should be washed before and after eating. If you’re not left-handed, just use your right hand to touch food.
Folklore is an important element of Nepalese culture. Traditional stories, such as tales of love, affection, and wars, as well as tales of demons and ghosts, are based in the realities of day-to-day living and therefore reflect local lifestyles, culture, and beliefs. Many Nepalese folktales are performed via dance and song.
The majority of homes in Nepal’s rural lowlands are constructed of a compact bamboo structure with mud and cow-dung mix walls. These homes are cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The majority of houses in the hills are constructed of unbaked bricks with thatch or tile roofs. Construction shifts to stone masonry at higher altitudes, and slate may be utilized on roofs.
Nepal’s flag is the world’s only non-rectangular national flag. The Nepalese constitution includes guidelines for making a geometric flag. The color red in the flag represents victory in battle or bravery, according to its official explanation, and is also the color of the rhododendron, Nepal’s national flower. Aggression is also represented by the color red. The blue border of the flag represents peace. The curved moon on the flag symbolizes Nepal’s serene and calm character, while the sun signifies the warriors’ aggression.
Holidays and festivals
Nepal has the most public holidays in the world, with 36 days in a year. The Nepali year starts on the first of Baisakh, according to the country’s official Hindu calendar, the Bikram Sambat, which occurs in mid-April and is split into 12 months. The official weekly holiday is Saturday. The National Day (28 December), Prithvi Jayanti (11 January), Martyr’s Day (18 February), and a combination of Hindu and Buddhist festivals such as Dashain in October, Tihar in mid-autumn, and Chhath in late autumn are the main yearly holidays. During Swanti, the Newars hold the Mha Puja ritual to commemorate the lunar calendar’s Nepal Sambat’s New Year’s Day. In Nepal, Hindu holidays predominate.
Dal bhat is a traditional Nepalese dish. Dal is a lentil soup that is eaten with boiling rice, tarkari (curried vegetables), and achar (pickles) or chutni (spicy condiment made from fresh ingredients). It includes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Cumin, coriander, black pepper, sesame seeds, turmeric, garlic, ginger, methi (fenugreek), bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, chiles, and mustard seeds are all popular spices used in cooking with mustard oil. Momo is a steamed dumpling with meat or vegetable fillings that is popular in many parts of Nepal as a quick meal.
Sports
The most popular sport in Nepal is association football, which was first played in 1921 under the Rana monarchy. The Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, the country’s sole international stadium, is where the national team plays its home matches.
Since the past decade, cricket has grown in popularity. Nepal has played its home matches at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground since the team’s inception. Since then, the national side has won both the ICC World Cricket League Division Four and the ICC World Cricket League Division Three, qualifying for the 2014 Cricket World Cup Qualifier. They also qualified for the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh, which is the furthest the team has ever progressed in an ICC competition. The International Cricket Council (ICC) granted Nepal T20I status on June 28, 2014, after the country competed in the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 and performed well. Before earning the designation, Nepal had already played three T20I matches, since the ICC had already declared that all matches at the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 would be T20I. Nepal qualified for the 2015 ICC World Cricket League Division Two by winning the 2014 ICC World Cricket League Division Three in Malaysia.
Nepal qualified for the 2015–17 ICC World Cricket League Championship by finishing fourth in the 2015 ICC World Cricket League Division Two in Namibia. After finishing third in the round-robin round, Nepal was unable to gain promotion to Division One and qualify for the 2015–17 ICC Intercontinental Cup. Basanta Regmi became the first bowler in the World Cricket League to collect 100 wickets. He was able to do this after getting two wickets against the Netherlands throughout the tournament.
Stay Safe & Healthy in Nepal
Stay Safe in Nepal
Strikes (“bandas”) and protests do occur from time to time. Some establishments shut, although many exceptions are made for visitors, who are generally well-liked. Inquire about strikes at your hotel or read Nepali newspapers in English.
After signing a comprehensive peace deal with the government in 2006, the Maoist insurgency came to an end.
The government is now in the hands of the Nepali Congress, which won the 2014 election. Tourists are now considerably safer than they were previously due to the shift in administration. Travel to the hiking trails and other tourist attractions is safe. If your nation has an embassy or consulate in Nepal, inform them of your location and intentions, and take any cautious advise they may give carefully.
Pickpockets are uncommon in Nepal’s cities, which are safer than most. However, don’t flaunt your money or make excessive shows of riches.
When using public transportation, use caution. The roads are small, steep, twisting, and often congested. Domestic flights operated by a private business are safer than driving on public highways. Before and during the monsoon season, when the mountains are typically clouded over, the dangers of flying are highest.
If you are severely wounded or ill in an area where there are no roads or airports, medical evacuation by helicopter may be your only option. Companies who provide these services may refuse to provide them if there is no assurance that the bill will be paid, therefore check into medical evacuation insurance. You may inquire whether your embassy or consulate provides payment guarantees.
Stay Healthy in Nepal
Minimizing gastrointestinal issues – These are prevalent in Nepal since most people still don’t have access to proper sanitation. They vary from self-limiting diarrhea where dehydration is the primary danger, through chronic intestinal parasites, amoebic dysentery, and giardiasis that need medical attention, to life-threatening diseases like cholera and typhoid. Even for ordinary intestinal flora, it takes approximately a year and several painful episodes of stomach issues to get used to it, so visitors planning shorter visits should take extra care. Filter or treat your own water, use bottled water after double-checking the lid (limit bottled water usage since there’s no place to dispose of old bottles), or stick to drinks prepared from fully boiled and filtered water. Tea and coffee from tourist-oriented cafés are ‘usually’ safe.
Consider being immunized and receiving preventive therapy. You may get typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, malaria, and even rabies. Read the page on tropical illnesses and talk to your doctor about your trip plans.
It’s either safe sex or no sex. Human trafficking occurs because Nepali women are sought after in India and the Middle East. When health problems become a liability, victims may be permitted to return home and continue ‘working’ for as long as feasible. STDs are becoming more common, and the government has not always been aggressive in terms of treatment and public awareness. You have a limited possibility of learning about a potential partner’s sexual history unless your Nepali is very proficient.
Altitude sickness is a condition that occurs when you are above Base camps and passes in the Himalaya are typically higher than Mount Blanc or Mount Whitney because permanent snow lines are between 5,500 m and 5,800 m (18,000 ft and 19,000 ft). This puts even the most experienced mountain climbers at danger of life-threatening altitude-related medical problems. Choose routes that do not travel high, such as Pokhara-Jomosom, or routes and trekking organizations that provide gamow bags or other therapy, and sleep no more than 300 meters (1,000 feet) higher each day to reduce risks. It’s best to do daytime conditioning climbs that drive acclimatization, then return to a more acceptable height at night, according to the “climb high, sleep low” adage.
Hypothermia is a possibility, particularly if you’re hiking in the spring, fall, or winter to escape the heat at lower altitudes. When the temperature in the Terai is a pleasant 30°C (85°F), the temperature at that base camp or high pass is likely to be in the teens Fahrenheit or -10°C (14°F). Either be ready to walk and sleep in these temperatures (and make sure your companions, guides, and porters are as well), or choose for a lower-altitude trip. Daytime temperatures at 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) are expected to be in the 40s Fahrenheit, or 5 to 10 degrees Celsius.
Rabies – Because dogs are not vaccinated, they often get this deadly illness from other dogs or wild animals. Every animal has the potential to be endangered. Because dogs are ritually polluted and frequently mistreated, determining whether a dog attacked you because it is worried of humans or because it is rabid may be difficult. Before visiting Nepal, you should get a rabies vaccination, although this does not guarantee your safety. Keep an eye out for mammalian behavior that seems confused or aggressive, and go as far away as possible. No matter how adorable a dog, cat, or pig is, do not touch them. Keep a safe distance from monkeys, particularly at Kathmandu’s Monkey Temple (Swayambunath). Seek medical help if you’ve been bitten or if you’ve been exposed to saliva. You may need a longer course of injections to get a greater degree of protection than standard immunization.
Snakebites are more common in hot weather and at altitudes below 1,500 meters (5,000 ft). Poisonous snakes are very widespread, and they kill thousands of people every year. People in the area may be able to distinguish between dangerous and non-poisonous plants. When cobras are irritated, they lift their bodies in the air and spread their hoods; itinerant snake charmers are likely to have specimens for your viewing pleasure. Vipers, like poisonous snakes in North America, have triangular heads and robust bodies. Due of their benign look and highly powerful neurotoxic venom, kraits may be the most deadly. Kraits are very quiet during the day but become more active at night, particularly near homes where they hunt rodents. Krait bites may be painless at first, merely producing numbness. Numbness may develop to fatal paralysis without adequate antivenin, even with bites from tiny, apparently innocuous species. Protect yourself by wearing appropriate shoes and pants rather than sandals and shorts. When going outdoors at night, be careful where you place your feet and hands, and carry a light. Sleeping on raised mattresses or on second floors may help keep nocturnal kraits at bay.
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People are very much acquainted with the word leather which is of different types including top-grain leather and why not it is? A huge number of products come from leather. Although the source of collecting leather is common which is from animal hides whatever depending on the manufacturing process, quality and where it is got leather is of different types including top-grain, split-grain, and bonded leather. Through reading the article you can have a good idea of what is top grain leather and related issues.
People who don’t have sufficient knowledge over types of leather, they usually get puzzled while buying a leather product over what kind of leather product he should purchase. So to deduct your confusion today we will discuss over top-grain leather.
Top-grain leather has been made from the top or outermost layer of cowhide. Several quality products are made from top-grain leather. Today’s talk is all about top-grain leather, its manufacturing process, merits and demerits, and its uses.
Top-grain leather, which comes after full-grain leather, is thinner always finer because it is made by removing the outermost layer of animal hide through sanding and buffing. According to price value, top-grain leather also comes after full-grain leather. It removes all upside defects of leather to make it smoother.
Top grain leather comes to the final stage passing hardcore processing. The Leather takes a consistent pattern and color after defects and the outermost layers of the hide are removed through processing whereas the outermost layer of the hide has natural fiber.
But because of the processing of top-grain leather, it loses some attributes including body-oil absorption capability, breathability, and other qualities that are contrary to that available in full-grain leathers.
Top-grain leather is soft and belongs to the all-natural character. Some of these kinds of leather are chemically treated or textured for a more uniform appearance. This leather remains imprinted with imitation grain as it appears to the last stage through sanding and buffing. Sometimes you will find the leather akin to that of alligator skin, ostrich, and others.
What Products Come from Leather?
Actually many products are made by using top-grain leather especially light products like wallets, briefcases, satchels, handbags, purses, key chains, and many more. Light items are made because we know that top-grain leather is not that sturdy as full-grain leather and the leather is flexible has a consistent appearance.
As top-grain leather is softer and not that solid, it is used in easy works. This kind of leather should be used with great care as this lacks durability. Even then this kind of leather has a wide variety of use.
How to Take Care of Top Grain Leather?
Top Grain Leather is comparatively softer and very much sensitive so the leather can be used for a longer period of time throughout proper maintenance. This type of leather can get easily torn in contact with water so it should be kept aloof from water and in case any water found on this leather, the water should be as soon as possible wiped off.
If you use any product made of top grain leather, then you should be careful of this product. Because on the off chance you wash your product then keep it in a dry and cool place to make it dry. But if you use any dry machine to over-dry the leather product then it can result in cracking so better let it dry naturally keeping in a dry and cool place.
As we know, plastic covers give birth to molds so you better not use plastic covers to keep the leather product in. Use high-quality leather soap to wash your leather product indeed. Unfortunately, if you see any mold to be growing on your leather then clean it off with a soft cloth indeed. Before doing so, assort both water and isopropyl alcohol in equal proportion then soak the cloth in this mixture and then run the cloth on the leather to clean the mold.
Nothing in the world is perfect so things that have advantages have disadvantages too. Top-Grain leather comes after full-grain leather so it has also both of them. In the following two passages we are defining the advantages and disadvantages of this type of leather:
Merits: There are many people who don’t have the capability of buying a full-grain leather product, to them top-grain leather is almost perfect because of being less expensive. It is easy to maintain and work with top-grain leather products. This type of leather comes to the final stage through hardcore processing so it is given a consistent finish indeed. The leather can be given a beautiful shape which is akin to others because of its flexibility.
Demerits: As top-grain leather comes through hardcore processing like buffing and sanding, the leather loses its durability indeed. This leather is very much prone to cracking and breaking. The leather lacks breathability and doesn’t develop a patina. The leather is devoid of oil-absorption ability from the wearer’s body. And these are the reasons; Full-Grain Leather gets the first priority before top-grain leather. The leather is hot in the hot season and cold in the cold season and so users are not always comfortable with this leather.
The Distinction between Top-Grain Leather and Genuine Leather
The position of genuine leather, also known as split leather, is at the lowest quality which is made out of real leather. Genuine leather is originated from intermediate leathers between suede and top grain. Genuine leather poses less durability but it looks as nice as higher-quality leather. This type of leather is acceptable while you are buying something at a cheaper rate.
On the other hand, top-grain leather is most suitable for furniture. Top grain leather is made by removing the outermost layer of the animal hide through buffing and sanding. Then the leather is given imitation grain to give it a much uniform look. The position of Top-Grain leather is right after Full-Grain leather.
Previously we told that top-grain leather is prone to water and it gets scratched and cracked easily but proper maintenance to this leather can give it a long life of up to ten years. If you make comparisons with fabric then you will find leather much more durable, strong, and easy to clean indeed. Top-grain leather is sturdier than that of genuine leather so it is a little bit expensive. Top-grain leather is way better than fabric and taking care of it is easy.
First of all, top-grain leather is scratch-resistant. Actually, no leather by itself doesn’t crack or excoriate under normal conditions. But if anything is applied on its surface, then the leather can probably excoriate. Because of sturdiness, top-grain leather is more preferable for belts, shoes, wallets, and other light products. This leather can be fixed in case it is excoriated. When top grain leather is pigmented, it maintains an even tone with no patina. Comparatively full-grain leather is free of such issues and that is why the position of top-grain leather comes after that.
How much Durable Top-Grain Leather is for Sofas?
As top-grain leather is best for top coating and it is resistant to strain, this leather is much compatible with sofas. For making high-quality furniture, top-grain leather is more preferable indeed. Top-grain leather is long-lasting and it sometimes offers longevity of up to ten years providing that if you take care of it in the proper way. This leather type posse some qualities like durability, nice outlook, and strong and to the pet owners and parents this leather is an ideal material. So, in the end, it can be easily said that top-grain leather is best for furniture like sofas.
Everything requires maintenance for offering longevity so does top-grain leather. But maintenance way differs from product to product. The ways through which you can take care of top-grain leather are as follows:
Sometimes molds grow on your leather product because of wrapping it with plastic covers and for some other reasons too; in case it happens then make an assortment of water and isopropyl alcohol and then soak a soft cloth into it and then wipe off the mold from the surface of the leather.
If your leather product gets filthy then wash it and after washing it keep it in a cool and dry place to dry up. Make sure your leather product is not wrapped with a plastic cover.
You should have a clean cloth and high-quality leather conditioner to prevent your leather product from cracking or drying out and it is the most effective mean of maintenance.
Whenever you wipe your leather, keep it in a cool and dry place so that it naturally gets dried up. If you discover any spills on your leather then without making delay just wipe it off using a soft cloth and make sure it is free of damage.
Use a nubuck cleaning cloth and high-quality leather soap to clean your leather product. While using the soap on the surface of the leather just make sure the soap leaves no residue which is detrimental to leather.
Epilogue: We tried our best to lift up all the necessary things about top-grain leather and briefly describe these issues. We described how top-grain leather comes to the final stage passing through sanding and buffing and we also learned that this type of leather is more preferable for furniture. For making luxurious and premium goods, top-grain leathers are basically highly used.
However, besides all these advantages yet the position of full grain leather is up to top-grain leather. But top grain leather is easy to be cleaned, durable, and offers good longevity. To the sybarite people who love to buy things that give a beautiful and artistic outlook, products with top-grain leather are much more preferable.
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I have had a high interest in manly attires, and I saw that leather items occupy a fair portion of man’s attires, especially to mention the name of leather belts. However, my longstanding thirst for manly attire drove me towards opening this website where I upload reviews on all leather items. It’s a site completely dedicated to the service of consumers, evaluating their tastes and choices.
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Episode Synopsis: Lily and Robin have a wedding-day disagreement; Barney is fit to be tied over what suit to wear; and the gang screens a film Ted told them not to watch. -tvguide
Spoiler alert. Trust me, you don't want to ignore this one. I know, you didn't ignore the spoiler alerts when you read the reviews of Doctor MD and Police Cop. That wasn't a big deal, though, because those were terrible movies. However, I know you regret getting spoiled on the big twist of White House President. Everyone was talking about how their minds were blown, but you went and spoiled yourself and had to pretend to be amazed. And now you walk around, wondering if people know you were just faking that amazement. It's a heavy burden, I know, which is why I'm telling you to think very hard about getting spoiled for this episode. I worry about you.
Full Review: "What mother is going to miss her daughter's wedding?" Those words turn this episode from a typical Ted yarn into something more profound and poignant. Because while The Mother, sitting in a snowed in Farhampton Inn in 2024 is talking about Robin's mother, she might also seem to be talking about herself. And suddenly, Ted's long, long, long and rambling story he tells his kids in 2030 makes a lot more sense.
Stories are fantastic. We love hearing them. It's fun to tell them to an attentive (or captive) audience. The entire conceit of this series is that it's a "Love Story in Reverse." We know how the story ends, we just don't know how Ted actually meets The Mother. And that process of discovery over these nine years has been exciting. At times frustrating. Occasionally heartbreaking. Often sidesplittingly funny. But even at its worst I've enjoyed it.
But stories are more than a way to talk about the past or pass on profound life lessons. They can be a retreat. Sometimes life is better in those stories, especially our own stories of days gone by. It's hard to see it when you're living them, but looking back can make you realize how wonderful those times were. We can get lost in the past and refuse to see that life is always moving forward. We get older, times change, and things happen that we don't want to deal with.
This episode isn't a story Ted tells his kids. This is one of the stories Ted tells his wife, The Mother, and she's heard it before. In fact, she's heard pretty much all of Ted's stories. (And he's heard all of hers.) They are officially an old married couple, celebrating their life together. At least, they are trying to.
Because as Ted is telling this story to the woman he loves, she warns him that he shouldn't just live in the past. He needs to live in the present and not ignore the future. At first, it seems like something a wife tells a husband who tells her the same story over and over, but there's a sadness in what she says. And while we aren't told why she's sad, it's clear what's going on when you think about it.
Ted and The Mother are back in Farhampton, but it's not during the summer season. It's the dead of winter, and they are the only ones enjoying the accommodations. Farhampton in winter is not where you go for a fun vacation. Because this isn't a vacation, it's trying to enjoy one last weekend, one final trip together. It's a chance to make one more memory because you don't know how much time you have left.
"What mother is going to miss her daughter's wedding?" The mother asks this question, and it's clear by the look on Ted's face that they both know the answer. That look, with the tears in his eyes that he's trying so bravely to contain, absolutely devastated me. He didn't have to say a word, because words weren't needed. He's trying to be brave for her, because she needs him.
Something is wrong, and there's a very good chance that The Mother isn't going to be there when her daughter walks down the aisle. That's why she and Ted are at Farhampton, the place they met. The place Ted proposed. The place their son Luke decided to be born. This is the most important place for both of them, and when times are tough, really tough, that's where they want to go one last time.
The Time Travelers was easily the best episode of season 8, and one of the top episodes of the entire series. At the end, Future Ted tells his kids that if he got to go back and relive that time, he'd rush over to their mother's apartment because even though he meets her 45 days from then, he wants those 45 days. Or even just 45 seconds. Now, what he says makes even more sense. While everyone's days are numbered, The Mother may have had far fewer days than we realized.
There's been a theory running around HIMYM fan circles that The Mother is dead in 2030. The reason Ted is obsessed with telling this story is because, in telling it, he gets to spend a little more time with her. It's not just about telling his kids all his stories from his 20's and 30's, it's about reconnecting with the woman he loved so much, a woman he misses every single day.
Now, we don't know if The Mother is still alive in 2030 when Ted is telling the story. We do know that something is happening to her in 2024 and it's serious. We're going to find out, and when we do, I'm probably going to cry. Bad news. Good news. This show is going to get me.
There was a lot happening in the rest of the episode as well, mostly just the gang's wacky hijinks as they break lamps and watch the sequel to The Wedding Bride. (The Wedding Bride Too, with Chris Kattan returning as the Evil Architect.) Lily's insistence that Robin have a "wedding day moment" did get a little old. Past Ted and Barney, however, have some great scenes together as they decide on the right suit for Barney's wedding. It's also nice to see Robin's sister again.
The big surprise, of course, is that Robin's mother is here, played by Tracy Ullman. As The Mother says in 2024, it's pretty obvious she'd be coming. Next week we're sure to find out about her, and I can't wait to see her play against Ray Wise. Great casting if you ask me.
And it seems that Marshall and Lily have dealt with Marshall being a judge. We may never see what made Lily change her mind, and that's unfortunate. Of course, given how much the show has to accomplish and the limited amount of time left, I can see why the writers would just declare it finished. Still, there's more to the story and I wanted to see it.
I think this is a great episode, but ultimately its success will hinge on what happens next. It sets the stage for two big emotional stories: Robin and her mother, and Ted and The Mother dealing with what's wrong with her. If it pays off, this episode will be brilliant. If what follows is unsatisfying, then this episode will be diminished. But given the track record of these final few episodes, I think we're in for some powerful television.
Best Bribe: Anything with a 2 on it.
Best Callback: Ted and Marshall waking up after the snowstorm, as depicted in The Wedding Bride Too!
Most Notable Absence: the Sagat Narration, as this might be one story Ted can't bear to tell his kids.
Posted by Charles B. French at 10:54 PM
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Charles B. French
I'm a writer. I'm also a teacher, a speaker, an actor, a geek, a gamer, a Believer, a rabble-rouser, a procrastinator, a guy with big dreams and great hair, and a whole lot of other things. But I'm a writer. I knew I loved writing ever since I skipped recess in first grade to finish writing a story. Now I share what I have with you, and I hope you enjoy it.
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Yesterday, I came across an interview with Ryan Avery, 2012 World Champion of Public Speaking on the blog of Paul Sohn: How to Speak Like a World Champion of Public Speaking.
Ryan Avery. At age 25, Ryan is the youngest World Champion of Public Speaking in history. He currently works as the Director of Marketing and Communications at Special Olympics Oregon.
The question that really struck me and has left me deep in thought for the last 24 hours is this:
“What is the hardest thing that you ever had to work for?”
Ryan said that a friend asked him this question and the fact that he could not answer it made him change. He became World Champion of Public Speaking because of the question.
What is your answer? Is it clear?
Personally, I don’t have a clear answer.
I have been reflecting on school, university, MBA; on 8 years of work at Accenture; on 1 year travelling with a backpack around Asia and Latin America; on 12 years building companies as a entrepreneur; on teaching; on 8 years of being a parent… and I am not sure I have a clear answer.
My reflection is that I want to have a clear answer on my 50th birthday. I want to know that there was something that I was willing to sacrifice for and that I chose to do the work consistently; in the good and in the tough times.
This weekend, I am on a 3 day course with Dr John DeMartini called “Master Planning for Life”. I aim to have an answer on Sunday night.
I would love your help. I learn so much from listening to other’s experiences. I would welcome comments or emails direct to me conor (at) conorneill.com with your experiences, reflections and perspectives:
What is the hardest thing you have had to work for?
When did you know that you were committed to achieving it?
How did you overcome the loss of passion, the doubts as you worked through the project?
What is something you are working on now that is big, hard and meaningful (but your choice! not your boss, company, family… you personally chose this project)
Thank you.
Author Conor NeillPosted on February 18, 2015 February 18, 2015 Categories Goal Setting, Purpose, Self-Belief, Self-DisciplineTags 2012 World Champion, experiences, help, projects, Public Speaking, purpose, Ryan Avery, World Champion9 Comments on “What is the hardest thing that you ever had to work for?”
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Zion Shaver has known obstacles all his life. Given up for adoption at the age of two, Shaver was raised in foster homes and bounced from one school to another. No real family, no real home, no real future. It would have been easy to give in to the hardships and quit, but he refused. Shaver found a purpose for his life—wrestling. “Wrestling has changed my life to the point where when I come to an obstacle in my life, I instantly figure out a way to get past it and move on.” Shaver had a very successful senior season at Massillon Washington High School in Ohio. Weighing 88 pounds, he finished the season with a 33-15 record and those who watched his efforts will never forget the experience. What makes Shaver unforgettable is that he was born with no legs. He not only faced his obstacles; he conquered them.
God told Moses to send twelve men to explore the land of Canaan and come back with a scouting report on what they found. They were to find out what the land was like and whether the people living there were strong or weak. It was important to know if the cities had walls and whether the land was good for growing crops. After being in the land for forty days, the men returned and presented their report. Everyone agreed that the land was indeed good and “flowing with milk and honey.” Ten men were reluctant to move into the land. They saw only obstacles—fortified cities and giants eight feet tall. Caleb however, saw beyond the obstacles and advised Moses to go immediately and take the land. What are you going to see today when the obstacles get in the way? Remember that our God is so much bigger than any obstacle we might face.
Heavenly Father, help me to see beyond the obstacles in my path. Together, we not only can face them, but we can conquer them. Amen.
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The Trident Academy middle school program is guided by the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators and the South Carolina State Standards. Students receive instruction in traditional subjects such as:
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Students learn through the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading and spelling by being exposed to prescriptive, diagnostic, sequential, structured and multi-sensory teaching.
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Trident Academy admits students of any gender, sexual orientation and identity (including transgender status), race, color, religion, national and/or ethnic origin, and provides students with all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. In accordance with applicable law, it does not discriminate in the administration of its education policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs. Similarly, Trident Academy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on disability. However, consistent with Trident Academy’s mission, it is the admission policy that to qualify for admission consideration, students must have diagnosed learning disabilities and/or certain communication disorders and meet certain threshold criteria as evidenced by their professional testing documents.
“ADHD is a disorder that includes difficulty staying focused and paying attention, controlling behavior and hyperactivity. A disorder that includes difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior and hyperactivity. Although ADHD is not considered a learning disability, research indicates that from 30-50 percent of children with ADHD also have a specific learning disability, and that the two conditions can interact to make learning extremely challenging. – Learning Disability Association of America”
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“Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability that affects a person’s ability to understand numbers and learn math facts. Individuals with this type of Learning Disability may also have poor comprehension of math symbols, may struggle with memorizing and organizing numbers, have difficulty telling time, or have trouble with counting. – Learning Disability Association of America”
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“Dysgraphia is a specific learning disability that affects a person’s handwriting ability and fine motor skills. A person with this specific learning disability may have problems including illegible handwriting, inconsistent spacing, poor spatial planning on paper, poor spelling, and difficulty composing writing as well as thinking and writing at the same time. – Learning Disability Association of America”
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“Individuals with dyslexia are those who, despite traditional classroom teaching, have failed to master the basic elements of the language system of their culture. Since language is the necessary tool upon which subsequent academic learning is based, such persons often encounter difficulty in all educational endeavors. – from the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practicioners and Educators”
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“The word dyslexia is derived from the Greek, dys, difficulty with, and lex (from legein, to speak), having to do with words. Words in their many forms are encountered in listening, speaking, reading, spelling, writing, in mathematics, and in organizing, understanding, and expressing thought. Based on information from neuroscientific and linguistic research, the definition can be summarized as difficulty in the use and processing of arbitrary linguistic/symbolic codes. This is an aspect of a language continuum which includes spoken language, written language, and language comprehension. – Definition from the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practicioners and Educators”
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WHEELING, W.Va. (WTRF) — Hundreds of high school students all over the area are about to take a big step.
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For the first time, many of them will have the opportunity to make their voices heard in the upcoming election.
Thursday, representatives from Wheeling’s City-County building, including the Ohio County Elections Coordinator and the County Administrator, paid a visit to Wheeling Park High School.
The goal was to inform students about the election process and give them an idea of what to expect when they head to the polls for the first time.
During the session, several students registered to vote and some even signed up as poll workers.
” I’m on the debate team, so I know a lot about politics and I think that since I have a vote now It’s really important to me because now I can elect these officials and be able to voice my opinion.”
Abby Sheller, Senior, Wheeling Park High School
This is the next generation. This is the group that is going to elect our next president in 2024. They are going to elect our next governor in 2024 as well. So we need to make sure that they are informed. They are the future of our country and we need to make sure that they are fully aware of what they can and cannot do and what they need to do.
Rick Marsh, Dept. Chair for Social Studies, Wheeling Park High School
Students also had a hands on opportunity to practice on an actual voting machine. The program was organized by the school’s social studies department.
Copyright 2022 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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The room was decorated with several glass water jars, pieces of flower soil soaked in them, a corner piled with flowers of various colours. Wearing an apron, Chen Yuan had scissors in one hand with white gloves, picking the leaves and trimming them with the other. The trimmed flower branches were meditatively inserted into the soil.
Softening his voice, Xiao Hai walked over to Chen Yuan and half-crouched down, “Brother Chen, sending flowers to that Su Mo again?”
“Mmn.”
“You haven’t even sent me a single flower, Brother Chen.” There was a somewhat discontented grunt.
Chen Yuan casually picked up a flower and handed it to Xiao Hai, a purple tulip. Xiao Hai took it and held it in his hand, his head tilted and leaning on the man’s lap, “I checked Su Mo’s profile, he’s just an ordinary university teacher, are you sure he’s Master Su, Brother Chen?”
He did not think much about it, Su Bai was definitely dead.
“Maybe he’s just a pawn deliberately cultivated by Tang Xiao, dressed up as Master Su to deliberately approach you with bad intentions.” Nosing close to the flowers and sniffing them, Xiao Hai looked up at the expressionless man who was concentrating on pruning the flower branches, “Brother Chen, if you like Su Mo, just take him away.”
As long as it was someone Chen Yuan liked, it did not matter if Chen Yuan took him back or imprisoned him, as long as the man was happy,
But if the other party threatened Chen Yuan in the slightest, he would do whatever it took to remove them, just like Su Bai. As a matter of fact, he did not hate nor detest Master Su; the man had saved him from the brink of death, and he thanked Master Su for saving his life and raising him, but one did not live to repay favours.
If he had not inadvertently searched for the list of names of all the people who had supported Chen Yuan during his captivity that Master Su had taken down, he would not have taken the cruel step of planting a bomb on the plane.
The things that Chen Yuan would not have done, the actions the man did not want to take, let him do it for him.
Chen Yuan put the last flower in place, looked around to check that there was nothing wrong, then started to wrap the flower clay in pretty wrapping paper. He waited until it was done before speaking faintly, “Don’t get involved in Su Mo’s affairs, is there any news from Simon?”
Not too happy, Xiao Hai shook his head and said, “He’s hidden too deep, there’s not much news yet, but he’s a man who wouldn’t come to Hong Kong for no reason. Brother Chen, you have to be careful.”
“If he wanted to kill me he wouldn’t have waited until now to do it.” Getting up, he patted his trousers and headed in the direction of the bedroom.
Xiao Hai followed behind, “Next month is the quarterly family meeting, after Master Su’s plane accident some of them have temporarily settled down, but I recently inquired about some bad news, that the headquarters of the mercenary organisation T sent out a message claiming they had taken over a mission set by Master Su.”
“What kind of mission?” Walking into the bedroom, Chen Yuan began to take off the clothes on his body.
Xiao Hai took over the man’s clothes and said with a frown, “Organisation T’s information security is one of the best in the world, it’s a bit difficult to break through the other side’s defenses. This time, the mission was personally taken over by T, the supreme commander of that mercenary organization, Brother Chen, should we send someone to make contact with Organization T first?”
Master Su was a nuisance when he was alive, he had not expect that he was still causing them a series of problems even after death. All of a sudden Organization T was openly announcing they had accepted a mission before Master Su’s death, this was something that no one had expected at all.
Chen Yuan had not heard Master Su mention this matter, and Xiao Hai had searched a lot of places and found no connection between Master Su and T’s people. However, an international mercenary organization would not claim to have accepted a mission from a big shot out of nothing. No matter what the mission was, the news would definitely affect the meeting to be held at the Su family headquarters next month.
Stripping off the clothes on his body, Chen Yuan left a message before walking into the bathroom, “Verify the news as soon as possible.”
“Brother Chen…” Putting away the dirty clothes stained with branches and leaves and flower mud, Xiao Hai pushed open the bathroom door and walked in. The steaming room had a man rinsing his body under the shower — a lean body with bullet marks and scars — hot water running down the spine and clattering the floor.
Chen Yuan turned back and glanced at Xiao Hai as he walked over, hot water splashing down on his hair and clothes as he crouched down in front of Chen Yuan.
……
……
“I’ve always been very curious about one thing.”
“There’s more than one thing you’re curious about.” Master Su said dully.
“But this matter is perhaps a little sensitive for you.” Crossing his hands on his chest, Tang Xiao leaned against the door of the room.
“To show the sincerity of our cooperation, you may ask.” Putting on his jacket and looking in the mirror, he saw that he was handsome, elegant and handsome, not at all “old”.
“Chen Yuan is a very tolerant man, and I can understand his sudden defection to take you by surprise, but I’m curious to know how it was possible you’d remain at the mercy of others for the year you were out of power.”
Pulling at his collar, Master Su merely shook his shoulders at this sensitive question and turned to face the large statue standing in the doorway, “I’ll tell you after I leave Hong Kong.”
Walking over to Tang Xiao, he pointed his finger to the side, “Coming through.”
“I want to kiss you.”
The corners of Master Su’s mouth hooked into a gentle smile as he kicked a foot between Tang Xiao’s legs, who immediately dodged to the side, a cold sweat running down his spine.
“Is this how you treat your loyal collaborators?” With his hands spread out, he looked at the man who had already walked out of the room.
Suddenly, Su Bai quickly turned around and grabbed Tang Xiao by the collar of his shirt with both hands and pushed him hard against the wall, coming forward in the other party’s slightly stunned gaze, their chests pressed against each other, his heartbeat synchronized in the same key in an instant, the familiar scent recalling the brief embrace that night.
A slapdash kiss fell lightly on Tang Xiao’s lips. Extremely short, yet hot enough to burn through one’s nerves.
“Sort of a reward for you accepting my mission.” A conscienceless smile, one moment a teasing kiss, and the next he turns around and goes on a date with other men.
Reaching out to touch the lips that Su Bai had kissed, Tang Xiao sighed, this was not what kissing was about.
“Sure you don’t want me to send someone to follow you?” Asked the man who had chased him to the stairway.
Master Su lifted his hand and shook it from side to side, his figure quickly disappearing at the villa entrance.
……
……
How could you come to Hong Kong and not go shopping?
In a famous shopping mall, Master Su stepped into a high-end clothing shop with empty hands, and Chen Yu trotted after him with shopping bags in both hands, “Su Mo, wait for me.”
The imposing Master Su walked into the shop and was warmly greeted by the sales lady, with Chen Yu panting and carrying a large bag just as he walked through the door.
“This one, and this one ……” Master Su casually picked a few pieces that were pleasing to the eye, twisted his head to look at Chen Yu who was already sitting on the single sofa looking like he did not want to move, and hooked his finger, “Little fish, go try on the clothes. “
“Huh?” Chen Yu blinked, “I won’t need it, you can buy for yourself.”
Yesterday, Su Mo suddenly called and asked Chen Yu to come out and accompany him to the mall. Chen Yu warily told Song Chuyun about it, and unexpectedly Song Chuyun, who had never allowed him to go out casually, agreed in one fell swoop, so fast and without hesitation that Chen Yu almost could not react.
In the end, under the eyes of Su Bai, Chen Yu had to take the pile of clothes into the fitting room and try on one outfit after another to show a certain master outside.
Drinking the coffee served in the shop and leaning back in the single sofa with his legs folded, Master Su watched as Chen Yu went in and out of the fitting room wearing different clothes. Rather than letting Chen Yu buy clothes, it was more like Master Su was idly bored watching people change clothes for fun.
“Take them all.” Throwing out words that made the sales lady smile with joy, Master Su graciously handed over the unlimited credit card signed by Tang Xiao.
Chen Yu’s face immediately went white as he looked back at the countless shopping bags piled up on one side, then at the clothes piled up at the cashier’s counter waiting to be put into the bags, and finally looked at Su Bai. Give him a break.
“Deliver them to this address for me, and those bags over there too.” Master Su’s words to the shop assistant saved Chen Yu.
“Only been shopping for a while, tired?” Looking over at Chen Yu who was sitting in his chair and did not want to get up, he could not help but laugh.
Chen Yu held his breath in his chest, you just walk in front and pick clothes at will, but I have to try on clothes and carry them for you, of course you would not get tired.
“Come on, let’s buy you a coffee.”
The two big men sat in the coffee shop, and Chen Yu stirred the caramel macchiato in his cup.
“Su Mo, I’ve listened to you these past few days to obey Song Chuyun.” He opened his mouth.
Looking out the window at the people coming and going, he casually asked, “Oh – what’s his reaction?”
“At night… he doesn’t force me much anymore and treats me better than before.” Sometimes he would even inexplicably hug him; just hugging, as if he was somehow someone worth snuggling with.
Chen Yu had some strange feelings, especially when Song Chuyun hugged him to rest after taking care of his work, full of exhaustion, that strange feeling was especially strong.
“What should I do next? Recently Song Chuyun seems to have fallen out with Chen Tianhe.” Chen Yu looked across at the man.
“You’re in love with Song Chuyun?” Taking a sip of his black coffee with milk and no sugar, Su Bai’s question made Chen Yu freeze for a moment.
Not answering Su Bai immediately, Chen Yu hesitated for a while before stammering and opening his mouth, “I don’t know, would you think I’m a bitch? Haha, others treat me a little better and I think the other person is nice.” He was stirring his coffee with his head down.
“But Song Chuyun hasn’t done you any substantial harm has he? Little fish, it’s not shameful to like someone who treats you well, on the contrary, it’s only foolish to bend against your true will.” Master Su did not mind seeking some benefits for his subordinates, Song Chuyun was a rare talent and worthy of his recruitment, the other party was a smart person and would understand what he meant.
“Mr Tang treats you well too, I mean, I’ve never seen a man as good as Mr Tang be so considerate to people, he must love you very much.” The tone of voice was envious.
Well, Tang Xiao was good with his mouth.
Master Su glanced out of the window as a black car pulled up to the side of the road, he turned his head to Chen Yu and said, “Do you know how to use a gun?”
“Yes, but I’m not good at it… ” Before he could finish his sentence Master Su cut him off.
“And have you ever killed anyone?” He gently threw out a sentence.
“No- no.”
Reaching out and patting the back of Chen Yu’s cold hand, Master Su smiled gently, “There is always a first time for everything.”
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Published May 5, 2022 June 1, 2022
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Presbytery began with the reading of 2 Cor 10 and an address by Mr Ericson, moderator, upon verse 8. Presbytery sang from Psalm 102 (another of the same) verses 13-22 to the tune Duke Street. Mr Ericson led the presbytery in prayer.
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at the Hampton Inn in Manassas, Virginia at 9:19 AM on Wednesday the 15th April 2009 with prayer by the moderator.
Sederunt: Rev. Mr D. Douglas Gebbie, Rev. Dr William Young, Rev. Dr Steven Dilday, Rev. Mr Michael Ericson, Rev. Mr Timothy Worrell, Rev. Mr Roy Mohon, and Rev. Mr Michael Ives, Mr Christop her Levi, Mr Stephen Stam, Mr Dan McGinn, and Mr Lindsay Smallidge.
Also present was Mr Stephen Mouring.
Rev Mr Bradford Freeman was absent, having sent a written excuse (copy is on file). Mr Brian Myers, clerk was also absent with excuse.
It was moved and seconded to approve the minutes of the 2008 annual meeting. The motion carried.
It was moved and seconded, that, from this meeting on, all minutes of Presbytery meetings shall be divided into open session and closed session and that only the open session minutes shall be distributed to churches with whom the Presbyterian Reformed Church has a relationship in which minutes are exchanged. The motion carried.
Appointment of ad hoc Committee, Review of Session Books
It was moved and seconded to appoint as an ad hoc committee for the review of minute books: Mssrs Worrell, McGinn, and Smallidge. The motion carried.
Appointment of Officers
It was moved and seconded that Mr. Humphrey continue as Treasurer. The motion carried.
It was moved and seconded to appoint Mr Smallidge clerk. The motion carried.
Mr Ives was nominated to serve as Moderator, no other nominations were made. It was moved and seconded to appoint Mr Ives, moderator. The motion carried.
Approval of the Docket
It was moved and seconded to approve the draft docket as amended. (There were three insertions: Approval of Standing Orders, next; Dr Young’s situation, 11 AM Friday; and a closed session at 5 PM today.) The motion carried.
It was moved and seconded to approve the Standing Orders for this meeting. The motion carried.
None of the invited observers were present.
Correspondence from Mr Freeman
It was moved and seconded to receive the correspondence (dated March 12, 2009) from Mr Freeman. The motion carried.
Further matters under this heading of the agenda were postponed.
Reports of Standing Committees
Training of the Ministry Committee Report
The Training of the Ministry report was given by Mr Gebbie. It was moved and seconded to receive the report. The motion was tabled, being made an order of the day 5 PM. (Copy is on file.)
The Missions Committee report was postponed.
The Church Relations Committee report was postponed.
The Publications Committee report was given by Mr Dilday. It was moved and seconded to receive the Publications Committee report. The motion passed. (Copy is on file.)
The Treasurer’s report, having been submitted in advance by Mr Humphrey, was presented by Mr Ives. It was moved and seconded to receive the Treasurer’s report. The motion passed. (Copy is on file.)
Correspondence from Mr Mouring
It was moved and seconded that the communication from Mr Mouring be considered as a petition, and that a committee be formed of members Mohon, Ericson, and Stam to review and summarize the issues contained in the communication and , bring it before the Presbytery under the heading of things relevant to the Northern Virginia [Warrenton] session, things relevant to the Northern Virginia [Warrenton] minister, and to remove and material which involves unsuitable language and content.
Closed Session 1
At 10:14 AM, it was moved and seconded to enter closed Session. The motion carried. Later in the morning, Presbytery exited closed session.
Congregational Reports
The Chesley congregational report was given by Mr Gebbie. It was moved and seconded to receive the report. The motion carried. Dr Young led the Presbytery in prayer for this congregation.
The Rhode Island congregational report was given by Mr Ives. It was moved and seconded to receive the report. The motion carried. Mr Levi led the Presbytery in prayer for this congregation.
The Warrenton congregational report was given by Dr Dilday. It was moved and seconded to receive the report. The motion carried. Mr Ericson led the Presbytery in prayer for this congregation.
At 12:28 PM, Presbytery recessed with prayer by the moderator. After lunch, at 1:39 PM, Presbytery reconvened with prayer.
The Des Moines congregational report was given by Mr Ericson. It was moved and seconded to receive the report. The motion carried. Mr Mohon led the Presbytery in prayer for this congregation.
The Charlotte congregational report was given by Mr Worrell. It was moved and seconded to receive the report. The motion carried. Mr Mouring led the Presbytery in prayer for this congregation.
The Stockton-on-Tees congregational report was given by Mr Mohon. It was moved and seconded to receive the report. The motion carried. Mr Smallidge led the Presbytery in prayer for this congregation.
The Columbus congregational report was given by Mr Smallidge. . It was moved and seconded to receive the report. The motion carried. Mr Stam led the Presbytery in prayer for this congregation.
At 2:22 PM, it was moved and seconded to enter closed session. At 4:08 PM, Presbytery exited closed session.
Training of the Ministry Committee Report (continued)
The Training of the Ministry report was taken from the table. It was moved and seconded to receive the Report of the Training of the Ministry Committee. The motion carried.
Report of NAPARC Observer and Appointment of Next Observer(s)
It was reported that the 2010 meeting of NAPARC would be in Grand Rapids 17-18 November. It was agreed that at least two (2) observers or delegates (to be determined by the Church Relations Committee) be sent to the 2010 meeting of NAPARC.
Report of the FoG-BoD ad hoc committee
Mr Gebbie reported that the committee had nothing further to report. The committee stood dissolved.
By common consent, it was agreed that the Overture from the Charlotte Session (that the words, “There is no imposition of hands, but after” be struck from paragraph 53 of the Form of Government and replace with the word, “After”), which, at last year’s meeting had been “passed to the sessions for consideration” &c., be placed on next year’s docket and that position papers and materials—for and against—be requested.
It was moved and seconded that Presbytery recess until the next day at 11 AM. The motion carried. At 4:37 PM, after the moderator prayed, Presbytery stood adjourned for the day.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Presbytery reconvened in open session at 11:12 AM. The Moderator lead devotions with the reading of Psalm 46 , the singing of Psalm 67:1-6 to the tune Crediton, and prayer.
Mr Worrell verbally presented the report of the ad hoc committee for the Review of Session Books. It was moved and seconded to receive the report. The motion carried. A summary of the report, in Mr Worrell’s hand, is on file.
Reports of Standing Committees (continued)
Church Relations Committee
Mr Ives presented the report of the Church Relations Committee. It was moved and seconded to receive the report. The motion carried.
It was moved and seconded that the Presbytery send observers to the next HRC and FRC assemblies, according to the convenience of the presbyters.
This report was postponed until after lunch.
Correspondence from Mr Mouring
Closed Session 3
It was moved and seconded to enter closed session. The motion carried. While in closed session, Presbytery recessed for lunch from 12:35 PM to 1:44 PM. Presbytery also recessed for dinner. At 8:01 PM, Presbytery exited closed session.
Reports of Standing Committees (continued)
Mr Worrell presented the report of the Missions Committee. Mr Ives presented the portion of the report related to the work of the home missionary. It was moved and seconded to receive the report. The motion carried.
It was moved and seconded that Presbytery request that the session of the Northern Virginia Session review communications relative to services of worship conducted under their direction. The motion carried.
It was moved and seconded that the clerk of presbytery write a cordial letter of Christian greetings to the Reverend James Kartee of the Rose of Sharon Church in Liberia and, encourage continued dialog with his contacts in the PRC that we might get to know him and his work better. The motion carried. Mr Gebbie dissented.
Mr. D. Gebbie dissented from the above carried motion and submitted the following reasons:
1. That the motion appended to the Missions Committee’s Report has no bearing on any matter raised in the Report.
2. That the motion requires Presbytery to encourage a relationship of ‘continued dialog (sic)’ with a party or parties concerning whom the Presbytery knows nothing from written sources and extremely little by way of spoken anecdote.
Correspondence from Mr Freeman
It was moved and seconded that the Presbytery deny the Rev. B Freeman’s request that the pastoral relation between himself and the Columbus, Indiana congregation be dissolved and that Presbytery renew its commitment to support the work in Columbus. The motion carried.
It was moved and seconded to recess. The motion carried. At 8:47 PM, after Mr Mohon prayed, Presbytery stood adjourned for the day.
Friday, April 17, 2009
The Presbytery reconvened in open session at 9:05 AM with prayer by the Moderator. The Moderator lead devotions with the reading of Proverbs 2 and the singing of Psalm 119:89-96 to the tune Palestrina.
At 9:13, it was moved and seconded to enter closed session. The motion carried. At 12:42, Presbytery recessed for lunch, with prayer offered by Mr Dilday. At 1:45, Presbytery reconvened into closed session. Presbytery stood recessed from 3:25 PM to 3:48 PM and recessed again for dinner. At 10:00 PM, Presbytery exited closed session.
Resolution of Thanks
It was moved and seconded to thank the Warrenton Congregation for their hospitality in hosting the meeting. The motion carried.
Next Meeting and Adjournment
It was moved and seconded that the next regular meeting of Presbytery be held 18-20 May 2010 within the bounds of the Des Moines congregation. The motion carried.
It was moved and seconded to adjourn. The motion carried. At 10:04 PM, after Dr Young prayed, Presbytery stood adjourned.
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The town of Oia at the northern end of the island of Santorini. 8 years ago I took a solo two week adventure to Italy and Greece. It was before I had been really doing any blogging, before I was on Instagram, and at a time when I knew photography was going to be a […]
The town of Oia at the northern end of the island of Santorini. 8 years ago I took a solo two week adventure to Italy and Greece. It was before I had been really doing any blogging, before I was on Instagram, and at a time when I knew photography was going to be a […]
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Abram and Lot Part. 1From Egypt Abram went up to the Negeb with his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot went with him.#Gn 12:9. 2#In this story of Abraham and Lot going their separate ways, Abraham resolves a family dispute by an act that shows both trust in God and generosity toward his nephew. The story suggests Lot rather than Abraham is the natural choice to be the ancestor of a great family; he is young and he takes the most fertile land (outside the land of Canaan). In contrast to Lot, who lifts his eyes to choose for himself (vv. 10–11), Abraham waits for God to tell him to lift his eyes and see the land he will receive (v. 14). Chaps. 18–19 continue the story of Abraham and Lot. Abraham’s visionary possession of the land foreshadows that of Moses (Dt 3:27; 34:4). Now Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.#Ps 112:1–3; Prv 10:22. 3From the Negeb he traveled by stages toward Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly stood, 4the site where he had first built the altar; and there Abram invoked the Lord by name.#Gn 12:8.
5Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6so that the land could not support them if they stayed together; their possessions were so great that they could not live together. 7There were quarrels between the herders of Abram’s livestock and the herders of Lot’s livestock. At this time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.
8So Abram said to Lot: “Let there be no strife between you and me, or between your herders and my herders, for we are kindred. 9Is not the whole land available? Please separate from me. If you prefer the left, I will go to the right; if you prefer the right, I will go to the left.” 10Lot looked about and saw how abundantly watered the whole Jordan Plain was as far as Zoar, like the Lord’s own garden, or like Egypt. This was before the Lord had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. 11Lot, therefore, chose for himself the whole Jordan Plain and set out eastward. Thus they separated from each other. 12Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the Plain, pitching his tents near Sodom. 13Now the inhabitants of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.#Gn 18:20; Ez 16:49; 2 Pt 2:6–8; Jude 7.
14After Lot had parted from him, the Lord said to Abram: Look about you, and from where you are, gaze to the north and south, east and west;#Gn 28:14. 15all the land that you see I will give to you and your descendants forever.#Gn 12:7; Mt 5:5; Lk 1:55, 73; Acts 7:5; Rom 4:13; Gal 3:16. 16I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth; if anyone could count the dust of the earth, your descendants too might be counted.#Gn 22:17; Nm 23:10. 17Get up and walk through the land, across its length and breadth, for I give it to you. 18Abram moved his tents and went on to settle near the oak of Mamre, which is at Hebron. There he built an altar to the Lord.#Gn 14:13.
Abram and Lot Separate
1So Abram left Egypt and traveled north into the Negev, along with his wife and Lot and all that they owned. 2(Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.) 3From the Negev, they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, and they pitched their tents between Bethel and Ai, where they had camped before. 4This was the same place where Abram had built the altar, and there he worshiped the Lord again.
5Lot, who was traveling with Abram, had also become very wealthy with flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and many tents. 6But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together. 7So disputes broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. (At that time Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land.)
8Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! 9The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.”
10Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram. 12So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain. 13But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord.
14After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. 15I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants#13:15 Hebrew seed; also in 13:16. as a permanent possession. 16And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! 17Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”
18So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. There he built another altar to the Lord.
NLT brought to you by Tyndale House Publishers Inc.
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Whether you’re looking to kick-start a new career as a chef or a chalet girl, or just fancy doing something a little different with your evenings, Avenue Cookery School has you covered. The family-run, welcoming cookery school in Wandsworth Town teaches you how to cook good food with confidence, with a huge range of classes and courses available, from vegan and Gluten free options to knife skills and Mexican street food. Hoping to brush up on our patisserie skills, we booked into the Macaron Masterclass…
However good you think you are in the kitchen, there’s always something new to learn. That’s certainly the sentiment at Avenue Cookery School, run by mother duck Diana and her twenty-something son Richard.
We arrived at the school a little before 7, giving us time to nip to the Sainsbury’s opposite for a bottle of wine. The Macaron Masterclass is BYOB and really sociable, and we ended up sharing our bottle with another couple who had arrived a little late and clearly forgot the memo.
Head chef and owner Diana ushered everyone close so she could explain the proceedings of the class, making everyone laugh and feel welcome with her vivacious personality. After a little introduction, her son Richard - who also had the gift of repartee - joined to demonstrate how to master the Macaron, giving lots of helpful tips. They made the whole process look incredibly easy, and were on hand to answer questions from their enthusiastic audience.
Next it was our turn to master the macaron! The ingredients were already weighed for us and separated in bowls, but it was great fun choosing our own colourings and flavours. Diana and Richard watched over us as we whisked, swung, then pipped macaron circles onto a baking tray. Before we put our macarons into the oven, we were advised to bash the tray onto the worktop surface to make sure there are were air bubbles in the Macarons that could cause them bake with a hollow centre, or crack on the surface - a great tip!
While we waited for our macarons to cook, we were treated to homemade bread and humus, which was absolutely divine. Everybody was nattering and admiring each other’s handiwork - there were so many beautiful coloured macarons in all different patterns and styles. We thought ours were clear winners, but Diana awarded our neighbouring cooking buddies the macaron masters, and jokingly presented them with an Avenue Cookery School mug.
Our journey to becoming macaron masters continues!
Avenue Cookery School
Address:
SW18 1FZ
15% off your first booking (only valid for classes not courses). Call 020 8874 7623 to book and remember to quote Portico for 15% off your first class.
To get your own free Portico Places card, just email places@portico.com with your postal address and we will send a card out to you.
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Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne, left, hits Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) during the second half of an NFL football game…
Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne, left, hits Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022, in Landover, Md. Payne was given a roughing the passer penalty. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Sports
Aaron Rodgers, Packers lose to Commanders, drop 3rd in a row
by: STEPHEN WHYNO, Associated Press
Posted: Oct 23, 2022 / 03:37 PM CDT
Updated: Oct 23, 2022 / 04:45 PM CDT
Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne, left, hits Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) during the second half of an NFL football game…
Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne, left, hits Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022, in Landover, Md. Payne was given a roughing the passer penalty. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
by: STEPHEN WHYNO, Associated Press
Posted: Oct 23, 2022 / 03:37 PM CDT
Updated: Oct 23, 2022 / 04:45 PM CDT
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers finished the game face down on the turf after sailing a lateral out of bounds on a frantic, failed final play.
This is not exactly what the four-time NFL MVP envisioned when he returned for another season in Green Bay.
Rodgers and the offense sputtered, penalties piled up at the most inopportune moments and the Packers lost their third game in a row, 23-21 to the Washington Commanders on Sunday for their longest skid since 2018.
Nursing a sore thumb and out of sync with receivers, Rodgers was 23 of 35 for 194 yards and the Packers went 0 of 6 on third down. Green Bay (3-4) had just 232 total yards of offense to Washington’s 364 and lost Allen Lazard to a shoulder injury, making him the team’s third wide receiver to go down during the first losing streak under coach Matt LaFleur.
“We just got to play better — all of us,” said Rodgers, who taped his throwing hand at halftime after jamming the thumb on a couple of snaps. “There’s probably a number of plays in every phase that we could’ve done better. The margin of error is so tight, a couple calls don’t necessarily go our way and we don’t execute at all on offense in certain situations. …
“It’s not winning football.”
Rodgers is right: The problems were not limited to offense. Amari Rodgers continued his struggles returning punts by muffing one that set Washington up in the red zone, and cornerback Eric Stokes was flagged for a costly illegal contact penalty that wiped out a fumble return touchdown and later for unsportsmanlike.
The negatives outweighed the few positives: a 63-yard pick-6 of Taylor Heinicke by De’Vondre Campbell and two touchdown passes from Rodgers to Aaron Jones — the second of which completed a 75-yard drive aided by Washington penalties that pulled the Packers within two with 3:26 left in the fourth quarter and gave them one final chance to end the skid before falling short.
Playing behind a remade offensive line without All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, Rodgers struggled to find a rhythm, missing wide-open receivers at times and others putting the ball in their hands for ill-timed drops. The Packers rushed for just 38 yards.
“We didn’t run the ball particularly well, didn’t catch it particularly well and I didn’t really move a whole lot to extend plays until that last drive,” Rodgers said.
The Packers had no third-down conversions for the first time since 1999 — 370 games ago with Brett Favre at quarterback and before Rodgers graduated high school. It added up to the Packers “losing to teams that we feel like we’re better than,” Jones said, and the losses rarely go like this for a team used to winning.
“Our guys are extremely disappointed,” LaFleur said. “I don’t think anybody thought we’d be in this spot that we’re in right now.”
With no blitzing necessary and a basic defensive scheme, Washington’s front four also played a role in frazzling Rodgers and making him look more like a rookie than a 38-year-old four-time NFL MVP. Only a series of penalties on the Commanders (3-4) made the game close in the final minutes.
Heinicke, making his first start of the season in place of injured Carson Wentz, threw for two touchdowns and was 20 of 33 for 200 yards after starting 1 of 7 for 14 yards with the interception. One of those TD throws was a perfect pass to Terry McLaurin.
“He plays like it’s his last game every single time,” McLaurin said of Heinicke. “That energy just spreads throughout this team. You just want to be able to make that play to elevate him.”
Heinicke also found McLaurin for a 12-yard completion on third-and-9 just before the two-minute warning, sparking “Terry! Terry!” chants from the Commanders fans outnumbered by Packers supporters and helping seal the team’s second consecutive ugly victory.
“You can win pretty; you can win ugly,” Commanders coach Ron Rivera said. “If you’re going to win ugly, who cares?”
Washington picked this as its annual “homecoming game,” welcoming back dozens of former players who paraded around the stadium then met with fans before the game. Among those attending: Pro Football Hall of Fame member Art Monk and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Mark Rypien.
Embattled team owner Daniel Snyder was not present, but his wife, Tanya, spoke at a pregame rally that included a video of highlights from the 90 years since the franchise’s founding in 1932. Oddly, during her speech to the crowd, she made reference to “seven decades of fantastic football.”
She closed her remarks by making reference to the club’s old nickname, which was abandoned in July 2020, saying, “Hail to the Redskins. And let’s beat Green Bay.”
Packers: LB Rashad Gary was evaluated for a concussion in the second half. … Bakhtiari (knee) was inactive after being added to the injury report Saturday. … Green Bay as also without wide receiver Randall Cobb and reserve interior lineman Jake Hanson, who went on injured reserve.
Commanders: Rookie TE Cole Turner was concussed attempting to make a catch late in the second quarter and quickly ruled out. … Rookie WR Jahan Dotson missed a third consecutive game with a hamstring injury.
Packers: Visit the Buffalo Bills next Sunday night.
Commanders: Visit the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday.
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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I've talked about scuba diving here before. About how scuba diving is really scary and that depression can feel like the scariest part of scuba diving (at least for me). That part where you're in the water, and you're deep enough that you can't see the surface. You can't see the bottom. There is no end to the water around you. You're just there. In the nothing. And you don't know what's coming, or where it's coming from, and all you can hear is the sound of your own breathing and it's so loud and you're in the nothing and breathing and nothing and loud and claustrophobia and finally... just panic.
I've talked about that, right?
Did I tell you that in a million years I was never going to get certified to scuba dive? Because sharks are everywhere. And piranha. And also, dead bodies (I watched too many scary movies and read too many Stephen King books as a kid).
But I love the water. And I'm so obsessed with sea creatures and coral reefs.
(Even my jewelry wants to be an ocean story)
I read this thing about this aquarium in Georgia where you can swim with whale sharks, and I was like "THAT...would be the coolest thing ever." And then I read the part where, for the best experience, you should be scuba certified. And I was like,"THAT...sucks. I'm not gonna do that."
But the more I thought about, the more I wanted to do it. And I KNEW my husband would love it. And it was a total surprise to me, but you can actually get certified to scuba dive right here in the midwest.
So we signed up for the course.
I'm going to skip over all of the learning stuff and the exercises and just tell you that the first time I submerged completely in all of the scuba gear...IN A SWIMMING POOL...I freaked out.
I came right out of the water and was all sorts of Nope. No. Nuh uh. No. Absolutely not.
It took a good ten minutes to calm down enough to go back under.. But - once I was under, it was actually really cool.
Swimming pools have clear water. And walls. And aren't terribly deep. You can see the end. You can see the beginning. You can see what's coming.
Swimming pools are NOT the nothing.
But quarries are! And that's where we went for the next part of our class. Our group went to the quarry and we all swam out to the middle, where there was a bright orange buoy. And we all grabbed this rope and lowered ourselves down...about 12 feet...to this underwater platform where we started the next part of our training.
I had a panic attack.
And the thing about scuba diving is, when you're in the water, you can't just shoot up out of the water. You have to rise slowly. So I'm freaking out and just trying to get to the surface but also trying to remember all of the rules so that I don't die but also freaking out and everyone is looking at me because I'm screwing up the class for everyone else and I'm pretty much the worst and DEAR GOD JUST GET ME TO THE SURFACE.
My husband doesn't miss many opportunities to tease me...but he's also really awesome. He loved everything about learning to scuba dive so much and I know I was totally messing up his good time, but he was completely patient with me.
Eventually, I went below the surface again.
And finally, despite multiple freak outs, I got scuba certified.
The thing is - I was scared the whole time. And I'm still scared. I'm quite sure that the next time we go into the water, I'm going to have a really hard time. At least...until we get to the part where I'm face to face with a school of fish. And they're swimming around and some of them come right up and look you in the eye because you're a curious looking creature in their space...and then they swim off and so you swim off as well and it's so peaceful and amazing and it's kind of like flying and...the fear is worth it.
I was thinking about scuba diving this week because I posted two things that really freaked me out. I posted about the worst thing that I had ever done. And I posted a video of myself, where I was super raw and emotional.
And both times I posted, I had a running tally in my head of the people who I knew, should they see either of these things, would mock them. And this isn't even an imaginary fear. Because of everything that happened last year, I'm only too aware that people like to say bad things about me. And while I would love to say I don't care...I can't. I'm better at handling it, but of course I don't want to have people sitting around and making fun of me. I mean...gross.
So I was terrified to post those things. It's not easy for me to write about some of the things I write about. Or post a video where I just cry and my nose is running and I'm sure my teeth are just too big and the whole time I'm thinking "don't look like a horse, don't look like a horse, don't look like a horse."
I have a really hard time sharing some of this stuff, for a variety of reasons.
But it's SO much easier than going out into the world after I post those things, knowing that people have seen them. Knowing that they have read about the worst parts about me and seen my insecurities and my pain and my too big teeth and ...sometimes I can't even leave the house for a couple of days after I post something.
And then, because you are amazing, you tell me that I'm brave.
And I'm like...no. You guys...I am so freaked out right now. I can't even leave my house. Like - I'm still in my pajamas. I won't even put on real clothes.
And you guys are like..."thank you for being brave."
And I'm so thrown off by that, because I don't feel brave.
And then you tell me again...thank you for being brave. You tell me, "I saw this and I finally called a therapist." Or "I finally talked to someone about their depression." Or "I feel less alone." Or "me too."
And I'm like...oh. Wow. Because that matters. And so I keep going. And I'm freaked out every time. And I always feel scared. And I wanted you to know that if what I do is brave, then you shouldn't discount your own bravery just because it might not feel like bravery. Or at least what we think bravery should feel like. If this is brave, then I think bravery feels like fear. And it can be really uncomfortable.
Sometimes, getting out of bed and putting on real clothes is brave. Or waving at a stranger. Or asking someone if they're feeling suicidal. Or telling someone that they hurt you. Or strongly disagreeing with someone you love. Or quitting your job. Or leaving a relationship. Or saying no. Or making waves. Or being honest about who you are. Or being a parent (how do you guys even DO that?)
And we don't call it bravery because it feels like fear.
So I want you to know that if I'm brave, you're brave, too. And I hope that you can recognize it in yourself and appreciate all of the hard things that you do every single day. All of the things that you don't want to do but that you keep doing, because you know that beyond the fear and exhaustion and doubt lies something that's far more important.
I posted this video the other day because I think that sharing this story should be bigger than my fear. And I want you to know that I hate that it's out there. And that I hate the way that I look. And I'm scared of strangers on the internet judging me. And everything about it feels gross gross gross.
Until someone sees it and it prompts them to open up. To seek help. To talk about it. To feel less alone.
And then it feels like scuba diving. Like floating in a school of fish, in this amazing world that you didn't know that you could be a part of, surrounded by the peacefulness of water, knowing that the fear was worth it. Bravery is fear, you guys. And we're all so much braver than we ever think we are.
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The business of feelings
This week I've been knee deep....waist deep? Neck deep in building a business. I've built businesses before and I've been successful. But it's always been with very little money and not much knowledge. I had to work a lot and I had to study a lot. I had to fail a lot. And this all feels a lot like starting from scratch, and failing every single day, because the world has changed so much since I last did this.
Hey Lola is a business.
I know that it is, but I hate saying it. Mainly because of this blog. Because this blog is where I pour my heart out and you guys come here and so often you pour your hearts out back to me and it feels so amazing to be here in this space and just KNOW that I'm not the only awkward kid in the room. We're all awkward and amazing here together and it's really been a beautiful experience.
Hey Lola is a business. Ugh. I mean...I started this blog in 2009 specifically to drive business to my Etsy store. But back then it didn't feel weird because honestly - I wrote about dogs, cake, Kevin Bacon and jewelry. Actually, for a really long time I just wrote stories about my husband and made pictures like this:
And none of that felt weird. I just needed a place to put an ad for my store and I figured my own blog was as good as any. But now...it feels weird. It feels a lot like I'm saying, "Hey you guys, check out all of these feelings and also, give me a dollar."
So this week, as I'm taking webinars and creating spreadsheets and studying algorithms on social media and just posting all over the place just to try and figure out the right formula, it feels a little gross. You know? A little inauthentic.
The blog was never designed to be a business. The jewelry company was. But when the bottom fell out of everything and I started writing about it and then I decided to make jewelry that was specific to healing and spirituality and recovery and the Penny Project, it all became intertwined. Right now, they exist together.
I had to turn the Hey Lola facebook page from "blog/website" to "public figure" in an attempt for facebook to verify me so that I can protect the name "Hey Lola." That felt gross.
I learned how to hide hashtags on my instagram posts and that I should use as many as possible. Feels gross.
I had to make an editorial calendar for the blog to make sure I'm posting regularly which is...how do I post regularly about feelings when I don't even know when I'm going to feel them or if I'm even going to want to talk that day or get out of bed? And the internet was like, "Oh - just blog ahead of time and schedule your post."
I took a webinar on pinterest, so I'm designing pins that are "clickable" for the blog. Feels so gross.
Everything that I've learned has pointed to "you have to be the face of your brand." Like - a literal picture of me has to be identifiable with Hey Lola. So I took a picture and then I pasted it all over the internet, including the jewelry website. THIS FEELS REALLY GROSS.
I am in battle with myself over the dream of the tourbus and the hugs and the pop-up shops and eating dinner vs. feeling gross about feelings as a business.
I try to remind myself that some of my favorite authors write about feelings and that that's how they make a living. Glennon Doyle Melton. Brene Brown. Rob Bell. Reba Riley. Lacey Sturm. I love the crap out of them. I paid money to feel feelings about the feelings that they wrote about. Because feelings.
I have to remind myself that I deserve to eat, too and having a goal is awesome and I truly love writing and creating and hopefully someday I can just pay somebody to do the gross stuff...
It just feels weird right now. Like...
That's it. I don't have anything profound to say. I'm just struggling with staying really focused on the dream while feeling uncomfortable about some of the steps necessary to get there. Oh! I guess the profound bit is - I'm still in the game. I'm still working on the dream... even when it feels like this:
(images via photographer Kaija Straumanis. Her "stuff that hit me in the head" series made my whole day.)
When I was in junior high, our school was putting on a production of "Once Upon a Mattress." I was really excited about it and had been working up the nerve to audition. I nervously told my parents about it and my stepdad laughed at me and said,"Seriously? You're going to sing? Who do you think you are?"
Wha...what? I was going to...I just thought...I mean...No? I shouldn't?
That's the first time I really remember feeling like my dreams were too big. And that I wasn't good enough. And I really wasn't good enough for my too big dreams. Which...a role in the school play isn't even that big of a dream. No way was I going to shoot for anything bigger than that.
I spent a really good chunk of my life keeping my dreams small. My dream is to have a paycheck. My dream is to not get fired. My dream is for my hair to look good today. My dream is to make enough money to get by.
And then, when I was 33, my dream became, "I don't want to work in clubs anymore where people point guns at me and try to grab my ass all night." Real things that happened, real "dream." I was managing a strip club and had this sudden realization that this was my life. Hoping I didn't get shot. Trying not to get felt up. Going home to my husband and trying to just be normal and not stressed out. And not feel worthless.
I didn't have any education. I was a high school drop-out with a GED and GEDs were really easy to come by when I got mine. I didn't know how to do anything except work in bars. So I decided to go back to school. I didn't even know what I wanted to study, I just knew that school would help me achieve the dream of "I don't want to work here anymore." I thought about it for a really long time and settled on...something smart. I'm going to study something that smart people study, because I'm dumb.
I really thought that. I thought that my entire life. I'm a high school drop-out, I'm dumb, and the whole world is smarter than me. So my education needed to be "something smart." I picked biology. After all, science is for smart people, right?
My placement tests were a joke. My composition skills were great, my math skills were non-existent. I would have to take a year of math before I could even get into college level courses.
Biology degrees require physics, calculus, and organic chemistry. Needless to say, people tried to dissuade me from biology. But...I was really, really tired of feeling dumb. So I chose biology anyway, and I just dove into math with everything I had.
I was terrible at it. Like - REALLY bad.
So I bugged my teachers every single day. I was in the math lab every single day. I didn't leave campus until I had finished my math homework and more. If we were assigned the even numbered problems, I did all of the problems.
I was not going to spend my life getting my ass grabbed and having guns pointed at me because I couldn't figure out how to solve for X.
So I got my associate's degree and because I had worked SO hard, I got a bunch of scholarships and I got accepted into a 4 year university. And I'm actually really, really good at math. And I got a job doing something that I loved and decided to take a hiatus from school for a bit. And for a while, that was awesome. When I left that job, it was to open our bar Blue, and that was also awesome. I learned how to be an event coordinator in that time, as well, and I loved it.
Something as simple as being able to "solve for X" gave me the confidence to realize that I can figure out just about anything, if I set my mind to it.
When we closed the bar this past February, I said I wanted to work from home. The anxiety and depression meant my dream was just to not have to leave the house, ever again. And then, as I got better and more focused, my dream was to actually contribute to our household expenses. And then, as I got even better, I decided that my dream was to take Hey Lola on the road, in an RV or tour bus, with a traveling studio, and do pop up shops across the country and hug people and cry and tell them that they are worth SO MUCH and that they are loved and not alone and it's ok if you don't want to go to the party and your voice shakes when you speak because ME TOO! We're in this together! And maybe I could write a book or something and...
And then me was like, "Girl. That is so stupid. That's going to cost you like a trillion dollars and how is that even going to work? Reign it in. Why don't you just dream about paying your mortgage and buying groceries?"
And me said, "Sister, you are delusional. Do you have any idea how much stuff you would have to sell every single week to do that? You can't even get out of bed half of the time! And you can't go on tour! You cry ALL.OF.THE.TIME. Who wants to talk to the crying girl?"
And I was like...Oh. Yeah. You're right. That's pretty dumb.
And me said, "Also, you're not going to write a book. You have a blog, not a book. You're not a writer. It's not the same thing. These are like...hobbies, not jobs. You should probably get ready to start waiting tables again."
And for a couple of days, I let that version of me drive the conversation and pretty much piss all over my big, beautiful tour bus dream.
And then, in this moment of clarity, I realized....never in a million years would I say that to someone if they came to me and told me that that was their dream. I would NEVER talk to anyone the way that I had talked to myself. If it was anyone else, I would have asked, "Do you have a plan? Do you have multiple goals before the big goal? Is it realistic? How committed are you? How can I help?" And I would have helped them formulate a plan because dreams are awesome and worth pursuing and who on earth tells someone with a dream that their dreams are TOO BIG?
Not me, you guys. I can solve for X. So I made a plan. And I set a series of goals that would need to be fulfilled in order to achieve the big goal. And in 3 years, I'm getting a tour bus and taking this show and my whole family on the road. That's the big goal. And if the big goal takes a little longer, that's ok. Because I know for sure it will NEVER happen if I give up on it or if I don't put together a plan that at least makes every attempt to reach it. Faced with "this is a possibility" vs. "never," I choose the possibility.
Don't ever let anyone tell you that your dreams are too big. You have the power to accomplish really amazing things. I believe in you. You should believe in you, too.
(OH! And I auditioned for "Once Upon a Mattress" anyway. And I was cast in a lead role, where I sang a song all by myself, in front of everyone. And I was good.)
2 comments:
When You're the One Who's Terrible
I have gone back and forth on this blog post. I have to be really honest - I'm absolutely terrified of posting this. It's a really, really hard thing for me to talk about. But I also think it's important, especially given everything else I've written about. But I hate it. And I'm really uncomfortable.
I wrote recently about my journey through life being populated by people who are just not that nice.
It's important to tell you that at certain times, one of those people was me. It's not fair or true or authentic or brave to only tell you about being hurt, and leave out the part about being the one doing the hurting.
It's hard to talk about the version of yourself that you once were, who was capable of inflicting real damage. It's more than embarrassing...it's... I'm ashamed of that person.
I am not ashamed of who I am today, or the woman that I've become. I'm proud of who I am today - every anxious, depressed, weird bit of me. But without a doubt, I am ashamed of the girl I used to be, in those moments where I could not be bothered to care or didn't know how to care. I don't like her at all.
And because I so often share stories about overcoming hardship and what that process entails, I think it's really important to also tell you about the worst thing that the really not nice version of me did, and how I overcame this giant obstacle in my life... that was me.
I once had this really great friend. She was smart and funny and kind and she had a life that was really different (better?) than mine, but she never passed judgement on me. I mean - she had her shit together. I did not, in any way, shape, or form, have my shit together. But she wanted to be my friend, (despite all of my baggage), and I wanted to be her friend and so, we were friends.
We hung out a lot. And we had a lot of fun.
And then one night, I went out with some other friends.
My friend's boyfriend was also out that night. And you can probably guess what happened and this was a really long time ago but it doesn't take away the sting of the terrible thing that I did and I'm not going to not say it just to make it easier on myself...
I slept with her boyfriend.
I don't think I even thought twice about it. And another one of my really good friends tried to stop me and I didn't care. I just did it.
I woke up the next day and I didn't want to face anyone. I wanted to take it back. I wanted to be someone else. I couldn't even believe the person that I was.
I had done an awful thing and I was an awful person. There wasn't any pretending anything different.
And for 3 weeks, my friend did not know that this happened. For 3 weeks, I avoided her calls.
Until she left me this heartbroken message about how she missed me and that she didn't know what she had done wrong but she would fix it and would I please just call her back?
And of course, that's the moment that you can't run away from. Because I could try to pretend like I hadn't done what I had done, but I couldn't let her think that somehow I was staying away from her because of something that she had done.
And so I called her. And I told her. And in that moment, I knew I was the worst person in the world. I knew it. 100%. Without a doubt.
But she didn't think that.
She was hurt and she cried and she asked if she could come over because she just needed a friend and... I was appalled that she thought that I was her friend. Not because I didn't want to be her friend, but because I wasn't good enough to be her friend. I really did want her as a friend but I was a really, really bad person and she deserved friends who were far better than me.
She asked me why I did it and I couldn't tell her. I didn't know. My own marriage had fallen apart because of my ex-husband's infidelity. I knew exactly how terrible that was. How devastating. I could not understand or even begin to explain how I could turn around and do such a terrible thing to someone else, much less someone that I called a friend.
But... my friend forgave me. (To this day I don't really understand the heart of a person who can be confronted with that sort of betrayal and still offer almost immediate forgiveness...To see through all of the mess and recognize something besides the horrible person that I knew that I was. I don't know where that comes from, but I know that I want to be like that. I try really, really hard to be like that.)
Even though she forgave me, I didn't talk to her for a really long time. I was weighed down with the shame of what I had done. I still couldn't face her. And I wouldn't. And for a long time we didn't have a friendship.
I think a year passed. And I missed her and I still felt the weight of my actions. All of the time.
I reached out to her again to tell her how very, very sorry that I was. That she deserved better than a friend like me. That I didn't think that I liked myself very much at that point, and that at that time, I didn't think that I was capable of being a very good friend.
Looking back now, I know that I felt worthless. Any worth that I ever thought that I had, had always been tied up in my sexuality. I was recently divorced, I was drinking way too much, and sex made me feel worth something, so...I slept around. Without regard for myself or anyone else. I was selfish and destructive and I hurt people.
I hated what I had done SO MUCH. I carried that guilt with me all of the time. I could never even truly express how so very sorry I was for the hurt that I had caused my friend. And I felt guilty for bringing it up again, because maybe I was making it worse by not just letting it go...I had no idea what to do with all of this shame and guilt and sorrow. I just wanted my friend to know that I knew how bad it was. I knew that I was terrible and I knew that she had deserved better.
And she reminded me that she had already forgiven me. And that she meant it.
This time, I believed her. She forgave me long before I was able to forgive myself. (Remember I keep telling you how the lights keep coming? Even when I'm the reason for the darkness, here come the lights.)
There are still moments where I think of that time and I'm filled with a deep sense of shame. I have to remind myself that I'm forgiven. By my friend and by myself.
And by God.
I have to remind myself that I have not been that person in a very long time and that broken people do really fucked up things, and that those things don't have to define them for the rest of their lives.
We don't have to define other people by their brokenness.
I've spent a lot of time talking about a lot of hurt that was thrown my way in the past year. And sometimes I still get angry. I saw someone the other day who I hadn't seen in ages. Someone who had really hurt me and I remember angrily thinking that he owed me an apology. And then reminding myself...
...he doesn't. I'm not owed an apology. I'm not owed anything. Sometimes, people have to forgive themselves before they can accept forgiveness from you. And that might take a little more time than you're comfortable with. Sometimes they don't even know they hurt you and sometimes, even though it really sucks...they don't care. And we have to learn to be ok with that. We can still forgive them.
Today, I try my best to be decent to people, decent to myself, decent and kind to the world in general. But I have this history and I am broken and unraveled and stitched back together and tied in knots and patched up in weird ways and there have been moments in my life where this mess has been beautiful and there have been moments where it has been really ugly. Moments that meant that I was the one who was terrible. I was the one that someone had to recover from. I was the one that caused the tears and the heartache and the trust issues. I might be a good person today, but I have most certainly stumbled on my way here. Hard.
That moment in my life keeps me humble. This happened over 15 years ago and for me, it is still the defining moment of forgiveness. My friend is the example of forgiveness that I want to live up to.
I had to tell her that I was writing this. I wanted her to know, in case she stumbled on it by accident. I wanted to make sure she was ok with me putting it out there. Which...was hard. And she was just as gracious and kind as ever. We're still friends. It never fails to surprise me that in the face of such a horrible thing, she forgave me and she still accepts me as her friend. It's amazing. She is an amazing person.
I still wish more than anything that it hadn't happened. I would take it back in a heartbeat if I could. But I can't. It's a part of who I am. I have to accept that. And I think it's important to own these moments in my own life so that I can accept them in other people. So that I don't hate. So that I can be a little more compassionate. A little more forgiving. A little kinder when I'm in the path of someone who stumbles, because we have all stumbled. And we are all capable of getting back up and doing the right thing. We can change our course.
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A Letter to You
When I was 15, I was not living at home. I was not in school, and I was living in a car with my 16 year old friend Christine and her 2 year old daughter. Christine and I both waited tables at the same truck stop, illegally working third shift and getting paid under the table. Men would sit in my section and look me up and down before saying, "15 minutes with a 15 year old will get you 15 years in jail!" and then they would laugh...and I would laugh, too, because I really needed that job...and if you thought it was funny, I also thought it was funny.
I need this job.
One day, a guy named Al came in, and sat in Christine's section. They talked for a while, and shortly after, she came over and said that he had an extra room, and that we could stay there if we wanted.
If you and another girl and her 2 year old daughter are living in a car, where the radio doesn't work, but there's a cassette of the Eagle's Greatest Hits, and all you do is listen to "Hotel California" over and over again, while you're trying to get comfortable enough to sleep and praying your hardest that the cops don't show up...you'll take that offer. Even if the guy is 35 and a drug dealer and missing most of his teeth and looks kind of scary and you don't really know him or what his motives might be.
I can't sleep in that car one more night. And I really hate "Hotel California."
So we moved into Al's double wide trailer, in the very worst trailer park in town. The trailer wasn't even put together properly - you had to step over the seam that ran through the middle - you could see the ground beneath and it was wide enough that you could catch your feet and break your ankle. The trailer park itself was just a big patch of dirt, with trailers just kind of thrown here and there (years later they condemned the entire trailer park and tore it down).
Al was really nice. He never tried anything, we stayed out of his way, he stayed out of ours.
A few months after Christine and I moved in with Al, my mother found out where I was. She showed up and offered to take me to family counseling - some place up by Chicago, where we could "really work everything out."
I went willingly...
...and she had me committed to a mental hospital.
I was there for 6 weeks and everything about it was wrong and unethical and terrible and they actually ended up shutting that hospital down a few years later, but right now, that doesn't matter. What matters is this:
When they released me, they advised against me going back to live with my mother. It was clear to everyone that that situation was ...not ok. They told my mother that she shouldn't have me. They weren't sure where I should go. I didn't know what to do so I called Al, and Al had gotten engaged to a woman with 3 daughters, and Christine had moved out and I was pretty sure I had nowhere to go.
But on the day that I was released, Al showed up. He drove the three hours to the hospital, his fiance came with him, and they were dressed in the very best clothes they had. Al's fiance wore a sparkly black cocktail dress... because it was her nicest dress... and she wanted to make sure she looked her best for me and for the people deciding my fate.
They showed up for me, and they said they would take me home.
This man didn't owe me anything. I was not his, he easily could have walked away...
...but he showed up. With his fiance. His fiance, who had never even met me and already had 3 kids of her own. They showed up...and they took me home.
And my entire life, as jagged as the path has been, as populated as it has been with people who are just really not that nice, my entire life has also always been filled with people who have shown up for me, when I very least expected it. And many times they have been the people who don't have the right clothes, the right jobs, the right house, the right connections, enough money, the right religion, etc. etc. forever and ever amen...
Al was a drug dealer...he showed up for me.
I was a stripper for years...and to this day, the women I worked with still show up for me.
I live by a man who battles his heroin addiction every day...but he shows up for me.
My friend Eugene doesn't even have a home, but he shows up for me.
My husband, the people I've met at church, my in-laws, my niece, ex-employees...people keep showing up for me.
In the moments where my own demons and the world around me was so painful that I could barely show up for myself, people kept showing up for me.
I still sometimes have a hard time believing that people love me, or want to let down my guard enough to let them love me, but they keep showing up...and you guys....it's working. I feel like I'm making progress. It was a year ago that I thought I would never be able to love people again, and look how far I've come! I love the crap out of everybody, all of the time!
It's just letting them love me back that's kind of hard. But I'm getting there.
(The other day someone came in to hug me and I very loudly said "Oh shit!" as they came in. And then...we had a hug. Because I really am getting there.)
And you guys...my heart...you are my heart. I say it a lot, but I mean it so much. SO MUCH. You heal me every day with your presence and your hearts and your courage and just who you are. I have come so very far because of the people that keep showing up. You keep showing up.
Sometimes you show up and you say "I love you" and sometimes you show up and all you can say is, "I hurt, too." and in that moment my heart loves you SO much because you said it. You said it out loud and you were vulnerable and that is beautiful and amazing and that's how we connect. Because we're in it together, now. We're not alone. We're not faking anything for anybody.
When I considered writing about the mental hospital (and I had to consider it for a while) I thought about telling you all of the gory details and about all of the emotional trauma that comes with that experience but instead...I thought...
I want to write about Al.
I want to write about how, in this really awful situation, how amazing it was that the last person anyone would ever expect to do something so kind and generous and amazing, came through for me like a superhero.
And how that keeps happening. And how I see you and I see you showing up. And that when you share with me, sometimes that's what propels me to get out of the house that day. Because I'm reminded that I'm not alone. We're in it together. We can be honest with each other. We don't have to fake anything for anybody.
And how I can't say anymore, ever, that there's not something bigger at work here. That there's not a meaning to the madness. I see God in the people who show up. I see God in the people I show up for. I see that we all have this brokenness but we also all have this ability to heal each other. And that feels really big. Really, REALLY big.
Like God is with us.
I will never be the person that's going to pretend that life doesn't just suck sometimes. I won't ever pretend that things are awesome when things actually feel terrible. But I'm glad that I can also look back at the awful and see the beauty that came out of it.
Does that make it worth it?
I think it does. I think sometimes you need a little bit of awful so you can see the beauty that you might have otherwise missed.
(I'd never been here before until my therapist prescribed nature for my depression. Depression is horrid. This place is beautiful. And depression brought me here.)
3 comments:
The lights are coming
You know how facebook has that feature where they greet you in the morning with a memory from last year?
Last year at this time was when the real hard stuff happened. I remember very well but if I thought about forgetting, facebook reminds me.
"Hey girl...remember when everything really sucked? No? Well let me show you!"
This time last year was the turning point. The breaking point. When everything fell apart. When I woke up everyday and wondered why this was happening. Why it wouldn't stop. Why I didn't just kill myself.
This memory is a big one:
Our business took part in First Friday celebrations throughout town. We always had a visiting artist that we promoted and as part of my healing process and a way for me to be at work without really having to engage (social anxiety all over the place), I would spend First Fridays working on murals on our walls.
I posted this after our April 2015 First Friday.
Have I told you about the elephants? That in a time when people were being so cruel that I was in awe of the way elephants took care of each other. That my heart was so broken and I wanted to be anyone but me. That if I had to keep living...if I had to be in the world...that I desperately wanted to wear a mask. I wanted to hide. I wanted to be cared for and loved. But people were so cruel. My heart was just broken. And so I began painting these elephant people.
Right before this, another rumor had been started about me. A bunch of people had been told that I did something terrible, they decided that it must be true...but they didn't ask me about it. They didn't talk to me.
Instead, they shared that post up there. And they ripped it apart. When I logged into our business page and saw that people had shared the post, I was flattered...until I saw what they were saying. And I realized why they had shared it.
And so I was really sorry that I had put my heart up on that wall. And I cried. A lot. And I just thought...this will never end. This is my life now. A life where I don't talk to anyone, I don't do anything, I don't have any friends, but people still keep coming for me...and no matter what I do, I can't stop it.
And then there was Lizz Barnes.
I met Lizz once, about ten years ago, and then I never really saw her again. I didn't really know her. She has a business in town and she also participates in First Friday celebrations. She had heard the same rumor that everyone else had, that I had done something terrible which would hurt her business. But Lizz, who didn't know me, asked me about it. She asked me why I had done it, because she had heard that I absolutely had. But I hadn't. And Lizz was the only person who asked me. And when I explained that it was a rumor...another rumor... and that they were devastating to me...
Lizz asked how she could help.
You guys.
That's what you do. That's the kind of person I want to be. You can't possibly know how much that gesture meant to me but even now, a year later as I write this, I'm just bawling because holy shit...
There was kindness. There was a reason to believe that people were good. In my darkest moment, here was this woman - a stranger - reaching a hand out to me...
And so it has been a year. And I no longer have my own place to host First Fridays. Instead, this past First Friday, I had an art show at Lizz's business. I put all of those elephants up on the wall...I put my heart up on those walls...and my tribe showed up. The people who have been holding me up all year came out and celebrated with me and they got it and they were kind and compassionate and amazing and they showed up.
And Lizz made that possible. Because she heard a rumor and she looked for the truth.
And the next week I bought some jewelry supplies from her, because she sells the very best supplies and when I went to pick up my order, she handed it to me and then,..
She showed me how to do everything better and easier. She gave me tools. She gave me advice. She offered assistance.
Because of a rumor, for a year now this woman has been my friend and just keeps saying, "How can I help?"
She's a light. She's the reason I stamp 'Be A Light" on pennies. Because that's the kind of person I want to be.
In that year, when I lost faith in everyone...I mean, the world was really, really dark...I had very little to hold on to...but I kept holding on because I thought please God let this end soon let me get hit by a truck or make it stop but please don't keep me here I can't keep being here but I'm going to keep fighting and I'm fighting so hard and...
I couldn't be a light for anyone last year. I tried, but I couldn't. I was just trying to survive my own darkness. And that's ok. You can't always be the light. But if you can't and you're in that darkness right now, hold on. The lights are coming. I swear. And they might come from the most unexpected places.
Lizz? I don't even know her.
A light.
Church? I hate church.
But look at all of these lights.
New friends? I'm scared of people.
But look at their light.
Please hold on, love. The lights are coming. I promise.
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Bad idea #103: Browsing food blogs when your cupboards are bare.
Sometimes the Dove Dies.
How We're Reducing Waste in Our Home
On suicide and Jesus and not wanting to be a Christian
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I am a qualified Nutrition Coach and Zumba Instructor. As well as this, I have personally lost over 20kg on my own weight loss journey. The aim of my site is to share some of the insight I have picked up by making every mistake there is along the way.
Vaxxed and Relaxed (Kinda!)
July 29, 2021 Authentically Arwen
Last Friday I received my second Pfizer vaccine. As I walked through the car park to take my place in the neatly spaced line, I experienced all kind of emotions. Relief, excitement, anxiety to name but a few. I could tell I wasn’t alone in this, as nervous tension seemed to pulsate through the assembled crowd. This was the moment we’d all been waiting for, after all!
The vaccination itself, much like the first one, couldn’t have gone better. The staff and volunteers were all competent and caring, and I was struck by the overall slickness of the operation. I have also been lucky to experience only mild and very manageable side effects. Nothing more than a few body aches to report.
Phil is having his second dose this week, and I will definitely feel relieved when that is done. He has been working from work the entire time and the risk that he could be exposed has been at the back of my mind. I can’t adequately express how grateful I am that we have both managed to get through the last 18 months without contracting Covid.
One of the strangest parts of the whole pandemic experience for me, has been the hypochondria. Since March 2020, every time I have woken up with a sore throat, coughed or had some unexplained ache, I have felt a tiny trill of panic. Thinking to myself, is this it? Have I got Covid? It doesn’t help that one of the virus’s main symptoms is fatigue. I think the stress and anxiety of living in a pandemic also has this affect!
I had been expecting that being fully vaccinated would make me feel bullet proof, but it hasn’t. I had expected that I would feel less apprehensive about the return to “normal.” Over the last few weeks, my job has been planning for our return to the office. This is going to be done in a phased way and with a hybrid approach, with most of us still working from home at least a couple of days a week. My company has really looked after us as best they can through all this and rationally I understand that we will be made as safe as possible. However, this doesn’t stop me from wanting to scream “I don’t want to go back” every time the topic comes up.
It’s not just the thought of sitting in an office that is making me uneasy, it’s all the accompanying activities too. I don’t relish the idea of sitting in traffic each day, and the thoughts of shopping for a new (roomier) work wardrobe makes me feel ill. I also don’t want to leave Annie home alone, when she has gotten so used to company.
I have always been someone who suffers from a degree of social anxiety. Over the years, I have managed to build up resilience to it, forcing myself to get on with it, until eventually it’s not a struggle. Like any other muscle which has been out of action for a year and a half, this resilience has atrophied. This coupled with all the new regulations and overall layout, has me feeling like I am not returning to the familiar. Rather, journeying into the unknown. It’s enough to make me break out into cold sweat.
Again, rationally, I know it will be just fine. A few days in, and once I have figured out which machine makes the best coffee, I will be as comfortable as ever. I dearly wish, like with everything Covid related, that we could just fast forward this part. I would love to just wake up and find myself on the other side of this. The first time I have a cold, and don’t associate it with Coronavirus, will be a happy, if miserable occassion.
I have been lucky in life so far, in that I have not had to endure much by way of grief or trauma. Any time that I have experienced grief, it has followed a similar pattern. All consuming, until it isn’t. The first and only thing on your mind, for what seems like forever. Until eventually, you find yourself realising that you haven’t thought about it for a minute, an hour, even a day. The grief doesn’t shrink, but your life expands around it.
Maybe our collective Covid trauma will be like grief. As we emerge from it, and hopefully that will be sooner rather that later, maybe it’s natural for the affects to linger. Only fading over time, as it takes up less of the discussion. It certainly seems like we will need distance and perspective to be able to move past what truly has been a traumatic time. We need to process.
Perhaps some time in the future, the memory will fade and we will look back on it as something which changed us. Something which made us value our relationships more, and the grind less. A time in our lives when we were forced to slow down and take stock. My sincere hope for us is that in our rush to get back to normal, we don’t miss the opportunity to evaluate how much of life before Covid we actually want back.
In the meantime, we still need to look after ourselves. Getting vaccinated is a great thing to do both for ourselves and for our communities, but it is not a suit of armour. We still need to wash our hands and keep our distance. If we have learned anything about Covid, it’s that it will exploit any vulnerability.
It is said that most car accidents happen with a mile of home. It’s easy to see how. The end of the journey is in sight and we are on familiar ground, so we let our guard down. We are now a mile from home with this pandemic. Let’s make sure we arrive alive!
Tagged Balance, Covid, Fitness, Health, lifestyle, Mental Health, Wellness, work
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There’s the day when he learned he was sick. There’s the date of his first surgery, or of the first time a vein in his forearm was punctured with a tube full of poison. There are also those dates in the future–each one a temporal goalpost that represents hope when every day feels doubtful. For Mike Hindt, who was diagnosed two years ago with metastatic pancreatic cancer, that date was April 23, 2016.
That’s when the first of his four children will get married, and despite his dismal prognosis, Hindt, 56, was determined to see his second oldest say his vows. The trouble was, Mike had run out of traditional treatment options. He had already had extensive surgery and been through nearly a dozen sessions of brutal chemotherapy. But pancreatic cancer spreads so quickly that it isn’t usually diagnosed until it’s entrenched in several internal organs. In Mike’s case, it was his liver, and more of the status quo wasn’t on the table.
Since his diagnosis, Mike’s wife Veronica had made a full-time job of seeking treatment options for her husband. And as of last summer, when Mike’s doctors said they had nothing else to offer him, Veronica knew they’d have to widen their search. She ventured into the world of experimental therapies, treatments that haven’t been proven but are promising enough to be tested in people enrolled in clinical trials.
She canvassed experts, called up cancer centers and spent hours doing research online, where she learned about immunotherapy, a new approach to cancer that oncologists are calling the most promising in decades–and probably ever. Veronica read of an ongoing Duke University trial of a drug called pembrolizumab that is approved and used to treat melanoma and was showing early promise against cancers in other parts of the body too. It’s the same drug that just a few months later would send former President Jimmy Carter’s melanoma, which had spread to his brain, into remission seemingly overnight. In August 2015, Mike learned he’d been accepted into a trial for that same drug.
In principle, immunotherapy is simple. It’s a way to trigger the immune system’s ability to seek out and destroy invaders. That’s how the body fights off bacteria and viruses. But it doesn’t do that with cancer, which occurs when healthy cells mutate to outsmart those built-in defenses. That’s where immunotherapy comes in. “Instead of using external forces, like a scalpel or radiation beams, it takes advantage of the body’s own natural immune reaction against cancer,” says Dr. Steven Rosenberg, an immunotherapy pioneer and chief of surgery and head of tumor immunology at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). These strategies don’t target cancer itself but work on the body’s ability to fight it. These therapies, administered in pill or IV form, trigger the immune system to fight cancer cells while keeping healthy cells intact. For someone as frail as Mike, that was an especially appealing prospect.
In the past decade, scientists have come closer to making a reality of immunotherapy’s promise. Some trials of the latest generation of these therapies have already produced astounding results. In studies of people with certain types of B-cell leukemias and lymphomas who haven’t responded to any other treatment, upwards of 80% of them have seen their cancer disappear. “It’s unprecedented to see these kinds of results in such early trials,” says Dr. Stanley Riddell, an immunotherapy researcher and oncologist working on one of those trials with his colleague Dr. Cameron Turtle at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
Market experts estimate that in 10 years, immune-based treatments will generate anywhere from $35 billion to $70 billion a year in sales. That would make immunotherapy by far the most valuable class of medical drugs in history, eclipsing the current record holder, cholesterol drugs like statins. Immunotherapy, which Vice President Joe Biden says could be “revolutionary,” is also central to the Obama Administration’s new “moon shot” to cure cancer.
There are currently 3,400 immunotherapy trials under way in the U.S. and many more around the world. These trials are hoping to prove that immunotherapy is not only a safe but also a better way to battle certain cancers–one that may eventually spare people the life-sapping effects of chemotherapy and the years of follow-up surgeries.
But it also highlights the chasm between the fast pace of scientific progress and the ability to deliver it to the people who need it most. That makes the clash between the priorities of scientists, drug companies, regulators and patients unavoidable–at least for now. Scientists are barreling ahead, trying to make some of the most impressive drugs ever developed. Drug companies are bankrolling many of those studies in the hopes of bringing to market a revolutionary kind of medicine. And regulatory agencies, focused on safety and effectiveness, push for stringent testing criteria that may shut out many patients from early access to experimental drugs.
In the balance are the nearly 7 million people around the world who die of cancer every year. A handful of them may make it into trials and see miraculous results. Others have no choice but to wait.
The Question of Access
The immunotherapy drug that worked for President Carter is the result of decades of frustrating fits and starts. Thirty years ago, this kind of treatment was “just a dream,” says NCI’s Rosenberg. While scientists have long been attracted by the notion of turning the body’s own defenses against cancer, they hit roadblock after roadblock–the most basic being the fact that tumors arise from healthy cells gone rogue, so the immune system doesn’t see them as foreign. That’s why the first generation of immune drugs, antibodies against tumors, did not make as much of an impact as doctors had hoped.
Even so, it’s not as if the immune defenses are completely useless when it comes to cancer. Killer immune cells do infiltrate malignant cells; doctors find them when they cut open tumors. But the immune system is no match for fast-growing cancers. It wasn’t until Rosenberg showed that he could slow tumor development by activating the killer immune cells known as T cells to do their job more effectively that immunotherapy began to show promise. Still, the T-cell approach worked only about 15% to 20% of the time.
“We used to think that T-cell therapy was the safest thing in the world,” says Turtle. “But that’s probably because it didn’t work very well.” Most cancer patients still had to rely on surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Then, in 1996, James Allison, then at the University of California, Berkeley, and now at MD Anderson in Houston, figured out how immune cells could be trained to identify and attack cancer cells. Killer T cells are actually restrained from targeting and destroying cancer cells, but by releasing this restraint, so-called checkpoint inhibitor drugs allow immune cells to attack the now exposed cancer cells–and not normal cells.
Yet testing such a new strategy carries formidable challenges. The question of who gets to try an unproven therapy is particularly loaded because of how good–how targeted–these new drugs are. Immunotherapy is largely ultra-personalized medicine, and it requires ultra-personalized trials. “It used to be that if you had lung cancer, you could find a clinical trial for people with advanced lung cancer,” says Dr. Richard Schilsky, chief medical officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). “Now, advanced lung cancer isn’t enough. You have to have advanced adenocarcinoma lung cancer with an ALK mutation that only occurs in 2% of lung cancers.”
This makes it nearly impossible for patients to find an appropriate clinical trial, discouraging all but the most stubborn–people like Mike Hindt, and people like Stephanie Florence. By her own admission, Florence, 44, a photographer living in Lewiston, Idaho, had to “bulldoze” her way into a trial by being persistent to the point of obnoxiousness. Diagnosed in 2006 with a form of lymphoma, she was told that her cancer was incurable and that only 1% to 2% of people don’t relapse, even with chemotherapy and immune-cell transplants. “They didn’t think chemo was going to save me,” she says. “At one point, when I was in the exam room waiting for the doctor, I opened my chart and it said, ‘Two weeks to fatal event.’”
After trying traditional treatments with no long-term success, she found a trial of a new approach, but it was for people with leukemia, not lymphoma. She still managed to wrangle a visit with the study’s lead doctor, Dr. David Maloney, at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. On the day of the meeting, she and her husband drove five hours from their home to meet him.
Maloney was getting ready to test the treatment in lymphoma patients, but Florence was still in remission from her previous treatment, an immune stem-cell transplant. Eager to join the trial, she followed up with several more visits, some of them unscheduled, and by sending every test result she got to Maloney’s team. She called his office repeatedly. When she didn’t hear back, she called again.
“I won’t treat patients until they have exhausted essentially all reasonable options,” says Maloney. “In addition, all of our patients have to have active disease. These treatments are toxic, and it’s not wise to get into clinical trials at the wrong time.”
The irony was that Florence had to be sicker in order to qualify for the study; only after she was done with the standard treatment and her cancer returned, as she knew it inevitably would, did she become eligible for Maloney’s trial.
The Phase 1 safety study was testing a type of immune therapy known as adoptive T-cell transfer. Doctors would extract Florence’s blood cells and pick out cancer-fighting T cells that could recognize proteins in tumor cells. These would then be genetically modified to more specifically target proteins on her cancer. With the deck stacked with these killer cells, the chances that her immune system could overpower the tumor cells would be much higher. She would then get chemotherapy to eliminate as much of her existing cancer as possible, before doctors would give her a transfusion of those immune-enriched cells, which would repopulate throughout her body and attack her cancer.
Even though she had come to view it as the only way she wouldn’t die before her 45th birthday, the guinea-pig element of the study gave her pause. Maloney’s colleagues described the risks: fever high enough to put her in the hospital, hallucinations, coma, even death. “I started crying,” says Florence. “I told my husband, ‘I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing.’” Because the study was among the first to test the treatment in people with lymphoma, the doctors could only guess at what the side effects could be. “It’s like jumping off a cliff. I realized that there are no patients who are 10 years ahead of me that I can look to. That’s me. I’m the one who is going to be that case.”
Fortunately, Florence never experienced any of those side effects–not even a fever. For a while, she worried that meant the drug wasn’t working. But after four weeks, she learned she was among the 80% to 90% of people in the trial who went into remission. “It was like my life started in that moment,” she says.
Read the full story.
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This will be an opportunity for mentors, mentees, members and supporters of the STEM Sisters to meet each other.
Week 2 - Mentee training session
Mentees are the ones who “steer the ships” of their lives and careers. Through this training, mentees will acquire useful skills to benefit from the valuable experience of the paired mentor. The techniques on how to better identify and achieve your personal and professional development goals are discussed (GROW model).
Mentor-Mentee introductory meet-up (arranged independently by participants).
Week 4 - Profiling yourself
Deep-drive with your mentor regarding your skills and improvement points. Put together a plan to enhance your best skills and improve your weak points.
Week 5 - Improving career connections
Have you ever thought about building your network? Networking in Australia is the way to secure career connections. Discuss with your mentor how to go about making connections in your desired career direction. Make sure you have a LinkedIn profile and ask your mentor to review and connect with you. Put a plan together on how you can reach out to at least 2 new connections this week.
Week 6- Networking event
The networking event will provide an opportunity to network with other mentees and mentors also an opportunity to listen to industry speakers and networking opportunities for industry, education, STEM outreach, STEM marketing and research.
Week 7- Developing your communication skills
There are many types of communication. What is your communication style? What communication style do you struggle with?
This week, work with your mentor to discuss what communication styles or types you find the easiest and whether there is anything you could improve on from a communication point of view. Think about, whether you practice active listening, nonverbal communication such as eye contact, a friendly tone or a simple smile, etc.
Let’s work on your resume, cover letter, key selection criteria, and interview skills. Everyone has different approaches, learn from your mentor what is key to get noticed in the job application process in your STEM field.
Week 9 - Networking event
The networking event will provide an opportunity to network with other mentees and mentors also an opportunity to listen to industry speakers and networking opportunities for industry, education, STEM outreach, STEM marketing and research.
Week 10 - Professional development opportunities
What professional skills do you need to work on?
Discuss with your mentor other development opportunities that could assist you in moving closer to your goal, big or small. Do you need to work on writing professional emails? Or, wanting to upskill in something more technical.
Week 11 - Enhancing leadership capability - Volunteer
How do you make yourself stand out from the crowd of those recent STEM graduates? One particular way is to enhance your current skills through real-world experience. Volunteering can assist in showcasing that learnt knowledge and skills from your degree.
Week 12 - Program closing event
The closing of the mentoring program is just as important as the opening. It’s a chance to celebrate the learnings and achievements of mentees, thank the mentors for the energy they have given, share what has been learned, and discuss the next steps.
STEM Sisters, recognises and respects the Ancestors, Elders and families of the Boonwurrung, Wadawurrung and Wurundjeri of the Kulin who are the traditional owners of land in Victoria.
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Do you want to buy from taobao? Or any website you know in China? AIOExpress can help you do this. It's simple, you browse online store and pick goods, you submit the goods URL to us and we buy for you. We loacted at China, we can buy all things you can find in the online store, so you can relax and enjoy all the latest deals in China!
Sent to Turkey time
We have dhl, Fedex, EMS, etc. can be parcel to Turkey, time spent in different ways are not the same. EMS need 4-7 business days, DHL need 3-5 business days, and DHL Special Discount need 7-9 days. Post Airmail weight limit 2kg, they spent a longer time, China Post Airmail need 15-20 business days, MY Post Airmail need 20-35 business days. You can see more ways in shipping calculator
How to pay
It's ok if you do not have the yuan, we support PayPal and Western Union for the payments.
How does AIOExpress work?
If you have already registered an account, you can submit the goods URL to us in user center "Shopping Order". After your package arrives warehouse, You can submit a packing in "In Warehouse" and we will ship them to you. Please read How to use AIOExpress for more information.
We can also forward your parcels
Looking for a freight forwarding service only? Sure thing! The only thing you need to notice is remember you ID, we have to identify your package by the four letters of the alphabet. When they arrives warehouse, you can also choose to consolidate multiple parcels into one to save more on international shipping costs.
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Children, families and neighbors going hungry. They don’t know where their next meal is coming from. They’re considered ‘food insecure’.
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RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Food insecurity is an increasing issue in South Dakota, more people are experiencing a lack of access to enough healthy food for an active, fit life.
Food banks, pantries, and distribution centers can be found around Rapid City to help the escalating problem. But these organizations are experiencing a crisis too.
“Donations have been really down in about the last year and a half, we’ve had kind of a tough time,” said Lynda Mentel, director of Church Response.
Most might think this issue worsened at the beginning of the pandemic, however, that’s not the case for all local organizations.
“During the pandemic, there was a food shortage but also we didn’t have as much people that were using our resource because they couldn’t come out or they were afraid to come out,” said Mentel.
The pandemic disrupted most food drives that sustain the pantries. However, it pushed federal programs to provide resources to several organizations all around the nation, along with various financial forgiveness programs allowing people relief temporarily.
“But now it’s really picking up again, but our resources are not picking up as much and we can definitely use food,” said Mentel.
“People would ask if we’re seeing an improvement, and it’s like well it wasn’t in great shape before the pandemic, that’s the thing, I mean one in nine people were food insecure in the state, one in six kids, that was the baseline, it’s been worse since then,” said Shawn Burke, Feeding South Dakota developmental associate in Rapid City.
Now, it’s more than just food, people are also balancing rent, heat, health, and other substantial bills, all of which are rising in cost.
And.. for the organizations put in place to help this community, the escalating prices paired with fewer donations hinder what’s on the shelves.
“So we’re having to buy more and by that, if we’re having to buy more and the cost is more for the food, for the transportation, then our dollars are going less distance than they used to,” said Burke.
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Charles F. Fisher was born to Alberta Stubblefield and Ralph Fisher on January 14, 1937 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Charles attended St. Monica High School in Tulsa Oklahoma, Class of 1956.
Charles served 6 dedicated' years of service in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman. He attended US Customs School in Belboic, Virginia during his military training. He went on to receive an honorable discharge in 1965. In 1996, after 37 years of employment at Rockwell International, he decided to retire and begin enjoying the retired life. He founded and opened a motorcycle club, The Golden Eagles Bar, aka The Eagle's Nest, which he owned and operated from 1996 through 1998 in Tulsa, OK. He soon realized that he wasn't ready for the retired life, in 2007 he became a Bus Driver for the Jenks Public School District where he was adored by many including the school staff, children and parents on his route additionally, he received notable recognition and rewards for his excellent service. He worked diligently until May 2018 when his illness took a toll on his ability to drive. Charles loved to cook, play dominoes, and entertain with his family and friends; however, his true passion was riding his motorcycle and traveling with his motorcycle-riding friends and his son Chuck. Hanging out with his Posse' gave him much joy: Venas, Harriet, Jerry, Buck, Jake, Mr. Harris, Charlie Rose, Fuzzy and BaBay, were his Posse' and his eyes lit up with enjoyment when he talked about his many adventures. After 81 years of life, the Angels opened the doors of heaven and on November 27, 2018 the Lord welcomed him home. Charles was preceded in death by his beloved mother, Alberta Stubblefield, Father Ralph Fisher and his oldest son, Ronald Fisher. He leaves to cherish his memory 5 beautiful children, Renee Johnson (Claude), Tulsa OK, Lenora Fisher, Brandon FL, Charles F. Fisher Jr. (Lady), Rockwall TX, Charlette Fisher, Tulsa OK and Marcus Fisher Okla. City OK; Twelve Grandchildren, 4 Great Children, a host of other family and friends and his faithful pet Ebony.
Monday, December 03, 2018
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Charles Fisher, please visit our flower store.
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FTD Florists Online Network ("FTD Florists Online. .FOL.," "we" or "us") is committed to protecting our customers' privacy. We feel it is important that you fully understand the terms and conditions under which we use the information we gather from you through the use of each of our FTD Florists Online Web sites and any other sites that we control (collectively, our "Sites"). Please read this Privacy Policy ("Policy") carefully to understand how we will use and protect your personal information. We will never share your personal information with anyone except as described in this Policy.
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In general, you can visit our Sites without telling us who you are or revealing any personal information about yourself. In order to better provide you with numerous products and services, each of our Sites collects two types of information about its visitors: Personally Identifiable Information and Non-Personally Identifiable Information.
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When you visit any of our Sites, we may collect some basic Non-Personally Identifiable Information about you. This information may include information regarding your operating system, browser software, and IP (Internet Protocol) address. Non-Personally Identifiable Information is collected in order to provide you with satisfactory service. We may use the information to detect problems with our server and to administer our Sites. In addition, Non-Personally Identifiable Information is compiled by us and analyzed on an aggregate basis.
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When you place an order or enter a sweepstakes or promotion, we request that you send us Personally Identifiable Information. This information lets us know the specifics of who you are and can be used to identify, contact or locate you. Personally Identifiable Information may consist of: your name, address, telephone number, email address, birth date, billing information (credit card number, expiration date and billing address), occasion type (Valentine's Day, etc.), products purchased, any relevant promotion code and information (for example, reward program account information) and the gift and message recipient's name, address, telephone number, email address and any other information you may provide us ("Personally Identifiable Information" ). We use Personally Identifiable Information for internal purposes, such as confirming and tracking your order, subscription or registration, analyzing trends and statistics, informing you of our new products, services and offers. Personally Identifiable Information is compiled by us and analyzed on both a personal and an aggregated basis.
To serve you better, we may combine Personally Identifiable Information you give us online or through our catalogs. We may also combine that information with publicly available information about you that we may receive from third parties. We use that combined information to enhance and personalize your shopping experience with us, to communicate with you about our products and for other promotional purposes.
We may contract with third-party companies or persons to provide certain services including credit card processing, distribution, data management, promotional services, etc. ("Service Providers"). We provide our Service Providers with the information needed for them to perform these services. We also ask our Service Providers to confirm that their privacy practices are consistent with ours.
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Placing an Order
When you place an order, we require you to provide us with Personal Information. We use this information to give you a customized experience and to process the orders that you place with us.
For your shopping convenience, when you place an order, we automatically establish your own Personal Account where information used in placing such order (including billing address, email address, telephone number(s) and rewards program information) is saved. Your Personal Account is password protected from third parties. You may access your Personal Account by requesting your password from us (go to My Account) and then signing in with that password. Afterward, you may change your password, edit your Personal Information or request a password reminder at any time. Our database stores your billing and delivery information, and will automatically transfer it to the order form each time you place an order so that you do not have to re-enter this information when you sign in at subsequent visits.
The recipient phone number, which you furnish to us when you place an order, is used for delivery purposes. On some occasions, the recipient may be called to schedule delivery. To maintain our high quality standards, we will occasionally contact recipients to ensure satisfaction with their gift.
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Cookies: Like many other commercial sites, our Sites may utilize standard technologies called "cookies" and clear GIFs to collect information about how each of our Sites is used. A cookie is a small data text file, which a Web site stores on your computer's hard drive (if your Web browser permits) that can later be retrieved to identify you to us. Cookies were designed to help a Web site recognize a user's browser as a previous visitor and thus save and remember any preferences that may have been set while the user was browsing the site. A cookie cannot be read by a Web site other than the one that set the cookie. Cookies can securely store a customer's password, personalize home pages, identify which parts of a site have been visited or keep track of selections, such as those selected in a "shopping cart." For instance, cookies allow us to pre-populate (or fill in) an email field with your email address if you revisit one of our Sites and place an order. When you place an order, we send a cookie to your hard drive to record the product name, category of product that you ordered, the amount paid, the order number and any referral codes.
No Personally Identifiable Information is recorded. When you click through to any one of our Sites from a promotional email, our Service Provider may send a cookie to your hard drive recording your IP address and other related information.
Clear GIFs: Some of our Service Providers may employ clear GIFs (also known as pixel tags, single pixel GIFs, web beacons or action tags) for our benefit to help us measure advertising effectiveness. Clear GIFs help us better manage content on our Sites by informing us of what content is effective. Clear GIFs are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies, and are used to track the online movements of our users. The main difference between the two is that clear GIFs are invisible on the page and are much smaller, about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. Clear GIFs are not tied to your Personally Identifiable Information. Our Service Providers may use clear GIFs: (i) in HTML based emails to determine which emails have been opened by recipients; (ii) to record when products have been ordered from our Sites; and (iii) to track the visitor traffic on our Sites. These clear GIFs allow us to measure the usage of each of our Sites by our visitors and the effectiveness of certain communications and marketing campaigns. We may also use clear GIFs in a similar manner in our own emails and on our Sites.
Clear GIFs can "work with" existing cookies on a computer if they are both from the same Web site or advertising company. That means, for example, that if a person visited "www.companyX.com", which uses an advertising company's clear GIF, the Web site would match the clear GIFs identifier and the advertising company's cookie ID number, to show the past online behavior for that computer. This collected information can be shared with the advertising company. We may provide such information to our Service Providers but that information can only be used by our Service Providers for our benefit.
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Within your Personal Account, you have the option to opt in for our additional services, which include a personal date reminder service and a free online address book. We use your contact information so that you may take full advantage of these interactive tools. You may view, edit or opt out of these additional services at anytime.
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Mergers and Acquisitions
In the event of a merger, consolidation, or sale or transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of Florists Transworld Delivery Inc the owner of FTD Florists Online or its direct or indirect parent company (ies), one of the assets which would generally be transferred to the purchasing or new entity is the information we collect from our customers and store in our customer database. However, the use of this information by any purchasing or surviving entity would be governed by the terms of this Policy, as amended from time to time, including any amendment after such transaction. You, of course, will continue to have the right to opt-out of sharing your information with third parties.
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Cooperation with Law Enforcement
We will disclose Personally Identifiable Information, after subpoena or written request, to cooperate with a law enforcement investigation. We reserve the right to report to law enforcement agencies any activities that we in good faith believe to be unlawful.
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We use the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. SSL encrypts your order information as additional protection against the decoding of that information by anyone other than us. However, despite all reasonable security precautions and processes, such as password protection, encryption technology, and use of firewall technology, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your Personally Identifiable Information, we cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information you transmit to or from our Sites, and you do so at your own risk. Once we receive your transmission, we will take commercially reasonable precautions to protect its security on our systems.
If you open a Personal Account with one of our FTD florist Online websites, your password will be your personal, secret entry code to that Site. When you access your account information, it is kept on a secure server and a password is needed to access any account areas. You can change your password as many times as you like. We recommend that you keep your password in a safe place and that you always sign off your account and close your browser window once you have finished your visit. These precautions will help prevent someone else from accessing your account, especially if you share a computer with other people or use a computer in a public place such as an Internet café or library.
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Links to Other Web Sites
Our Sites may contain links to other Web sites. Privacy policies on such linked sites may be different from our Policy. We are not responsible for the privacy practices and content of these third-party Web sites. You access such linked sites at your own risk. We urge you to follow safe Internet practices and do not supply Personal Information to these Web sites unless you have verified their security and privacy policies.
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We take special care to protect the safety and privacy of children. Our Sites are general audience sites. Consumers making purchases on our Sites must have a valid credit card and be 18 years of age or older. It is the policy of FTD Florists Online not to collect personal information on any person under the age of 18 and we request that any person under age 18 not submit any personal information via our sites. Our reminder and greeting services are designed not to gather birth dates (with years) or other personal information for children under 13.
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We only share Personally Identifiable Information with businesses that we believe to be reputable and that can provide you with offers and information that we think will be of interest to you. If you would like to opt-out of our providing your name and mailing address to third parties, please follow the procedure outlined in the Opt Out / Modify section below. We do share Personally Identifiable Information with our floral and gift distributors for the purpose of fulfilling and delivering your orders. We may offer free promotional emails and send promotional direct mail for products and/or services offered on any one or more of our Sites or from businesses that we believe are reputable, as a service to our prior customers from any of our Sites. You have several options for altering or removing your information from our database at any time: see "Opt Out / Modify" section below.
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When making purchases with our network of FTD florist web sites the credit card you provide will be submitted for authorization and if approved charged by each individual florist either at the time the order is taken on the website or upon receipt of the encrypted order information. Processing of the foregoing credit cards follows credit card industry standards.
As always, consumers making purchases must have a valid credit card, be at least 18 years of age or older, and have a good credit standing.
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If you would like to modify or delete your account simply return to any of the floral sites in our network, click on the link called "Your Account". Once you have signed in to your account a menu of options is provided for you to delete or edit your stored account information.
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By shopping at our Sites or opening an account with Florists Online florists , you consent to the use of your Personally Identifiable Information by us in the manner specified in this Policy. We, however, have the option to change, modify, or add to the terms and conditions of the Policy at any time. We will inform you of any changes by posting the revised Policy on our Sites. Any customer who does not agree to the revised Policy has the option to opt-out. The Policy will go into effect on the date posted. The new Policy will apply to all current and past users of our Sites and will replace any prior policies that are inconsistent.
For our Sites that accept international orders, if you are located outside of the United States, please be aware that any information you provide will be transferred to the United States. By using our sites or providing us with your information, you hereby consent to this transfer. In addition, if you provide data about other individuals (such as gift recipients), you agree that you have obtained consent from each such individual to the submission and processing of such information to the terms of this Policy, including without limitation the transfer of such data to the United States. Although we will collect and use your information only as stated in this Policy, laws generally applicable to the protection of personal data in the United States may not be as stringent as those in some users' home jurisdictions.
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The Mall of Georgia, the Southeast's largest shopping center, recently completed renovations in The Village and Dining Pavilion. In order to allow guests to enjoy the many upgrades throughout The Village, patrons 21 and over can now stroll this area with hand-crafted cocktails, beer or wine from select restaurants. The Village offers six full-service restaurants including The Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Marlow's Tavern and Tin Lizzy's Cantina. After dinner, adults can relax in over-sized Adirondack chairs or lounge in front of the new fireplace while kids play in "The Park" newly designed just for them.
The Dining Pavilion inside also has a new atmosphere and modern design. Guests can grab a bite from any of the quick service eatery options and take advantage of convenient new bar-height seating and communal-style tables. When your stomach is full, it's back to shopping.
The Mall of Georgia features Belk, JCPenney, Macy's and Von Maur, plus more than 225 local, national and international stores offering everything from women's and children's apparel to jewelry and home electronics. Mall of Georgia's retail roster includes shops such as Apple, A|X Armani Exchange, Brighton Collectibles, Coach, H&M and J. Crew all in a welcoming, climate-controlled indoor shopping and outdoor entertainment complex like no other.
Mall Of Georgia has added a new state-of-the-art play area. The play area will be composed of three different zones designed specifically for three distinct age groups – toddlers, ages 2-5 and ages 5-8. Children will be immersed in a multi-sensory experience with interactive technology, educational elements and active play by using their imaginations to create their own adventures. Features include a crawl path with LED lights, a cozy cocoon nook for kids to escape the area when overstimulated, a jungle walk with moving pods creating a walkway that practices balance, spring-loaded mushrooms for bouncing fun and more!
Nov 03, 2022
Two Bath and Body Works, Two Auntie Annie Pretzels, Two Sephora's and Two American Cookie Company........need I say more? -lol I am a fan, every since I... Read Full Review
Oct 14, 2022
Great place, nice and spacious, many stores and just a nice place especially during the week if you like to be more on a down low. The stores are nice... Read Full Review
Mall of GA is a trip down memory lane for me as I often visited for the shopping and IMAX movie theater when it was new. Several stores have closed and... Read Full Review
Read more reviews on Yelp
Austin 5 was a true find
Nov 30, 2022
Nice mall with a variety of stores. My personal find was Austin 5 store, good affordable fixed price for everything and amazing merchandise, good and fast customer service, too. Read Full Review
Barnes and Nobles
Barnes and Nobles has a lot of books. They have a variety of books to choose from, but not a lot of books that people request. Thank You. Read Full Review
We had a few hours to kill before we had to check in at the hotel so we decided to check out the mall. We had heard good reviews about it and decided to go. There are a ton of stores that are never... Read Full Review
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©2012 Dominic West Fan Website. This is an unofficial fan run website. I have no affiliation with Mr. West or his representatives. All copyright is to their respective owners. No copyright infringement ever intended. Please read our disclaimer for additional information.
IMDB (22nd November 2022)
November 23rd, 2022
A video of a interview with Dominic West has been posted on IMDB youtube channel (22nd November 2022)
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I mean, it often looks like the wicked triumph. It looks like evil gets its way. The prosperity of the wicked is exactly the issue that the author of Psalm 73 is grappling with. His faith is shaken: “But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling/My steps had almost slipped” (Ps. 73:2). The life of faith in the Bible is often described as a journey, as walking with God. And here the author says his feet almost slipped off the path: he almost lost his faith in God. Why? Because he envied the wicked! He saw their prosperity and success and he wanted it.
[4] For there are no pains in their death,
And their body is fat.
[5] They are not in trouble as other men,
Nor are they plagued like mankind.
[6] Therefore pride is their necklace;
The (garment of violence covers them.
[7] Their eye bulges from fatness;
The imaginations of their heart run riot.
[8] They mock and wickedly speak of oppression;
They speak from on high.
[9] They have set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue parades through the earth.
[10] Therefore his people return to this place,
And waters of abundance are drunk by them.
[11] They say, “How does God know?
And is there knowledge with the Most High?”
And always at ease, they have increased in wealth.
Two major descriptions of the wicked come to the forefront in these verse. The first is that they are “fat.” That might seem weird to us, but back in the ancient world, being skinny was not beautiful. If you were skinny, that meant you worked out in the field all day and didn’t have enough to eat. Being fat was beautiful back then, because it meant you were rich and didn’t need to labor in the field. You could just sit around in your palace or house all day and have servants wait on you. Being fat indicated a life of ease and comfort.
The second description is that the wicked are arrogant. They are “clothed” in arrogance, everything they do is for their own self-promotion. They also speak out against God; they pontificate as if they are truly knowledgeable about matters in which they no nothing. “Behold, these are the wicked: always at ease and they have increased in wealth.” The success and prosperity of the wicked causes the psalmist’s faith to be shaken. He wanted what they wanted, and the wicked seemed to get everything they wanted without God.
Not only does the success of the wicked cause the psalmist’s faith to be shaken, but it also affects him by making his faith seem pointless:
[13] Surely, I have cleansed my heart in vain,
[14] And I have been struck every day,
Punished every morning.
[15] If I say, “I will speak in this way”
Then, listen: I would have betrayed a generation of your sons.
[16] When I pondered to understand this,
It was troublesome in my eyes,
What benefit is there in following God, if the wicked win? Why follow God when the bad people get all the good stuff anyways? “I have cleansed my heart in vain. And I washed my hands in innocence.” In his view, it is pointless to confess and repent of sin. Why should he care about dealing with sin, when the wicked triumph over the righteous. He also has kept his hand innocent in vain. The hands are often used to represent a person’s behavior. The metaphor pictures innocence as the water in which the psalmist has washed his hands. In other words, his behavior is totally “submersed” in innocence. He is blameless and righteous. But he also sees such blameless living as vanity, because the wicked who are not innocent are “winning.”
It’s easy to envy the wicked and think our faith is pointless. But the point of faith isn’t to be successful. The point of faith is to glorify God by enjoying Him! Some people say, “You know, I’ve tried the whole ‘Jesus thing’ before, but it didn’t really work for me.” And lurking behind that kind of thinking, is the idea that God owes us. He owes us success at work. He owes us a healed loved one. He owes us the kind of marriage we want. And when that doesn’t happen, we think God has failed. But God doesn’t owe us anything. If we got what God truly owed us, we’d all be punished for our sins. But God gives us grace in Christ Jesus. All the other stuff—a good marriage, success at a job—that may or may not happen. What we can be assured of is that God will forgive us our sins in Christ Jesus and promises us a glorious future with Him in the new creation
There is resolution for the psalmist. Although the success of the wicked shakes his faith, and makes his faith seem pointless for a time, it is not forever. He comes to realize that the success of the wicked is temporary. God’s justice will be executed.
[16] When I pondered to understand this,
It was troublesome in my eyes,
[17] Until I came to the sanctuary of God.
Then I understood their final destiny.
[18] Surely, You have set them upon a slippery place.
You caused them to fall into deception.
[19] Oh! How they will become a desolation in a moment!
They came to an end. They perished because of sudden calamity.
When you wake up, O Lord, you will despise their form.
[21] When my heart was embittered
And my kidneys were pierced through,
[22] And I was stupid and did not know,
Then I was like an animal before You.
God will bring justice in His timing. That is what is important to remember. God will punish the wicked and vindicate the righteous in His timing, not ours. The truth is that God’s justice will come quickly when viewed from the perspective of eternity. Notice that it is God who sets the wicked “upon a slippery place.” He will bring down justice. He causes them to fall into ruin. This is not merely God’s passive judgment—a handing sinners over to their sin. This is God’s active justice, where He does, in fact, judge them.
Sometimes God’s justice comes swiftly. If you become addicted to meth, you will see terrifyingly real consequences in this lifetime. Some sins take a while for God’s full justice to be manifested. But this doesn’t mean that God won’t judge that sin. He will! There’s a great quote from the movie Inside Man about the inevitability of God’s justice: “The further you run from your sins, the more exhausted you are when they catch up to you. And they do. Certain. It will not fail.” But God is gracious to give people time and opportunity to repent:“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 2:9).
Notice, also, that the psalmist receives resolution to his struggle when he enters into the sanctuary of God to worship Him. In the Old Testament, God purposefully confined His glorious presence to the temple. Coming into the temple was the place for the Israelites to have “access” to God. It was the place of worship and atonement. It was also the place of corporate gathering. Once the psalmist entered the sanctuary, he then finally understood the final destiny of the wicked. When Jesus came, he fulfilled all those expectations of the OT. He is our temple. He is our sacrifice. When we come together as the people of God, we—the church—are now God’s sanctuary. And as we worship together and hear God’s Word together we can find assurance in our faith and answers to our questions.
This is especially important for those of you who struggle with doubt. Worship has a special function to reinforce our faith and give us insight into the truth. It’s a lot like witnessing, when you share your faith, you become convinced, “Hey, I actually believe this stuff!” So too, with worship, when you pour your heart out to God—and see others doing the same—then your faith is strengthened to believe in God’s justice. When we see God’s perspective on the matter, we know that He will one day bring down His justice.
Trust in God, He is a Just Judge. It may seem like evil has won the day, but it hasn’t, for God will bring His justice against all unrighteousness and wickedness.
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“I can work in any industry”, or providing in your message 2 or 3 different industries as your targets.
Candidates who say this may think they are keeping their search open, but they are actually closing it down. It has the same problem as “I have transferable skills” – it sounds like you are unfocused, and are willing to work in any industry if I’ll just consider you for a job.
You might think you are displaying confidence through your willingness to apply your skills in a variety of industries. Exactly the opposite is true. You come across as lacking the confidence to present a specific target industry, perhaps even a bit desperate.
Think niche marketing. The strongest marketing efforts are tailored very specifically to a target. The same is true in your search – the more focused you appear to be, the more likely it is that I will pay attention and be engaged by your message.
This doesn’t mean you can’t be open to other industries, jobs, etc., but you will never get my attention if you start by providing a laundry list of what you might be open to. Once you have my attention, and the conversation leads to a discussion about another industry, type of company, job, then you can pursue that with me. If you never get my attention in the first place, you will never have the chance to have that conversation.
Add a comment with your own search-killing phrases!
Here’s the 3rd in the series.
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January 12, 2010 at 9:20 am
I agree. I have struggled with including my various job sectors and have included them in my resume/cover letter. Thank you for the concrete answers!
January 24, 2010 at 3:17 pm
I have read several of your posts. Your suggestions also relate to individuals looking for consulting jobs. I think it is important to let the prospect know how you are going to help them rather than how the employer or prospect is going to help you. Having a niche or fucus helps the prospect or employer see the potential even if they ultimately have other things you would be qualified to do
February 2, 2010 at 12:05 pm
I’ve loved reading many of your "search killer phrases"! What I did, and it is still part of my LinkedIn summary, is pull the one common denominator from the 3 different industries that I successfully worked in. A quick look at my past professions, and the math is easy, I must be old! I have always loved to write, and age doesn’t matter in writing. It is all new to me, with lots to learn, now attempting to make a living through writing and publishing. I look back, each career change was a risk, and I had to learn something new. With a past perfect batting average, today is a well-calculated risk worth taking.
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What if the one to blame is actually me? Or us? What if what we think is the fault of others is actually the fault of ours?
We and us are Christians. Me, and maybe you.
I’ve spent a lot of my adult life retraining my brain to not first think of God as the Old Testament punishment guy. He is the Old Testament angry guy, but He is also the New Testament love and peace and turn-the-other-cheek guy – and perhaps most importantly the forgiveness guy.
We are in a crazy time right now in the United States. COVID, racial injustice, unemployment, hurricanes, fires. It seems like our nation is under attack. And, indeed, it may be.
How’d we get here, and who’s to blame? Is it the radical left? The radical right? The looters or the KKK? Most of us live somewhere in the middle, and yet it seems like all of our talk is only about the folks on the fringe.
We can’t ever allow ourselves to forget that the folks on the fringe are not and will not ever be in control unless we have allowed them to be. That’s the power of the middle, especially when it’s the size that it is. And perhaps our main issue right now is that many of us don’t see each other as fellow citizens, or as comrades, in that powerful force that is the middle.
I am so very tired of hearing Christians say we need to turn back or we need to change our ways or we need to focus on values – with the implication or even the clear and intentional statement that if we don’t, our country is doomed to fall or fail.
Maybe that’s correct, actually. But here’s the thing: when Christians say that, they are always pointing the finger at others. The implication in the statement is that others who sin need to turn from their way. Others who don’t go to church or don’t go to a church like ours need to get with the actual God program. Others need to have politics like ours. Others who are gay need to be straight. Others who have abortions need to stop. Others who commit adultery need to not do that. Others who protest need to be thankful for what they do have and love their country more.
What about us? The Christians. Perhaps we should turn that pointing finger back at ourselves. What if the reason this nation is struggling is because we – the Christians – have set a very bad example in this supposed Christian nation.
What if the issue is our failure to show Christ to the world? That we haven’t been the hands and feet. That we have failed to love our neighbor as ourselves. That we have failed to lead with love. That we have failed to be the light. That we have failed to forgive and have empathy and show compassion. That we have failed to live by the ten commandments. That we have put other gods before Him. That we have made idols. That we have supported and elected leaders who live in ways very contrary to the tenets of Christianity. That we have failed to preach and live the actual gospel. That we have been disobedient. That we have failed to take a stand when we should. That we have failed to recognize and act when some of our fellow citizens, including our fellow Christians, have not been treated fairly.
Tweet that moved me most this week:
Stop using Dr. King as an example of a peaceful protest…you shot him, too.
What if WE are the issue? What if what we’re doing or not doing is to blame? Because as Christians, we have a responsibility that’s clearly outlined in Luke 12:48. To whom much is given, much will be required. We are and will be held responsible for what we have been given.
We’ve been acting like the sinners are always the others. The sinners are us, too.
We’ve been acting like we are above reproach because we are believers, when actually we’re more accountable because we know better.
We’ve been acting like everyone should believe and behave like we do because we’re better, when the reality is that we’re not behaving very well at all. And worse, everyone sees it.
I believe Jesus, if He were walking on two human legs in America today, might be found walking amongst that big crowd in the middle, in the group made up of most of us. There are differences in how we believe and look and think and act, but we commonly seek a place of peace and safety and healing. And perhaps he’d be speaking words like these, appropriate two thousand years ago and still today: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”
There is surely Jesus in many Republicans and in many Democrats and in many Libertarians and in many Green supporters and in many people who don’t vote at all. Any suggestion that Jesus would side with a certain political party in America is simply a lie. Any suggestion that the fault for where we are lies with the others is a half-truth. The truth is always somewhere in the middle.
Seeing God in America is one of my favorite devotionals right now. From a reflection on Maroon Bells, Colorado: “A murky, weed-choked pond won’t give back a reflection of even the mightiest mountains that tower nearby. But a clean, calm lake surface will shine out with the image of the majesty that surrounds it.”
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Disclosure: I received the Little Black Dress Flirty Aprons for review purposes only. All opinions are my own.
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Flirty Aprons has so many cute styles to choose from. They have a great selection of women’s aprons, men’s aprons, kids aprons and even bibs for the little ones and oven mitts to match the aprons. Now you can look great while making a mess in the kitchen.
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Dawn is a stay at home, homeschooling mother of 4. She writes for Blogging Mom of 4, Scoreboard Fundraising, and Geek Chic.
Comments
Sherryl Wilson says
October 24, 2013 at 6:49 am
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Donna Hup says
October 24, 2013 at 10:37 pm
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11.18 Questioner: Then we have crusaders from Orion coming to this planet for mind control purposes. How do they do this?
Ra: As all, they follow the Law of One observing free will. Contact is made with those who call. Those then upon the planetary sphere act much as do you to disseminate the attitudes and philosophy of their particular understanding of the Law of One which is service to self. These become the elite. Through these, the attempt begins to create a condition whereby the remainder of the planetary entities are enslaved by their own free will.
77.18 Questioner: I guess, under the first distortion, it was the free will of the Logos to choose to evolve without free will. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. This is correct.
16.2 Questioner: I may be wrong, but it seems to me that it would be the free will of, say the Orion group, to interfere. How is this balanced against the other concept you just gave?
Ra: I am Ra. The balancing is from dimension to dimension. The attempts of the so-called Crusaders to interfere with free will are acceptable upon the dimension of their understanding. However, the mind/body/spirit complexes of this dimension you call third form a dimension of free will which is not able to, shall we say, recognize in full, the distortions towards manipulation. Thus, in order to balance the dimensional variances in vibration, a quarantine was set up, this being a balancing situation whereby the free will of the Orion group is not stopped but given a challenge. Meanwhile, the third-density group is not hindered from free choice.
16.1 Questioner: As I ask questions, there will unfortunately be [inaudible] I think the direction I wish to go investigating the Law of One. However, I have ideas in mind of some questions [inaudible]. They may be stupid questions; I don’t know, but [inaudible]. [Inaudible] trying to construct a complete, unbiased book about the Law of One, one which itself takes into account the Law of One. I hope that you [inaudible] ridiculous.
I would like to ask, considering the free will distortion of the Law of One, how can the Guardians quarantine the Earth? Is this quarantine within the free will distortion?
Ra: I am Ra. The Guardians guard the free will distortion of the mind/body/spirit complexes of third density on this planetary sphere. The events which require activation of quarantine were interfering with the free will distortion of mind/body/spirit complexes.
71.14 Questioner: You have made the statement that pure negativity acts as a gravity well pulling all into it. I was wondering first if pure positivity has precisely the same effect? Could you answer that please?
Ra: I am Ra. This is incorrect. Positivity has a much weaker effect due to the strong element of recognition of free will in any positivity approaching purity. Thus although the negatively oriented entity may find it difficult to polarize negatively in the midst of such resounding harmony it will not find it impossible.
Upon the other hand, the negative polarization is one which does not accept the concept of the free will of other-selves. Thusly in a social complex whose negativity approaches purity the pull upon other-selves is constant. A positively oriented entity in such a situation would desire for other-selves to have their free will and thusly would find itself removed from its ability to exercise its own free will, for the free will of negatively oriented entities is bent upon conquest.
79.33 Questioner: Now, let me be sure I understand you: prior to the change and the extension of free will, let’s take specifically the end of fourth density, magical potential for the condition when there was only service-to-others polarization, magical ability or potential was much greater at the end of fourth density than at the end of fourth density immediately after the split of polarization and the extension of free will. Is that correct?
Ra: I am Ra. Magical ability is the ability to consciously use the so-called unconscious. Therefore, there was maximal ability prior to the innovation of sub-Logoi’s free will.
73.14 Questioner: An observation of the working itself by another entity would seem to me to partially abridge free will in that a seemingly magical occurrence had taken place as a result of the working of an adept. This could be extended to any phenomenon which is other than normally acceptable. Could you speak on this paradox that is immediately the problem of anyone doing healing?
Ra: I am Ra. We are humble messengers of the Law of One. To us there are no paradoxes. The workings which seem magical and, therefore, seem to infringe upon free will do not, in themselves, do so, for the distortions of perception are as many as the witnesses and each witness sees what it desires to see. Infringement upon free will occurs in this circumstance only if the entity doing the working ascribes the authorship of this event to its self or its own skills. Those who state that no working comes from it but only through it is infringing upon free will.*
* Ra meant to say “not infringing” on free will. See the next question and answer.
69.9 Questioner: I was just guessing that since the mind/body/spirit complex is willed from the third-density body for a particular duty of service to others, that this then would create a situation primarily with respect to the first distortion where the opportunity for balancing this service by the negative service would be available and, therefore, shall I say, magically possible for the intrusion of the other polarization. Is this thinking at all correct?
Ra: I am Ra. No. The free will of the instrument is indeed a necessary part of the opportunity afforded the Orion group. However, this free will and the first distortion applies only to the instrument. The entire hope of the Orion group is to infringe upon free will without losing polarity. Thus this group, if represented by a wise entity, attempts to be clever.
19.12 Questioner: This seems to be a carefully planned or engineered stage of development. Can you tell me anything of the origin of this plan for the development?
Ra: I am Ra. We go back to previous information. Consider and remember the discussion of the Logos. With the primal distortion of free will, each galaxy developed its own Logos. This Logos has complete free will in determining the paths of intelligent energy which promote the lessons of each of the densities given the conditions of the planetary spheres and the sun bodies.
55.3 Questioner: Thank you. I want to ask a couple questions about previous material that I didn’t understand. I’m hoping that this will clear up my understanding somewhat with respect to the mental configurations with which we have been dealing.
In the session before last you stated, “However, this is a risk for the Orion entities due to the frequency with which the harvestable negative planetary entities then attempt to bid or order the Orion contact just as these entities bid planetary negative contacts.” Can you explain the mechanisms that affect polarization in consciousness with respect to this statement?
Ra: I am Ra. The negative polarization is greatly aided by the subjugation or enslavement of other-selves. The potential between two negatively polarized entities is such that the entity which enslaves the other or bids the other gains in negative polarity.
The entity so bidden or enslaved, in serving an other-self, will necessarily lose negative polarity although it will gain in desire for further negative polarization. This desire will then tend to create opportunities to regain negative polarity.
63.30 Questioner: I understand that the Logos did not plan for the heating effect that occurs in our third-density transition into fourth. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. This is correct except for the condition of free will which is, of course, planned by the Logos as It, Itself, is a creature of free will. In this climate an infinity of events or conditions may occur. They cannot be said to be planned by the Logos but can be said to have been freely allowed.
92.13 Questioner: Thank you. Third: Just as free will taps intelligent infinity which yields intelligent energy which then focuses and creates the densities of this octave of experience, the Potentiator of Mind utilizes its connection with intelligent energy and taps or potentiates the Matrix of the Mind which yields Catalyst of the Mind. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. This is thoughtful but confused. The Matrix of the Mind is that which reaches just as the kinetic phase of intelligent infinity, through free will, reaches for the Logos or, in the case of the mind/body/spirit complex the sub-sub-Logos which is the free-will-potentiated beingness of the mind/body/spirit complex; to intelligent infinity, Love, and all that follows from that Logos; to the Matrix or, shall we say, the conscious, waiting self of each entity, the Love or the sub-sub-Logos spinning through free will all those things which may enrich the experience of the Creator by the Creator.
It is indeed so that the biases of the potentials of a mind/body/spirit complex cause the catalyst of this entity to be unique and to form a coherent pattern that resembles the dance, full of movement, forming a many-figured tapestry of motion.
16.3 Questioner: Could these windows that occur… let the Orion group come through once in a while… does this have anything to do with this free will distortion?
Ra: I am Ra. This is correct.
26.34 Questioner: Is it necessary in each case for the entity who is contacted in one of these landings to be calling the Orion group, or do some of these entities come in contact with the Orion group even though they are not calling that group?
Ra: I am Ra. You must plumb the depths of fourth-density negative understanding. This is difficult for you. Once having reached third-density space/time continuum through your so-called windows, these crusaders may plunder as they will, the results completely a function of the polarity of the, shall we say, witness/subject or victim.
This is due to the sincere belief of fourth-density negative that to love self is to love all. Each other-self which is thus either taught or enslaved thus has a teacher which teaches love of self. Exposed to this teaching, it is intended that there be brought to fruition an harvest of fourth-density negative or self-serving mind/body/spirit complexes.
8.1 Questioner: I have a question about [what] I call the advertising of the Confederation. It has to do with free will. There have been certain contacts allowed, as I understand, by the Council, but this is limited because of free will of those who are not oriented in such a way that they could maybe want contact. This material that we are doing now will be disseminated. Dissemination of this material will be dependent upon the wants of [a] relatively small number of people on the planet. Many people on the planet now want this material, but even though we disseminate it they will not be aware it is available. Is there any possibility of creating some effect which I would call advertising, or is this against the principle of free will?
Ra: I am Ra. Consider, if you will, the path your life-experience complex has taken. Consider the coincidences and odd circumstances by which one thing flowed to the next. Consider this well.
Each entity will receive the opportunity that each needs. This information source-beingness does not have uses in the life-experience complex of each of those among your peoples who seek. Thus the advertisement is general and not designed to indicate the searching out of any particular material, but only to suggest the noumenal* aspect of the illusion.
73.12 Questioner: I would then assume that the many so-called evangelists which we have in our society at present, many have great desire and very great will, and possibly great polarity. It seems to me that in some cases that there is a lack of information or awareness that creates a less than effective working in the magical sense. Am I correct in this analysis?
Ra: I am Ra. You are partially correct. In examining the polarity of a service-to-others working the free will must be seen as paramount. Those entities of which you speak are attempting to generate positive changes in consciousness while abridging free will. This causes the blockage of the magical nature of the working except in those cases wherein an entity freely desires to accept the working of the evangelist, as you have called it.
27.8 Questioner: Now, I understand that the first distortion of intelligent infinity is the distortion of what we call free will. Can you give me a definition of this distortion?
Ra: I am Ra. In this distortion of the Law of One it is recognized that the Creator will know Itself.
80.7 Questioner: I understand this up to a point— that point is [if] the entity were successful in either of these attempts of what value would this be to him? Would it increase his ability? Would it increase his polarity? By what mechanism would it do whatever it does?
Ra: I am Ra. Having attempted for some of your space/time with no long-lasting result to do these things the entity may be asking this question of itself. The gain for triumph is an increase in negative polarity to the entity in that it has removed a source of radiance and thereby offered to this space/time the opportunity of darkness where there once was light. In the event that it succeeded in enslaving the mind/body/spirit complex of the instrument it would have enslaved a fairly powerful entity, thus adding to its power.
59.1 Questioner: Could you first tell me the instrument’s condition and why she feels so tired?
Ra: I am Ra. This instrument’s condition is as previously stated. We cannot infringe upon your free will by discussing the latter query.
15.21 Questioner: Well, in yesterday’s material you stated “we offer the Law of One, the solving of paradoxes.” You also mentioned earlier that the first paradox, or the first distortion I meant, was the distortion of free will. Could you tell me if there’s a sequence? Is there a first, second, third, fourth distortion of the Law of One?
Ra: I am Ra. Only up to a very short point. After this point, the many-ness of distortions are equal one to another. The first distortion, free will, finds focus. This is the second distortion known to you as Logos, the Creative Principle or Love. This intelligent energy thus creates a distortion known as Light. From these three distortions come many, many hierarchies of distortions, each having its own paradoxes to be synthesized, no one being more important than another.
16.8 Questioner: This is a profound revelation, I believe, in the Law of Free Will. Thank you.
This is a minor question further to make an example of this principle, but if the Confederation landed on Earth, they would be taken as gods, breaking the Law of Free Will and thus reducing their polarization towards service to all. I assume that the same thing would happen if the Orion group landed. How would this affect their polarization towards service to self if they were able to land and became known as gods?
Ra: I am Ra. In the event of mass landing of the Orion group, the effect of polarization would be strongly towards an increase in the service to self, precisely the opposite of the former opportunity which you mentioned.
16.9 Questioner: If the Orion group was able to land, would this increase their polarization? What I am trying to get at is, is it better for them to work behind the scenes and get recruits, shall we say, from our planet, the person on our planet going towards service to self strictly on his own using his free will, or is it just as good for the Orion group to land upon our planet and demonstrate remarkable powers and get people like that?
Ra: I am Ra. The first instance is, in the long run, shall we put it, more salubrious* for the Orion group in that it does not infringe upon the Law of One by landing and, thus, does its work through those of this planet. In the second circumstance, a mass landing would create a loss of polarization due to the infringement upon the free will of the planet. However, it would be a gamble. If the planet then were conquered and became part of the Empire, the free will would then be re-established. This is restrained in action due to the desire of the Orion group to progress towards the One Creator. This desire to progress inhibits the group from breaking the Law of Confusion.
70.11 Questioner: Would an analogy for this situation be that the individual’s higher self is manipulating to some extent, shall I say, the mind/body/spirit complex that is its analog, you might say, to move it through the lower densities for purposes of gaining experience and then finally transferring that experience or amalgamating it, you might say, in mid-sixth density with the higher self?
Ra: I am Ra. This is incorrect. The Higher Self does not manipulate its past selves. It protects when possible and guides when asked, but the force of free will is paramount. The seeming contradictions of determinism and free will melt when it is accepted that there is such a thing as true simultaneity. The Higher Self is the end result of all the development experienced by the mind/body/spirit complex to that point.
78.19 Questioner: So the original, the first evolution then was planned by the Logos but the first distortion was not extended to the product. At some point this first distortion was extended and the first service-to-self polarity emerged. Is this correct and if so, could you tell me the history of this process and emergence?
Ra: I am Ra. As proem* let me state that the Logoi always conceived of themselves as offering free will to the sub-Logoi in their care. The sub-Logoi had freedom to experience and experiment with consciousness, the experiences of the body, and the illumination of the spirit. That having been said, we shall speak to the point of your query.
The first Logos to instill what you now see as free will, in the full sense, in its sub-Logoi came to this creation due to contemplation in depth of the concepts or possibilities of conceptualizations of what we have called the significators. The Logos posited the possibility of the mind, the body, and the spirit as being complex. In order for the significator to be what it is not, it then must be granted the free will of the Creator. This set in motion a quite lengthy, in your terms, series of Logoi improving or distilling this seed thought. The key was the significator becoming a complex.
54.13 Questioner: OK. Then I assume that the first distortion is the, shall I say, motivator or what allows this blockage. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. We wish no quibbling but prefer to avoid the use of terms such as the verb, to allow. Free will does not allow, nor would predetermination disallow, experiential distortions. Rather the Law of Confusion offers a free reach for the energies of each mind/body/spirit complex. The verb, to allow, would be considered pejorative* in that it suggests a polarity between right and wrong or allowed and not allowed. This may seem a minuscule point. However, to our best way of thinking it bears some weight.
69.16 Questioner: Is there no process or way by which the entity, once misplaced, and I am assuming this misplacement must be a function of his free will in some way. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. This is absolutely correct.
16.7 Questioner: In this way, total free will is balanced so that the individual may have an equal opportunity to choose service to others or service to self. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. This is correct.
103.9 Questioner: Is there anything else that either we or the instrument can do that would specifically work on the vital energy to increase it of the instrument?
Ra: I am Ra. We have come up against the full stop of free will.
72.7 Questioner: We have here, I believe, a very important principle with respect to the Law of One. You have stated that the attitude of the individual is of paramount importance for the Orion entity to be able to be effective. Would you please explain how this mechanism works with respect to the Law of One and why the attitude of the entity is of paramount importance and why this allows for action by the Orion entity?
Ra: I am Ra. The Law of Confusion or Free Will is utterly paramount in the workings of the infinite creation. That which is intended has as much intensity of attraction to the polar opposite as the intensity of the intention or desire.
Thus those whose desires are shallow or transitory experience only ephemeral configurations of what might be called the magical circumstance. There is a turning point, a fulcrum which swings as a mind/body/spirit complex tunes its will to service. If this will and desire is for service to others the corresponding polarity will be activated. In the circumstance of this group there are three such wills acting as one with the instrument in the, shall we say, central position of fidelity to service. This is as it must be for the balance of the working and the continuance of the contact. Our vibratory complex is one-pointed in these workings also and our will to serve is also of some degree of purity. This has created the attraction of the polar opposite which you experience.
We may note that such a configuration of free will, one-pointed in service to others, also has the potential for the alerting of a great mass of light strength. This positive light strength, however, operates also under free will and must be invoked. We could not speak to this and shall not guide you, for the nature of this contact is such that the purity of your free will must, above all things, be preserved. Thus you wend your way through experiences discovering those biases which may be helpful.
72.8 Questioner: The negatively oriented entities who contact us and others on this planet are limited by the first distortion. They have obviously been limited by the banishing ritual just performed. Could you describe, with respect to free will, how they limit themselves in order to work within the first distortion and how the banishing ritual itself works?
Ra: I am Ra. This query has several portions. Firstly, those of negative polarity do not operate with respect to free will unless it is necessary. They call themselves and will infringe whenever they feel it possible.
Secondly, they are limited by the great Law of Confusion in that, for the most part, they are unable to enter this planetary sphere of influence and are able to use the windows of time/space distortion only insofar as there is some calling to balance the positive calling. Once they are here, their desire is conquest.
Thirdly, in the instance of this instrument’s being removed permanently from this space/time, it is necessary to allow the instrument to leave its yellow-ray physical complex of its free will. Thus trickery has been attempted.
The use of the light forms being generated is such as to cause such entities to discover a wall through which they can not pass. This is due to the energy complexes of the light beings and aspects of the One Infinite Creator invoked and evoked in the building of the wall of light.
53.7 Questioner: Would you do this please?
Ra: I am Ra. The most efficient mode of contact is that which you experience at this space/time. The infringement upon free will is greatly undesired. Therefore, those entities which are Wanderers upon your plane of illusion will be the only subjects for the thought projections which make up the so-called “close encounters” and meetings between positively oriented social memory complexes and Wanderers.
64.9 Questioner: The question was brought up recently having to do with possible records left near, in, or under the Great Pyramid at Giza. I have no idea whether this would be of benefit. I will just ask if there is any benefit in investigating in this area?
Ra: I am Ra. We apologize for seeming to be so shy of information. However, any words upon this particular subject create the possibility of infringement upon free will.
68.16 Questioner: Well how does the fifth-density entity go about this working from the very start of his being alerted to the fact that we exist. How does that occur? Can you please trace the steps that he involves himself in? Please.
Ra: I am Ra. The entity becomes aware of power. This power has the capacity of energizing those which may be available for harvest. This entity is desirous of disabling this power source. It sends its legions. Temptations are offered. They are ignored or rejected. The power source persists and indeed improves its inner connections of harmony and love of service.
The entity determines that it must needs attempt the disabling itself. By means of projection it enters the vicinity of this power source. It assesses the situation. It is bound by the first distortion but may take advantage of any free will distortion. The free will, pre-incarnative distortions of the instrument with regards to the physical vehicle seem the most promising target. Any distortion away from service to others is also appropriate.
When the instrument leaves its physical vehicle it does so freely. Thus the misplacement of the mind/body/spirit complex of the instrument would not be a violation of its free will if it followed the entity freely. This is the process.
We are aware of your pressing desire to know how to become impervious as a group to any influences such as this. The processes which you seek are a matter of your free choice. You are aware of the principles of magical work. We cannot speak to advise but can only suggest, as we have before, that it would be appropriate for this group to embark upon such a path as a group, but not individually, for obvious reasons.
20.11 Questioner: Then the charge is provided by individualized consciousness. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. The charge is provided by the individualized entity using the inpourings and instreamings of energy by the choices of free will.
21.8 Questioner: I don’t mean to be covering ground that we’ve already covered, but there’re some points that we have trouble with fully understanding and sometimes I have to ask the question a different way to fully understand it. Thank you.
So at the start of this 75,000-year cycle we know that the quarantine was set up. I am assuming then that the Guardians were aware of the infringements on free will that would occur if they didn’t set this up at that time and therefore did it. This— Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. This is partially incorrect. The incorrectness is as follows: those entities whose third-density experience upon your Red Planet was brought to a close prematurely were aided genetically while being transferred to this third density. This, although done in a desire to aid, was seen as infringement upon free will. The light quarantine which consists of the Guardians, or gardeners as you may call them, which would have been in effect thus was intensified.
106.5 Questioner: Then as I understand it, the best thing for us to do is advise the instrument to drink much more liquid. And I would imagine the spring water would be best. And we will, of course, move. We could move her out of here immediately, tomorrow, say, if necessary. Would this be considerably better than waiting two to three weeks for the allergies and everything else?
Ra: I am Ra. Such decisions are a matter for free-will choice. Be aware of the strength of the group harmony.
77.17 Questioner: Now, would it be possible for this work of our density to be performed if all of the sub-Logoi chose the same polarity in any particular expression or evolution of a Logos? Let us make the assumption that our sun created nothing but, through the first distortion, there was no product except positive polarity. Would work then be done in fourth density and higher as a function only of this positive polarization evolving from our original creation of sub-Logos?
Ra: I am Ra. Elements of this query illustrate the reason I was unable to answer your previous question without knowledge of the Logos involved. To turn to your question, there were Logoi which chose to set the plan for the activation of mind/body/spirit complexes through each true-color body without recourse to the prior application of free will. It is, to our knowledge, only in an absence of free will that the conditions of which you speak obtain. In such a procession of densities you find an extraordinarily long, as you measure time, third density; likewise, fourth density. Then, as the entities begin to see the Creator, there is a very rapid, as you measure time, procession towards the eighth density. This is due to the fact that one who knows not, cares not.
Let us illustrate by observing the relative harmony and unchanging quality of existence in one of your, as you call it, primitive tribes. The entities have the concepts of lawful and taboo, but the law is inexorable and all events occur as predestined. There is no concept of right and wrong, good or bad. It is a culture in monochrome. In this context you may see the one you call Lucifer as the true light-bringer in that the knowledge of good and evil both precipitated the mind/body/spirits of this Logos from the Edenic conditions of constant contentment but also provided the impetus to move, to work and to learn.
Those Logoi whose creations have been set up without free will have not, in the feeling of those Logoi, given the Creator the quality and variety of experience of Itself as have those Logoi which have incorporated free will as paramount. Thusly you find those Logoi moving through the timeless states at what you would see as a later space/time to choose the free will character when elucidating the foundations of each Logos.
18.6 Questioner: Basically I would say that to infringe on the free will of another self or another entity would be the basic thing never to do under the Law of One. Can you state any other breaking of the Law of One than this basic rule?
Ra: I am Ra. As one proceeds from the primal distortion of free will, one proceeds to the understanding of the focal points of intelligent energy which have created the intelligences or the ways of a particular mind/body/spirit complex in its environment, both what you would call natural and what you would call man-made. Thus, the distortions to be avoided are those which do not take into consideration the distortions of the focus of energy of love/light, or shall we say, the Logos of this particular sphere or density. These include the lack of understanding of the needs of the natural environment, the needs of other-selves’ mind/body/spirit complexes. These are many due to the various distortions of man-made complexes in which the intelligence and awareness of entities themselves have chosen a way of using the energies available.
Thus, what would be an improper distortion with one entity is proper with another. We can suggest an attempt to become aware of the other-self as self and thus do that action which is needed by other-self, understanding from the other-self’s intelligence and awareness. In many cases this does not involve the breaking of the distortion of free will into a distortion or fragmentation called infringement. However, it is a delicate matter to be of service, and compassion, sensitivity, and an ability to empathize are helpful in avoiding the distortions of man-made intelligence and awareness.
The area or arena called the societal complex is an arena in which there are no particular needs for care for it is the prerogative/honor/duty of those in the particular planetary sphere to act according to its free will for the attempted aid of the social complex.
Thus, you have two simple directives: awareness of the intelligent energy expressed in nature, awareness of the intelligent energy expressed in self to be shared, when it seems appropriate, by the entity with the social complex, and you have one infinitely subtle and various set of distortions of which you may be aware; that is, distortions with respect to self and other-selves not concerning free will but concerning harmonious relationships and service to others as other-selves would most benefit.
78.13 Questioner: Then we have, at the beginning of this galactic evolution, an archetypical mind that is the product of the previous octave which this galaxy then uses and acts upon under the first distortion of free will to evolve the total experience of this galaxy. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. This is quite correct.
79.21 Questioner: The first change made then for this extension of free will was to make the information or make the communication between the Matrix and Potentiator of the Mind relatively unavailable one to the other during the incarnation. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. We would perhaps rather term the condition as relatively more mystery-filled than relatively unavailable.
92.18 Questioner: Turning, then, to my analogy or shall we say, example of the newborn infant with the undistorted Matrix, this newborn infant has its subconscious veiled from the Matrix. The second archetype, the Potentiator of Mind, is going to act at some time through— I won’t say through the veil, I don’t think that is a very good way of stating it, but the Potentiator of Mind will act to create a condition, and I will use an example of the infant touching a hot object. The hot object we could take as random catalyst. The infant can either leave its hand on the hot object or rapidly remove it. My question is, is the Potentiator of Mind involved at all in this experience and, if so, how?
Ra: I am Ra. The Potentiator of Mind and of Body are both involved in the questing of the infant for new experience. The mind/body/spirit complex which is an infant has one highly developed portion which may be best studied by viewing the Significators of Mind and Body. You notice we do not include the spirit. That portion of a mind/body/spirit complex is not reliably developed in each and every mind/body/spirit complex. Thusly the infant’s significant self, which is the harvest of biases of all previous incarnational experiences, offers to this infant biases with which to meet new experience.
However, the portion of the infant which may be articulated by the Matrix of the Mind is indeed unfed by experience and has the bias of reaching for this experience through free will just as intelligent energy in the kinetic phase, through free will, creates the Logos. This sub-sub-Logos, then, or that portion of the mind/body/spirit complex which may be articulated by consideration of the Potentiators of Mind and Body, through free will, chooses to make alterations in its experiential continuum. The results of these experiments in novelty are then recorded in the portion of the mind and body articulated by the Matrices thereof.
28.13 Questioner: Thank you. Do all of the individualized portions of the Logos, then, in our— I’ll call the lenticular galaxy that we are in, 250 billion suns, or stars, I will call that the major galaxy just so we will not get mixed up in our terms. Does all the consciousness, then, in this individualized form that goes into what we are calling the major galaxy start out and go through all of the densities in order, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven or— then to eighth— or is there, shall I say, some who start higher up the rank and go in a— so that there is always a mixture of intelligent consciousness in the galaxy?
Ra: I am Ra. The latter is more nearly correct. In each beginning there is the beginning from infinite strength. Free will acts as a catalyst. Beings begin to form the universes. Consciousness then begins to have the potential to experience. The potentials of experience are created as a part of intelligent energy and are fixed before experience begins.
However, there is always, due to free will acting infinitely upon the creation, a great variation in initial responses to intelligent energy’s potential. Thus almost immediately the foundations of the, shall we call it, hierarchical nature of beings begins to manifest as some portions of consciousness or awareness learn through experience in a much more efficient manner.
43.31 Questioner: I was really trying to get at whether it would be of great importance to construct a better place for our meditations. We have distractions here of the types which I mentioned, and I know that it is our total free will as to whether we construct this or not, but I was just trying to get at the principles. For instance, the Faraday cage would be quite a big construction and I was wondering if it would be of any real value?
Ra: I am Ra. Without infringing upon free will we feel it possible to state that the Faraday cage and the isolation tank are gadgets.
The surrounding of self in a sylvan atmosphere, apart from distractions, in a place of working used for no other purpose, in which you and your associates agree to lay aside all goals but that of the meditative seeking of the Infinite Creator is, shall we say, not gadgetry but the making use of the creation of the Father in second-density love, and in the love and support of other-selves. Are there any brief queries before this working is at an end?
68.18 Questioner: Then I am assuming if the negative polarity used any other approach that did not use the free will of the other-self, he would lose magical polarization and power. This is correct, isn’t it?
Ra: I am Ra. This is correct. The transferred energy grows low. We wish to close. Are there any short queries before we leave this instrument?
47.16 Questioner: I will only ask if there is anything we can do to make the instrument more comfortable or improve the contact?
Ra: I am Ra. The appurtenances are conscientiously measured by eye and spirit. You are conscientious. All is well. Observe this instrument to ensure continued building of the vital energies. It will have to work upon its own physical energies for this weakness was brought about by free will of the self.
I am Ra. We leave you now in the love and in the light of the One Infinite Creator. Go forth, therefore, rejoicing in the power and in the peace of the One Infinite Creator. Adonai.
19.16 Questioner: Then, through free will, some time in the third-density experience, the path splits and an entity consciously— probably does not consciously choose. Does an entity consciously choose this path at the initial splitting point?
Ra: I am Ra. We speak in generalities which is dangerous for always inaccurate. However, we realize you look for the overview; so we will eliminate anomalies and speak of majorities.
The majority of third-density beings is far along the chosen path before realization of that path is conscious.
12.5 Questioner: I didn’t quite understand. How does the Confederation stop the Orion chariot from coming through the quarantine? What actions do…
Ra: I am Ra. There is contact at the level of light-form or lightbody-being depending upon the vibratory level of the guardian. These guardians sweep reaches of your Earth’s energy fields attempting to be aware of any entities approaching. An entity which is approaching is hailed in the name of the One Creator. Any entity thus hailed is bathed in love/light and will of free will obey the quarantine due to the power of the Law of One.
79.18 Questioner: I now understand what you meant in the previous session by saying to extend free will the significator must become a complex. It seems that the significator has become the complex that is the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh of the mind, the tenth on of the body, and the seventeenth on of the spirit. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. This is incorrect.
22.17 Questioner: Was any action taken immediately, or did you wait for a call?
Ra: I am Ra. The Council of Saturn acted only in allowing the entry into third density of other mind/body/spirit complexes of third density, not Wanderers, but those who sought further third-density experience. This was done randomly so that free will would not be violated for there was not yet a call.
21.4 Questioner: I had already determined to exclude him from these workings. I have only determined to let him read the material. The only other thing is that I have noticed that within the material as it exists now there is a certain statement which will allow him to understand who I believe Spectra really was. It seems my duty to remove this from his knowledge to preserve the same free will that you attempted to preserve by not defining the origin of Spectra, his contact in Israel. Am I correct?
Ra: I am Ra. This is a matter for your discretion.
99.10 Questioner: In that case I will just ask one additional short question as we terminate for this session. May I ask if the Logos of this system planned for the mating process as possibly depicted in Card Six— I don’t know if this is related— by some type of DNA imprinting as has been studied by our science. In many second-density creatures seem to have some sort of imprinting that creates a lifetime mating relationship and I was wondering if this was designed by the Logos for that particular mechanism and if it was also carried into third density?
Ra: I am Ra. There are some of your second-density fauna which have instinctually imprinted monogamous mating processes. The third-density physical vehicle which is the basic incarnational tool of manifestation upon your planet arose from entities thusly imprinted, all the aforesaid being designed by the Logos.
The free will of third-density entities is far stronger than the rather mild carryover from second-density DNA encoding and it is not part of the conscious nature of many of your mind/body/spirit complexes to be monogamous due to the exercise of free will. However, as has been noted there are many signposts in the deep mind indicating to the alert adept the more efficient use of catalyst. As we have said, the Logos of your peoples has a bias towards kindness.
36.7 Questioner: In that case my higher self would, shall we say, have a very large advantage in knowing precisely what was needed since it would know what… as far as I am concerned, what was going to happen. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. This is incorrect, in that this would be an abrogation of free will. The higher self aspect is aware of the lessons learned through the sixth density. The progress rate is fairly well understood. The choices which must be made to achieve the higher self as it is are in the provenance of the mind/body/spirit complex itself.
Thus the higher self is like the map in which the destination is known; the roads are very well known, these roads being designed by intelligent infinity working through intelligent energy. However, the higher self aspect can program only for the lessons and certain predisposing limitations if it wishes. The remainder is completely the free choice of each entity. There is the perfect balance between the known and the unknown.
4.20 Questioner: My objective is primarily to discover more of the Law of One, and [it would] be very helpful to discover techniques of healing. I am aware of your problem with respect to free will. Can you make… You cannot make suggestions, so I will ask you if you can state the Law of One and the laws of healing to me?
Ra: I am Ra. The Law of One, though beyond the limitations of name, as you call vibratory sound complexes, may be approximated by stating that all things are one, that there is no polarity, no right or wrong, no disharmony, but only identity. All is one, and that one is love/light, light/love, the Infinite Creator.
One of the primal distortions of the Law of One is that of healing. Healing occurs when a mind/body/spirit complex realizes, deep within itself, the Law of One; that is, that there is no disharmony, no imperfection; that all is complete and whole and perfect. Thus, the intelligent infinity within this mind/body/spirit complex re-forms the illusion of body, mind, or spirit to a form congruent with the Law of One. The healer acts as energizer or catalyst for this completely individual process.
One item which may be of interest is that a healer asking to learn must take the distortion understood as responsibility for that ask/receiving, thus healing. This is a[n] honor/duty which must be carefully considered in free will before the asking.
92.14 Questioner: Fourth: When the Catalyst of the Mind is processed by the entity the Experience of the Mind results. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. There are subtle misdirections in this simple statement having to do with the overriding qualities of the Significator. It is so that catalyst yields experience. However, through free will and the faculty of imperfect memory catalyst is most often only partially used and the experience thus correspondingly skewed.
66.9 Questioner: Now as the healer approaches an other-self to do the healing we have a situation where the other-self has, through programming of catalyst, possibly created a condition which is viewed as a condition needing healing. What is the situation and what are the ramifications of the healer acting upon a condition of programmed catalyst to bring about healing? Am I correct in assuming that in doing this healing, the programmed catalyst is useful to the one to be healed in that the one to be healed then becomes aware of what it wished to become aware of in programming the catalyst? Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. Your thinking cannot be said to be completely incorrect but shows a rigidity which is not apparent in the flow of the experiential use of catalyst.
The role of the healer is to offer an opportunity for realignment or aid in realignment of either energy centers or some connection between the energies of mind and body, spirit and mind, or spirit and body. This latter is very rare.
The seeker will then have the reciprocal opportunity to accept a novel view of the self, a variant arrangement of patterns of energy influx. If the entity, at any level, desires to remain in the configuration of distortion which seems to need healing it will do so. If, upon the other hand, the seeker chooses the novel configuration, it is done through free will.
This is one great difficulty with other forms of energy transfer in that they do not carry through the process of free will as this process is not native to yellow ray.
12.10 Questioner: Which group was it that contacted Henry Puharich in Israel, right around 1972?
Ra: I am Ra. We must refrain from answering this query due to the possibility/probability that the one you call Henry will read this answer. This would cause distortions in his future. It is necessary that each being use free and complete discernment from within the all-self which is at the heart of the mind/body/spirit complex.
20.32 Questioner: How would such stone heads influence a people to take the path of service to self?
Ra: I am Ra. Picture, if you will, the entities living in such a way that their mind/body/spirit complexes are at what seems to be the mercy of forces which they cannot control. Given a charged entity such as a statue or a rock formation charged with nothing but power, it is possible for the free will of those viewing this particular structure or formation to ascribe to this power, power over those things which cannot be controlled. This, then, has the potential for the further distortion to power over other-selves.
77.20 Questioner: In other words you are saying that originally the Logoi that did not choose this free will path did not choose it simply because they had not conceived of it and later Logoi, extending the first distortion farther down through their evolution, experienced it as an outcropping or growth from that extension of the first distortion. Am I correct in saying that?
89.4 Questioner: Is he back with us at this time?
Ra: I am Ra. No. The attempt to speak was due to the vigilant eye of the minions of this entity which noted what one may call a surge of natural telepathic ability upon the part of the instrument. This ability is cyclical, of the eighteen diurnal period cycle, as we have mentioned aforetimes. Thusly, this entity determined to attempt another means of access to the instrument by free will.
43.30 Questioner: You stated that the key to strengthening the will is concentration. Can you tell me the relative importance of the following aids to concentration? I have listed: silence, temperature control, comfort of body, screening as a Faraday cage would screen electromagnetic radiation, visible light screening, and a constant smell such as the use of incense for strengthening your concentration in meditation. In other words, an isolation-type of situation. You mentioned that this was one of the functions of the pyramid.
Ra: I am Ra. The analogies of body complex to mind and spirit complex activities have been discussed previously. You may consider all of these aforementioned aids as those helpful to the stimulation of that which in actuality aids concentration, that being the will of the entity. This free will may be focused at any object or goal.
64.1 Questioner: Could you first tell me the condition of the instrument?
Ra: I am Ra. It is as previously stated with the exception of a transitory distortion lessening the free flow of vital energy.
89.18 Questioner: I would like to question Ra on each of these cards in order to better understand the archetypes. Is this agreeable?
Ra: I am Ra. As we have previously stated, these archetypical concept complexes are a tool for learn/teaching. Thusly, if we were to offer information that were not a response to observations of the student we would be infringing upon the free will of the learn/teacher by being teach/learner and learn/teacher at once.
15.20 Questioner: Are there any Wanderers with these Elder Race, or not?
Ra: I am Ra. These are planetary entities harvested — Wanderers only in the sense that they chose, in fourth-density love, to immediately reincarnate in third density rather than proceeding towards fourth density. This causes them to be Wanderers of a type, Wanderers who have never left the Earth plane because of their free will rather than because of their vibrational level.
73.4 Questioner: What I was trying to get at was that this alerting of light strength is, as I see it, a process that must be totally a function of free will, as you say, and as the desire and will and purity of desire of the adept or operator increases, the alerting of light strength increases. Is this part of it the same for both positive and negative potentials and am I correct with this statement?
Those who are upon the service-to-others path may call upon the light strength in direct proportion to the strength and purity of their will to serve. Those upon the service-to-self path may call upon the dark strength in direct proportion to the strength and purity of their will to serve.
53.3 Questioner: Thank you. During my trip to Laramie certain things became apparent to me with respect to disseminating the first book of The Law of One to those who have had experiences with UFOs and other Wanderers, and I will have to ask some questions now that I may have to include in Book One to eliminate a misunderstanding that I am perceiving as a possibility in Book One. Therefore, these questions, although for the most part transient, are aimed at eliminating certain distortions of understanding with respect to the material in Book One. I hope that I am making a correct approach here. You may not be able to answer some, but that’s all right. We’ll just go on to some others then if you can’t answer the ones I ask.
First I will ask if you could tell me the affiliation of the entities that contacted Betty Andreasson.
Ra: I am Ra. This query is marginal. We will make the concession towards information with some loss of polarity due to free will being abridged. We request that questions of this nature be kept to a minimum.
The entities in this and some other vividly remembered cases are those who, feeling the need to plant Confederation imagery in such a way as not to abrogate free will, use the symbols of death, resurrection, love, and peace as a means of creating, upon the thought level, the time/space illusion of a systematic train of events which give the message of love and hope. This type of contact is chosen by careful consideration of Confederation members which are contacting an entity of like home vibration, if you will. This project then goes before the Council of Saturn and, if approved, is completed. The characteristics of this type of contact include the nonpainful nature of thoughts experienced and the message content which speaks not of doom but of the new dawning age.
77.19 Questioner: Do the Logoi that choose this type of evolution choose both the service-to-self and the service-to-others path for different Logoi, or do they choose just one of the paths?
Ra: I am Ra. Those, what you would call, early Logoi which chose lack-of-free-will foundations, to all extents with no exceptions, founded Logoi of the service-to-others path. The, shall we say, saga of polarity, its consequences and limits, were unimagined until experienced.
81.32 Questioner: From this I will assume that at the beginning of the octave we had the core, with many galactic spirals forming, and I know this is incorrect in the sense of timelessness, but as the spiral formed then I am assuming that in this particular octave the experiment then must have started somewhat, roughly, simultaneously in many, many of the budding or building galactic systems by the experiment of the veiling in extending the free will. Am I in any way correct with this assumption?
Ra: I am Ra. You are precisely correct.
This instrument is unusually fragile at this space/time and has used much of the transferred energy. We would invite one more full query for this working.
27.5 Questioner: It is not necessary to divide it. The definition of intelligent infinity as one part is sufficient. Could you please then define intelligent infinity?
Ra: I am Ra. This is exponentially simpler and less confusing. There is unity. This unity is all that there is. This unity has a potential and kinetic. The potential is intelligent infinity. Tapping this potential will yield work. This work has been called by us, intelligent energy.
The nature of this work is dependent upon the particular distortion of free will which in turn is the nature of a particular intelligent energy or kinetic focus of the potential of unity or that which is all.
71.12 Questioner: Then it seems to me from this that the sub-Logos such as our sun uses free will to modify only slightly a much more general idea of created evolution so that the general plan of created evolution, which seems then to be uniform throughout the One Infinite Creation, is for this process of the sub-Logoi to grow through the densities and, under the first distortion, find their way back to the original thought. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. This is correct.
79.42 Questioner: Then I will just ask for the one of the archetypes which I am least understanding at this point if I can use that word at all. I am still very much in the dark, so to speak, with respect to the Hierophant and precisely what it is. Could you give me some other indication of what that is, please?
Ra: I am Ra. You have been most interested in the Significator which must needs become complex. The Hierophant is the original archetype of mind which has been made complex through the subtile movements of the conscious and unconscious. The complexities of mind were evolved rather than the simple melding of experience from Potentiator to Matrix.
The mind itself became an actor possessed of free will and, more especially, will. As the Significator of the mind, the Hierophant has the will to know, but what shall it do with its knowledge, and for what reasons does it seek? The potential[s] of a complex significator are manifold.
Are there any brief queries at this working?
39.6 Questioner: Thank you. Can you tell me— can you interpret a transmission from “The Nine,” where they say “CH is a principle which is the revealing principle of knowledge and law?” Can you tell me what that principle is?
Ra: I am Ra. The principle so veiled in that statement is but the simple principle of the constant or Creator and the transient or the incarnate being and the yearning existing between the two, one for the other, in love and light amidst the distortions of free will acting upon the illusion-bound entity.
18.24 Questioner: Then Yahweh’s communications did not help or did not create what Yahweh wished for them to create. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. The results of this interaction were quite mixed. Where the entities were of a vibrational sum characteristic which embraced oneness, the manipulations of Yahweh were very useful. Wherein the entities of free will had chosen a less positively oriented configuration of sum total vibratory complex, those of the Orion group were able for the first time to make serious inroads upon the consciousness of the planetary complex.
27.10 Questioner: This then being the first distortion of the Law of One, which I [am] assuming is the Law of Intelligent Infinity, from all other— correction, all other distortions which are the total experience of the creation spring from this. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. This is both correct and incorrect. In your illusion all experience springs from the Law of Free Will or the Way of Confusion. In another sense, which we are learning, the experiences are this distortion.
30.7 Questioner: These two types of entities seem to be incompatible, you might say, with each other. I don’t know. Can you tell me the reason behind both types of entities inhabiting the same space/time?
Ra: I am Ra. Consider the workings of free will as applied to evolution. There are paths that the mind/body complex follows in an attempt to survive, to reproduce, and to seek in its fashion that which is unconsciously felt as the potential for growth; these two arenas or paths of development being two among many.
71.13 Questioner: Then each entity is on a path that leads to the one destination. This is like many, many roads which travel through many, many places but eventually merge into one large center. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. This is correct but somewhat wanting in depth of description. More applicable would be the thought that each entity contains within it all of the densities and sub-densities of the octave so that in each entity, no matter whither its choices lead it, its great internal blueprint is one with all others. Thusly its experiences will fall into the patterns of the journey back to the original Logos. This is done through free will but the materials from which choices can be made are one blueprint.
10.12 Questioner: Then although many entities are not aware of this, what they really desire is to accelerate their growth, and it is their job to discover this while incarnate. Is it correct that they can accelerate their growth much more while incarnate in third density than in between incarnations of this density?
Ra: I am Ra. This is correct. We shall attempt to speak upon this concept.
The Law of One has as one of its primal distortions the free will distortion, thus each entity is free to accept, reject, or ignore the mind/body/spirit complexes about it and ignore the creation itself. There are many among your social memory complex distortion who, at this time/space, engage daily, as you would put it, in the working upon the Law of One in one of its primal distortions; that is, the ways of love. However, if this same entity, being biased from the depths of its mind/body/spirit complex towards love/light, were then to accept responsibility for each moment of the time/space accumulation of present moments available to it, such an entity can empower its progress in much the same way as we described the empowering of the call of your social complex distortion to the Confederation.
21.14 Questioner: Then we have a condition where at the end of the first 25,000-year period, I would say the— I am guessing that the Guardians discovered that there was no harvest of either positive or negatively oriented entities. Tell me then what happened? What action was taken, etc.?
Ra: I am Ra. There was no action taken except to remain aware of the possibility of a calling for help or understanding among the entities of this density. The Confederation is concerned with the preservation of the conditions conducive to learning. This for the most part, revolves about the primal distortion of free will.
51.10 Questioner: Immediately after the death of the physical body, you have stated that the, I believe I’m correct in saying that, primary activated body is the indigo, and you stated that it is the form-maker. Why is this so? Can you answer that?
Ra: I am Ra. This will be the last full query of this session of working.
The indigo body may be seen to be an analog for intelligent energy. It is, in microcosm, the Logos. The intelligent energy of the mind/body/spirit complex totality draws its existence from intelligent infinity or the Creator. This Creator is to be understood, both in macrocosm and microcosm, to have, as we have said, two natures: the unpotentiated infinity which is intelligent; this is all that there is.
Free will has potentiated both the Creator of us all and our selves as co-Creators with intelligent infinity which has will. This will may be drawn upon by the indigo, or form-making, body, and its wisdom used to then choose the appropriate locus and type of experience which this co-Creator or sub-sub-Logos you call so carelessly a person will take.
I am Ra. This is the time for any brief queries.
27.13 Questioner: Is Love— is there a manifestation of love that we could call vibration?
Ra: I am Ra. Again we reach semantic difficulties. The vibration or density of love or understanding is not a term used in the same sense as the second distortion, Love; the distortion Love being the great activator and primal co-Creator of various creations using intelligent infinity; the vibration love being that density in which those who have learned to do an activity called “loving” without significant distortion, then seek the ways of light or wisdom. Thus in vibratory sense love comes into light in the sense of the activity of unity in its free will. Love uses light and has the power to direct light in its distortions. Thus vibratory complexes recapitulate in reverse the creation in its unity, thus showing the rhythm or flow of the great heartbeat, if you will use this analogy.
35.4 Questioner: I would now like to ask for the same type of information with respect to Adolf Hitler. You have given a little of this already. It is not necessary to re-cover what you have already given, but if you could complete that information it would be helpful.
Ra: I am Ra. In speaking of the one you call Adolf we have some difficulty due to the intense amount of confusion present in this entity’s life patterns as well as the great confusion which greets any discussion of this entity.
Here we see an example of one who, in attempting activation of the highest rays of energy while lacking the green-ray key, canceled itself out as far as polarization either towards positive or negative. This entity was basically negative. However, its confusion was such that the personality disintegrated, thus leaving the mind/body/spirit complex unharvestable and much in need of healing.
This entity followed the pattern of negative polarization which suggests the elite and the enslaved, this being seen by the entity to be of an helpful nature for the societal structure. However, in drifting from the conscious polarization into what you may call a twilight world where dream took the place of events in your space/time continuum, this entity failed in its attempt to serve the Creator in an harvestable degree along the path of service to self. Thus we see the so-called insanity which may often arise when an entity attempts to polarize more quickly than experience may be integrated.
We have advised and suggested caution and patience in previous communications and do so again, using this entity as an example of the over-hasty opening of polarization without due attention to the synthesized and integrated mind/body/spirit complex. To know your self is to have the foundation upon firm ground.
16.27 Questioner: Can you tell me what percentage of those are third, fourth, fifth, sixth density, etc.? Roughly, very roughly.
Ra: I am Ra. A percentage seventeen for first density, a percentage twenty for second density, a percentage twenty-seven for third density, a percentage sixteen for fourth density, a percentage six for fifth density. The other information must be withheld. The free will of your future is not making this available. We shall speak on one item. There is a fairly large percentage, approximately thirty-five percent of the intelligent planets, which do not fit in the percentiles. These mysteries are of sixth and seventh density and are not available for our speaking.
69.17 Questioner: Now, this is a point that I find quite confusing to me.
It is a function of the free will of the positively polarized entity to move into negatively polarized time/space. However, it is also a function of his lack of understanding of what he is doing. I am sure if the entity had full understanding of what he was doing that he would not do it. It is a function of his negatively polarized other-self creating a situation by which he is, shall I say, lured to that configuration. What is the principle with respect to the first distortion that allows this to occur since we have two portions of the Creator, each of equal value or equal potential, shall I say, but oppositely polarized and we have this situation resulting. Could you tell me the philosophical principle behind this particular act?
Ra: I am Ra. There are two important points in this regard. Firstly, we may note the situation wherein an entity gets a road map which is poorly marked and in fact is quite incorrect. The entity sets out to its destination. It wishes only to reach the point of destination but, becoming confused by the faulty authority and not knowing the territory through which it drives, it becomes hopelessly lost.
Free will does not mean that there will be no circumstances when calculations will be awry. This is so in all aspects of the life experience. Although there are no mistakes, there are surprises.
Secondly, that which we and you do in workings such as this carries a magical charge, if you would use this much misunderstood term. Perhaps we may say a metaphysical power. Those who do work of power are available for communication to and from entities of roughly similar power. It is fortunate that the Orion entity does not have the native power of this group. However, it is quite disciplined whereas this group lacks the finesse equivalent to its power. Each is working in consciousness but the group has not begun a work as a group. The individual work is helpful, for the group is mutually an aid, one to another.
42.8 Questioner: Then why do we have the extreme starvation problem in, generally, in the area of Africa at this time? Is this, is there any metaphysical reason for this, or is it purely random occurrence?
Ra: I am Ra. Your previous assumption was correct as to the catalytic action of this starvation and ill health. However, it is within the free will of an entity to respond to this plight of other-selves, and the offering of the needed foodstuffs and substances is an appropriate response within the framework of your learn/teachings at this time which involve the growing sense of love for and service to other-selves.
29.31 Questioner: Is it possible at all for you to instruct us in specific uses of crystals?
Ra: I am Ra. It is possible. There are, we consider, things which are not efficacious to tell you due to possible infringement upon your free will. Entities of the Confederation have erred in this in the past. The uses of the crystal, as you know, include the uses for healing, for power, and even for the development of life-forms. We feel that it is unwise to offer instruction at this time as your peoples have shown a tendency to use peaceful sources of power for disharmonious reasons.
11.19 Questioner: Can you name any of the recipients of the crusaders’— that is, any names that may be known on the planet today?
Ra: I am Ra. I am desirous of being in nonviolation of the free will distortion. To name those involved in the future of your space/time is to infringe; thus, we withhold this information. We request your contemplation of the fruits of the actions of those entities whom you may observe enjoying the distortion towards power. In this way you may discern for yourself this information. We shall not interfere with the, shall we say, planetary game. It is not central to the harvest.
7.1 Questioner: You mentioned that you were a member of the Confederation of Planets. What avenues of service, or types of service, are available to members of the Confederation? Would you describe some of them?
Ra: I am Ra. I am assuming that you intend the service which we of the Confederation can offer, rather than the service which is available to our use.
The service available for our offering to those who call us is equivalent to the square of the distortion/need of that calling divided by, or integrated with, the basic Law of One in its distortion indicating the free will of those who are not aware of the unity of creation.
66.26 Questioner: I assume that this energy then, this spiraling light energy, is somehow absorbed by the energy field of the body. Is this somehow connected to the indigo energy center? Am I correct in this guess?
Ra: I am Ra. This is incorrect. The properties of this energy are such as to move within the field of the physical complex and irradiate each cell of the space/time body and, as this is done, irradiate also the time/space equivalent which is closely aligned with the space/time yellow-ray body. This is not a function of the etheric body or of free will. This is a radiation much like your sun’s rays. Thus it should be used with care.
75.16 Questioner: Let me see if I understand, then, how the Orion group finds a chink in this distortion. The entity identifying, or having a distortion of any amount toward martyrdom is then open by its free will to the aid of the Orion group to make it a martyr. Am I correct?
Ra: I am Ra. You are correct only in the quite specialized position in which the instrument finds itself, that is, of being involved in and dedicated to work which is magical or extremely polarized in nature. This group entered this work with polarity but virtual innocence as to the magical nature of this polarity it is beginning to discover.
78.9 Questioner: Now, we have the first, second, and third distortions of free will, love, and light. Am I correct in assuming that the central core of this major galaxy began to form with the third distortion? That was the origin of our Milky Way Galaxy?
Ra: I am Ra. In the most basic or teleological* sense you are incorrect as the One Infinite Creator is all that there is. In an undistorted seed-form you are correct in seeing the first manifestation visible to the eye of the body complex which you inhabit as the third distortion, light, or to use a technical term, limitless light.
84.3 Questioner: What disease in particular were you speaking of and what would be its cause?
Ra: I am Ra. One disease, as you call this distortion, is that of the arthritis and the lupus erythematosus*. The cause of this complex of distortions is, at base, pre-incarnative. We refrain from determining the other distortion potential at this space/time due to our desire to maintain the free will of this group. Affirmations may yet cause this difficulty to resolve itself. Therefore, we simply encouraged the general care with the diet with the instructions about allergy, as you call this quite complex distortion of the mind and body complexes.
48.8 Questioner: Who shall we say supervises the determination of further incarnation needs and sets up the seniority list, shall I say, for incarnation?
Ra: I am Ra. This is a query with two answers.
Firstly, there are those directly under the Guardians who are responsible for the incarnation patterns of those incarnating automatically, that is, without conscious self-awareness of the process of spiritual evolution. You may call these beings angelic if you prefer. They are, shall we say, “local” or of your planetary sphere.
The seniority of vibration is to be likened unto placing various grades of liquids in the same glass. Some will rise to the top; others will sink to the bottom. Layers and layers of entities will ensue. As harvest draws near, those filled with the most light and love will naturally, and without supervision, be in line, shall we say, for the experience of incarnation.
When the entity becomes aware in its mind/body/spirit complex totality of the mechanism for spiritual evolution it, itself, will arrange and place those lessons and entities necessary for maximum growth and expression of polarity in the incarnative experience before the forgetting process occurs. The only disadvantage of this total free will of those senior entities choosing the manner of incarnation experiences is that some entities attempt to learn so much during one incarnative experience that the intensity of catalyst disarranges the polarized entity and the experience thus is not maximally useful as intended.
90.14 Questioner: Now, as I understand it the archetypes are the biases of a very fundamental nature that, under free will, generate the experiences of each entity. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. The archetypical mind is part of that mind which informs all experience. Please recall the definition of the archetypical mind as the repository of those refinements to the cosmic or all-mind made by this particular Logos and peculiar only to this Logos. Thus it may be seen as one of the roots of mind, not the deepest but certainly the most informative in some ways. The other root of mind to be recalled is that racial or planetary mind which also informs the conceptualizations of each entity to some degree.
31.7 Questioner: Thank you. In the material earlier you mentioned “magnetic attraction.” Could you define and expand upon that term?
Ra: I am Ra. We used the term to indicate that in your bisexual natures there is that which is of polarity. This polarity may be seen to be variable according to the, shall we say, male/female polarization of each entity, be each entity biologically male or female. Thus you may see the magnetism when two entities with the appropriate balance, male/female versus female/male polarity, meeting and thus feeling the attraction which polarized forces will exert, one upon the other.
This is the strength of the bisexual mechanism. It does not take an act of will to decide to feel attraction for one who is oppositely polarized sexually. It will occur in an inevitable sense giving the free flow of energy a proper, shall we say, avenue. This avenue may be blocked by some distortion towards a belief/condition which states to the entity that this attraction is not desired. However, the basic mechanism functions as simply as would, shall we say, the magnet and the iron.
13.12 Questioner: Could you tell me how intelligent infinity became, shall we say (I’m having difficulty with some of the language), how intelligent infinity became individualized from itself?
Ra: I am Ra. This is an appropriate question.
The intelligent infinity discerned a concept. This concept was discerned due to freedom of will of awareness. This concept was finity. This was the first and primal paradox or distortion of the Law of One. Thus the one intelligent infinity invested itself in an exploration of many-ness. Due to the infinite possibilities of intelligent infinity there is no ending to many-ness. The exploration, thus, is free to continue infinitely in an eternal present.
9.9 Questioner: The guardians obviously were acting with an understanding of the Law of One in doing this. Can you explain the application of the Law of One in this process?
Ra: I am Ra. The Law of One was named by these guardians as the bringing of the wisdom of the guardians in contact with the entities from the Red Planet, thus melding the social memory complex of the guardian race and the Red Planet race. It, however, took an increasing amount of distortion into the application of the Law of One from the viewpoint of other guardians and it is from this beginning action that the quarantine of this planet was instituted, for it was felt that the free will of those of the Red Planet had been abridged.
3.14 Questioner: This is slightly trivial, but I was wondering why, in that case, the pyramid was made of many blocks rather than the whole thing being created at once.
Ra: I am Ra. There is a law which we believe to be one of the more significant primal distortions of the Law of One. That is the Law of Confusion. You have called this the Law of Free Will. We wished to make an healing machine, or time/space ratio complex which was as efficacious as possible. However, we did not desire to allow the mystery to be penetrated by the peoples in such a way that we became worshiped as builders of a miraculous pyramid. Thus it appears to be made, not thought.
19.17 Questioner: Can you tell me what bias creates their momentum toward the chosen path of service to self?
Ra: I am Ra. We can speak only in metaphor. Some love the light. Some love the darkness. It is a matter of the unique and infinitely various Creator choosing and playing among its experiences as a child upon a picnic. Some enjoy the picnic and find the sun beautiful, the food delicious, the games refreshing, and glow with the joy of creation. Some find the night delicious, their picnic being pain, difficulty, sufferings of others, and the examination of the perversities of nature. These enjoy a different picnic.
All these experiences are available. It is free will of each entity which chooses the form of play, the form of pleasure.
105.11 Questioner: Is there any other suggestion that Ra could make with respect to any part of this move that is planned, and will we have any problems at all in contacting Ra in the new dwelling, and if so, would Ra tell us about those and what we could do to alleviate any problems in contacting Ra in the new [location]?
Ra: I am Ra. We weigh this answer carefully, for it comes close to abrogation of free will, but find the proximity acceptable due to this instrument’s determination to be of service to the One Infinite Creator regardless of personal circumstance.
Any physical aid upon the part of the instrument in the packing and unpacking will activate those allergic reactions lying dormant for the most part at this time. This entity is allergic to those items which are unavoidable in transitions within your third-density illusion that is, dust, mildew, etc. The one known as Bob will be of aid in this regard. The scribe should take care also to imbibe a doubled quantity of liquids in order that any allergically caused toxins may be flushed from the body complex.
There is no difficulty in resuming contact through this tuned instrument with the social memory complex, Ra, in the chosen dwelling, or, indeed, in any place whatsoever once physical and metaphysical cleansing has been accomplished.
96.12 Questioner: This seems to be connected with the concept of the birds being messengers in the tarot and this is a demonstration of this concept in the tarot, and I was wondering about the mechanics, you might say, of this type of a message. I assume the hawk was a messenger, and I assume that as I thought of the possible meaning of this with respect to our activities I was, in the state of free will, getting a message through the appearance of this very unusual bird, unusual, I say, in that it came so close. I would be very interested to know the origin of the message. (Of course, the origin is the One Creator.) The mechanics of this are very mystifying to me. Would Ra comment on this, please?
6.26 Questioner: I am fully aware that you are primarily interested in disseminating the Law of One. However, it is my judgment, could be wrong, that in order to disseminate this material it will be necessary to include questions such as the one I have just asked [for the] purpose of creating the widest possible dissemination of the material. If this is not the objective, I could limit my questions only to the application of the Law of One. But I understand that at this time it is the objective to widely disseminate this material. Is this correct?
Ra: I am Ra. This perception is only slightly distorted in your understand/learning. We wish you to proceed as you deem proper. That is your place. We, in giving this information, find our distortion of understanding of our purpose to be that not only of the offering of information, but the weighting of it according to our distorted perceptions of its relative importance. Thus, you will find our statements, at times, to be those which imply that a question is unimportant. This is due to our perception that the given question is unimportant. Nevertheless, unless the question contains the potential for answer-giving which may infringe upon free will, we offer our answers.
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October 2, 2013 8:37 AM Subscribe
When a liquid is dropped onto a smooth plate that is heated to a specific temperature well above its boiling point, boiled vapor will get trapped underneath the remainder of the droplet insulating it from the hot plate, allowing it to dance around the plate like oil on a wet surface in what is known as the Leidenfrost effect. Intriguingly, surfaces that are grooved into the shape of a saw blade will cause droplets suspended by the Leidenfrost effect to predictably skitter in the direction of the groove, allowing University of Bath undergraduate students Carmen Cheng and Matthew Guy to build a fascinating maze.
Here's a cool video of a red hot nickel ball in water. (Previously) (Previouslier)
Incidentally the best temperature for frying anything you want to cook but not burn or stick, taking advantage of this effect to both steam the meat or eggs or whatever and produce the Maillard reaction without charring, can be found by flicking water onto the hot pan in a similar way. For extra precision go for the very small temperature window where the bubble that forms stays together.
It is also the means by which rats are able to skate on butter as they scat in The Muppets Take Manhattan
posted by Blasdelb (32 comments total) 34 users marked this as a favorite
I did this experiment, comparing mice and water droplets, and it turns out that water droplets are both smarter and less flammable than mice.
posted by Mister_A at 8:46 AM on October 2, 2013 [5 favorites]
Badass. I think I was actually more impressed by the short shot of water flowing uphill of its own accord (on an appropriately shaped and heated surface) than I was by the (on its own, very impressive) maze.
posted by 256 at 8:46 AM on October 2, 2013
Is this the same thing that makes liquid nitrogen drops skitter around on the floor? It looks very similar to me.
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:46 AM on October 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
I think it must be, Liz.
Also - the droplets in close-up are going the opposite way i'd have expected based on the shape of the sawteeth. Why is that?
posted by Mister_A at 8:48 AM on October 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
the droplets in close-up are going the opposite way i'd have expected based on the shape of the sawteeth. Why is that?
they move perpendicular to the largest surface
posted by sexyrobot at 8:50 AM on October 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
That was great. Also appreciated the music--so nice not to have dance or rock blaring in the background.
posted by ropeladder at 8:53 AM on October 2, 2013
"Is this the same thing that makes liquid nitrogen drops skitter around on the floor? It looks very similar to me."
It is! Its kind of a mindfuck to realize it but Liquid Nitrogen dropped onto a floor is indeed just a liquid dropped onto a surface well above its boiling point, all of the principles are identical just at a lower temperature. It is intuitive to think of the temperature that we live at as 'normal,' or a useful reference, but really to only meaningful reference point is 0°K (−273.15°C or −459.67°F), everything else is relative to that.
posted by Blasdelb at 8:58 AM on October 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
Huh, my intuition would have attributed this to another cool effect of hydrogen bonding, but if it works for nitrogen too...
posted by OHenryPacey at 8:59 AM on October 2, 2013
I just sat here with my mouth open for three minutes. Awesome find.
posted by en forme de poire at 9:01 AM on October 2, 2013
Very very cool!
posted by OmieWise at 9:07 AM on October 2, 2013
In my mind, every single one of those water drops was making its way back to the car over an asphalt parking lot after a day at the beach: "Ooh, aah, eek, aah..."
posted by yoink at 9:12 AM on October 2, 2013 [10 favorites]
At the end of the video they cite a 2006 paper in Physical Review Letters (the most prestigious place to get your physics published) describing the underlying mechanism. Pressure is highest at the peak of the sawtooth (hot tooth poking drop); the steam going rearward from the peak escapes sideways along the cliff of the sawtooth and doesn't do much, while the steam going forward has to force its way on the long face of the tooth and pushes the drop with it. PDF of relevant paper with pretty diagrams.
posted by drdanger at 9:13 AM on October 2, 2013 [4 favorites]
thanks drdanger, I think I grasp the concept now.
posted by Mister_A at 9:25 AM on October 2, 2013
We were fortunate enough to have an Aga in our kitchen growing up, and it was endlessly fascinating to all us children to throw various liquids upon it in various ways, and watch the bubbly skittling reactions of the grown ups.
posted by forgetful snow at 9:41 AM on October 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
I hope you also had a plentiful supply of unguents and bandages, forgetful snow!
posted by Mister_A at 9:51 AM on October 2, 2013
The slow-motion microscopic-camera snippets were amazing.
The u-turn close-up was also amazing.
The whole thing was pretty amazing. And fun. Thanks for sharing this.
posted by seyirci at 10:42 AM on October 2, 2013
Very, err, cool, but needs food coloring.
Also -- the droplets climb up the sawteeth rather than "down" them. (I assumed they would climb down, for the same reason drivers don't back up over the parking lot exit guards.)
posted by notyou at 10:42 AM on October 2, 2013
Well, apparently you can see the Leidenfrost effect by dipping your fingers into molten lead! Mythbusters even did it.
posted by klausman at 11:18 AM on October 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
[Oops...I missed the previously. Still cool, though.]
posted by klausman at 11:25 AM on October 2, 2013
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 11:58 AM on October 2, 2013
I used to demo the hand in liquid nitrogen thing for science shows, but no one was willing to risk the molten lead one, even the guy who would "drink" LN2. It's an apparently reverse Leidenfrost effect, hot liquid on a cool surface, with the liquid moisture on your hand providing the ablative protection.
Ice skating also works sort of the same way, but rather than a liquid-gas phase change, it's a solid ice->liquid water one, with the heat to liquefy the water coming from the pressure of the skate blade. You can even cut wire through ice this effect.
In summary, phase changes are really neat.
posted by bonehead at 12:27 PM on October 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
For some reason I wasn't expecting the string to take on a paraboloid shape as it cut through the ice in that video. Is it because the string isn't an ideal cable and so the tension at the edges of the ice block is higher initially? Maybe too that the ice is warmer and therefore melts a little more easily there?
posted by invitapriore at 1:11 PM on October 2, 2013
Well, apparently you can see the Leidenfrost effect by dipping your fingers into molten lead! Mythbusters even did it.
Yeah, that was totally stupid. You're supposed to dip your hands in a solution of liquid ammonia. Back when I was a chemistry student, I recall reading that Leidenfrost used to demonstrate the effect by dipping his hands in liquid ammonia and then having an assistant pour the lead into his cupped hands, then holding it for a moment before letting it go. According to legend, he wanted all students of physics and chemistry to perform this demonstration as a prerequisite to receiving their degree. It would be a demonstration of their trust in physics.
For some reason I wasn't expecting the string to take on a paraboloid shape as it cut through the ice in that video.
It's a catenary curve.
posted by charlie don't surf at 1:42 PM on October 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Yeah, that was totally stupid. You're supposed to dip your hands in a solution of liquid ammonia.
Yeah that part where using water worked just fine was dumb as hell
posted by invitapriore at 1:48 PM on October 2, 2013
pour the lead into his cupped hands
This is the thing we were warned, even with our complete lack of H&S training, absolutely under no circumstances not to do with the LN2. The thinking was that first, you didn't want sustained contact with either hot or cold liquids, so no cupping of hands, and secondly, if the liquid did break through the gas barrier, it would cause pain (before it killed the nerve), causing one to close their fist by instinct. So dunking happened with hands straight, fingers spread, exactly as Adam and Jamie did it. Not disbelieving, that just that sounds completely crazy.
posted by bonehead at 1:55 PM on October 2, 2013
Yeah that part where using water worked just fine was dumb as hell
You could dip your hand in molten lead that quickly without even dunking in the water first. That isn't even the Leidenfrost effect, it's just too quick to transfer heat and cool down the lead enough for it to change to a solid. The metal that stuck to their experimental sausage was cooled slag from the top of the liquid. If they had cleared off the slag, like they did for their fingers, it would have been fine.
I sometimes demonstrate this non-Liedenfrost effect by showing how to measure the temperature of water up to boiling, with an accuracy of about 2 degrees, by dipping your bare finger into the water. I call it The Human Thermometer. The temperature is indexed to how fast the heat transfers to your fingertip before the finger warms and the heat receptor nerve endings fire.
posted by charlie don't surf at 1:57 PM on October 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
That red hot nickel ball video is the gateway to a wide world of cool related YouTube videos. Search for RHNB and look for results by user carsandwater.
posted by JHarris at 2:01 PM on October 2, 2013
You could dip your hand in molten lead that quickly without even dunking in the water first.
I'd want proof of the assertion that you can do this without getting even minorly burned, even if the lead doesn't clump on your hand. Lead has a much higher thermal effusivity than your boiling water and will be hotter besides.
posted by invitapriore at 2:23 PM on October 2, 2013
According to legend, he wanted all students of physics and chemistry to perform this demonstration as a prerequisite to receiving their degree. It would be a demonstration of their trust in physics.
That's stupid. Physics isn't trustable -- its just natural processes. What it would be a demonstration of is the student's, and the faculty's for allowing him to make such a rule, trust that it would do what he says it does -- basically, a power trip.
posted by JHarris at 2:36 PM on October 2, 2013
That is one cool video. Amazing to see them climbing the sawtooth bits.
posted by marienbad at 4:56 PM on October 2, 2013
That isn't even a real word. Perhaps you meant thermal conductivity? It doesn't matter. The thermal conductivity of human flesh is the same, whether you dip it in 621F molten lead, or 212F boiling water. The thermal energy of molten lead is higher merely because its temperature is higher. So you'd dip your finger in and out faster than you could tolerate in boiling water. Energy is only transferred when the finger is in contact with something of higher energy. Just as an example, I can dip my finger in boiling water briefly. But once I spilled some on my hand and it stayed in continuous contact, resulting in a 3rd degree burn.
Anyway, if you want proof, you have probably seen people test the temperature of an iron by licking their finger and pressing it into the hot metal for a moment. Try it without the finger being wet. You still won't get burned.
posted by charlie don't surf at 5:07 PM on October 2, 2013
WTF? Effusivity. And it does matter, since the contact temperature between two bodies is a function of both of their effusivities.
posted by invitapriore at 5:50 PM on October 2, 2013 [6 favorites]
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After a bad hair day years ago, Ashley Medina decided she needed a hairstyle that would look cool no matter what.
The hairstylist said the only thing that came to mind was a mullet. So she shaved the sides of her head, cut the hair on the top of her head finger length and left 10 inches of long curly black hair flowing down her back.
As she talked, she gave Aaron Vest a mullet makeover. "So this one is what I call a soft mullet...You gotta have your ears exposed, otherwise, it's considered more of like a shag haircut, " she said.
Vest made the two hour drive from Toledo, Ohio to Bliss Salon and Spa, after seeing Medina on Tik Tok. "I've always liked the appeal of the mullet and I just I figured why not? It's a little bit longer right now. Why not?,"
Medina says "mulletification" always begins with a client consultation on Tik Tok. Al Durham liked his experience so much he used his new hairstyle to name his business: Guy With A Mullet Landscaping.
"I'm working in a yard all day so I like to have the back of my neck covered from the sun. I've said it before that melanoma is a silent killer," he explained. "So the convenience of the front where it's not my face, but protecting the back of my neck is really nice. Not to mention they're sweet."
Durham and Vest are of over a half million people tuning in day after day to Medina's mullet cuts on Tik Tok.
The infamous haircut may have risen to mainstream fame in the 80s, but the hair style has been around for centuries. The roots of the modern day mullet can be traced back to Native American people from the far northeastern corner of Oregon. Chief Joseph, a leader of the Nez Perce Indians of that area, kept a mulleted look of spiky bangs in the front, braids on the side and long hair in the back according to Dan Sharfstein, a legal historian at Vanderbilt University.
"He wore it like this despite the pressure from white settlers to cut it," he said. "For him it was not just about dissent and defiance but it was also a collective expression of nationhood," Sharfstein said.
Today, Medina says mullets are popular for men, women and nonbinary people.
"That is something that I really love about the mullet is that there is no gender to it," she said. "I think that there can be a more masculine masculine look or a more feminine look. But overall the hairstyle in general can definitely suit all genders."
Mullets are so popular Ashley Medina says she may have to give up doing any other kind of haircuts.
As WKAR's Bilingual Latinx Stories Reporter, Michelle reports in both English and Spanish on stories affecting Michigan's Latinx community. Michelle is also the voice of WKAR's weekend news programs.
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The period from Thanksgiving to Christmas is our favorite time here in our hometown of Fredericksburg, where there are so many holiday traditions that our calendar is full almost before the season begins. We also like to take time for ourselves, to slow down, and to reflect. So we pick and choose. We don’t have to do anything, and we don’t try to do everything. Here are just a few of the events and things that you might pick and choose from to make your holiday season special.
Thanksgiving Day and Weekend:
First, of course, comes that Thanksgiving meal. For locals or folks with family in Fredericksburg, a Fredericksburg Thanksgiving is easy. For those tourists who stay with us at Agarita Creek Farms, they are easy as well – as our cabins have full kitchens. But there will always be people looking for a place to go to eat a special meal on Thanksgiving Day. While there has been no official list of places open for the upcoming Thanksgiving, we can share the following list of three of places that were open for Thanksgiving in 2015, that would put on a suitable Thanksgiving spread, and that we can recommend. They are all pricey, but this is an occasion! Please call ahead and confirm that they will be open and make a reservation.
August E’s -- August E’s has, in past years, served a traditional Thanksgiving meal with three different settings, at noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. Reservations are essential. 203 E. San Antonio Street, FBG, TX (830) 997-1585.
Hill Top Café -- Conveniently located In the middle of nowhere, this would be fun! Hill Top has traditionally been open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations are essential for this small spot. 10661 US Highway 87 N, FBG, TX (830) 997-8922.
Otto’s – Two seatings, one at 1 p.m. and one at 5 p.m. Reservations are essential. 316 E. Austin Street, FBG, TX (830) 307-3336.
If you want a good meal, but less occasion, Andy’s Café, Auslander, City Cafe, and Cultures are traditionally open, and consistently good.
Having gotten that important piece of business behind us, we can get to events. Because the holiday events begin in Fredericksburg almost as quickly as the Thanksgiving table is cleared.
On Friday, November 25, you could follow the masses to the malls or big box stores, or you could begin a hill country holidy; you could have “Black Friday” or a Friday filled with holiday lights. That Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the light of the Christmas Pyramid and Community Christmas Tree at Marktplatz. This coordinates with lighting ceremonies all over the hill country, and what is called the Texas Hill Country Regional Lighting Trail, which begins November 25 and continues through January 1. You can get information on the trail at the Fredericksburg Visitor Information Center, 302 E. Austin Street. Also at Marktplatz, Eisbahn (ice skating) opens on Friday, November 25 and continues through January 3. The Fredericksburg Trade Days has its Holiday Encore that same Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and The Peddler Show occurs. A Swingin’ Christmas Show opens at the Rockbox Theatre, and continues through Christmas Eve.
The festivities continue during the weekend of Friday, December 2. Friday, December 2 is the evening Christmas Parade. It also marks the opening of the Texas Hill Country Wineries Christmas Affair, which continues through December 18. Saturday, December 3 is the 59th Annual Christmas Home Tour and Market. That same day is the Fredericksburg Chorale Christmas Concert, Christmas Cinema at Fredericksburg Theater Company, the first of two Port and Stilton Tastings at Becker Vineyards (the second being December 10), and you can Sip with Santa at 4.0 Cellars.
Wednesday, December 7 marks the Pearl Harbor Observance at the National Museum of the Pacific War.
Friday, December 9 is opening night for the Fredericksburg Community Theater’s production of It’s a Wonderful Life, which continues through December 18. Saturday, December 10 is Kinderfest (for children ten and younger, accompanied by an adult) at the Pioneer Museum, followed that night by the 9th Annual Tannenbaum Ball (for bigger kids like us) sponsored by the Pioneer Museum. December 10 also marks the second (and final) Port and Stilton Tasting at Becker Vineyard.
Saturday, December 17 is the Luckenbach Christmas Ball, featuring Gary P. Nunn. Saturday, December 17 is the 47th Annual Tree Lighting at the LBJ Ranch.
Christmas is on a weekend this year, with Christmas Eve on Saturday and Christmas on Sunday. Most of the area churches have services scheduled for both days. Fredericksburg essentially closes on Christmas Day, so if you are looking for dining options you will need to search them out and plan ahead. I will bring you a list of open restaurants if, as, and when one appears.
In the British world December 26 is Boxing Day. In the German world, such as in Fredericksburg, it is Zweite Weihnachten, the day when the Christmas celebration was traditionally spread beyond family to include friends. There will be activities in town throughout that day, including a Boxing Day celebration at Becker Vineyards.
You can find more information on the holiday events mentioned here and events throughout the year from the great calendar of events maintained by the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitors Board . www.visitfredericksburgtx.com/plan/events.
You know, as we talk to our friends in Fredericksburg, especially those connected to tourism in some way, we are baffled by one thing: why does everyone come at the same time? Why are the big weekends overrun with people, and the weekends after quiet? And, especially, why don’t more people come during the week, and experience the quaint, quiet little town the way we know it? And why...
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After the suggestion in one of this site’s comments stating that it required more faith to be an atheist than a theist, because the non-existence of a deity can never be proven, I thought it would be fun to see if we can logically disprove the existence of “God”. I picked the Christian God because I am more familiar with the Christian faith than any other, I’ve read the bible and have previously lived with devout Christians. I feel qualified. So let’s see where this goes…
For this to work, we have to agree on the following two statements, and accept that Christians believe them to the true: –
The Bible is the true word of God
These aren’t outrageous statements, and in fact, have been echoed on this very blog numerous times in the comments.
The two statements above are clearly interdependent. The Bible tells Christians that God is infallible, and Christians believe the Bible because they believe it was written by an infallible deity. Almost a self-fulfilling prophecy, almost. So the start of our logical deduction must be the Bible, so let’s concentrate on that.
Let’s take the Christian God’s greatest act, creating the world and all who live on it (indirectly). The start of all this, on God’s own words: “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day”. Using genealogy, we can roughly estimate the age of the earth, as stated by the Bible, to be 6500 years. The very top estimate would be close to 10,000 years, but that’s a stretch. Science has proven that the earth is closer to 4.5 billion years old. Radiometric dating has shown us this, and has remained consistent with lunar and terrestrial samples. In other words, we haven’t just tested this once in one situation, it’s been extensively tested. This isn’t a guess, or a hunch, there’s a substantial amount of evidence to back this up.
And that’s the geological age of the earth. What about the creatures on the earth? We, as human beings, were created 6500 years ago, according to the Bible, starting with Adam and then Eve. The oldest discovered human fossil is approximately 1,300,000 (1.3 million) years old. That would have meant that humans lived on earth before God created either humans or the earth. In fact, depending on how much evidence you consider to be acceptable, and how you define us as a species, you could place humans at between 1.8 million and 130,000 years old. No one could sensibly claim that humans are less than 130,000 years old. There is simply too much evidence available for our inspection. Either way, much older than the Bible’s claims.
Let’s take another example. God decided that the earth needed cleansing, so he instructed Noah to gather up two of ever species to save. Everything other than Noah, his family (or part of his family) and the animals he chose to save would be killed. There are around 10 MILLION known species of animal on our planet. Male and female, that would be 20 million animals Noah saved. I’ve never seen a boat that big, even with modern engineering techniques. Noah also would have had to travel to different parts of the earth to collect the various animals. You rarely see a penguin and a scorpion living in the same location (zoos don’t count). He then, after the waters had receded, would have had to return them to their original locations. You also have to question to environment on board Noah’s Ark, an environment that could sustain animals that require intense heat and animals that require intense cold, as well as Noah and his family that required a more moderate climate. Impossible.
Just so we’re clear, I’m establishing that that the Bible is inaccurate. Not just inaccurate, but massively inaccurate. There are more examples of course, some which make it clear that the author of the Bible thinks the world is flat, some which make it clear that the author thought the world did not move and then there are more considered examples, such as the value of pi being unknown at the time (surely God would have known it!?!).
So this is my statement, logically derived from the above.
“The Bible is inaccurate – therefore God is fallible – therefore the definition of God is incorrect – therefore God does not exist.”
To add a touch of justification to this, let’s break it down. We know the Bible is inaccurate, in fact the Bible is contradictory within its own pages. The Bible is the only place that defines God, and God is defined as being infallible. The Bible is also stated as being of God’s word (albeit written by man, see below). Seeing as we know the only source that defines the Christian God is inaccurate, and at least part of the definition is inaccurate (infallible), we can not trust the remainder of the definition. Therefore the definition of God in invalid and God does not exist.
There will come arguments from Christians that while God is infallible, and the Bible is the true word of God, the Bible was in fact written by man, who is fallible. This does not hold up when you examine the scale and volume of inaccuracies held within the Bible. I can understand man rounding down the value of pi, for example, but to get the entire creation story wrong is a bit of a stretch. Likewise, given that God is all powerful, he surely would not have left an obviously inaccurate account of his greatest work go to press, or was that just another sign of his fallibility?
I think I’ve made a stronger argument, based on Christian beliefs, for the non existence of God than there ever has been for the existence of such a deity.
The Atheist posted this article on January 10, 2009
What would make me believe in a God?
Comments
There are 384 responses so far. View them below and add your own using the form at the bottom of the page. Click on the "Reply" button in order to respond directly to a comment.
January 11, 2009 at 1:11 am
I’m an atheist, but I’ve always seen this kind of argument disproven by people who consider that God is gradually revealing the truth, according to our own ever-improving logical abilities. So for example when we read “the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” it means that the base element of organic matter is carbon, which is found in the ground. But we were not advanced enough to understand that, so at the time God told us a simplified version of the story, and the Bible was perfect for us at that time.
(remember I’m just trying to play the devil’s advocate here — I’m strongly materialist and believe that such a thing as God is pure foolishness)
brad says:
October 31, 2009 at 12:01 am
Who ever wrote this is a dumbass because the face of god is everywhere… im keep on searching but everytime i say that this can not be happening i can not say conclusively that this did not happen by the ONE and ALMIGHTY… before today ends you will beg for forgiveness and so will i… i know i deserve all of this… but it will be be entrusted to you to set forth the example for all of us
Taylor says:
November 6, 2009 at 7:12 am
I love how Brad basically says he’s a follower in some way, but then he calls someone a dumbass, good job asshole. And by the way, it’s said that the word of God has to be preached in the four CORNERS of the Earth, how the fuck is that possible being the Earth is round..That’s what I thought.
JD says:
September 30, 2010 at 6:45 pm
one cannot disprove God bc for that to happpen, one would need ALL the evidence. which is impossible. as well as the fact that carbon dating has been proved fals. Scientists took a 3 day old dead sheep and used carbon datng. aparently it died 1500 years ago. Wow. thts accurate. not to mention, the fact that athiesm proves God. bc anytime there is authority there is rebellion. the more logical religion would agnostic. or if you are strong. Christianity. Like me. God is real. lets look at our universe. something called um…constant expansion? well if we reversed time would we not find that eventually there was nothing at all? hmmmm. shocking. or maybe irreducible complexity. maybe you know what a rotary motor is? if you take away one part of it, it doesnt work at all. or a mouse trap. or hey maybe even a flaggelum. a cell in the human body that cant have evoloved bc it cant be reduced. maybe a laminin. the protien that holds a cell together? its a CROSS. a 17 year old knows more about God than you. SAD. anyway. try to prove this wrong. [email protected] if you care to try. ill pray for you sir.
October 3, 2010 at 2:15 am
You can not say just because there is an atheist there is a god. Atheism is a belief in which there is no god not that they are rebelling against one. Also, I love when people say they will pray for me as if some how that is what I need to change my mind. I don not believe in any one god and I believe in all the scientific proof that discredits the Bible or any other holy book. Science is the only thing that makes any sense.
Great article, great use of logic.
Don says:
October 5, 2010 at 7:45 pm
You are Dumb-arse, JD. The designs of rotors and mousetraps changed over time with new features added or old ones scrapped out. Even the bombardier beetles had been shown to share one same ancestors with other carabids.
And even irreducible complexity is correct, IT DOES NOT FOLLOW that all things (with the exception of human-made objects) must be designed. I wonder why theists keep committing circular argument.
Don says:
October 5, 2010 at 7:55 pm
“a cell in the human body that cant have evoloved bc it cant be reduced.”
I don’t know how this or that happens, therefore God must have done it.
Anonymous says:
March 27, 2011 at 7:23 pm
your evidence to back up your case is not factual evidence. carbon dating and other things used for dating are not reliable sources. get the facts right before you try and disprove something.
Q says:
April 3, 2011 at 8:32 pm
Justin says:
May 4, 2011 at 4:15 pm
your right on one account. that something like the universe can be created out of nothing but answer this. if god created everyone and everything than who created god. he simply cant just create himself, that’s impossible.
May 10, 2011 at 11:03 pm
Who said that God was created? If God has always been in existence, then he doesn’t get created. And, if your logic is correct, then how were the basic principles of space, time, etc created? Who created them? If such principals have always existed, then isn’t it hypocritical to say that God must have been created?
I find it funny that in my biology book it basically says “You can’t make organic matter out of inorganic matter unless you’re a scientist”. Although I do believe evolution is true, I think it’s statements like this one that make it difficult to believe.
Tyler says:
July 26, 2011 at 8:01 pm
Ok, well if you have to have all the proof where the fuck is YOUR evidence?! THERE IS NONE!!! There’s no proof of god’s existence, he/she/it is like a unicorn, not there.
August 16, 2011 at 8:04 pm
Regardless of what you believe, at some point, something came from nothing. While I do not think the Christian God might be entirely correct, there is a God. There is some entity out there that led to our creation, a being of higher thinking/dimensions.. Science “the law of conservation of matter” that matter cannot be created or destroyed. Well then, how the f*ck does matter exist? Also, quite honestly, the big bang theory is more dumber then the theory of god.
Tony says:
November 30, 2011 at 11:37 pm
God is made up. Truth, in terms of religion, is simply the opinion that survived. You ever read the story of Jericho? He mercilessly slaughters over 2500 Jews. Now consider the amount of actual humans there were actually back in time 3,000 years ago.. A million? Two millions? For the sake of the argument, let’s say.. 50 million, extremely exaggerated in your favor. Now let’s look back about 60 years ago. Earths population was around 5.8 billion, is that a fair estimate? Well, Adolf Hitler massacred around 6 million Jews. In this one of many incidents, Jericho single handily extinguished .0005% of the human race. Great job.. Not hitler massacred around .0001% of humanity. In just this ONE incident in the bible, God caused more harm to earth than Hitler. And I’m not a Nazi, I just know how to do Math and read English.
Now ask yourself this question, if God is omniscient, wouldn’t he know about all the terrorism, murder, war, and rape that goes on on his infallible “masterpiece”? Why would he let it continue? Shouldn’t he love every one of his creations? I’m sure the 12 year old girl getting raped isn’t thinking that..
Again, God is a designer? But what designed him.. If god created evolution to make complex life forms.. What made him! God has to obey his own laws.
Are you familiar with the two cities Sodom and Gomorrah? Well, Lot and his family were spared from the destruction of these two cities.. God sent an angel to warn Lot of the impending doom. Two city guards came to inspect the new “visitor” or angel. The guards saw it as a trespasser and were about to haul I away when Lot proposed that the guards take his virgin daughter and “know” her, sparing the angel. Well what does “knowing” her mean? The two guards raped her, and I’m sure the rest of the city gang raped her too. The next day she was lying “prostrate on Lots doorstep”.. Maybe this is where the idea of rape comes from? We wouldn’t know it even existed if the bible didn’t mention it.
Reconsider who you follow.
January 24, 2012 at 4:00 pm
Science can’t explain how you get something out of nothing at all. Before anything was created there WAS NOTHING! To it to be natural it would have to have natural causes and materials but there was NOTHING!
Yuki says:
March 19, 2012 at 11:41 pm
Whats really sad is that you have no knowledge of spelling,grammar and punctuation. Before try to defend a religion you might want to learn the basics of English. I am sorry to say but you are just fueling them when you post something so badly written. Other wise I completely agree with your post.
Anonymous says:
March 12, 2012 at 3:22 pm
I agree with your criticism of brad’s inappropriate language. However your point about the four corners is easily disproved. The concept of a round Earth was not even thought of in the Biblical era and if God had revealed this concept to them, not only would it be incomprehensible to the people of the time but Christianity would be dubbed an irrational cult. There is also the possibility of a flawed translation since the translators were human and so not perfect.
March 27, 2012 at 5:03 am
maybe do a little bible search, before you decide to post something like this again. Ok I never read that the bible stated how OLD the earth was, so yeah nice try. Let me educate you a bit. Lets start, Genesis chapter 1 verse 1. In the BEGINNING God created the HEAVENS and the EARTH. Now the EARTH was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God Hovered over the waters…… Now what are the three things the this existance need to to be formed? Every scientist will agree upon, TIME, SPACE and MATTER. Now check back on the verse IN THE BEGINNING (TIME IS CREATED FIRST) then HEAVENS (SPACE) then EARTH(MATTER)….. Would you disagree? Now change the word “EARTH” to MATTER in this verse and tell me if your High school Science Basic Textbook tells you any different. I have mannny mannnnny more biblical” evidence” but I’m afraid that no one even will read this in all this commentaries. But I will say verse 2 more things. In a time of te biblical era the earth was knowing be flat- Isaiah 40:22 “IT IS HE WHO SITTS UPON THE CIRCLE OF THE EARTH, AND THE INHABITANTS….” the was thousands of years ahead of anyone of its time. And I the time you would be crazy to think the the earth hovered over space, in every culture known it wax the earth was held up. Either by elephants(India) or by Atlas(Greek) or by 5 pillars(ancient Egypt) The bible said states this in Job 26:7 “HE STRETCHETH OUT THE NORTH OVER THE EMPTY PLACE, AND HANGTH THE EARTH OVER NOTHING.” …. So I have many more like these. But I don’t think anyone will read this. But I doo hope someone does, and gets encourage by this. Regardless of what you think of me or my God, as a human being I Love you people. God Bless and take care.
Aki says:
November 14, 2010 at 8:09 pm
This post is extremly funny, and stupid, you cant refrence carbon dating, it’s extremly inacurate by pressure, temperature, weathering, false, how aobut all of you athiests do some non bias research on the proof of God and creation, and stop being scared of what you will find.
Tyler says:
July 26, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Where is the proof? How does he exist? can YOU prove that? we should discuss this, I would like to see you contradict yourself.
Vally says:
January 19, 2012 at 4:42 am
March 6, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Think from another perspective, MAYBE you guys are misguided from some mass propaganda effort published a long time ago called the “bible”. you know the funny thing? one big reason why there are atheists like me is exactly because we’ve read the bible. Plus, its amusing that you told us bible “is your proof”. Right now, the Bible is the subject of controversy. you have to prove yourpoint with other evidences you can find to prove bible’s credibility instead of just asking us to believe the text.
Travis says:
March 15, 2012 at 3:07 am
I am with you 100% Tyler. Here is a true story by Carl Sagan about the dragon in his garage.
Carl: Hey Tyler, did you know I have a dragon in my garage?
Carl: Well, I can assure you I have one. Would you like to see it?
…you two go to his house where he lifts the garage door to display an empty garage with a ladder, some paint cans, and shelves…
Tyler: Where is the dragon you said would be here?
Carl: Oh, I am sorry. I failed to mention he is invisible so we can not see him. I assure you he is in front of us as we speak.
Tyler: Perhaps we could throw some powder on the floor to track the prints he makes from walking around.
Carl: You know what? He floats…We will not be able to track his prints.
Tyler: Ok! Perhaps we could slosh some paint around the garage. Surely it will stick to him revealing his body.
Carl: What a great idea…however the dragon is incorporeal or immaterial. This means the paint will literally pass through him.
Carl: Of course, he is a dragon.
Carl: We can try that but we will be unsuccessful as the fire he breathes is heatless and will not register.
Tyler: Carl…It seems like everytime I attempt to gain evidence of your dragon’s existence, you come up with a reason as to why it wouldn’t work.
Carl: I understand. That is why I am asking you to simply believe that the dragon is floating right in front of us. To be honest, he is telling me right now that he is not happy with you because you are denying his existence.
Tyler: Well I want to believe…if you can communicate with him would you mind telling him to do something like knock the ladder over for me?
Carl: …pauses for a moment and closes his eyes…Tyler, the dragon told me that you will know of his existence when the time is right, and in this moment, the time is not right. He wants you to believe his existence out of purity, not because he knocks the ladder over.
Tyler: Carl. I am sorry, but I am more prone to believe you being crazy than an invisible, immaterial, heatless-fire-breathing dragon floating in front of us.
Carl: I can’t believe you would deny this dragon’s existence. I will gather all my neighbors who believes the dragons existence to tell you he is real.
Do you beleive in the dragon Tyler? Just keep in mind before answering that the dragon knows what you are thinking and will punish you within this year if you deny his existence.
All kidding aside, this is exactly how I (a skeptic) view all of the religious claims that a god exists.
a friend says:
June 15, 2011 at 7:03 pm
everyone i know that we all have an opinion but may i ask you this what is a explosion for. The answer to create chaos a explosion is made to destroy things not create also what evidence do we have that a past explosion has created anything aside from the big bang
Katie says:
August 8, 2011 at 5:41 am
I really appreciate this insight. I wouldnt say im anything but its not something I have read before.
Vally says:
January 19, 2012 at 4:39 am
Um…just letting you know that if you don’t believe in God you are making a huge mistake. I don’t understand why you people find it so hard to believe in what you can’t see. you don’t have to see God to believe him. You don’t see air, but you can still feel it. see that’s why a lot of people don’t give people like you the time of day…you sound foolish.All I’m saying is, even if you don’t believe (which you strongly should), what is it going to kill if you just spend time and energy on trying to find the true answers. and maybe, just maybe if you stop looking so hard, they will be much easier to find. see that’s were you atheist people are wrong again! this is just a part of God’s master plan. He knew form the beginning that the world was going to be full of people who chose not to believe in him. He knew that when Eve ate off the tree of knowledge, people 2000 years from then would try their hardest to find the answers to, not only him, but life itself…and that, ladies and gentlemen, is where the sin came in…that’s why we as humans want to know so much about everything, because Eve bit off of the tree of knowledge.See, you can’t just read the lines of the bible, you also have to read in between the lines too.The devil is just tricking you by the hour..just get ready to burn in hell forever. iv’e never met people who where so wrong and backwards about everything… until now.
joe says:
February 22, 2012 at 7:39 am
Vally we do not live in a world of sin because eve ate off the tree of knowledge for she was fooled by the serpant we live in a world of sin because adam ate of the tree knowing that he was doing wrong by god. Ok now if eve did no wrong until adam ate of the tree because she was fooled by the serpant and you are stating that we are all being fooled by satan (adding in the fact that we are born of sin unlike adam and eve)why would we be punished for questioning god and to go as far as saying we will burn in hell this makes very litte sense for punishment is barbaric not something i nor any logical thinking person would think an almighty would do. and as for you’re previous statement to read the bible and this will not even be an argument maybe you’re right but not because im going to feel his presense as surley as i feel the air around me but because that means im more open to calmbly debating these facts (not that you could convert me). i do not like debating these beliefs with many individuals like yourself though for it almost always turns into someone(so far 100% people like you) yelling or walking away because i don’t use theories in my debates.
P.S. why would so many christians start on a comment feed like this where we didn’t ask you to come christians always put us athiests down and say howw evil and fooled we are as if we are all one group I AM A PERSON but the worst part is that christians always say how we put them down but we don’t we just defend are selves and im sorry if that upsets you
Miki says:
February 23, 2012 at 2:48 pm
Gods Master Plan (God is all knowing) –The ending will prove that any who believe in God is wrong. And if not, they are too stubborn to admit that they’ve been wrong about God the whole time.
God made the Garden of Eden, and he made the fruit that if eaten, would cause sin (and he knew that the fruit would forever cause sin because he made it). Then he made Adam and Eve (which were the 1st two humans on earth). And God knew that before he even made Adam and Eve, that Eve would eat the forbidden fruit, thus leading to the fact that God knew sin would be around forever.
In the Old Testament, sins must be washed away with sacrifices. Skipping through all the killings and wars that he knew were already going to happen, He sent down the final sacrifice that would account for all sins; Jesus. The agony and pain of his death is in relation to the sins that we have committed or would commit. So god knew that he was already going to send his son down to suffer and die for sins that he knew were already going to happen. Thus came the New Testament.
Right now, as you’re reading this, people are being raped, murdered, molested, kidnaped, drunk drivers taking innocent families, people starving, etc. The Seven Deadly Sins are in every part of the world and his Ten Commandments have been shattered for years upon years and still are. Many people blame sins on the “Devilâ€, which is far from the truth. Do you know who we blame for every sin that has ever happened in the history of the entire world? God.
God is almighty, God created everything… And that means God created sin. And he created sin by making the fruit. If one does anything bad, it is considered a sin. So all the murderers and child molesters, they are here because of God. And yes, humans have free will and we make our own choices, but if God had never made the “forbidden fruit†in the very beginning, then sin would have never even existed in the world.
And some say, “He made the fruit to test Adam and Eve, and they failed so they were banished from the garden. She shouldn’t have eaten the fruit in the first place, God told her not toâ€
God wanted to test them!?!?! God told them not to!?!? God didn’t even need to “test†them nor “tell them not to eat it†BECAUSE HE KNEW SHE WAS GOING TO EAT IT ANYWAY! So it isn’t like God was “disappointed†or anything like that when she ate the fruit because he knew she was going to eat it before the fruit was even made.
So now, your defense may be he allowed humans free will so that we can do right ourselves, so that we can bring good and peace throughout the world. So that we can learn on our own.
And that just takes us back to God being all knowing. God knew that every single human would commit sins before he even made the fruit, and we will forever and always continue. And you and I both know that humans will always commit sins. And we use the word “sin†WAY too loosely. Whoever is reading this will probably never kill someone, or bomb a place or anything like that, but the simplest of smallest things like a little white lie, getting angry, teasing someone, using a curse word, all of those are technically considered sins. And yes, most little sins don’t mean anything from a society standpoint and those little things won’t define your whole life but a SIN IS STILL A SIN. God knew that humans would end up like this, he knew and continues to know that we will never change our ways, and he’s known that since the very beginning. Every single human has sin in them, and its because of God. He knew that Eve was going eat the fruit and that sin would be forever throughout the world. So every single little bad thing that has ever happened in the world since God created it, could have been prevented if he simply would not have made the forbidden fruit.
But do you know what the most sad and scary part it is? God knows that all the sin that has ever happened in the world could have been prevented, that HE could have prevented it. Like I said, God already knew everything that was going to happen in the world to this day before he even made the fruit. So why did he make the fruit forbidden in the beginning?
Either God is not the all loving and forgiving being that we perceive him as or he just simply doesn’t exist.
Miki says:
February 23, 2012 at 2:54 pm
I missed 1 detail that I will get bashed for if I don’t add it now. The serpent.
Yes,the serpent did trick eve but God still knew about. He is still all knowing so before the serpent was even brought up, he knew that Eve would have become tricked, and that Eve would have talked Adam into eating it. He still knew everything that was going to happen in the world, every crime and every sin. So my point remains valid still, all the sin in the world could still have been prevented, and God knows it could have.
March 7, 2012 at 6:28 am
Problem is, we can’t SEE nor FEEL, can’t HEAR nor SMELL ‘god’…what makes things worse, there isn’t even anything, natural or man-made that can even give us a little prove of the existence of god. The only thing that claim that there is a god, comes from a series of book called the “BIBLE”. It’s like asking us to believe that Cinderella existed and so does fairy god-mother because the book titled “cinderella” says so. trust me, the joy or comfort that you find in praying, it doesn’t comes from god. it merely comes from yourself since praying is a form of mental augmentation. it calms you down and gives you hope, which in turn makes you feel better. if i can convince someone to believe that i have a stone that is holy and have supernatural power that can help him/her if he/she pray to it,that person will feel exactly like what you will feel – the “closeness” to god or whatever joy it brings.
Doug says:
March 7, 2012 at 4:54 pm
“I would just like to state that the laws of science have always existed; by contrast,Christianity has existed for roughly 2000 years. The evidence speaks for itself”
first of all, you’re just wrong. science is the observation of how the world works, therefore, no matter your worldview science wasn’t here prior to people. however, the laws of the universe were here. the law of causality… which always brings everybody back to “how did we get here?”.
if you are foolish and deluded in your own arrogance you might say “it just happened, we don’t need a cause or an origin” however that isn’t intellectually satisfying to me because it flat out doesn’t answer the question.
the bible, however, does. the problem is that you cats don’t like the answer because of what that answer implies. first, the bible does not say “a created god created this world” it says “The eternal God created this world”. that means your cliche “well who created God” question is irrelevant, we don’t believe that He was created.
second, what it implies is that you are in subjection to God whether you like it or not… and you don’t like it… at all.
therefore you blog and try to make silly logically flawed arguments about how God can’t possibly be real (despite all the evidence to the contrary) while claiming to value empiricism while having nothing but wishful thinking to justify your position.
oh, and i know God. personally, intimately, and He is better than anything you’re selling.
Christ is Lord. Repent and trust in Him.
Oh look, I can find my arse with both hands.... says:
March 8, 2012 at 3:35 am
“…silly logically flawed arguments about how God can’t possibly be real (despite all the evidence to the contrary)….”
What evidence to the contrary? Name one piece of evidence in support of god which is unbiased? Name one example of some incontrovertible scrap of truth that has ever been found to support your failing hypothesis!
And don’t say “the bible”, you just make yourself out to be even more of an idiot than previously.
Believing in god is merely a mechanism by which people can avoid having to have their own morals and using their own reasoning.
Unless you can come up with an argument that is ruled in sense, logic and original thinking, just keep your two millenia old, out dated, out classed and patently narrow minded deceptions to yourselves.
You Christians sicken me. We live in a world where we are allowed to make our own choices, where we have been given the freedom to behave as we wish, and you flaunt it by tying yourselves to an ancient doctrine designed simply for psychological control and fiscal domination.
Get a life, get a brain, and catch up with the progress of mankind.
Oh, and don’t seek to frighten Atheists with threaths of torment and eternal damnation. Frankly an infinity tied to a flaming rack and being raped by Satan himself is considerably preferable to spending eternity in heaven with a bunch of intellectually blinded self-serving hypocrites like Christians.
You know, if I’m wrong and there is a god, he can go f*&k himself with a rusty chainsaw.
Scott W says:
April 2, 2012 at 2:11 am
I have little to say about this but 1, there is no physical proof that there is a god. Every time something comes to light as being a scientific fact it is placed ever so properly in to a new verse or phrase in the bible and wal-la we now have it said by god. Bull shit! I can see how people can not live with out believing in a almighty god. That’s called being scared of being utterly alone and knowing that death is just the end and you no longer exist. There are millions of people that can not fathom that, just as millions can’t fathom how an all mighty can let us have free will. That will aloud us to choose to kill and fight for freedom, but yet at the same time others that are defending them self from us are calling us murderers. so ask your self this. what are the 2 biggest cause for war? Religion and Politics. An yet that will never change so there will never be peace on earth. believe that.
January 11, 2009 at 6:40 am
One need not prove “god does not exist” which is so much intellectual rubbish. No, one need only demonstrate the lack of accurate observation consistently logical reasoning on the part of those who claim a “god”. Using what can be observed and deduced from nature – which necessarily includes ourselves – one cannot reach supportable conclusions regarding a “god”, thus leaving one where one started – with ourselves and the rest of nature to examine and understand.
It is unfortunate that today’s theists are indoctrinated with the incorrect belief that there is a very long line of apologetics which conclusively proves the existence of their alleged “deity”. Surely, there is a very long line of attempts to provide such, however, all such offerings continue to fail against the standard of accurate observation and consistently logical deduction from the behaviors of nature.
The “atheist” need not address the alleged existence of a “god” directly. One need only illustrate where theist observations and logic are faulty. What they tend to ignore is the fact there is a very long line of such illustration. Unfortunately, accurate observation and consistently logical deduction are not primary values among theists.
person says:
November 5, 2009 at 3:41 pm
we need not prove there is God, because we can’t prove there is no God. Athiests like to hide behind “science” because people hate a God of love and forgiveness in this world of hatred and violence. This so called “science” actually takes more faith than believing there is a God. Not only to you have to rely on this chance that matter spontaneously combusted, but you must believe in the matter that came from well… nothing. I give atheists and scientists credit for tricking the world into thinking that evolutionism is a science, rather than a religion of its own kind. I really think its rather logical to believe in something glorius and forgiving, than believe we all rot in the ground for eternity. There is still a chance for athiests, but the way the world is going, apparently we are all going to rot in the ground for eternity very soon.
ian says:
November 18, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Actually, a fairy that lives in my underwear created the universe and all that we know 20 seconds ago. He implanted all of our memories to think we actually had lives before then. amazing huh. I have faith so that is right. My belief has no afterlife, am i wrong for thinking this? Will i be sent to hell for all eternity?
Vally says:
January 19, 2012 at 4:46 am
person2 says:
November 25, 2009 at 9:35 pm
I love how you put science in quotation marks, like it’s not responsible for everything you own. You can disrespect scince if you’re living in a cave, but not while you’re sitting in you’re computer, reading articles, and commenting, probably sitting in your nice home with central heating. All the work of ‘science’.
Sean says:
October 3, 2010 at 9:50 pm
Religious people you cannot use the argument that because we cannot prove that there is no god means that you can believe in him. Just because we cannot prove that there is no god is not a good enough reason to brainwash your kids and throw your entire life away praying to something that just simply is not there. Its time to wake up…. the evidence is overwhelming….Pretty much the only way to actually believe in god now is to have been brainwashed since a baby and cover your ears and eyes to everything around you….
Vally says:
January 19, 2012 at 4:51 am
but which one do you think is better…Living in a lifeless,boring world but finding hope and inspiration for something that could positively make this world a better place and enjoying the little things that might be true…or taking a chance on not believing it,dying,and burning in hell FOREVER because you so-called thought you were right. thinkkk aboutt it…
March 8, 2012 at 3:41 am
No. I would rather live in this vibrant, challenging, beautiful, exciting and breathtaking world without having some out-dated conservatives who are too afraid of change to open their eyes going around telling me to thank an imaginary man on a cloud for creating it. I’ll take my chances with the devil, thank you very much. If he does turn out to exist, I reckon he’ll be a lot more fun than your old git upstairs.
April 12, 2011 at 4:40 pm
For a Theist to prove their belief is much more easier (therefor easier to “believe” as you say you do)because you do not need evidence to prove your belief, according to you, seeing as a god does not need to follow scientific rules as he is “all powerful”.
Theists will always reply with an argument saying that their god works in “mysterious ways” and will not behave in a certain way just because Man expects that god to.
Besically I’m saying it’s easier to say “I believe” than to prove not to.
Here’s something I find intresting by the way:
Christians believe that God is all-knowing (omniescent) meaning that he knows EVERYTHING. Therefor God knows the whole future because there is absolutely NOTHING that he cannot know. So God knew that Lucifer would defy him and that He would banish Lucifer from heaven and therefor create evil while knowing perfectly well that he is doing so.
God also knows his own future as he is all-knowing, isnt he? So his own life is predetermined to him. Kind of like following a perfectly straight road of which you know every single detail. Nothing will ever change you will always go in one direction knowing everything that lies ahead of you. You have NO FREE WILL… inconsistant with all-powerful.
July 13, 2011 at 12:05 am
Condemned…This is the title you have given to yourself, remember that. Now, ive studied all over the world, seen things people could only imagine, a beautiful planet that we inheret. Ive memorized and tested much of what we consider factual science. In a sense, “been there done that”. I need you to understand (along with everyone else commenting of the blog) that to argue an issue you have to understand both sides of the arguement and know the “facts” to make a logical, ethical, non biased argument. The children of God are not religious people, they are a people of faith and Christianity is not a religion. Its simply an intament relationship with Christ. So before we go into what i will assume is your defensive side on the issue you have with submissing to authority and rebelling against the thought of kneeling to anything of a high power (and im sure if you look around you, your rebellion and stubborn attitude is why you are where im sure you are; and this isnt judgement, i gave you the beneift of doubt when i starting reading your comment, your words showed your inability to reason) you have to fully understand God to argue God. The original article that sparked all of this is false by a surplus. One of the first statements made was that the bible was ultimately the true written word of God, and that “god wrote the bible”. If the writer of the original article can make simple errors like this then he needs to find something else to write about. The bible was written by the children of God. Visionaries of the old testament, and the eye witnesses of christ in the new testament. There are facts all over the globe found as relics screaming out the proof that the manifestation of our living and loving god in the flesh had lived exactly as depicted in the Holy Bible. Thus, i dont wish to be active in a petty arguement on this, but an intelligent conversion i believe is reasonable. If you have any questions, please ask. -Thnx
March 8, 2012 at 3:47 am
You state that to make an informed argument, one must see both sides of the story, and it is here, in one fell swoop, you blast the bottom out of your own argument. You clearly do not understand the meaning of Atheism!
Atheists are not rebellious – we have nothing to rebel against.
Essentially, it is not us that argues, for we do not even have a side upon which to argue. We don’t have an opinion and we have nothing to prove.
All we know is that we’re damned if we’re going to believe some hokey hearsay just because a load of people tell us to.
Christians must soon begin to realise that they are fighting a losing battle, mainly because the only people they fight are themselves and the representatives of other doctrines.
While you continue to treat Atheists as having opinions or lacking evidence, you are destined to recede further and further into a greater and greater lack of understanding.
Birdy says:
December 31, 2011 at 3:07 pm
It’s pretty ridiculous that you say that scientists “tricked” the world into believing science. First of all, science is logic, unbiased, and based completely on evidence. I’m sorry if that means that some people can’t accept whatever the eff you believe, but that doesn’t mean you can call them idiots, or anything related. Scientists are effing smart as hell for figuring out what they have throughout life, not everyone can do things so extraordinary. Second, what gives you the evidence and ability to say that we’re all wrong and u and alike are correct? I’m sorry, but if us “nonbelievers” don’t have the evidence to disprove the bible (and etc) then how in the effing world do u have the evidence to prove it for itself? Faith!?!? Screw that, if I had to just live on faith, I’d think I could survive falling into a pit of lava. -_- cone on, get real, and pleeeeease, if your going to insult someone’s GREAT work, u better have something even better. good day to u, go do some research of ur own.
Your kidding right? says:
August 16, 2013 at 9:15 am
This is what you said
“This so called “science†actually takes more faith than believing there is a God.”
You bandy about the word “actually” like its a given and well researched fact. Please educate me where you found this statement and why you think its an undisputable fact.
Also from what did god make the universe out of, what material existed that was malleable enough to make this vast universe from. Or did he also create something from nothing?? Smells like magic and wishful thinking with a huge smattering of self delusion to me. And it actually takes more faith to believe in religion than not!
November 26, 2009 at 11:52 pm
i see now that you are angry because you think christians are condemning you to hell for all eternity. Well, i believe you will be in hell for all eternity, but im not condemning you. You have all of your life to change your mind and that is of course up to you. Secondly i apparently am wrong for believing the world came from something and am an evil person for thinking about an afterlife. Am i to rot in the ground for all eternity? Am i wrong to believe matter did not appear and then spontaneously combust/evolve into what we are today? I believe in a world where money appears right in front of my eyes and i don’t have to work for it. Ahh if only. I would also like to confirm that you guys realize it is still the “theory of evolution” hence the “quotations” (none of this was sarcastic)
March 13, 2010 at 9:50 pm
What? Are you even slightly familure with the process of scientific theory? Or let alone the word theory itself? Because you are obviously mistaking a hypothisis for a theory.
For something to have a theory, there must be an event to have a theory about in the first place…for example, There is a murder, the murder took place, detectives build theories on how it happened to find out who did it by gathering and studying the evidence found at the crime scene, along with any other outside data that could contribute.
Evolution DID happen, we have UNDENIABLE PROOF that it happened… we don’t know exactly HOW it happened .. that is why it is called the theory of evolution. One day when science finds out how evolution works completely it will then be called the Law of Evolution.. or even the Laws of Evolution… the same as we have the Laws of Gravity.
Gravity existed, Newton noticed that and tried to find out why. He built theories, so at one time there WAS a Theory of Gravity, we’ve since then found out how and why gravity works so it is now a Law in the scientific world.
REMEMBER and i’m tired of fighting against this moronic statement of “but evolution is just a theory”, A THEORY is an attempt to explain how and/or why an event takes place/has taken place. A theory is created from gathering the information and facts surrounding the event that is taking place/has taken place. We do our best guess work and build from their until we know for certain it is a fact, or come across facts and information that make us dismiss a theory FOR A BETTER THEORY.. a theory can only lead to fact as information is gathered and studied, never a falsehood. This is Pure fact, just as the event of Evolution is pure fact, we’re just trying to find out how.
A HYPOTHESIS is a wild shot in the dark guess as to what will happen in an experiment before ever gathering evidance to lead you in one direction or another. Which is what you are accusing scientists of doing with evolution.
I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but like it or not, Evolution took place, and that is proven in many museums, books, websites, studies, articals, television specials… everything that takes a serious look at evolution proves it happened. I have not come across a single so called “proof” that evolution is false that hasn’t been rebuttled efficiently and repeatedly. So the Bible is wrong as to how we as humans came to be. This is fact, and no matter how you feel about this it does not change fact to falsehood. Your Bible is wrong, and proven wrong in much more than just this one event.
There for, if your Bible has been proven wrong in many places *which is has been repeatedly if believers would just listen and take the time to study it themselves* It is 100% safe to assume that the Bibles assurtions about God are also wrong, and further more it is safe to dismiss Christianity on the whole as false.
This does nothing to prove or disprove the existance of a diety, God, the afterlife or anything like that… BUT it is a step toward disproving Christianity.
Believers are always yelling at athiests for “denying the truth”… well I challange each and every christian that reads this post to do just that… Openly and honestly go forth and seek out the truth! Do the work yourself, look into the FACTS, not the opinions and propaganda that is spread all over the net. Look up multipul resources, read books and information from BOTH sides, not just your own. Compare and contrast and I promise you that what you find will completely change your life. It will be very frightening at first, but you will come to find that it is a life change that is definitly for the better.
Thinkin' says:
June 18, 2011 at 10:24 pm
The problem with your explanation of what a thoery and what evolution are is your mistake as to what “event” took place. We do not “know” that macro evolution happened. It has never been observed. The thory of evolution exists to explain how we got here…how everything we see around us got here. Yes, people are trying to figure out how evolution could have happened, as a means of explaining our existance, but it is our existance that we are attempting to figure out, not evolution. Again, macro evolution is not, and has never been, observable. It is not science. We know we are here. We know all of nature is here. That is observable. Evolution is merely an unproven thoery attempting to explain how we got here. I hope that helps clear things up for you.
Believing that God created the earth is not proven either. It cannot be observed or repeated. But it does make a more logical conclusion than believing that something came from nothing, exploded, got organized, CAME TO LIFE, and gradually became more and more complex. This line of thinking, which is what the thoery of evolution teaches in essence, is completely contrary to the laws of science we KNOW to be true.
Ben says:
December 4, 2011 at 7:15 pm
Meow, I am a declared Christian. I have faults and admit responsibility in my own life. For many years I have struggled with doubts about Christianity, many before I became a Christian. I’ve read numerous books on both ends. Probably many more books regarding atheists views on God than any other books. I read because I am fascinated by the view. It makes a lot of sense, but you can’t claim without a doubt that it is all true, and that Christianity is all false. Doing that would be doing what many ignorant Christians do in proclaiming that atheists are all wrong. It is being intolerant as many atheist would say about Christianity. If we are wrong (and I am speaking about TRUE Christians here not just one’s who have said the sinners pray and got their fire insurance) what we have tried to do in our lives is not bad. We have tried to live to be better people and help others do the same. Your anger should not be towards Christianity as a whole but towards those individuals who are not trying to live their life out for Christ. I apologize for their ignorance and mine at times. Without believing in God even you know that this world is messed up. We cannot get anywhere without realizing we have different views and be okay with those.We can’t fix anything by trying to prove who is correct and condemn those who think they are. That is ignorance in and of itself. We cannot know everything. Even reading numerous articles is not going to give us the ability to explain everything that happens. Sometimes “mysterious” things happen. Sometimes scientific events occur. Whether we develop theories or gather facts we cannot know fully what the truth is. Evolution is only a possibility not fact. Facts are what have been gathered about what appears to be the way life on Earth could have come about. Not saying that it absolutely positively came about that way. Even many atheist scientist can admit that there are parts of the process that don’t make sense. Certain events such as the cambrian explosion are such things. The appearance of animals species out of nowhere, which is stated by accredited scientists to which there is no explanation, and to which an educated guess (yes a hypothesis) is all that can be used to think of how it could have happened. In our generation and future generations we most likely will never receive an answer because we weren’t there when any of this happen and our arguments are only as good as what we can prove. I can’t prove there is a God beyond a shadow of a doubt, and you can’t prove that science and all it’s theories and laws are true beyond a shadow of a doubt. And just one last comment, even laws of science have changed over time when more information is found, so even those aren’t for sure perfect.
March 8, 2012 at 3:50 am
“A HYPOTHESIS is a wild shot in the dark…..”
What, you mean like the Bible?
Cory says:
May 22, 2010 at 8:36 am
I think more than anything it’s silly to go back and forth about if God is real or not. A) If I believe for a fact that God works in my life, how is anyone regardless of how many degrees they have going to tell me different? Has science also evolved into mind reading and such? B) Science can’t DISPROVE God is real no matter how many tests people do, so by that logic people that don’t believe in God have a 50/50 chance of being right, putting believers and atheists on even ground. Most interesting to me is science has become the NEW religion, you all knock God and people that follow him, yet you totally outright believe anything that science tells you is true, even though science is constantly wrong and changing. This means your religion is one that is KNOWINGLY faulty. Do we still use the same science books from the 30s? No, because a lot of it might be outdated info. And what has all this science done for the world? We are slowly destroying the Earth because of what we create. Look at nature and everything has a balance, we live off the Earth we die back into it, and so goes the cycle, but with all our “Smarts” we have developed things that disrupt the cycle, and kills the very planet that sustains us. All you goofy intellectuals sitting out there with your black rimmed Armani glasses, and goofy polo shirts need to get over yourselves. Your science religion will discover something new tomorrow that will negate whatever you think today, and you will still remain ignorant. It’s just pretty sad you’re so arrogant and full of yourselves that you can’t use your “free thinking” to be open to anything other than what you already believe. Atheists are more closed mined than believers. Have a good day!
Ben says:
September 24, 2010 at 12:25 am
First of all, science has FACTS proving evolution happened, where the bible does not have ANY facts proving that humans evolved from adam and eve. Second, the main reason that we don’t use the same science books that were used in the 30s is because scientists have found more facts and have to add them to the books. How can you be so blind as to believe something that can’t be proven, as to something that has FACTS to back up the theories? If you can find even one RELIABLE website with FACTS proving any form of “god” exists, email it to me at [email protected]. I can guarantee you will not be able to find even one reliable website.
October 20, 2010 at 5:32 am
I find it funny that all Christians arguments seem to lead down to “I dont want to rot in the ground forever”.. basically religion is their mind choosing that they are too scared to face an unsure afterlife..So they make all this crap up.
Corey says:
April 18, 2011 at 8:09 pm
Religion is the human response to being alive and having to die.
SamuelJ says:
March 6, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Theories are not easily discarded; new discoveries are first assumed to fit into the existing theoretical framework. It is only when, after repeated experimental tests, the new phenomenon cannot be accommodated that scientists seriously question the theory and attempt to modify it. The validity that we attach to scientific theories as representing realities of the physical world is to be contrasted with the facile invalidation implied by the expression, “It’s only a theory.” For example, it is unlikely that a person will step off a tall building on the assumption that they will not fall, because “Gravity is only a theory.”
You obviously don’t even know the definition of a scientific theory.
Peter says:
December 26, 2009 at 9:41 am
i am not atheist i am agnostic, not too much of a difference. I have been born into the catholic-Christian faith, and opened my mind and now i have, well i consider it as freeing myself from followers of the status quo. We live in america a dominant Christian nation, if you believe other you are different. We are not choosing to believe in the Christian faith, we are either born into, have some sort of miracle happen, believe the bullshit stories of other Christians or we believe it because of fear. Now i do not believe in the Christian faith because i am not afraid of “god”, and besides he forgives everyone who chooses to accept he is real, right? Now i dont know if he is real but i do know the Christian faith isn’t. What makes this articles argument more compelling is that there are not only faults in the bible but also in the beliefs. They say that god is perfect, he is completely divine. well not only in the bible but in ideology of the Christan faith is this faulty. In the bible many times it portray’s god as being angry and jealous. Now correct me if im wrong but those are human feelings right? But he is all divine? What is also the point of prayer, i mean its always said that god will help you if you help yourself. So prayer really does nothing because your helping yourself in the first place. Also in the bible it talks about god telling prophets to send armies to rape the virgins of the village and kill the children. Now whats said most is thats from the old testament, but its still the same god correct. Now in my conclusion its all crap, not because im trying to disprove the faith but because of the obvious lies in the faith. It all is just a religious pattern, horus,dionysus,attis etc then jesus. Its all the same one thing especially is there is really no historical evidence of jesus, its all people wanting to believe in a higher power, blame their sins on evil and their happiness on good. all these religions are based on the sun the literal sun, the symbols, the names, the words, the passages,all relate to the sun. Jesus was never real, therefore the Christian faith is shot. I believe something made us, i dont believe it does the world any good, nor bad, that is our own faults. I’ve spent my whole life in the christian faith and never felt any connection, not because i didn’t try i did, its just my intellectual side and my free thinking brain caught the best of me and showed me to not follow and pursue the truth.
Corey says:
May 22, 2010 at 12:24 pm
I grew up in a very christian home. My brother is a minster and a missionary and has been since he was a child.My father who beat me and my mother for years and smoked meth was the youth minister at our church. My mother was always the keep quiet and pray about things kinda person. Thats what she did while she was cleaning the floor from where my father had literally just kicked my face in. Just kept quiet and prayed. She said god worked in his own time and that he was working on my fathers heart and things would get better. All i want to know is how much of a dick is your egotistical (God) that he would allow that to continue just to get his point across? The whole Idea of god sounds like a power trip to me. We have to bend over backwards to please something we never see just so he wont destroy us and send us to eternity in a lake of fire. Now how loving is that. Christians need to come off high horse and face facts. THERE IS NO GOD!!!!!!!!!!
Mandy says:
May 19, 2011 at 6:26 am
I am sorry for what happend to you and the childhood you had, but you can not blame God for what his followers do. Man sins, it isnt God who caused those horrible trait it was Saten. This reminds me of some friends I have who won’t trust in Christianity because Christians are “judging” or “hypocrytes” So? You arent following them you are following God, they are sinning the same as you do. No one who believes in God is showered with any more blood then another. I trully am sorry for how things were for you.
Java says:
August 14, 2011 at 7:40 am
What? Haha, are you serious? God is all powerful. Why doesn’t he just get rid of Satan, if Satan is doing all the evil? And don’t say: “He Will.” or “Eventually.” because that makes me think that God likes watching 6 year old girls get raped. Why doesn’t he stop that from happening? My mom always told me (I grew up in a Christian family) that God works in mysterious ways and things happen for a reason. So, me being raped had to happen for a reason? God wanted that? Meanwhile, millions of other people in this world suffer- and Christians continue to blame Satan!
There are way too many loop-d-loops in Christian theory.
Anonymous says:
October 10, 2010 at 8:30 am
Jesus of Nazareth was pretty much proven to have existed. It’s whether or not he was the son of god and the messiah that is th question. Just sayin. ( i’m agnostic)
chris says:
October 20, 2010 at 5:54 am
Nazereth has been proven not to exist but has been proven to be a burial ground, therefore Jesus of Nazereth does not exist…. also in many books of the bible there has been false stating of kings that were not around in the time the bible states…therefore the bible is wrong again…. the aurthor of the book states preach to the four corners?? Duh the earths round…obviously the aurthor did not know this cause their lack of knowledge at the time…people open ur eyes look at our world….99% of a monkeys gene matches us…and people who are saying anything about well why aren’t monkeys still evolving cause evolution takes millions of years…it doesn’t just happen…. people you make fun of people on the other side of the world cause of what they believe in and guess what they’re doing the same… what makes you right…there is no scripture that has a signature stating who wrote the books of the bible only the scriputre stating who did…how do u kno some guy or girl didn’t just write it….if I gave a group of kids a harry potter book and made them read it and told them this is what the real world was back in the day of harry they would believe it cause that’s what they were taught and they would fight to the grave about there believes just like u fight for urs…. why is it that god showed the people back in the day of his existense and can’t today…why?? What did I do that causes u not to show urself… I went to church for 20 years and never did I feel god or felt tempted by the devil…if someone offered me crack that’s not the devil..that’s a man made substance and its a man offering it to me… and same if I offer crack to someone, I don’t feel the devil in me tellin me to offer it… its me goin hey this is good shit try it out(not saying I do crack, its an example) point is religion is just a grasp for the human mind to think they kno where they are goin…if a dog dies they get cold and stiff…if a human dies they get cold and stiff…were all species of the earth and the universes biggest accident
October 21, 2010 at 5:32 am
“Nazareth is the largest Arab city in Israel.”
It is still around today:
“Modern-day Nazareth is nestled in a natural bowl which reaches from 1,050 feet (320 m) above sea level to the crest of the hills about 1,600 feet (490 m).[21] Nazareth is about 25 kilometres (16 mi) from the Sea of Galilee (17 km as the crow flies) and about 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) west from Mount Tabor. The Nazareth Range, in which the town lies, is the southernmost of several parallel east-west hill ranges that characterize the elevated tableau of Lower Galilee.”
If we share 99% of genes with a monkey, it just goes to show that the difference between us and them can not be explained purely by genetic means. We have art and culture and language and civilization and technology and… and … and …
Regarding the origins of scripture, there is considerable internal evidence that many of the books were written by a number of people all from within the Jewish culture. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exegesis to understand a little about the science behind this. ie this can be a helpful tool when analysing any ancient text not just the Bible.
Thus it would not take long for Harry Potter would easily be discovered to stem from the imagination of J. K. Rowling.
Regarding God showing people his existence, I think you will find that this has always been mysterious. God is (even by definition) beyond us and so we can only get periodic glimpses of what he is like, until, of course, the advent of Jesus.
What’s your point about the “crack”? You are, of course, correct, that you are the agent each time (either receiving or providing the drugs). Temptation is a lot deeper than this superficial explanation, however. How is it that we are attracted sometimes to things that we know are bad for us? There is so much you leave out in even purely human terms to understand this phenomenon.
Death is also much more profound than you think, even for animals. But for humans, you can look at burial rituals (for centuries) and through different cultures and even the way people react today towards death (the modern mind is basically fearful and avoids the issue) is quite profound. It is not simply a matter of going from warm and supple to cold and stiff!
Lots more to think about, mate….!
ample) point is religion is just a grasp for the human mind to think they kno where they are goin…if a dog dies they get cold and stiff…if a human dies they get cold and stiff…were all species of the earth and the universes biggest accident
shawn says:
May 26, 2011 at 2:47 pm
About God send people to rape and kill in the bible can you give me the chpater and verse. Just want to read the prove for my self.
November 16, 2011 at 6:23 pm
Judges 21:10-24
Judges 5:30
and many many more. go to evilbible.com
chie says:
August 20, 2011 at 11:24 pm
Proving and disproving god would take a lot of effort, but the fact is – those who say that God exist can only rely with the scriptures and for some – the otherworldly miracles. How sure are we that everything we read in the scriptures are actually true in the first place. All the scriptures in all sorts of religion was written by man. Since we have no recorded evidence of God ever existing, and we only have our “faith” – to justify that he exists… It’s a very flimsy proof.
Just because a whole lot of people in the world are theists and the remaining are either agnostics or atheists – doesn’t mean that God truly exists.
There is also something fundamentally wrong about the idea that God will damn whoever that doesn’t believe in him.
I know I don’t believe in whatever all the other religions out there – has to say to him, but what I do believe in is that – god may or may not exist.
Because, who am I to say that God is good, or evil.
At one point or the other – all religions are used to control people – to set common values for the rest of us to live in some sort of harmony within our own cultures. We get these people who believe that their God is better than the other gods that other religions believe in.
Fact is there are too many contradictions, and we refuse to see them because we have not tried to study it… and since everyone around you in the community believes it, then it is also likewise that you must believe it in order to fit in.
Taking a leaf from Robert Ingersoll, we are christians because our fathers were. We are buddhists because our fathers were. We are muslims because our fathers were.
I’m not saying that this is bad in a way. It’s just the culture we are immersed in – the religion that you practice makes you refuse to see and understand what others have in mind.
What is wrong with a person who lives in a morally and upright manner. For example, If by some way I did not believe in Jesus Christ, and I die, I would not be granted salvation?
And how sure are we of the existence of heaven and hell. We don’t even know what happens to the collective consciousness when it passes on. It is much like how a person slowly looses their memory… Where is the person that you once knew before? Would that person still remain in the theoretical soul? Or is it forever lost?
Most of us want to believe that there is something good waiting out there for us… but face it, after waiting for so many years – most of the things we did and discovered – it was through our hands alone.
oh, God didn’t magically come up with a way to create a nuclear bomb. It was not God who made the computers.
Saying that we are his creations therefore it was God’s will that we made all these discoveries is even more of a bluff.
If God is “good”, then why is it that in the bible or perhaps in other religions – there is always “violence”. Good is only a human concept. We can’t judge… his existence.
Most of the time, it only preaches of a way to live our lives.
This is one of the reasons why I really want to study all sorts of religions out there… Because I’m mortified by what each faction has to say to the other faction. I will not be naming names but I had to sit through a seminar where our speaker is talking about a problem somewhere in the world and he then suddenly spouts out that the root cause of it is religion. Though that might be true, the thing is it’s not the only reason.
4 hours I listened about how he started listing out all the faults of that certain religion and then, finishes with a subtle message that when the time comes – it’s kill or be killed .-.
If religion actually inspires peace and is actually something worth believing in… if I could find a faultless religion, I would practice it. But most of what I’ve read and seen and heard is that – it’s a major source of conflict.
All because each of us has an idea of “God”.
Moving on, if this God truly exists, and he truly has a divine message for us… when we are but a mere speck in the universe… Then, why not show himself to all of us for these arguments to be done and over with.
I do not want to follow any religion that says that I will be sent to hell for not believing.
What is the difference of a morally upright citizen that does not have faith in any god from a morally upright citizen that has faith in a certain god.
The Atheist says:
January 11, 2009 at 7:09 am
Thomas – I’ve heard similar arguments, but they are ultimately self-defeating. If they accept that the Bible was a cut-down version of events, that their chosen deity decided to hide facts from them to aid understanding, then they have to question every single verse of the Bible in a similar manner. Perhaps their deity was actually an extraterrestrial being, from another planet, but shielded the truth from the authors of the Bible because he feared they would not understand it. If they accept that the Bible is full of mistranslations, inaccuracies and approximations, then the entire foundation of their religion must be brought into question also.
Naumadd – Of course you’re right and I completely agree with you (I have a draft article waiting to be finished on this very subject). However, we must live within the confines of our society which, unfortunately, has been raised on a foundation of lies which have become so ingrained in their consciousness that it is difficult for them to assess such points logically and without prejudice. I thought that by making the argument I did, I would call into question the Christian God, and thought it appropriate as it is inevitably the Christians who spout the “cannot prove non-existence” line. And while yes, it is true that we cannot prove the non-existence of any deity, I think I can logically disprove (not that we need to) the established definition of the Christian deity using their own teachings. A bit of fun for a Sunday, if you’ll indulge me.
October 31, 2009 at 1:41 am
If god was a alien and people excepted this then there most be more than one all trying to influence us for thousands of years perhaps without them we might be still living in caves and the good and evil which I see means I have been telling the truth.And perhaps this planet has memory both past/present/future and they chose me and others that we psychics are the chosen ones how would we police the evil ones.Perhaps the powerful bankers Politicians top scientist are all involved science as moved at an alarming rate conspiracy theory could be true and my guardian angel is a Alien and his encouraging me to wright this.
Kevin (a theist) says:
January 12, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Your entire argument seems to be based on the literals of the bible. Not only do you have to account for human error in the original writings of the bible, but also translational inaccuracies. To believe that the earth is only 6-10 thousand is kind of absurd, figuring that even though humans reproduce at a rather large rate, it would take more time than that to get to our current population.
In the original Hebrew, the word day is yoÌ‚m, which can be translated as “a time”, much like “age” or “era” in English. Replacing the word day with era makes much more sense. Alternatively, the original Genesis was written by Moses. Being that he was a human living in those days, such long times may have been incomprehensible to him. Therefore, when God related these events to him, it may have seemed like only days for creation. Think about it, if you were to have the entire history of creation up to that point beamed into your brain, what would it seem like in the terms of an ancient Israelite?
As for the Noah’s Ark argument, the animals came to Noah, not the other way around. Taking in to account tectonic activity, micro evolution for different species (i.e. crocodiles and alligators, basically the same, but small differences based on their locations), it’s entirely plausible for the required number of animals to have been saved. It’s even evidenced by the number of species of aquatic vs. terrestrial and avian animals.
Please let me know of any other specific proofs you have for the non-existence of God, I will be happy to discuss them with you.
ian says:
November 4, 2009 at 8:30 pm
You sir, are a fool. For what reason do we need to account for human error? The writers were taking direct guidance from Jesus himself. How is it possible to get 6500 hundred years mixed up with anything else anyway? It’s a number. Not a sentence.
January 13, 2009 at 3:07 pm
How do we know the Bible is truly the Word of God?? There are over 25,000 archeological finds that verify the Bible, there has never been one, I repeat there has never been one archeological find that disproves the Bible!! That is a pretty good track record. Many secularist and other non-believers in the Bible will say that the N.T was not complete until the end of the 2nd, the beginning of the 3rd century A.D. This is another lie that the evolutionist and non believers conjure up to discredit what God has said. The fact is, if you go to the writings of the early church leaders (who wrote from 90 to 127 A.D.) you can from their quotes and their sermons compile the N.T. in its entirety!! So that says the N.T. was complete and was in good circulation before the end of the 1st century. Another indisputable proof t the validity of the Word of God.
Yet the strongest argument for the authenticity of the Scriptures is the fact of fulfilled prophecy. This is truly the nail in the coffin when it comes to whether or not the Bible is truly the Word of God. Isaiah 46:9-10 says “I am God and there is no other, I am God and there is noone like Me, I declare the end from the beginning.” So God says He declares what is to come, the future. Do we see this in the Bible. Isaiah 45 names King Cyrus by name 200 years before he was even born. The Dead Sea Scrolls prove that Isaiah wrote that before and not after Cyrus came to power. Ezekiel 26 God says that the city of Tyre would never again be rebuilt and the only thing it would be used for is to dry fishing nets, the very purpose it is used today!! Psalm 22 is a Messianic Psalm, it mentions some of the last words Jesus spoke from the cross “My God My God why have Thou forsaken Me?” It says they divide My clothes and cast lots for them, this Psalm says dogs have surrounded Me (speaking of Gentiles), it says they have pierced My hands and My feet. This was written 1100 years before Christ came to this earth. It was written 800 years before crucifixion was even practiced and yet it says they have pierced My hands and My feet. Micah 5:2 says Christ would be born in Bethlehem, Zecheriah 12:10 says they will look on Me whom they have pierced. All written before Christ came into the earth.
Jesus fulfilled hundreds of prophecies when He lived here on the earth. The mathematical odds for Jesus to fulfill 7, (keep in mind He fulfilled 100’s) would be the same odds as you someone covering the entire earth in 4×4 white tiles. Hiding a gold star under one of them, and you walking up on the very 1st try and finding that gold star. By the way, you are blindfolded!! This would absolutely be impossible, think about the mathematical odds of Jesus fulfilling all the prophecies that He did!! It would be impossible yet with God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26
July 27, 2009 at 5:55 pm
A little light reading for you, Chris. You seem to have a pretty faith based idea that a man named Jesus Christ was a real person. The historical record pretty conclusively argues against that. http://rationalrevolution.net/articles/jesus_myth_history.htm
Renee says:
June 7, 2010 at 5:46 am
I was hoping to get more sound reasoning against Christianity with that article link you posted, but instead I was too distracted by the obvious misinterpretations of the Christianity and twisting of information by R.G. Price. Are you serious, no historical record of the star of Bethlehem discredits the historical Christ? And he basically proved exactly why Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah with those references to the OT. It’s so bad that I can’t even begin to describe how little he understands about Christianity. It’s so clever, of course any man who has never heard Christian theology in depth would be convinced by his bias with those random verses and facts.
I’m an Atheist, but I have studied the Bible for years, also in an academic setting, and spoken with Christian theologians. Did this guy get his information peer reviewed, or critiqued by historians, Atheists, or Christians? Apparently not. If he did it would’ve greatly improved the quality of his reasoning and maybe make it a worthwhile read.
Sorry, articles like these are frustrating for honest Atheists that don’t have a vendetta against others or an agenda to push.
January 13, 2009 at 6:13 pm
“… there has never been one, I repeat there has never been one archeological find that disproves the Bible!!”
But, of course, although there are some disputes regarding the historical significance of the Jewish old testament and Christian new testament of the bible, there is ample reason to believe much of it is generally accurate historically. No doubt, more will be found to verify this event or that event as mentioned in this book. But that is of little matter because the real issue is the existence or non-existence of a “god” of which there has never been one, I repeat, there has never been one archaeological find to confirm the existence of such an alleged deity.
The christian bible is somewhat of a mixed bag of historical accuracy, however, it is of no assistance at all in proving the existence of a “god”.
If you know of an archaeological find that can be examined today to prove the existence of this alleged deity, please share.
November 27, 2009 at 12:03 am
sir your completely right. But the thing scientists or thinkers tend to overlook, is the faith aspect of religion. If everyone knew there was and is a God for sure, this discussion would not be happening and everyone would be a follower. Instead I believe God conceals himself to find out which people are his true believers.
April 2, 2010 at 3:29 pm
he is all knowing, he wouldn’t have to do this little experiment to find out who is non believers. All religions are a communist way of controlling weak minded people with addiction problems.
Tyler says:
November 10, 2010 at 12:11 am
I was a Christian for several years,and tried my hardest to feel god, never was his presence felt once by me. I am no longer associated with the religion. Your statement, if everyone knew god was real, everyone would follow him is false. If everyone knows that drugs are bad and can kill you,why do they still do it. They choose to rebel. If everyone knows that eating is necessary and not eating can make you sick, why is their anorexia. If people know that there is an authority, there will always be rebellion. If god was real, why does he make it easier for the people in the old testament by showing himself and harder for us. Is this a sick mind game he plays on us? is he experimenting to see how far he can take us? the definition of christianity says he is all knowing. if he is omniscient, why then does he not just know that i wont turn to him, and show himself so i dont have to burn like christians say i will.
January 14, 2009 at 7:03 am
I know athiests have a hard time with understanding the bible. Evolution is outrageous, if humans evolved then there would still be humans evolving from something. So that makes evolution a bunch of bull. If the big bang is correct then there would still be worlds exploding into existance, the only logical explanation is that there is a more powerful higher being, space did not evolve itself, you cannot get something from nothing, that is a scientific fact. So, if you beleive in evolution, why do we not see humans still evolving from other species? Because it is impossible, we may share some of the same dna makeups as other species of animals, but we cannot evolve into anything other than a human being, and an ape cannot evolve into anything other than an ape. T he reason i say the bible holds true is because people in bible times did not write untrue information, just to pass the time, writing in those days took skill, time, and was a way to preserve the truth. It took so much time and effort to get the materials to even write with, they did not have modern materials, these things were hard to come by, so anything written was definately worth writing. I hope that all atheists keep an open mind, and do not let themselves fall into these rediculous attempts to disprove that there is indeed a creator, some power of a magnitude that we could never caculate, an alpha and omega, created all that is known, and all that is unknown to humans, like I said, outer space is too massive and did not poof itself into existence. think about it!
ian says:
November 4, 2009 at 8:34 pm
person says:
November 5, 2009 at 3:53 pm
id like to interupt this ignorant conversation with some peaceful words. One, both of you are wrong, neither has been proven. Im a christian, and it is very possible that evolution is occuring right now. The problem is, “scientists” can’t form a scientific theory that matches an all powerful creator. Cosmic evoution (the big bang) and other theories rely solely on matter coming from nothing, which is impossible, then then little spec of matter suddenly exploding into billions of galaxies, which im not sure if i have ever made a house out of exploding a grain of sand. Where did God come from?, well thats why it is religion. Where did this matter come from…thats why it is science? Woa Woa Woa i think were getting the two mixed up. And there is no reason to sware to prove your point, when the angrier you get, the more ignorant and quick to conclusions you become.
Renee says:
June 7, 2010 at 5:56 am
Actually they found out recently from sequencing the Neanderthal genome that there is no difference between their genome and our genome. That’s not the sequence changing based off the environment idea. It’s just how certain genes are turned on and off, and scientists don’t know how that happened based off of the environment yet. Also, you should know that Christians argue that evolution does happen. According to them, they believe that microevolution occurs, changes between species or even up to the family level. But they don’t believe that on a higher scale of evolution, like from an elephant to a turtle. You should be wary of that if you ever get into an argument with a Christian.
The Atheist says:
January 14, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Kevin – Yes, of course you’re right about the original wording potentially having more than one meaning. But it is obvious from the Bible that it is meant in the literal “24” hours sense. I also can’t buy into this theory that there are subtle inaccuracies in the Bible and it shouldn’t be taken literally. If that’s the case, then why do you believe any of it? With regards to the age of the earth, and the Bible’s view of it, I’ll leave it to some Christians to answer for me:
It must be noted, however, that the Scriptures are emphatically clear on this issue. The billions-of-years timescale estimated by modern scientific theories cannot be harmonized with the literal interpretation of the Bible by resorting to the misguided notion of a day-age.
Source: Christian Answers
Chris Sanford – I hope you realize the absurdity of your argument. Do you believe Harry Potter is real because it gives an accurate representation of an English housing estate? There are, of course, historically accurate parts of the Bible, but they aren’t the contentious parts. There’s absolutely no proof for any of the so-called miracles, any proof of Jesus as a person ever existing (the first record comes a few hundred years after his supposed death, which leaves plenty of time for the fable to spread into common culture. If he was a real person, you’d expect some record of his existence at the time he was alive, there is none) nor any proof of any Gods. Ever. Anywhere. As for the references to Jesus being made before he was supposedly alive, perhaps they came from the numerous other prophets and deities in the region that shared the same basic story as the Christian Jesus (born of a virgin, resurrected, performed miracles etc.). The stories had been circulated for centuries before the period in which Jesus was supposedly born, except they were used by different religions. The Christian story is far from original.
godinus – There are two important points you don’t understand regarding evolution. Major changes take massive amounts of time, and given the typical length of a human generation, they would be near as imperceptible to us. If you take species with shorter life spans, we can see evolution in action. In fact, it’s been shown to take as little as 44,000 generations to show significant changes (a large enough change that a species lost one of its defining characteristics) to a species in a reproducible laboratory environment (44,000 generations for humans, with an average life span of 70 years, would take approximately 3 million years). Evolution is now scientific fact and has been proven. The second thing to remember is that evolution is happening to humans at the moment. Even though the threat of natural selection is diminished due to modern healthcare and our more cultured society, you can still observe generational evolutionary changes. Take the palmaris longus muscle for example. It’s clearly left over from a time we required more flexibility and strength in our arms (say, for example, if we were climbing trees regularly). Yet this muscle remains underdeveloped and unused in humans, and because of that, less people are born with that muscle every generation. There are similar muscles in the legs and feet. Actually, the foot is very interesting from an evolutionary point of view as there are muscles similar to the palmaris longus that remain from a time when our feet were far more dexterous than today (look at a primate’s foot and what it can do with it). Yet these muscles remain in out feet, albeit undeveloped and, like the palmaris longus, appears in fewer humans each generation. But, of course it’s all bull despite there being a boat load of evidence for it, while there’s ZERO evidence for creationism.
The interesting thing about everything I’ve said above is that you can go out and verify it all. I wouldn’t expect nor want you to just believe me blindly, so go out and do some research with an open mind, a truly open mind, and I hope your eyes will be opened.
You say that you hope atheists keep an open mind, which has never been an issue. Atheists want proof, we don’t believe in fairy tales we believe in science and truth. Your argument for the existence of a creator falls short when you say in one breath that “you cannot get something from nothing, that is a scientific fact” without offering the source of your creator, which presumably is a “something”. And of course, the experiments currently being undertaken at CERN to discover the Higgs Boson particle may very well prove that you can indeed get “something” (matter) out of “nothing” (energy). And I’m sure you can guess by now that your point that the Bible must be true because it was difficult to write books at the time doesn’t hold water round these parts.
Atheist says:
December 15, 2009 at 5:34 pm
I sincerely aprreciate the logic of your argument. You took the words right out of my mouth.
January 14, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Ironically, what most in the so-called “Evolution vs. Creationism” debate seem to miss, creationists being the worst offenders, is the fact evolution did not stop. All forms of life here on Earth continue to evolve – yes, including human beings. This lack of understanding is most evident in the creationist argument regarding “transitional forms”. The fact of the matter, because evolution cannot be said to be complete for any form, ALL organisms, living and deceased, have been transitional forms. Neither the species nor any individual human being is fully evolved. All are evolving from moment to moment.
Some a bit slower than others.
January 15, 2009 at 1:27 am
Atheist, I’ve been really keen to see an argument proving the non-existence of God, but was immediately disappointed to see that the scope was reduced to Christianity. The question of existence and essence are necessarily separate from our perspective (even if they are identical in God).
Nevertheless I liked the fact that logic dominated the discourse (as opposed to the more usual sneer). OK so I accept your two premises (ie God is infallible; and the Bible is the true word of God). But they are not necessarily “interdependent”. I don’t need a Bible to know that God is infallible, but it is also too fast to say that I believe the Bible because it was written by an infallible deity. In fact the Bible is clearly written by humans. It is quite unlike the Qu’ran which is supposed to be a direct dictation to Mohammed. In fact the Bible is ‘inspired’ which is rather different. It means that God is the author through inspiration, and various human writers are the true author (using their own linguistic style etc..).
OK, onto your example: the creation myth. This has always been accepted as pre-historical. There is so much in the first three chapters of Genesis that it is truly the most remarkable piece of writing apart from the Gospels, but it is not intended to be a scientific portrait. It is clearly not written that way. Long before any atheists roamed the earth, Origen and others pointed out that the sun and moon are created after light. Additionally, anyone who tried using Genesis to date the earth would be barking up the wrong tree. God has no interest in informing us that the earth is 4.5 billion years old or otherwise. These are mere facts, and as such, are not very interesting except in trivial pursuit games or if you are involved in archeology or something.
Myths, however, are not the same as pure fiction. They provide a message in a deeper way than prose can. Genesis does teach us that God is creator (ie from nothing), that his creation is good (not malevolent – in fact this is the reason why science developed out of a Christian cosmology and not, say an Hindu one). It teaches that the apex of creation is man, created as male and female, with free will and endowed with personal dignity. This freedom also explains how sin and evil are possible in a world created by a good God, and so on… These are not simple ‘facts’ to stow away for a rainy day, but vital, important realities that effect our lives, unlike the value of ‘pi’ (which is not rounded at all – it’s not stated).
Some other inaccuracies:
1. The Bible is the only place that defines God,
2. and God is defined [in the Bible] as being infallible.
3. The Bible is also stated as being of God’s word [another claim not found directly in the Bible, nor even which books the Bible contains]
So I think you have only established that your understanding of the Bible is massively inaccurate.
January 15, 2009 at 9:05 pm
I have studied intensely Atheism & Theism. And I’m proud to inform everyblogger that, I a disciple of Christ.
Now it’s true, science has served as a valuable tool for mankind. Through science alot has be learned. But science best answer to the question, “Is God real?” science says, “I doubt it”. Science provides enough facts to cause doubt but doesn’t prove there is no Almighty Being. And it’s true, no one (including believers in God) can prove there is a GOD because what’s real to mankind is known by our five (5) senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, & touch). And speaking for myself, my senses testifies like an atheist because I have not witness the existence of GOD.
But, Thanks to Christianity!!! I now understand and want to share, like atheism, I overlooked the truth about….. L-O-V-E!!! LOVE is real and is known only by faith: LOVE can’t be seen naturally, but by faith there are visions of Love that can be brought to plain sight; Love can’t be heard, but by faith Love utters it’s voice and is heard like a natural voice; Love has no smell – taste – or touch, but by faith Love smells like a rose to many – love taste better than honey to many – and love can be felt within. Love has created the world: it was love that created a husband and a wife; it is love that brings children into the world, by being intimate; it was love that made the trees, water, sun, and all the things needed to live, Love acted as a provider (I’m convince). I believe God is LOVE and I pray faithfully everyday hoping I find his eternal Love before his temporal love in this world runs out & death ends my chances of living in God’s Love.
from a disciple of Christ, Phair W
Craig Daniels says:
April 27, 2011 at 2:04 am
Wow, that makes me throw up!!
Java says:
August 14, 2011 at 7:50 am
..Love is an emotion. It’s part of the human brain. Just like those five senses you listed, those can be de-activated in the brain. Some people are born without them. Just like 100% of people are born without a God and are TAUGHT about one. Please, please, go back to school- college- wherever. We do not need people like you on this planet who try to link a God to parts of a human’s brain. You’re literally just proving that Atheist are correct. Thank you. I love stupid Christians like you.
The Atheist says:
January 16, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Jonathan – I always thought the Bible was God’s word.
every Writing [is] God-breathed, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for setting aright, for instruction that [is] in righteousness,
As for the infallibility of God, are you then saying that God makes mistakes? Are you saying that he is fallible and therefore should be questioned, doubted even? While not explicitly stated in the bible, the implication is obvious. Your statement flies in the face of the “God has a plan, don’t question God’s plan” line that I always hear from people of religion who are having a tough time.
I don’t understand why you think that estimating the age of the earth from the old testament is “barking up the wrong tree”? Are you saying it’s inaccurate? Incomplete? Fictional? If not, then why can we not use it as a basis for these estimations? And for what it’s worth, I agree with you on the value of pi, which while not directly stated can be derived from the dimensions given of circular objects. I don’t think this is a valid (or fair) argument to make, and unlike some other atheists, I don’t partake in it.
Phairw – I honestly can’t tell whether you are being sarcastic or not!?! Obviously love is an emotion, and like other emotions is caused by electro-chemical reactions within our bodies that occur under certain conditions. Love, or what we now perceive to be love, is clearly a method that has evolved in order to allow us to more easily sustain the species through breeding. That, of course, is the sort of love you feel for a partner, whereas you may also have love for family members, friends, children – the sort of people you would want to keep alive if you lived in a difficult and dangerous environment. Animals exhibit similar behaviour when protecting their “packs”. Much like fear – an emotion which has the purpose of alerting us to dangerous situations and preserving our safety.
January 16, 2009 at 9:00 pm
The Atheist – No, I’m not being sarcastic, and your right, Love is an emotion, and thanks for your scientific knowledge as to what causes our emotions. But, your statement has not proven anything. I still believe God is Love. Love is REAL!!! Love is Alive!!! If you remove this emotion from our being, the human race couldn’t survive. We wouldn’t reproduce; we won’t care about people; we wouldn’t create life and have friends & family without Love. Remove Love and I’m convince the world would simply die. Now I don’t believe Love has evolved. Maybe peoples idea of what is Love evolved but pure Love has not changed. Love for family, friends, children, caring feeling for the poor and helpless, and love in a marriage: Where’s the evolution of Love??? Has not everything we understand about Love been the same in the past, present, and shall be the same in the future. If not, please explain!!! I need examples.
January 17, 2009 at 5:49 am
Atheist – the Bible is God’s word, but not in the same sense as “The Lord of the Rings” is Tolkein’s word, though actually by chosing a work of literature I come closer to explaining what I mean. I referred to inspiration, and that is exactly what “God-breathed” means in 2 Tim 3:16.
God doesn’t make mistakes, but then he is not writing a text book, and he is writing from within the context of a truly human author.
Trying to estimate the age of the earth from the Bible is a little like asking how historical Shakespeare’s portrayal of Henry IV really is. The dramatic truth is something independent from that. Now of course there are times when the Bible means to be historical (just as in Shakespeare), but the context must be taken into account. The Bible may be God’s word, but it is not God. Phairw is much more along the right lines in that it is more of a kind of love-letter, and not meant to teach science at all.
Which leads me to an interesting point about love. It is certainly true that love is an emotion, but love is also more than an emotion. Love can be in the will as well. Greek and Latin have several words for love that express its various nuances well, where English must make do with one. So I think it is much more than merely “electro-chemical reactions”, even if I don’t deny that that is partly true. Human emotion is much richer than animal emotion because it also has a rational component.
January 18, 2009 at 4:30 am
Sorry, I can’t help going back to the point on emotions. One way to see that it is more than just a chemical reaction is that it is felt. Chemical reactions don’t feel anything. Nor do electrical ones. This also implies that the mind can not be reduced to just the brain, even if it is necessary for human thought.
The other non-emotive aspect of love I didn’t mention is that it is always unitive: the beloved object/person is intentionally present inside the lover. This is another way of seeing that it goes beyond biophysics. In Latin, this is expressed by “caritas” (from “carus” = dear), while the purely emotive aspect of love is called “amor concupiscentiae” (roughly: desire).
Phairw, this actually has an important consequence for your argument. If God is love, do you want to say that God is an emotion? The Latin text reads “Deus caritas est”; the relevant verb is, of course, agape in the original Greek.
January 18, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Jonathan – I saw your second response before I went to Church today. I’ve been thinking about how I would reply intensely…,
Is God an emotion……??? YES indeed, God is an emotion and more!! God has to be an emotion because an emotion is something you feel. And in order for GOD TO BE REAL YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO FEEL HIM. But, God is not limited to just being called an emotion.
Now, we were talking about LOVE, Love is something you can feel.
The Atheist, explain that Love is an emotion and he explained scientifically how we feel Love or any other emotions. So we all should agree that Love and the rest of our emotions are something we feel (regardless to the explanation), and if we can feel Love than it’s REAL.
Now every emotion takes on a form and is driven spiritually which will confirm its Reality in Life. Every human being today is a form of love. (Love takes on the shape of a husband, a wife; Love also takes on the form of a family) Many people in jail today, are there because of hatred that took on a form of life (Murderers, thieves, rapists, and gangs).
So now Love and all the rest of our emotions, comes from within us. They are the expressions of the Heart. Love is unseen, invisible to the natural eye unless it takes form or has a body to express itself and be seen. All emotions have a force of nature classified as spirits. LOVE reign supreme over all emotions and the Spirit controlling it is called HOLY (holy meaning, set apart and above all).
Everyone who can logically disprove my statement, I’m waiting to hear from you. Also I hope we are still having a logical blog because I’m sure I won’t stay long if this blog leaves the realm of common sense, logical, and well thought out/Rational statements, which may prove or disprove the Christian God.
The Atheist says:
January 18, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Jonathan – To me, someone who can read the text of the bible and take it at face value, “breathed-on” sounds like “spoken”. And as for the estimated age of the earth, please remember that it is not I who has done the calculation, but rather John Lightfoot, an Anglican clergyman (his calculation was later roughly confirmed by Bishop James Ussher. He obviously thought it was valid to estimate the earth’s age based on Genesis, perhaps because there was no scientific evidence around at the time to prove him wrong? So these clearly aren’t atheists out to prove a point, members of the church, senior members in the case of Bishop Ussher, believe the Bible, and in particular Genesis, should be literally interpreted. I’d also be interested in knowing, and I know I’ve posed this question to you before, in a different comment thread, how do you select which parts of the bible you believe literally, and which you decide to treat as the author using poetic or dramatic licence? I don’t see markers in the bible surronding genesis stating it shouldn’t be interpreted literally, nor do I see markers around the new testament stating it should be. So how do you decide, and how do you resolve, within yourself, the fact that different readers of the bible interpret it in different ways?
As for “feeling” love, do we not feel fear? Would you argue that God created fear so we should be afraid of crossing him? Or would you logically deduce that in the early days of man, natural selection would dictate those who possessed the ability to feel fear would be more likely to survive?
Phairw – “Now every emotion takes on a form and is driven spiritually which will confirm its Reality in Life. Every human being today is a form of love. ” I’m confused by this. Clearly not every human being alive today is an act of love, as you yourself said, babies have been born after the mother has been raped, teenagers have gotten drunk at parties and become pregnant, women have used sperm from sperm donors, prostitutes have conceived after taking a “customer”. Breeding is very different from love. I’d also question whether emotion is driven spiritually. We can, of course, trigger and suppress emotions using drugs and manipulation of the brain. Feeling an emotion is very much a scientific process, we can witness it through monitoring the electro-chemical reactions in the brain, we can even control it. I don’t need to logically disprove your statement, it’s been scientifically disproved.
January 18, 2009 at 7:10 pm
The Atheist – Breeding is a physical act contolled by Love or Lust(Lust is a bad copycat of Love). So yes, someone gets raped or will get raped; yes teenaged pegrancies happens (young people confusing Lust for Love); Yes, mankind developed the ability for women to have sperm donors. So what’s your point. All I see is a woman finding Love in the form of a child thru sperm donations (similiar to adoption); and prostitutes is making money using Lust. Does this end your confusion???
Also, your scientific answer for feelings and emotions is okay and helpful BUT, why does science check for truth about our emotions in our head and not our HEART???
March 17, 2010 at 1:44 pm
This “heart” you speak of is nothing but a metaphor for feelings and emotions.. usually of a possitive nature.. which all come from our mind.
Love, compassion, patientence… values, morals, ect… all of these things come from within ourselves alone.. and before some believer starts spouting how morals and valures come from god or the bible.. stop with that bull right there because the truth is morals and values are completely situational.. that is to say Morals and values are different from person to person, and change from situation to situation.
but back to the point, to study the “heart” of humanity would be a waste of time, as the “heart” is completely different from person to person as well as situation to situation… I could love someone with all my “heart” but someone else could wish the worst possible death on that same person…
Now the eletrical pulses and what not that happenes within our heads that causes these emotions are for the most part consistant from person to person therefore we study what is the same for almost everybody to better understand what this so called “heart” among many other things that are more noteworthy.
March 17, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Meow – I like your answer! It was the best answer given (I think), in my long debate about L.O.V.E. with others
So you say my use of LOVE is a metaphor…, Okay two questions:
1. Why is the heart used in a metaphor as to where mankind feel their emotions, when it isn’t true accord to science? (the metaphor shouldn’t make sense, for example: I love you from the bottom of my heart…? Shouldn’t we say, I love you from the bottom of my mind or brain or something else?)
2.Why are the metaphors of LOVE widely accepted, even in the atheist community? (according to science, logically this should make no sense, since love does not come from the heart but the mind)
As I understand, Atheists are all about FACTS, LOGIC, & PROOFS, right.., So please explain.
January 18, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Jonathan – To me, someone who can read the text of the bible and take it at face value, “breathed-on†sounds like “spokenâ€.
Atheist – in what way does “breathed-on” sound like “spoken”? An analogy would be an artist who is inspired to create a certain art work. There are certain ideas that come into their mind. God inspired such ideas into the authors of the Bible, who then wrote them down in their own language and cultural milieu. In the process, we do believe that God also ensured that the message that he wanted to impart was faithfully received in the process. So it is a kind of joint work, just like the work of having and raising a child is meant to be. Perhaps the closest image I can provide of Biblical inspiration, is the way in which we educate children. God uses our language and expresses things in a way that they mean something to us even though it is rather banal to him.
Indeed it is impossible to interpret it outside the mentality of the family of God. If I read a series of letters that your parents wrote to each other, say, there would be many things that only someone from within the family could understand because of the family traditions and experience that may be contained therein. It is not being obtuse to say that you should not expect more from the Bible than what is intended, and that you should look to those for whom it was written to understand it.
So now the estimated age of the earth. I would have to respectfully disagree with the Rev. John Lightfood and the Most Rev. James ussher. I don’t think that our relationship with God has any relation to the age of the earth. This is my opinion, and I am happy to let the good clergymen have theirs. I am persuaded by scientific arguments that the earth is much older than their calculations allow. As Cardinal Beronio once said in connection with the Galileo issue: “the Bible teaches us how to get our heads into heavean, not the heavens into our heads.”
Have you had any experience with textual analysis? There are all kinds of non-Biblical texts that experts examine to ask these very questions: is the author being literal, telling a story, quoting someone, cracking a joke, etc…? There are tools for discerning these. In fact they are quite scientific: it involves studying the culture, history, comparative texts etc… I have no expertise in any of these fields, and to an extent, have to rely on their guidance in these matters. In addition, as a Catholic, I belong to a Church which believes that it has a divine mandate to give clarity on some disputed points like this. I do accept that there will still be disputed areas, and indeed there are passages that theologians love arguing about. I don’t see how that matters – theologians gradually resolve them in much the same way that scientists gradually resolve difficulties to be explained. My Church teaches nothing at all about the age of the earth, so Catholics are free to come to their own conclusions as best as their intelligence permits. I don’t see why faith and science should be seen as incompatible in this regard. On the contrary, they can be mutually beneficial, especially if their respective provinces are respected.
The emotion question really requires more space. All emotion is based on love as its foundation, ie attraction towards a good. Fear is the emotion that directly opposes this, ie repulsion from an evil (or something we dislike). It is therefore consequent upon love since you can’t have a negation before an affirmation – this is true of atheism too by the way.
By the way the other emotions except one are also in positive/negative pairings: desire/aversion; pleasure/sadness; hope/despair; fear/courage; and finally anger which has no opposite. But this all needs to be unpacked in a great deal more space than is available here.
Phairw – I also have difficulty understanding many of your comments. I suppose my point to you was simply to ask whether you thought God was an electro-chemical reaction if that is all that love is. I agree with you that God is love, but dispute that love can be reduced purely to the emotional level. I also dispute that God (at least the Father and the Holy Spirit) have emotions, since that requires having a body, as you rightly say. Being a man, though, Jesus does have them. Maybe you can clarify your ideas if I have misunderstood them.
January 18, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Okay- Let me rephrase – (Now every emotion takes on a form and is driven spiritually which will confirm its Reality in Life.)
Rephrased: Now every emotions which is spiritually controlled or influenced; these emotions take form (or expressed in a body) which confirms its Reality of Life or Living. is this better understood???
Jonathan – An electro-chemical reaction is the best answer the brain can give (if it’s true) and if it’s not true, still I expect the brain to give a similar answer because the brain can’t explain better than the heart what the body is feeling (I believe). Now if you look carefully I said God is an emotion and more. I thought I showed how Love can develop into more than just an emotion. And the Bible teaches Man was made in the image of God and Jesus is the image of the invisible God, so how do you say the Father and the Holy Ghost have no emotions and body??? Doesn’t the Bible say God was greived and the Holy Ghost can be greived??? Check these scriptures and let me know [Genesis 6:6; Ephesians 4:30]
The Atheist says:
January 19, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Jonathan – Perhaps I chose the wrong word when I said spoken, as a common definition of “breathed” is to “utter without voice”. I have the suspicion that we are actually in agreement on this point, we just differ on how closely the Bible would represent God’s word. I just wanted to briefly explain why I find your point of view difficult to resolve.
One of the biggest hurdles is the vastly differing accuracy and level of information within the bible. I find it difficult to believe that a God would leave the origin of the universe, surely one of the most important parts of any teaching, so badly defined yet go into so much detail in other parts of the work. It seems, at best, to be a misstep. I also find it difficult to believe that a God would allow such inaccuracies to be published in a holy book that effectively has been written in his name. There seems to be this acceptance that the Bible was written either under the influence of God or taking dictation of his word, either way I would have thought that such a being would have the power of influence such that the descriptions within the book were less open to interpretation. With regard to that, I don’t buy in to the “language is ambiguous” argument, given that we seem to be able to ably describe such concepts now, with a language that isn’t significantly more complex. And surely a God could make the most of whatever language was available at the time, or inspire new ways of describing his magnificent acts so that we could all accept them.
Phairw – I’m afraid I’m becoming awfully confused by some of your points. You state that you want a logical debate but then go on to discuss emotions felt within the heart. The heart is but an organ, made mostly of muscle, that pumps blood around the body. It is effected by emotion, for example when you sense fear, the heart rate quickens in preparation for a “fight or flight” response. Of course it is not just the heart that is impacted by these emotions, the adrenal gland also kicks up a notch. All physical, real, observable reactions, and easily explained by science. I fail to see how fear of an alligator is “spiritually controlled or influenced”, and as stated earlier, animals aren’t considered complex enough to understand the idea of a deity, yet they feel fear of alligators, and experience many of the same physical reactions as us.
I would also question your assertion that breeding is controlled by love. Breeding is driven by our need to continue the species, not by love. To say lust is a bad copycat of love (I’d prefer ugly bedfellow, but that’s the dramatic writer in me) is to undermine one of the primal urges that has allowed out species to thrive.
And if God is an emotion, and you accept that emotions can be observed as electro-chemical reactions in our brains, why can God not be observed in our brains as an emotion?
January 20, 2009 at 2:25 am
The Atheist – I knew you would define the heart in a scientific manner… And that’s the problem with science! For example: If my wife ask me, “What’s in my heart”, I would say “Love”. I wouldn’t say blood that’s being pumped thru my body! She would think I’m crazy but blood is in my heart, RIGHT??? What if, someone said to you, I Love You; I can feel it in my heart!!! Would it be better said this way, I Love You; I can feel this electro-chemical reaction in my body effecting my heart organ at a certain rate which causes me to response with a kiss…, Would that be better, and the first one wrong??? I think not though it’s true! The Heart, our emotions,and life in general has far more meaning than what’s explained and providing thru science. Science is good but it can’t answer fully everthing! Somethings shouldn’t be answer by science at all.
Now, Every emotion is caused by someone or something (and remember I said your emotions takes a form to be real). In this case, it’s the alligator causing fear. The gator give off a spirit that causes or influences fear. The fear simply took on the form of the alligator.
Also your right, animals are without knowledge of God and can never fully know LOVE. But, fear is different animal are very knowledgeable of fear. If they wasn’t they wouldn’t survive.
Now, you said, Breeding is driven by our need to continue the species, and not Love??? That’s completely wrong!!! I don’t think while people are breeding they are thinking about continuing the species. I believe Love or Lust is on their minds. What about all the birth contol that exist? What about abortions? What about those who don’t want children? What about those people who believe death is necessary so the world won’t be crowded? Seems to me Love makes more sense!
And Last, science have observed God as an emotion! They said, God is an electro-chemical reaction called Love. And their RIGHT!!! The problem is, their more and it can be scientifically discover. Plus I believe in GOD, and his knowledge of LOVE is far superior than science and only discover by faith.
January 20, 2009 at 2:32 am
In the last paragraph
February 2, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Faith was created by man to explain circumstances they could not explain with fact simply because they did not have the means in which to discover reasons.
i.e. “There must be an all powerful creator that created this huge world because how else could it have gotten here.” A deduction made by people without the means to observe the cosmos so they had to have help explaining it using words like “Faith” and “Belief” and “God”.
On the flip side things that people could observe and explain are accepted immediately as fact.
i.e. “If someone sticks a sword through my body I’m going to die.” This explanation needs no help from faith or a god because it is obvious and easy to see.
For you to say science can’t explain everything means that you need to question everything science and fact have proven. (medicine, health care, fossils, weather patterns, planets, stars, anatomy… the list goes on and on)
As for me religion and faith explain nothing other then people’s weakness for understanding (“I can’t explain this so it must be the product of some magical force or being”). Because faith explains nothing; I question every word spoken by someone who skips through life blindly and uses the word “faith” and “belief” to justify it.
Open your mind to knowledge it is a wonderful thing to see! Don’t close your mind and seal it up with the word faith simply because it is easier then seeking fact.
February 2, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Jana – “Faith was created by man” ??? Are you sure? or is faith apart of human nature? Yesterday at the superbowl, the [Pitt Steelers] believed they would win as well as the [St. Louis Cardinals] before the game. So are you saying, St. Louis was weak for not knowing or understanding the Steelers were 4points better? and how would you explain the Steelers faith? Where was there weakness for believing they would win? — Faith comes for within like our emotions and is a major part of our lives. Even you believe or had faith in someone or something (whether you admit it or not). I don’t believe in magic and there’s nothing magically about faith. Faith is powered by historical knowledge and trust, and that’s real not magically.
Now it’s true some things can be explained very well through science. But, not everything like LOVE! And science will never be able to fully explain what is LOVE! But faith has explained LOVE far more superior than science can ever try.
Now let me share with you my open mind to knowledge for I agree! it is a wonderful thing. It was LOVE that created our world. Not the big bang theory, evolution, and any other scientific explanation. These scientific reasonings maybe right to a degree, and I do believe they played a role in life. But, LOVE is the ultimate reason for life and the creation of it. It’s driven by a unseen force of nature classified as a spirit. God is LOVE and God is a spirit. — So there you have it my mind now seal with the word faith and my heart consume with the word LOVE, because I have been skipping thru life too long not seeing nor hearing anything about life beyond death. And I want to live!!!
Craig Daniels says:
April 27, 2011 at 2:09 am
Everyone knows faith is just another word for “i don’t know”.
Seeker says:
February 20, 2009 at 9:41 am
I would first like to apologize for my grammar and sentence structure it seems i haven’t these gifts as most of you seem to posses…with that being said id like to be given some information from both sides of the argument here….you see my father committed suicide about a year ago just after i returned form fighting in iraq(i was an infantry marine for four years and fought in fallujah during operation phantom fury) i want readers to know this because while in the mist of war it is difficult to find atheist i in fact was a religious leader in my platton since i had the most knowledge of the christian bible…thats not a boast most marines don’t much care for religion until they are faced with death…i believe it helps make death more acceptable. what im really asking for is for some one to explain to me how with all the inconsistancies of the bible and many other controversies it can still be held as a truth?
i asked my mother this (she is a devout christian) and her only answer was faith further more she told me it was easy to be atheist because you dont have to atone for sin. in my opinion it a lot easier to dismiss the unkown by claiming a leap of faith or that “things just happen according to god’s design” rather than seeking fact,truth, ect.
on a side note …ha ha ha god is emotion love i can see love sweat in your palms the beating of two hearts synchronized the look in my lovers eye the word i hear….i don’t feel god and i recognize that the feelings of “conviction” was only the fear of god, put into my mind by my family not my own experience.
also if god is so powerful than how can a person refute him, insult him, hate him and not be struck down like the bible promises?
i know this has been a rant of sorts with no structure but please comment and im looking for atheist literature if you have any suggestions let me know.
Your kidding right? says:
August 17, 2013 at 4:11 am
Here you go mate, try reading this, it will go a long way to helping you along. some of you other believers on here may want to read all and i do stress all the way through.
The Atheist says:
February 20, 2009 at 11:59 am
Seeker – I always value passion and honesty over grammatical flair! And all of us who like to discuss and debate are greatly indebted to people like you who actually go out and “do”.
I can respond from an atheist point of view, and if we’re lucky one of the other readers will respond from the opposing side.
I clearly don’t believe in the teachings or stories in the Bible. Given the scale of the tales you would expect at least some of the miracles to be recorded in historical works. Even more so, a single person travelling performing miracles and gathering followers would have a life interesting enough to warrant documentation. There are no records of Jesus, or his miracles from the time it is claimed he lived. The first documents came about 200 years after his claimed death, which is plenty of time for the tales to make it into popular culture. The inconsistencies and contradictions are too numerous to ignore. My question has always been that if God existed, and commanded (or inspired) the Bible to be written to spread his word, surely he would not have allowed such glaring mistakes to be published. After all, it dilutes his word and causes people like me (and by the sounds of it, you) to question the validity of the Bible and, in fact, his very existence. The only explanation (reasonable explanation) is that either God is not powerful enough to exert that level of influence over the human authors of the Bible, or the Bible is a work of pure fiction. Considering the first option, if God did not have this power, can he really be considered a God?
As for the discussion you had with your mother, my view is similar to your own. If you subscribe to a religion that believes God has laid out plans for your life, and will ultimately forgive any misdemeanours, you are never really taking responsibility for your life. Atheists, on the other hand, have to accept that they make choices and are responsible for the outcomes of those choices. We don’t have to wait for forgiveness from a God on judgement day, potentially ignoring those that we actually wronged, we have to confront out problems and take action to resolve them. Surely the atheistic approach is truly atoning from wrongdoings, where the religious approach is deferring them to a higher being and avoiding any responsibility.
I just want to finish by saying I admire you questioning the beliefs you were raised with, especially given some of the difficult circumstances you’ve clearly found yourself in. Many people would have buried their heads in their religion, to avoid confronting such situations. And even if you ultimately decide that you do believe (it’s not my job to convince anyone, just to voice my opinion), questioning something can never be a bad thing.
February 20, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Okay, Hello Seeker — your “on the side note” I didn’t understand fully so I won’t commit…… Now there is nothing inconsistant about the Bible, if you’re a true believer! But someone who don’t believe or have trouble understanding will find the Bible to be very inconsistant.
For example: in the Bible, Jesus taught you must HATE your Mother, Father, sister, brother, wife & CHILDREN, and yourself to be his disciple. And in the same Bible, Jesus taught his disciples to Love their ENEMIES.
Now here we have what seems to be a very inconsistant, controversial, and it seems to prove what non-believers say all the time about the Bible; it had contradictions. Love my enemies but hate my Children??? Love my enemies but hate my family??? Sounds wrong and stupid Right….
The Bible is a book that is impossible to understand fully without excerising faith in it. It’s a book design to teach believers how to live in the hereafter. Atheists don’t believe in a after-life, so they will have no future beyond death. Any teachings of life after death may sounds foolish to an Atheist. Since we all know that once you die that’s it. But faith in God provides hope in living again.
Okay allow me to challenge you and anyone else with this: The world in which we live, is governed by TIME Right? (Years, months, days, hours, minutes, & seconds)Now if you agree the world is rule by TIME, then you must understand TIME has a Golden Rule: it Begins and it Ends; it has a Start then it Finish….Right? If you still agree, doesn’t Judgment take place at the End of TIME??? from races, completions, and tests I have seen it all judged at the end of the duration of TIME. And if the world is on a TIMER Why wouldn’t we believe in God and his Judgment Day???
Also Seeker, God is all powerful and will deal with everyone accordingly. In this world everyone has free-will to chose want they want to do with their life. God is looking for love from mankind. And true love comes by freedom. That’s why people can hate and insult God, it their chose. But trust me, God will have the last laugh when it all over.
Your kidding right? says:
August 17, 2013 at 4:25 am
“The Bible is a book that is impossible to understand fully without excerising faith in it. It’s a book design to teach believers how to live in the hereafter. Atheists don’t believe in a after-life, so they will have no future beyond death. Any teachings of life after death may sounds foolish to an Atheist. Since we all know that once you die that’s it. But faith in God provides hope in living again.”
I have never seen a poorer apology for the rubbish thats written in the sentence above!
And to go further into your response, who says time will ever end? If time never ends that no Judgment. Please provide proof positive about knowing time will end without using the bible as proof.
Dont forget, a lot of atheists began life as believers, so that meant that afterlife was available to them, does stopping believing now mean that they are magically stripped of that right?
Seeker your better off sticking to not beleiving, if you start this is the kind of convoluted thinking and delusion you need to believe in to make your belief fit how you want
Im sorry Phairw i find your logic is flawed. You have not given one bit of proof nor one shred of evidence to prove your claim. All i have seen so far is wishful thinking and feelings from yourself to prove your own argument . You need to do better than that.
The Atheist says:
February 20, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Phairw – An honest question, do you believe because you fear that death may be the end of your existence? Your comments above certainly give that impression. I do not fear death, in fact knowing that this life is “it” is somewhat liberating. It frees you of the feeling that there’s more to come and allows you to enjoy your life for what it is. I’m also intrigued by your faith comment. You say that you must read the bible with faith, but what do you put your faith in? Is it the part of the bible that says to hate your family or the part that says to love them? And how do you know you’ve chosen the right one?
As for your time question, the world is not governed by time, far from it. Time is just a variable. As for the end of time, well that depends on your definition of time. There is a school of thought that says time cannot exist without something with which to witness its affects. It’s the “if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a noise” debate.
But playing along, at the end of time, there will, by definition, by nothing around for your God to pass judgement on. Because if we exist for judgement to be passed on us, then it is not the end of time (because we are still around to witness its affects). But even playing along further, if we could somehow be around for the end of time, the fact that time has ended does not mean that a God exists. We wouldn’t believe in a God and his judgement because the finite status of the world, humans, animals, the universe etc. has no explicit or implicit link to any higher being.
benjeans says:
February 24, 2009 at 5:28 am
A reply to GODINUS.
Evolution does not continue within humans as evolution relies on the survival of the fittest and natural selection. For example when you breed two strong horses you will likely get a stronger horse, Or research dog breeding ( through generations of breeding dogs with for example small ears, the result is a dog with even smaller ears ).
Humans now look after each other meaning those who are not so fit no longer die off so the human race will remain at a constant as the fittest arent the only ones surviving.
Evolution can be seen all around us, certaina animals and fish that adapt to the ever changing environment around us. You cannot deny the theory of evolution if you have enough knowledge on the fact.
March 2, 2009 at 2:43 pm
The Atheist – You said, “I do not fear death, in fact knowing that this life is “it†is somewhat liberating. It frees you of the feeling that there’s more to come and allows you to enjoy your life for what it is”. — I totally disagree with you. You’ll never comfort anyone who has been sick or disable all their life with this statement. What about someone imprisoned for life, theirs no joy in living like that. And because your not afraid or think your not afraid of death, doesn’t stop the average person from being fearful. Because death simply isn’t a good thing. The average person doesn’t want to die. Why do you think people go to hospitals??? Why is birth celebrated & death morned??? So yes, my fear of dying has caused me to believe in God. And my belief in God is guided by the Bible. Because the Bible expresses and teaches God’s eternal Love for us. And God’s love is stronger than death. So why wouldn’t I believe??? You should believe in this kind of Love also. This is what the Bible teaches. This is why the life of Jesus Christ is so important. The life of Christ teaches the world their is a Love that comes from God, who’s love can make us alive again if we would only believe in his son, and become his disciple.
Now I believe everything the Bible teaches and I understand mostly, what is said therein. I understand enough to know the Bible doesn’t contradicts itself. And I have experienced the Holy Ghost and know for myself God is real.
My testimony of God is my only proof. And my testimony plus other true believer’s testimonies is sufficient proof in this present world. Even if you don’t believe.
Here another question: How does mankind prove Love without faith in it??? When a man tells a woman he loves her, how does she proves it without belief in his love??? Likewise God is Love and his Love is eternal, but how can you know it except you believe in it???
March 2, 2009 at 6:04 pm
PhairW said: “Here another question: How does mankind prove Love without faith in it??? When a man tells a woman he loves her, how does she proves it without belief in his love??? Likewise God is Love and his Love is eternal, but how can you know it except you believe in it???”
The “love” you speak of is a human emotion rooted in human biology and personal experience, thought, belief and value. “Love” is simply a value one holds like “I like the color red” or “I love cheesecake”. Certainly, the more complex the object of one’s love, the more complex the reasons or justification for that love, the more complex the emotion. Nevertheless, nature of the emotion is the same as “love of football”. It is simply what you value over something else. Whether or not you are truly conscious of the reason why you love a thing, you do in fact have reason. It need not make complete sense to another but it absolutely makes sense within your own experience. What theists usually propose is there is somehow a universal “love” which is somehow detached and can exist separately from they who do the loving. But, of course, they offer no evidence or logic that sufficiently justifies such a proposition. All love is necessarily individual love and defined individually which means, because no two lovers are the same, no two loves are or can be alike. There cannot be a universal love and certainly no “love” disembodied from they who love. How does one explain a “feeling” without the feeler? Because what love you feel in mind and body is only a result of your very unique personal experience, personal thought, personal belief, personal value, your personal belief in the theistic notion of a “god” indeed has much to do with the love you feel regardless of the object of that love, however, it has nothing at all to do with the love a non-theist feels. You both love, but you both love for very different and individual reasons. Again, the reasons why you love need not make any sense to others, however, they always make sense in your own experiences and with regard to who and what you are as an individual – your values. That, indeed, is the only kind of love there is. Your belief in a god helps to define your notion of “love”, however, it is not and cannot be a universal definition of “love” felt by every human being.
Can I prove that I love a thing or a person, a place or time? Certainly. I can outline to anyone who asks what I value and why I value it. Just because proving you “love cheesecake” is difficult – primarily because we are unaccustomed to being confronted in that way – is no implication you cannot prove it. I happen to believe one can prove it simply and beyond any reasonable doubt but, for most of us, only with practice. Science can also easily show the physiological symptoms of “love” versus when one is NOT “in love”. It makes me wonder what the response of persons like yourself would be if shown through science that the atheists you denigrate are quite capable of love without the slightest dependence on belief in a “god”.
On the other hand, the response is predictable – “science is unreliable on the issue of love” you are likely to say. That is always the response of the theist – dismiss the proof altogether without a rational reason for doing so simply because it doesn’t fit into your very narrow universe.
March 3, 2009 at 11:52 am
Naumadd – I never said Love couldn’t be proven! My question was purpose to expose the fact that mankind must believe in Love. Now from your response, I gather you can prove Love without faith in it. Right??? Well here your chance, prove it!!! If you want, use your cheesecake example, and prove to me you love cheesecake!!! Or use whatever example you want to prove Love beyond all reasonable doubt. (remember you can’t use faith & belief)
Also, I never said Atheists aren’t capable of Love or feeling Love. Everyone knows or experienced Love one way or another. That’s why Atheism should not be because God is Love and life is created by Love. Now the fact that we must believe in it is the reason why theirs Atheism because you don’t have to believe in it. For example: If a man doesn’t believe he should only love one woman, chances are he will never get married unless he can have multiple wives. Why! because he doesn’t believe in Love that way. Likewise I’m telling you, God is Love, and the Love of God can overcome death. The love of God is the greatest Love of all. And in order to have this love and feel this love you must come to church, learn about Christ Jesus, and receive the Holy Ghost. Otherwise this Love will never be known and God will not be real to you. And to live without the Love of God is to live for a moment in time. The Love you do know is temporal and will fail you and will pass away. But, the Love of God will restore life after death. Now God is the pure source of Love! And the world which is created by God is seperated from him and his love. Now it’s in our best interest to believe in the love of God. But, you don’t have too. Continue to trust the knowledge of science if you want. But I’m telling you, it will fail you!!! and you will wish you had believed in God and his Love. Now is the time to learn and get a better understanding before death finds you. If you die an Atheist it will be too late…..
Psy says:
March 3, 2009 at 12:35 pm
God is Love.
March 3, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Psy – according to science YES!!! According to me, Love means much more than your science project answer!!! And is this how you would answer if someone ask you, what is Love??? I’m sure this answer would be frown upon!!!
Psy says:
March 3, 2009 at 3:30 pm
=And is this how you would answer if someone ask you, what is Love??? I’m sure this answer would be frown upon!!!
Actually my daughter found it interesting. She has a habit of helping people break their drug addictions and was curious about the similarities between people who are emotionally dependent or had their heart broken and people going through drug withdraw.
March 3, 2009 at 6:08 pm
PhairW –
“Love” is not a belief. It is a feeling and a very complex one at that. You either feel it or you do not. A feeling is a mental state – think complex chemistry – in which one values another life, a thing, a place or time. Conscious or not, there is always reason to that value. When one is speaking of “love” or speaking of any other value, one must ask three questions – what is of value, of value to whom, and of value for what purpose. There is always a mental process involved with a value and it is so every time with “love”. Of course, most of us do such things seemingly without thinking about it, however, whether or not the process takes place primarily in your conscious mind, it does in fact take place and most often with, of course, the lightning speed of thought.
As to the proof that I love cheesecake – the “what is valued” and the “who values” – why I love cheesecake is indeed a very long thought process with no small amount of physical evidence one must examine which makes proving that love in this forum impractical. Suffice to say, my body regularly needs nourishment – fact, there are certain foods that are nutritious and others that are not – fact, cheesecake has many nutritious elements – fact, because of my unique body chemistry, certain types of foods appeal to me while others do not, i.e., I experience a very uncomfortable revulsion to certain foods while my response to others is the physical rumblings of hunger thus indicating those foods appeal to my physical needs – fact. Cheesecake, in repeated comparison with other foods that appeal to my physical needs, always induces a stronger physical reaction to its presence than most other foods – fact. I happen to value physical pleasure over physical pain – fact. Cheesecake induces physical pleasure in me – fact. I value the eating of cheesecake because of its pleasure inducing qualities – think chemistry again. After many repeated pleasurable experiences involving the eating of cheesecake in contrast to the eating of other foods, my value of cheesecake is more intense than my value of other pleasure-inducing foods – fact. I therefore “love” cheesecake as opposed to simply “liking” cheesecake. Repeated real pleasurable experiences involving the eating of cheesecake has created a great amount of what we call “experience” attached to the concept of “cheesecake”. Not only does the actual real eating of cheesecake induce pleasure, through experience, the mere thought of eating cheesecake induces pleasure. This is the nature of love.
Also, I’ve been a so-called “atheist” all of my life. I have committed to and married three different women. The love I felt for each was genuine and intensely passionate. That the first two dissolved was for complex reasons. It had nothing to do with a lack of love and commitment on my part and had everything to do with a lack of love and commitment on theirs. I love them still because, like the cheesecake, there were many pleasurable experiences with each one despite the later difficulties. My memories of those experiences is what causes me to continue to love them from afar. More accurately, one might say I love the women in my memory rather than the actual women as they are today, but that’s a longer conversation.
All in all, I do not have to believe in love – I feel it or I do not.
The only reason I can immediately see for needing to believe in love is the fact one does not feel it. That seems rather sad to me. Each of us ought to be in a constant state of love for many things, not the least of which, and in my considered opinion the most important of all, is love of ourselves. I have no doubt, although it may seem such, NO one is actually in a state where they do NOT feel love and must therefore believe in it.
March 3, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Hello again Naumadd – Now listen, I never said Love is a belief…, I said you must believe in Love! Likewise God is not a belief, you must believe in God. For example: haven’t you ever said or heard someone said trust me or believe me???
Now, your proof of Love for cheesecake is not proof!!! All you provided was an general explanation as to why a person could like or love cheesecake. Now what happen if I said I understand your explanation but I still don’t believe you. You could be a good actor who expresses Love for cheesecake. What now??? How do you prove Love???
Now you said, “All in all, I do not have to believe in love – I feel it or I do not.
Your Right!!! you don’t have too… But you’ll never experience and feel the Love of God without faith in it.
Also, I don’t like cheesecake!!! I never had or taste cheesecake. Yet I tell people I don’t like cheesecake when I never had it. Now don’t you think I have to be convinced it’s good and I would like it. And how would this be possible without me believing I would like it???
March 22, 2010 at 9:47 pm
Phairw- in regards to your March 3 post at 8:31 PM….you said, “Now listen, I never said Love is a belief…, I said you must believe in Love! Likewise God is not a belief, you must believe in God…”
if you believe in love, then you have a belief in love…and if you believe in “god”, then you believe in “god”….which makes your statement 100% contradictory….just sayin “god is not a belief, you must believe in god…” is the same thing as ‘you must believe in god, but god is not a belief’?? …just sayin…. i would have followed your argument with more interest as i love to analyze things, but you not only seem to contradict yourself, you also seem to be trying to press your religion on others….i am all for stating your opinion, and i will listen and respect it, but to force something or try to….no cool….in my opinion…
March 22, 2010 at 9:51 pm
Phairw- in regards to your March 3 post at 8:31 PM….you said, “Now listen, I never said Love is a belief�, I said you must believe in Love! Likewise God is not a belief, you must believe in God…”
if you believe in love, then you have a belief in love…and if you believe in “god”, then you believe in “god”….which makes your statement 100% contradictory….just sayin “god is not a belief, you must believe in god…” is the same thing as ‘you must believe in god, but god is not a belief’?? …just sayin…. i would have followed your argument with more interest as i love to analyze things, but you not only seem to contradict yourself, you also seem to be trying to press your religion on others….i am all for stating your opinion, and i will listen and respect it, but to force something or try to….no cool….in my opinion…
March 4, 2009 at 6:25 am
PhairW – You’re attempting to make the point that you must “believe in love”. As I have said, there is no reason to believe in love when one can merely experience it first-hand. Also, unless one has experienced love first-hand, “belief in love” is impossible. Without a frame of reference from personal experience or one that can be deduced from personal experience, you can’t possibly understand what the concept of “love” is to believe in it. Of course, if you’ve had personal experience with feelings of love, what would be the utility of belief in it? Why insist on the necessity of believing in love when you’ve genuinely felt the emotion for yourself? One can understand why one can only generally “believe” what one is told about other planets in the solar system or perhaps what one is told about animal species in the Antarctic. Without personal experience regarding these things, belief is all one has … unless, of course, one eventually acquires direct experience with those things. It is then that belief is no longer necessary. One can now speak of them from personal experience. Belief no longer has any utility with regard to those things you’ve directly experienced.
I understand you reject my “proof” of my love for cheesecake. As I stated, direct observation of my behavioral responses to the eating of cheesecake as well as the physiological reactions for what would qualify as scientific evidence of such is impossible over the internet. Nevertheless, I view your rejection of my reasonable attempt as rather arbitrary and mostly predictable. I’m confident I stated a good argument of proof that I indeed “love” cheesecake and feel no need to give you more of an effort.
You state that you don’t like cheesecake but yet you’ve never tasted it, i.e., never had direct physical experience with the eating of cheesecake. I would submit you DON’T actually hate cheesecake but rather you hate the IDEA of cheesecake which is a very different matter. Your idea is quite likely related to actual physical experience with other things, perhaps with cheeses and cakes and the idea of combining the two together seems repulsive to you in spite of the fact you have no direct experience with cheesecake itself. This is something we humans do all the time, however, understand your alleged dislike of cheesecake has nothing to do with cheesecake itself. It can’t because you’ve not directly experienced it. As for attempting to convince you that you’d like cheesecake, the only argument I could make to do that without your actual sampling of cheesecake is to point out that I love it, I love it for very concrete reasons which have been repeated numerous times and I would perhaps supplement that argument with the fact that millions around the world also love cheesecake. The belief that might arise in your mind will be belief in my honesty as regards my own experiences and my honesty as regards to what I know about the experiences of others relating to cheesecake. You will believe or you won’t based on your own experiences and your own reasoning abilities. All of this belief, however, becomes moot the moment you actually try cheesecake directly. From that point on, assuming you don’t leave your liking or disliking to just one sample, your like or dislike of cheesecake will derive from actual experience, not belief. In any event, before you try it, you do not have to believe you’ll like it, you simply have to believe what I’m telling you enough that you are convinced to try it. No argument of mine will be sufficient until you physically sample it and make up your own damned mind.
As for “god”, unless you have directly experienced a “god”, all you have is belief, not experience. That belief might have some arguable support … then again, it quite likely will not. In any case, as to any claims to direct experience with a “god”, to convince others of the truth of that experience, you must provide the means for others to directly experience the same and/or provide sufficient deductive support for your belief without direct experience, otherwise your attempt to prove your claims is likely to fail. In my “proof” of my love of cheesecake, I admitted up front you could not directly experience the physical evidence of my “love of cheesecake”, however, as I stated, I believe I provided a argument from general facts to allay most reasonable doubts to my claim which you arbitrarily dismiss. Any “proof” one can give over the internet is bound to be incomplete, however, I never originally stated a conclusive proof could be given over the internet. I merely said I could prove it beyond reasonable doubt without committing to where and when, how or to whom. It would have been irrational to do so because, again, such conclusive proof is impossible in a mere text posting.
March 4, 2009 at 10:20 am
Naumadd – You don’t like to answer my questions!!! Your like a man in politics…, Listen, I know what I’m attempting to do, you don’t have to tell me. Only let me know if you don’t understand me Okay! And I will do a better job of getting my point across.
Now, I was so glad to read your response this time because you said some things I totally agree with…, I know I said this earlier but I’ll said it again: I have experienced, felt, and encountered PURE LOVE!!! And I can testify it was GOD!!! I know for myself God is Real!!! And that their only One true and Living, Almighty God. Whose unforgetable Love can conquer death. I have come to know God’s love by the presents of the Holy Ghost in me. I can feel it when I pray, mediate, and many times I feel the presents of God when reading the Bible. This wonderful feeling of Love is greater than the love & joy a personal feels if he wins the lottery or comes into a lot of money somehow. This wonderful feeling is comforting to know and helps me face life. For I believe it give me power to overcome all pain and sorrow the world could offer….,
Now is this proof, God is Real??? I said, I can feel his love!!! Many other christians may tell you the same.
Going by what you say, I don’t believe, I know God is Real. And your Right!!! But, I still have to believe in Love because Love is how we build and live our lives!!!
For example: You got married because the love you and your wife feel for each other, made you BELIEVE it would last until death and ya’ll built a life together, Right??? (if not please explain why you got married)
Also keep in mind marriage has nothing to do with science and has everything to do with faith, after all it’s orgin is from the BIBLE!!!
Psy says:
March 4, 2009 at 10:32 am
Phairw asked: “Now don’t you think I have to be convinced it’s good and I would like it.”
No I don’t. Personally I like cheesecake covered with strawberries or raspberries and you are free to evaluate that information on your own. I will not insult your intelligence by presuming you are so incompetent and stupid that you can’t think for yourself. I respect your right to not try cheesecake for your own reasons.
March 4, 2009 at 11:16 am
Psy – I’m not sure you understand! I know I could evaluate that info on my own, but I choose not too… for reasons you may not understand or agree with but I choose not to eat cheesecake. Now, I thank you for not insulting my intelligence because I can think for myself and I know full well all I have to do is taste it and see if I like. But I don’t want too… Now this convo is not about cheesecake. It’s about proving you love something or someone without faith involved. Okay!!! Now I won’t eat cheesecake simple because I don’t believe I’ll like it and so I don’t want to try it.
Now you may say, I don’t know what I’m missing and you might be Right because if I taste it, I might find out I do like cheesecake. But I don’t care, I’m fine without cheesecake in my life.
On the other hand, concerning God, I’m here to help the Atheist community and try to convince you guys that God is real. Don’t treat God like I treat cheesecake because you will be the big loser at the end of time. And God isn’t someone you can live without…, Forever!!!
Psy says:
March 4, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Phairw said “On the other hand, concerning God, I’m here to help the Atheist community and try to convince you guys that God is real. Don’t treat God like I treat cheesecake because you will be the big loser at the end of time. And God isn’t someone you can live without…, Forever!!!”
Another variation on the eternal damnation sales pitch and claims that its better than cheesecake. Either you are a con-man or you’ve been conned into doing the dirty work. I have read the Bible from cover to cover along with other religious books back in the mid 90’s and concluded that I have no use for religion. Yet you think its alright to treat me like some simpleton. Why do you think think its alright to insult my intelligence?
If you do some research you will find in general that atheist are analytical thinkers and not emotional thinkers. As for myself I can’t relate to your emotional sales pitch however if you can find something along the lines of the endorphin rush caused by over thinking instead of the illusion of security brought about by your love concept I’d be interested in hearing about it.
Do you have anything that appeals adrenaline? I occasionally enjoy skydiving, rock climbing, high diving and flying airplanes.
Basically what I see you selling here is no different than drug addiction to your love, fear concept.
March 4, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Psy – I’m sorry if you feel I have insulted you. That was/is not my intentions. Forgive me! But, I will not apoligze for our disagreement about the existence of God.
Now you said you read the Bible from Beginning to End. And You have no use for religion. GOOD! me too…, Religion is worthless without purpose. I don’t read the Bible for religion, I read the Bible for salvation. I don’t believe in God for religion, I believe in God because of his Love. Religion is just a way of life i.e I live religiously as a believer in God and you live religiously as a non-believer. Now I’m not here to talk about religion. I here to talk about God!
God is Love!!! That’s what I believe. Love is the creator of the World!!! That’s what I believe. Without Love/God there is no life. So according to me, it is not wise to have no belief in Love/God because without it theirs no life. The world in which we live is dying!!! We are dying!!! This should seriously concern everyone. Death is the #1 problem in the world, Yet we seem to just live life without trying to overcome this problem. But, we are looking for cures for AIDS, and many other sickness; we eat food to live and some of us tries to prolong death by eating healthy; basically our every effort is to live and not die. But it’s all in vain because death will find us. Why!!! Because the LOVE that lives in this world is fading away; imperfect; failing us; and is becoming non-existent. The Love in the heart of mankind will die. And when it does, life will be no more. All because we don’t believe in Love/God. Love which Atheists simplify as only an emotion is capable of bringing a man & women together and create a family. And that family can become tribes and those tribes can become a nation(s). Creating a world built by L-O-V-E. But, we don’t believe!!! So we die. Mankind’s knowledge of love today almost can’t build a home for our children any more. With all the abortions, and foster homes, baby mommas & fathers, children not knowing the parents, and etc. It’s no wonder to me why we’re dying. The Bible is Right!!! We are lost and we can’t see. We live like animals, without knowledge of pure LOVE!!! And it’s sad because we were made in the image of God.
March 4, 2009 at 6:26 pm
I cannot speak for my wives, but I got married because I personally felt love for each of them and personally desired to live with them within the commitment of a marriage. If there was or is belief in anything regarding my marriages, in the case of the first two, I had what was at the time a reasonable belief in the authenticity of each of those persons with regard to commitment and their claims of love for me. Some of their actions reinforced my belief, others did not. In the end, their behaviors falsified my belief. Neither were authentic in the claims of commitment or love. I divorced them. As for my current wife, based on what I’ve been able to observe in our interactions both before and since the wedding, I again have a reasonable belief she is authentic in her claims of commitment and love. Again, some of her behavior affirms my belief, some it does not. None of this was a “belief in love”, it was belief in the authenticity of each of their claims of commitment and love for me. Had I not had that supportable belief based on my real experiences with them before the actual weddings, no weddings would have taken place and I would have moved on. I did not “believe in love” for each of these persons – I felt it. The marriages were not based on a belief in love, but rather a reasonable belief in the authenticity of each person’s claims. A marriage isn’t about how I feel, it is about how my potential mate feels as well. I can know without any doubt what MY feelings are, however, I have to take as only belief what their feelings are. I can believe their feelings are genuine either for rational reasons or irrational ones. I’m convinced my belief regarding how each felt was rational for the duration of each relationship in that their claims to commitment and love seemed genuine in the beginning and, over time, changed to inauthentic which prompted me each time to end the relationship. I do not believe I made an error at any time but rather their commitment and love changed over time from authentic to inauthentic. I acted according to what information I had all along the way and continue to do so in my current marriage.
I do not belief in MY love – I feel it. Belief is not required. I continue, however, to believe my current wife loves me and with demonstrable reason. When I’m no longer convinced there is reason to believe she loves me, I will end the relationship regardless of my personal feelings for her. My belief in the authenticity of her claims of commitment and love are dependent on her behavior. It is not an empty belief, it is a supportable belief. That belief will change when her behavior changes.
“Also keep in mind marriage has nothing
to do with science and has everything
to do with faith, after all it’s orgin
is from the BIBLE!!!”
Though I agree there can be belief or “faith” involved in an individual’s thinking and behavior with regard to “marriage”, I do not agree “faith” is necessarily part of it. I disagree that “marriage” between two or more human beings has “nothing to do with science”. It is absolutely a matter for science with regard to human behavior as much as are questions such as why we create and need music or why some people have blue eyes and others have brown. Science is merely the tool we use to understand the nature of everything we can observe – and most certainly including ourselves – and how to manipulate it to our advantage (technology). There is nothing beyond the study of science. I say this because science is merely the practice of accurate observation then filtered through logically-consistent reason – our senses and our minds. Because we necessarily use our senses and reason, albeit mostly inefficiently, to come to “know” or believe anything at all, we are doing precisely what science does but more accurately and more logically. “Marriage” as a human behavior is most certainly a topic of study in psychology, sociology, anthropology, politics, economics, and on and on. There is no aspect of the human experience beyond the scope of science to study and to attempt to explain.
I also disagree that the origins of ALL marriage are in the Judeo-Christian and Muslim religious documents. The origin of the human behavior called “marriage” predates those religions. Granted the Jewish, Christian, or Muslim BRANDS of marriage may or may not originate with those religions, however, the broader concept of “marriage” does not. In fact, I’d venture to say the concept of “marriage” – an intensely mutually-held commitment of one individual with one or more others likely predates our species. The Jewish, Christian and Muslim notions of “marriage” are certainly very narrow ones. My notion of marriage is much broader than any of those. To me a “marriage” is merely a deep commitment to voluntarily merge one’s own life with that of one or more others with the intent of maintaining that merging indefinitely. My notion of marriage does not callously exclude any individual from the possibility of marriage with one or more others. It most certainly doesn’t require unsupportable belief in an alleged “supernatural” and all others claim that includes. “Marriage” is a human behavior. Human beings exist, and human beings marry or they do not just as they eat cheesecake or they do not. There is no belief in a “god” necessary for any of that to occur or to be true.
Psy says:
March 4, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Phairw, no need to apologize, I understand religion is a form of collectivism and how collectivist need to keep each other in check and reaffirm their beliefs. However I am an individualist:
From Wikipedia, Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, or social outlook that stresses independence and self-reliance. Individualists promote the exercise of one’s goals and desires, while opposing most external interference upon one’s choices, whether by society, or any other group or institution. Individualism is opposed to collectivism, which stress that communal, community, group, societal, or national goals should take priority over individual goals. Individualism is also opposed to any tradition or other form of external moral standard being used to limit an individual’s choice of actions.
“Religion is worthless without purpose. I don’t read the Bible for religion, I read the Bible for salvation. I don’t believe in God for religion,”
Personally I see no reason for a God or Gods, but as for purpose in the US religion seems to be for uniting people and communities against threats real or imagined and social interaction. It also makes it easier to put together an army which won’t question those who project the illusion of authority, a god figure or president.
I perceive Far Eastern religion as promoting emotional growth, as an example meditative states supposedly quiet the mind from the constant random thoughts we all have constantly roaming through our minds. They claim this allows quicker emotional growth. The counter argument is that it takes away your ambition. If your goal is selflessness this is a good thing, however if you live in a capitalist society you are considered a lazy bum.
As for the value of life and family I agree with you to a point excluding your mythology of course. As for tribal and nationalism they are forms of divisionism and exclusionism. I see the world without imaginary boarders, sadly most of the world does not.
“we don’t believe!!! So we die.”
Hasn’t anyone told you that its OK to die. Belief in a god or gods won’t change the fact that we are mortal.
March 5, 2009 at 9:58 am
Okay first Naumadd – Why are you working so hard to disagree with what I say??? Your last arguement (to me) was very bad!!! I know your trying to logically disprove the Christian God but now it seems you just want to be diffcult.
I agreed with you that Love is something you can feel. But, I still say you must believe in it, in order to make a life. Here’s your argument using marriage for our example: I did not “believe in love†for each of these persons – I felt it. The marriages were not based on a belief in love, but rather a reasonable belief in the authenticity of each person’s claims…., Now maybe I don’t understand what your saying because, your statement seems to me, just another way of saying they believe in your LOVE for them and you believe in their Love for you…. which means you got married because you and they, believe in LOVE!!! Now WHY you think & say you didn’t Believe in Love is beyond me. Either I misunderstood you, or your just going to be diffcult & disagree with me no matter what I say. If I misunderstood you please, I need further explanation of your argument. But, if your just being diffcult at all cost, there’s no need for me to continue chatting with you because this convo will be going nowhere.
Psy – lol….. I’m trying my best to figure you out!!! I don’t know if your serious with some of you comments…,
Your last argument seems to be sincere except your last statement:
You said, “Hasn’t anyone told you that its OK to die. Belief in a god or gods won’t change the fact that we are mortal.”
Are you serious??? Are you telling me it’s ok to die??? Is this how you comfort people who lost a love one at funerals??? Will this be your words of wisdom to family and friends if they find out they have CANCER, AIDS, or any other serious sickness…..???
My friend, your Right!!! believing in God or gods won’t change the fact that we will die. But telling me it’s Okay to die is not comforting to me and many others and shouldn’t be comforting to you. But that’s your business!!! Now, I have found comfort dealing with death by believing in God/Love. I hope to live again after death by the power of Love/God…, this is my comfort dealing with death. Facing death is the hardest thing in life, if you ask me. And we all need comfort!!! Please, I beg you, don’t tell a mother whose son got shot, it Okay if he dies and doesn’t come back; or a child whose parents died in a car accident, it’s okay that your parents are dead.
I’m not able to understand your logic and/or rational answer for death. So if your serious please explain.
Psy says:
March 5, 2009 at 11:09 am
I have lost many friends and family in my lifetime and have found comfort when I told that its OK to die. As have other, I have heard it told to people on their deathbeds as a nurse told me that some people need permission to die. Fear of death is natural but it is stronger in some more than others sometimes to the point of phobia – Thanatophobia. I am in no hurry to die but I am not scared to death of death.
David Carradine from the old Kung Fu TV series “How do we know that death isn’t the greatest thing?”.
March 5, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Psy – ok, I see your point. But, I’m in total disagreement.
The words you offer people to deal with death (to me) is false comfort, and ignores the seriousness of death in order to deal with the natural fear of death. I would never tell anyone it’s okay to DIE!!! And nobody will never be able to comfort me with those words…, These words ignores all my efforts to live. These words say what’s the point of hospitals, medicine, cures and looking for cures when it’s okay to die. And if I include your last statement it gets worst: Could David Carradine be saying what’s the point of life when death might be better???
I totally understand everyone must somehow, someway deal with the fear of death because if they don’t, how will they go on with their lives? But, what your offering for comfort is wrong. And how you and anyone else are comfort with these words is beyond me. Ya’ll have overcome the fear of death (falsely to me), but actually dealing with death itself you offer no answers.
Psy says:
March 5, 2009 at 3:09 pm
=but actually dealing with death itself you offer no answers.
Why would you assume there would be an acceptable answer?
That may be why so many people turn to religion or God, I didn’t find any answers there, just false hope and empty promises in exchange for obedience. I concluded the god concept was the equivalent of selling your soul for a promise.
March 5, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Psy – Right!!! that is why people believe in God because an answer to solve the problem of death is given!!!
Now you didn’t find an answer because you don’t believe. You say false hope because you don’t understand; and you say empty promises in exchange for obedience because you do not excerise faith in God so you have no desire to follow. You can’t prove nothing you say. You can only say I don’t believe!!! Which is your choice & your right to do!!!
But, I believe and that’s my choice & my right to do!!! I found an answer for death in the Bible and I’m sad you missed it. The hope offered in the Bible isn’t false to me it’s real and comforting. Promises recorded in the Bible are rich & desirable and my obedience is a very small price to pay.
In conclusion, God’s Love is free and offered as a gift to the world but only believers receive. And theirs nothing I can sell God that he needs. He’s only looking for me to love him in return.
March 5, 2009 at 5:38 pm
PhairW – What I’ve been trying to say about my relationships with each of my wives is their behavior testified to what their feelings for me likely were or are and my behavior testified to what my feelings likely were for them. You want to use the word “believe” as I “believed their love”. What I’m trying to say is I KNOW they loved me and they KNEW I loved them through genuinely real expressions in action and word. When I was no longer convinced by their word and action they did NOT love me, were NOT committed to me, I broke the relationships. I’m merely making the distinction between “believing” and “knowing”. If I merely believed they loved me, it would have far less to do with any evidence of their love and commitment and far more to do with my wanting to cling to an unsubstantiated belief. When I say I KNOW they were committed to me and KNOW they loved me, that knowledge is based on actual behaviors that could not have been interpreted any other way than that they were committed to and loved me. In other words – evidence of love. Without such evidence, it would have been belief without good reason for it.
I approach the notion of a “god” in precisely the same way, if I see concrete and deductive reason to think such a thing exists, I will know it exists. I will not have to BELIEVE it exists. For me, because I have self-respect and respect for good reasoning versus poor reasoning – my values – I do not indulge in belief without cause. You claim that “god is love”. I experience love all of the time regarding many, many things. I have not once seen any evidence in all of that love that it had to do with anything or anyone except my own mind. I see no reasonable evidence for a “god” or that such “god” is “love”. One would think that, if what theists claim is true, we would see concrete evidence everywhere around us and within us. I’m a reasonable human being and incredibly open to experience, possibilities and likelihoods. If anyone was going to stumble on such an alleged “deity”, I would be it. In fact, in spite of attempting to discover and observe such evidence, I have found none and continue to find none. I cannot believe because such believe has no substance. I cannot know for the same reason.
So it is with “love”. I do not BELIEVE my wife loves me – I know it from her actual behavior. She does not need to believe my love for her, she know I love her from my actual behavior. Neither of us needs belief – we know. We know because we each feel it within ourselves and can feel it coming from the other.
If you BELIEVE I’m merely being difficult rather than attempting to engage in rational discourse with you, you can discontinue addressing me at your leisure. What you don’t KNOW is I’m actually taking great care to engage with you and with all authenticity for a rational discussion. That you believe I’m being deliberately difficult is a false belief. All of the evidence is here in this discussion for you to KNOW I’m being genuine and patient. All you have to do is open to it.
Psy says:
March 5, 2009 at 8:25 pm
=The hope offered in the Bible isn’t false to me it’s real and comforting.
Comforting? I have no understanding of this need for comfort. What is so scary about life? I mean the world is a playground of things to do, places to go and people to see. I don’t get it.
March 6, 2009 at 10:18 am
Naumadd – Okay! I fully understand you now, Thank You!!! I thought you were just being diffcult but, if you review your previous argument, I think you would or should agree it’s different from your current argument/explanation (it doesn’t further explain).
Okay, so now that I feel like we are having a reasonable debative convo…, I still disagree, and I think you’re simply in denial respectfully.
Now, I said it before and I’ll say it again…, I know God is real because I can feel his LOVE!!! In Life we prove what’s REAL by our five senses, RIGHT??? (Sight, Sound, Taste, Feel/Touch, & smell) If you agree, I testify that God is Real because I can feel him within me. By sight I couldn’t prove God but that’s okay, neither can a blind person. By sound I can’t prove God but that’s Okay, neither can a deaf person. By smell or taste I couldn’t accurately prove God but that’s okay, I need sight and/or maybe hearing even to know what I’m smelling and tasting. But, by feeling him I know he’s REAL and everybody (no matter the conditon) can feel LOVE. Now LOVE come from someone or something alive. Therefore I know God is REAL and I believe in God and the power of his LOVE. Now I can tell you about it and help you understand and even guide you in the direction to receiving this Love for yourself. But, You must have faith or else you will never know what I mean and can never know this level of LOVE.
Psy – I don’t know how you got disconnected from our convo but let me put us back on track…, The comfort being talked about is for death. Death is what’s so scary about life. Death stops life, RIGHT??? I want to live, I think you want to live, so logically Death is a problem, RIGHT??? You said, previously you are an analytical thinker…, so show me!!! Does this make sense to you…???
Now although you comment seems to me off track, I’m still glad you made this statement: “I mean the world is a playground of things to do, places to go and people to see.” — This statement confirms my earlier argument that people who don’t believe in God ignores the seriousness of death. You comfort yourself against the fear of it. And live life without an answer to overcome death. Yes, I know life can be enjoyable. But I (and many others) can’t enjoy life with the gloom of death all around me (us)! Atheism offers me no answers. But God has an answer, so now I can live life free of all my worries concerning death. I hope you understand and we’re now back on track with our convo!!!
Psy says:
March 6, 2009 at 12:42 pm
I (and many others) can’t enjoy life with the gloom of death all around me (us)!
So why do you insist on converting atheist to your placebo cure for doom and gloom when we don’t suffer from your “authoritarian personality” disorders and insecurities?
March 6, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Psy – Listen, I’m having trouble understanding you. Your replies are opening wide the door of confusion in my mind. I don’t know if you serious or not, if you’re just being diffcult no matter what I say, or maybe you don’t understand me so our convo can’t stay on track. I’m really starting to become un-interested in your comments!!!
It seems you ignoring everything I say, and only attacking selective portions of my statements that you choose. I’m not ignoring you and I’m taking you very serious, allowing you the chance to prove to me, that there is no GOD! I’m putting my faith on the line and allowing you and anyone else to challenge my belief, point out the faults and/or flaws. Likewise, with the Heading of this forum being: Logically disproving the Christian God, I join in this forum to represent my faith in the Christian God and show the flaws and/or faults of Atheism.
Now please, I’m here to debate with individuals making rational, logical, and reasonable comments that show why they are an Atheist and why they think their Right. Individuals who honestly answers my questions and I do the same. You ignore all of my questions. You have put me in your christian or theist category of crazy losers, and do not debate with me according to what I say. And you want me to answer your questions.
Now I’m willing to try again. I’ll start by answering your last question to me. But, if we continue in this confusion I will stop my replies to you. Okay!!!
Now, to answer your question, I want you to know the truth that God is real and he’s our only help to deal with death. I’m trying to persuade and compel you. There’s nothing “authoritarian” about what I’m doing. You not forced to believe me. I’m not insecure, my belief in God makes me secure. I believe you are insecure but your unaware because you ignore death due to you reasoning of not being afraid of death. (which we discuss earlier). Now can you answer my previous question(s)???
The Atheist says:
March 7, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Ok, I feel I’m rejoining this a little late in the day, but your discussions are fascinating.
Phairw – I think one of the patterns in your comments is that you are very fearful. You mention using your belief to comfort people who are grieving, or dying, and that comfort that does not take this approach is “false comfort”. Would your approach be of comfort to a family who had just lost a treasured child who was an atheist, or one who was too young to believe or be Christened? Would they not go to purgatory? How would this be of any comfort to a grieving family?
As for love, there has been a great debate here as to whether love is observable or whether love is God. As Psy and I have pointed out, love is an observable reaction in the brain. The feeling we experience is the result of the presence of this chemical reaction. I do not have to believe my partner loves me, she tells me she does and her actions support her statements to the affirmative. I can’t “feel” her love, I can only witness her actions. I’m intrigued as to how you can feel the emotions of another entity, especially since that entity is invisible, imperceptible and completely, absolutely, fundamentally unproven. To take another example, when my partner is happy, a reaction takes place in her amygdala which ultimately leads to a physical change, most notably her smiling. I don’t “feel” her happiness, it’s there for me to see and to perceive. I don’t “believe” her happiness, because there’s no need, I can see it. Even where someone attempts to hide their emotions, the perceptive amongst us can still pick up on micro-emotions and subtle changes in their body. Again, no need to “believe”.
Whilst it certainly seems less romantic to dissect emotions, it’s still a valid exercise and allows us to more effectively treat psychological disorders.
The point of this article was to prove, logically, that the Christian God does no exist. If God is love to you, then that is your view which you’re entitled to. You’ve artfully avoided the crux of the original article though, the suggestion that the God as defined by the Christian Bible cannot exist because it is inherently a contradiction. Whoever wrote the Bible was not infallible, because we know the Bible is inaccurate, describes events that did not take place and continually contradicts itself.
March 7, 2009 at 11:30 pm
The Atheist – Please understand me! I’m not fearful or living fearfully. My belief in God comforts my fears and believe me, I’m Fine!!! I don’t fear death or anything else for that matter due to my belief in God. Does that mean I can’t be startled, shocked, or even afraid of something or someone like a snake or murder, NO!!! The comfort I found in God, helps me to be able to face the worst of the world’s pain and sorrow it can offer. And I can live free, without fear, knowing and/or believing no matter what, everything will be alright in the end. Now before I believed in God, I lived my life willfully ignoring the reality of death until one day, I thought I was dead. That experience caused me to sober up to the fact that death is real, shouldn’t be ignored, and I needed to find an answer creditable to deal with it.
Now I would try to comfort all people and say, there is a Love that exist, stronger than death, able to bring you back alive again if you would only believe in it. I would tell a greiving family (believers or non-believers), that person (dead one, now gone) is now in the hands of God, God is Love, and their no better place to be. And etc (I hope you get the idea), this would be my words of comfort.
I wouldn’t tell nobody about purgatory because I don’t believe in purgatory, I never read anything about purgatory in the Bible. That’s what Cathloic’s teaches shamefully in the christian faith. I apoligze to you and the Atheist’s community for that (I’m deeply sorrow, I wish I could stop the lies but sorrowfully, lies are everywhere).
Now you’re Right, I never disagreed with PSY and I’m not disagreeing with You, Love is observable!!! Whether it be in the brain, or in couples, or in families, marriages, and etc. YES it’s true, Love can be observed. But Love must be felt and how can someone feel love unless they believe in that love??? You guys give examples trying to disprove what I say. Ya’ll are in denial!!! For example, again: We (mankind) identify what’s real with our five senses including Love. Now Love is invisble to the eyes, it’s an emotion RIGHT??? Love can’t be heard, an emotion can’t make a sound RIGHT??? Is Love something you can taste or smell? (I hope we can agree the answer is NO) But, you can feel it that’s how we now it’s REAL!!! Now in order to observe Love with our other senses and call it REAL, we must believe in it. I don’t know how a man can see a woman and call her the love of his life unless faith is involved in what he see. A woman crying for her dead child, is that not the sound of her Love grieving? would you believe she love her child according to the sound of her cries. (remember some people can fake) Taste of Love, check out our cheesecake convo. Smell of Love, basiclly on the same level of taste. Depends on the person and what they believe smell or taste good (after all, everybody will not agree). I hope you can understand my point and argument.
Now you’re Right again!!! about the article heading. So unless someone still wants to talk about the previous argument about God is Love, I’m ready to get back on track. Now there’s no contradictions from a christian’s point of veiw of the Bible. But, to a non-believer the Bible is full of contraditions. Now, who’s view of the Bible is right??? (that would be the question). HMMM…..
Now I’m a christian and I pray to God!!! To you this may seem retarded and stupid, Why, you don’t believe! (maybe I’m talking to the air or to myself with my eyes closed as far as you can tell but I’m certainly not talking to nobody, because your not blind and you don’t see anyone).
Likewise the Bible will offend all non-believers in like fashion. Without faith and/or a believing heart, you all are RIGHT to say the Bible contradicts itself. I would totally agree with you if I didn’t have faith. And I would totally agree with you if you can prove my faith in God is misplace. Faith, Love, and Hope are the three most important things needed to understanding the Life of a Christian. Love is #1 on the list because faith and hope is void & worthless without Love. But Love won’t survive without Faith and hope. You must Believe in Love and hope in it’s abilities.
I hope I may myself clear and to the point
Psy says:
March 8, 2009 at 12:02 am
Sorry Phairw, I still don’t get it.
But its not your fault, I think its a lack of a common point of reference. You say ‘I feel, I believe’ while I say ‘I see, I think’. Obliviously I’m not on the same channel. Its late but I will see what I can find on the internet to help me understand or relate to what you are saying.
Under(/)ath says:
March 27, 2009 at 3:07 pm
“I am inclined to say that possibilities do exist. Even if no actual universe existed, its possibility would exist, together with the possibilities of every other possible universe, all comprising an infinite set of possibilities. . . But how can mere possibilities exist? One must be logically ruthless, and say that either there are really no possibilities or that they exist in something actual. In that case, since possibilities will always, eternally, exist, there never is absolutely nothing. There is always something, and something that can contain in itself every possibility. A definition of a ‘necessarily existing being’ is that it is a being which exists in every possible logical world (where ‘a world’ is taken to cover absolutely everything that actually exists). If, wherever anything is possible, there exists an actual being which contains that possibility, and if that actual being is the same in all possible worlds, then by definition that actual being is a necessarily existing being.
“Now all possibilities, as possibilities, are necessarily existent. That is, every possible world exists in every other possible world, precisely as a possible, but usually non-actual, world. Therefore the actual being that contains each possible world is one and the same being that contains all possible worlds. So there is one and only one actual and necessarily existing being. It will itself exist of necessity, and it will necessarily contain all possibilities in itself.”
– Keith Ward
April 17, 2009 at 3:59 pm
This is a pointless exercise. Every scientific attempt to prove there is no god can just be countered by “He’s God. He made science that way. Every result we find through science was by his design”.
The christian bible, on the other hand, is clearly a piece of crap fiction, and all efforts should be made to enlighten people of that.
April 20, 2009 at 7:39 am
justsomedude – I’m sorry you feel that way!!! — As a christian, I joined the chat because of the title heading. And I’m allowing my faith in God to be challenged by anyone who think they can logically disproved the Christian God. No one has done so, YET !!!!! ……all they have done is shown & explained there doubt in the Christian God.
Now I would love to hear you reasoning for saying, “The christian bible, on the other hand, is clearly a piece of crap fiction” You sound like your able to “CLEARLY” show and/or explain. So here’s your chance please enlighten me, so I can stop foolishly living as a christian.
April 20, 2009 at 7:58 am
The Atheist – I like the new look of your blog site!!!! VERY NICE!!! But the pic of a Christmas Tree by my name, I don’t like. Can I send you a pic or something???? I know the christmas tree idea came from the church (Catholic church to be exact). But, I don’t support Christmas, A christmas tree, Santa Claus, and many other lies not found in the BIBLE!!! Thank You in advance.
The Atheist says:
April 20, 2009 at 11:45 am
Hi Phairw. Glad you like the new look. The picture next to your name, called an avatar, is actually randomly generated. It does look like a Christmas tree, but I think it’s supposed to be some sort of germ or something.
If you want to change the picture, you can do so at gravatar.com. It’s a completely free service that links your email address to a picture. Then, when you leave a comment on any site that supports it, the image will show up next to your name. It lets you show a consistent image across all the sites that you comment on.
April 20, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Thank You very much!!!
I thought that image was a christmas tree and I don’t want you or anyone else to think of me a the common christian who supports everything taught in christian history and in our present day. I follow the Holy Bible (a library of 66 books). That’s IT!!!! If the Bible doesn’t support it, I don’t either.
Thanks again, for that website info.
Under(/)ath says:
April 21, 2009 at 10:18 am
May 19, 2009 at 10:46 am
May 19, 2009 at 11:54 am
GODISSOREAL – Now why would you say that??? What do you hope to accomplish with this statement??? Are you trying to scare ppl into the church??? Don’t you know the Atheist community understand already that the Bible talks about Heaven & Hell???
I’m a believer in Christ as you are. And I’m disappointed in you with this comment. You will win nobody this way!!! All this does is make the Atheist community continue to frown on the Church and Christians. PPL who consider themselves an Atheist lack understanding of REAL & TRUE LOVE!!! We will do better to help them by explaining the reality of God, instead of chasing them away from the church with statement such as your. I hope you will reconsider your comment because now is not the time or place for this statement. Okay!!!
Glad you are a believer in Christ, and I pray God give you understanding and wisdom to win other for God.
NOT The Atheist says:
May 22, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Hmmmm….. God DOES exist. He is not the “God” we know of but a person. I have a theory that proves existence of a “God” but, This is not the “christian God” but another power. Let’s start from the moment the world began. After that, our universe goes through 4 billion years. Then, suddenly, Christianity appeared! Why does it just pop up? The “BIBLE” said that the inspiration comes from John the baptist. Does it sound weird? 1 person influenced another which in the long run influenced more than 1 billion people. One person with some helpers? No. It is larger than that. This is because Jesus is a TIME TRAVELER. God is THE FIRST TIME TRAVELER IN HISTORY. I will explain this more if I had the time but I don’t have. But I will Explain more.
May 22, 2009 at 12:41 pm
The Atheist – I’m glad you seem to have finally accepted the existence of a “Almighty God”. GOOD!!! Now you just need a better understand about GOD.
So now, If you truly believe in the existence of God, ARE YOU STILL An ATHEIST???? because if so, WHY & HOW when, Atheism whole existence is based on, NON belief in the existence of GOD?
The Atheist says:
May 22, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Phairw – I’m afraid that wasn’t me, but rather someone pretending to be me. Unfortunately, theists have to resort to dishonesty, lies and deception to try and get their points across. It’s a real shame.
May 24, 2009 at 1:22 pm
god otherwise known as Lysergic acid diethylamide
this conversation will never end, so i say to each their own
May 24, 2009 at 5:32 pm
PhairW
Science knows much about why and how we love. It typically asks questions religions rarely if ever do, which is why science knows and will always know far more about every human emotion – love included – than religion will ever be able to explain or fully appreciate beyond a childlike understanding. Lucky for religion, you can always learn from science. Sadly, science can learn nothing from the irrationality of religion save information regarding its dysfunctions.
Just for some interesting reading, here’s an article at New Scientist magazine online. I’m certain a search on “scientific explanation for love” will get you much more.
phil says:
May 26, 2009 at 2:45 am
I disagree with your premise, sir! Smart Christians don’t believe that the Bible that we have is infallible.
Hughbert says:
June 4, 2009 at 3:27 am
I don’t believe in God but this argument is weak and stupid and makes illogical assumptions and jumps, not unlike arguments proving the existence of God. Firstly one of the main premises of your argument is a complete falsehood. The Bible is not ‘the true word of God’ and I would say that only the most ignorant of Christians would claim that it was. The Bible is an account written by others and even that has been subject to thousands of years worth of change and alteration. This argument may apply to religious texts like the Qu’ran which claim to have been directly written by God, but not the Bible. Secondly, because the Bible is incorrect does not prove the non-existence of God. As I mentioned the message may have been changed and perverted over time but thats not to say that God isn’t still around, sitting on a cloud shaking his head. Just because there is a typo on the box, doesn’t mean that its empty. Also, if you are admitting that there are inaccuracies in the Bible, why does it necessarily have to be true that God is infallible? Could this not be the one inaccuracy that presupposes all the other inaccuracies?
In conclusion, I don’t think it is particularly helpful to sit around picking holes in the Bible because at the end of the day a monkey could do that. I also don’t think it is particularly helpful to devote yourself to an ancient scripture which history proves has been continually and strategically edited and censured of thousands of years for hundreds of strange and sinister reasons but at the end of the day you can’t prove the existence if God right or wrong (although the Bible is dead wrong)and to claim you have is both arrogant and stupid.
June 4, 2009 at 8:13 am
Hughbert – I don’t know who you are directing your comment to….? But, I’ll answer anyhow.
I understand the Bible was written by men and also translated by men. And I understand this leave plenty of room for errors over the many years. I agree 100%!!! But yet and still I believe the Bible is the written Word of God How we got the Bible is important but what is written is more important.
Now it is written God is Love!!! So I ask you, true or false??? If false, explain Okay!!! Then I would be able to see the errors better. If God doesn’t exists, then tell me how LOVE isn’t real??? This is what Christians believe or should believe.
Now, I’m sorry you have a problem with individuals such as I, that believe that the Bible is God’s infallible Word. But, that’s your problem. The reasons you stated in your comment is not why I say the Bible is infallible. I believe the Bible is infallible because of the meaning of the words written therein. So I’ll say it again, it is written in the Bible that God is Love!!! Here’s your chance to prove the Bible fallible. Just prove this Bible written statement wrong.
June 17, 2009 at 10:01 am
“Chris Sanford – I hope you realize the absurdity of your argument. Do you believe Harry Potter is real because it gives an accurate representation of an English housing estate? There are, of course, historically accurate parts of the Bible, but they aren’t the contentious parts. There’s absolutely no proof for any of the so-called miracles, any proof of Jesus as a person ever existing (the first record comes a few hundred years after his supposed death, which leaves plenty of time for the fable to spread into common culture. If he was a real person, you’d expect some record of his existence at the time he was alive, there is none) nor any proof of any Gods. Ever. Anywhere. As for the references to Jesus being made before he was supposedly alive, perhaps they came from the numerous other prophets and deities in the region that shared the same basic story as the Christian Jesus (born of a virgin, resurrected, performed miracles etc.). The stories had been circulated for centuries before the period in which Jesus was supposedly born, except they were used by different religions. The Christian story is far from original.”
Then what are you suggesting that someone actually took their sweet time fabricated all the prophecies from the Old Testement regarding Jesus, waited a couple hundred years and I dunno maybe he left a post it note for some other guy to fabricate the story of Jesus and make every prophecy mentioned about Jesus in the old testement to coincide with the actual account of Jesus in the New testement? I dunno you seem like a “BRIGHT” individual so how about you give us a couple more intelligent comebacks than perhaps it was a fable passed around the region. So you’re expecting Christians to believe that someone took EVERY prophecy in the Bible regarding Jesus and fabricated EVERY prophecy into the account of Jesus ministry, which you think was a was merely a story passed down from other PAGAN religions?
Or are you attempting to say that the account of Jesus life in the New testement from 4 different authors were actually fables from the distant past passed down from pagan religions and magically showed up in what we call the Bible today, yah ok.
The Atheist says:
June 20, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Yes, clearly it’s absurd to suggest that someone wrote a story, about the past. That’s never happened.
There are problems with the Bible. We know that there are numerous religions that pre-date Christianity and the Bible that essentially contain many of the same elements. Jesus’s story, in particular, seems heavily borrowed from pre-existing stories (for example Horus, even though parts of the similarity are debated. There are so many others that the debate seems almost pointless).
So given that, what’s more likely. The fables that had already been passed down through multiple generations (after all, the religions that contain the same aspects are fairly spread out, in a historical context), simply being updated to the current environment. – OR – Your wonderful creator God deciding that he liked these stories so much that he decided to “do a remake” of his own, and send his only son to earth to walk in the shadow of many religious icons that had gone before him?
Either your God is very unimaginative, or he doesn’t exist.
cathy says:
June 19, 2009 at 8:09 am
The bible contains self contradictory passages and very silly things (four legged insects, cud chewing rabbits, etc.). However, this attack upon the self contradictory bible only dismantles biblical literalists. However, there are some bigger and nicely simple logical contradictions as well, first, the problem of evil. ‘If god has the power to stop evil and does not want to, he is not omnibenevolent. If god wants to stop evil but does not have the power, he is not omnipotent.’ There is also the stone paradox which takes down most definitions of omnipotence. ‘Can god create a stone so big he can not lift it?’ If he can, then there is something he cannot do (lift the stone). If he can’t, there is something he cannot do (create said stone).
June 19, 2009 at 9:12 am
You obviously have no knowledge of the bible whatsoever, you simply not knowing what God’s plan for us is a testement for that.
What did you think Revelation was all about? Seriously where did you get that “fact” that God couldn’t Destroy Evil and that he didn’t want to, you have some kind of damage to read the Bible which I’m pretty sure you didn’t and come to that Conclusion when it’s Clearly stated in the Bible that Sinners will be destroyed along with Sin itself as stated in Revelation Chapter 20.
and oh damn you really got God with that paradox there, it’s funny how humans try to limit God with their own standards, their own limitations, amusing really.
The Atheist says:
June 20, 2009 at 2:17 pm
and oh damn you really got God with that paradox there, it’s funny how humans try to limit God with their own standards, their own limitations, amusing really.
It’s not humans trying to limit God, much like this article it’s just humans trying to understand what other humans believe a God is. It’s a valid pursuit, and even theists should try and understand their view of their God (after all, religion is a very personal thing, with many subscribers to the same religion having slightly different views of the same deity).
I’ve heard a similar theoretical arguments that discuss whether God is capable of killing himself, or whether God is capable of creating another being of equal power and prominence. I won’t go into detail here, because cathy has inspired me to write a post about it.
June 20, 2009 at 5:53 pm
To everyone who has left comments since my last comment — I don’t know why you guys are trying so hard to downplay the Bible. You simply can’t!!! Your negative comments about Bible is only creditable to people who are Atheist as you are. Now I can say things postive about the Bible but that’s only creditable to people who believe as I do. Okay! So let stop the back and forth comments which only displays our opinions and belief, which is already known.
Now, this is not Bible study!!! And I refuse to explain the Bible to non-believers because you don’t believe. The Bible is for believers not non-believers. But what I can talk to non-believers about (whether he or she is a theist or atheist)is who/what is God. And as I have said time and time again, GOD is LOVE!!! God is the Almighty Creator and God is Love. If you don’t understand I will gladly explain. If you do understand then logically disprove this statement. I’m all ears!!!
Most of you already have your own understanding of the Bible as I do. But the question is who is right??? So let start with the basic princples of God (according to scripture). God is: Almighty; The creator of life; a spirit called the Holy Ghost; A Father in heaven; A born Son of heaven; One God Almighty; man was made in the image and likeness of God; and last but not least God is LOVE.
Now before you guys reply with your common comments of disbelief against religion(s), consider this: The first religion (or way of life) in the world is F.A.M.I.L.Y….., And for every family to be real it must have a Father, a child, and love. This is the first religion and will be the last. This religion is the true religion and shall live forever by the power of GOD.
August 14, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Those not with us are against us. – Luke 11:23 NIV
Skeptics cannot undermine beliefs which require spiritual insight to believe!
Xianity cannot be refuted; it can only be dismantled.
The Big Lie exemplifies a classic logical failure called an “immunizing strategy.” Only a believer can understand another believer’s beliefs. It is a form of begging the question — presupposing without proof the very point at issue.
An immunizing strategy amounts to deflecting away every request for reasoning outside the charmed circle of language which only a believer could use.
But, one pays dearly when immunizing a belief from criticism. It cuts off rational communication. The immunizer gives up the right to be classed as a “reasonable person†by any logical or semantic criterion.
You cannot respond rationally to critics by saying that only those who are with me can understand what I have to say. There must be some starting point in a discourse common to believer and to critic. Otherwise, there’s nothing that can be talked about.
Now you know why the xian “conversion†sales job has always begun with purportedly “absurd†or “paradoxical” claims to induce belief. And to a rational ancient Greek nothing was more conceptually contradictory than a “god on a cross.”
The de-deification of culture (including the sciences) must be our task for the next 100 years.
August 18, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Your comment was a clever one, I must say!
The Big Lie, lol… how is it a lie??? prove it!!! Your previous comment doesn’t prove it, it just states your having a problem believing it. And gives a clever theory called the “immunizing strategy†as to part of your problem with the Big Lie.
Also, “god on a cross”. I would have used a capital “G” for god but anyhow, that’s right, I do believe that. See, me and you understand one of the main points of the Bible. But, our belief system puts us on different sides. Now I see no point in explaining “God on the cross”, when you don’t even believe their is a GOD!!! Why should I go deep into explaining the cross when first you must believe their is a God??? A baby has to crawl before it can walk, right???
Check out some of my previous comments… I said to the Atheist community time and time again GOD is LOVE and gave (I believe) good understand or explanation to my statement. If you believe LOVE is real, then you should believe God is real. If you don’t believe in God than you don’t believe in Love (What a shame, too bad and so sad). It was LOVE/GOD that created all of life. It’s no wonder (to me) why all of life is dying, We don’t know nor do we believe in Love/God as we should. And the real sad part for mankind is, we were made in the image of LOVE/GOD. So we are suppose to know, understand, and believe in Love while reaping all the benefits of doing so.
So first, let talk about God/Love. Is God real or not??? Prove God isn’t real. If you have this proof (of no God) please share. My proof of God is pure love. Someone who loves us made the sun and knew we would need it before we realized we did ourselves. Someone made trees and caused fruits to grow for us to eat. Someone knew we needed air to breath and so many other things I can say. We all were born due to the process of LOVE. All the credit and glory belongs to Love, and the credit and glory belongs to God.
August 16, 2009 at 10:57 am
I am no atheist(being that I do believe in some form of an omniprescent being or “God”), but I also do not worship any for of mainstream religion. The religious beliefs that I have are ones I alone have developed in my own mind and are the only ones that make any sense to me. I also believe there is no such thing as the word of God existing anywhere beyond within one’s self. The only pure message of God would be concience, fear, guilt, etc; everything else is just the folklore of man. Religion was originally used as simply a way for the priests to gain power, in my opinion. I also firmly believe that religion has existed for as long as it has with little to no justification.
I agree that Christianity (and in my opinion every single mainstream religion that tries to define god) is incorrect. However, I also believe that you have arrived at less than logical conclusions over this whole situtation. Perhaps it may even be my own misunderstanding of your words. For example,“The Bible is inaccurate – therefore God is fallible – therefore the definition of God is incorrect – therefore God does not exist.†The inaccuracies of a religious text does not prove that some form of God does not exist. It does, however, lessen the credibility of that specific religious text. Just because one religion got it wrong does not mean there is no God to believe in. If you were trying to imply that the Christian definition of God does not exist because of The Bible’s inaccuracies, then I would have to agree with this.
August 18, 2009 at 3:08 pm
That is exactly what they (Atheists) are trying to do… [say that, Christians and their definition of God due to our understanding of the Bible is wrong]. And you seem to agree.
Now you being someone who believes in God, you are a step closer to the truth than those in the Atheist’s community.
Okay, so you believe in God but, you gave no reasoning as to why you believe. And you say Christianity is wrong without proof. Making statements of opinions without reasoning or better yet proof, serves no purpose to me. You think (as well as many others), the Bible is inaccurate. I will even help you out! One of the many problems with the Bible, I had (before I believed) was, in one place it reads love you enemies then in another place it reads hate you father and mother. This easily seems to make no sense. And many like writing are in the Bible.
But now it does make sense to me WHY? I believe the Bible is the word of God and I understand the conditioning/reasoning by which each word is written. And I stop making my own assumptions which easily makes the Bible seem inaccurate.
Now you say you believe in God, I believe in God also. And God should be the same to us both otherwise, one of us is wrong or both of us is wrong. Now their a law to govern all of life. Everything has a law. And where there’s a law there a lawgiver. I beleive God is Love. And the only way to know God/Love is to know his law, rules, Word. There will only be one law Why? Because there’s only One Almighty God. So either the Bible is the Word of God and your wrong. Or, the Bible isn’t the Word and your law about God is right. Or we both are wrong and someone else has the truth because there’s only one truth. But I’m staying with the Bible as the written Word / Law / Commandments of God. I believe the Bible explains God’s love to the world. And without it we wouldn’t know God unless he reveal himself to us.
September 22, 2009 at 9:03 pm
You my friend have alot to learn about the Christian God.
I’m simply going to comment on the first paragraph written about the creation of the world. Christians do not believe the world was created in six days. In the orginal language of Genesis the word days simply means a period of time. So six periods of time could mean anything from six seconds to six decades to.. well you get the point.
When will the world realize that Religion and Science/Evolution must stop battling eachother to be the truth, when they both must go hand in hand. Religon cannot exist without science and vice versa.
We cannot prove there is no God, and we cannot prove the world was created my a giant bang. There are too many things that need to have been perfect in order to do so.
One day science will prove there is a God.
The Atheist says:
September 23, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Hi CHristian. I’m actually well versed in the Christian God, all of them.
I respect your interpretation of “days”, of course, in the grand scheme of things this does little to add credibility to the Bible as a source of fact given that there are so many more contradictions and inaccuracies within its pages.
I also think you need to do a little bit of research before making claims like:
Christians do not believe the world was created in six days. In the orginal language of Genesis the word days simply means a period of time. So six periods of time could mean anything from six seconds to six decades to.. well you get the point.
There are plenty of Christians who do believe that the earth was created in six days.
I also suspect it’s wishful thinking when you suggest that science will one day prove a God’s existence, it’s far more likely to be the opposite. In recent times the gaps for which a God to live are shrinking. We used to think that God created the universe, now we have an alternative testable theory. We used to think God created life, now we know that’s not true. We used to think that God created us, people, now we know that was the process of evolution. If science continues at this pace, those who choose to still believe in a God will have no choice but to admit that it was lame, and didn’t actually do anything.
Religion is based on faith and believing that an ancient, static book can explain everything. Science is based on exploration, experimentation and the scientific method with tested theories. The two are no compatible philosophies and science certainly does not require religion. One could argue that society, in order to be well balanced and healthy needs both, but as we can see in primarily atheistic countries, that typically have far higher living standards than non-atheist countries, this isn’t necessary true.
David says:
October 22, 2009 at 4:28 pm
I find it ironic how so many atheists are always moaning how christians or those that follow religion try relentlessly to convert those who do not believe. However, it seems to me that atheists, too, just cannot enough of trying to disprove the bible or god.
Please do not confuse this; I do not have the answers.
What if the religious books in society are books left open to interpretation? What if -gasp- they are merely for teaching basic moral principles based on what the specific religion dictates are “correct?”
Any moron can copy and paste some real hard-lining, soul-searching facts onto a blog and say, “oh yeah, i got all the facts, so dont even try to fuck with me.”
How about we stop trying to disprove everyone else when we know in our own souls that we are all lost. Somehow I have a sneaky feeling that even the pope does not know what comes next, for certainty.
Hopefully this does not make you cry, but no one will ever know thanks to the virtual mask of the internet. good day.
October 28, 2009 at 3:56 pm
I have a problem I have seen evil hand Jesus and the problem is I have witnesis.My wife divorced me in twelve weeks because things were moving around are house she was terrified a angel name Mary came and gave me warning and a lot more besides the evil is known as master? he is also a witches familiar we are at war you people are lucky you have a choice in your beliefs me and my family have no choice .
A Physicist says:
October 29, 2009 at 6:11 am
I have been reading this discussion and I honestly didn’t believe that people as ignorant as “Phairw, Disciple of Christ†would try and argue the existence of God to a collection of, from what I’ve been reading, a collection of intelligent humans.
There have been so many absurd comments made but unfortunately I only have time to question one or two…
Phairw – Earlier in this discussion you claimed that “Love is the creator of the Worldâ€, that is a fairly bold statement considering Oxytocin’s other roles in behaviour include orgasms and stress. In effect you argued that Orgasm’s created the world.
I would also like to take this opportunity to point out that “Love†is a word humans have given to an emotion caused by a chemical reaction, an emotion that is no more “creative†than stress, anger or lust. None of these are capable of creating a physical universe.
Please do not confuse this post; I am not condemning the existence of a higher power but your argument that: because “God†cannot be conclusively disproved yet, he exists, is extraordinary! You do realise that is the same argument as: because the existence of a race of leprechaun’s hasn’t been conclusively disproved yet, they exist!
David – “What if the religious books in society are books left open to interpretation? What if -gasp- they are merely for teaching basic moral principles based on what the specific religion dictates are “correct?â€â€
A point that has been made countless times in the past when trying to defend Christianity. Unfortunately there is always one fail safe counter to that suggestion; If you just wanted to write down some moral principles you would only write that. The bible is full of verses such as the creation of the world that have no moral meaning and, if we’re being honest, leaves the reader to about as much interpretive freedom as a eulogy.
There is substantial benefit in us discussing these issues as educating people like Phairw is very important to preventing the existence of the largest cause of war and manmade cause of death: Religion.
October 30, 2009 at 8:13 am
A Physicist – LOL…., You said, “In effect you argued that Orgasm’s created the world.” Please, don’t put words in my mouth. Your so WRONG!!!
I said LOVE/GOD created the world. Not Orgasms!!! Now it’s clear you either didn’t understand my argument or, your argument is based on what you understand about LOVE. Which (to me) is sad. I hope and pray you can one day go beyond thinking of Love as just an Orgasm. Love has a much deeper meaning, which is far beyond the dictionary, science, and any other sources that make you find words for me to look-up such as “Oxytocin”. And even though Love can go deep, it is yet simple to understand (if you really want too).
Now I have a question for you! All the (good)charitable organizations in the world, how were they created??? (By Love, or Orgasm) Think about it and choose one, let me know asap…..
A Physicist says:
October 30, 2009 at 8:43 am
I’m not going to linger on trying to explain this to you in detail but “charity” or helping someone less fortunate than yourself is a Darwinian survival skill that dates back to when people that you met once, you were likely to know for the rest of your life as humans didn’t travel far from where they grew up. This lack of travel meant that if you helped someone survive (ie. Charity) you could expect them to return the favour in later life, helping you to survive. Charity is caused by evolution, and whether or not you agree with me Evolution is fact.
You also seem confused by my comment about orgasms, you see the emotion “love” and orgasms are both caused by a chemical called Oxytocin. I am merely taking that radical example to explain how ridiculous it is that you think “love” created the world.
I actually can agree with you that the emotion “love” is a wonderful thing as it does bring people together. The fact that I understand how it works doesn’t stop me from feeling it! The one thing that I can absolutely promise you is that “love” is not god, it is an emotion, that’s it.
If you are still feeling unclear please, don’t hesitate to respond.
October 30, 2009 at 10:26 am
Now, That’s not fair! I responded to your question or statement. Why won’t you answer my question??? I’m sure I have not misunderstood you. My question should have prove that. You said, “In effect you argued that Orgasm’s created the world.” This was said because I said Love created the world Right? Now (according to you) Love & Orgasms is cause by a chemical in our bodies called Oxytocin, I understand that. I’m saying Love has a much deeper meaning than limiting Love to just an emotion caused by this chemical (maybe true for Orgasms but not Love).
Now, I never said Evolution wasn’t a fact!!! I believe evolution played a part in creation. But please, one debate at a time. Let’s finish what has been started before we tackle a new topic.
Charity – LOL…, did you know charity could also mean LOVE…..??? I don’t know what was the point of your explanation surrounding charity but I didn’t get it. Are you saying if someone give charity to a homeless man (maybe food, money or etc), their doing so because of your Darwinian explanation and I’m wrong to say this charity was an expression of Love??? I totally disagree. I’m SORRY
A Physicist says:
October 30, 2009 at 3:35 pm
You don’t seem to understand that i’m not asking you, i’m telling you! What i’m saying is not questionable, it is fact. I will explain on monday when i’m less tired.
October 30, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Listen, no need to response Monday! I don’t need the scientific break-down of Love. If you read all the previous challenges to my statement, You’ll see uncounted others have said already Love is an emotion, blah-blah-blah, blah-blah-blah. Your argument is no different from what I’ve already heard and responsed too. Now you feel, what you have said is unquestionable, FINE! We can end this convo now. Because I see we’ll only be going in circle with the convo (saying the same thing over and over).
Okay!!! Thank You, I wish you input would have advance this blog discussion forward but it hasn’t… We’re still at the same spot before you joined in the convo.
The Atheist says:
November 1, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Phairw, the Darwinian explanation for our moral groundings is fairly solid. Essentially, and reduced to it’s simplest explanation, it posits that animals, especially those who live in social groups, stand a better chance of surviving to the point at which they can breed if they are seen as beneficial to the rest of their social group.
In modern times this may have manifested itself as charitable acts, but pre-modern society, it was far more likely to have manifested itself as what we might describe as pack behaviour. Protecting the vulnerable in the pack, hunting together and sharing the spoils etc.
I know it sounds somewhat unromantic to call love oxytocin, and to point out that all charitable acts are essentially selfish, but to suggest anything else would be ignoring the evidence and the facts.
A Better Physicist says:
October 31, 2009 at 3:12 pm
If the bear falls in the woods,does the Pope shit on it?
I cant prove for certain otherwise, so yes the pope enjoys tracking down bears and doing his dirty work. Through this logic im nearly convinced that god really does exist.
But he has some really screwed up popes working for him.
October 31, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Ah, but you can prove for certain. You can, in fact, ask the Pope directly if he shits on fallen bears. Assuming the Pope does not wish to answer the question, you could hypothetically follow the Pope around for a chosen period of time to see if he, in fact, ever takes the opportunity to shit on a fallen bear. You can observe the Pope’s behavior to determine if there is any substantial reason to believe he shits on fallen bears. You needn’t take anyone else’s word for it one way or the other. You can find out for yourself. No special “insight” required. Look, watch, learn. Easy.
In contrast, try asking “god” if he shits on fallen bears OR following him/her/it around to see if he/she/it shits on fallen bears. You can make no direct observations of your own. All can do is take the word of others one way or the other. Look, listen, kneel, pray, obey.
The difference is, empirical evidence can be obtained about the Pope question, none can be obtained regarding the “god” question. So, one wonders why one even entertains the “god” question at all. If one cannot obtain empirical evidence of a “god”, how does one come to “knowledge” of a “god” when one’s senses and one’s ability to reason are the only confirmed method of obtaining knowledge? Of course, the so-called believer will simply say “faith”.
“Faith” or “trust” or “confidence” in a thing are emotions, NOT tools for the acquisition of knowledge. They are consequences to knowledge, not sources of it. “Faith” without empirical evidence is mere imagination or delusion.
A Better Physicist says:
November 1, 2009 at 2:38 pm
You cannot prove for certain that the Pope has not shat on a bear during his life, I argee that it is very statistically unlikely. But, if he did the pope most probably accept that it is a bit of a faux pas, and try and cover his tracks. Looking back to try and for certain prove that the Pope has never done this would be impossible.
Taking your point into account, if you could hypothetically try and follow the pope round, he would undoubtly have people on the payroll to ensure that doesnt happen. Also he would probably bribe others to ensure word doesnt get round. Imagine what the tabloids would make of it.
I argree that in theory it is possible to prove it, but it would not work as there are too many varibles, alike predicting the lottery, by looking at the individual momentums/moments of inertia of each ball as they are let off. Impossible to do for absolute certain.
‘All (one) can do is take the word of others one way or the other’
Im assuming ‘(one)’ is what you meant if not apologies. One cannot just take the word of others because as I discussed in thelast paragraph, humans are capable of a remarkable feat entitled lying. I think the people who wrote the bible were talking bollocks alike the ancient greeks talking bollocks about zeus.
When I said I thought god existed, quite simply I was taking the piss, maybe its my english humor, but I thought that talk of popes shitting may lead people onto that.
‘Faith†or “trust†or “confidence†in a thing are emotions, NOT tools for the acquisition of knowledge. They are consequences to knowledge, not sources of it. “Faith†without empirical evidence is mere imagination or delusion’
I agree 100% I cannot have trust faith or confidence that the pope does not shit on bears, as I do not want to be deluded, nor do I want to be deluded in believing in god via faith et cetera.
Do you believe in god? if so you are digging your own grave with that paragraph.
November 5, 2009 at 4:38 pm
A Better Physicist –
No, I do not believe in an alleged “supernatural” or a “god”, gods, goddesses, fairies, spooks, goblins, Thor, or little green men, etc. I guess some would call me an “atheist” but I believe that’s only a word needed by others. It’s not my own adopted label. Perhaps my being an atheist wasn’t clear from what I wrote. Sorry.
What I was attempting to point out is there are many questions for which one can know the answer with reasonable certainty and others you cannot. There are also some questions for which there is no reasonable explanation for why they are even asked. The entire “god” question is an unwarranted leap in logic. Though it seems plausible but unlikely the pope might at some point shit on a fallen bear, there is no argument to suggest even seeking evidence for a “supernatural” or “god”, let alone actually finding any.
I look at nature and see a great many wonderful things but to see “god” is an unwarranted stretch of even the flimsiest of imaginations. In my opinion, believers of such are intellectually dysfunctional or suffer from some mental pathology.
November 1, 2009 at 4:38 pm
I was guided to church a medium I met also attended the church but i made comments about me being attack by evil she would not except any of it.I was to be confirmed she was there it was a normal Sunday worship I was confirmed we go in the crypt for a cuppa after sermon normally she would avoid me but she was very excited choking to say something to me.I new already when i walked up to the bishop she saw a Bright light coming down to my left shoulder .It was the hand of god guiding me she will never doubt my word again I acted normal but inside me I was floating the only thing was none of my family attended but Anita will remember what she saw for the rest of her life.
A Physicist says:
November 2, 2009 at 2:26 am
Phairw – Your right this is becoming a circular conversation, however, this not because what i have said or what others have said has been in any way responded to with a rational argument.
You say that i don’t answer any of your questions, i apologise. If you could just make a list of any questions you have in a reply i will be more than willing to answer any queries you have.
In the mean time i was wondering if you could respond to a statement i made in an earlier post: “your argument that: because “God†cannot be conclusively disproved yet, he exists, is extraordinary! You do realise that is the same argument as: because the existence of a race of leprechaun’s hasn’t been conclusively disproved yet, they exist!”
Do you understand what i’m saying here and if so do you have a response?
A Better Physicist – Simon, it’s a pleasure. I could not agree with your argument more! It was a delight to read, a logical concise argument for once! I have to say that although it is statistically unlikely that the pope would defecate on a bear, i would like to think that given the opportunity he would do the right thing.
A very good Physicist but not quite as good as a better physicist.
November 2, 2009 at 9:43 am
The Atheist – You just don’t get it!!! The first place I understood what charity is, was at home. My Parents was the Charitable organization and I and my brothers and sisters were the ones in need of their charity. Now to describe the charity given to me by them as not Love, I’m not able to understand nor agree with whatever your trying to say. Especially, since I have been told by them (My Parents), all they have done for us came from their hearts full of Love for us…. Are you tell me, they are lying or didn’t know the Darwinian explanation, so they said it was done out of love…???
I have children now (4) and a wife and all the charity I give in my home comes from a place in my heart call “Love”. Impossible for it to be the Darwinian explanation first because I didn’t know about yet. Second, you’re not able to explanation better than me, what I feel for my family. At best you can match what I say by describing what you feel for people you love. So in conclustion, The Darwinian explanation may have some facts about life but it doesn’t cover everything about Charity. And that’s a Fact.
Also The Atheist – Love being described as an emotion caused by a Chemical called Oxytocin. Is very unromantic. Exactly my point and problem with this meaning for Love. This meaning doesn’t not capture the true value, essensce, full nature, and explanation of Love.
Now A Physicist – God is a spirit called the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost. Spirits or Ghosts are invisble. Leprechauns (according to those people who believe they exist) are creaters we should be able to see and witness for ourselves RIGHT? So unless I didn’t know what I was looking at or until someone show me a Leprechaun I don’t believe they exist. God on the other hand, you must believe in and you must be able to feel. God/Love is invisible but it can be felt. Hope this answers your question.
The Atheist says:
November 2, 2009 at 5:06 pm
The Atheist – You just don’t get it!!! The first place I understood what charity is, was at home. My Parents was the Charitable organization and I and my brothers and sisters were the ones in need of their charity.
While I might not technically classify this as charity, but your parents caring for your in your early years is again, down to Darwinian evolution. Strength of family, of pack, is beneficial in an evolutionary sense.
Love being described as an emotion caused by a Chemical called Oxytocin. Is very unromantic. Exactly my point and problem with this meaning for Love. This meaning doesn’t not capture the true value, essensce, full nature, and explanation of Love.
I’m sorry you can’t see past your romantic notion of love. We’ve discussed this at length in the past, so I won’t stretch the point again here. Just because you don’t see the scientific explanation as romantic, it isn’t any less valid or true. This brings to mind a favourite quote of mine by novelist Douglas Adams:
Isn’t it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?
Some of us see the scientific explanation of the world beautiful. I don’t need to believe in some odd belief that love is inspired by a deity to enjoy the benefits of oxytocin. Have a look at the affects of oxytocin on the brain, and you’ll see where the physicists and I are coming from. It specifically affects, trust, generosity, maternal behaviour and bonding/empathy. I think that fairly concisely covers most of your points off.
A Physicist says:
November 2, 2009 at 10:25 am
A fact is a pragmatic truth, a statement that can, at least in theory, be checked and confirmed.
An opinion is a belief that may or may not be backed up with evidence, but which cannot be proved with that evidence.
Phair – No trust me on this one, YOU don’t get it. Your pathetically illogical arguments and your weak grasp of the English language are giving me a headache!
It is not a matter of whether you agree or not with charity being a selfish act, IT IS. That is a fact much the same as the earth is round and that evolution causes a new strain of Flu to become prevalent each year! You can’t argue with a fact so don’t bother!
“Impossible for it to be the Darwinian explanation first because I didn’t know about yet” (you need English lessons)
You’re so ignorant i’m not sure if it’s worth explaining this to you but here goes… You would not need to know about it, it is part of our evolution! Do you need to know to retract your hand from a hot object as a child? NO! Evolution (in basic) has caused us to have certain behavioural actions programmed in our brains, we don’t need to be told about Darwin to be charitable! By the way will you please take a 13 year’s old biology class, it will teach you alot!
Love has no deeper meaning, no true value, no other truth. Love is an emotion caused by chemical reactions, that is it. STOP questioning it!
You also didn’t seem to understand my point about the leprechaun’s either! You see the only proof for god is a book assembled over 1000 years ago. The only proof for leprechauns are books written in the modern age. THERE IS NO OTHER PROOF FOR EITHER, god can’t be felt*. FACT. Accepting this (which you must because it’s true) you must also accept that having faith in god is as logical as having faith in leprechauns. Do you understand or do i need to go slower??
Please go back to school and elevate you level of education to that of a 13 year old.
*the proof for god not being able to be felt is that if he was able to be felt by any human sense, then he would also be able to be detected by scientific equipment.
November 5, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Just a small point: “charity” is never a selfless act. It is, in fact, the self that desires to be charitable. It is the self that plans the charitable act. It is the self that performs the charitable act. It is the self that sees the result of such an act.
It is the self who wills, wants, needs or wishes to be charitable. Being charitable to others is what YOU want and through the charitable act YOU get what YOU want – emotional satisfaction from being charitable. Without the will of the self, the act would not have taken place. It was a personal value, a personal goal and through your act it is fulfilled. The self attains virtue as a result. Quite often, people benefit materially from charitable acts too, i.e. awards of recognition, tax breaks, etc.
Nothing one chooses to do is selfless. Genuine “selflessness” is one does NOT personally choose, when one is physically forced to do a thing or coerced against one’s will. Of course, that’s not called “charity” – it’s called a savage crime.
“Compulsory charity” is a contradiction in terms, “voluntary charity” is redundant and it is always full of the self.
November 2, 2009 at 11:04 am
A Physicist – LOL, LOL…, please excuse me for my bad English. I’ll try to do better.
Now, why are you bother by what I say??? If you don’t agree FINE. (I’ll be over here with my thoughts, you stay where you are with yours).
I answered your question, Right? Why did you just dismiss what I said? I told you what God is, and I told you what Leprechauns are. Now if you don’t agree with this, then said that. But understand, you asked a question and I answered it according to my knowledge of God and Leprechauns. Okay!!!
So, Thank You for you input. And I’ll past on the biology classes. It might lead me to become as smart as you (without knowledge of God), and I need my understanding of God because it helps me understand eternity.
November 2, 2009 at 11:46 am
That’s fine if you want to live in ignorance then feel free to waste some of your valuable life worshiping a unfounded notion that the Christian god is real.
I dismissed what you said because it made no sense and did not answer my question as obviously your did not understand it! I’m not going to write it out again but try reading it really closely, even write it out to try and see if you can comprehend what i’m stating.
About my input, not a problem I am always happy to pass on my knowledge to others.
Just to finish, “a knowledge of god” is not knowledge it is the ramblings of a fool. Knowledge implies you know something!
November 2, 2009 at 12:08 pm
When god Jesus and my angel enter my life it Was fantastic it was great when my close friends were witness and the people I met were really kind my angel comes regularly 4am
some times we talk about paranormal love moses
dark matter I go out side and have been looking at it at night.Subliminal hypnosis list goes on but I dont want to bore any body.
A nurse saw a man sat in the back of her car so she pulled over to investigate nobody there a man jumped in front of her car she stepped got out nobody there both her and her sister were sensing something watching them.I met them they were being followed give him his marching orders Never got thanks.I it might have been GOD.
November 2, 2009 at 1:03 pm
The Phsicist – I don’t know what you problem is but, there’s nothing hard about what you said. Believing in God is as logical as believing in Leprechauns, fairies, and etc; I disagree, Why Because of the reason I statement previous and because I believe God is REAL. As real as LOVE. Now you and I believe love is real Right? Our problem is agreeing on the truth and meaning of LOVE.
Now I said this before and I’ll say it again because your new to this blog convo, and no one gave a good answer…, If I wanted to tell and express to my wife, children, mother, father, and good friends, that I love them. Should I say, I love you because the chemical oxytocin is producing the “Love” emotion in my head. And they will be able to prove it because all they need is the resources to prove this chemical is producing the love emotion….??? And how will they know it’s Love??? Sense we know this chemical is responsible for other emotions including stress…??? (Please answer this question)
How do you tell and express to people you Love that you love them?
November 5, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Other than the scientific tests or observations looking for known signs of pleasurable emotions which, by the way only prove you are experiencing a certain kind of feeling, not for who or for what you have that feeling, there are numerous ways one can physically demonstrate the love you feel for another. Kissing, hugging, gifts, the look in your eyes, written words, spoken words, just your presence when and where they most need it, etc. These are real, concrete demonstrations of how you feel about them that a reasonable person could interpret as proof of your love for them. Mind you, there are many different types of loving behavior, loving emotions, and they come in many varying degrees. Let’s not forget that “love” is just one of many words to label a set of physical feelings most of us experience. The experience is different for each of us but we seem to agree when it is a feeling of love and when it is not. No, one cannot know with absolute certainty that what one is feeling is “love” nor can others know with absolute certainty you “love” them, however, all can know with REASONABLE certainty both through commonly accepted behavioral demonstrations and through scientific observations of physical signs of pleasurable emotions. Through a diverse collection of evidences, the reasonable person seems to know when what they feel is “love” and when it is not, and the reasonable person seems to know when they are “loved” by another and when they are not.
By looking for the signs of “love”, are you not reasonably certain that this person or that person does NOT love you? The signs can be incredibly obvious and quite subtle, but you see them, you experience them, you feel them, you know them, don’t you? What’s important is the fact that other persons can also observe these obvious and subtle demonstrations or lack of demonstrations of how you feel or how others feel toward you with or without your assistance and come to the same or similar conclusions.
You CAN reasonably prove your feelings of love. What you cannot do with anything approaching equal measure is reasonably demonstrate the existence of this alleged “god”.
November 2, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I used love once to send evil back to the witch that put evil eye on me her familiar entered to me from her vie her eye to my eyes.I used my granddaughter’s foto to generate love and direct it at the master familiar he had gone for the moment.
November 2, 2009 at 7:06 pm
The Atheist – Okay! Here’s a question for you and A Physicist…,
Has science observe the Brain only or the Whole body? And if the whole body, what is the scientific answer for love according to it observation of the Heart?
This question I believe will prove to be very important. Because everyone in the whole knows love is felt in our hearts, RIGHT?
(If you agree) Then tell me what science has witness in the heart and not the brain, what does science say about that, since The Physicist has already said, if our human senses can identify then it can be detected by scientific equipment.
And please don’t give me the definition of the heart. I know it already as told to me already previously.
November 2, 2009 at 7:42 pm
It’s accurate to say the emotion “love” is primarily a phenomenon of the mind which is itself, in total, a phenomenon of the brain as an integral component of the entire physical human body. By learning the function and integration of the heart with the rest of the body one could say we learn a little something of the emotion of love but only in the heart’s contribution to our ability to think and feel emotions. The heart is not the “seat” of emotion nor of “love” specifically.
As for what “love” is, there really is no mystery to it. That which is alive has need of values to make choices in favor OR opposition of continued happy and healthy living. A great deal of conscious or subconscious information goes into the formation of our personal values. It is our adopted values, whether we are consciously aware of them or not, that lead to very complex, very intense emotions, one of which we humans have labeled “love” and the many other words used worldwide.
That there is a relatively easy scientific or rational answer to what is “love” or any other emotion we humans experience doesn’t reduce their importance in human life. That science can explain relatively reasonably what is “love” and its source doesn’t make it any less real, necessary or cherished. One has no authentic need of a mystical explanation for it and, in fact, unsubstantiated mystical explanations reduce one’s ability to appreciate “love” rather than enhance it. Rationally understood, the emotion of “love” can and will still inspire many wonderful human creations and many horrible human tragedies.
November 3, 2009 at 6:39 am
“I believe God is REAL” your still not getting it are you! You have no more reason or fact to believe in god than Leprechauns… Do you understand now!
“Our problem is agreeing on the truth and meaning of LOVE.” It is not a matter of agreement, i will explain once more.
Oxytocin causes emotions, these emotions are what you feel for your children. I agree that it is not nice to think about love in this way, but there are certain facts that we just have to accept because they are fact. The biochemistry of how Oxytocin causes different emotions and feelings is extreemly complicated so i’m not going to explain that. A good example that might help you to understand is that, theoretically, if i designed an experiment to controll the amount of oxytocin released in your brain, i could put you in a room with a chair and make you feel the same way about that chair as you do your children. I am not trying to make love sound unimportant but i want you to realise that love is nothing more than a series of biochemical reactions.
“Because everyone in the whole (world?) knows love is felt in our hearts, RIGHT?” – WRONG!!!
Anyone who believes that love is felt in the heart technically has an IQ of a three year old. That is one of the stupidist things i have ever read! The only possible explination for what i just read is that (i’m hoping!) you were talking about the effects of emotions on our heart rate?!
If so different chemicals have effects on our heart rate. When you see someone you love, often adrenalin is released which makes your heart beat faster.
Please, Please go back to school! It is so nesessary if you want to be taken seriously in life.
November 3, 2009 at 7:35 am
Love hate jealousy start a chemical reaction in the brain it can strengthen you or weaken you but it is a reaction of chemistry which alters the brain we no very little of what are brains are capable of but god does that is were are spirit lives.
November 3, 2009 at 8:36 am
Now I need to know, how do I explain to my wife that I will love her until I die? Will she be able to see enough oxytocin produced in me to make the emotion “love”? And what will stop my love from evolving from her to someone-else or thing?
The love that my wife has from me, I tell her to believe and have faith it will last. But, according to Ya’ll this is non-sense.
Next question – In light of the theoretical example of The Physicist, what causes oxytocin? Since oxytocin is the reason for many of our emotion, what’s the cause of oxytocin? and/or what controls the flow or release of this chemical since there are many different phrases or types of love (i.e love for animals, people, cars, and etc. Plus it can be futher breaking-down
November 5, 2009 at 5:47 pm
You might demonstrate to your wife that you will “love her until the day you die” by taking out a life insurance policy to ensure she is well cared for when that day arrives. Perhaps there are other things you can do that demonstrate a very long-term commitment to your relationship with her. Some would say the wedding day is one such demonstration. Others might mention the creation of children is another sign of a very long-term commitment. Proving you love a person in the here and now is generally easy and straightforward. You are right to point out that demonstrating you love them “until the day you die” is a difficult task depending not only on how you demonstrate it but on their ability and willingness to believe your sincerity and the “proof” you provide of such a claim. Still, though it may be difficult to prove you will love your wife until the day you die, it isn’t impossible. There are likely many things you can do to demonstrate a lifelong and loving commitment. Some demonstrations are culturally common, like life insurance. Some might say you prove such a claim through consistently showing your feelings of love for her moment after moment, day after day, year after year. Surely, you and she can think of others. If not, ask someone for advice.
The answer to how you prove you will “love her until the day you die” is more or less the same as how you prove you love her here and now – demonstrate those feelings in ways a reasonable person can and will accept. If you must, you could always get tested for chemical signs or have the electrical activity of your brain monitored for known physical signs of pleasurable emotional reactions to her presence AND of painful physical and emotional reactions when she comes to harm or is absent.
As science will tell you, “proof” isn’t generally any one thing but rather a collection of things all pointing to one reasonable conclusion which is testable and repeatable. If you wish to “prove” to your wife you will love her until the day you die, you will need a collection of demonstrations consistent over time that provide what she needs for a reasonable conclusion you are correct in what you claim.
November 3, 2009 at 8:54 am
A Physicist says:
November 3, 2009 at 9:17 am
Oxytocin is produced in a part of our brains called the Hypothalamus. As i have said it would take me day’s to explain in detail how oxytocin produces emotions, so in short, oxytocin is produced in the hypothalamus in different amounts this basically causes emotions. (this is an extremely basic explanation there are many other steps and chemicals involved.)
I’m sorry i can’t answer your question in more detail but the truth is it would take too long and you wouldn’t understand the large majority of it.
“The love that my wife has from me, I tell her to believe and have faith it will last. But, according to Ya’ll this is non-sense.”
No not at all, I will admit to you that memory is one of the hardest parts of an organism to understand, this said, it is clear that memory holds a key part in the release of chemicals such as oxytocin. One example is how certain people cause us fear every time we see them. It would be stupid for me to suggest that married couples re-fall in love every time they see each other!
I know there has been a lot i could not answer in detail, i apologise. Unfortunately we are reaching the realms of some quite complicated science here, and it would be non-productive for me to attempt to explain it.
November 3, 2009 at 9:17 am
You know, you guys are simply in denial…, There is no way I can know my wife love’s me with ya’ll definition in mind.I’m not inside her. I can only go by what she say and do, plus I have to trust her.
Now “Love” is a emotion caused by the chemical oxytocin! Simple just like that, OKAY – How can anybody know how I feel outside of my body? How can someone else feel what I feel inside when there outside of my body?
I only know what I feel for my son and my son only know what he feels for me. But I can’t feel what he feels and vice-versa. So I do I prove he loves me?
The Atheist says:
November 3, 2009 at 11:22 am
You know, you guys are simply in denial…, There is no way I can know my wife love’s me with ya’ll definition in mind.I’m not inside her. I can only go by what she say and do, plus I have to trust her.
Yes, you have to trust her. Studies have shown that the controlled introduction of oxytocin into test subjects increased their empathy, decreased their fear and increased their trust.
As for your earlier question about feelings in the “heart”, might I assume that you were being flippant for the sake of entertainment? Probably not. Although one of the affects of oxytocin the body is the amount of adrenaline produced, which does have a direct impact on the body’s heart rate. Of course, to believe that any feeling is felt anywhere other than the brain is ridiculous. It’s the sort of thing we tell children because they aren’t mature or developed enough to understand what’s actually happening. This becomes even more ridiculous when we consider that hearts can be temporary, and permanently, replaced. Does that mean that the person can’t feel love because their heart is no longer in their body? Of course not, only a fool would suggest such a thing.
November 5, 2009 at 6:20 pm
You bring up a valid point: how DO you feel precisely what someone else feels? The answer is, you can’t. Perhaps some would say, you can’t yet and that maybe someday science will discover a method by which you can know precisely what another is thinking, precisely what another is feeling. It seems likely that day will come, but it isn’t here as yet.
In the meantime, it’s silly to thoroughly discount behavioral demonstrations of one’s thinking and feeling as diverse “proofs” of what is going on inside of you. This is certainly the major dilemma of the psychological sciences. Observation of behavior is generally the only thing one can study to determine things like specific emotions. That one cannot precisely observe the specific emotion a person is feeling in no way invalidates the significance of their behavior as demonstration of that feeling. Surely, the demonstrations of a feeling are somewhat equal to the actual experience itself as physical evidence for it. After all, the words we use to label our various feelings are attached as much to how the emotion feels within ourselves as they are to the commonly-observed behaviors we associate with the same general feeling. In other words, the word “love” refers not only to what YOU feel, but the behaviors commonly agreed to be demonstrations of such an emotion. For instance, often stage performers will ask the audience to “show some love” and they and those audience members seem to know what that means and what is being asked – cheering and clapping. If you are making “num num” sounds while eating a piece of cake, a reasonable person would assume you “love the cake”. The feeling AND the act are both labeled “love”.
Again, if you are looking for absolute proof of an emotion, you will likely be disappointed for the time being because certain proof is likely unobtainable at present. Nevertheless, reasonable certainty through behavioral demonstration and observation is or ought to be acceptable. Science will tell you, all “proof”, all conclusions are contingent and not absolute certainty. This is what keeps knowledge growing because it keeps searchers searching for the truth or, in the least, what is reasonably true. It acknowledges that, although we can reasonably say we “know” many things, we admit there is much we do not yet know but, certainly, want to know and believe we CAN know if we keep asking the right questions.
In any event, those who want “proof” of a “god” are simply looking for reasonable demonstrations of the existence of such just as you should be satisfied with reasonable proof or behavioral demonstration of your wife’s or son’s love for you. If you feel and insist it is reasonable to believe in an alleged “god”, you must somehow be able to show such reason for others to agree with your belief. If you have no interest in others agreeing with your belief, I can see little point to the entire debate.
But your participation here in this forum is a reasonable suggestion you want others to agree with your belief in the existence of one, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-capable, ever-present “god”. If that is so, you must provide a reasonable collection of consistent, testable, and repeatable demonstrations to support your belief for such agreement to take place.
Simply asking others to take your word for what you claim about a “god”, just as asking others to just believe you love them without demonstration, is unreasonable.
A Physicist says:
November 3, 2009 at 9:38 am
Your quite right! You can’t prove that anyone loves you. The only thing you can do is trust people. But even though you don’t know that anyone loves you would this stop you from loving your son?
I think i’ve answered your question, however, your English is getting worse and i’m not entirely sure what your points are any more!
I can promise you that i am not the one in denial. I have been educated extremely well and unfortunately for you that means that my opinion counts for more than yours as i can back it up with scientific fact. All you can back your opinion up with is faith in dusty book.
November 3, 2009 at 10:03 am
YOU are not right I personally do not trust scientific fact because they dont always agree with each other and opinion only counts for you but educated has bankrupted england but i still love you.
A Physicist says:
November 3, 2009 at 10:16 am
Wow, i thought your posts were taking the piss they were so non-coherent! Ok lets start on the educated people (i think that’s what you meant) bankrupting England.
The Educated have not led us in to a financial crisis the uneducated have, you see how it started was people who couldn’t afford to take out large mortgages did because they were selfish and stupid. The banks couldn’t reclaim all the money they were owed because the people who had borrowed the money couldn’t pay it back. At this point there was nothing the educated people could do to salvage the situation.
I don’t care if you trust scientific fact, because that sentence proves how stupid you are. You don’t trust fact! You do realise how stupid that makes you sound. A fact is a something that has been proven (ie. you can’t argue with it, it’s a fact!) Please give me one example of where science contradicts itself?
November 5, 2009 at 6:29 pm
When you are cold but do not know how to make a fire or where to find shelter or how to dress warmly, only they who are educated in such things can make you warm. You are not born with such knowledge. It must be acquired.
Arguing against the educated is, whether you realize it or not, an argument FOR ignorance and, in any event, against your best interest.
Without an education, all you have is instinct. Compared to all other life on earth, human beings seem to have the weakest collection of pure instincts. In other words, man does not, cannot live by instinct alone. He requires first a curiosity … by which he acquires an education. Of course, the same can be said for some other species. Not all species are born knowing all they need to ever know. Many have to acquire knowledge through experiences – an education – or they will perish.
November 3, 2009 at 10:37 am
I fact according to you well I have my facts according to me the readers will decide the facts not you or me.
The Atheist says:
November 3, 2009 at 11:59 am
I’m afraid the world doesn’t work that way, Peter. The facts are the facts, people don’t decide on the facts, they establish theories and then test them. Facts are tested and proven.
I suspect that the “facts” you speak of originate from the Bible, no? A book which has been disproven, discredited and shown to be contradictory. If the Bible contains “facts”, then which particular description of the devil do you subscribe to? Because there are at least two which are different. Which one would you consider to be the factual description? Similarly, how many Gods do you believe in? Because the Bible certainly suggests that there’s more than one.
Or rather, like most theists, do you just pick and choose the parts that suit your lifestyle? The “facts” that you like, or the ones that were instilled in you from an early age?
November 3, 2009 at 10:51 pm
DONT we all pick and choose some people choose to believe me some people choose to think I talk cow manure but it is a type of free will.Being a christian I turn the other cheek I can sense christmas all around me the birth of mankind.I feel the happiness and joy but I also feel the sad the lowless and the wanting but for us with we must think of those without and send love in its purest form amen.
November 3, 2009 at 12:07 pm
The Atheist – So when I tell my wife, I love her from the bottom of my heart, this is non-sense??? I’m lost ya’ll seriously.
A Physicist – WOW!!! Thank You! Finally we agree on my two main points about “Loveâ€. Point ONE: LOVE we can feel, (it’s an emotion we agree). Point TWO: You must believe, trust, and have faith in LOVE, (since we can’t prove it outside of our own emotion, yet it exists outside of us as well as in us). RIGHT?
These are FACTS about “LOVEâ€. These facts apply to the Christian God. Christian’s Believe God is Love, that’s a Fact. You must believe in God and you must be able to feel the presence of God in order to know within yourself he’s Real.
So then, how can you or anyone else logically disapprove the Christian God when the fact is you can only know the love you feel within but outside of that you can’t prove it, you can only believe or disbelieve it exists?
The Atheist says:
November 3, 2009 at 2:16 pm
The Atheist – So when I tell my wife, I love her from the bottom of my heart, this is non-sense??? I’m lost ya’ll seriously.
No, that’s just an expression. If I said “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse”, I’m not actually contemplating eating a horse, I’m just using an expression to convey my hunger. These things, like the Bible, are not to be taken literally.
November 3, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Okay, very good! The Atheist.
Now what is the meaning of the expression: I love you from the bottom of my heart…? Does it not explain someone’s love coming from the heart? and if you agree it does, is it still non-sense to believe love is felt in our hearts and/or comes from our hearts.
I’m thinking your reply will most likely be, this statement of expression is ridicious! Since your previous answer says,
“Of course, to believe that any feeling is felt anywhere other than the brain is ridiculous. It’s the sort of thing we tell children because they aren’t mature or developed enough to understand what’s actually happening. This becomes even more ridiculous when we consider that hearts can be temporary, and permanently, replaced. Does that mean that the person can’t feel love because their heart is no longer in their body? Of course not, only a fool would suggest such a thing.”
The Atheist says:
November 4, 2009 at 11:53 am
Ok, Phairw, I’ll respond by asking you a question. If you had a heart transplant, would you still love your wife?
I really need to get it clear in my mind that you actually believe that feelings emanate from your heart. Or whether you’re just being awkward for the sake of debate. I think your response to this question will clear things up. And when you contemplate whether a heart transplant would stop you loving your wife, consider that there are about 3,500 a year, so it’s not uncommon. Also consider that you could receive a heart from another person, a different species (technically a xenoplant) or a fake heart (and it may be part of a heart, or a whole heart). So how far do you go with your bizarre assertion that love comes from the heart?
I eagerly await your response.
November 3, 2009 at 4:15 pm
HORSE is on the menu and was man also on menu even to day man is sacrifice for some god but i dont no which god .I have been warned of foreign demons.
November 4, 2009 at 3:11 am
Ok i’m just going to quickly confirm that love has nothing to do with the heart it is an ancient myth. The only reason that they could even be associated is the fact that occasionally hormones such as adreniline can cause the heart to beat faster when you see someone you love. This hormone release is not actually anything to do with love as it does not happen everytime you see someone you love (don’t tell me it does beacuse that is a lie*), it actually happens when you are excited to see someone or something. Stop claiming that love has any relation to the universe, That is the most obserd belief! Love is at best a series of chemical reactions, if they where floating about the universe then not only could be very easily detect them but we could actually manipulate the levels to stop hatred (ie. war).
Expressions such as “I love you from the bottom of my heart” have no meaning, they originate from century’s ago when science was ruled by the church and therefore progress was limited. Now, science is not limited by a dusty book and we have since discovered that the emotion love has absolutely not link to the “bottom” or “top” of your heart!
*i can prove that if you want.
November 4, 2009 at 6:17 am
sorry quite tired when i wrote this… a few typo’s
November 4, 2009 at 8:42 am
A Physicist – You still don’t get it! You are dis-crediting what I’m saying using one aspect of Love, which is what you can feel and prove through science. What about explaining love using all aspects? Please include the part about how we must have faith in love. Include the part about love (that your trying to called an ancient myrth), but to me and probably you (if you would admit), is a beautiful way to express love to people. And it’s not non-sense, nor a myrth to say, “I love you from the bottom of my heart” or “I have so much love in my heart” even though the physical body feels love (I believe you said) in our brain.This is the part about Love which is explained FAITHFULLY!!! The part you, me, and science can’t not prove incorrect, only trust and/or believe in it or not.
Hope you understand, What I’m trying to say.
November 4, 2009 at 1:03 pm
The Atheist – Yes, I believe I will still love my wife. But, YOU STILL DON’T GET IT!!!
And yes I do believe feelings emanate from the heart BUT, NOT PHYSICALLY! You and I both know the heart is an organ that pumps blood through-out the body PHYSICALLY, not love.
But when talking about the Heart FAITHFULLY…! ABSOULTELY…! I do believe love is felt in the Heart.
YET, you yourself understood a faithful expression of Love remember, “I love my wife from the bottom of my heart”. Which, should have been retarded to hear (according to your understanding of love) yet you understood it. I wonder WHY!!!
In conclusion, You and I agree love is something you must have TRUST/FAITH/BELIEF in. I’m simply explaining LOVE’s faithful aspect in life. The aspect the Atheist community know little about since ya’ll expertise on Love is only on the Physical aspect of “LOVE”. OKAY!!!
November 4, 2009 at 8:28 pm
im confused…why do people spend so much time attempting to disprove one another when they cant even prove their own belief themselves? Every theory whether religion or “science” goes back to one thing, where did the matter come from. Neither can prove this so one isn’t stupid and one really doesn’t take more faith than another. I am a christian and instead of getting angry at another person i just try to accept the fact that people think one is science and smart when i believe in the all powerful God, and they believe in the all powerful dirt. This argument frustrates me only because people get angry when nobody has circumstantial evidence to prove their own belief before they disprove someone elses
A Physicist says:
November 5, 2009 at 5:25 am
Joe – You are quite right i can’t prove where the universe originated from, there are many theories and hopefully science will find an answer soon. As i stated earlier, i am not condemning the existence of a higher power. I find it extremely unlikely but there are certain questions that otherwise can’t be answered at the moment.
This argument is not about whether or not a higher power exists, it is concerning the Christian god (and all other religions).
Phair – I am bored of explaining the same point to you over and over so i’m going to suggest that we stop discussing love as we’re not getting anywhere.
I still need you to explain this to me:
The christian religion is based on a book that no one can prove – You have faith in the bible.
Harry potter is based on a book no one can prove – I’m guessing you don’t have faith in harry potter!
Why do you have faith in the bible but not harry potter?
November 5, 2009 at 6:52 am
A Physicist – I trust in the Bible (you calls a dusty book) because of that which is written inside the book. Whereas, Harry Potter, Books about Lephrechauns, and etc, The things written in those books makes no-sense.
Why do you trust Science books and not the Bible (which is before or older than science books)???
If your reasoning will be because of what is written in those books…, I will be lost as to why my previous answers didn’t suffice.
And by the way…, The only reason why we’re dancing in circle around the topic of “Love” is because your dodging my question or treating it as invalid. Which shows me only what I have been saying all along.
But Love talked about Faithfully and/or better yet Spiritually, that’s where the romantic language of love is found, it’s rules, and that’s where God can only be discover (Faithfully and/or Spiritually).
A Physicist says:
November 5, 2009 at 7:10 am
Science books are written on the whole after years of experimentation. The contents of nearly all scientific books is fact. That is why i trust them.
The bible does not contain many facts, actually i contains a large number of lies such as walking on water, raising people from the dead, creating matter from nothing, creating the physical universe in 7 days, i could go on…
Believing in Harry Potter makes as much sense in believing the bible. Both are works of fiction that contain magic!
“Why do you trust Science books and not the Bible (which is before or older than science books)???”
Surely this is shooting yourself in the foot? To start with age has very little to do with anything, but if you want to bring it up humans knew very little about the world when the bible was written so it’s writers were much less intelligent that the writers of scientific books (or Harry Potter).
I am treating every thing you say about love as invalid because you are refusing to accept that love has no other “aspect”! It is an emotion caused by chemicals that is it! There is no magical love fairy floating around making you love your children, you love them because your brain (which is you by the way!) is telling you to. I most certainly can prove that love is just a chemical reaction as i’ve already told you, change the amounts of oxytocin in your brain etc.
Now can we please stop talking about love as you are refusing to listen to anything i say. Everything you say is opinion, everything i say is one the whole factually correct. That is why i don’t listen to anything you say.
November 5, 2009 at 5:38 am
Anyway, Evolvution (to me) is basically “change” that takes place over a period of time. (i.e) mankind started out walking, now we can ride in cars, planes, and etc.
So yes, The Earth has gone through the process of Evolvution since it’s beginning and still is…, ABSOLUTELY!
BUT, I have a question! Can a seed evolve? or Can a seed “change” it’s kind or type of life it produces?
I don’t think an apple seed can evolve into something different, an apple seed will remain and always be an apple seed. RIGHT???
A Physicist says:
November 5, 2009 at 5:49 am
you lack any understanding of what evolution is, this is the kind of ignorance that makes me suggest that you should be learning biology with 10 year olds!
“can you seed evolution” – What does that mean!?
Anyway i think this might answer your question. Evolution does not happen to an organism it happens over generations of organisms.
I can very easily show you a species being forced to evolve.
If i take some bacteria and put them on a growth medium that has been sprayed with a anti-bacterial spray, all the bacteria will die except a few who will have a mutation in their genes that makes them resistant to this spray (mutations happen to every organism in the world – naturally). When these bacteria reproduce (by binary fission) all the new bacteria are resistant to the spray. This is evolution, the community of bacteria have become resistant to the spray.
This process takes approximately 2 days and i have done it hundreds of times.
Does this answer your question?
And will you answer mine?
A Physicist says:
November 5, 2009 at 5:53 am
Ignore the first bit… read your post wrong.
A Physicist says:
November 5, 2009 at 5:54 am
only ignore the line “can you seed evolution”. The rest all applies to you.
A Physicist says:
November 5, 2009 at 7:32 am
So no your answer didn’t suffice, would you care to venture another answer or do you want to just admit that the bible is as believable as Harry Potter?
November 5, 2009 at 8:07 am
A Physicist – I can go on and on as to why the Bible contains no lies. And how science makes no-sense Especially, when talking about Love outside of the physical body.
I will never tell and express to anybody I love them using the scientific defintion unless I want to sound CRAZY…!!! “Baby, I love you, can’t you see the oxytocin producing love and not fear inside of me” LOL… LOL… LOL…. my wife would laugh me to shame. OR, Son I love you, my body is telling me oxytocin is producing love for you as my son and not as my wife. LOL… LOL… LOL…
Trust me, I can go on and on clowning science in this fashion, WHY!!! Because I using the scientific meaning of “love” improperly.
And I know your understanding of the Bible is improper. WHY! it’s simple, you do not believe. Your blinded by science, you have no sight in life by faith. Yet, you admitted previously Love must be believed in. What a shame!!!
November 5, 2009 at 8:39 am
“There is no magical love fairy floating around making you love your children” [said by the Physicist] please Mr. Physicist, I never said that.
To Everyone – Stop saying things like magical, and love fairies, and other things of this nature. Say, “GOD” that’s what I (christians) believe in, not those other ridicious ideas people thought up! We’re talking about the Christian GOD, Right??? Okay well let stay on that. Thank You!
Also Physicist – If you can prove what I’m saying is wrong by keeping in mind my logic to the argument, then I’m all ears. But if you continue to dismiss what I’m saying holding to your failed argument (as far as I’m concerned). Then Okay! say what you want, I won’t be responding anymore.
A Physicist says:
November 5, 2009 at 8:54 am
I’m slightly confused as to where the logical argument is that you are putting forward?!
I gave about four examples of where the bible is lying and your reply was that of a child! You can’t just say i’m wrong and then not back the statement up with facts or at least an answer to my question.
“So no your answer didn’t suffice, would you care to venture another answer or do you want to just admit that the bible is as believable as Harry Potter?”
November 5, 2009 at 9:23 am
My Friend, everthing can’t be proving (by mankind) in the physical realm of life. [that a fact] That’s why I didn’t respond to what you consider lies in the Bible. Second, I don’t have to prove God is Real to you. Why, God can prove himself Real and will one day.
So I don’t know what’s your problem being a person who’s faith is very small yet it exist. Why faith in anything?? Prove it all.
November 5, 2009 at 9:02 am
“I can very easily show you a species being forced to evolve.” [said by the Physicist]
REALLY, That would be a sight to see.
Question: Monkeys can evolve into a totally different CREATURE and not just a different type or kind or speices of MONKEYS…???
Science teaches and can prove this???
The Earth has evolved but we still called it Earth, Right???
I’m excited to know your answer!!!!
A Physicist says:
November 5, 2009 at 9:18 am
The earth has not evolved, no. That proves your lack of understanding of evolution. Evolution is a process that living organisms undergo over generations to help the species adapt to certain pressures and therefore survive.
A species is defined as a group of organisms that are capable of breeding and producing fertile offspring.
Monkey’s didn’t just evolve into humans, it is a gradual process. Over hundreds of thousands of years different generations of chimpanzees slowly developed traits such as standing that helped them survive to the age where they could reproduce and pass on that trait.
Your question is therefore incorrect as science has never taught that a monkey can evolve in to a whale! If this is not what you mean then please state your question more clearly.
Science has proven evolution, it is now a fact.
I spent a large amount of the last two years forcing bacteria to evolve and it’s not all that interesting to watch i can promise you! Why did you put “really” in capitals? Do you not believe it is possible? I have written a report on the entire experiment if you would like to see it. In fact just type “bacteria resistance experiment” in to google and i’m sure you’ll find something.
Is that the “exciting” answer you were looking for?! I doubt it.
November 5, 2009 at 9:46 am
Evolution is still a theory.
So we are a different type of chimpanzee called humans..??? I’m I understanding you correctly???
If so, what a load of foolishness. This is ridicious. Stay away from this science theories.
My friend, everything in life that starts as a seed can only be what that seed will produced. The monkey’s seed will only produce monkeys. Evolution can not intervene and cause monkeys to change into a different creature. Humans are different creatures from Monkeys [fact]. Just as different as a whale is from a monkey.
A Physicist says:
November 5, 2009 at 10:26 am
“Science has not proven evolution, Please don’t lie.
Evolution is still a theory.”
Please tell me your joking!? The theory of evolution is fact, there is so much evidence in the favour of evolution that to say that it is not fact would be as stupid as saying that your mother did not give birth to you! Even the pope the head of Christianity (originally) has accepted the evolution is fact. So your disagreeing with the head of your religion!
Please don’t accuse me of lying before you do your research!
We are related to chimpanzee’s very closely indeed. If you find that weird you will be interested to know that you share approximately 98% of the same genes as a crab!
“My friend, everything in life that starts as a seed can only be what that seed will produced. The monkey’s seed will only produce monkeys. Evolution can not intervene and cause monkeys to change into a different creature. Humans are different creatures from Monkeys [fact]. Just as different as a whale is from a monkey.”
You must be one of the stupidest people I’ve ever talked with! NO MONKEYS HAVE SEEDS! Where do you think a plant seed comes from?! It comes from it’s parent which was a fully grown plant. When the plant is fertilised it requires a male and a female gamete. When these gamete’s are produced mutations occur. It is due to these mutations that evolution happens.
All life originally evolved from a bacteria like organism. EVERYTHING including you, whales etc.
Do not talk about things you know nothing about!
November 6, 2009 at 12:03 am
Your use of the word “theory” doesn’t match the way in which genuine science uses the same word. In science, “theory” is used to designate a body of collected facts and the numerous conclusions derived from them. Because additional work is continually added to that collection of fact, a “theory” is continually growing and improving. “Theory” does not equal “unsubstantiated” or “unproven” or “lacking in proof or fact”. Actually, a “theory” has an abundance of fact to be worthy of the name “theory”.
Chimpanzees are not primitive humans nor are humans advanced chimpanzees. You are naming two modern species and by modern I mean species found today whose genetic identity is more recent than the earlier species from which they derived. Science makes no claim that humans are descended from chimpanzees. What is does say is, because the chimpanzee and human share over 90% similar DNA, they are related through a now-extinct parent species from which each is descended. Chimpanzees are cousins, not the species from which we human beings derive. The shared DNA is indisputable. You do not have to take the fact of that shared DNA on faith, you could, if you so choose, examine the DNA yourself.
As it happens, evolution is continuous even now. Indeed, given the right conditions, some population of chimpanzees in isolation from other chimpanzees in very different environmental conditions than the average chimpanzee, given enough time, would become a distinct species unable to interbreed with the original population of chimpanzee, i.e., attempts at reproduction would fail or, in the least produce sterile offspring unable to produce children themselves. Think of it this way, there is no physical way a St. Bernard and a Chihuahua could breed with one another on their own. The obvious physical barriers would prevent it. Only through artificial means could these two dog breeds reproduce at present. The longer they are genetically isolated from one another, the greater the chances they will no longer be able to produce offspring even through artificial means. For intents and purposes, they are organisms who were once genetically wolves who have become two species. What was once wolf is now something else and all within the span of only a few hundred years or a few thousand at most.
P.S. Chimpanzees aren’t monkeys, they’re apes. They are at least as different from monkeys as we are from them and, if I’m not mistaken, genetically speaking, the chimpanzee is more like a human than it is your typical monkey.
November 5, 2009 at 10:05 am
I have been told not to give to much info a
medium friend told me no more info my bedroom door was slammed and a man size static force was uneasy my angel .I am going spiritual church bet i get told of but i can say i never believe in anything with out facts but remember facts hang innocent men.love you all.
November 5, 2009 at 11:07 am
Peter gore seer – (this is probably the only time I will response to you but anyway) WHAT…??? I don’t know what your trying to say… and I sure no one else does either.
The Physicist – The Pope is not the head of my religion, I’m not Catholic (Please speak what you know). I’m a christian, better yet call me a disciple of Christ.
Next, your trying to tell me Monkey don’t have seeds or sperm or whatever science says they have to produce more monkeys???
Sir, it been a pleasure for a while but this is where I will exit now…., your too busy calling me stupid instead of trying to understand my point. And in many cases can’t get over my typos (like you don’t make any)….. But it was fun while it last Thank You!!!!
The Atheist says:
November 5, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Phairw, I have to again ask whether you’re being serious or not in denying evolution? Or are you again, much like your love argument, just being nonsensical for the sake of argument?
Evolution has been proven over and over again. In fact, we can use the theory of evolution (and by the way, calling it a theory does nothing to negate its validity, even though certain uneducated theists seem to think it does) to actively predict where we’ll find transitional fossils and what they’ll look like. Evolution, as a proven theory, is so complete that to deny it would be akin to denying that the earth is roughly spherical.
Do you realise just how ridiculous your argument is? Experiments in evolution have shown that a species can evolve to the point at which they lose the attributes that define them as a species within 40,000 generations. These aren’t small changes, these are huge changes (i.e. the difference between generation 1 and generation 40,000 is massive, the difference between generations 12,936 and 12,940 are very small), and they can happen VERY quickly in evolutionary terms. If you don’t believe that these small mutations happen, ask yourself why children aren’t exact copies of their parents? Yes, they share some similarities and characteristics, but they aren’t identical because they have mutated.
I don’t understand that you can deny a mountain of evidence, from a massive range of sources, most of which has been independently verified and tested, yet you still believe a book which claims the earth was created several thousand years after man domesticated the dog! Yes, we somehow had pet dogs before your God created the universe. That is the scale of your ignorance.
Picking up on a question you asked of A Physicist, as to why he believes in science books and not the Bible, I don’t want to put words into his mouth but for me, it’s simple. If I read something in a scientific book or journal, I can go out and test it for myself. I don’t have to take the author’s word for it, I can test it myself. Many people have taken a similar approach with the Bible, and tested some of its claims and found them to be false, lies, misrepresentations. For example, the earth is far older than the Bible claims, there was no great flood, many of the historical events and people did not exist (there’s a conspicuous lack of evidence for the existence of Jesus, for example, and on balance, it seems likely, given the evidence, that he didn’t actually exist at all) and there were species that predated humans that eventually evolved into humans. Humans most certainly were not just “created”. And these are just some examples, there are many more, some of which are even more egregious.
Returning to another point of yours, that I didn’t “get” your definition of love, I can only put that down to your not explaining it sufficiently. First you said love was a feeling, to which we explained it was actually caused by a chemical. Then you tried to claim that love comes from the heart, to which I pointed out that you can still love even if you have your heart replaced, and then you just stopped and claimed that I didn’t get it. Maybe I didn’t “get it” because you keep changing tact every time your argument is shown to be absurd?
November 5, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Thank you that was beginning to give me a headache!
November 5, 2009 at 1:33 pm
The Atheist – Listen, Evolution is valid. I stated this already. But to say Evolution is the reason for life and the world and not God and creation. Is silly (in my opinion).
I know Physicist…, I said opinion!
So does science when they say “Theories” Just because there are some truths surrounding Evolution doesn’t mean we should jump off the cliff with Evolution holding it’s Theories as our parachute.
Now I don’t care what you guys say, until you show me the actual evidence of humans evolving from chimps, I simply can not accept this as true. This sounds as bad as saying Lephrechaun, fairies, and etc is reality. And Yes, I understand (according to science) this will take a long time to prove. Well then leave it as a theory or just a possiblity according to science. Don’t say it’s right when it’s not possible to test beyond all reasonable doubt.
Also, I told ya’ll God is Love, ya’ll disagree. God/Love was reduce to simply an emotion (according to science). Ya’ll choose to not understand me because ya’ll ignore my logic to the argument. Or maybe ya’ll still don’t get it. Well too bad, I’m not going into that anymore.
All in All, the blog discission has not logically disproved the Christian God. You showed logical doubt but no proof. You can doubt anything you want even truth logically. There’s someone in jail right now for a crime they didn’t do. Why, because of Facts the jury saw as proof. I don’t know if I should acknowledge Pluto as a planet or not. Because science for years said it was a planet, providing facts to this matter. Now the science world is saying Pluto is not a planet do to new facts. Who’s to say they won’t change again.
The Atheist says:
November 5, 2009 at 4:58 pm
The Atheist Listen, Evolution is valid. I stated this already. But to say Evolution is the reason for life and the world and not God and creation. Is silly (in my opinion).
I’ve discussed the origin of life previously on this blog. To summarise, a collection of chemicals understood to be present on earth in the days before first life can be combined to form RNA, which is the precursor to DNA, which is the blueprint for life. It’s truly fascinating that we can trace life back to it’s very beginning and I’d encourage you to look into it.
So does science when they say Theories Just because there are some truths surrounding Evolution doesn’t mean we should jump off the cliff with Evolution holding its Theories as our parachute.
Scientific theory does not mean what you think it means. Hopefully this quote from the Wikipedia article will help:
Theories are mostly constructed to explain, predict, and to master phenomena (e.g., inanimate things, events, or behavior of animals). A scientific theory can be thought of as a model of reality, and its statements as axioms of some axiomatic system. The aim of this construction is to create a formal system for which reality is the only model. The world is an interpretation (or model) of such scientific theories, only insofar as the sciences are true.
Any clearer? A scientific theory is not something that is yet to be proven. It does not stop being a theory at the point it is proven. As much as you’d like it to, that’s not the way it works. Gravity is technically a theory, but you don’t tie yourself down at night so you don’t float away, do you?
So what would, in your eyes, constitute proof that we share a common ancestor with chimps? And let’s be clear here, we’re talking about shared ancestors with chimps, not that we directly evolved from chimps. No one is suggesting that. Do the numerous discovered intermediate species not suffice as proof? Finds such as Darwinius? And the fact that if you look where we predicted a species like Darwinius would appear on the Human Evolutionary Tree, the prediction was pretty spot-on. In fact, fossil discoveries have been shown, time and time again, to match up with our expectations based on evolutionary theory. That is why evolution is seen as fact, because it’s been proven to be accurate numerous times.
I do wonder why you put such a burden on proof on science, but do not extend the same burden of proof to your deity. As I pointed out, evolutionary theory has been shown to be very accurate many times. The Bible has been shown to be very inaccurate many times. Yet, for no good reason, you choose to trust one over the other. You choose to demand proof of one but not the other. Why do you intrinsically trust the Bible despite its flaws yet dismiss science despite the supporting facts?
The difference between you and I is that I give everything a fair hearing. I applied the same rules of logic to both science and religion. When you do this, it becomes very obvious, very quickly that there is no debate to be had.
You close by saying:
All in All, the blog discission has not logically disproved the Christian God. You showed logical doubt but no proof.
The point that you’re missing is that there is only once source for your definition of God. The Bible. And taking that once source, I have shown it to be flawed. So why would you believe any other part of it? You yourself admitted that I’d shown logical doubt, so are you now doubting the existence of Yahweh? It would be illogical not to, by your own definition, no?
This part applies to person as well. This article does not attempt to discredit or disprove all Gods (or the concept of a God, however unlikely this may be), just the Christian God. I have shown that that the Christian God as defined in the Bible does not exist. I’ve seen no argument that has countered the original point satisfactorily. The wider point is that we do not have to prove that your God, or any God, does not exist in the same way that if I suggested there was an invisible gremlin sitting on your shoulder, it wouldn’t be your responsibility to prove me wrong. It is the person making the ludicrous claim that has to prove it to be true, not the other way round.
Unfortunately this “debate” is going the way all theist-athest debates eventually go. Myself, and several others, have presented evidence to you. You have dismissed the evidence, or changed tact (God is love, no love is oxytocin, no, wait, love is in your heart, no, wait, God is love again – it’s a cyclical argument that you’ve not added anything to since your initial post) whilst not presenting any counter arguments. And no, ignorance does not count as a counter argument. You’ve certainly not presented any evidence to counter ours, far from it in fact.
And you didn’t answer my question. Why do you believe a book that says the world was created several thousand years after man had domesticated dogs?
November 5, 2009 at 2:15 pm
To the Atheist, or the Physicist – I live in the NY/NJ area. I would love the chance to debate others like you on the subject.
If you can make it possible and If you want to make it possible I would love the chance to debate this with someone face to face. Maybe I’ll do better explaining myself in person.
Let me know
A Physicist says:
November 6, 2009 at 3:13 am
I would love to, unfortunately i live in London, England
November 6, 2009 at 9:03 am
Naumadd – WOW! Thank You, I really enjoyed reading you comments. THANK YOU…. THANK YOU…. THANK YOU….
A Physicist & The Atheist – I agreed almost with everything Naumadd written. (I hope you do also)
Everything he said about “Love” (outside of the scientific explanation) is what I have been trying to say is the FAITHFUL aspect of “Love”.
All the demonstrations, the expressions, even the rules people live by. The scientific explanation could never capture this.
(i.e.) “I will love my wife until the day I die” can’t be proven, only reasonably accepted by actions and words of FAITH.
Naumadd – You are right, I would have never participated in the blog convo if I wasn’t trying to get people to agree or believe in the Christian God.
Now I have been saying God is Love and I have said God/Love is the creator of the world, others have rejected without seeing my logic in the long debate. You seem to be closer to understand me. My reasonable evidence of the Almighty God is Love, that it. And this Love was expressed by Jesus Christ! He demonstrated the greatest Love of all by giving his life to the world that we might receive eternity (because his life is believed to be eternal). Every-day we take life to survive, and we call it food (whether its meats, and/or fruits, vegetables). But, no one is willing to give their life so others can survive unless they love them. This is the Love of God express to the world by Jesus Christ.
The Bible is known (to Christians) has the word of God, or the word of eternal love, words that expresses and tell stories (by former believers) about the love of God towards them & mankind. These words I tested in my own life by seeking an experience of Love according to the words written in the Bible and I really found God. And I can tell you, it’s impossible to know God without expressing and demonstrating complete faith in the words of the Bible. My comfort that this love (eternal love) is real is the feelings of joy, peace, and happiness that I get when going to church or praying, or hearing the preacher. Words I love to hear because it gives me hope, words that comforts me when life gets hard and greets me with pains and sorrows, words that have not failed me, words that revives me and keeps me feel good. The words of the Bible makes me feel like a child loved by his father. I can go on and on…..
Doesn’t this sound like true Love being expressed and verbally illustrated? Or does it sound like non-sense or a fairy tale or something ridiculous and not possible? What can anybody say other than whether or not they believe me…?
This was my point all the time.
November 25, 2009 at 10:41 pm
PhairW,
You seem to have entirely missed my point on the subject of “love”. I never said that proof of the “love” one feels for another is derived from faith. That is clearly NOT “proof” as I use the term. I said that, given certain behaviors on your part, OTHER persons can make reasonable deductions with regard to the emotions you are experiencing and YOU can make reasonable deductions regarding the emotions experienced by others by observing their behaviors. Your actions and words will reasonably demonstrate what you are feeling at any particular moment. By observing the actions and words of others, you can reasonably conclude what they are feeling at any particular moment.
None of these conclusions are acts of faith as I describe them. They are reasonable deductions by real persons from the real behaviors of real people. Of course, what you believe about the emotions of another is largely dependent on your accurate observation and interpretations of the behaviors they exhibit. As most of us know, reliable observation and interpretation of the actions and words of others is tricky business. We all too often get it wrong.
Unlike the reasonable deductions of which I speak, “faith” conclusions are unreasonable. They discard the primacy of fact and reason and instead rely on unexplained whims that really tell you nothing rational at all. Any actions or words in response to such unreasonable conclusions are likely themselves to be unreasonable and irrational.
November 6, 2009 at 9:45 am
Naumadd – I can respect your explanation about science use of the word “theory” and I also appreciate and understand what your saying about Evolution.
But, my problem with science is facts isn’t always proof, just facts. And I gave examples previously, There are or was people who went to jail for a crime they didn’t commit because of facts (a lot of it too) that made them look guilty. Even the science world seems to be confuse about whether or not Pluto is a planet because of old and new facts. Now the Atheist ask earlier why do I required absolute proof from science and not for my believe in God? Science place that burden on themselves by excluding belief. So wherever belief/faith/trust is excluding, then those things must be absoultely proven true, leaving no doubt. Evolution is not absolutely proven. Just surrounded by alot of facts which seems to strongly support what you and other think about Evolution. But not me, I need complete proven truth that the world creation is Evolution. Science doesn’t used belief in there research so their force to prove it.
November 25, 2009 at 10:22 pm
PhairW,
If a thing is a genuine fact, then it is an absolute truth. It is indisputable regardless of one’s point of view or interpretation. Whether or not it is a “proof” is dependent on the specific question one is asking. Certainly, if one wants to know if there is life on other plants in our solar system, the fact there is life on Earth is a fact but it isn’t proof pertaining to your question. If one wants to know if there is life on Earth, the indisputable fact that there is life on Earth seems to make the answer easy but, most importantly, the fact you are asking the question and that you yourself are alive and on Earth makes the answer rather self-evident. If something is a “fact” it is a truth independent of one’s point of view or interpretation. For that fact to be a “proof”, one has to have some specific question in mind and the proper interpretation of that fact must lead to logically-consistent conclusion. Of course, that question is derived from a human point of view and, the interpretation of the facts will also be from a human point of view. The facts themselves, however, are not.
I take from your second paragraph that you believe there are two kinds of “knowledge”, one derived exclusively from fact and reason and, the second derived exclusively from faith or belief. I disagree with you, of course. If you claim to have “knowledge of a god” exclusively through faith or belief, you are speaking of a “knowledge” that is quite unlike the “knowledge” science works diligently to discover. Because your personal definition of “knowledge” is so unlike the definition used by science, it is impossible for you to make any intelligent statements either comparing or contrasting “faith” and “science”. As your arguments make clear, you believe they are not at all the same and I agree with you. You do not believe what science discovers to be “knowledge” by your definition and, certainly, science does not believe “pure faith” to be any kind of knowledge at all. This is the primary reason why many say that science and faith are forever incompatible UNLESS, both compromise on their definitions of “knowledge”. That, I believe, is a mistake on the part of both and an unwarranted compromise on the part of science that ultimately destroys its purpose. In any search for truth, and in any construction of knowledge and wisdom that holds fact and reason as its primary or even its only sources, pure “faith” or pure “belief” characterized almost entirely by a rejection of fact and reason are considered unreliable. “Pure faith” can only lead to unwarranted conclusions which would not be “knowledge” in the rational sense. As you clearly illustrate, there are some who are living or at least attempting to live with a primary personal trust in non-factual non-reasoned belief and faith. To persons such as myself, such philosophies and practices appear nonsensical and both self and culturally destructive.
November 6, 2009 at 10:06 am
And by the way, it’s said that the word of God has to be preached in the four CORNERS of the Earth, how the f**k is that possible being the Earth is round.[said by Taylor]
Taylor – When the Bible speaks of the four corners of the Earth. It’s talking about North, South, East, West, and/or Up, Down, Right, Left. That what the Bible means by four corners of the Earth.
Here’s a Tip for everyone: The Bible represents the language of eternal love. Seek to understand and judge it’s meanings because not everything is literally spoken, especially since alot of things in the Bible are dreams and visions.
November 12, 2009 at 8:30 am
Emotions can’t be explained by science, therefor they don’t exist, but how many people can tell me that they don’t feel?
November 25, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Actually, science has a great deal to say about human emotion – it’s called the “affective neuroscience of emotion” or the “cognitive neuroscience of emotion”. Just search for both terms and you’ll find plenty on the web to perhaps satisfy this question.
December 9, 2009 at 8:47 pm
I would like to consider myself a critical thinker, and anybody who can categorize themselves under that title understands the need to seek sound evidence to guide decisions that they must make along the course of their lives. We find satisfaction in rational thinking and behavior, but that is not to say that irrational thinking and behavior do not form a part of us, for if it were so, we would never act on any sort of emotion seeing as how they are irrational behaviors to stimulation. Faith is an irrational thing, much like an emotion; in neither case do we contemplate rationally the information before us and the outcome that will occur if we so choose to act. I will never argue that faith is not inherent in all human beings. There are gaps in life that we cannot process rationally, and are therefore obligated to process irrationally, but this is by no means to say that we should live our life based on solely irrational behavior
I wish to make it very clear that I am in no way attempting to offend anyone with the following statement however this is the only conclusion that reason and logic have led me to believe. There is no proof of a supernatural God who concerns itself enough to interfere or intervene with life on this planet.
I do not believe God (portrayed as a man or creator; like the Bible portrays) exists. I cannot accept that there is an entity that has created a universe governed by probability (research quantum mechanics; when we get down to the smallest elements of the universe, quantum mechanics so eloquently predicts a jittery-chaotic universe based upon probability. You could even research string theory and M-theory). Not only this, but he creates a universe where his product of life can only arise by chance (an unfathomably miniscule chance, try doing research on the anthropic principle). Only then to pass judgment on his creations that are evolved products of countless chance occurrences (which by the way takes billions of years, and human existence has been an insignificant fraction of that time span). Not only that, out of all of the millions of planets that could harbour life, that he has created, somehow we are exceptional? Sorry, don’t buy it.
The God of the Bible provides structure and sanctuary in which a person can relinquish their hold on the concept of self-fulfillment that they so fervently cling to, and begin living in a new light.
Upon consideration, the idea of God, especially in Christianity, is the most intelligent and purposeful scam of all time. How better then to raise the awareness of countless individuals who are so indulged with satisfying their own desires? The central idea of God provides support. It provides a basis upon which we can rally humanity under a single banner, a single purpose. Underlying it all is the idea that it is more important for humanity to live harmoniously in utopical perfection as a whole, then to live as egocentrically, detached individuals. Love and help every human. And after all, it is hard to argue against the possibility that this is the only way that we can find meaning as a whole, as a species.
That is exactly what is wrong with people these days; they only give to others with the intentions of receiving something in return in the future. In one sentence, this proves exactly what is wrong with the idea of religion; eventually, you will be compensated. Why do you need to be compensated in order to do good in the world? Everyone is promised that if they do good in this life, they will be granted an eternity of happiness. But how dismal does that actually sound when you actually think about it? The only reason we ever do good is because we have this prize waiting for us at the finish line of life? That is truly a depressing thought, one that will lead humanity to its demise. If it is one of the goals of religion to liberate mankind as far as possible from the bondage of egocentric cravings and desires, then the idea of a personal God who compensates you in the afterlife is quite honestly the most contradictory and unfathomably selfish concept to have ever been manifested. I’m truly sorry if I have offended anybody’s views or beliefs, but this concept of compensation after death is a reality for a majority (not all), and I feel honestly bad.
My main interest in this entire discussion has been nothing more than to raise awareness. It would be nice for humanity to open its eyes and view the elaborate truth that has been hidden from them. I am not referring to Christianity, but to the preposterous monetary system that governs our planet and limits our species to sub-par slavery; “for even in physical slavery you are provided with food and shelter, however in economic slavery, you must provide food and shelter for yourselfâ€. The monetary system installed worldwide is the most prominent obstacle remaining for humanities global-interdependence. Eliminate money, and you eliminate a substantial amount of evil throughout the world, and you allow the progression of the human race as a whole. This is the first step that must be taken, and I guarantee it will allow every individual to make that first step towards accepting that we are all we have. By doing this you allow humanity to embrace itself, to embrace one another, to embrace our potential as a species. Only once we are united do we stand any chance of deciphering our universe, our meaning, and our purpose.
Once we have wisdom of the beginning, we shall have the beginning of wisdom.
December 9, 2009 at 8:52 pm
oh and curt, human beings define specific emotions at specific times by interpreting their arousal and associating it with their environment. For example: if I notice I’m aroused by stimulation, and your obnoxious, I must be angry.
Naumadd is right, science has actually produced a fair amount of knowledge on emotions. If u care to debate me on this topic, I would more than gladly do so. I’m and undergrad student in psychology at York university going for a bachelor of science, I’m sure u can keep up.
December 9, 2009 at 9:48 pm
I would love the chance to debate with you.But face to face. I’ve tried debating on this blog. But due to typos, misunderstood statements occurring often, and etc. I don’t have the fight in me anymore through bloging. I’ve decided I will only post in length one very short paragraph, straight to the point and meaningful when I deem necessary.
Your attending York Uni…, that’s in Queens NY or somewhere in the 5 boroughs. Let me know the time and place where we can debate for at least an hour. And I’ll do my best to schedule time to debate. I’m free (for now) Monday thru Friday from 10am until 1pm and Saturdays basically all day.Sundays of course I’m worshipping God, so nope can’t do Sundays
Let me know
December 10, 2009 at 11:52 am
Lol sry Phairw, you will need to let me know if u come to CANADA for that is the only way you shall have the chance to debate face to face with me. York university is in Toronto Ontario, not in NY state.
December 10, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Oh, I’m sorry, there a York College in NY too.
Your argument was interesting at best, but I’m still holding my position of faith in God. Your argumemt didn’t cause me to do any further research or anything, but it’s interesting to hear the minds of unbelieving individuals.
January 26, 2010 at 2:18 pm
I am for that, im never going to change my beliefs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 10, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Phairw, please understand that I do not intend to trash your beliefs, nor do I intend purposefully to in any way be offensive to you. However, I will state what I believe deeply in my heart, for I believe that there should be no reason why religion cannot be talked about, or have views expressed on it. Our culture has this perspective that discussions and opinions about religion are tabooed, but why should they be? I believe that so long as the discussion remains respectful, there should be no reason why this issue cannot be discussed.
For the rest of this post, I shall attempt to view things from the perspective that I truly believe in God, and I am going to attempt to prove that he exists.
Well, first, I know that deep down, as much as I would like to believe the Bible is true (maybe not a direct literal interpretation, but nevertheless somewhat accurate), I cannot use this fact as a foundation upon which I can convince myself that God exists; for the Bible is only true IF God exists, and I cannot accept this type of circular reasoning to base my beliefs on, for it does not hold its ground.
Second, I cannot prove to myself that God exists solely on what other people have told me, or from accounts that I have read/seen/ or heard about. I cannot be fully convinced by the word of mouth of others even if they are more educated then me in certain aspects of knowledge, as much as I would like to. At times, mostly throughout my childhood, passive acceptance of a teacher’s wisdom has been easy; involving almost no effortful independent thought. And for the most part, it would seem rational because the teacher should know more than me, and this teacher should serve as an icon or idol to me. And yet, I have the hindsight of knowing how disastrous this habit of passive acceptance can be to a man more often than not. Passive acceptance often leads to sheepish characteristics being promoted, and more often than not it entails deception. Therefore, if I am attempting to convince myself that God in fact exists, I will not let myself fall victim to the possible deception of others, nor will I follow passively along with the ideas of others if I cannot be fully convinced myself, after a critical analysis of their logic and reasoning.
Third, I have often considered the reasoning that the existence of God must be true because it has not been proven to be false. However, I have witnessed this logical fallacy many times before, and I believe it is known in Law terms as the argument from ignorance. In most modern criminal legal systems there is a presumption of innocence, and it is the responsibility of the prosecution to prove (usually “beyond reasonable doubt”) that a defendant has in fact committed a particular crime. It is a logical fallacy to presume that mere lack of evidence of innocence of a crime is instead evidence of guilt. Similarly, mere lack of evidence of guilt cannot be taken as evidence of innocence. Therefore, I cannot use this reasoning, to prove to myself that God exists.
Fourth, if God exists, than he has created a universe with purpose. However, there is nothing to suggest that His purpose has any relation or not to my purpose. It may, or it may not; for it seems reasonable to suppose that God would have a purpose linked to me, and just as reasonable that His purpose does not concern me. There are many obvious reasons why it seems reasonable to suppose that his purpose somehow involves me, however how can I justify that it is possible that his purpose has no relation to my purpose? Well, when I contemplate God, He is the highest being imaginable; far more knowledgeable, intuitive, and resourceful then I. In relation to Him, I am insignificant and reduced, much like an ant when compared to myself. When contemplating significance and purpose, the ant may find that his life is driven towards an end-goal (helping his colony) and that this end-goal does in fact have purpose. However, when a higher-being such as myself compares my purpose and meaning with that of the ant, I may find that this single ant is in fact insignificant (assuming it’s not the queen), to my purpose or meaning, or my general consideration. So by this logic, who am I to assume that God’s purpose has any relation to my purpose, or mine to his.
Methods attempted by others at trying to prove God’s existence have failed, therefore I shall refrain from considering their implications (not to mention I have already decided to try and find my own answer). So what is left?
Ok, well if I cannot prove that God exists, I am still willing to accept the fact that He exists; I do this on faith and I act without justifying why I do this. Condemn me if you will, but the idea of God existing seems blatantly obvious to me, and this is all that matters. It is even possible that I may never prove God’s existence, for God is infinite (unlimited, lying outside of space and time) while I am merely finite (limited, confined to space and time); it is possible that I may never recognize God or prove for certain that he exists.
But wait, if God is existent outside of the natural world and not confined to the here and now, while we are existent inside of the natural world and are confined to the here and now, does that raise the possibility that God may never be able to interact with the natural world? For God is supernatural, existing beyond the natural realm of the universe; unexplainable, undetectable, immeasurable, and abnormal. And yet, for him to intervene and interact with the natural world would contradict my idea of God, and not only that, his process of interacting should leave some measurable, detectable, or at least distinguishable trace that I can realize, of which I find no evidence.
Ok well I’m only beginning to cause doubt in myself so I will once again just assume that God exists. Ok, so He exists, and He exists in a state where there is no interaction between Him and his product of creation. Well, this in itself seems sort of perplexing, for why wouldn’t He want to be able to interact with his creation? Wait a minute…â€His creation If God created the universe out of nothing, what was there before the universe existed, and how did God become in charge of creating this universe? On top of all of this, if God is as I believe he is, does he know that He is actually God? Does he not contemplate his existence, where He came from, and why? How is he certain of his relation if regards to his position before and after the universe? Who or what was the originator of God? And who or what was the originator of the originator? AHHHH! I can’t handle this infinite regress! Fine, I shall assume once again that God has always been; he has no originator, and He was the only existing thing before the universe.
I find myself moving in a direction that opposes my original purpose; in the beginning, my conscious intentions were trying to prove Gods existence, and now, I find my conscious intentions are trying to rationalize my beliefs. As I dig deeper, I am forced to realise that my belief in the existence of God rests on nothing more than proposing assumptions to assert myself; it is my last-ditch effort in grasping for straws.
Is it possible that all these years I have been mistaken? Is it possible that countless people have be misinformed, myself included? I have fallen back on faith, as my reason and understanding do not distinguish a path of enlightenment. But how is this possible? How am I able to live in utter ignorance of the truth, and yet devote myself to believing a higher-being?
If I am being perfectly honest with myself, I think I already know the answer. For years, I was the victim of passive acceptance. Throughout my childhood, when my general knowledge of the world was at its least, I relied on obtaining information from the environment and mostly from others. Naturally, I assumed that the knowledge they were passing onto me was the truth, as most of the time it was and this helped me survive and develop. I have always looked up to someone, whether it is a parent, or an icon, or a role-model, and I have always trusted their word and desired their approval. I have developed a tendency to accept things as fact or truth if I believe that it can somehow help me develop my understanding, especially if these ‘facts’ or ‘truths’ are being told by someone remotely older with more experience of the world.
Passive acceptance can at times be quite beneficial, but it has developed a convincing “by-productâ€; the idea of God in religion. God is my big brother for whom I would do anything for acceptance, God is my father who I know will love me always, and God is the net that captures me when I fall. As children, we become conditioned for passive acceptance. As adults, we fail to realize that it is true that many aspects of religion are drawn-out ideas of childhood such as the idea of an ever-present all-loving parent, the feeling of guilt when no-one is looking, the lack of death, etc. We find faith for these reasons; it is a “by-product†of passive-acceptance. The idea of faith brings with it acceptance, belief, dependence, and loyalty.
Mr G A Williams says:
February 10, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Can I just inteject here just a little bit
to pose a Question. What in practical terms
are the primary purpose for the three major
schools of thoughts.
The development of the mind separate MAN from
the beast of the field. Both are animated entities and are subjected to the universal laws of gravity only one can transend mentally. Which one do you think as the capability to comprehend that which is omipresent?
December 10, 2009 at 4:46 pm
I would first like to mention that the idea of “religion as a ‘by-product’ theory†is by no means my original idea. The ethnologist Robert Hinde, in Why Gods Persist, and the anthropologists Pascal Boyer, in Religion Explained, and Scott Atran, in In Gods We Trust, have independently promoted the general idea of religion as a by-product of normal psychological dispositions. Other by-product explanations of religion have been proposed by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, Hinde, Shermer, Boyer, Atran, Bloom, Dennett, Keleman and others. I simply believed it was time that this information be brought to light in the discussion, seeing as how not one person has brought it up. There are many variations, but they generally promote the same idea.
December 10, 2009 at 4:51 pm
I would love to hear your thoughts. Also, I myself find it rather interesting to hear the thoughts of both believers and non-believers; for it is interesting to see who believes because of rational reasoning, and those that believe simply on blind faith…
Mr G A Williams says:
February 10, 2010 at 2:48 pm
excuse the schoolboy logic what does evolution
mean. Gradual sucession from a simple form to amore complex form. The word is not suppose to explane the “what” but it go`s as far has to show the mechanical aspects of “how”. From
my learned experience in the art of any form
of investigation one must possess the basic understanding of any given subject to be eligible for comment or opinion. Just for the record from what point of the universal spectrum of reality do you stand Newtonian molecular mechanical or Einsteinian Quantum mechanical Biological being in the middle of these to reference points. END of Argument.
February 10, 2010 at 7:53 pm
Indeed I shall excuse your school boy logic, and your unfounded education on the subjects of evolution. Indeed if you truly believe that “Gradual succession from a simple form to a more complex form” is any sort of definition for evolution, then I shall you use own words against you and say that “one must possess the basic understanding of any given subject to be eligible for comment or opinion”.
First off, as anybody who has ANY SORT OF ‘BASIC’ UNDERSTANDING of Evolution would be able to laugh at your comment; for evolution–as a basic definition–is the change in the allele frequencies of a population over time.
Do some research before you claim such extravagant and ignorant statements like that.
Thank you.
January 4, 2010 at 2:54 pm
I am involved with evil and god I was a none believer till a female using accult attacked me.I have facts proof of paranormal but I do not control it it is in control totally I cannot switch it on or off.I am careful I asked very little because i have got what I asked and it frightens my family and they are very important.My wife divorced me paranormal got out of control I now have a girlfriend she as seen a little only radio turning on and static energy round me but i keep the serious away from her.
January 26, 2010 at 9:03 pm
I was possessed for six months on and off it cannot enter for to long the body starts to react against it.It enters thru the eyes but then thru the back of the head then you have limited control.Cuts dont heal for split seconds you smell and see no flesh on arms.It felt fantastic I did not feel threatened it said it was a angel I was over the moon life after death fantastic but I wanted more prove.So i wanted things to move things to rattle telly to change channel radio to come on then it started my wife was on her own.She was well six months later divorced this was the start of hell for me now i am confirmed in god there is a curse on me but that is another tail.
January 27, 2010 at 4:41 pm
Oh and yep you’re right, everyone that has seen a ghost must have a mental illness.
January 27, 2010 at 8:58 pm
I dont mind being called if people started believing me it could be very dangerous for me.And the attacks could be more violent the occult is real I am one that got a away I after watch my back.I spit in eye of evil I stand and face all evil.
Under(/)ath says:
February 1, 2010 at 6:37 am
man the occult is very real. Iv seen things that logic just doesn’t explain. Missions trips to Thailand had some strange experiences, like growly men voices coming out of 3 year old girls. An excorsism in someone’s house that went well, and then we got a call from them the next day that when they woke up, EVERYTHING in the room where the excorsism took place was upside down. tables, chairs, the clock on the wall, even the piano was upside down, yet the family didn’t hear anything all night. strange things, and knowing every fact and theory there is to know about atheism vs theism really does not help you there. you either really start believing or you lose your mind lol.
February 1, 2010 at 4:06 pm
You are very lucky you were not attacked most possessions is mischief.But some times there is more than one evil entity involved then you may have a problem.
January 28, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Your view of science is absolutely pathetic; what you fail to realize is that science does not dismiss things they fail to understand, they marvel in them. It is at the core of all scientists to admit ignorance in a particular matter and marvel in it, for it is that which drives them, and furthers their exploration into the unknown. It is EXACTLY that: “the unknown” which elevates science to the pursuit of knowledge. And not just “our own conclusions”. Science leads us to THE CONCLUSIONS.
January 28, 2010 at 9:22 pm
I am going to upset the apple cart now I believe science does as much BAD as it does good.That it gets as many things WRONG as it gets right.And that it plays with things that should be left alone and there’s overt and covert science which is dangerous.Now you can CALL me ignorant fire it at me.
February 10, 2010 at 4:10 am
“Christians believe the Bible because they believe it was written by an infallible deity.”
I wonder how many christians belief this exactly as you’ve said it. The Bible was written by Paul and Luke and Isaiah and the rest. So if it was also written by God, then we have to re-define what “written” means.
I think your argument fell in a hole before it even started, and it never really recovered from that. But as they say in the movies; “Thank you for playing!”
Mr G A Williams says:
February 10, 2010 at 6:17 am
For all you intellectually inept individuals who fail to demonstrate any form of rational
reasoning. Lets study the connondrum called life and all its constituency.
1. you must have life to duplicate life, things don`t just arise out of nothing that has no life (0+0=0) simple maths 0+1=1 (life is a universal constant).
2. The universe is based upon a divised sytems
of Laws and applied principles that operate with precession example this planet that we are living on first has to be built before you can have any life forms upon it. explain these stats it rotate on a axis every 24 hours it travels in a orderly orbit around the sun in 8,760hours in 12 months divide this by 24 give you 365 days this will go on
for ever in a pepertual motion. Until a greater force koncks it of orbit. Without this being set in motion their can be no you or me let alone any dynasaurs. (Q) what was it that set this universe in motion?
3. Humans lack understanding of the data in front of their minds. (Q) have got the power or the ability to cause your self into any existance? how did you get here and from where did you come.
4. When you no longer able to exist on this planet where do you go? as a matter of fact
your carcuss stays in the ground where does
is to teach him somthing. What do you think that could be?
6. And lastly what did you bring when you came to this planet equally what will you take when you leave?
OF?
February 10, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Why do atheist not believe proof of paranormal are police have used psychics for years in the second war some psychics were lock up for months so as not to give information about D day landings.If you look you may find more but they might be suffering delusions.Or could it be they are afraid they have been wrong or like me fools.
February 11, 2010 at 10:15 am
In 1943 a woman went to a psychic she was told her sons ship had blown up he was alive.She went to the admiralty his ship was HMS hood the BISMARC was responsible.Three survivors her son was one the psychic lady was arrested as a spy interrogated with no trial held for nine months in prison never tried.The ship sank three days before the seance.Because of D DAY thay imprisoned her it was on british TV.
vaibhav aksh says:
March 7, 2010 at 6:28 am
March 11, 2010 at 10:36 am
I noticed you mentioned that the Bible has many contradictions. Well, I’ve never seen a contradiction in the Bible. I’d love to see one. Can you show me a contradiction? I also noticed that you said that “science” has proved man to be millions of years old. But did you know that Radiometric Dating isn’t perfect? Just like everything else in the world, it can make mistakes. If you’re saying it’s never wrong, then you’re talking about it being god-like. Because nothing but God is perfect. In which case YOU would be the one contradicting yourself. You also mentioned that the oldest living fossle is over a million years old. Well, how did they find that out? By looking at the dirt? By analizing the fossle? Didn’t you read that they concluded it to be that old? They never said it was a fact. Plus, what about the fact that all they found was a jawbone? You are just believing what man says to be true instead of what God says to be true. Which is greater? The one who made us? Or us? The one who made us of course. When you said that the Bible was written by man, you forgot to mention that they wrote what God told them to. You also said that there’s no way that you could fit so many animals on a boat. Well, that was a biiig boat. Do you know how many humans you could fit into your bedroom? Without furniture, around 60+. Now remember, most of the creatures were bugs, so they were flying or climbing the ceiling. Plus, it never said every breed of every animal. He brought, for example, two dachsunds, two abbymisal cats, two parrots, and two geckos. Not a lab and a terrior etc. So he had plenty of room. You also say that the Bible says the world is flat, when Isaiah 40:22 clearly states: “God is enthroned above the circle of the earth”. When God said to stretch his word across the four corners of the world, he didn’t mean it like that. It was just another way of saying: Tell everyone the word of God around the far reaches of the earth. I don’t remember reading about pi being unknown at the time, if you could provide the Bible verse, that would be much appreciated. However, if I were to guess why he didn’t tell them. I would think it in the same way as asking your parents to do your homework; it’s your responsibility to do it, they’re not going to tell you the answers, they will just help you through it. By the way, the Bible is not one book by one author written in the time period of a month. The Bible is 66 books put together, written by 40 different authors, over a time period of 1,500 years. And they harmonize with each other. And that has not been repeated.
The Atheist says:
March 13, 2010 at 2:30 pm
You’re also a way off the mark with radiometric dating. No one claims it to be perfect, in fact it’s known to work within ranges. And you’re right, it can be inaccurate, but luckily there are numerous different ways to date materials, so we use the one that’s most applicable. Use the right tool for the job. The same way that most sane people apply their brain to the flood story in order to deduce that it’s completely and utterly ridiculous.
Chase says:
March 19, 2010 at 12:22 am
Ofcourse the bible has never been disproved.
It’s just like Nostradamus, everything is so cryptic that it could never be disproved.
You can pretty much make it fit with any story.
The bible was intentionally written that way.
Seriously … is it that complicated?
Guy says:
March 21, 2010 at 3:39 am
The human race’s population double every 163 years. If the human race was 2,000,000 years old or even 100,000 years old do you know the ammount of people that would be alive on the planet right now?
Pope says:
March 23, 2010 at 5:51 am
All right let me touch briefly on the topics at hand. The creation of the earth, atom and eve, Noah’s ark, conclusion of the “disproved bible”.
you are correct to say that the earth is much older than humans, and the bible as well. however the word of the bible is written by man, though it is the word of the Lord. God created the earth in six days then rested on the seventh correct? In whose eyes? the idea of this place being created in a mer seven days is absurd. through our eyes seven days is impossible,but how long is one day to God? one day to God could be millions of years? the existence of time has been long disproved by Einstein. Time was created by man. so you trying to disprove god with the time frame of man is void.
next atom and eve, they were the first humans on earth created by God in God’s image. No doubt there had to have been many homo-erectus nut non that where created in God’s own image that was reserved for atom and eve. God is infallible but he must have experimented before he created Atom and eve.
Noah’s ark, true it would be nearly impossible to fit 20 million spices on a boat. however you are leaving out the combination of Geology and Biology. The study of the earth and its inhabitants have shown that life uses Natural selection to adapt to its environment.(just so i don’t contradict myself I am not speaking of evolution, but just adaptation.) where as we have 20 million spices today, back then Noah may have saved but 100,000 or maybe even a million. Despite this fact, Noah saved enough animals to procreate the species we know today. Charles Darwin studied the adaptation of animals and it nearly killed him to write his book , “Theory of evolution” because he didn’t want to destroy an entire civilization built upon religious morals. if you successfully disprove a deity then what…? our eyes are open? to what? to nothing? personally I would rather die and be in the presents of the lord and saviors of my faith than to be lost in an eternity of nothingness. you are lost i pray God will find you.
Just to rebuttal your in infallible attempt to disprove God.
” The Bible is inaccurate- therefore the followers of God are Fallible- therefore the definition of God is one’s own opinion- therefore God created us with the ability to free think, so don’t waste it trying to disprove something that is at a higher thinking level of the human race. Join the chess club” If you truly want to understand the word of God become a paster or a priest and follow him. otherwise go back to playing call of duty kid God can not be cheated, disproved, or forgotten. however you will be, this blog will be, and atheists will be. God will remain as long as my eyes stay open to his good grace. in other words GO FUCK YOUR SELF!
Alex S says:
February 23, 2011 at 12:12 am
hey retard a thought you wee a ignorant christian “atom and eve” i thouht it was adam anyway non of it is true so who cares
September 17, 2010 at 8:37 pm
I really can’t believe that this is really being argued against. First of all, nobody has the infinite knowledge to know whether or not God exists in the things that we don’t understand. That’s what makes Him God and us not.
Radiometric dating! LOL!!! That is a feeble comeback. All of the dating methods are flawed to some degree. If I give you a corrupt or messed up formula, chances are that you’re going to get a messed up answer.
Six days the world was created. Six of whose days? God does not have days so there is no other alternative than six literal days. The reason that 6 days was used is to provide us with the way in which we are to use our time. Work 6 days and rest for 1. Why are there only 7 days in a week? It has no astronomical value like days, months and years.
God judged the world by the flood of Noah or Evolutionary processes did the same with asteroids which wiped out dinosaurs that are still in tact!
Sorry buddy, I know that I’m about to ruffle a few feathers here, but there are roughly 5800 different KINDS of animals. Now before you give birth to a golden goose egg, I want to shed some light on some things. Canines produce canines. Birds produce birds. If Noah took two different crocodilian on the ark, I’m sure that we would get the different subspecies in about 6-6500 years. At least Noah had two of each KIND where evolution has dirt and molecules that came from nowhere. Now that I made my point, subspecies do not count when it comes to specific kinds. First of all, the word species originated by a Creationist to describe the “special creations” that God made.
You don’t have to be a priest or pastor to understand the bible. You just have to read it with an open mind and pray for knowledge and understanding.
Alex S says:
February 23, 2011 at 12:07 am
how stupid are you 5800 species there are 100s of millions. Also why did your deity make life on other planets such as Mars and possibly other planets in the universe ? By the way watch the documnetary Nova:buried secrets of the bible, the try to argue for the old testment. It may open your god sealed eyes.
Mother of nightmares, daughter of chaos says:
September 29, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Yeah, in the bible there is no mention of a heaven for animals. Thus, why is this so. Is it because humans are not animals, that they are different? Then if we are different, the bible is suggesting that humans are totally different. How can this be so? We know that humans are differentiated just because they are thinking. The fact that we believe in a god shows our delusion, that we believe in a god to hide our fear of death, our fear of our consciousness not surviving for all eternity, to just dissappear.
Alex S says:
February 22, 2011 at 11:57 pm
That is a amzing statement and i aplaude you as i also as a fellow athiest had that exact same thought
G says:
October 4, 2010 at 9:33 pm
The bible declares that God is infallible. It also states that man is imperfect. Logic by definition is impossible, because logic requires all possible factors, and perfect reasoning (impossible) to come to the most beneficial conclusion. LOL.
You say that because the Bible doesn’t give exact answers, it is fallible, and therefore God’s word is fallible. But the funny thing is, if you understand that man is imperfect,then how could we possibly comprehend a perfect book created by an infallible God?
I’m not trying to turn you into Christians, because I understand what it’s like being an atheist. It won’t take a 15 year old on a random website named “THE-ATHEIST.COM” to convince you that God exists, but how can all that is around us be random chance? You don’t just roll a dice and hope a universe will pop out… God bless – especially those who study the universe all their live just to try and prove it’s pointless. LOL. LMAOnaise!
October 4, 2010 at 10:07 pm
Isn’t it funny how people spend their entire lives studying the complexities of the universe just to try and prove it’s all pointless?
Your “Logic” is that because there are inaccuracies in the Bible, that God is fallible, but the Bible wasn’t written by God. The Bible was written by people. People who were inspired by God, but were themselves fallible. Besides, if God is perfect, and we’re not, how could we possibly understand anything he has to say?
Ironically, logic by definition is supposed to give the perfect answer given all variables, however, as we are imperfect, we cannot find all variables, or make the perfect decision, or even comprehend the answer.
God exists.
I don’t care if you disagree, because I know it won’t take a 15 year-old to convince you that its hypocritical to say that you don’t care about the possiblity of God, when you have to make a website to justify yourself. God bless and good luck.
Alex S says:
February 22, 2011 at 11:54 pm
You like many others are basing are whole athiest view on the writing done by this one athiest, who seems quite intellegnt. Like many other christians are brainwashed and will not except thruth and evidence. We are not just disproving the bible but also argueing what really happened such as the bing bang, evolution exc. Slowly religious theories are being disgarded and scientific fact is being accepted. If you live a long enouggh life you may the world tilt to atheism and finally except the true light of the world science.
Matthew says:
October 19, 2010 at 12:28 am
Here’s an interesting quantum mechanic fact. Time is relative to ones position or location in the 4th dimension (Space and Time) therefore 7 days could be Trillions of years in-fact to our space time.
3rd Noah, Your right seems impossible. But once again science will tell you everything is possible with power. Power can shift anything and everything. Even down to the basic building blocks of the universe. Supposing God existed, and is all powerful, It would make it very possible.
and last, you say the bible is written by man and is fail able. This is true, I fail to see your point. I don’t recall it ever saying “THIS BOOK IS WRITTEN BY THE ALMIGHTY GOD!”
In fact it clearly says the “Gospel according to ” Which is from their memory. And the last note It never once said the earth is flat. Never. Read it again. Unless your looking at the catholic Bible which has been warped and changed from the original text. it doesn’t say it.
And as a last note as someone who so strongly agrees with science over religion, let me explain a little bit of what I call “Basics”
You see Even the most common “Laws of physics” can’t Be proven. That’s right, they CANT. You see we have guesses and Ideas of how the world works and how these laws apply But nothing to really say a “Fact”. Therefore technically The laws aren’t laws but best guesses which would fall under the ruling of “Theory”. Now we add out everyday modern science based on the “Theory’s” and what do we have? oh yes, a Philosophy. Hmm.. now lets Put this in an equation shall we? If science = Philosophy, and to believe that Science is Fact. Does that mean you must have Faith in science? Indeed it does. therefore Science = Faith = Religion in the end both require the same amount of faith and trying to disprove one with the other is foolish. If your going to argue again, Learn some more of your “Faith”, Because apparently you are a very stereotypical arguer.
November 15, 2010 at 8:34 am
The point of the bible is not to try and prove whether God exists or not. The bible is here to teach us how to love and be righteous through stories and the word of God. I am an atheist who believes that we should love and care for one another. However, I think all the other atheists are going too far to try to prove that the bible is wrong. The point of the bible is not to be literal. It is here to teach selfless love and kindness, not to explain evolution or something like that.
Sam says:
November 19, 2010 at 9:40 am
While I was reading this I couldn’t help but chuckle.
The first thing that struck me when I read this is that you sound exactly like anyone else who argues for or against faith. To simplify what I’m about to say in so many words: you are trying to disprove something’s existence which, by scientific definition, is impossible. You can arm-chair philosophize all day about why the bible’s contradictions or inaccuracies indicate the lack of an omnipotent deity, but it won’t get you anywhere other than your own opinion.
Quite frankly the fact that you even feel the need to make this argument indicates either a need for validation of your own opinions, or a disdain for religion, a sign of immaturity. Regardless of religion, tolerance in all things is to be sought after. Wars over religion are fought over intolerance. Hate crimes stem from intolerance. Religious persecution stems from intolerance. I’m sure you see where I’m going with this.
Second, if you’re so confident that the bible is wrong, then what was your point in posting this? You either wanted to convert people to atheism, which I doubt since you’re so obtuse about your evidence and arguments, or you’re trying to pick a fight with religious people. Either way, you’re not changing anything, and you’re not helping anyone.
To close, my personal favorite point to bring up with atheists: Pascal’s wager. Look it up.
The Atheist says:
November 21, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Your personal favourite is Pascal’s Wager? Maybe people who lack basic logical reasoning will be taken in by that deeply flawed argument, but the rest of us realize that it only leads people not to worship any God, if they truly buy in to the underlying principal.
And of course, even if it did hold up logically, only those with no principals, those who do not care about the truth, would use it as a basis for their lives.
ashvin says:
December 7, 2010 at 9:08 am
I understand the feelings of someone trying to prove the existence of GOD logically. BUt have we ever realised how much advanced is our capacity of logic. Can GOD be sought for logically or is it beyond all logic and to that effect can we accept the fact the we are not “intelligent” enough to feel GOD.The human mind could not fly planes some centuries back but now it can. so what is the present stage of evolution of our mind. Is it developped enough to logically approve or disapprove GOD. I would appreciate if someone could clarify me on this
Andrew says:
January 9, 2011 at 1:35 am
Hi, i just read this and I just wanted to say. Could it be
possible that God created the world a certain age rather than a
completely new one? He did create Adam and Eve as adults, not
adolescents. Also, the Hebrew word for day, “yom” can actually mean
either a 24-hour day or a certain period of time. That could range
from a certain length of time including years.
January 21, 2011 at 4:48 am
If you take the bible as literal absolute fact, you’re an idiot. The bible was written by man through the inspiration of god. It’s meant as a guide. You can believe whatever you want to believe, but where science falls short and can’t explain something, there’s god.
Keith Pak says:
February 14, 2011 at 4:31 am
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
I’ve spoken to a few athiests (some who are my good friends) and I always ask them what stops them from believing in God and the answer is usually that there is a lack of evidence. By assuming that this “lack of evidence” means that God does not exist they try so hard to find their own evidence against it.
Well, as Christians we believe there is so much evidence that God provided to reveal himself and this is in the Bible, and by that means, if you can disprove the Bible, you leave me an Athiest like yourself. The problem is- you cant. While you claim we can’t prove it is true, you can’t prove it is not.
The factor you’re leaving out is faith. We who are saved are saved by faith(as the bible verse says) and this is the element Atheists lack. They claim they will believe in God with evidence and proofs but with faith? believing in something you cant see, taste, smell, touch, hear, “prove”? That’s unacceptable! Like many preceding posts have done, Christians will share the evidence that we see make the God of the bible real but no matter what evidence we can give, an athiest will try to disprove it. Why? Because of this lack of faith in a living God and too much faith within themselves.
What i’m getting at is this: A Christian knows that the God of the bible is real through faith. An athiest wants to know if the God of the bible is real through proof. Epheshians 2:8 does not say we are saved by evidence. its by faith. You could say “how do you know that this verse is real? faith. How do you know the Bible is real? faith. How do you know God is real? faith. Yes, this may not be the “evidence” athiests want, but it is the single factor upon which we believe we are saved. You guys refuse to believe because evidence is essential, and faith is unacceptable. Yet it is by faith alone that we stand here believing so strongly against your claims.
The best picture i can paint is this. If I loved rootbeer or something and said this rootbeer is so good, and i love drinking it because i believe its good and you never tried rootbeer in your life, you could tell me evidence on why its not good, “i heard it tastes bad” “too many calories” “it smells gross”, but you haven’t tried it. In the same sense, you have no faith, just many claims on why Christianity should be false. And as the bible says, this is what separates Christians from non-christians. We have this faith and know that the God of the bible exists through this faith, and you guys can not accept this “faith” and you need tangible and provable evidence to believe in the Christian God. By asking for evidence, or for proof, or for trying to disprove the bible or our beliefs, you are showing exactly what the bible (which we believe is true) defines Christians and non Christians as. Christians are those that have faith, those that don’t have faith are non Christians.
You can not argue “i dont have faith and there is no God by this and that evidence” when the object of your criticisms are those who have faith, because you are lacking what we have. The same way we can not give you faith but can give you evidence on why the Christian God exists, you can not take away our faith but you can try to find as many loopholes (which are not really loopholes since they anything you say is false about the Bible is refutable) that you want.
Alex S says:
February 22, 2011 at 11:31 pm
Is it not better to gaze upon the stars and wonder and try to explain factually and scientifically how it got there then rather to say “oh god did it”. I am a very strong young Athiest and always will be. There is much dissaproving the entire old testament of the bible and most of the new in many books and documntries such as: NOVA the bibles buried secrets and others;also there is evidence to truthfully explain our universe and past. Religion is a firewall in the computer of knowledge constantly interupting are research and understanding. If not for religion there would be less secregation, war, violence and hate. Religion tears apart instead of bringing together people. I dream of a world entirely Athiest and hope my dream will be realised. Why lie to people and give them false hope when we could aspire in the truth and marvel of science and improve this world for the better.
Sarah says:
February 27, 2011 at 7:11 pm
Ok, so to start out, It dose say in the bible that God created the earth in 6 days. However, it dosnt say how long those days were. God is above time, so they say, so one day for him could be 500 years to us. When comes to the whole Adam and Even thing, it says in the bible they began in the garden of eden and some theorys out there belive that Adam and eve were in the garden while the earth was being created and so hence their appeance. Also, With the Noah and the Ark story, In the bible it is said that the animals came to Noah. So they didnt have to come to him. It also states in the bible “With Christ all things are possible” even the things that are considered physically immposible. I would like to finsh off saying that if you look at all religons out there, they all metion there being “a great flood” and there are historical records out there saying that one happened. If a great flood did in fact happen how could species begin to reappear? Some had to survive somehow. TADA: Noah’s arch.
Finally, Athiesim is the BELIVE that there is no God. you still belive something. And by saying your an athiest is saying you BELIVE in no God. There is still BELIFE there.
SJW says:
March 2, 2011 at 9:25 am
Great post! Love it how controversial this is, and how the religious people think us scientists are “biased” (I think you might want to read some philosophy of science, which any good scientist follows, to see how we really do science…).
Anyway, just wanted to comment and say, whilst that is a great derivation to logically disprove god, I feel as though many religious people will not believe it, as you are using science to disprove many of the facts that the bible claims. This is all good for us scientists, but religious people do not believe in science (I know one who doesnt even believe in GENES! How ridiculous when I, as a neuroscientist, manipulate genes every day!!).
Therefore, I propose you attempt to disprove god through the bible only. This is much easier than you think, and for some good inspiration, check out this website:
Peace and love to you all
J Dodds says:
March 7, 2011 at 4:28 pm
You say we “believe in science”. Here is a short list of things people have believed in: god(s), the tooth fairy, Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, unicorns, fairies, etc. Notice anything interesting about that list? Every one of those things cannot be proven. Only children believe in things until they gain the necessary knowledge to know different. Belief is completely destroyed by knowledge. They cannot co-exist logically with each other. The only one we seem to argue about is the god(s) one. We don’t believe in science. Belief means that when we grow and learn (science), We eventually see that the myths are not facts. I do not want to “Believe” in anything, I want to know. Belief is only used by those people who are too blinded their religion to see the falseness of this ancient writing. Don’t even try to give me belief, give me knowledge.
Ivan C. says:
March 9, 2011 at 7:27 pm
It is very sad to read writings such as these. The true question would be if you would die and burn in hell for let’s say just 30 minutes and then came back to life would you believe? To start off the knowledge that this guy has in the Bible is wrong and I don’t have time to show him for if I did I would be a very long post. The truth is that science as the Bible will always be questioned no matter how far science advances or how great it gets science will always be questionable. Let’s start with the first theory the creation of the world – where did the universe came from? How did it get created (the whole universe)? And so forth. Scientist can only get real facts and answers from what has already been created. Even there theory of how humans came to be which they state we came from monkeys even that is very questionable and will never be a Fact. For why don’t we see anymore mutations from which supposedly human evolve from? They come back and say well throughout the years humans have mutated in time for people in the 1960 have a different mind, point of view, culture or live style then a person that lives in 2010. Times indeed have evolved, but humanity has not we are still the same types of humans that walk, eat, talk, sleep and so on. God’s power is not just visual and the things he does, but we can also take a look at evil, satan, demons witchcraft and so forth. If you get into any of these things you will come to realize that it’s truly real and will have a better view of how God himself is also real. I wish I had more time to explain this but I don’t so for all of you that say God isn’t real you’ll find out the truth after death and by that time it will be too late. I just hope you figure it out before then like that you won’t run into reality. God bless everyone and remember Jesus Loves You.
March 14, 2011 at 10:46 pm
Dude. Christianity has been around for WAY more than 2000 years. It’s been around for around 8000… Which is how long the earth has been around. Science has also been around that long. Get your facts straight.
March 14, 2011 at 10:47 pm
such as the value of pi being unknown at the time (surely God would have known it!?!).
Yeah, but if God would’ve mentioned that, two things could’ve happened… A: The Bible would’ve turned into a math lesson; B: Jesus, if he said this, would have been a scientific genius/professor, thus abolishing his claim to being a pretty normal guy. Yes, it does take a Cristian to point out these things most times. Yes I am a Christian. Yes I am Fourteen years of age. No, nothing you say will ever sway my belief.
April 1, 2011 at 1:07 am
Radioactive dating is INNACURATE…JUST GOOGLE RADIOACTIVE DATING FAILURES…. Plus, the EARTH is longer than that. Six days, but YAHWEH, when correctly translated, said SIX PERIODS. And you can divide atoms, it becomes protons, neutrons, and electrons, and then quarks.
April 10, 2011 at 11:53 pm
Next you are going to tell me that santa and the easter bunny aren’t real either… whatever
Aly says:
April 13, 2011 at 2:20 am
One tiny thing I’d like to bring up, you said that there is no way Noah could have ever fit all the millions of species of animals into his boat. I agree! From what I understand, Noah didn’t actually take, for example, every breed of dogs. He actually only took 2 but their gene make up included other dogs. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard this, but that is why poodles are known as the dumbest dogs in the world. They have a terrible gene make up. And I think, not quite sure, but I think they actually do not possess the needed genes to ever breed any other type of dog except poodle. Correct me if I’m wrong. Sorry if I didn’t word this well.
joe says:
April 14, 2011 at 2:40 am
ok lets say god exists. then the first being he created is the worst ,lucifer. didn’t god know he’d turn evil ? cant he stop him?
adam and eve had cain and abel. where did the rest of the people come from. god loves incest
is heaven perfect , if not is it heaven. or is it a matrix like unreality, if any afterlife exists at all.in heaven i’d like to be able to look down upon the things i love most, like my children. and what if my daughter wre getting raped. not a good day in heaven for me. and if you knew your best friend watched your child get raped and did nothing would you ever forgive them, yet you worship god who does nothing
April 24, 2011 at 7:38 pm
Why are we disproving god? I mean it is the christian population’s job to prove god exists. If i were to come up to you and declare that i have superpowers would i be right simply because you couldn’t prove me wrong? No. It is my need to prove that i have superpowers. Just because science is currently unable to completely disprove the existence of god, that does not make you correct. Untill you prove god fully the statement is as much reliable as the theory of evolution. In fact it is less reliable as evolution has possible scenarios and facts which support it’s position. All you have is the blunt claim that the god is real because the bible claims it. And that the bible is true because it was written by or in the inspiration of god. That’s ignorantly stupid circular logic at its most pathetic. Cut that circle at any point and you successfully stop it all in its tracks. Science has proven the bible to be faulty on many points. There’s the cut. And to extend on that, science adjusts and improves its knowledge and views based on observation of what IS the truth (everything you see around you, because you cannot deny it’s thier or its nature). Religion has sat stubbornly on the idea of god for thousands of years now. Here’s a challenge. You want us to disprove god? How about you disprove evolution? You think you can handle the complexity of a theory like that? Or would you preffer something a little dumber to stop that mushroom in your head from throbbing? How about another religion? Prove why another christian, catholic or islamic belief is wrong and i’ll prove your god wrong too. Religion fit perfectly to what we knew about the world in that time. but as usual science kept improving and religion is slowly being destroyed by it. Remember when you thought the world was flat? Or when pi was 3 to you? Or perhaps that based on the math in the king james version of the bible jesus is already 11 years late? think about it
josh says:
May 8, 2011 at 7:52 am
we find out that science is wrong every day…is used to be science that said the world was flat, then something new disproved that… all science is theories. your silly for believing everything science says. good luck with that
May 19, 2011 at 2:54 am
Dude, really? you wrote like, 20 paragraphs ( I didn’t count, I was already pissed by the time I got to the second sentence) just to “prove” that my god isn’t real. I find this very disrespectful. My God could do things you couldn’t even imagine. If you dont mess with my religion, I won’t mess with yours. I’m prayin for you bro. I hope you change your mind about what you think about God.
May 19, 2011 at 3:07 am
Sorry you think that. I’m praying for you bro. Hope you change your mind
Mandy says:
May 19, 2011 at 6:48 am
From everything I have read, even if God wasnt real ( which I am not convinced) I am still so pleased to be a Christian. Mainly because the just by 1 the language and 2 the energy the Christian side seems so much happier. My question to all you Athiests is what is it that makes you so angry to see someone simply believing. Don’t say its because “they dont accept you or they judge you or try to convert you” I think it is something more. you obviously have never had or lost the connection more like relationship with God. You can deny that all you want but that can be the only reason for such hatred and resentment. When Christians say they will pray for you it isnt to change your mind, its to change your outcome. We know God is forgiving and we hope that by our prayers for you he will forgive you and reduce his wrath. We do care about you. As painful your words and how I cannot agree with what you are doing to Our Lord I would never wish Gods wrath on you or the clutches of Saten. I am very sorry that you cannot find faith and if you want to look the other way I cant stop you but please stop trying to bring others down with you. Even if you athiests or other non-beleiver don’t agree with us we are happy with our faith
June 5, 2011 at 2:50 am
I haven’t read all the posts, but the posts I did read were very interesting. I have a question, if God is infallable, and man is fallible…what does that say about all the theories and science that we have that came from MAN? If man is so fickle, fragile, decieved and wrong on more accounts than right, who says that our technological advancements are right and true if man is indeed fallible? How does that make sense..? I’m not trying to be rude..I’m just restating exactly what you said with the evidence and proof you shared.
June 5, 2011 at 7:31 pm
The search for proof or disproof of God via empiricism inherent to natural science or positivism inherent to “theoretical” science (a field itself nearly faith-based) is worthwhile only as a mental exercise period, but in the end will produce no definitive result just as it has failed through the millenia. Maybe that means it is foolhardy. And to presume our modern thinking is finer tuned than the best minds in history is sheer pride and utter folly. In fact we have likely blurred the quality of our thinking with technology rather than sharpened it.
As for the mistakes God has made, God admits in the bible. Seek it out with the right heart and you will find that God repents of having made man (humanity), for all the evil humanity perpetrates against God and the suffering man commits upon one another. Clearly, God has enough character to admit this one glaring error and I have experienced it as true.
The Book also states that God is “Spirit”, God is “Life” and God is “Love”. These attributes of God are closer to our organic being and the best minds our race has ever produced still struggle with their meanings, their power and the extent of their operational realms. Show me in science true and discernible evidence of spirit. Phenomena certainly occur that points to something that might be spirit acting through and upon space and time. But I’m certainly not satisfied such “reports” are not tricks of the mind or instrumental distortions. And what truly is the origin of Life? What is love? You see, we will not agree on these things we have evidence of, albeit nebulous evidence at best. So how can we agree that God exists or does not exist? In fact, an atheist can merely prove to him or herself there is no room for a God in his life.
The only way to prove the existence of God is to know God spiritually. The personal experience and witness of God deep in one’s own spirit is presumably the greatest gift in life. But one can never know God directly, and certainly not in the empirical or positivistic sense that can be reduced to simple statements of fact which you seek as proof positive. However, one can certainly believe with all his and her heart (an experience called “I know that I know” that he(she) has experienced God in mystery. I can not provide to your satisfaction statements of fact of the authenticity and reality of my experience which you can truth-test. So then, is it belief only or is it belief that produces a knowledge of God that is forever limited to first-hand knowledge. Like the origin of life, what comes first, the chicken or the egg. In the case of believer’s, whom you chose to call theists, – a wholly inadequate description, the willingness to believe coupled with a hunger for truth beyond one’s own belly and eyeballs comes first, then spiritually the belief becomes manifest inside one’s being, then the abiding with and in God, maybe only once, maybe reoccurring, then the personal knowledge of God finally follows. So, you will continue to think theists who actually believe are fools. The bible says that also.
Let’s use for a moment the analogy of the family down the street. You know a family lives in a particular house down the street. At first that is all you know. You learn that family has moved here from Toledo. And for a while that is all you know. Then you learn that there is a dad, mom, two boys and a girl. Later you learn the ages of the boys and girl and that the younger boy is autistic. The father works as a chemist at the plant and the mother professionally swims the Columbia River between bridge games with her family, to stay in shape. When you walk by their home sometime you hear them argue and you glean more information, more facts. You pile fact upon fact, heresay upon heresay. Over time you have accumulated more and more facts about this group of people one can call a family. And on one particular day you run into the dad and mom, you feel by the weight of cold facts you already know them. You share a brief neighborly chat and exchange names that you have since forgotten. And one day in conversation at the mall someone asks do you know that family. Automatically adding it all up in your head and reply, yes I know them. Which of course is not true. In fact you know all about them, a whole flurry of facts acquired over a period of time. But the overriding fact is that you never took the time or had the opportunity to talk with them, break bread, learn of goals, fears, beliefs, sorrows and the like. You don’t know a single one as the person he and she is much less how they feel and act with one another. It is the same thing with God. Even theists who are theists by thought and philosophy can know all about God, but never broke bread, knew God in the Godhead Person God is; in the miraculous way God can reach into ones heart and abide deep in the human spirit in response to one’s desire to abide with God.
It says that God is Spirit and can only be apprehended by the spirit residing deep in the heart of man. That little bit of spirit exists in the seat of the soul where the conscience and the root of morality also reside. Can I prove this to you. No one can. It to must first be a matter of willingness to believe, then once experienced becomes a personal knowing. To begin to approach God one needs faith, which is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen”. Yet you seek to know God by the evidence in the world and beyond the globe through science, which again is relegated to observable phenomena in order to prove to yourself that God exists and you are not a fool to believe as such. The bottom line Mr. Atheist is that you flew from the high perch of your own thinking hoping to disprove God and uphold your own unbelief even before you started. While attempting to disprove the existence of God you merely reveal the confusion in your thinking, showing ignorance of spiritual things, things that will never meet the standards of truth required of the sciences. I see this conflation between ontology and empiricism everywhere rampant in our over-materialized consciousness. Start back at origins: facts are facts and not truths.
All you have succeeded in proving is that you do not what to find God and would run away if you even got close. Clearly the earnest deposit that once lay deep in a child’s bosom has been usurped by something else. Maybe it’s too much Darwin and not enough Spinoza. Maybe it’s the pride of knowledge. Maybe it’s the university propaganda. I don’t know and I will not pontificate on your behalf. But as a seeker of the truth, put your own mind aside and look inside and all around you, at every bit of the natural world of which you are a dear part. You have to admit that with so much Organization evident everywhere in all things, phenomena and processes, such organization implies intelligence beyond happenstance that put it and holds it all together. In fact, the only evidence of true mutation comes as a result of man’s hands put upon things.
Finally, logically, if God is spirit and science can deal only with fact and phenomena evidenced by our senses, however amplified, it certainly follows that science-based thinking can not prove or disprove the existence of God.
Like that family down the street that you know all about, you will only truly know that family when you learn who they are as individual persons first and then how they are dynamically and emotionally combined in family after you have spent the time abiding with them. Once you begin to approach the Person of God and begin to abide with God, you will never be able to disprove God or have the heart to.
Respectfully submitted,
SJW says:
June 6, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Nice post, but I have a few points I would like to make regarding your arguments.
Firstly, the point of this exercise, as is eluded to in the title of the article, is disproving the Christian God. And, as far as that is concerned, I believe that has been achieved. I don’t think the author in any way believes his mind is finer tuned than any of the great minds through history, but I would suggest that we now have a greater understanding of the universe and life to make more informed opinions on what texts such as the bible tell us.
You quote the bible in your arguments, but how was this text written? By man, through his senses. You also talk about how you personally have experienced God, you know God spiritually. You say that believing in God requires a “willingness to believe”, and that “once experienced becomes a personal knowing.”. How then, have you achieved this “experience” if not through your senses?
My point here is that it is completely justified to use scientific methods, which rely on observation through the senses, to prove, or, as Karl Popper elegantly has shown, disprove the existence of anything people claim to experience.
Just as you have faith that God does indeed exist, people, like me, have faith that the Christian God described in the bible certainly does not exist. In fact, I would say we not only have faith, we have disproven it quite clearly, from the story of creation (for example, we now know the universe is around 14 Billion years old, life has existed for approximately 4 Billion years on earth, and Homo Sapiens evolved approximately 150 Thousand years ago – much different to the creation story given in the bible), the tale of Jesus (which we have clearly shown is based on ancient Egyptian religious beliefs relating to the stars – see Horus and the Temple in Luxor for more info on that), to the very existence of God using His own book (see original article).
I am personally Agnostic, and have my own theories on what a possible God might be, but as far as the bible is concerned, that God cannot exist.
In respectful reply,
SJW.
Follower of Jesus says:
June 9, 2011 at 11:44 am
Here are a few questions for all Atheists who seem to know everything about how Christianity is ‘wrong’:
1. Have you ever experienced the Holy Spirit? (If you have you would not be saying what you are now.)
2.Why is it that Satanists, Muslims, any other religion and ATHIESTS know more about how they think Christianity is ‘wrong’ than their own belief?
3. If there is no God, then where did the universe, the Earth, US and LIFE come from? Did it evolve from some microscopic organism and if so then where did that organism come from and what or who gave it life?
4. God is more real than what we can see, i.e. science. Yes, science is what we understand about what we’ve studied and that is VERY LITTLE. Anyways, my point and question is, how is it that when my brother and a few other Christian friends prayed for a man who was declared dead 10 min before, due to science not being able to revive him, he was brought back to life? Does this not mean that God is alive and He can do anything??
Furthermore, evolution is a lot of rubbish because if we evolved from apes then why are there still apes and what happened to the other ‘links’?
I think by now we have clarified that any form of dating the earth and fossils is inaccurate and can no longer be used for any facts or hunches, for that matter. The only true dating is that in the bible.
Christians, here is 2 Timothy 3:12-17: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
AND REMEMBER CHRISTIANS: 1 Corinthians 13!! and if you are going to fight for God then speak to Him about it and He will give you the scriptures you need, just like I did!!
God Bless everyone, even those who don’t accept Him! Peace out…
The Atheist says:
June 12, 2011 at 8:08 pm
I’ll bite…
1. No, but then again I’m not schizophrenic so I don’t hear voices that aren’t there. If you do, get yourself checked by a qualified doctor because there’s something medically wrong with you.
2. I don’t have a belief, I evaluate evidence. And why are you asking why we know more than those with faith, shouldn’t you be asking yourself why those who claim to follow said holy books why they haven’t bothered to actually read and think about them?
3. I’ve covered the beginning of life on this site before, so I’ll refer you there. As for the beginning of the universe, there are multiple conflicting theories at the moment. If your pinning your hopes (your faith) on that, your not going to be happy when science progresses to the point where it can understand this area better. It’s known as the “God of the gaps” argument, and is unsustainable.
4. What about the times you’ve prayed for something that hasn’t come to fruitiion? Or do you have selective memory about those? Or do you just accept that it’s God’s Will? I can go through multiple scientific reasons why a person can appear to be dead only to “come back to life” shortly afterwards, but we both know there are reasons for this, and it’s certainly not a miracle and is certainly not because of any incantations you made.
You clearly don’t understand evolution. We did not evolve from apes, and no one but an idiot would claim that we did. We evolved from a common ancestor that we shared with the great apes of today. Apes took a different evolutionary path to homo sapiens, they stayed in the wooded areas so natural selection meant mutations that favored life in the trees were passed on. The ancestors of homo sapiens moved into more open areas, so mutations that favored life in that area stayed (e.g. standing upright to see further distances, which isn’t an advantage at all for life in the trees).
As for dating, carbon dating is inaccurate, it’s too easily affected by surrounding elements. Radio metric dating, which has been in use for years now, is far more accurate. There are multiple forms of dating in use, and the most appropriate type is used in each situation. If someone tells you that current methods of dating are inaccurate, you can stare them in the eyes and tell them flat out that they’re lying. If the only true form of dating is in the bible, why is it so contradictory and inaccurate?
Follower of Jesus says:
June 14, 2011 at 11:34 am
1. I’m not schizophrenic. I would know if I was. God doesn’t always speak with an audible voice, in fact, I think He prefers for us to read our bibles and through that He speaks to us because in that way we can relate to other people who have gone through similar problems and we can see how God helped them and how they got out of the problems called “the storms of lifeâ€. God also speaks through other people. All prophesies on my life are coming true.
If you look at most schizophrenics you will see that most of them are going crazy from the voices they hear. The voices either come from demons or their own minds. Your understanding of God is appalling because God is LOVE and He would never torture anyone into becoming crazy.
2. What exactly is a belief? A belief is something that you BELIEVE in, no? I’m not asking you why you ‘know’ or ‘think you know’ more than us with faith, I’m merely asking a rhetorical question. But I’ll answer the question for you if I must: Because all these false belief systems such as Islam, atheism, and so on are too scared that they are proven wrong that they all attack the belief that is most threatening to them. Why is Christianity such a threat and such a problem to you if it’s ‘wrong’?
Remember, there are also many false Christians who use Christianity as a label rather as a life style. God will deal with them one day. There are also people who are put into ‘high religious places’ like the Pope when in actual fact they are being hypocritical people who understand nothing about God. I don’t agree with Catholics 100% because they go against so much the Bible teaches. So don’t look at all the false people out there, look at the Christians who represent themselves by their love, by their humility and by their humbling themselves.
3. Are you not putting your FAITH in science and facts? How is science going to disprove God when the foundation of science is matter and God is spirit? Also, God is evident in the smallest particles of matter, which is atoms, just by the way. Here, let me explain the Trinity to you quickly. An atom is made up of 3 parts: Protons, Neutrons and Electrons. Look at the protons as Father God, the Neutrons as Jesus and the Electrons as the Holy Spirit. Electrons are the energy of atoms and they are shared or transferred to other atoms, etc and they, when packed together, become something like water or carbon or whatever you want. Protons, on the other hand are the positive parts of the atom and they are at the centre of the atom. Without protons, the electrons couldn’t be and there would be no use for neutrons. Protons hold the atom together. (This is just touching on it, I’m sure you know all about the atom). This is all SCIENTIFIC proof that God does exist and He abides in everything He has created.
4. Dude, just because God doesn’t give us what we want doesn’t mean He doesn’t exist. We look and focus on His goodness and love and faithfulness. The things I have prayed for have come true in some way or another, the things that didn’t come true, God has explained to me why they didn’t happen (Remember, God knows what’s good for us and His plans for us are far greater than we can ever imagine, Read Psalm 139 for more info). The other day I prayed that God would take the pains of a friend’s uncle away because he was very sick. The next day he died. Did God not listen to my prayer? Did I say something wrong? NO! Words are merely the way we let things out, just like this discussion. It’s my heart that God honoured in the situation and I believed with all my heart that God would take the mans pain away. And my prayer was answered. The uncle will never feel pain ever again. He had God in his life and is now experiencing God in all His majesty!
I’m sorry but I have never heard of any person magically coming to life without the work of God present.
As for evolution, if some of our ‘ancestors’ stayed in the trees and some moved to open pastures, why is it that the tree animals didn’t evolve tools, tree houses, some form of tree transportation, weapons, etc? Why is it that only some of the great apes moved from where they were naturally placed? Why is it that only some of the great apes evolved and none of the other animals ever did, eg: the bears, other monkey species, fish, etc. Evolution is very flawed and you can choose to stay blind to it, but when you do a bit more research instead of just believing what people tell you, you will find out that evolution is very flawed.
Just for the Noah’s ark discussion, I agree with the guy who said that Noah took every SPECIES of animal and not ever subspecies. And out of all those species that lived back then, how many could survive in water? We have this mindset that all the numbers of species are only land animals, whereas some bugs, animals that were on land, and all the fish could survive in water. And we also take animal sized out of proportion.
Radio metric dating is still very flawed and anyone who tells you that it is the correct method of dating the earth then you can stare them in the eyes and tell them flat out that they’re lying. Just like any other formula in its early stages, it is flawed and will be made better and it will evolve. Let’s look at the atom again. Our understanding of the atom 2000 +- years ago is so wrong and so different from what we know today. Who says that our perception of the atom today is completely right? These things will all still evolve and one day we will be closer to understanding all of this, they still need a lot of work and improvement. And if it took us 2000+- years to know what we know today of the atom, then how much longer will it take us to know the age of the earth? Surely not a few years..
Hey man, I don’t know who did what to you but you were obviously hurt or offended by ‘Christians’ or someone and that made you think that there is no God. God loves you whether you acknowledge Him or not. I’m not saying that you are any less than I am because we are all the same in Gods eyes.
Oh! One more question. How can a man speak in a language he has never understood or spoken or even heard before in his life without studying it? I don’t think there is any disease or mental case that can explain that. Must be God who did that..
SJW says:
June 14, 2011 at 12:39 pm
“This is all SCIENTIFIC proof that God does exist and He abides in everything He has created.”
Let me get this straight… You are trying to cite the theory we currently have of the atom as some kind of proof for God existing??? Not just a God, but the specific Christian God who is described in the bible?? You citing some speech you heard at sunday school where the atom has been used as a metaphor for the Trinity does not constitute any kind of proof that God exists. You haven’t even cited any evidence!
You have absolutely no proof to be able to say: “Look at the protons as Father God, the Neutrons as Jesus and the Electrons as the Holy Spirit.”
Or is that just because you have just “believed what people have told you”???
There are so many flaws in everything you have said, its hard to see where to start…
Evolution: All animals have and continue to evolve. Not just the great apes. Why the ancestors of the apes of today did not evolve tools and tree houses (a weird, but none the less valid question), is because with the evolution of homo sapiens came a bigger brain, enhanced socialising, and opposable thumb, etc, which led to us having the intelligence and skills to build everything man made today (and there is a huge body of evidence to support these facts).
It is this intelligence which has allowed us to reason, philosophise and even think about our own existence. And, sadly, it is also this intelligence which has allowed certain groups to firmly believe in a God beyond what we see. There is no reason to believe in any of the mainstream religions. Anyone who does has not actually thought much about their beliefs, or are simply brainwashed (usually due to influence at a young and impressionable ages).
“when you do a bit more research instead of just believing what people tell you, you will find out that evolution is very flawed.”
Probably the most ironic statement I have ever heard. So you’re willing to be critical of evolution, like a scientist, but not willing to turn the same critical eye to your own beliefs??
How exactly have you come to believe in christianity?? It won’t be from birth, otherwise I and everyone else would believe in Jesus, and there would be no other religions. Clearly, you were brought up to believe it, at a time when your belief system is forming, and you are very impressionable. Perhaps if you did a bit more research instead of just believing what people tell you every sunday, or just getting all your ‘facts’ from one very old book, you will find out the flaws that lie at the heart of most religions.
As for putting Faith in science and facts – as you have clearly demonstrated above with your very own critical thinking of evolution, scientists rarely have faith in any theories. They rely on solid evidence, and when a theory is first put forward (in the form of a hypothesis), it will need to accrue a large amount of evidence in favour of it before it is accepted by science to be fact. Unfortunately, the tenets of christianty have not stood up to that critical thinking, and so we reject it.
Finally, as for how can a man speak a language, well the computer sitting in front of you right now uses a language, and it uses electricity and incredibly complicated circuits to do things that 1000 years ago people would have thought were miracles. Does that also mean computers have been made by God?? Or maybe, just maybe, Homo Sapiens are more gifted than you give credit for…
Follower of Jesus says:
June 14, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Hey man, you misunderstood me with the whole languages thing. What I meant was this: How can a man (lets say well into his 40s) start speaking Chinese for example if he has never studied, heard or spoken Chinese before? I have seen and heard of many occasions where this has happened. I see it as God intervening. We all have different opinions.
I did not recite any speech I heard at Sunday School, it is how I see God being evident in creation itself. I was just giving an example, I did not mean it literally that God the Father is the Proton, etc.
Evolution: You just answered a question that I never asked by saying, “is because with the evolution of homo sapiens came a bigger brain, enhanced socialising, and opposable thumb, etc, which led to us having the intelligence and skills to build everything man made today”.
I asked out of innocence to not knowing why only half of the apes evolved when they moved to open regions but the other half didnt evolve their own type of techonology.
It seems you have misunderstood what I’ve said.
As for my statement “when you do a bit more research instead of just believing what people tell you, you will find out that evolution is very flawed.†I get how it is ironic, but let me tell you that I have done my research on science and on Christianity. This may be very difficult for you to understand but God as confirmed my faith many times. Normally, non-believers will turn this down and say that I’m crazy. This is natural for someone who has never known God.
I became a Christian a year ago, actually. You know the saying, “seeing is believing.”? The saying that so many non-believers use? Well, that is how I became a Christian. I’ve seen the Holy Spirit move, but I have also seen demons slamming doors, throwing things, etc. This all in a building that had no electricity and was empty (the demon stuff).
“As for putting Faith in science and facts – as you have clearly demonstrated above with your very own critical thinking of evolution, scientists rarely have faith in any theories. They rely on solid evidence, and when a theory is first put forward (in the form of a hypothesis), it will need to accrue a large amount of evidence in favour of it before it is accepted by science to be fact. ”
God actually teaches the same thing. He teaches us to test what we have heard, find out for ourselves. He tells us to test spirits, and not just accept them as they are.
For example (many Roman Catholics might be offended by me now), but the spirit of Fatima (Mary) appearing to those kids telling them to afflict pain on themselves to take their sins away (which in fact is not true because it is ‘replacing’ what Jesus did on the cross) was a demonic spirit. That was Satan.
But trust me, any religeous, scientific thing i hear or see I test it and find out for myself if it is true (hense me being a Christian today who also accepts science but not evolution or the earth being billions of years old, etc.)
Follower of Jesus says:
June 10, 2011 at 9:22 am
Christianity was called Judaism before Jesus came… Go read your bibles (If you own any) because clearly you need to read a Bible more than trying to disprove something that will never be disproved. Yes, the laws of science existed since creation.. But how was the earth created and who or what placed those laws?? Nothing can come into existance without being created… Just remember… For something to be created it needs to have time… God lives outside of time and inside of time because He created time.. That’s why God wasnt created and why no one can ever explain how He is..
But He does. There is so much proof that is pro God and so far all attempts to disprove God have failed… Sorry but LOVE NEVER FAILS!
J Dodds says:
June 12, 2011 at 9:31 pm
I keep being told that science can’t prove everything and much of what we have learned to be true we later learn was not. You are totally right. If science knew everything then we would be much closer to perfection than we are. It would also be out of a job.
You talk of “science†as being a harmful and untrue proposition. I hope you realize that “science†is not a thing. It is only a tool. It does not tell us about concepts that cannot be tested. As a living human you use science hundreds of times every day. A pencil, spoon, chopstick or plow, all are from science. All that science is about is what works and what doesn’t work. It can say nothing about ANY supposed supernatural claim. Anything supernatural cannot be natural for it is outside nature. By saying that something is supernatural you are admitting that we can’t know anything about it. We can’t know anything that is outside natural reality. Everything that we know is science.
Follower of Jesus says:
June 15, 2011 at 8:01 am
People on this forum are all using circular reasoning… You want to believe what you want to believe. Personally i dont have a problem with that, but we need to think out of the box. And that means looking past what we can see and what is physical. Sounds a bit crazy, doesnt it? But its a saying used by everyone, non-believers and believers alike. Think past what is physical and what we can see (the box) and look deeper, not with your eyes, but with your heart. You’ll be amazed at what amazing things you’ll find!
doug says:
June 16, 2011 at 9:23 pm
there are a few problems with your article but i’ll just comment on one.
God’s greatest act wasn’t creation. God’s greatest act was redeeming enemies against Him then adopting them into His very household through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Follower of Jesus says:
June 17, 2011 at 3:20 pm
Gods greatest act was and still is love! Sending Jesus to take all our sins away so that we might be righteous and we might live in love… That, in my opinion, is God’s greatest act ever! Jesus said it himself, “The greatest thing a man can ever do is lay his life down for his friends.”
June 17, 2011 at 9:56 pm
One word for all believers out there. Dinosaurs. Can someone please tell me where they fit in and/or where they are mentioned in the Bible?
July 11, 2011 at 5:22 am
Something not omnipresent on this thread is a basic command of the English language. Peter gore seer, fantastic name, but I urge you seek medical help,
Tyler says:
July 11, 2011 at 9:49 am
Some people can’t live without guidance, a sense of purpose and the thought of eternal afterlife. This is why religion was created in the first place. I absolutely do not believe in God but I feel as if religion and faith were and are still vital to the human race because so many of us are weak, evil, selfish, and mentally unstable. Religion helps people get through life. But now as humans are becoming increasingly intelligent Religion is proving to be holding us back. Give it a few hundred years and Christianity will be long and gone just like the hundreds of religions that came before it.
I just have one question I want a devout christian to answer for me. If god created everything then he created the idea of emotions…happy, sad, mad, angry, anxious, etc. And therefore he created the entire concept of evil and everything you associate with evil. Knowing that billions of people would be murdered, raped, tortured, etc. Why would he let that happen? If he is all knowing, created everything, and can see the future then essentially he is the cause of all evil because he created the concept, knew what would occur and let it happen. If you give someone a gun knowing they intend to kill your child (since we supposedly are all god’s children) and you stand by, watch it happen and do nothing…well then you just became God. As long as you say it’s all a “test”.
I’ll live my life with strong morals, help others at times, be loyal to those i love, fight for what i believe in. And if your God comes down to earth and judges us all and sends me to hell, then I pity the fool who looks to him for guidance.
“Only sheep need a shepherd”
Jake says:
August 1, 2011 at 4:38 pm
The only problem I see with your argument of Biblical inerrancy is that it focuses on a Biblical literalist’s point of view. Basically, your argument is against Protestantism. Most Protestants see the Bible as we would see a science textbook.
However, Protestants make up only about 20% of all professing Christians. To make matters worse, most Protestants wouldn’t meet a definition of Christianity in other creed’s circles. To most Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox (who would make up about 79% of total Christianity (with percentages guessed)) in order to be considered Christian you must accept AT LEAST 3 Ecumenical Councils. I would estimate only about 40% of Protestants would accept the councils.
What I am getting at is that you disproved a Protestant’s definition of God. To be accurate, you debunked the common Western Christian belief surrounding God. However, your argument would have to be extensively modified to come close to challenging Eastern conceptions. If you wish to do so, I would recommend a lengthy time spent on researching theology and the Eastern/Oriental Orthodox. Keep in mind that most non-Protestant Christians are considered compatabalists and see no reason to have a completely literal interpretation of the Bible. These are the same people that state that the Genesis account of creation is poetic. They would also be inclined to agree that the Deluge of Noah’s day was a local event. I’ve heard some people say man was congregated around Mesopotamia and the Ararat Mountain Range. So, a devastating flood as indicated by some recent findings in the Black Sea might explain why so many cultures have a worldwide flood myth.
Another thing I saw in your analysis is that you rely on a “God wrote the Bible” point of view. This is taken by many Western Christians as well. However, man wrote the Bible. Lets say the Bible is a collection of works from different genres. That means that poetic sections shouldn’t be interpreted literally. Prophetical ones might best be interpreted allegorically. So forth and so forth.
I also would like to point out that Catholics and the Orthodox say the Bible came out of Tradition. I don’t want to try and explain what they mean because I would fail horribly. However, these Churches would say there are multiple correct Traditions. This would explain why there are some inconsistencies with the Gospel and how some depictions of God change. Most Eastern Christians see words such as “wrath” and “anger” to be polymorphisms. Others would say that as Judaism developed and Christianity developed that the view of God was better refined. This would mean that religion was changing in some ways. Take a look at the evolution debacle. The Vatican recently announced it accepted the theory. So, this would mean that the Catholic confession is slowly changing its perceptions of the Creation account.
In order to build a better ethos, don’t use your experiences with Christians of one confession to disprove another. You should use experiences, and I won’t say its wrong to, but make sure you state which confession they belonged to. It allows people to place it in a frame of mind.
Reading the Bible isn’t a way to build ethos either. The Bible is seen as a great work of literature and interpretations vary. There are many critical reviews of passages and books out there. Read those and cite them. Even then, I wouldn’t say I was an expert. It takes years of review to make a complete statement.
Also, look into theology to bolster your argument. Theology helps to give people a way to interpret the Bible.
It seems as though you are most familiar with Protestantism as I have stated before. Protestnatism is only a small fraction of Christianity. There are the Oriental Orthodox, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Eastern Orthodox, and the Catholic Church. There are also several other smaller sects of believers out there. In order to disprove a Christian concept of God, you need to read up on these other confessions. The West and the East don’t even agree on the attributes of God!
Now, I know this may all seem like gibberish since I probably made errors in wording, arguing, and grammar. I just hope people who read it take it for the essence of what I was trying to say.
August 3, 2011 at 11:59 pm
I have read through about the first half of this and felt like I need to voice my OPINION.
I think to to actually believe in a “GOD” is ridiculous and just proves that you have no free thought.
First of all religion is just mankinds way of dealing with the fact that they are going to die eventually and there is nothing they can do about it, as stated in multiple comments above.
When people post comment such as “There is no such thing as evolution” it really makes me sad. To see how stupid people are becoming, that they cant actually think for themselves so they believe in something with no facts to support it, and never keep their minds open.
I have had countless religious debates with Christians. The second someone finds out im an atheist, their first question is ALWAYS, “well then how do u think we got here”? I will tell them something along the lines of evolution and the Big Bang theory. I give actual facts about what I believe happened. No christian has ever given me ANY facts at all to their beliefs, but instead say things like, “God created us” or “Read the bible”.
People have asked me to give them proof that there is no god, in retaliation I ask them to prove that there is one, the only so called “proof” that they give me is telling me to read the bible. That is not proof, not even close!
People are “raised” to be religious, they are “raised” to believe in a god that does not exist because their closed minded parents decided what they should believe, and baby fed them lies about life while growing up. This does not apply to all religious people, some people decide to subscribe to a particular faith sometime later in life for reasons that I dont know.
One more thing that has always been the basis of my religious arguments is that, if there are over 21 major religions in the world, how can you be sure that yours is rite and the others are wrong? Typical religious person response is “I have faith”. Pure A grade stupidity.
Religion helps the weak minded people get through life. Hey if it makes them happy then who am I to challenge their beliefs. I know that I am rite about there being no god, any other logically thinking person knows this as well.
August 4, 2011 at 9:12 am
you should read Gita the lecture given by lord Krishna to arjuna.then you would be able to understand the true meaning of all religion books.know that the whole universe is a very small part of god.god is not he nither she.god is beyond that.God did not created earth.God him self/herself/what ever became the stars suns all other things even human.the purus and prakriti are same. energy and matter is not different they are the two forms of one thing.matter can be transformed into energy energy can be transformed into matter.you can not know the god with logic you will have to go beyond that where you will have to leave all your impurities.you will have to be only with your pure consciousness.
lucas says:
August 7, 2011 at 4:28 am
all of these arguments are absolutly pointless.
there are always going to be people who believe in god, and those who appose it. personally,i dont know what i am, i always went to church as a child, and hated it, i just hate the way people are at church, i dont know why or what it is about it i just do.
i really only have one thing to say though. if a person lives there entire life devoted to a god, they are, as far as im aware going to be living a helpful and “pure” life, they will help those in need and be happy, and at the end of the day, if there is no god, then theyve done just that, lived a good life helping others. when it comes down to it, if an atheist, im not saying atheists are dicks or dont help people, dont get me wrong, but if theyre completely apposed to the belief of a god, and there right, then both are in the same boat when they die. but if there is a god, who are you really hurting by praying every once in a while, and believing that there is hope for you once you die, if there is a god, and youve lived your life in belief, then you live a wonderful eternal life, if you dont believe and there truly is a god, then your fucked. just my opinion, but theres no use in arguing since many of you have your minds made up.
Nick says:
August 18, 2011 at 8:07 am
lol the world is gunna end in 5 billion years when the sun burns out and everyone is going to die
Craig says:
November 16, 2011 at 7:58 pm
What I don’t get about christians is that they believe some things are literal and should be believed and followed (Adam & Eve, Noah’s Ark, Red Sea Parting, Ten Commandments Jesus, etc… but other things (all the horrible atrocities and laws that happened per god’s instructions) are not to be followed. It’s the SAME GOD all the way through the bible old to new. The same evil, hateful, vengeful, sadistic, god who claims to love everyone, but demands they worship him without proof or he will burn them in hell for eternity. It’s all nonsense like every religion. People follow blindly because they want to be told what to think and believe rather than look at the facts and think for themselves.
Shori22 says:
November 27, 2011 at 6:56 am
I don’t believe in the Christian God. Nor do I believe in the devil or hell. I was raised in the Baptist church and fed the dribble most baptized children of my age were. No, I don’t believe in the Christian God for my own reasons. Not because of carbon dating or other scientific nonsense that can be disproven as easily as Christianity. I don’t believe these things because of my own logic. Noah’s Ark, the burning bush, parting of the red sea, the resurrection of Jesus. All of these things and more are completely improbable scenarios. Only seen in fairy tales. The Bible worshipped a mean spirited deity who would kill anyone who defied it and love it the next. This deity was biased and hateful and a little bipolar. The men of these fables were apparently as infallible as God in many stories. And while I believe Jesus was a real man I do not believe he was divine. I am pagan, a traditional witch. We believe that no human can judge another and to truly love all things. Christianity not only practices the exact opposite of it supposedly teaches but it stole almost every piece of its teachings and beliefs from various other pagan and old world religions. Like I tell my friends who question my distaste for the Christian belief. The Christian church was built on the blood of the non believers. The Bible was written by racist Republicans and the devil was invented by cowards who wont idmit their own wrong doings and they only pray so they can feel like they have a free ticket to be jerks. And believe as long as they go to church they can do pretty much whatever they want. I have plenty more to say. But I’m typing on my phone and its tiring, lol. By the way, you don’t half to waste your prayers on me. You need all the prayer you can spare. Besides, I won’t hear them anyway.
Tim says:
December 2, 2011 at 6:27 am
How can a non-beliver state that a Christian is close-minded?
-We beleive in a God that can literally do anything.
-God could’ve used evolution to create the earth, if he had wanted to.
… -And maybe he did, because how do we know that the numbers of 6 days are literal, the psalms after all are not literal.
Now consider this quote:
“The Bible is inaccurate – therefore God is fallible – therefore the definition of God is incorrect – therefore God does not exist.â€
This quote was taken from a atheist.org
This quote is stating that God IS the bible. “The bible is inaccurate therefore God in falliable”. True, the word IS God. But is the Bible the word itself?
No.
The Bible is merly a vessel for the word, not the actual thing. The word is the truth in life, not the words in paper. The Bible is still accurate. However, you can poke holes in it because of many years of translations AND because it is the word of God, tranlsted into the word of humans. If God is more intelligent than humans, how can we fully understand his thoughts without over working our brains and giving up?
Anything in the bible we do not understand is not because it is not true, it is because we are either looking at it the wrong way, are being stubborn to even look at it logically, or are being trumped by the person who created knowledge itself (How hard would it be to get confused when talking to the maker of knowledge itself, when there is so much we don’t know about within our very own lives).
You can try.
You CAN however:
-say that anybody can technically be God (the noodle guy, Buddah, etc)
-that you do do not believe in God
I am not telling you you HAVE to believe God is real. I’m saying it is not impossible, lthus making disproving his existance impossible.
To actually accept that he is real takes faith, living a life of questioning, and a long string of mistakes. Facts will more than likely not aid you in your quest for God, so asking for factual proof of God is ilogical, as he does not make himself known to skeptics who would reject him even if they knew he were true.
It’s all faith, and that’s something I will not try to prove to you. It’s something you have to find yourself.
Don’t comment trying to “disprove” God, I will simply tell you the above line.
Thanks for reading, I just felt like venting.
December 20, 2011 at 11:26 pm
Here is a thought! some people are just to ignorant to everthing. I hate to say this but here is a way for you athiest to know that GOD is real and heaven and hell and the devil and his demons, go out and buy a Ouija board and call out to the dead and this is forbidden by God.Deuteronomy 18:10 read it athiest since you guys are so set to disprove the bible. try the ouija board and it will take over you hands this will first prove that satan is real. this board is the most likley way to open a portal to hell and god will allow you to be tormentet and once tormented call out to Jesus christ and you have my word it will stop then what the bible says about satan and Jesus and satin fears jesus and when his name is spoken the demon and satan have to leave the bible explains both it will be proof that they are both real would that make you a believer then if that doesnt then you screwed for sure. ps i used to be an athiest for a while but in time God opended my eyes to let me know that he is completely in control in the mean time i will prey and one day hopefully your eyes will be opened
John says:
March 19, 2012 at 2:21 am
ridiculous. That is just you believing in something greater moving your hands. The mind can fool itself. Not disagreeing with religion but…you give religion a bad name
Chaz E says:
December 22, 2011 at 6:50 pm
I am an Atheist. I do not believe there is a God. You may be a Christian, you believe there is a God. My belief is my belief, I can’t prove I am right. Your belief is your belief, you can’t prove you are right.
What happens when we die. If I am wrong I am in for a surprise. If I am right then, I expected that anyway.
If you are wrong you completely cease to exist and you will never have forgiveness for the wrong things you did in your life, because God doesn’t exist (if you are wrong).
What does that mean? It means that because I don’t believe in God, I have to be the best that I can be now, through my own actions. No one is going to do it for me. I have to do it all myself, not rely on God to bail me out by praying.
If you have behaved badly and not made the most of the one life you have to live, thinking that it is okay, because God will forgive me, because I have always believed in him/her/it and God doesn’t exist, you are up the creek without a paddle. You won’t get a do over and you will simply cease to exist having wasted your life.
December 30, 2011 at 2:57 am
I would like to start off by saying that I am marginally a Christian. Born in a Chinese-American family, never attended church service, pagan (lol) parents etc. The only sort of Christian education I have had is reading the Bible and the works of various philosophers, among which are Descartes, Berkeley, Spinoza etc. I was a complete atheist and something of a nature worshipper until middle school, when I began more intelletual pursuits in a gifted program and sort of converted myself.(I am now only a sophomore in high school) People can therefore hardly call me a brainwashed, blind, and moronic redneck.
Every such argument should begin with the essential paradox of creation. Let’s say God is real, and He created the universe. That means:
A) God created something out of nothing.
God came before the universe–before anything
B) God therefore has existed forever, or
C) God created himself.
All three of the bullet points are contradictory to the innate human common sense. How can something be forever or create itself?
(Nothing is nothing. Not space, not time; it’s nonexistence of anything.)
A) The universe has always existed.
Equally contradictory to the innate human understanding.
However you slice it, there will be the essential perplexity of the impossibilty of something existing forever or coming out of nothing.
Well, nothing appears to make sense. Yet we KNOW something has to be true. Why? Because I am here, because you are here. We are proof that there is something. Even if you decide to delve into the idea that we are some kind of supernatural thought bubble of a grand omnipotent being, you cannot deny that is SOMETHING. The universe, beyond proof, exists. So what does that mean? That means that the argument of existence is by nature illogical by human reasoning, and to a certain extent, beyong human understanding.
December 30, 2011 at 2:49 pm
If God doesn’t exist, you will lose nothing by believing in Him. If He does exist, you will lose everything in not believing.
January 25, 2012 at 9:41 am
Why wouldnt you want to believe in a place where you go after you die where there is no pain or suffering. I’d rather keep believeing I’m going there than to nothingness.
March 8, 2012 at 11:02 pm
So God exists because you want him too?
Matthew says:
February 21, 2012 at 1:33 pm
God is, was, and will be. (Infinite)
God is all powerful
Figure out the equation.
Vince says:
February 23, 2012 at 11:30 am
The problem is that you can’t use logic to appeal to someone who’s belief is enshrined in the absense of evidence and/or logic. The whole exercise is futile. Just give up and move on like I have…
March 8, 2012 at 11:01 pm
Ya this is like the Scopes Trial…. any logic is useless because they dont believe on logic.
February 29, 2012 at 10:50 pm
I’m sixty three years old. I spent the first fifty years of my life as a Christian. I have four PHDs in theology. After all of that it hit me. There is NO real proof for the Christian idea of God. I believe in a higher spirit but the proof against Christianity is stacked too high. Sorry, but it’s just facts.
Steve says:
March 1, 2012 at 6:01 am
It has often been said that it is as impossible to prove the non-existence of god as it is to prove his existence.
I can’t argue with that.
But it is possible to prove that the existence of god was NOT required to create the universe or life on earth.
Please go to the following links for just a mere taste of the ever-growing scientific facts in these matters….
Jan says:
March 2, 2012 at 1:39 pm
I don’t guess you think an ALL-POWERFUL God in his infinite power could have created the world to APPEAR millions of years old, or brought 2 of every animal to Noah and helped them all to survive on th ark. “With God all things are possible.” You seem to be limited God’s power to the laws of the universe rather than looking at him as the one who MAKES the laws of the universe.
March 8, 2012 at 10:59 pm
OK….. i have read all of these arguments and i have a question, can anyone who is Christian give an real evidence in the support of god that is NOT FROM THE BIBLE. That is all i am asking thank you.
Jez says:
March 16, 2012 at 4:14 am
I become a christian after 32 years, why, well i’m not going to go into that. But i can say that i have experienced things that can’t be explained. But what i really want to say is the way you so called christians on this site are arguing, and the language that is being used. This isn’t the christianity i know. if an atheteist wants to be an atheist it’s not our place to aggressively change their mind, they are free to believe or not belive however they choose. Just as a christian should be free to believe in God and not be persucuted or called dumb for it. Everything can be questioned, for the record we know science exists, but theory of evolution also brings up as much questions as answers, there are a lot that doesn’t make sense. there a lot of scientists who don’t believe in the Big bang theory, for as the title suggests, it as a theory. I could go through and give a lot of answers to why God chooses to let bad things happen, or how God brought the animals to Noah, after all he is a God, beyond human understanding. But all i will say to the atheists is, i just hope you’re wrong. otherwise life is pointless, it doesn’t matter weather you’re good or bad, there are no real consequences, because ultimately we are all just worm food. There are things in life that are yet to be explained, but i would rather believe in something than nothing. More to the point all the christians that i know do a lot for the community, a lot of good for the sick and hungry, throughout the world, so it’s not all bad to be a christian.
John says:
March 19, 2012 at 2:17 am
PROBLEM WITH WHOLE ARTICLE:
On your overall argument, it is pointless to disprove God’s existence because even if every aspect of religions were disproven, including the Bible, you would be unable to prove that in another dimension (something like that) God does not exist. Finally, since it is impossible to prove (I think) then the whole fanatical atheism versus the theists boils down to an opinion.
Davis says:
March 27, 2012 at 12:38 am
Now as we see in this giant page of mostly comments, religious debate is a heated subject. But, just assume you know nothing about your current religion and think of why you decided to follow it. So, for Christians, the first people choosing to follow it did so because Jesus preached philosophy and good nature and took context from the stories of the Bible. Atheists follow their path because science is all about logic and knowledge, which is more about taking care of curiosities and backing up their opinions with fact. These are both perfectly knowledgeable pathways. Figure out how you started on your path, and consider some other paths before you continue down it.
March 28, 2012 at 3:52 am
Look around you and you will see something phenomenal. A creation that is mysterious indeed. Christians need to understand that everything they see is phenomenal regardless if there is a God or not. It is just a matter of connecting a God to it that makes it a miracle. The psychology of the bible allows the brain to be attracted to what it wants. The bible beats around the bush so profusely, the brain allows itself to fill in the blanks. Trust me when I say the debate will go on and on because there is really no proof for both sides. Instead of being biased to one side, I include God to the bigger questions we don’t think of. Such as, “If God exists, then what is the purpose of everything as a whole(including God).” To put in perspective, draw an imaginary circle and put everything in that circle including God and ask yourself, “What is the purpose of that circle?” Another example, “God never asked me to be here, so why should I owe him anything?” These are questions that Christians fail to answer simply because the bible is ignorant when it come to answering the big questions. Even if a person had physical evidence disproving God, that Christian would have some excuse against the evidence. Like I showed my best friend that the bible contradicts, (Genesis 1:25-27 and Genesis 2:18-19) but yet he refuses to believe it. However, only a fool would refuse to believe in God if valid evidence was presented. Look at both sides mutually, base your reasoning on logic and rationality, and then decide which direction you want to go. Otherwise you are stuck in a rut. The way I look at it, is I was saved just in case I was wrong. Now I move on. You decide.
March 28, 2012 at 3:58 am
Approach it with mutuality. Pray about it and if nothing happens, then there you go.
Avery C says:
March 31, 2012 at 8:54 am
So Avery B, I agree with you that the blogger may not have been completely factual and his treatment of the issue is certainly not the most erudite, but the main point is that there is no evidence for the existence of God. Now I won’t go so far to say that there is no God, since there is no proof to corroborate that either.
Therein lies the greatness of science in that scientists do not deny that there could be a God, they just try to work with assumptions that can be proven. It is the only pragmatic way. I can explain anything but inventing a reason that cannot be proven or disproven. In a sense string theory is designed around the problem of incompatibility of QM and GR and it will never be possible to observe strings but at least the math logically leads us to certain observations that while will not prove strings conclusively exist but will at least provide some foundation for belief in such a theory.
The belief in God however, has no tangible evidence. The evidence people claim to have cannot conclusively and objectively support the claim that God exists. That’s the difference, science reserves opinion on things it doesn’t understand while religion goes ahead and ascribes fantastical mechanisms to events that transcend man’s comprehension today.
Stephen says:
April 8, 2012 at 7:00 pm
Thou shalt not deny me, for I am undeniable. For whosoever shall deny me is a fool. I say unto thee gtfo here and stop wasting your time people. The universe is infinite, don’t baffle yourselves. Humans did not evolve from a single microscopic organism, to fish, to monkey, etc. I’m sure there is some kind of being out there, who favors our species and may guide us in the right direction occasionally. The simple fact, nobody knows for sure, or maybe the person or people that do, have to keep it a secret as promised to this greater being. These are all wonderful ideas that we humans have come up with. Imagination is wonderful- in every aspect of the word. Go forth and continue to dream children of men, but don’t cut each other down, it’s pointless. And indeed there are ignorant loggers on here, such as myself, we are all ignorant to many things. Likesay, the subject of the discussion. Please do not feel you need to insult your fellow beings, especially on the matter of ignorance, you are No better.
Frank says:
July 24, 2013 at 7:06 am
I’m Christian, but very, very embarrassed. It makes me feel bad to be Christian because half the other Christains here can’t spell
Daisy says:
August 16, 2013 at 5:19 pm
So are you saying that you think there is absolutely nothing in this entire world that cannot be scientifically explained? Hmmmm…
Believing in God is an act of faith, which by definition requires no proof. However, I’ll bet if you polled all your Christian acquaintances they would each tell you they have seen ample “proof” evidenced in their lives to substantiate the existence of God. I used to be an agnostic and always had to “see it to believe it.” I was very critical of believers. It wasn’t until I actually started a quest for answers that I arrived at my current belief system. First step? I took inventory of all the people I knew and tried to find a common thread among the ones who seemed most happy, kind, generous, well-adjusted and at peace. Common thread? Faith.
So I actually took a leap and said, “God, if you really exist, please SHOW ME THE TRUTH.” I asked for enlightenment. Seek and ye shall find. He answers all who seek Him. And it was then that I started believing and SEEING the evidence. And there was a lot of it. Delusions? I don’t think so. You will never see the evidence if you do not believe it exists first. And I know that at the end of our human lives, one of us (meaning you or I) will be very wrong… by believing, I have absolutely nothing to lose. But by NOT believing, you have everything to lose — it’s completely your choice though. That’s why I try very hard NOT to push my faith on others or get into arguments about it. It’s pointless to try to change someone’s mind about such matters. Oh, and by the way, the guy who said he’d pray for you? I don’t think he was saying that because he felt it would change your mind – he was saying it because all believers know how much better life is on this side of the fence, and they want that joy for everyone else. I believe he was sincere, not being a jerk.
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I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.
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Did you know that there can be as much bacteria in an unbrushed mouth as there are on a bathroom floor? Toothbrushes can be a breeding grounds for all kinds of germs and yet it is something we use in our mouths every day!
They can contain often harmful viruses and pathogens; and because most infections and sicknesses are transferred through the mouth, why wouldn’t you want to have it as clean as possible?
While there is no way to have a completely bacteria-free brush, there are precautions you can take to making sure nothing is being spread around, especially if you have a big family where sickness can easily bounce from person to person.
There are more than just sanitary reasons in play. When the bristles on a toothbrush begin to bend outward, it is rendered by dental professionals to be ineffective. This is prone to happen after a few months of frequent use. As the bristles lose their suppleness, getting plaque and other bacteria off of teeth becomes more difficult. You want firm, flexible, and straight so that the toothbrush can do its job properly.
Here are some habits you and your family can develop to ensure happy, healthy, and clean mouths for all.
Replace your toothbrush at least every 3 months
A great way to remember to do this is to pick up a variety pack every few months on one of your big grocery shops. If this seems too expensive for a big household, Dollar Stores all over the U.S. have packs of two or more for sale. This means if you have 5 people in your household and you replace their brushes 4 times a year, it is well under $20 dollars to keep them regularly changed! Twenty dollars a year averages out to just under two dollars a month.
Keep it Away from the Toilet
Charles Gerba, Ph.D., Professor at the University of Arizona College of Public Health, Microbiology & Environmental Sciences, remarks that after a toilet has been flushed in a restroom, the spray from the force of the flush settles on all surrounding objects. This means that fecal matter is living on most toothbrushes left out in the bathroom (can I get a big “EEEEEWWWW”?!).
This can be easily remedied, by keeping brushes at least three meters from the toilet’s surface and also by closing the lid before flushing (especially with #2!)
While it might seem easier to keep the brushes in a sealed container, this can actually cause mold to grow and bacteria to spread more than in open air.
It may seem like a no-brainer, but even if you are comfortable sharing drinks with family members, toothbrushes are drastically different! Instead of simply putting your mouth on something, think of it as sharing a device that is designed to scrape all of that bacteria out!
Contrary to popular belief, toothbrushes are not benefitted by being put in the microwave or dishwasher for cleaning. Not only is it not as effective as it seems but it can actually cause damage to the brush, causing you to have to replace it sooner.
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You would think that getting a spring millinery collection together in June (in Australia) is really being organised and ahead of time! For my label velvet&tonic, it’s a necessity. With a month-long holiday overseas starting next week, time to design and make millinery pieces is cut short. Some fashionistas are already starting to plan their outfits for the upcoming Spring Racing Carnival and so it’s good to have some pieces to help inspire them. These designs were created to appeal to both the Australian as well as the international market.
With each new collection, velvet&tonic aims to come up with some head-turning pieces as well as those subtle yet classy pieces which just compliments a racing outfit beautifully. I’d like to think that each piece will spark interest and start conversations. Each piece is designed with attention to how the headpiece will look from every angle. Every piece of millinery should look luxurious and as if it belongs in a magazine editorial. Being a photographer, I have the luxury of photographing each design and making them look Vogue cover-worthy.
Drawing inspiration from classic vintage glamour, I created this new collection ahead of my long-overdue holiday. I’ve always been a lover of vintage style and with fashion swaying towards the sixties this year. I was totally inspired to create some looks which are reminiscent of that era as well. velvet&tonic’s campaign piece (Margot) is a show-stopper. Comprising of a sinamay crown and luxurious cream Jinsin which has been carefully pleated and attached to form an oversized bonnet.
This hat is modern vintage glam at its best. It is photogenically dramatic from every angle. Margot is worthy of being on the cover of a Vogue magazine. All that this hat requires is a classic silhouette fitted dress and minimalistic accessories. The wearer will not be able to walk far without being stopped by admirers.
Along with oversized sleeves, ruffles and pleats are huge for this season. I’ve always been a fan of ruffles. They bring romance and movement to an outfit. There’s a dreaminess that comes with ruffles on garments and Celeste is a headpiece which oozes that dreaminess as well. Celeste comprises of multiple pieces of crinoline. They have been pleated on the diagonal and strategically placed on a sinamay crown. It’s a whimsical, sculptural delight designed to wear over one eye without obstructing sight.
Each piece of this new collection was designed with ‘refined elegance fused with fun’ in mind. The luxuriously rich braided velvet headbands have a regal look to them. Puffy headbands are super popular this season and I wanted to create some which were a little different to the norm. My chosen model is the vision of a princess wearing this design. All those who wear it will look and feel regal as well. These headbands are so comfortable and fuss-free to wear. You’re going to see them everywhere on the racecourse. They’re also fabulous for other events as well.
Millinery campaign photoshoot
Maggie, my model, was chosen for her elegant, fine features. She had also previously modelled for me and was a delight to work with. She wears these designs to perfection and made photographing this campaign a breeze. The styling was all my own work, choosing a couple of stunning Zimmermann dresses and a classic black dress, from my own wardrobe, which was just perfect for my designs.
The location is a hidden treasure. Having used this place previously, I selected it for its privacy and the amazing concrete textured walls which were a wonderful backdrop to my millinery, giving me a better than expected finish to my photos which I was after. Like with all spring and summer campaigns, (unless you’ve got a budget to take you to warmer climates) it must be shot earlier in the year or in winter. We were very lucky to have chosen the last of the mild winter days for this campaign shoot. The sun was shining and the rain held off until we had finished.
So now I’m going off on my holiday and will be able to relax and enjoy it. Without the spring collection to worry about. Hopefully, I’ll get some inspiration from wandering around beautiful Europe and parts of Asia. I’m sure the heat and sunshine over there will kick-start some more of my creative cells. So that I can add more designs to this collection. Even better, I might come back with ideas for my next collection!
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Millinery from Melbourne, Australia
Velvet and Tonic Millinery creations are designed in Melbourne, Australia for the woman who seeks to stand out in the crowd, in the most stylish way.
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SEVIS-SEVIS is an internet-based system that allows schools and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to exchange data on the visa status of international students. Accurate and current information is transmitted electronically throughout an F-1 student’s academic career in the United States.
DSO-Designated School Official is the school administrator responsible for issuing I-20s and advising F-1 students. At Trident Technical College the International Admissions Coordinator and the Director of Admissions are DSOs. As a F-1 student you must regularly communicate with the International Admissions Coordinator to ensure you maintain legal status while in the U.S.
From Outside the United States
Non-immigrants must:
Submit complete application packet to Trident Technical College, meet all admission requirements and be accepted by TTC.
Furnish proof of sufficient funding to the school and submit required tuition deposit.
When a school accepts a non-immigrant applicant, it issues a Form I-20 for initial attendance. Prospective non-immigrant students may apply to more than one SEVP-certified school but must choose one and use the Form I-20 from that school when applying for a visa.
After receiving the Form I-20, the prospective non-immigrant student must pay the SEVIS I-901 fee.
The prospective non-immigrant student must then obtain a student visa from an embassy or consulate abroad or, if from a visa-exempt country such as Canada or Bermuda, apply for admittance at a U.S. Port of Entry (POE).
Please visit the U.S. Department of State website for additional information concerning visa-exempt countries.
After obtaining an F-1 visa, the prospective student may apply for entry into the United States through a U.S. POE no more than 30 days prior to the program start date on the student’s Form I-20.
From Within the United States
Non-immigrants must:
Be in the United States in a valid non-immigrant status and eligible to change to F-1 (See USCIS website on who may change status).
Be accepted by an SEVP-certified school, receive a Form I-20 and pay the SEVIS I-901 fee.
Use a Form I-539 to apply to USCIS for a change of status.
Receive approval from USCIS for the change of status.
Be prepared to depart the United States immediately if the change of status application is denied.
An F-2 spouse may not engage in a full course of study, but may engage in study at an SEVP-certified school in the United States as long as they are enrolled in less than a full course of study.
The F-2 spouse may still engage in study that is merely avocational or recreational in nature. To engage in a full course of study, an F-2 spouse must apply for and be granted F-1, M-1 or J-1 status.
An F-2 child may engage in study at an SEVP-certified school in the United States as long as they are enrolled in less than a full course of study at the post-secondary level.
An F-2 child may also engage in recreational or avocational study. To study full-time at the post-secondary level, the child must apply for and be granted F-1, M-1 or J-1 status.
F-2 dependents are not permitted to be employed in the United States.
Obtaining an F-1 Visa
Non-immigrant Intent
What to Expect When Arriving
F-1 Forms
Below you will find a links to various forms that you may need throughout your time at the Technical College of the Lowcountry.
This form should be used by sponsors of prospective students to show ability to provide sufficient funds to students for educational and living expenses throughout the length of study. This form needs to be notarized by a certified notary public.
This form should be used by prospective students wishing to transfer to the Technical College of the Lowcountry from another school. The form must be completed and signed by the current school’s DSO and mailed/scanned directly to the Technical College of the Lowcountry.
Reduced Load Request
This form should be used by current F-1 students who wish to request a reduced course load. The form must be completed and signed by the student’s academic advisor and interoffice mailed directly to the International Admissions Coordinator by the advisor.
Completion of Program Verification Form
This form should be used by current F-1 students who need to adjust their anticipated graduation date in order to extend their I-20 or to complete their program of study. The form must be filled out and signed by the student’s academic advisor and interoffice mailed to the International Admissions Coordinator by the advisor.
This form should be used by current F-1 students who have applied for change of immigration/non-immigrant classification or permanent residency.
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Sage Intacct is a cloud-based financial management solution that was first created in 1999. It is designed to automate your accounting processes, from basic to advanced, and provide real-time insights into your financial and operational data.
What is the difference between Sage and Sage Intacct?
The Sage Group plc, also known as Sage, is a multinational company that owns a number of enterprise technologies including Sage Intacct, Sage X3, Sage 300, Sage People, Sage HR, and many more. Intacct was acquired by Sage in 2017, becoming "Sage Intacct".
How does Sage Intacct help automate accounting processes?
Sage Intacct automates many manual accounting processes including:
Automatic Consolidation of all entities through top level reporting
AP Automation through recurring bills
Automatically pulling in bank transactions through bank feeds
Scheduled financial reports that are created and sent automatically via email or posted to a shared site
Order Entry Automation through recurring customer invoices
Automatic posting of deferred revenue
Much, much more
Sage Intacct is a Best-in-Class Solution that is trusted by over 15,000 companies around the globe. Sage Intacct year-over-year has been voted #1 in several customer satisfaction categories by G2, and has received the highest score in Core Financials for Lower Midsize Enterprises by Gartner for over 5 years in a row.
Sage Intacct is used by finance professionals in nearly every leading industry. These industries include non-profit & membership associations, professional service organizations, software companies, healthcare organizations, wholesale distribution, hospitality & retail, educational institutions, and more.
What are dimensions in Sage Intacct?
Dimensions are a way to slice-and-dice your financial and operational data. They are tagged at the transaction level so that you can create in-depth, intuitive financial reports. Dimensions allow your legacy chart of accounts to shrink exponentially, so that your data is much more deliberate and concise.
How do I create a new financial report in Sage Intacct?
To create a new financial report in Sage Intacct, you first will go to the Reports Center Application. From there, you have the option to either duplicate one of the out-of-the-box reports or create your own financial report from scratch.
It is best practice to duplicate an out-of-the-box report, and edit the rows, columns, and filters to your liking.
You can create your own financial report from scratch by going to the Reports Center, click + New Report in the top right, and clicking "Create a new report".
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Also known as Gare Centrale, Mulhouse-Ville is the city’s main railway station. Centrally located on Avenue du Général Leclerc, the railway station is served by trains to various national and European destinations including Basel, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Lyon, Marseille, Zurich or Strasbourg. Mulhouse-Ville train station is easily accessible thanks to tram lines 2 and 3.
How does Nannybag work?
Booking luggage storage has never been easier, just follow these three simple steps
Book very affordable storage quickly and easily through the app or online.
Drop off your luggage in the safe and secure Nanny of your choice.
Fully enjoy your destination, your luggage is safely kept by our Nannies!
The ultimate guide to luggage storage near the Mulhouse Ville Station
1. We put security first.
Our Mulhouse Ville Station luggage storage solutions are called Nannies for a reason! On top of your well-being, our #1 priority is security. To guarantee that everything runs smoothly, a security seal is placed on each luggage to identify it, thanks to a unique security number. This security seal has a detachable part which you keep as proof that your luggage was stored and that you are the owner. The room in which your luggage is stored is dedicated to Nannybag storage and remains locked at all times. Our Nannies are carefully chosen, we only select 10% of partner requests, because we want to find the perfect fit for you. Also, you won’t have to worry about how big your luggage is: we know that traveling sometimes means bringing a LOT with you. That's why we accept all luggage without any limits of size or weight.
Checked luggage storage
Each storage place we provide is selected and approved by Nannybag according to very specific criteria.
Our luggage storage network is available 24/7 to meet the expectations of all travellers.
No nasty surprise, our prices are set in advance. You only pay at the booking stage.
Insurance
Each baggage item is insured up to €1000 in case of breakage, loss or robbery.
Each baggage item is insured up to €1000 by our partner AXA Assurance in case of breakage, loss or robbery.
Secure payment
All payments and information provided are fully secured by our payment solution.
Real humans answer you. Our customer service is here to help you. All information is also available in our Help Center.
2. How much is it to store luggage near the Mulhouse Ville Station?
6€
* Storage for your luggage must be booked online, no payment will be accepted on site.
Insurance included (€1000)
Easy cancellation - no charge up to the time of your deposit.
Our prices are per piece of luggage and your belongings are insured by Axa
3. Why leave your bags with Nannybag near the Mulhouse Ville Station? We love travelers, travelers love us!
Very practical before or after staying in your Airbnb. We used Nannybag after our checkout at 3:00 pm. And 6 euros per piece of luggage is really cheap :)
This is the first time I use Nannybag. Our Nanny was very friendly and our belongings were kept safe until we picked them up later in the day. I highly recommend it!
Venice, Italy
Secure storage and very friendly service. Perfect for tourists who want to visit Paris without their large suitcases. I left 6 suitcases for 8 hours before going home with my friends.
4. How to choose your luggage storage near the Mulhouse Ville Station?
• How do I choose my Nanny?
Our search engine is designed for you to find the best option, depending on your location, dates, and plans. Enter the Mulhouse Ville Station location of your choice and the dates and times at which you want to drop-off and pick-up your luggage. Let us know how many items you want to store and voilà!
• How is security handled on location?
Each Nanny dedicates a special room to Nannybag storage. That room stays locked at all times, with very strict access control. When you drop-off luggage, your identity is thoroughly verified by the Nanny during drop-off as well as pick-up. Your luggage is then associated with a security seal and a unique number that you are given and asked to keep as proof. If you need to have your luggage picked up by another person it’s possible! All you have to do is give that person’s complete name when you book your luggage storage. For insurance and security reasons our partners systematically ask for official ID when dropping off and picking up the luggage.
5. Booking, insurance and payments
How much is it to store luggage near the Mulhouse Ville Station?
Nannybag is quite cheap! You can leave your luggage for 6€ a day per item. You can cancel your reservation for free, as long as it has not started yet. To do so, log into your account and just click on the link "Cancel my booking" in your reservation details. You'll receive a full refund within a few days.
• Which payment methods are accepted?
You can only book your Nannybag luggage storage with a credit card. We accept Visa, Mastercard or American Express credit cards.
• Can bookings only be made online?
Yes. You can book a Nanny in advance, either using the app, available on iOS or Android, or the website. Our phone line is dedicated to customer support. You can't book luggage storage on the spot.
• If anything happens to my luggage, what can Nannybag do?
When you choose to use our service, you pick a safe solution. Should anything happen to your luggage, our insurance covers your luggage up to €1000 per piece of luggage.
• My booking is completed but I need to add more luggage, can I do that?
Not yet, but we are actively working on it ;)
• When do I get precise information on the location and opening hours of my Nanny?
Our map indicates clearly the location of our luggage storage spots. As soon as your booking is finalized, you receive detailed information via email (name and address of the Nanny, type of activity, contact details of the manager, etc.). You can also find all these pieces of information on your Nannybag account.
• How long can I leave my luggage at the Nanny?
Our Nannies are very flexible! You can leave your luggage from a few hours to 30 days.
• If I have trouble finding my Nanny, how can I get help?
Our Nannies are easy to spot: once your booking is confirmed, you’ll receive the exact address of your luggage storage, as well as information on the type of location. You’ll instantly know if your luggage will be stored in a partner hotel, restaurant or shop. Thanks to our cute red stickers on the front side of their location, you should easily find them.
• I couldn't find an answer to my question, what can I do?
You can find the information you need in our help center.
Find left luggage service near a Mulhouse train station
Book luggage storage now
Nannybag is a collaborative network that allows travelers to store their luggage in partner shops, hotels and restaurants around the world.
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FILE – This undated photograph released by the Ukrainian military’s Strategic Communications Directorate shows the wreckage of what Kyiv has described…
FILE – This undated photograph released by the Ukrainian military’s Strategic Communications Directorate shows the wreckage of what Kyiv has described as an Iranian Shahed drone downed near Kupiansk, Ukraine. Ukraine’s military claimed on Sept. 13, 2022, for the first time that it encountered an Iranian-supplied suicide drone used by Russia on the battlefield. Russia’s unleashing of successive waves of the Iranian-made Shahed drones over Ukraine has multiple aims — take out key targets, crush morale and ultimately drain the enemy’s war chest and weapons trying to defend against them as the conflict evolves into a longer war of attrition. (Ukrainian military’s Strategic Communications Directorate via AP, File)
Ukraine accuses Iran of violating UN ban on drone transfers
by: EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press
Posted: Oct 19, 2022 / 03:37 PM CDT
Updated: Oct 19, 2022 / 06:53 PM CDT
FILE – This undated photograph released by the Ukrainian military’s Strategic Communications Directorate shows the wreckage of what Kyiv has described…
FILE – This undated photograph released by the Ukrainian military’s Strategic Communications Directorate shows the wreckage of what Kyiv has described as an Iranian Shahed drone downed near Kupiansk, Ukraine. Ukraine’s military claimed on Sept. 13, 2022, for the first time that it encountered an Iranian-supplied suicide drone used by Russia on the battlefield. Russia’s unleashing of successive waves of the Iranian-made Shahed drones over Ukraine has multiple aims — take out key targets, crush morale and ultimately drain the enemy’s war chest and weapons trying to defend against them as the conflict evolves into a longer war of attrition. (Ukrainian military’s Strategic Communications Directorate via AP, File)
by: EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press
Posted: Oct 19, 2022 / 03:37 PM CDT
Updated: Oct 19, 2022 / 06:53 PM CDT
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ukraine accused Iran of violating a U.N. Security Council ban on the transfer of drones capable of flying 300 kilometers and invited U.N. experts to inspect what it said were Iranian-origin drones being used by Russia against civilian targets. Russia and Iran denied Wednesday the drones are Iranian.
A letter from Ukraine’s U.N. Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and members of the U.N. Security Council was obtained by The Associated Press ahead of a closed council meeting late Wednesday requested by Britain, France and the United States on Iran’s sale of hundreds of drones to Russia.
The three Western countries strongly back Ukraine’s contention that the drones were transferred to Russia and violate a 2015 U.N. Security Council resolution that endorsed the nuclear deal between Iran and six key nations — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany — aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear activities and preventing the country from developing a nuclear weapon.
Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky told reporters after the council meeting the unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs used by the Russian army in Ukraine “are manufactured in Russia, so these are all baseless allegations.”
He accused Western nations of their “usual shameful practice” of trying to pressure Iran by leveling such accusations about its violation of resolution 2231.
Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani “categorically rejected unfounded and unsubstantiated claims that Iran has transferred UAVs for the use (in) the conflict in Ukraine,” and accused unnamed countries of trying to launch a disinformation campaign to “wrongly establish a link” with the U.N. resolution. “Moreover, Iran is of the firm belief that none of its arms exports, including UAVs, to any country” violate resolution 2231.
France’s U.N. Ambassador Nicolas De Riviere reiterated after the council meeting that the drones were delivered from Iran to Russia and are being used in Ukraine in violation of the resolution. He told reporters that during the closed council discussion Russia denied this and cited a statement from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov who said Tuesday that “Russian equipment with Russian nomenclature is used” in Ukraine.
“And I said, there is no one in the world that believes any more Mr. Peskov’s statements,” the French ambassador said.
De Riviere said Peskov “has been lying from the very beginning” when he said on Feb. 23 — the day before Russia’s invasion — that Russia will never invade Ukraine.
“And now he will tell us that Russia never bought Iranian drones. So, I think (his) credibility is zero,” the French envoy said. “So we are very concerned with that,” stressing that the Iranian drones violate resolution 2231 and their use by Russia to kill civilians and hit civilian infrastructure “is another violation of international law.”
Russia is believed to have sent waves of Iranian-made Shahed drones into Ukraine to strike at power plants, residential buildings and other infrastructure in Kyiv and other cities.
Ukraine’s Western-reinforced air defenses have made it difficult for Russian warplanes to operate, and killer drones are a cheap weapon to seek out and destroy targets while spreading fear among troops and civilians.
“As we have seen over the course of the past months there is ample evidence that Russia is using UAVs from Iran in cruel and deliberate attacks against the people of Ukraine, including against civilians and critical civilian infrastructure,” U.S. Deputy State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters in Washington.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA in 2018 and negotiations between the Biden administration and Iran for the United States to rejoin the deal have stalled.
Under the resolution, a conventional arms embargo on Iran was in place until October 2020, but restrictions on missiles and related technologies last until October 2023 and Western diplomats say that includes the export and purchase of advanced military systems such as drones.
“It is our belief that these UAVs that are transferred from Iran to Russia and used by Russia in Ukraine are among the weapons that would remain embargoed under 2231,” Patel said Monday.
Ukraine’s Kyslytsya said in the letter that according to public information, “Mohajer- and Shahed-series unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were transferred from Iran to Russia” in late August, and “Ukraine assesses that this is likely part of Iran’s plans to export hundreds of UAVs to Russia.”
He said both UAV models meet the requirement to be banned because they are capable of a range equal to or greater than 300 kilometers. In addition, the Mohajer-series is manufactured by Qods Aviation, which is on the U.N. sanctions blacklist and subject to an asset freeze by all countries, he said.
The Ukrainian ambassador said no country submitted a request to the U.N. for approval of the shipment of UAVs.
“Therefore, the transfers from Iran to Russia should be considered as violations of (resolution) 2231,” Kyslytsya said.
He invited U.N. experts monitoring sanctions against Iran to visit Ukraine “at the earliest possible opportunity” to inspect the recovered drones, saying the government hopes the information will be “helpful” in the U.N.’s investigations into implementation of the resolution.
Russia’s Polyansky insisted that U.N. experts have no mandate to investigate and warned that if the U.N. Secretariat engages in “any illegitimate investigation … we will have to reassess our collaboration with them which is hardly in anyone’s interest.”
France’s De Riviere countered that all Security Council members, including Russia, agreed in 2016 to have the Secretariat report twice a year on resolution 2231 “so I think the U.N. Secretariat will have to go and will go” to Ukraine.
Britain’s deputy U.N. ambassador James Kariuki tweeted that Iran’s denial that Iranian drones are being used to target civilians in Ukraine by Russia “doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.”
U.S. Mission spokesman Nate Evans said Wednesday’s meeting provided “ample evidence that Russia is using Iranian-made UAV’s in cruel and deliberate attacks against the people of Ukraine.”
“We anticipate this will be the first of many conversations at the U.N. on how to hold Iran and Russia accountable for failing to comply with U.N. Security Council-imposed obligations,” he said.
Matthew Lee contributed to this report from Washington
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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It already seems ages ago that I did the Nendaz trekking in Switzerland, but in fact it is just over half a year ago that I was backpacking in the Alps. A new adventure, a new backpack! I took the Osprey Kyte 36 backpack for women with me on this trip. In this article I’ll give you my full and honest review, enjoy! Osprey Kyte 36 – how I got to know this pack You may think why I’d go for a new backpack while I still had a good backpack for trekkings. The backpack in this size that I have, has a relatively small hipbelt. I’ve been…
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Tested: the Osprey Skarab 30 backpack for men
This article was written bij David van Balen Osprey Skarab 30 backpack for men review I have a mission: I’m looking for the ultimate all-rounder among the 30-liter men’s backpacks. I therefore test the Osprey Skarab 30 backpack. My requirements: an indestructible backpack to use during hiking trips, on my motorcycle and just get to work every day. My previous all-rounder was very good but had two major disadvantages: 1. It was just too small for big day trips and 2. It did not offer any support while walking with the same overloaded backpack This backpack was extremely light, the material was extremely durable and in seven…
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31 July 2019 / 2 Comments
Osprey Hikelite 26 liter backpack for women review Happy as kids! That’s what David and I are when we are given the opportunity to test new outdoor gear. This past spring and summer it was time for both of us to use a new Osprey backpack. He went for the Skarab 30, I picked the Hikelite 26 and took this bag with me on my trek through the Langtang area in Nepal. Below you’ll find my review! The Osprey Hikelite 26 in Nepal Where I hiked my earlier treks in Nepal with a backpack of at least 30 liters, I this time decided to go for a smaller…
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The best daypacks for women – an extensive list
18 January 2019 / 6 Comments
The best daypacks for women – all options in one blog! When hiking you simply cannot hit the trail without a good backpack for women. Together with a reliable outdoor jacket and comfortable hiking shoes, these three items are well worth investing in when hiking. For those of you who have no idea which backpack for hiking to buy, I have gathered all the backpacks for women I have used over the past couple if years in this blog. It’ll hopefully make your choice for which pack to buy a little easier. But first: what are you looking for in a daypack for women? Before you continue reading, the…
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Hi! Welcome to We12travel (‘we want to travel’)! My name is Antonette. I’m a world traveller, writer and lover of being outdoors. When I’m not traveling, I live in a cabin in the woods in The Netherlands. I spend my time hiking The Veluwe, the largest natural area in our country, which also happens to be my back yard.
On We12travel you will find everything you want to know about outdoor travelling, nature and hiking. From the best outdoor clothing to the greatest multi-day treks in the world, and everything in between. I’ve been inspiring readers from all across the globe since 2011 and am the leading Dutch outdoor and hiking blog ever since.
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I used the product for several weeks and didn't see a reduction in Tear Stains around my dog's eyes. The vet told me to stop using the product when I showed it to him. Her eye was getting infections from the stains. Please note. Her issue was not caused by the product. The only issue was that it wasn't working to reduce the tear stains around her eyes. It increased them. She had bigger issues with her eyes which required prescription medication.
I used to give my dogs a treat. One of the dogs developed quarter sores all over her body, but it does take care of the stains under their eyes. I learned that Angel Eyes has antibiotics. It took over a year to get rid of the sore outbreaks. Miracle Eyes does not have antibiotics and does not work as quickly. One dog has some stains. I might need to increase her dose. The dog seems to be okay.
I got this product to help my dog. The product didn't help his eyes, but he loves the flavor. He decided not to eat his food. When he's being stubborn, Sprinkling a little over the top of his food makes him eat again.
After we gave our Bichon Frise the Miracle Eyes, his eyes started clearing up and now it's just about gone. Our dog is 10 months old and his eyes are getting better.
It doesn't work on our Bichon and Havamalt. It's not a bad product and it might work on your dogs, but not ours. I went through the bottles to make sure they were fair to me. Didn't work for us. We feed them good food and clean their water.
A dog with white fur. His eyes are dark and stinky. I was very pleased with the results after buying the product. Within a week, we saw results. My dog will beg for us to put this on his food. He thinks it is a treat. I would highly recommend this product.
Getting ready to place my order. My puppy was excited to open the package the first time I ordered it. She likes it. It has helped her eyes, but not completely. I may not be giving her enough research as she gets older. I love the product.
If you have more than one dog, you will need to order more often because the container size has been reduced. Making the shipment cost more expensive and not competitive with similarly good products is a way to make the shipment cost more expensive.
What do we like?
What do people think?
An eye-care solution helps eliminate stains which are a cause of over-active tear ducts. The new hair is protected from becoming stained by Pretty Eyes. There are extracts of Rosemary and Thyme. A cotton bud/ball will be applied to the eye. Apply every week to 10 days.
I use Pretty Eyes on my Maltese every morning and it works. It keeps her hair out of her eyes. It is very easy to do and cheap. You have to do it every day. It doesn't remove the stains on your dog. I put a bit of Pretty Eyes on one of the Dynarex Non-Woven Sponges. They're not sponges, but 2x2 cloth. I rubbed the wet cloth on her hair under her eyes to make it look white. It takes under a minute. I use a wash cloth to dry the hair. Done! It takes less than 2 minutes to finish. I have to wash my face and do pretty eyes to my dog every day. It was easy.
Excellent solution. I highly recommend it. It has worked well on the second day. I put the soft gauze on the stained area for a few seconds to absorb the stain. I scrubbed the stain and then the gauze came out reddish. The otterly pets tear stain removal comb was used to remove the left over build up. The most damaged hair was trimmed last. I'm very happy with the results.
I wanted to write a review on this for a while. Highly recommend this product. I have tried many tear stain removal products. This works well and doesn't seem to bother anyone. I wipe my dog's eyes with a paper towel.
I have only been using it for a month but I see a 50% improvement in the tear stain. I might be able to give it five stars eventually. It seems to be working better than I have tried before. People have stated that it is a process. Keeping clear what is growing out of the stain is not changing it.
The staining was reduced after a few days. It is not immediate but if used daily it will keep white areas clear. Don't use in eye, usedab on the stained area under eye, just a reminder.
My first malti-poo has tear stains. I use the product 3 times a day for 2 months. I don't think there's anything that would work except antibiotics. That's what they put in the product to stop thebacteria from forming.
Half of the bottle leaked onto everything else when it arrived. I've used other products on my Maltese, but this one cleans better. It works as long as you apply it daily. I will recommend this product to my clients.
This stuff is amazing. Due to the overwhelming demand for dog fosters, we were giving a puppy who was suppose to be white. She had brown eyes even after a lot of baths. She is white all over after 2 weeks of using. I highly recommend.
No es milagroso, pero constante funciona. Aplico dos veces al da, adems, para beber, le doy agua embotellada. Estoy convencida de la alimentacin, el tipo de agua, y el clima. He empezado a darle agua embotellada. En el norte una zona hmeda, también afecta. No hay tanta humedad en el ambiente, se mantiene ms por lo.
What do we like?
What do people think?
There is hair and skin care. The bottle color may vary. This solution is the first line of defense for your pet. It is approved for use on all animals. The solution is pain-free. No burn or sting to clean wounds. First move excess hair from the area, then spray or saturate and apply a dressing 3-4 times a day until the wound heals. Keep wounds moist for quicker healing. RECOMMENDED BY VETERINARIANS. If your animal care provider recommends something, you can save yourself the trip to the vet. Care for your animals where they are happy and comfortable, from your home to the farm or ranch. Health care products that are innovative and reliable. The most safe, effective and innovative animal health and wellbeing products are what Vetericyn is committed to developing. Each one is produced with scientific research and a standard of excellence. There are standards. You can trust. All products are manufactured in a state-of-the-art facility in the USA. The family-owned company has been in Rialto, CA since 2009.
I don't write reviews. I bought this in 8 oz bottles and it worked great. I bought this in a bottle. It was damaged in shipment and was returned to Amazon so it never made it to my house. I received it via lasership today after reordering it. I sprayed this on my dog and immediately realized it was bleach in the bottle. My clothes are already stained after I washed it off my dog. I am so angry! For what I received and my experience, I can't speak for everyone. I shop on Amazon a lot and it's dangerous, so I need to say that.
The reviewer got a bottle of bleach after ordering it, according to the response. If you read the bottle's active ingredients, you will see that it is hypochlorous acid. It is non-toxic. I was skeptical when I read the review and bought it, but I did a quick internet search and found that it is not bleach. People are not being sent bleach randomly.
I love this product. My father developed a multi drug resistant skin infection after using this with patients. After a few rounds of oral antibiotics, the dermatologist sent him to get a proper antibiotic. My dad was forced to start bathing in a bleach solution. I immediately sent him a bottle of this. It works with MRSA and pseudomonas. I thought it was worth a try because those are hard to kill bugs. After weeks of getting no where, my dad called to tell me how fast it was working. This is not a way to avoid seeing a doctor. Our wound cleanser is in my house.
I read all the reviews about this product. I was very excited to receive it. Everyone thought this would help heal my dog. He has skin infections all the time. My son was fed up with his $300 vet bill every few months and the antibiotics weren't even working. The dog's skin was bare in many places. I knew I had to investigate, and I found this. I called it "Jesus Juice" when I got it because I knew it had healing powers. I was hoping that within a week I would see a difference in his back, he had almost all his hair back after two days. We are still spraying him with some small spots. I want to help anyone else out there who is not sure if this product will work, if you are the least bit worried, I highly recommend you to try it. It was a miracle spray for us. I will not be without this.
I chased after this for another cat that didn't work and she needed a shot for her wound. I have another cat who had about 6 surgeries this year and the last one was a bad one, so don't look at the picture if you're squeamish. They had to cut him in half. He had a stubborn spot that wouldn't heal and it was the last spot on Aujgust. I have been spraying the last few days. The spot is almost completely healed. I highly recommend this stuff. He had a big surgery that went around his entire body, he had a big surgery that went around his body, he had a big surgery that went around his body, he had a big surgery that went around his body, he had a big surgery that went around his body, he had I hope this is the end of it because I have many more horrible pictures from all the surgeries this year. The healed one is how he looks now and the little spot is almost gone thanks to this product, he's a good boy and I thank God for that.
These Eye Care Lamp are worth looking into.
See also our Eye Care Kit list, which you might like.
These Eye Care Drops are well worth a look.
Don't miss these Eye Care Light.
In general, these Eye Care Products are worth a look.
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The power of silicate minerals derived from shale clay is harnessed to create a temporary skin tightening layer on your skin that lifts, tightens and smooths the skin for a more youthful appearance. Their facial serum was formulated to be more evenly applied and easier to spread than previous formulas. It has a smooth feeling when dry and a more shiny finish that leaves you with a youthful glow. Their clinically tested anti-wrinkle repair formula can be used at home and will give you instant results in as little as 10 minutes. It is possible to get immediate results without resorting to expensive treatments. Results from their advanced skin serum can last for up to 10 hours. Clean and dry the skin. After applying the Rapid Reduction Serum, it is recommended to set and dry it for 10 minutes. If you want to achieve optimal results, don't move the areas in which you've applied Plexaderm. It's easy to apply and it's perfect for everyone. Both men and women nationwide are happy with their skin and appearance.
What a terrible product. I bought bags under my eyes, and then I wrinkled each side of my eyes. I applied the amount under my eyes and waited 12 minutes. It leaves a horrible sticky feeling where you apply it. If you smile, your face still looks the same. It's another one that takes $60 bucks. Be careful, don't buy.
The product didn't work at all. I took a before photo and put product on one eye, but didn't change it. I put more product on and it didn't work. The product didn't help my under eye bags, which are puffy.
The pump didn't work. When I opened the product, it was dry and I couldn't get anything out. The agent of Plexiderm warned me that it could be old. I went for the saving and was not happy about it. I will not order from either place again.
The product works, but you have to open the bottle to get any. There is almost no product inside the pump, and it doesn't work at all. $65 for a few drops of product. It was a bad return for the price. The product dried up quickly because of the terrible packaging. Terrible.
I was so disappointed that did not work for me.
I was unable to get any of the product out because the pump was broken.
It is important for buyers to know that they may have an allergy to the cream and that they need to return their money. Thank you.
The product arrived on Jun 29 and will be back on Jul 22. I can't return it. If there is anything in the container, I couldn't get the product out of it. It should not spend time priming, which didn't work, for this price. They won't take the product back. I can't tell you how it works because it didn't come out. Not a happy customer.
Product works quickly but can cause wrinkling around the eyes as soon as you smile. You can't put makeup on it. Disappointing. I will not order it again.
It doesn't work. It does not tighten your skin as advertised. Don't buy this product because it's too expensive.
This item was not worth the money paid for it. It didn't make a difference for me. Would not buy this item again.
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Imuquin has a blend of ingredients that help support a healthy immune system during times of stress. An essential mixture of vitamins and minerals helps support every day health. Pets' internal defense issues are helped by the BETA-GLUCANS. Immune system function can be supported by ble-glucans. Omega 3 fatty ACIDS ARE NEEDED TO HELP MAINTAIN. There is an issue function. The marine lipids in Imuquin are a source of Omega 3s and help to maintain a healthy immune system. There is an administrative administration. The contents of the packet should be put on the dog's food.
My vet recommended this because of our senior French bulldog. The vet said that the Boogle would be good for her. We gave it to both dogs. They loved this stuff and would eat their dishes in a flash. The powder stinks. They both got horrible scurvy after several weeks on this stuff. My Frenchie refused to eat his food if this stuff was sprinkled on. This wasn't good for my guys and I wouldn't recommend it.
Since using this for several months, there have been no problems with watery eyes or skin conditions caused by fleas or ticks. I mix it with their food and they eat it. I admit to buying too many other food Additives which cost me a small fortune until I was recommended to buy this by a Veterinarian assistant.
The one I bought from my vet smelled like fish oil and was in longer packets. My dog doesn't like the smell of this one. She liked the one from the vet. I'm not sure if it's expired or not.
If you have a puppy or dog, this is a great supplement to help them gain weight. The puppy box my vet gave me was a pound. The dog was 3.4 lbs in two months. My dog was 5 lbs. by 4 months. Tomlyns was used for my pup.
I received a dog from the purple box, but the cat I ordered wasn't in stock, so it was a bait and switch. I have to drop it off to go back.
I tried it for 3 months. It didn't help my dog. I would like a refund.
I should say that the manufacturer of Imuquin is a very well-known company in the pet nutrition space. We have used Dasuquin in the past and are currently using Cosequin. Both of these products help our dogs with their mobility. Imuquin has a good list of vitamins. Since it is more of a preventive supplement, it is hard to tell how much benefit it has for my dog. I have been giving her this for a month now. I have not noticed any changes in her. She is benefiting from taking it. The box has 30 packets in it. It is a month supply for my dog. I just tear open a packet, pour the contents over her food, and mix it up. The smell of fish oil is real. It doesn't smell good to me. My dog eats this, but I can tell she doesn't like the flavor.
My dog's health becomes more critical as she gets older. I thought it was time to give her supplements because she has always been fed high quality food. Imuquin has a list of ingredients that can be used. It is easy to serve with single serve packets. My dog was a little hesitant at the beginning but has quickly become accustomed to eating her meal with supplements and I was surprised. She hasn't had any issues with the food and mixes easily. The supplement package seems to contain the right ingredients and my dog is able to easily eat and digest them.
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Pre-moistened pads make it easy to touch up the eyes, ears, and teeth. The formula removes dried mucus, discharge, and tear stains, reducing the risk of eye irritation and itching. No rinsing is required. Also available in ProDental and ProEar.
I only read reviews and not all of the questions. These are made in China. I don't use anything from China for people or pets. Money was lost but lesson learned.
These wipes are barly large enough to wrap around a single finger. I have a small dog. The wipe is too small for him. I don't recommend. It might be useful if the wipe was 1inch wider. I won't buy this item again. The money was wasted.
These puppies are the only way I can get my dogs to sit still for a daily cleaning. That's huge for someone who wants the best for their furry children. I've tried a lot of different things. They had to fight to get them to sit still. They like the minty feel of these. All I have to do is pull out one of the thin discs, hold it taught on my index finger, and wipe over their teeth. The wipes have a brown spot on them that shows the gunk that came off their teeth. I'm left with dogs who have better breath, all of my fingers, and my sanity. Professional teeth cleanings aren't needed as often now that we're using these, because you should always work with your personal vet in regards to your pets' needs. These are worth a lot in my book.
I use them differently than they are. I buy these because they are thin. I rinse the pads and then use them with eye envy solution. The Eye Envy solution is pretty expensive because of the absorbent pads. The slight texture of these allows me to use less solution to moisten the pad. I haven't been able to find any dry pads like these that are thin and textured like these, so 7 bucks is still fairly expensive for 100 plain pads.
Really not impressed and disappointed. I thought this would be helpful as it claims to be a wipe to wipe, but also to prevent eye discharge, sooth and help irritation, as my cat gets crusty around his eyes. I think a wet washcloth is more helpful. I think his eye boogers are worse now. I used the wipe after he had a giant thing crusted over. He was crusting up again 12 hours later.
I didn't think dog teeth wipes would work. I was wrong. The dogs don't like having their teeth wiped, but it's not horrible. It started helping very quickly. I like that it isn't every day. The little one doesn't fight it too much if I stay calm, because the first time I was getting frustrated, the little one didn't fight it.
I know where it was made. I tried other brands but my dog wouldn't touch it. She won't let me brush her teeth, but will let me wipe and rub her teeth with this. They are perfect for a small dog of 20 pounds or less. It helps with canned food dog breath. I give her a drop of mint oil.
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The best way to clean your pets teeth is with the help of the vet's best dental care finger wipes for dogs and cats. Reducing plaque build-up and promoting fresh breath can be achieved with regular use of freshens breath. Their wipes are made with natural ingredients. For regular use, use up to once per day. The wipe is easy to use and allows the pet owner to clean their pet's teeth on their own.
Not for dogs or cats. When did cats or dogs want a mint mouth cleaner? A scent and flavorless option would be better.
The scent was pleasant. The finger sleeves were functional and protective. I have small dogs with small mouths and they like the cleanings. The scent is great, but we don't know if the pets prefer this dental flavor over the Vets Best dental product in a tube. Will buy the product again. Quality pet care products are manufactured by Vets Best.
I like the idea of a slip. I let the cat smell it. He looked at his eyes and it looked like he cringed. He hated the smell. I tried to put it on his teeth. He almost vomited. He can not get past the smell. It doesn't smell great, I sniffed it too. I wouldn't pass on this.
These are easy to use and fit on my finger. The round ones can get stuck in your dog's mouth. It's easier to get to those back teeth with these. These have helped him clean his teeth. I brush his teeth once a week or so and use them every other day.
My puppy didn't know what to think about them, but now he loves cleaning his teeth with these. I clean his teeth before he goes to sleep. Clean teeth.
Use for my pinscher. It seems to work for him. The smell is fresh. The finger size is only for adults. I am small and it slices off me. I still use it like a wipe. This brand is reliable. I would suggest that you include it in your dental plan.
These don't work so don't spend your money on them.
The product arrived undamaged and had no strange odors or stains on the wipes. It was in a big bag with the other products I ordered. The wipes have a strong smell and it has a secure lid. I like it but my dog hates it. My dog will not allow anyone to touch his paws, tails, or face. We usually take him to have his nails and teeth brushed. I let him smell the product before he ran off. He wouldn't allow me to get near his teeth when I tried to use the wipes. I tried to clean his teeth while my mom held him, but the little guy said "not today" and struggled away from my mom's hold. My dog has a bad case of separation anxiety and is very picky eater. He doesn't like the treats. He dislikes wet and dry dog food. You're all right. I can't be with him. I'm going to try to do it again when he's relaxed and not on alert mode. I wouldn't buy the wipes if I owned a dog that sounded like mine. Best of luck to you if you do.
I liked these. They work well on my dogs teeth. They are too expensive for me to use on a regular basis. I can't keep 50 in a container for 25 days.
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Their sterile eye wash pads are safe to use around the eye, and their cat and dog wipes are formulated to remove eye debris. Their disposable eye wipes are quick and easy to use, so please tighten the lid to avoid drying out. Their pet eye wipes are ideal for everyday use, they are pre-soaked and soft enough to clean the sensitive area around your pet's eyes. All Miracle Care products are made in the USA, and with their own quality assurance team, you can feel confident that your pets are receiving the very best. It's easy to converse on. The go Carry in your purse or backpack your next trip to the park, beach, lake or wherever life takes you, their dog and cat wipes are very portable, and each package contains 90 presoaked eye wash pads.
These are for my dog's eye booger stains. The item was terrible from the beginning. It was inside a bag and the seal was broken, so how could Amazon sell it? It could be contaminated. The pads are so thin that you have to peel one off or use other ones without realizing it. I tried it on myself. I was not burned or blinded. I used it in my dog. It makes the hair feel sticky. I wouldn't buy this again because of the broken seals and expired items that make me buy less from Amazon.
I read the ingredients carefully to make sure they are safe for use in the eye. I have some bully breeds. They don't tend to have tears in their eyes but they do get "oobers" in their eyes. The Frenchies eyes are more open and easier to scratch than the English so the liquid in the pad has to be able to rinse the eye. The pads are moist and you can squeeze a bit in the eye to gently wipe away the junk it washes out. Make sure your pads are made with the right ingredients. The liquid in the eye is not safe to get with most tear wipes. My grandma used to give her spearmint tictacs. It's a substance called xylitol. Keep your fur babies eyes safe!
The pads seem to be doing their job. Their hard to hold. I have to use 3 pads to get the job done. Next time I order, I will probably get the lotion and use my own larger pads to clean his eyes.
I use this product daily with my pup. The product doesn't remove the stains but it does remove the drainage that is starting from the eye corners. If you don't use something to clean the eye corners, the tears will get worse and the hair will be stained. The pads are very thin so you need to separate them. They are easily separated when I grab 2 or 3 at a time. I have used these pads for many years and they are 90. Cleaning your pets eyes is a daily task that needs to be done every day to keep the stains under control. I will use a small comb to pull up the hair from the eye and cut it off.
The product doesn't remove stains from under the eyes. Nothing was removed after using one to two pads. The white pads were still pure white and no stain could be seen on them.
I have to wipe my dog's eye every night so the baby wipes can do the same thing, but it will not cause the same amount of damage, and the baby wipes is small, so I have to use four at a time.
The corners of the eyes were cleaned. Discoloration is not going away. I can't do a good job because dogs don't like pads and I have to clean up the hair around the eye. Will use and give it a chance to work. Ended up throwing the product away. Dogs wouldn't come near me when I had the product in my hand or on the table.
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Carry these on your carry-on. It's small and easy to use. De-Puff and Lighten help to get rid of the dark colors under your eyes. Don't be bothered for trying to look good by carrying on with your face skincare routine. No more dilated eyes. It looks like you got 8 hours of sleep. Look fresh after using Eye Treatment Gels. The real 24K gold slows down the appearance of aging and gives a youthful glow.
It contains a drug. This is a cancer causing ingredient. This ingredient turns into FORMAL DEHYDE, which is a known human carcinogen, in liquids.
I've been looking for a great under eye pad that will help stop darkness and reduce the appearance of puffy eyes. I have been using these pads for a few weeks and have not noticed a difference. The cooling effect is nice, but the darkness is still there, and I like to keep them in the fridge. These pads were not a good purchase for what I needed them for, since I don't have wrinkling.
Just received them. Very disappointed. Not "gold". Silicone patches that are very thick are very soft. Constantly adjusting. Nothing like advertised. See the picture. The product is in the box on the eye area. There are patches that are slipping. Would not recommend it.
I have fair skin. I deal with under eye issues when I smile. I don't mind dark circles or crows feet. I did not put them in the fridge since applying cold under the eyes will reduce puffy eyes. I could test the product on its merits alone. I left them there for 25 minutes and let the area dry. I noticed some differences in the appearance of the skin but not the appearance of it's elasticity. The pictures I took before and after were taken in the same pose and lighting so I could see the worst of it. There were pictures of me smiling and having a closed mouth grin. The before pics were the top picture. You can see the difference in the non grin version. I would give an additional 1/2 star if it was possible. I will not give a full star because I still believe that cold cucumbers would do the same thing. Cold reduces swelling. I have found a secondary use for these masks. The cold helps reduce my pain. It's good for relief from the flu. After a big night of partying, my husband and I felt terrible the next morning. I put a set of these on him despite his protests and he loved them. He felt immediate relief and said the masks must be hitting a pressure point because he feels it helping his whole head.
I used the eye masks for the first time. I've already seen a small difference after just one time. I'm always hesitant to try new products because of my sensitive skin, but after reading a lot of reviews, I decided to give them a try. I'm trying to figure out what I would like to do before my friend's wedding. I have dark circles under my eyes. I put the masks in the fridge before putting them on, which makes them feel great. They were difficult to get out of the packaging because they were slimy. They stayed on my face. They were there for a few minutes and didn't notice. I left them on for a little while. I will see more improvements with consistent use. Excited to use these!
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Eyes are moist and refreshed. Relief and comfort. It is designed to protect eyes from dry eye irritation. Please read the information on the delivery label.
This is probably not a typical review for this product. My dog has dry eye. The eye is not functional and no longer produces tears. She has problems with discharge and infections. My vet told me that the typical treatment is a chemotherapy agent to force tear production, but he doubted she could produce tears, so he recommended this brand of eye drops for her. The change in her eye has been dramatic. Her eye is not gross anymore. She comes over to me right away when she sees me grab the bottle of eye drops. She doesn't flinch or pull away when I put drops in her eye, that's pretty revolutionary for her. I think this product has made her feel better, and she figured that out quickly.
I thought I would get a quality item when I bought this product. I received a product that will last for 2 months. I was expecting to use this product for several months, but I only use this when I need it. I tried to return it but it is not allowed. The product description did not mention this. I had a chat with Amazon and they said no refunds are allowed on this product. I chatted with a computer. I was referred to the policies that I checked out, but there was no mention of the refusal of an eyedrop refund. I am not happy with Amazon. I was refunded my money after contacting a live person at Amazon.
This product helps my eyes. I stare at a computer and tv screen for about 18 hours a day. I get relief from just a few drops in each eye. This product is recommended by me and I hope this review helps you out. Hopefully you don't have to stare at a computer or tv screen as long as I do. I'll try to answer your questions if you ask them. Have a great day!
I had cataracts and they were removed and replaced with accommodating lens. Which are great. I don't need reading glasses and my vision is good. I don't realize that they are working so well except in dry eye situations, where the heat is not as high as it would be in a city, and where the air is dry. Dry eyes can be a side effect of accommodating lens. My doctor had me try a lot of eye stuff. A friend suggested I use Systane Ultra Drops/SUDs. They work well in the day but not so well at night. The SUDs can be used as often as needed by the Optometrists. It gets to be very expensive. I use a machine at night that causes my eyes to get very dry, even with a good mask fitting. Each night I had to use the SUDs. A friend has the same dry eyes problem. She was told by her new Opthamologist that she should buy this product and use it at home when she doesn't have to drive. She went from several drops to just one before bed. If she planned to drive within 30 minutes, he warned her not to use it. She uses it in her office when she gets there in the morning. She might stay home that evening. She uses it when she goes to bed after she gets home. I got my first bottle of Systane Long Lasting Lubricant Eye Drops in late April and started using it before I went to sleep. I had relief from my dry eyes. The bottle was in use for 2 months. I use it in the daytime if the heat or ac is on in our church or a large store with high ceilings. If you need to drive in 30 minutes or less, don't use it. It works at night despite my machine with the mask on. I am saving a lot of money with this product.
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The original and patented Micron technology is used in animal healthcare products. It's safe for use on animals of all ages. It is non-toxic and non-irritating.
I didn't want to go to the vet at the first sign of eye irritation in my fur baby. I like that this is a gel that stays in their eye. The eye issues were cleared up after using this for a few days.
I bought a formula last time. This time it was liquid. It's hard to get in my furry friends eyes when he doesn't want to do anything. The product works. I would have liked to have ordered the gel. It works well!
Highly recommended. My pugs red eyes have been a problem for years. This is the only thing that has worked. It's clear the next day after I apply to my pugs eyes.
I didn't know this. No more goop, just a deop or two in each eye. A small bottle lasts a long time.
It works as an eyewash for pets. Helped my dog to stop crying.
My cat hates it, but it was recommended by her doctor. Help remove the eye booger.
It's easy to use. There was no smell. It helps remove stains from my dog's face. Overall pleased.
What is the best product for eye care for dogs?
Eye care for dogs products from Miracle Care. In this article about eye care for dogs you can see why people choose the product. Artero and Vetericyn are also good brands to look for when you are finding eye care for dogs.
What are the best brands for eye care for dogs?
Miracle Care, Artero and Vetericyn are some of the best brands that chosen by people for eye care for dogs. Find the detail in this article. Plexaderm, Imuquin and Top Performance are also brands that their products are worth to check.
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Although a dog cannot talk, it can show its feelings and wishes through its actions, and posture is a form of silent language - body language. A good owner should be able to understand this language properly in order to raise and manage his dog reasonably and scientifically.
The following are the Introduction to Dog Body Language
The dog is bouncing, bending, vigorously pushing his forelegs or tail from side to side, and wiggling his ears backwards. Large dogs may also raise their front legs to lick their owner's face. Some dogs may exhibit excessive gaiety and emotional incontinence, which usually occurs in young dogs and fades with age. The sound a dog makes when he is happy is a bright "woof!" sound.
If the dog is in a happy, excited, or favorable mood, his performance is more stable than if he is in a joyous mood. When the dog is happy, only slowly wagging its tail, making a slight "whine" sound in the throat, and sometimes licking the owner's hand and face constantly.
When a dog is being spoiled, it makes a "hehe" sound with its nose. The tail droops when the master is asked to forgive and behave petulantly. And when he wants something, or wants to urge his owner to play with him, he wiggles his tail gently and stops hanging down.
When the dog is in an angry mood, the whole body is stiff, the limbs are stretched out, the dog's hair stands on end, and the lips are rolled, the teeth are exposed, and the dog makes a threatening "whine" sound to intimidate the other party. The tail also wiggles slightly and the ears are combed toward each other.
When the dog is in a sad mood, it will give out "cooing", "ho" barking, hoping to approach the owner, in order to "tell" their sadness, pain, misfortune. At such times, the dog will also lower its tail and rub its owner's body in a distressed gesture.
When the dog is on the alert, the ears stand up. Even with a low sound, the dog issued a "bark" barking. When the enemy is approaching, it is issued a continuous "barking". In the foreign enemy close to, emit a continuous "tomas - of -" sound
When the dog is terrorized, depending on the degree of terror it feels, the different degrees of the ground can be seen hanging down the tail. and when the tail is rolled completely between the two legs, the terror is shown in the extremity. and the ear is also twisted backward, showing the state of Morpheus, and the whole body becomes in a group.
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Blog Tour for Delia Latham’s Kylie’s Kiss Our usually scheduled Monday Musings has been pre-empted because I am one of 26 bloggers who are taking part in a blog tour for Kylie’s Kiss by Delia Latham. So, check out the info … Continue reading →
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March 17th, 2012 | Tags: beginning to end, faily failure, my random | Category: Knitting, something new | 2 comments
Whatever your heart needs
It seems like every day lately is a new adventure. I’m scattering all over trying to get a job. Bear is scattering all over for his jobs (new and old). He recently flew to a city and back in the same day with a layover each way while also with the flu and on antibiotics. That was a shitty day. A ton more for Bear (who had a panic attack on one of the tiniest planes), but I was ground control for him and he had no phone and his third flight was delayed which meant he was going to miss his fourth flight. I freaked out all over a nice man from United who was very very kind. I know United has a crap reputation, but that guy, whose name I didn’t get, was a sweetheart.
Today he’s on a train to take him to NYC and he’ll be back tonight. My brother is flying into town this afternoon. Bear doesn’t have a phone because Verizon Wireless sucks major balls. It’s a stupid ugly story where basically their sales and customer service pretty much lied and hung up on me for over a week. After charging me. For two phones that hadn’t even shipped. It’s so infuriating that I don’t even know what I’m doing about it yet. Probably we are going to refuse delivery of the phones and not go with Verizon Wireless I guess.
So I gave Bear my phone and he borrowed a blackberry from his work for me to use. That way he can amuse himself on the train with books and internet and such. My brother can call me when he lands and then tonight I’ll get my phone and credit card back. Oh right. That’s the other thing. Our printer fucking gave up the ghost last night while I was trying to print out the barcode for Bear to get his Amtrak tickets. And since I bought his tickets with my credit card and we’ve never taken the train before, we weren’t sure if HIS credit card would work. It SHOULD because he’s the passenger, but 6am was not the time to be testing shit out.
We were supposed to get there earlier but this morning was also a little snow storm that made the normally 30 minute drive into a 45-50 minute drive. I normally have no problem driving in snow storms, but I don’t normally drive that stretch of highway in the dark during a snowstorm because that stretch of highway doesn’t have any lamps/street lights. It was a little tense in the car.
Now he’s safely on a train and I’m finishing the lab cleanup I was asked to do. Today is my last official day in the lab. Tomorrow I’m proctoring a test, but that’s the last time I’m scheduled to come on campus.
(Linda, the song is California by Delta Spirit and the lyric is “I want you to move to California for yourself, I want you to find whatever your heart needs”.)
P.S. I might think this is remarkable just because I adore the man, but after I dropped him off he texted the stupid blackberry: “Thanks again. You got me off safely.” He’s ridiculous, but adorable.
March 1st, 2012 | Tags: cold north, lovelovelove, trained worrier, we live in a crazy house, wtf | Category: Bear love, home | 2 comments
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This month is our first effort without our beloved cameraman, who is away on sabbatical. We hope you indulge us as we experiment in this new technical area all on our own. As it's the holiday season, we thought we'd change the format somwhat and bring you six titles that we think would make perfect gifts, or perfect reads to take away with you - whether it's on holiday or simply to the reading corners of your own home.
First up, Walter discusses Belinda Castles' wonderfully rich novel Hannah & Emil, followed by Sharon Snir's exquisitely inspirational The Little Book of Everyday Miracles, finishing up with Stephanie Dowrick's own children's book The Moon Shines Out of the Dark.
Stephanie tells us about Mark S. Burrows' exceptional new translation of Rainer Maria Rilke's Prayers of a Young Poet, reviewed below, a fascinating novel by Indian-Australian writer Bem Le Hunte, set partly among the Jewish communities of India, called There, Where the Pepper Grows, and Barbara Kingsolver's much-awaited new novel Flight Behaviour - Stephanie's "Book of the Year" (see her review below).
You will also find our written reviews of some of these books below, as well as a range of other very fine articles. As you read the books we feature, please freely share your views in our comments sections. Those conversations are essential to this being the "book club" we envision.You can buy any book through our bookstore links above right. Oh, and a very happy Christmas!!
Posted by Walter Mason at 2:51 PM No comments:
Stephanie Dowrick, writer and co-host of the Universal Heart Book Club, names Flight Behavior as her "Book of the Year"
It's a big thing to claim any novel, any book as a "book of the year". This year I have read some wonderful new books, some of which I have reviewed and highly praised here, and I have returned eagerly to others. But after a slow start - picking it up and putting it down again more than once (the moment for reading simply wasn't right) - my book of the year is, without doubt, Barbara Kingsolver's quite exceptional Flight Behavior.
Kingsolver is a writer I have long admired and learned from. Her Poisonwood Bible is one of my all-time favourites, but I liked her clever, widely praised The Lacuna somewhat less, and was a little cautious approaching this one - her eighth. I need not have been. As the novel opens we meet Dellarobia Turnbow, a young, highly intelligent but poorly educated working-class mother whose Tennessee life and dull, predictable marriage are feeling increasingly constrictive, even unbearable. She loves her children. She mourns the baby she lost at only 18, but the poverty and lack of choice that is her reality and that of everyone around her is increasingly hard for her to tolerate.
In search of distraction, change or even meaning she is prepared to risk her safety and marriage for a fling with a man even younger than herself. She feels like a victim of her own self-created obsession, common sense long gone. Yet on the way up the wooded mountain behind her husband's family farm, wearing second-hand boots that were not made for these harsh conditions (any more than Dellarobia seems to be), she comes across an extraordinary sight, a vision of millions of monarch butterflies.
These butterflies are described in a glorious, never-never-boring detail in Kingsolver's novel, and they and their fate become so central to the novel that they are a character in themselves. But that first glimpse of them seems surreal to Dellarobia. They shock her. They literally turn her in her tracks. They change her mind and, very soon, their presence - and its cause and consequences - will also change her life.
If the changes in Dellarobia's life seem momentous, then the climate changes that have driven the butterflies from their usual home in Mexico to southern Appalachia are momentous on a global scale. And that's one reason why I am so passionate about this novel. It is highly polemical. It truly matters. It is also utterly readable, engaging, sometimes very funny, and often almost unbearably sad.
Kingsolver was a scientist before she became a novelist. Now she is both. She wants us to understand the consequences of humanity's perverse ignorance and greed in our treatment, our appalling treatment of the planet on which we - and countless other species including monarch butterflies - entirely depend. But she wants us to see this and understand it through characters who care increasingly, and about whom we will also care increasingly. (We do. We do.) She wants us to understand their ignorance - and our own - and also understand that it is not an end point. Or it need not be.
There are many characters to grab and compel your attention here, from the initially unlikeable Hester, Dellarobia's mother-in-law; her well-meaning, passive husband, Cub; her glorious children, Preston and Cordelia; to the scientists, and especially the deeply engaging Obama-like Dr Ovid Byron who sets up his observation posts at the Turnbow farm to witness what may be the demise of a species that he has spent a lifetime studying. We are also dragged into the agonies of indecision as Bear Turnbow, Hester's husband and Cub's dad, wrestles with his care for his family land and his desperate financial need to tear down the very trees where the butterflies have landed and sell their family inheritance off to loggers.
Late in the novel we learn that in their native Mexican habitats it was believed that each butterfly represents a dead baby's soul, taking flight in the form of this insect of astonishing beauty. There is huge "soul" in this novel; massive themes deftly, subtly and with consummate skills leading us to echo and witness the questions that truly matter: “What was the use of saving a world that had no soul left in it. Continents without butterflies, seas without coral reef…What if all human effort amounted basically to saving a place for ourselves to park?”
Barbara Kingsolver has clearly been questioned often about whether fiction can, should be, is "entitled to be", political or polemical. Her answer: "Fiction has enormous power. It’s funny—people talk about political fiction or apolitical fiction. That’s nonsense. I think all fiction has a point of view, and all fiction has the power to create empathy for the theoretical stranger. It has the power to bring the reader inside the mind of another person. Only fiction can do that. Journalism can’t do that. Journalism describes from the outside. Photography describes from the outside, but in fiction, really, you put down your life. You enter the mind of another person and you inherit her children and her financial problems and all these things, you inhabit them for a while. That’s an audacious to do to another person. So I try to use that power as well as I can."
As a life-long passionate, needy reader, I believe Kingsolver has used that power brilliantly. I love the novel. I love its characters. I care about the issues. I am better informed for having read it; I am also moved, touched, and deeply, deeply inspired.
You can buy Flight Behavior through our bookstore links above right. This supports the Universal Heart Network and Book Club through a small % returned to us. Please share your enthusiasms, comments, ideas here. We love to hear from you!
Posted by Stephanie Dowrick at 8:09 AM 2 comments:
Labels: Barbara Kingsolver, climate change novels, Flight Behavior, Flight Behaviour, monarch butterflies, Stephanie Dowrick book of the year
Thursday, December 13, 2012
This is one of those books that I adore, a collection of short and inspiring stories that leave me with a constant smile on my face. At several points while reading The Little Book of Everyday Miracles I simply had to put the book aside to laugh, to cry or to simply reflect on the truth of that story's message.
It's a book about miracles: recognising them, allowing them, and causing them to happen in the complex busy-ness that most of us immerse ourselves in. My own copy of the book is dog-eared, simply too many sections that delighted and inspired me, and I can only give you a little taste here of how wonderful and special this book is.
I need to start out by telling you it is a perfect gift book, I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't be thrilled and delighted to receive this collection of anecdotes and spiritual lessons. I have made it my Christmas book, purchasing several copies to give to friends and colleagues, wanting to spread the light (and the miracles) that it creates.
Right at the beginning author Sharon Snir tells us that miracles are important because they stay with us for a lifetime, and that in remembering them we can re-enthuse ourselves. I am personally convinced that what this world lacks at presesent is a healthy dose of the miraculous, and that we have privileged cynicism, negativity and contempt for wonder to our enormous detriment. The stories in Sharon's book lead us back once more into the pursuit and cherishing of miraculous memories and key lifetime events:
"Just thinking about a certain miracle connects you back in time to that magical happening and once more you are filled with the wonder and joy of that miraculous moment."
Sharon, a prominent Australian psychotherapist and healer, is herself a channel of miraculous deeds and events. Sometimes, however, they don't come in a shape or form that we might immediately identify as wonderful. Sometimes we need to see the miracle in loss, in defeat and even illness. Sharon even discovers a life lesson after a parrot poops in her mouth!
Her previous book, Looking for Lionel, is one of the gentlest and most honest accounts of living with a parent's dementia that I have ever encountered, and Sharon's capacity for gravitas and meditative reflection means that this book never veers into the schmaltzy or sanctimonious. Instead she invites us to cultivate miracles in our lives, celebrate the miracles of others and see the miraculous qualities of the small and seemingly mundane
A beautiful, beautiful book that you will turn to again and again.
You can buy Sharon's or any other book through our bookstore links, above right. This supports the Universal Heart Book Club and Network via a small % returned to us. And we would love you to share comments also.
Posted by Walter Mason at 9:42 PM No comments:
Walter Mason reads Belinda Castles' historical novel Hannah & Emil
It's so rare for me to read a lovely, rollicking, romantic historical novel, and so I found the days I spent reading Vogel Award-winning novelist Belinda Castles new book an absolute treat.
Hannah & Emil is Belinda's fictionalised account of the true story of her grandparents' incredible romance. Hannah, an English Jewish woman, falls in love with Emil, a German trade unionist and anti-Nazi freedom fighter who escapes Germany only to be imprisoned as an enemy alien and ultimately shipped to Australia. The intrepid Hannah follws him here, and Belinda Castles captures perfectly this unusual and fraught relationship as it progresses over the decades.
It is a beautifully written book and an engrossing story.
Castles' writing is always filled with a sense of loss. It is not only the obvious losses of wartime, with the tremendous trauma that accompanies the loss of family, friends and national belonging. There is also throughout the book a nostalgic longing for those things of our lives that we may have put aside, but which, in a quiet moment we suddenly remember. Hannah, for example, thinks of a childhood friend, wondering:
"Where is Boris? Sometimes I fancy I see him in the face of some Homburg-hatted relic tottering out onto the heath and I peer into the face beneath the brim, heart racing, but it is never him."
Her characters are brilliantly evoked, and I felt a great deal of empathy for them in the various stages of their lives. Hannah's almost idyllic childhood, in particular, is created with a richness and an eye for nuance and subtlety that is rare and difficult when writing about childhood. The precocious, intelligent child seems at odds with her contemporaries, her bookishness and capacity for language - later to become her lifeline - setting her apart from the rest:
"It was hot and the boys tipped back on their chairs, the girls with the fashionable hairstyles and nicer shoes showed each other notes, believing themselves clever, unobserved. Imbecilic, I thought, not that they would know what that meant."
Castles' Emil, based so closely on her own grandfather, is a man perpetually trapped and tormented. Locked away in an internment camp in rural Australia, he despises the other refugees with their diverse political affiliations and their propensity to a nostalgia that he cannot allow himself. While they wax lyrical about a lost world of their mother's pfeffernusse (yes, I had to Google that one too), he dwells on a less romanttic world of his own family's loss and victimisation, and his own dour efforts to fit in to a new, Anglo, culture that holds him in suspicion.
This is such an interesting and evocative exercise in fiction. I quickly forgot the factual roots of the story, so lost did I become in Belinda's masterful story-telling. If you are looking for a big, beautiful novel that will take you through the quiet moments of Christmas, I thoroughly recommend Hannah & Emil.
You can buy Belinda's or any other book through our bookstore links, above right. This supports the Universal Heart Book Club and Network via a small % returned to us. Remember, we would love you to share comments also!
Posted by Walter Mason at 9:04 PM No comments:
Labels: Australian literary fiction, Belinda Castles, book reviews, loss, post-Holocaust fiction
Belinda Castles on the boy in the photograph
Belinda Castles tells us here about the real-life family members who inspired her exquisite novel about love, war and loss, Hannah & Emil. This is such a special insight into what has inspired the creation of a novel:
The story of my grandparents, Heinz and Fay, is really a collection of many stories, as is true for all lives, but particularly those marked by war and displacement. When I began to research and write a novel about them (Hannah and Emil), I had to decide which stories I thought were defining, which episodes would suggest to readers what it might have been like to experience all the difficulties that they lived through.
Heinz, a political opponent of the Nazis, escaped from Germany in 1933, fleeing tragedy and danger. In Brussels he met Fay, a translator working for the trade union movement. They settled in England, her home, and ran a youth hostel until 1940, when Heinz was arrested as an enemy alien, sent to Australia and interned at Hay Camp in the Riverina.
Fay, a person of relentless drive, used British Labour Party and trade union contacts to follow him across U-boat infested waters. She finally had him freed for war work in April 1942, almost two years after his internment, and they married in Melbourne, having two sons and returning to England after the war.
One of the elements of their story that has always intrigued me is that Heinz left behind a son in Germany, whom he never mentioned to his Australian boys. They learned of him only when Heinz died. This boy, they discovered, fought for the Hitler Youth Army in the last months of the war. My grandmother Fay was Jewish, a fact also revealed only after Heinz’s death, and these family secrets have always seemed somehow twin poles of the family’s experience of that war.
I came across this photograph while researching the book.
Here is the German son, sitting on his father’s shoulders, a haunting kind of evidence of a boy that became a secret. I wondered what awful gap he had left in my grandfather’s life amid the continual loss and exile. And here is another photograph from the same sequence, which I believe was taken near Winchester, where my grandparents ran their hostel in the 1930s.
This one, remarkably, shows the boy with his mother between my grandparents. So here is Heinz, his ex-wife, their son and his English lover Fay. They all are together, somehow, before history rolled relentlessly on, right over the top of them.
Fiction gave me the possibility of imagining what brought them all together, and what might have driven them apart again. For me, the boy, in our family but missing from it, was the secret that kept me writing, that made me want to know, in the strange way that stories allow us to, what it was like for the people who belong to us, but who lived lives so far removed from our own.
Novelist Belinda Castles won the Vogel Award for her first book, The River Baptists, and has a Doctorate in Creative Arts from the University of Western Sydney's prestigious Writing & Society Research Group. Hannh & Emil was released in August 2012 and is published by Allen & Unwin.
Posted by Walter Mason at 7:54 PM 1 comment:
Labels: allen and unwin, Australian literary fiction, authors, Germany
Friday, December 7, 2012
Rilke's Prayers of a Young Poet "as he intended them"
I don't want to know where You are;
speak to me from every place.
Rainer Maria Rilke is one of the leading poets of the 20th-century, and one of the great visionary poets of any age. This landmark publication of Rainer Maria Rilke, Prayers of a Young Poet, offers Rilke's complete prayer-poems - written in the persona of an icon-painting monk - "as he intended them". The translator is Mark S. Burrows, who also shares his profound, empathic and highly poetic response to Rilke's work in a substantial introduction.
Prayers of a Young Poet is reviewed here, as a letter to Mark Burrows, by Doug Purnell, a writer, former academic and Uniting Church minister and now full-time visual artist.
I'm living just as the century departs.
One feels the wind from a large leaf
that God and you and I had written on,
which turns above by hands no one knows.
on which everything could still come to be.
A letter to Mark Burrows from Doug Purnell, on reading Prayers of a Young Poet.
The book came....beautiful and profound...lovely to hold and touch. Then I read your intro and you touch something profound about what it is to be human. You value, through Rilke’s work, the ambiguities, the uncertainties, the "not-knowingness" that Rilke’s poetry values, names, holds up and uses to open the divine. Your introductory essay I read and then have kept returning to. You use your knowledge of Rilke to encourage a journey into the deep, into uncertainty and the ambiguity of life. You invite us into and to live, "the open". You give me a sense of God who is both vast and always becoming and can never be dogmatically known.
You are a gifted poet and your translation of Rilke sings his song in ways most accessible and engaging for me: no mean feat.
And now, I am sitting by a small stream, Tumbarumba Creek, in the high country of New South Wales, a place once known for its timber mills. I went to bed with the sun and woke a while after the sun had risen. I fried some bacon, tomato and an egg for breakfast. Drank coffee while eating home-made marmalade on toast. Then I have sat quietly by the stream reading your book.
I studied poetry for three years at university. In those days (though I didn’t know it then) it was the closest the university had to offering an opportunity to reflect on the arts, on the creative process. Certainly there were no courses in the fine arts. I am sure that studying poetry helped me in ministry and I preached often, and more often as the years went by, on or from the Psalms. It was the poetry, the imagery, the metaphor, the ambiguity, the possibility. Ideas about life and God were not tied down. I haven’t read much poetry other than that since my university days.
Beautiful and profound...lovely to hold and touch.
This morning I sit by the stream, your book open, reading your translations of Rilke’s poems. I scribble notes on each poem. Thoughts break open. I am intrigued. Rilke assumes a question that I have long struggled with in the church: is God transcendent, somehow breaking in from the outside, or is God immanent, present in all and emerging from within? I have lived with an immanent God. Prayer has been more difficult with an immanent God because I cannot ask God to step in and do things, or to change things.
Rilke speaks to God as a lover would. Rilke tells God how much he loves. Rilke describes the character of God: not out there, not sculpted in rock, not idealised; rather like a lover might describe his beloved with enchantment and possibility and openness. It might sound absurd: I have been taught over and over to say, “God loves me”. It is much more difficult for me to say, “I love God”, or to say that slowly and thoughtfully, as a lover might.
Rilke speaks to God as a lover, and always with a personal address: "You".
In each poem I find lines that I underline, emphasize, write notes around. This made possible because of the Rilke’s thought and because of your poetic voice. You have taken ideas in one language and translated them to another in such ways that they sing, that the song comes alive. I am savouring words, words sung to life, and ideas.
There I’d have dared to squander You,
You, unbounded present!
An interesting thought: are we willing to squander God? Then later, an intriguing line:
“…don’t squander your blood in blind passion!” I wonder how this line, this idea relates to the crucifixion story. How is it different for God to squander God’s blood and for me so small before the vastness of God to squander God?
(Somewhere in my reflection, I think of my children. When I nurtured them in life I wanted to share with them Christian community and the profound truths that come within the Christian narrative. I wanted to share with them what it is when I read this poetry. I struggle to find words for the next bit. I know that they respect that I find something important in both - the community, and its narrative - I am not sure that they could name what it is. I think at the same time they have decided, not that they don’t want it, rather that they don’t need it. Rilke is not lamenting the attitude of others, nor is he lamenting the action of God. He is speaking from his solitude, from the depths that he has entered and with the openness of one who is present in the midst of life.)
“You aren’t after enjoyment but rather joy.” I’d never consciously thought they could be different, and the way they are written here, they are.
Mark, I sit here beside the stream. The gentlest of breezes sways the long fronds on the willow tree. The birds sing their song. No soloists, somehow an orchestra. A duck dives in the stream. Earlier she had come down in midstream on the current, then stopped, turned to face upstream and paddled sideways out of the flow. I can imagine you enjoying the quiet of this place and this moment as I do.
I am heading down into Victoria to spend some days camping with friends and to help another friend celebrate being seventy. My neck was restored to life after four or five sessions with the physio, and I took off early so that I could have a couple of nights along the way camping on my own. Enjoying the solitude. What a good decision that was. I have left my camper trailer attached to the car...a way of ensuring that I don’t drive today. Anything I do today will be on foot. Perhaps I can find a vanilla slice in the local bakery. A treat while camping.
I’ve been for a good walk. I found the bakery and they sold the very best vanilla slice. I asked for it to be cut in half to keep half for later. I consumed it in one go. Then I read one of Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet[published in a separate volume]. He wrote there: “Do not be bewildered by surfaces. In the depths everything becomes law.” That thought consumed me.
So many people tell me confidently that when they look at a painting it is the surfaces alluded to that matters to them. I sit here by the creek and choose not to be bewildered by the surfaces. I do not want to represent the surface. The longer I sit here the more likely I am to see beyond the surface. The more likely I am to reach for forms of expression that are more than about surface.
So, I began painting. Hoping that nobody came to look, because they would be compelled to tell me that “It doesn’t look like that," and, that their aunty or grandmother is an artist. My mind jumps to Emily Gnawarrye or Peter Newry, and how long they walked the land before they painted anything. Their paintings are not bewildered by the surface. They convey so much more about the land and life.
I have read more of your book. I find myself reading some poems and then revisiting your preface and introduction. You, through Rilke, describe the life that has always been mine. I do not know how I came upon it, but I did. Back in the 70's and early 80's I worked in a therapeutic community in a psychiatric hospital. I became intrigued that when I helped people resolve key events in their lives, so often with tears and deep catharsis, I'd come along the next week and ask how they were feeling. I guess I was looking for the grand affirmation. It wasn't like that. They'd say, "I feel nothing." I'd ask "Would you like/be willing to explore the ‘nothing’?" A pattern emerged over time.
In the nothing, in the void people found life-giving images: water in wilderness, flowers in the desert, light in darkness, order in chaos, life in death; all, it seemed to me, were also Biblical images. Around that time I made a series of paintings that had Jesus falling from the cross into the abyss. (These were painted in 1985 I think. They were destroyed in 2003 when I photographed some of them).
One of Doug Purnell's "destroyed" paintings
Another image comes to mind. When Moses looks across the River Jordan to the Promised Land he tells the people that they have to cross the river to enter the new land and he says to them, "You can choose life or you can choose death, and I say to you, choose life."
I don't have answers, only questions. As I live the questions the answers begin to emerge in the patterns. I like the sense you pick up in Rilke, that I have not become something or someone; I am always in the process of becoming. Creation comes from a willingness to enter the uncertainty and instability of the void with openness. It is paradoxical. This frightening place that I think might destroy me actually gives me life. Rilke writes and you translate:
I love the dark hours of my being,
for they deepen my senses,
in them as in old letters I find
my daily life already lived
in pious words so soft and subdued.
From them I've come to know that I have room
for a second life, timeless and wide.
As I continue to paint the faces I wonder, intrigued by the truth of the lines:
But You grow into the uncertainty
that lies within the shadow of your face.
And then to wonder how I give voice - or face - to God who is "daily blessing".
I come home from the soaring
in which I’d lost myself.
I was song, and God the rhyme
still rustles in my ear.
I’ll become quiet and simple again,
and my voice will be still,
my face bowed
for a better prayer.
....
I was far off in the place where angels dwell,
High up where light dissolves into the void—
But God darkens in the deep.
I know now that the way forward is in tiny increments, the discipline of returning again and again to the same subject and going deeper, for "God darkens in the deep".
Mark S. Burrows is a poet, a Rilke scholar, a scholar of medieval Christianity, and a contributor to this Universal Heart Book Club. He also most skilfully and beautifully translated some of the finest of the near-100 poems in Stephanie Dowrick's widely praised spiritual biography/commentary on Rilke: In the Company of Rilke. Now Mark Burrows offers, in Prayers of a Young Poet (Paraclete Press, 2012), Rilke's first prayer-poems in the form the poet intended.
To find out more about Mark S. Burrows and his work, you can visit his website. Burrows' Prayers of a Young Poet (Paraclete Press, 2012). To find Prayers of a Young Poet specifically, please use this link. All purchases made via this website support the Universal Heart Book Club. We welcome your comments also!
Posted by Stephanie Dowrick at 5:31 PM 2 comments:
Labels: Books on writing, Doug Purnell, German literature, In the Company of Rilke, Mark S. Burrows, poem-prayers, poetry, Prayers of a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Rise up, readers!
Writers depend absolutely on readers - but reading activism can't be left to writers!
Reading is only half the story...!
"Reader activism" may not be a term familiar to you all. But this Universal Heart Book Club is certainly part of a much-needed trend towards greater engagement with writers and writing by readers. Without such activism - more on that below - we risk serious writers becoming an endangered species. Not only that, publishing houses, on which writers must at least partly depend, will become more conservative, more guarded and even more under threat than they currently are. That's because it's the original, adventurous writing, or writing that speaks to the soul and heart, or writing that brings academic diligence to wider audiences that will fall away. Few committed readers want to face a future in which the greatest book excitement is generated by a ghosted memoir of a sports star, a new vampire title or another 150 shades of grey.
When this Book Club was in the planning stages I (Stephanie Dowrick) was particularly keen to work with Walter Mason on it for a range of reasons. In the forefront was my confidence that Walter - with his fast mind and generous heart - is a true reader activist: he supports the writing he cares about; he blogs and tweets in support of it - more than any other writer I know; he turns up to talks; he gives talks; he names his enthusiasms; he generates enthusiasm. This is no small thing. All too few writers apparently see the benefits in supporting other writers' work. And this is a loss for us all.
But while writers depend absolutely on readers, reading activism can't be left to writers. Readers who want to be able to luxuriate in a genuine sense of choice, and who care about writing that is neither pop nor predictable, need to make sure that their enthusiasm translates into action.
The marketing budget for most writers - even when published by mainstream publishing houses - is virtually non-existent. "Marketing" has to happen on the ground - by readers who care. So! Write reviews on your favourite bookstore websites or those most often visited. On Amazon, for example, this makes a difference in the way a writer's books appear as "recommendeds". Use GoodReads like the passionate publicist you can now be. Let authors know that you are supporting them - as reader activist Peta Kelly does. Send out links to friends, sharing news of book blogs such as this one - or a particular review or article that's inspired you. Send them far and wide. Buy new, not second hand (no royalty for the author). Don't lend too generously; buy books for others - and for yourself. Most of all, value your vital part in any writer's success - or survival. Time matters as much as money. Use social media. Make your views known, and make them count.
The problem is not whether people are buying books via e-readers, rather than as traditional books: royalties come to writers from both directions. Problems come when people stop making books a genuine priority - and lose the sustained depth and pleasure that only books can bring.
And please don't hesitate to add your comments. We want to hear them!
Virginia Lloyd, writer and reader activist
Australian-born, New York-dwelling Virginia Lloyd writes:
The best tool for spreading your enthusiasm for a book or a particular writer is an old one. It was with us long before the Internet. But it’s the principle on which Facebook, Twitter and GoodReads are based. It is word of mouth. Authors and publishers know that word of mouth is the Holy Grail of selling books. No amount of advertising and publicity can equal the value of a personal recommendation. Here are a few suggestions to ensure that your “word of mouth” activism as a reader will help the authors you love.
--If somebody lends you a copy of a book she loved, buy a copy to give to another friend.
--If you can’t afford to buy a new book, borrow it from your library. If a book you want to read is constantly on hold, ask your library to order another copy. Australian authors receive a small annual payment related to the number of copies of their books held in libraries, so every copy does help.
--If an author you enjoy asks you to join her email list, don’t hesitate. Email lists are the best way authors have of communicating with their readers and letting them know of events, media interviews and that next book. You can also let your own friends know there’s a new book coming, making yourself look very knowledgeable in the process!
--Attend literary events featuring authors you’ve enjoyed reading. Invite a friend along. Ask the author a question. She won’t bite – she will be relieved that someone has asked a question.
--If you’ve just finished a book you loved, let your online community know about it. Sometimes a passing reference in a Facebook post is all it takes to convince a reader to finally buy that book she keeps hearing about.
These days word of mouth can spread faster with social media tools, but it’s the way we share our enthusiasms that will really support an author’s efforts to be noticed. Be bold in sharing your informed opinion. Be specific in saying what you liked about a book. Be generous in taking an extra minute to post a link to the author’s website or a photo of the book.
We all know that wonderful feeling when we’re reading a book we can’t put down, or that pang of grief when we reach the end of a story that moves or delights us. These experiences are what readers hunger for, so I encourage you to use word of mouth in familiar and new ways to help authors and share your reading passions.
You can find Virginia Lloyd via her blog, or on Twitter: @vlloyd. You will also find details there of her quite exceptional memoir: The Young Widow's Book of Home Improvement - which can of course be purchased via the bookstore links on this website.
And now, writer, reader activist and Universal Heart Book Club co-host, Walter Mason
I always think that readers should be more like fans of pop music or sports teams – or even video games. Bookish types seem too bound by their own shyness, introversion and sense of propriety to really make a fuss of their enthusiasms, but the time has come to wave your literary flag and let the world know that you like books and think that reading is important.
Here are some things I’d like to see readers do more of:
· Cultivate heroes: So often a particular author or book – or sometimes even a whole genre – has had a tremendous impact on our lives. But, perhaps because of the quiet nature of the reading act, we rarely publicise the level of this impact. There are very few posters of authors on teenage bedroom walls, though mine should have been adorned with Oscar Wilde, Hermann Hesse and Nancy Mitford. Cultivate literary heroes, join literary societies and spread the word in cyberspace. I find people’s literary obsessions fascinating and wish people could be more forthcoming about them.
· Tweet, facebook, pinterest, tumblr and blog books: It is heartening that the social media space does seem to be observably literary in nature. But I’d still love to see more people writing about the books and authors that excite them. The key here is amateur reviews – they are remarkably rare, but are enormously important. May they blossom.
· Go to book and author-related events: libraries, bookshops and other community spaces often host events where authors speak and read and people can meet and talk about books. Gatherings like these represent an immense contribution to the cultural capital of any community, and are well worth supporting. Go out of your way to attend these whenever possible and show the world you’re interested.
· Make the effort: doing any of these things requires that little bit of extra effort. Until now reading has been a reasonably passive pastime, but I would like to see readers make a more conscientious and intentional effort to share their passions and to help build and strengthen a culture of literacy. Joining a reading group, using your local library, tweeting about your favourite author or blogs, including this one, sending links in emails to friends, making your favourite writers' success very much "YOUR business" – all of these things require action, but the effort pays off in fun, the sense of belonging to a community and the very real elevation of the collective wisdom of humanity.
This is your Book Club. Join the Universal Heart Network! Try out as much reader activism as you wish here! Comment, write, share your views. Buy books through our links - that supports us with a small % of book sales. Tweet, email or use Facebook to promote writers and writing that you believe matters. You are hearing from us; we would love to hear from you.
Posted by Stephanie Dowrick at 7:00 PM No comments:
Labels: book shops, on-line book clubs, reader activism, Stephanie Dowrick, The Widow's Book of Home Improvement, Universal Heart Book Club, Virginia Lloyd, Walter Mason
Universal Book Club co-host Stephanie Dowrick asked Perth reader, Peta Kelly, to write for us on her personal "reader activism" , not least because we could not help but notice how actively she seeks out and responds to ideas, books, Stephanie's interfaith talks and videos - and how generous and upfront she is in her appreciation. That appreciation is contagious. Her reader activism is inspirational. We would have a different reading and writing world if there more Peta Kellys!
Here's her article.
Reading activist Peta Kelly
I tend to see activating readers through the eyes of a teacher-librarian and I believe that, as a group, we teacher-librarians do it rather well. However, it has been six years now since I left the school library that I literally helped build from the ground up, including the collections and holdings and the library loans system and teaching programs. Sadly, not many of the teaching staff actually got what it was that teacher-librarians could provide them. I tried many ways of reaching them and generally I was an under-used resource. However, with the children and their parents I was a heavily used resource - and very happily so.
Psychology beckoned, so off to university I went at fifty. It seems you can take the librarian out of the library but you can’t take the librarian out of the person! I missed my role of spruiking books and piquing reluctant readers' palates. I began to morph and really got into buying books for myself, first on how to get through a divorce and later on topics I would once never have considered, such as math, physics and statistics for dummies (from the famous "Dummies" series), the latter to support my course work.
Entering the Castle, one of Peta Kelly's favourites.
I had an undercover interest in clairvoyance through Hay House American author, Sonia Choquette, and also in spiritualism as I was trying to learn to drive my deepening clairvoyance. Meanwhile, my deepening spirituality led me to St Teresa of Avila, The Cloud of Unknowing, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, Brian Weiss, Stephanie Dowrick [writer, and co-host of this Universal Heart Book Club] Caroline Myss - and many, many others. I also reacquainted myself with the philosophers I had studied only a few years earlier in the philosophy course I started at Notre Dame in Fremantle, West Australia. And when I found out last year that I had joined the ranks of those with cervical cancer I also was given and bought books on healing, health and spirituality. In that amazing synchronistic way of life, I met so many people who are also in treatment or recovering (funnily enough, not at the radiology clinic or hospital) and often was able to share books or titles with them.
Stand-out books for me in this most recent time include Caroline Myss's Entering the Castle which reminded me that my relationship with God is through this corporeal self, and my wounds needed to be forgiven. Everyday Kindness by Stephanie Dowrick I bought as kindness for myself when I was told I had cancer and needed to see the goodness and kindness in life as my reality began to whirl. My daughter Pippa bought me Stephanie's Intimacy and Solitude Self Therapy Book, post radiation therapy. There is so much in this book that helped me find my feet/self/soul again. It is for me a book of a hopeful futures.
I've clung to these beloved books in times of intensity. Now these same books can be read in newer, clearer light, giving me another view to encourage me to live the life I aspire to.
A book that Peta Kelly found particularly helpful.
My personal library grows in leaps and bounds. So does my passion for reading and buying books for myself, my friends and family, usually on topics I know that they need or would enjoy. Stephanie Dowrick’s books are in many of my friends' libraries, often loaned, rarely returned, so repurchased for myself. I would also have many discussions about what I was reading - or just had read - sharing and encouraging, and more often than not my friends would purchase those books and share their finds with me. I never got around to joining a local book club, even after many attempts: too time and money poor. But I would suggest it to anyone looking to grow their passion for reading. And what better way to share that passion than in the company of like-minded?
I did, however, subscribe to the Universal Heart Book Club. It's free, and some of the books I already had in my own library. Now I hang out for each new video discussion and the written reviews by very talented people. Sounds like I am again spruiking! Well in fact, I am. Where do you get such treasure for free?
As I am only on a student income, I would rather buy a book than go on a holiday. And I love the libraries available to me at tertiary level, especially the University of Western Australia's Reid library where I worked just before I got married in the early 1980s. One day, when I finally graduate, I will travel to the places that my books reveal to me.
Often people ask me what is out there in the bookshops that's appropriate for themselves or their children, and as I am in book shops regularly - browsing the shelves like a hungry shark - I am happy to tell them. I am always spruiking my favourite Perth bookshops: the BookCaffe in Mosman Park, the Lane Book Shop in Claremont, the Coop Bookshop at UWA and, of course, Dymocks. Just recently I have begun to purchase my books and CDs online at Stephanie’s [Collins/Seek, Sydney] Bookshop and am thrilled that they arrive in really good condition and within six days. I usually order on a Thursday and they arrive here in Perth by Wednesday, and they notify me of the process at each stage. It is so exciting anticipating them, and then receiving through the mail like the old days of snail mail.
Recently I suggested to a lady who was interested in promoting and sharing her love of reading that there are programs in schools for grandparents to assist with reading sessions in primary schools. Or that she could join the "Adopt a Grandparent" program. Whenever you reveal a passion people will gravitate to you and an opportunity arises to share that passion. If you need information or a book title ask a librarian. Man, I love my passion and my life!
Peta Kelly can be found on twitter with the very appropriate twitter nom de plume: @petalovesbooks. You will also find her comments and encouragement on these pages as well as on the Facebook pages she supports, including those of Stephanie Dowrick and co-host Walter Mason. And if you are inspired by Peta to buy more books - for yourself or others - note that you can buy any books through our bookstore book links (above right).
Posted by Stephanie Dowrick at 2:44 PM No comments:
Labels: bibliotherapy, book buying, Books on writing, Caroline Myss, Intimacy and Solitude Self-Therapy Book, libraries, Peta Kelly, self-help, Thomas Merton
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Notable books in 2012: yours and mine
Writer and Universal Heart Book Club co-host Stephanie Dowrick
Stephanie Dowrick, writer and co-host of the Universal Heart Book Club, shares a favourite list of "Notable books" and also asks for your favourites - from any year.
One of the (many) greatest things about reading is that we can literally read across time. Your favourite author could be currently 25, or have been born 2500 years ago. With quality translations available, we are also not bound by language or culture and in fact I never fail to feel the awe of the time-and-place travelling that reading allows, simply by sitting still and turning pages. (You may be reading on a screen; you are still turning pages!)
The books we love most usually meet a need that perhaps we didn't even know we had. They also often have a timeless quality to them, even when they are firmly rooted in or reflective of a particular time. They improve with age; or perhaps we - as readers - improve with age. Most of us have a few precious, beloved books we've read and re-read at different stages of our lives. And perhaps we have appreciated increasingly what those writers are giving us in a direct sharing from their inner world to our own.
Has this been a rich, adventurous "year of reading" for you? I do hope so. It's been a year of lots of reading…and writing…for me. Plus the establishment of this Universal Heart Book Club with my friend and fellow reading activist, Walter Mason.
"Ancient" can be very fresh
We would love to hear what books have moved, entertained or enlightened you most this year. We would always welcome your suggestions about which books we should be recommending or highlighting among the almost countless possibilities. One of the ways I most enjoy this Book Club design is that you are not limited to any one month's reviews; the prompts across the bottom of each of our posts so easily take you deeper into the archives where more treasures are to be found. Don't overlook Mark S. Burrows' review of Christian Bobin's writing, Jane Goodall's wonderful writing on Hare with Amber Eyes, Joyce Kornblatt on her writing book favourites - including my own perennial favourite: Annie Dillard's The Writing Life, Ros Bradley's review of what I regard as the political novel of the year, Drusilla Modjeska's The Mountain, and the utterly endearing Buddhaland Brooklyn reviewed by Walter Mason. Walter also named Michelle de Kretser's brilliant, absorbing Questions of Travel as his "book of the year". And I am naming Barbara Kingsolver's new novel Flight Behavior - my "book of the year"! I also have her earlier Poisonwood Bible as one of my top-10-for-all-time novels. Richard Holloway's Leaving Alexandria was my memoir of this year. It will "weather" well, just as its author has.
We will keep informing you of books worth seeking. Meanwhile, I find it tremendously stimulating to look at other people's choices of "notable books". Here's a link to the 2012 list of "notable books" from the highly resourced (and variously opinionated) Sunday Book Review of the New York Times. Our family has had several Hawaii holidays since the dollar exchange made that possible and one of my greatest joys is to be there on a Sunday, and to wander - with the delicious feeling of "all the time in the world" - into the nearest Starbucks to buy a soy coffee, a cream cheese bagel and the latest, fat Sunday edition…with hours of reading promised. And some terrific pointers for greater reading depth ahead.
That list may be a useful prompt for you - or you might disagree with it entirely and want to make your own! And don't forget: your ideas, comments and opinions will be welcomed by all those coming to these pages in the days and months ahead. Comments welcome!
You can support the Book Club by buying any book ("notable" or not!) via the book store links above right. All sales support this Book Club through a small % returned to us.
Posted by Stephanie Dowrick at 3:11 PM No comments:
Maggie Hamilton on connecting with the mist
Author and teacher Maggie Hamilton (pic from wewisewomen.com)
Author Maggie Hamilton shares with us two of her most special books. Maggie has inspired many of her friends to read so many wonderful books over the years, so we are delighted that she has shared two of the best with us.
I don’t know about you, but I love mist. It’s utterly enchanting. As the everyday world softens and disappears I often experience a huge sense of relief. For me it’s a bit like wiping the slate clean. Naturally everyone has their own responses to the mist. One of the most profound observations of mist is Frank MacEowen’s The Mist-Filled Path: Celtic Wisdom for Exiles, Wanderers and Seekers. As you read Frank MacEowen’s exquisite book suddenly life is imbued with a whole new set of possibilities. You glimpse another way of being. At the heart of this book is a strong sense of how many of us in the west live in a permanent state of exile – or as Frank puts it ‘they become exiled from the holy realm of the inner worlds’.
As Frank MacEowen explores the Celts’ connection with nature, he reminds of the very shape and feel of the contemporary sense of exile. ‘I sometimes think that when we experience soul loss or soul exile it is as if we have had our ancient citizenry revoked,’ he reflects. ‘We no longer have diplomatic status to travel freely in the inner sanctum of our deepest levels of knowing about the world around us.’ How then do we rekindle the fire of our spirit?
So what does the mist offer us? According to Frank MacEowen the mist is ‘the threshold, the guardian of the in-between where vision is received. Within the mist of liminal time and space we are able to planet the seeds of a new life’. One of the bridges to this sacred experience of life is through our deepest longings. According to Frank MacEowen, our longing is something to trust, as it takes us to a far more profound space than can be accessed by our desires. Longing, he explains, has ‘an ancient allegiance to the evolution of our souls’. There are so many wonderful insights in this book, it’s not one you want to hurry, because you don’t want to miss a single observation. Some books we read once. Others we return to again and again, and this is true of The Mist-Filled Path.
While we’re on the subject of special books, I must also mention Carol Schaeffer’s Grandmothers Counsel The World: Women Elders Offer Their Vision For the Planet. This book landed in my lap left of field, and it too touched my soul. Here thirteen indigenous women elders from five continents tackle the big issues the planet is facing. While this may sound a bit depressing, reading the book is a deep human experience, imbued with a great deal of wisdom. In my experience there are too few women who inhabit a place of genuine power. In reading the lives and observations of each of these remarkable women, I was struck by the often very painful lives these women elders have had. All to frequently they have suffered a lot of abuse and deprivation. Their personal accounts are worlds way from the neatly polished images we’re constantly presented with of how successful women are ‘meant to be’. What sets these women apart is that they’re not defined by their past wounds, their souls have been fertilised by them. The Grandmother's Council will be in Byron just before Christmas and in New Zealand in February.
Writer and social researcher Maggie Hamilton gives regular talks and workshops; writes for magazines; is a keen observer of social trends; and an outspoken critic of the commercialisation of childhood and teen life. Her books have been published in Australia, New Zealand, Holland, Italy, the Arab States, Lithuania, Korea, China and Brazil, and include What's Happening to Our Girls? and What's Happening to Our Boys? Her latest book, Secret Girls’ Business, is a fun, funky empowering book for teenage girls.
See Walter Mason making one of the recipes from Secret Girls' Business here.
Posted by Walter Mason at 10:18 AM 1 comment:
Friday, November 16, 2012
This month we discuss two new and really intriguing novels that both deal with idea of travel and the consequences of shifting populations: Michelle de Kretser's breathtaking Questions of Travel and Emily Maguire's terrific novel set in Vietnam, Fishing for Tigers.
You will also find our written reviews of these books below, as well as a range of other very fine articles.
As you read the books we feature, please share your views in our comments section. Those conversations are essential to this being the "book club" we envision. Many thanks to Peter Kirkwood for the marvellous job he has done filming this conversation and bringing it to you.
Posted by Walter Mason at 10:44 PM No comments:
Walter Mason reads Emily Maguire's Vietnam novel Fishing for Tigers
In this enchanting new novel Australian author Emily Maguire captures perfectly the shiftlessness and loneliness of expatriate life. Fishing forTigers is her account of love and lust among a group of foreigners living in Hanoi, a group of people marooned in a poor and insular city, not out of any passion for its people or culture, but because:
"...it was the only place they'd found where they could get away with being who they were. The only place with five-star hotel bars, anyway."
Monastery attached to One Pillar Pagoda, Hanoi (Photo by Walter Mason)
The novel's protagonist, Mischa, begins a passionate but morally questionable affair with Cal, an eighteen year old Vietnamese adoptee, a young man who only knows life as an Australian and who comes to see his putative homeland through the eyes of the wounded Mischa.
They stumble through a schizophrenic Vietnamese culture, a place torn between the worlds of tradition, Socialism and rampant consumerism. Cal, posing as the cynical and super cool hipster, is astonished when he visits the ancient Confucian university of Van Mieu and discovers its statues have been restored thanks to the donations of a credit card company:
"A communist government sponsored by American Express. Classic."
Together the lovers hide, betray and titillate each other, and Maguire's novel is filled with an electric eroticism as well as a trenchant social criticism. The character Mischa is never clearly one thing or another. She is alternately victim and exploiter, sympathiser and traitor. The moral complexities of Maguire's characters make this a thrilling book, and one that offers no easy answers.
Emily Maguire has said that this book emerged out of her own fascination with the city of Hanoi, a city which has enchanted many other Western visitors but has not been written about as much as it should. And Hanoi's claustrophobic intensity is beautifully and perfectly evoked in the book, along with the effect it has on the novel's characters as they drink, sleep and curse their way around an uncertain life in a city that really has no need for them. The confused and messy sex lives of expatriate communities has never been so intimately charted, either, and be prepared for some surprising revelations as the novel proceeds.
Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi (Photo by Walter Mason)
And Maguire plays with an interesting post-colonial dynamic, opening up a tremendous can of worms by dealing, not only with interracial relationships, but with inter-generational ones. The depth of exploitation, or its absence and pose, is batted around tantalisingly in this book, though Maguire is too smart to ever attempt a definitive answer. The freedom to indulge in pleasure, and the way that living abroad affords this freedom, convinces Mischa that:
“...now my mind was my own and my life was what I decided it should be.”
But of course, events prove that not to be the case.
This is an extraordinary novel, one that will interest anyone who has ever visited Vietnam or who has considered, just for a moment, packing it all in and moving to a distant land. Fishing for Tigers is a very modern dissection of lust, identity and belonging, and I have come away a firm fan of Emily Maguire’s work.
Fishing for Tigers is available through our bookstore affiliates (top right) on this blog. We also welcome your comments and opinions!
Posted by Walter Mason at 10:25 PM No comments:
Labels: Australian literary fiction, fiction, love, novels, Vietnam
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The Universal Heart Book Club is hosted by Stephanie Dowrick and Walter Mason. This is where we can introduce you to books, writers and sustaining ideas. You will find past articles and videos via the "Blog archive" on the right. You can also pick up further reading ideas from the rotating links at the bottom of each article.
The Universal Heart Book Club has grown out of the Universal Heart Network, founded in 2000 by writer and retreat leader Stephanie Dowrick.
We welcome any links via your own websites or social media. This is a community Book Club, supporting writers and readers. And, most of all, supporting ideas that heal our hearts and sustain us.
Do visit writer, social media commentator and Book Club co-host Walter Mason's richly varied BLOG. Click on the image to take you there.
"Heavenly" serenity in words and music
Click on image for mail order purchases of "Heavenly" serenity, calm and delight.Can be used for meditation or enriching listening.CD offers 69 minutes of sublime words spoken by Stephanie Dowrick and gorgeous music from Kim Cunio and his ensemble.
Stephanie Dowrick's books in unabridged AUDIO MP3s or CD sets
Hear as well as read Stephanie Dowrick's words: Seeking the Sacred, In the Company of Rilke, Forgiveness and Other Acts of Love
You can purchase tracks from this site...and will gradually discover a new world of sacred music hosted by Kim Cunio. Click on the image to visit this site and download tracks.
Vital links
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Find archived video reviews recorded to date by Stephanie Dowrick & Walter Mason via this link. Simply click on the photo.
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December (5)
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March (10)
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January (5)
December (10)
Universal Heart Book Club Episode 5, December 2012
Belinda Castles on the boy in the photograph
Rilke's Prayers of a Young Poet "as he intended them"
Rise up, readers!
Notable books in 2012: yours and mine
Maggie Hamilton on connecting with the mist
November (7)
Walter Mason reads Emily Maguire's Vietnam novel F...
October (8)
July (9)
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Dr Stephanie Dowrick leads regular monthly spiritually inclusive services, 3rd Sunday of each month, 3pm, at Pitt Street (264) Uniting Church, Sydney (NOT January). Exquisite music. Uplifting teachings. All welcome.
Stephanie Dowrick also leads workshops and retreats in Australia, New Zealand and Japan, as well as speaking at a variety of events. For details about dates and bookings please visit "Events" on Stephanie's website: www.stephaniedowrick.com
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Posted on November 22, 2022 November 16, 2022 by pastorterryjdavis
Revelation is an easy book to find. Just go to the very end of the Bible and you will find it. It is appropriate that Revelation is found at the end of the Bible because it is a book about the end, about end times, and about last things. The big fancy theological word for the study of the end times or last things is the word “eschatology,” which means “the study of the eschaton, or the end of the age. Today we are beginning a new study of messages entitled, “What Is The World Coming To?” Lord willing, we will make our way, verse-by-verse through the 22 chapters of this great book. Most Christians that I know and talk to would really like to understand the book of Revelation and I believe God wants us to understand this book.
There has been a lot of interesting conjecture concerning the contents of Revelation over the years, especially since the popular book by Hal Lindsey came out over 50 years ago. The book is entitled, The Late Great Planet Earth. In many ways, the publishing of that book ushered in a new group of popular American Christian literature and movies on the end times. When one reads the first edition of Lindsey’s book (written in 1970), you cannot help but conclude that Lindsey believed the Lord will return before the end of the 1980s. Lindsey dated a generation as 40 years and believed that 40 years after the Jews returned to Israel in 1948, the Lord would come again. Of course, that did not happen. A lot of the success of end-times discussions during the 1980s was aided by the ongoing cold war and the threat of nuclear disaster.
In 1988, Edgar Whisenant, a former NASA engineer, published a book entitled, 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be In 1988. Most readers of that book can readily conclude that he, too, was wrong. I remember in the 1980s some were even saying that Ronald Reagan was the antichrist because his full name, Ronald Wilson Reagan, contains six letters each, hence: 666, the number of the beast. There was a lot of this conjecturing over numbers and numbering systems, and so forth.
It reminds me of the three old men who had gone to the doctor for a memory test. The doctor asked the first old man, “What is one plus one?” He said, “Two hundred seventy-four.” The doctor said to the second man, “It’s your turn. What is one plus one?” He said, “Tuesday.” The doctor then turned to the third man, “Okay, your turn. What’s one plus one?” He said, “Two.” The doctor said, “That’s great!” He then asked the man, “How did you get that?” The third man said, “Simple. I just subtracted 274 from Tuesday!”
My prayer is that we will avoid that kind of reasoning as we study this book together. It is my belief that God wants us to understand this book. In the words of the hymn-writer William Cowper, “God is His own interpreter, and He will make it plain.” Our study today is entitled, “First Thoughts about Last Things.” This first study will be an introductory overview of the book.
Before we talk about the main points that come out of these verses, let me make a few general remarks about the book.
1) It is the Book of Revelation.
It is not the Book of Revelations. “Revelation” (the Greek word is “apokalupsis”) means “an uncovering,” “an unveiling,” or “a disclosure.” In the New Testament, this word describes the unveiling of spiritual truth (Romans 1625; Galatians 1:12; Ephesians 1:17; 3:3), the revealing of the sons of God (Romans 8:19), Christ’s incarnation (Luke 2:32), and His glorious appearing at His second coming (2 Thessalonians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:7). In all its uses, “revelation” refers to something or someone, once hidden, becoming visible.
What this Book reveals
Or unveils is
Jesus Christ in glory.
Truths about Him and His final victory, that the rest of Scripture merely allude to, become clearly visible through revelation about Jesus Christ. This revelation was given to Him by God the Father, and it was communicated to the Apostle John by an angel (1:1).
2) The author of the book of Revelation is identified for us as John.
You see it there in verse one: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to whom? To His servant John.”
This John is the same John who wrote the Gospel of John, and the letters of first, second, and third John. The book tells us later that John is writing from the island of Patmos, an island in the Aegean Sea, about 70 miles Southwest of Ephesus. John is being held there as an exile. He was exiled to Patmos during the latter part of the reign of the evil Roman Emperor Domitian, who ruled from AD 81-96. This places the date of the book of Revelation somewhere between AD 90-96.
Christians in John’s day were facing fierce persecution. The Christian church began to feel weak and vulnerable. Some even began to compromise their convictions.
The purpose of the book of Revelation
Is primarily to encourage these Christians
And to remind them that Jesus Christ is
The Victorious King who is, indeed,
Coming again to right all wrongs
And to reign on earth.
While the primary audience was the early Christians of Asia Minor, the audience includes Christians of all time periods.
There are three main sections of the book identified from verse 19 of chapter one. You see there in 1:19 . . .
Past (chapter 1), “Things which you have seen;”
Present (chapters 2-3), “things which are;”
Future (chapters 4-22), “things which shall be.”
Now, later, chapters 6-19 deal with a time known as “the tribulation.” Basically you have in chapters 6-19 three series of judgments. They are three series of seven judgments: seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls.
As we study, I am going to be presenting what is known as the futurist view and, more specifically, “the premillennial view.” The premillennial view asserts that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to return before a time period known as the millennium. Jesus Christ will return prior to the 1,000 year reign described in chapter 20. We will learn more about the later.
I have already said that I believe God wants us to understand the book of Revelation. He wants us to really know what He is teaching here in this book. He does not want us to get lost in the details. The story is told about a man who drove into a large city looking for Main Street. Having difficulty finding it, and realizing he was lost, he noticed a boy standing on the street and called out to him: “Young man, do you know where Main Street is?” The little boy shook his head and said, “No.” The man asked, “Well, do you know where First Street is?” Again, the little boy nonchalantly shook his head and said, “No.” Getting a little frustrated, the man asked, “Well, do you know where this road leads?” And again, the little boy shrugged his shoulders and said, “No.” Exasperated, the man shouted, “Young man, do you know anything!?” The little boy said, “I know I am not lost.”
God does not want us to get lost in the details of this book. He wants us to really know, to really understand this book. After I finished getting my outline together in my study time, I noticed that two of my favorite preachers, Adrian Rogers and Jerry Vines, had very similar outlines. That encouraged me not so much because it put me in the same camp as those guys, but because it shows how plain these points are in these first three verses; that anyone could find them.
Verse one begins by saying, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” That says it all – “The revelation of Jesus Christ!”
Jesus is the principal person of the book.
This Book is not a revelation of John about Jesus Christ, it is a revelation of Jesus Christ. The word “revelation” is the Greek word “apocalypse.” While that word typically brings to mind synonyms such as disaster, destruction, day of reckoning, and so forth, the Greek word literally means, “uncovering” or “unveiling.” So, it is helpful here to read the first verse, “The unveiling of Jesus Christ.” The revelation of Jesus Christ is the unveiling of Christ that the world may see His glory and splendor.
When Jesus came the first time, much of His glory was veiled. He came as a humble carpenter from the obscure town of Nazareth. Many people in his hometown rejected Him because he was just a “local boy,” nothing special about Him. His family rejected Him. The Jews, at large, rejected Him. His glory is veiled. You see that as you read through the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And then little, by little, it becomes increasingly apparent to His disciples that this Jesus of Nazareth is more than a man. When you get to that incredible event on the Mount of Transfiguration, for just a few moments Peter, James, and John see the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ unveiled as brilliant white light shines right through the body of Jesus Christ.
But in large part, the glory of Jesus was veiled during His first coming. When He comes again, things will be very different.
He came the first time in humiliation.
He will come the second time in exaltation.
He came the first time
In a humble stable in Bethlehem.
He will come the second time in
unveiled glory from heaven,
Coming with His mighty angels.
The principal person in the book is Jesus Christ. Let me remind you again that . . .
Jesus Christ is the principal person
Of every book of the Bible.
The Bible is a “Him” book.
The Bible is about Him.
The Old Testament saints were saved the same way you and I are saved. Not by our works, but by grace through faith. We look back 2,000 years to the cross and see God’s Son. The Old Testament saints, such as David and Solomon looked ahead 2,000 years to the cross.
In faith, they believed
God would send His Messiah
And by faith looked ahead
To that promise.
And in faith, you and I believe
God sent His Messiah and
Look back to Calvary.
Salvation is the same in both Testaments, Old and New. Our salvation is accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Him.
And this Book is about Him.
He is the principal person of the book.
The Greek construction of the phrase, “the Revelation of Jesus Christ,” can mean both an unveiling “about” Jesus Christ and an unveiling “from” Jesus Christ.
Jesus is at once the One unveiled
And the One doing the unveiling.
This brings us to the second point in our study today. Not only does God want us to know the principal person of the book, but secondly, God wants us to know
Verses 1 and 2 tell us, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants — things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.”
What is it that God is going to show His servants? “Things which must shortly take place.” The Book of Revelation is a prophecy. It unveils the glory of Jesus Christ by telling about God’s program through future events. Remember the structure from verse 19. The Lord Jesus says to John, “write the things which you have seen” (Past; Chapter one), “and the things which are” (Present; Chapters two and three), “and the things which will take place after this” (Future; Chapters four through twenty-two).
The book of Revelation is about “things which must shortly take place.” First notice, they “must” take place. They must. God is guiding the events of history. Nothing happens by mere chance. Nothing will hinder God’s purposes. These things absolutely must take place and God will see to it that they do. Notice secondly, that these things must “shortly” take place. That is, they will take place soon. The faithful early Christians looked for the Lord’s return to happen soon. They prepared for His Coming.
We are to live the same way today. We must always live our lives in such a way that we are ready for the Lord’s return. Some will say, “Well, a lot of time has past since the Lord’s first coming. He does not seem to be in any hurry.” Well, He is not in any hurry. He knows the exact time. Remember these things “must” take place. Someone else may ask, “Why has He not yet come?” That’s the same question Peter addresses in 2 Peter 3:8-9, “Beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack (slow) concerning His promise, as some count slackness (understand slowness), but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
God has planned the exact moment that our Lord Jesus Christ will return, and His return will happen at a time we do not expect. Peter says to the Lord a thousand years to us is just a day to God. He is not bound by our time-table. He is operating on His own. So Peter says God is not slow in fulfilling His promise. If it seems to you that much time has passed as we await our Lord’s return . . .
The Bible says understand that this delay
Is because of the loving grace of God
Who is allowing the delay that more people
Should come to repentance and be saved.
Do not toy with the time God is giving you. Be about the business of preparing to meet our Lord. Make sure you are ready and make sure your family, friends, and acquaintances are ready.
The Bible goes on and says about this revelation in verse one that Jesus “sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John.” It is best to read that word “signified” as “sign-ified.” Did you catch that? “Sign-ified.’
Through prophetic future events is given
By way of symbols and signs.
That may be for two reasons:
1) It may be that because of the fierce persecution of John’s day that biblical truth was given in symbols so that those doing the persecution would not understand what it was about. After all, the revelation is given to Christ’s “servants,” not to just anyone.
2) It may also be that the contents of the book of Revelation, the unveiling of Jesus Christ through future events, was given in symbols and signs because it was the best means to convey spiritual truth. The unveiling of future events may be difficult to convey in just words. Have you ever caught a glimpse of something you just could not describe? You end up saying, “Well, you just had to be there.” That may be what John encountered as he was presented the unveiling of future events. So, with God’s help we will be interpreting these symbols and signs in the weeks ahead.
God wants us to know the principal Person of the book. God wants us to know the prophetic purpose of the book. And thirdly, God wants us to know . . .
The book of Revelation is the only book of the Bible with this precious promise. Look at it again there in verse 3, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” This verse shows that the early Christians assembled on the Lord’s day for the public reading and teaching of the Scripture. The preacher would come before the people with the Bible and would read the Bible and give the sense of the passage read. So, blessed is he who reads (the pastor) and those who hear the words (the congregation). I am blessed as I read and you are blessed as you hear the words of this prophecy.
This book is a blessing to read. Is not it ironic, then, that it is the one Book of the Bible that is so often not read? I got to thinking about that this week, and I thought about some of the reasons we do not read this Book. One reason may be, quite frankly, that we do not read it because we do not fully understand it. One of the reasons we do not understand it is because we really do not know our Bibles well, especially the Old Testament. It is interesting: John never quotes the Old Testament insofar as chapter and verse is concerned, but as he writes and shares the revelation, he alludes to and makes reference to the Old Testament around 300 times. Some scholars even estimate that as much as 75% of the book of Revelation is to be understood by knowing the Old Testament.
I also think that one of the reasons we do not read Revelation is perhaps owing to spiritual warfare. The devil does not want us reading this Book. He does not want us to be blessed. This book prophesies his doom. Revelation is the final Book that records the final days of Satan.
The book of Genesis is a Book of beginnings.
The book of Revelation is a Book of endings.
In Genesis we have the entrance of sin.
In Revelation we have the ending of sin.
In Genesis the devil enters as one destroying.
In Revelation he exits as one destroyed.
Satan does not want you reading this Book. He does not want you to be blessed. He will do what he can to keep you from reading it and studying it.
But if you and I go through this Book a blessing will follow – “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy” – but not just reading and hearing! The Bible says “and keep those things which are written in it.” In other words, we must obey what we read here in the Book of Revelation.
God wants us to know the precious promise of this book. I am praying for a great blessing to follow our studying through this Book. I am praying for a spiritual harvest of committed believers to the Lord Jesus Christ as a result of our studying this book together. Let’s get ready to receive the precious promise of this book; a great spiritual blessing as we read and hear the words of this prophecy because, as verse three ends, “the time is near.”
That statement is meant to encourage Christians – “the time is near.” Hang in there. Jesus Christ is coming again. You are going to make it. Stay the course. But the phrase also applies as a warning – “the time is near.” Be ready. Make sure you are spiritually prepared for the events in this Book that will unfold before your very eyes. Be ready when our Lord returns.
As I was driving around the other day, God impressed upon my mind the need to be spiritually prepared at all times. The Lord may not return again for several years, perhaps even decades. The odds are that most of us will die before He returns. When we die we will face an immediate judgment whereby our souls will go immediately either to heaven or to hell. Immediately. There is no “soul sleep” or purgatory. The Bible teaches that our souls go immediately to one of two locations.
Are you ready to meet the Lord, whether He returns first, or whether you die first? Can I say that there is no more important question than that? The Bible says in James 4:14 that you and I do not even know what tomorrow brings. James says your life is like a vapor. Your life is like the upward steam from a hot cup of coffee. You see it for a moment and then it is gone. Your life is like that. You see it for a moment and then it is gone. That is why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “Now is the time. Today is the day of salvation.” We are going to study about Jesus’ return . . . the question is, “Are you ready?” Some of you do not have peace with God and if you continue that way you are taking the chance that you will live another day. You might even be thinking, “I will make peace with God another day.” Do not wait . . . Do not delay! Your life is a vapor. It will be over very soon. Now is the time. Today is the day of salvation. Come and accept what Christ has done for you and be saved, for the time is near.
This is Grace for your Journey …
Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”
Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Posted on October 24, 2022 October 18, 2022 by pastorterryjdavis
We have been studying through the Gospel of Luke, the longest book in the New Testament. As it is the longest book in the New Testament, it has taken us a long time to study through the 24 chapters. Some of you will therefore be glad to know that our next study will be of a book that has 16 chapters, the Book of Romans! I look forward to our study of Romans, a book that encourages us to hang tough during times of persecution and suffering.
We are at the close of the Gospel of Luke and we are studying today about the ascension of Christ. Some of you may be hearing that word “ascension” for the first time. The ascension is, as one preacher called it, “one of the most neglected essentials in the New Testament.” We do not generally hear many sermons preached on the ascension. We hear many sermons preached on the incarnation, the crucifixion, and the resurrection, but not nearly as many on the ascension.
What is the ascension? The word “ascension” contains the word “ascend” which, of course, means “to rise up, to go up, to ascend.” Christ goes up, He ascends into heaven. Here is a good definition of the ascension taken from the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (ed. Walter Elwell): “That act of the God-Man by which he brought to an end his post-resurrection appearances to his disciples, was finally parted from them physically, and passed into the other world, to remain there until his second advent.”
During the Second World War, November 10, 1942, after England won a significant victory, a battle Winston Churchill referred to as the, “Battle of Egypt,” Churchill made these remarks as he addressed the people, “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
While the ascension occurs at the end of the Gospel of Luke, the ascension is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end, but it is the end of the beginning. The ascension of Christ “bridges” the Gospel of Luke to Luke’s second volume, the Book of Acts. You will remember that Luke wrote both books.
Luke begins Acts chapter 1 in verse 1 and following by saying, “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up.” Luke goes on to say that before Jesus was taken up, or ascended into heaven, that He had “presented Himself alive,” appearing to the disciples in His resurrected body over a period of 40 days as He continued to speak to them of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God (Luke 1:3).
After Jesus was raised from the dead, He appeared to His disciples over a period of 40 days before He ascended into heaven. That’s why some churches who follow the traditional church calendar celebrate what is called “Ascension Day,” the 40th day after Easter.
Luke tells us in Volume II of his writings, the Book of Acts, that after the 40 days are over, the disciples are assembled together in Jerusalem and Jesus says to them in Acts 1:8, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Then Luke records a few more details about the ascension in Acts 1:9 to 11, “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.’”
Remember again, that definition of the ascension we read earlier, the ascension is, “that act of the God-Man by which he brought to an end his post-resurrection appearances to his disciples, was finally parted from them physically, and passed into the other world, to remain there until his second summarize the period of 40 days, telescoping the events of the days preceding the ascension, in keeping with his intention to provide an “orderly account” (Luke 1:3) of the Gospel.
There are three main events taking place between Christ and His followers, we note the verbs: He “blesses” them, He “parts” from them, and they “worship” Him. I want to use these three actions as descriptive headings for our passage and then I want to share with you the significance of the ascension, what it matters to us today.
Verse 50 tells us, “And He led them out as far as Bethany (on the foothills of the Mount of Olives), and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.” What an awesome thing to do for a bunch of guys who had frequently doubted Him, denied Him, forsaken Him, and failed Him – think about that . . . He “lifted up His hands and blessed them.” In fact, verse 51 indicates that it is in the very act of His blessing them that He is parted from them and taken up into heaven
The picture is that of a priest in the Old Testament, someone like Aaron who, in Leviticus 9:22, “Lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them.” Maybe Jesus even spoke the so-called “Aaronic blessing” of Numbers 6:24-26, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”
Jesus blessed them with nail-scarred hands. Though in His resurrected body, the scars from the crucifixion serve as an eternal reminder of the priestly sacrifice of His death for their sins. He blessed them.
Secondly, the Bible says . . .
II. He Parts from Them.
Verse 51 says, “Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.” Jesus slips away and is taken up into heaven. In Acts 1:9 Luke writes that, “a cloud received Him out of their sight.” This cloud was the visible expression of the glory of God, often referred to in the Old Testament as the “Shekinah glory,” the dwelling or the settling of the divine presence of God. Moses had encountered that cloud of glory on Mt. Sinai. It is the same cloud of glory that went before the Israelites during their wanderings in the desert. It is the same cloud of glory that surrounded Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.
Luke writes here in verse 51 that it is while Jesus is blessing the disciples, “that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.” Greek scholar AT Robertson says that the word “parted” here means, “He stood apart and he was gone.” It describes a dramatic exiting of our Lord Jesus into heaven.
It is not that Jesus just goes up and up and up into the sky and became smaller and smaller so that one could no longer see Him, the way one watches a rocket take off and go up into the sky and become smaller and smaller until it can no longer be seen. It is rather that Jesus goes up into the sky but then is carried away, enveloped into the very place of heaven itself.
CS Lewis, trying to understand the ascension pictured Jesus, “. . . being withdrawn through a fold in space like an actor who, having taken his bow, appears to vanish into a fold in the stage curtain, but in actual fact he’s just stepping into a gap in between two of the curtains.”
If you like physics, you might prefer that Jesus entered into the fourth dimension! This is entirely biblical, of course. The physical universe cannot contain God. Solomon referred to this truth in His prayer during the dedication of the temple in 1 Kings 8:27, “Will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!”
He blesses them; He parts from them. Then the response of the disciples, number three . . .
III. They Worship Him.
Verse 52 tell us, “And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” They worshiped Him. At first reading, this statement may not seem to follow. Jesus has just been taken away from the disciples. Why would they be glad about that? We might expect they would be sad.
This joy followed their understanding of what they learned from the Scripture. We have read over the past couple weeks that when Jesus appeared to the disciples in His resurrected body that He explained to them the need for His death, burial, and resurrection. In verse 45 we read where Jesus had, “Opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” He told them about His entire mission, how they would tell others about that mission once the Holy Spirit had come upon them, and the “power from on high” about which Jesus had spoken at the end of verse 49.
It is all clear to them now. Joy follows understanding. Joy is the blessing that follows the understanding of Scripture. When we understand what we are reading in the Bible, as the Holy Spirit teaches us, we are filled with great joy. This is one of the reasons why careful Bible reading and study is so important. It redounds to great joy!
Verse 53, tells us, “And were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.” Where were the disciples praising God? In the temple. Luke returns us to where the Gospel begins, in the temple (Luke 1:8-9). The Gospel of Luke begins with people praising and blessing God in the temple and it ends with people praising and blessing God in the temple.
He blesses them; He parts from them; they worship Him.
What is the significance of Christ’s ascension? What does it mean for us today? Let me give you these four things. They are not exhaustive, but represent at least four things the ascension means.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:22 that Christ, “has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.” The right hand of God is a metaphor for omnipotent power. Jesus Christ is now at the right hand of God, the Father. It is the place of power and authority. He is presiding over everything. He is “Lord.” Listen to what the author of Hebrews says about our ascended Lord in Hebrews 1:2-3, “(God), has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
And He sustains everything.
Secondly, the ascension means . . .
The Bible reminds us in Hebrews 4:14-17, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
He is our great High Priest! He is the One who knows what we are going through, having suffered the horrors of beatings, crucifixion, and death. He was also tempted just as we are tempted. He knows what we are going through and, He is willing to dispense to us daily supplies of mercy and grace in our time of need.
He sympathizes with our weaknesses. What else is significant about the ascension?
Thirdly . . .
The ascension follows the work of the atonement and guarantees the continual effectiveness of the atonement. The Bible says in Hebrews9:24-26, “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another – He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
The ascension is God’s guarantee of the work of His Son, the perfect effectiveness of the finished work of the atonement, the effects of which last forever and ever. The ascension is God’s guarantee of that work. The ascension is God’s stamp of approval upon everything that Jesus has come to do, His entire mission is a mission accomplished. It is this truth that gives you and me the assurance of our salvation.
Speaking of the atonement, the Bible says in Romans 8:33-34, “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” Paul imagines somebody speaking against your being a Christian, whether that someone is another person, your fearful heart, or the devil himself. He imagines someone accusing us the way a person might stand in court and speak against our case. Someone stands and says, “I object! I know this so-called Christian! I have seen the way he lives. He has many faults. He cannot be forgiven.” The Bible says, “Who will succeed in bringing a charge against God’s elect? Who is worthy to condemn the Christian?”
Maybe you once felt secure in our faith. Maybe you have trusted Christ and all was well. But then, you stumbled and fell. You do something you know is wrong. In fact, you find yourself struggling with this particular thing. You hate it. It is a sin and you hate it. And you find yourself battling it all the time. The Bible pictures you are standing before God at the judgment. You are a Christian, but there is this on-going problem. God knows our hearts, our tendency to somehow think that the blessings of forgiveness apply to everyone else except us! There we stand before God and the devil stands up behind us in the courtroom and he says, “This person cannot be one of yours! I have seen the way he lives. I have watched the way he/she behaves. I charge this so-called Christian with hypocrisy. I condemn this person for being the hypocrite they are!” Oh, listen again to the effects of the atonement guaranteed by the ascension in Romans 8:34, “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”
The Bible is tells us that no matter how hard the devil or anyone else may work at trying to condemn you, you have this wonderful Advocate – the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ – the One who stands at the right hand of the Judge. He stands there forever, always “making intercession” for you.
It is not that He must speak continually in your defense, giving a counter-argument to the devil’s charges.
Christ’s just being there
Christ is always and forever standing there. He need say nothing. God the Father forever looks at Christ His Son, and on the basis of what His Son did for the Christian on Calvary’s cross, God then looks at the Christian and says, “Not guilty,” every single time. All sin is forgiven.
The significance of the ascension: He presides over everything and sustains everything; He sympathizes with our weaknesses; He intercedes for us as our eternal advocate.
Jesus says in John 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” The ascension means that Jesus Christ, our ascended Lord, is right now in heaven preparing a place for all Christians, all true followers of Jesus.
What will heaven be like? I do not know, but it if Jesus is preparing it, you can be sure it is going to be absolutely wonderful! Imagine: every Christian, every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, one day will be, like our Lord before us, “carried up into heaven” where we will spend eternity. Will you be in that company?
This is Grace for your Journey …
Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”
Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Posted on October 3, 2022 September 27, 2022 by pastorterryjdavis
We have been making our way, verse-by-verse, through the Gospel of Luke and we are nearing the end of our study here in the last chapter of this Book. We have been studying the resurrection accounts and it is helpful to remember this because the first verse of our passage – verse 36 – begins with the phrase, “Now as they said these things,” and that phrase should prompt at least two questions; the first being, “Who are they ‘they’ here?” and the second question, “What things were they saying?” To discover to whom this pronoun refers, who the “they” are, as well as the subject of their discussion, we need only look at the verses preceding.
You recall from last time, in the verses preceding this text, that Jesus had appeared to two men who were traveling to the village of Emmaus, and He eventually revealed Himself to them as the resurrected Christ. They are excited about this and run back to Jerusalem where the 11 disciples are and they all tell one another that they had seen Him, they had seen the risen Christ. Now verse 36 says, “Now as they said these things.”
If you have ever experienced something unique or something unusual happen to you, you know that you are challenged in convincing others that the thing really did happen. You take care to explain what happened first, and second, and so on. You talk about what you saw, heard, touched, or maybe what others told you that they saw, heard, and touched. You carefully explain that these things happened in order for another person to understand and grasp the truth of the experience.
This has been Luke’s aim since the very beginning of his Gospel. You will remember back in his introduction in in Luke chapter 1 in verses 1-4, where Luke is writing to his friend Theophilus these words, “Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.” Luke writes this Gospel account so that his friend Theophilus – and everyone else reading the Book of Luke – “may know the certainty of the things” concerning Jesus Christ.
Today’s passage stresses the certainty of Christ’s resurrection body and the certainty of the Scriptures. It is as if Luke is saying, “I want you to know that it is all really true.” There is something pretty neat to note here: the narrative parallels what precedes it. What we studied last week with the two on the road to Emmaus in verses 13-35: an appearance of the resurrected Christ, an explanation of the need for His death and resurrection, and then the eating of food – Those three elements occur again right here in verses 36-49: an appearance of Christ, an explanation of the need for His death and resurrection, and then the eating of food. In some sense we will parallel that sequence in our study today.
The passage highlights Luke’s repeated attempt throughout his writing of the Gospel to provide certainty of the things concerning Jesus Christ. Luke is saying again in these verses, “It Is All Really True.”
The truth of Christ’s resurrection leads us to at least three considerations . . .
By that I mean mainly the work of God’s raising a real body from the grave, Christ’s resurrection body. God raised Jesus Christ from the dead in bodily form. It is a powerful work of God as the God of all creation, as Lord over all matter. Jesus was raised not as an immaterial spirit or ghost. God’s powerful work was such that Christ’s body – though beaten and bloodied – was raised from the dead in a new form, a glorious body that would never again break down in any way.
This is a unique work. It had never happened before. People had been raised from the dead before, but it was different. You will remember that Lazarus had been raised from the dead, and the son of a certain widow from the town of Nain had been raised from the dead, but they were raised up in their old bodies and so, in the words of CS Lewis, “They had their dying to do all over again.” Lazarus died again later, and the widow’s son died again later. But something different is going on here. Christ who died was raised in new bodily form – and as such – He is what the Apostle Paul calls ‘the first-fruits of all who die in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:20). In other words, because Christ was raised in new bodily form, so will every follower of Christ be raised in new bodily form.
We will take a closer look at this as this is what Luke wants us to see here beginning in verses 36 to 40, “Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, ‘Peace to you.’ But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.’ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.”
So Jesus is saying, “I am not some immaterial spirit; I’m not a ghost! Look at Me. See My hands, see My feet. Handle Me, that is, touch Me.” Jesus appeals to their senses, their sight, hearing, and touch to demonstrate the reality of His resurrected body. He is saying to them, “Come closer, look, come on reach out, touch Me, get over here you knuckleheads, let’s spar a little. See that it really is I.”
But Luke says in verse 37, “they are terrified and frightened.” I suppose they were afraid first of all because of the way in which Jesus just suddenly appeared. Here they were just a moment ago talking about how some had seen Him and then . . . Boom! . . . there He is!
And do not miss this – the first words out of the mouth of Jesus are, “Peace to you.” The Hebrew word is “Shalom.” The Greek word for “peace” us “Shalom,” and it conveys much more than the absence of conflict. It carries the notion of blessing, especially the blessing of a right relationship with God. That is particularly significant when we think about what happened during the course of the previous three days in the lives of the disciples. These guys had abandoned Christ, had denied Christ, and had forsaken and fled from Christ. Then Christ appears and the first words out of His mouth are the words, “Peace to you,” Shalom, be blessed to be in a right relationship with God.” That is strikingly gracious and merciful, isn’t it?
Ligon Duncan, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi, shares an experience from his younger years that is helpful: “My father was a kind and loving man … but when my father was angry there was a fury in him. I well remember wrecking my first car and my mother taking me to his office where I was appointed to tell him that I had wrecked my first car. And after ascertaining that my health was intact, he blew up! He said, ‘You will never drive a car of mine as long as you live!’ I knew it was coming. A few hours later it was, ‘Well, I’ll let you drive occasionally.’ And that night it was, ‘Son, why don’t you run up to the grocery store and get me some peanut butter?’ It waned after time. But I was dreading that first encounter.” I wonder what the disciples thought that Jesus would say to them the first time He saw them after their utter failure to follow Him in faith. And they find out His first word is, “Peace.”
What a gracious thing to say to 11 guys who just three days before fled from Him in fear, in shame and guilt. I hope this encourages those of you Christians who stumble regularly in sin and feel shame and guilt. When you sin yet again, and you feel so miserable and so undone, preach the Gospel to yourself. Confess your sin and repent, turn from it and turn to the cross and see Jesus there who died for that sin. See the resurrected, ascended Christ and hear the forgiving Lord Jesus say to you, “Shalom; peace to you, receive the blessing of a right relationship with God; peace to you.”
The disciples are also terrified, of course, because they had never seen anything like this – a resurrected, glorious body – standing before them alive; not a ghost, not a spirit, but in a new body. So, Jesus shows them that He is in real bodily form by eating in their presence. Ghosts and spirits cannot eat physical food, but a real body can.
Verses 41 and 42 tells us, “But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, ‘Have you any food here?’ So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.” This was common food for breakfast in the ancient near east. Verse 43 says, “And He took it and ate in their presence.” This was to show that Jesus was really standing there in bodily form, a new resurrected, glorious body.
The Bible teaches how Christ’s resurrected body is the first appearance of a kind of body that every Christian will one day have. You can read about this later in 1 Corinthians 15 where the Bible teaches that each of us will receive one day a glorious body like the Lord Jesus’ resurrected body.
Let’s review our theology here. When the Christian dies, his soul goes immediately to heaven and his body is buried. Similarly, when a non-Christian dies, his soul goes immediately to hell and his body is buried. The non-Christian, the unbeliever’s body, will be raised in the same corruptible form and that unbeliever will stand before God on Judgment Day and hear the final words of our Lord, “Depart from Me, I never knew you” and he will be cast into the lake of fire forever. The believer, however, has something far greater to look forward to! When the Christian dies, his soul goes immediately to heaven and one day, God will raise up that Christian’s mortal body and change it “in the twinkling of an eye” and that body will be changed into a glorious, immortal, and incorruptible body (1 Corinthians 15:50-53), a body like the Lord Jesus’s resurrection body. The Christian will then live for eternity in that new body, a body that will never again break down or be subject to decay. It is this body that the Christian will inhabit and live in forever in the new heaven and earth and the Kingdom of God. I find this truth remarkably encouraging!
Our bodies in present form are subject to the effects of the fall. Our bodies break down. They get old. As I age, I can just feel the body wearing down, can’t you? The older we get the more easily we lose muscle mass. I am finding that If I do not work out, the more quickly the body breaks down. I look around at some of these younger guys and they have muscles in places that I do not have places! In time the body just naturally ages and wears down.
How encouraging to know that one day we will have a new body. One day we will be in a place where we are no longer subject to the effects of the fall. How encouraging to know that our loved ones in Christ, family members and friends, whose bodies are plagued by sickness, disease, cancer, and other ills, will one day be forever free from the ravages of the fall. That will be a result of God’s powerful work, the work of creating a real, new, glorified, body.
Consider God’s powerful work. Secondly . . .
What Jesus does next is to remind the disciples of the truth of Scripture, the truth of the Bible. In verse 44 the Bible says, “Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’” Jesus tells them everything the Bible says about Him is true. I talked about this last time when Jesus taught the two men on the road to Emmaus. He engages in some solid, expository preaching! Verse 27 told us He, “expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”
Remember He had said to them before on at least three different occasions that He would suffer, die, and be raised the third day (Luke 9:22; 9:43-45; 18:31-34). But they never quite understood that. The Bible says, “it was hidden from them.” Now verse 45 tells us, “And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” He opened their understanding so that the light went on and they grasped how the Bible is what we said last week, “A Him Book” about Him. They began to understand how all the Old Testament points to Christ. The writer of Hebrews talks about this when he is led by the Holy Spirit to write about the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant. Every time an Israelite in the Old Testament came to the temple to offer a sacrificial lamb as an atonement for sin, that lamb pointed forward to a more perfect atonement, the sacrificial Lamb of God, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:13-14). It is teaching such as this that Jesus led the disciples to understand. Christ opened their understanding to the truth of the Bible concerning Himself.
Verses46 to 47 tells us, “Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’”
Jesus leads the disciples
To understand that
His death on the cross
Plan to save the lost.
Perhaps Jesus opened up their understanding of passages such as . . .
Psalm 22 where Jesus is portrayed on the cross and the psalmist writes in verse 16 that “they pierced [His] hands and feet.”
Isaiah 53 where in verse 5 the prophet says, “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.”
The Lord opened their understanding to the Scriptures.
We cannot understand the Bible fully apart from God’s opening our understanding. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” If we are to understand the Scriptures fully we must be born again. We must have our eyes opened, our minds opened, and our hearts opened. We must have the Holy Spirit to be our teacher and our guide as we read His Word.
J. C. Ryle drives this truth home when he says, “He that desires to read his Bible with profit, must first ask the Lord Jesus to open the eyes of his understanding by the Holy Spirit. Human commentaries are useful in their way. The help of good and learned men is not to be despised. But there is no commentary to be compared with the teaching of Christ. A humble and prayerful spirit will find a thousand things in the Bible, which the proud, self-conceited student will utterly fail to discern.” I have shared with you before this little prayer I like to pray before reading the Bible. It is really simple. Write this down. I simply say, “Lord, open your Word to me; open me to Your Word.”
Jesus had just said in the last part of verse 47, “That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” That work of “preaching repentance and remission of sins … to all nations” is not yet complete. Therefore, the work of God’s witnesses continues today. We are His witnesses. Jesus said to the first disciples is written for us in verse 48, “And you are witnesses of these things.” He also says to us today, “You are witnesses of these things.” The work is not yet complete. God’s desire in verse 47 for “all nations” to hear the Gospel remains an unfulfilled desire. The goal is still not met. There are still many who have not heard.
We are God’s powerful witnesses. We are to share the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus is talking about in verse 49 where He says, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” When Jesus refers to “the Promise of My Father” here in verse 49 and “power from on high” He is talking about the promise and power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible has already alluded to this truth in Joel 2:28-32 and picks that same truth up latter in Acts 2:33. By way of the Holy Spirit you and I are equipped to fulfill our commission as God’s witnesses (Acts 1:8), God’s powerful witnesses. You can share Jesus Christ with your friends, relatives, and associates when you remember that you are sharing not in your power, but in the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are commissioned to be missional. Our church must continue to work hard to reach the nations with the Gospel. That is why we have missional efforts from our community to the continents. That is why we pray, give and go to people in our community, state, country, and around the world – because we are His witnesses.
I have been amazed at how God has used this blog to touch lives throughout the United States and in South America, Africa, the Philippines, and India. Odds are I will never meet these precious souls this side of heaven, but one day we will stand with Him and with all the redeemed from every tribe, tongue, and nation, all people God has delighted to save through the power of the Gospel.
Are your experiencing God’s powerful work; are you learning and living in His powerful Word; and are your being His powerful witness?
This is Grace for your Journey …
Posted on September 26, 2022 September 14, 2022 by pastorterryjdavis
We have been making our way, verse-by-verse, through the Gospel of Luke and we are in the home stretch. Just a couple more studies and we will have completed our series entitled, “Certainty in Uncertain Times.”
Last week we looked at the first twelve verses of Chapter 24 and we read about the empty tomb and studied the doctrine of the resurrection. What we have in today’s passage is the first actual appearance of Christ in Luke’s Gospel after His resurrection. I just love this particular resurrection account! This passage about how Jesus encounters two guys walking on the road to Emmaus is my favorite resurrection appearance of Christ. I pray that as we study these verses that God will help us in rightly understanding His Word and instill an excitement about what He has done.
It has often been said that the Bible is a “Him Book.” The Bible is a book about Him – throughout all 66 books of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible points to Jesus Christ. In fact, one of the most interesting considerations of the Bible is its strikingly simple sense of unity in spite of the fact that there were so many different authors.
The Bible contains a sum total of 66 books from Genesis to Revelation.
The Bible was composed by more than 40 different authors writing over a period of some 1,500 years in three different languages from vastly different settings and locations.
And while the Bible covers a wide array of topics and themes, one major theme and purpose runs throughout the entire body of Scripture . . .
Man’s need for reconciliation with God,
How that need is met in Jesus Christ.
It is sometimes called, “the Scarlet thread of redemption” that is interwoven throughout the pages of Scripture. The Bible is a “Him Book,” it is about Him.
That truth is illustrated in our text this morning. Let’s walk through this passage and follow the footsteps of these two disciples who are walking along the road.
We learn in these verses that these two disciples walking along the road are completely mystified. They are bewildered, befuddled, sad, and confused. They are walking along the road that departs from Jerusalem and leads to Emmaus, about a 7-mile journey. As they are walking along the road Luke tells us in verse 14 that, “they talked together of all these things which had happened.”
That is, they are talking about the crucifixion of Christ and, namely, what they had learned as recorded in the preceding verses: the tomb of Christ is empty and they cannot seem to figure out what in the world is going on. They were followers of Christ themselves, but they could not make sense of the apparent tragic ending of the life of their Messiah and what in the world this empty tomb business was supposed to mean.
I love verse 15. It says, “So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.” Don’t you just love that?! They are walking along and talking and then Jesus Himself comes up from behind and He is going to join them in the conversation. Do they recognize Him? No. But note Luke does not say, “They did not recognize Him.” What Luke writes in verse 16 is, “But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” In other words, the two men did not recognize Christ because God had restrained their eyes. The grammar is a divine passive. They did not do this themselves. They are passive in this. God has kept the men from recognizing Christ.
This reminds me of that great historical event in 2 Kings where the king of Syria was making war against Israel and the king sends bad guys to try to kill the Prophet Elisha. The bad guys surround the city where Elisha and his servant are staying. Elisha’s servant gets up in the morning and sees the enemy everywhere and he is like, “What are we going to do now?!” The Bible says that Elisha responds, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:16-17).
For Who He is,
It is because God
This is why we say that salvation is by grace . . . By God’s amazing grace! Because before I come to Christ, I am dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1), and I need my eyes opened to see Christ. If we are saved, we sing, “I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.” God opened my eyes to see Christ through His amazing grace!
You can be among Christ and His people and not recognize Him. A pastor once testified that when he was young, he remembered attending Bible Study and worship services and being among those who knew Christ, but he did not recognize Him. He did not really see Jesus for Who He is. His eyes had not yet been opened.
Now in this passage, we may rightly reason that Christ is keeping these two disciples from recognizing Him is so that He would have a unique opportunity to teach them and explain to them the necessity of His death and resurrection and that He might show them how His death and resurrection was the fulfillment of Old Testament Scripture.
Verse 17 tells us, “And He said to them, ‘What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?’” We may note, just as an aside, that walking along the road and having spiritual conversation was considered a normal and good thing. To join-in on a conversation as a passing stranger was also socially acceptable.
We should be struck more by the content of the conversation. How many conversations do we have with friends and acquaintances that are spiritual in nature? God says in Deuteronomy 6:6-7, that we should be having spiritual conversations with our families all the time. He writes, “These words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
Some find it easier to talk about anything but spiritual things: weather, sports, job, entertainment. Jesus rightly said in Matthew 12:34, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Whatever things you love and cherish most will be the things you talk most about. Think about that next time you strike up a conversation at work, in your classroom, at the beauty parlor, or at the barber shop.
I am intrigued by what Jesus says, “What are you guys talking about?” Did He already know? Of course. He is all-knowing. But He asks in order to draw out their understanding about the events surrounding the death of the Messiah that He might explain to them what was going on. He asks, “Why are you guys sad? What are you talking about?”
Verse 18 says, “Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?” This one disciple, Cleopas, is like, “What?! Don’t you know what’s been going on?! Everybody knows about the death of Christ.” By the way, this statement affirms the historicity of the crucifixion and resurrection, illustrating the widespread acceptance of the fact of a crucified Christ 2,000 years ago and all the circumstances surrounding His death:
Verses 19 to 24 go on to say, “And He said to them, ‘What things?’ So they said to Him, ‘The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was [past tense!] a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us’ [and here is a summary of what we studied last week, verses 1-12]. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”
This explains their mystification. Look at Jesus’ immediate response in verse 25, “Then He said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!’” So we move from mystification to explanation as Jesus explains to them that everything is happening just as foretold in the Scriptures.
Look again at verse 25, “Then He said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!’” We could paraphrase this, “Don’t you guys know the Bible? Don’t you know the Old Testament Scriptures? In verse 26 Jesus goes on to say, “Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” In other words: the arrest, death, crucifixion, and resurrection are all part of God’s plan foretold in the Bible. Verse 27 reveals to us what Jesus does next, “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Jesus “expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” As they walked along the road, Jesus taught them how the Bible points to Christ. He taught them how the Bible teaches about the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Wouldn’t you love to have been there for that Bible study?!
Explanation leads to celebration in verses 28 and following.
They are about to have their eyes opened! Verse 28 tells us, “Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.” Jesus is waiting for an invitation to continue the spiritual lesson. And they invite Him to continue. Verse 29 says, “But they constrained Him, saying, ‘Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.’ And He went in to stay with them.”
So now they are apparently in their home. They do what most of us do after a long journey: they decide to eat. Verses 30-31 tell us, “Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.” Now that is amazing, isn’t it?! As Jesus is breaking bread and teaching them, God opened their eyes. Who knows, maybe at that moment their eyes were opened and the first thing they saw were the nail prints in Christ’s hands? I do not know, but God opened their eyes to see Christ for Who He is. Then as quickly as their eyes are opened, Jesus vanishes from their sight. Bible study over!
Verse 32 says, “And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’” Imagine these two disciples left sitting there at the table! One says to the other, “Where did He go?!” The other says, “I don’t know, He just vanished!” Hey, did your heart burn like mine did while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” “Yes! Mine, too.” They decide that very hour – in joyous celebration – they decide to rush back to Jerusalem to share this good news with the 11 disciples.
Verses 33 to 34 tell us, “So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, ‘The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!’” I just love the way this all unfolds! These two disciples jump up from the dinner table and run the 7 miles back to Jerusalem to tell everybody about seeing the risen Christ. They cannot wait! They are probably working out who will do the talking, who will share what. No sooner do they arrive at the place where the 11 are staying, but that they pause at the door, gather their breath, enter the door, walk into the room and before they can speak one word, the 11 speak first to them: “It’s true!” they cry, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
Then the two disciples share their story in verse 35, “And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.”
What a marvelous series of events! What a special occasion for these two disciples! They not only get to see the resurrected Christ but they get a powerful lesson on the theme of God’s Word.
Let me share with you two necessary actions in light of our study.
There is power in the Scriptures rightly interpreted. Verse 27 says that Jesus, “expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” That word “expounded” in the original Greek is the word from which we get hermeneutics, the matter of biblical interpretation. Jesus rightly interpreted the Scriptures. It Is the same word that occurs again in verse 32 where the two men say, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” It Is the same word: Jesus rightly interpreted, opened, and expounded the Scriptures.
The Scriptures opened correctly, rightly interpreted, lead to burning hearts, hearts aflame with truth that changes lives for the glory of God. This is one of the reasons I are committed to expository preaching, verse-by-verse through books of the Bible. I take the approach of Jesus Who, the Bible tells us in verse 27, “expounded to them,” explained to them from “all the Scriptures” the things concerning Himself.
Correctly interpreting Scripture means that we explain. We explain or expound truth, truth in “all the Scriptures,” truth in the context of the Word in which it is found. We are not interested in a topical approach where we come up with some topic and then flip through our Bibles to find verses that seem to support what we want to say. Rather, we open our Bibles and take a passage and expound text after text, explaining what is there and drawing out application from the text. This leads to burning hearts.
Interpreted correctly, the Bible is something of a mirror, revealing our sins and pointing out our need for forgiveness in Christ. It is a bit like the guy who was shaking hands with his pastor after the morning service. He looked long and hard at his pastor before saying, “Pastor, your sermons are powerful, thoughtful, and well-researched. I can always see myself in them and I want you to knock it off.” Yes, the Bible is an authoritative book that often cuts us like a knife (Hebrews 4:12), pointing out what needs correction in our lives. But God lovingly uses this knife the way a surgeon carefully uses a scalpel, bringing necessary healing to our souls.
Like many today, the two disciples on their way to the village of Emmaus had the wrong idea of Jesus. They had incorrectly “ID’d Him.” They believed He was a Messiah of some kind. They had said back in verse 21, “We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.” Of course, the irony is that Jesus did redeem Israel! But they had a different kind of redemption in view. They were seeking a political Messiah, not a spiritual Messiah.
Jesus had, in fact, redeemed Israel but it was not a redemption that meant freedom from political oppression. It was a redemption that accomplished freedom from spiritual oppression.
Christ did not come to
Save men from soldiers,
But to save men from sin.
This is the reason Jesus gives these two disciples the Bible lesson that He does.
He teaches them that
It was necessary
For the Messiah to
And to rise from the dead.
He died for our sins and
Was raised for our justification
We may wonder which Scriptures Jesus used during that 7-mile journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus. In actuality, Jesus told the two not just about His death, burial, and resurrection, but we in verse 27, “He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”
The whole of the Bible points to Christ.
Jesus began His ministry with this teaching, the teaching that the Old Testament prophets foretold His coming. Do you remember back in Luke 4 when Jesus began His earthly ministry? Hear again what He said that fateful day in verses 16-21, “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’ Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’”
In Peter’s first sermon on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, as He is preaching about Christ, he says in verse 25, “For David speaks concerning Him . . .”
Philip taught the same thing to the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. The eunuch is reading from the Old Testament and in Acts 8:35 the Bible tells us, “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.”
When Peter preached to Cornelius, Peter said of Christ in Acts 10:43, “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
The whole Bible points to Jesus. The Old Testament is a “Him Book” – It is about Him. Every Old Testament book whispers His name.
The Bible tells us that Adam failed the obedience test in the Garden of Eden and his sin is imputed to us. Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the Garden of Gethsemane and whose righteousness is imputed to us.
The Bible tells us that Abel who was slain and his blood cried out for condemnation? Jesus is the true and better Abel who, though innocently slain, His blood now cries out, not for our condemnation, but for acquittal.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfort of heaven, and come into the world that He might create a new people of God.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is the true and better Isaac who was not just offered up by his father on the mount but was truly sacrificed for us. Now we can look at God taking His son up to Mt. Calvary and sacrificing him and say, “Now we know that you love us because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from us.”
The Bible tells us that Jesus is the true and better Jacob who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserved, so we, like Jacob, only receive the wounds of grace to wake us up and discipline us.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is the true and better Joseph who, at the right hand of the king, forgives those who betrayed him, and sold him into bondage, and uses his new power to save them.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is the true and better Moses who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is the true and better Rock of Moses who, struck with the rod of God’s justice, now gives us water in the desert.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is the true and better Job, the truly innocent sufferer, who then intercedes for and saves His [foolish] friends.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is the true and better David whose victory becomes His people’s victory, though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is the true and better Esther who did not just risk leaving an earthly palace but left the ultimate and heavenly one, who did not just risk his life, but gave His life to save His people.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is the true and better Jonah who was cast out into the storm so that we could be brought in.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Passover Lamb, innocent, perfect, helpless, and slain so the angel of death will pass over us.
The Bible’s really not about you – it is about Him.
This is Grace for your Journey …
Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”
Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Posted on September 19, 2022 September 8, 2022 by pastorterryjdavis
We have been making our way, verse-by-verse, through the Gospel of Luke and we find ourselves beginning the final chapter, chapter 24. If you are wondering why we are studying an Easter passage in early September it is not because we are confused or ignorant, but simply because it is the next passage in our sequential study of the book of Luke.
Having said that . . .
It is always appropriate
Because it is always appropriate
In fact, we cannot fully appreciate any event in human history apart from the resurrection of Christ, apart from the redemptive message of the cross and our need for salvation.
The previous chapter, chapter 23, concluded with the death and burial of Christ in a tomb just outside the city of Jerusalem. It was the day before Sabbath and there are some women who intended to come back after the Sabbath to anoint Christ’s body with spices and fragrant oils. Luke begins chapter 24 with what happens on that third day, the first day of the week, Sunday.
I want you to picture in your mind for a moment a car with a trailer hitched to the back, a U-Haul trailer . . . Now I want to state the obvious: The car does not need the trailer in order to move forward. Right? A car can move without a trailer attached to it. If you’re driving the car, it is up to you whether you wish to attach something to the back and haul it around.
The resurrection is not like a U-Haul trailer that we hitch to the back of a car. It is not as though one can be a Christian and just sort of “take or leave” the resurrection. Yet, there are many people who try to do just that. They say they believe in the teachings of Christ, but they do not believe in the bodily resurrection. Some of these men and women are gifted scholars and write books. Some of them even pastor churches. But they view the resurrection as something of a U-Haul trailer, you can hitch it to your life if you like, but it really is not necessary.
And yet, the Bible teaches something else. You read the New Testament and you read the Apostle Paul and you get the idea that the resurrection drives everything.
The truth of Christianity rises or falls
That is not my conclusion, it is the center-piece of the message of the Gospel . . .
Romans 4:25 – Christ was, “delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”
Romans 6:4-5 – “Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.”
1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-4 – “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand” . . . For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
1 Corinthians 15:17 – “If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!”
The resurrection is everything.
It is truth that makes
I want to share with you from the first 12 verses in Luke 24 a few things about this truth of the resurrection . . .
Luke opens chapter 24 telling us that these women came to the tomb bringing spices in order to anoint the body of Christ. It was a very loving thing to do. They did not have time to do it the day Christ died because it was the eve of the Sabbath. They are making their way to the tomb of Christ. But when they arrive at the tomb, they find the stone rolled away and the body missing. The Bible tells us that the women are “greatly perplexed” about this.
I am not going to take a lot of time to debunk all the popular liberal theories and alternative explanations of what happened to Christ’s body . . .
Someone says, “The body was missing because the disciples came and got it and hid it somewhere.”
We can hardly imagine that scenario given the cowardice of these disciples who fled from Christ once He was arrested, to say nothing of their dying for the truth of the resurrection; all but one of them would eventually die the death of a martyr, dying for the truth of the resurrection.
Someone else says, “Well, the Jews stole the body or the Romans stole the body and hid it.”
Again, this makes even less sense, for if the Jews or Romans had the body then they certainly would have produced it for the world to see. You have got these disciples later claiming that they had seen the resurrected Christ and that He appeared to them and so forth. If that were not so and the unbelieving Jews or Romans actually had the body themselves, all they had to do was say, “The disciples are lying. Here’s the body of Jesus right here!”
Luke, being guided by the Holy Spirit tells us what happened. While the women are standing there wondering what had happened to the body of Jesus, Luke says in verse 4 that, “two men stood by them in shining garments.” These were angels. The women are afraid when they see the angels. The angels ask this question of the women in verse 5, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” That is a good question, isn’t it? But that is just the problem: they were not seeking the living. They were seeking the dead. They had come to finish the anointing of Christ’s body for burial. They were not seeking the living. They were seeking the dead.
The angels say in verse 6, “He is not here, but is risen!” and apparently they are still standing with mouths open and question marks above their heads and so the angels say, “Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee.” They were to remember. Remember what? What had Jesus said? Verse 7 tells us, “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” Jesus had said that very thing three different times (Luke 9:44; Luke 11:29-30; and Luke 18:31-33), but the significance of those statements did not sink in until this moment. Luke then records in verse 8, “And they remembered His words.”
The resurrection is a truth to remember. And once the women remembered that truth, it changed their lives. Matthew, in his Gospel, tells us the women now had a fear mingled with great joy. He is risen; this was Good News from the graveyard! They then return in joy to tell others about the resurrected Christ.
The resurrection is a truth to remember.
Not just at the point of initial salvation,
But at every point along the
Journey of the Christian’s life.
Because Christ is risen, I am forgiven of all my sins. The Bible says in Romans 4:25, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” In other words, Jesus died taking our sins upon Himself and then God raised Jesus from the dead “for our justification;” that is, “so that we could be declared ‘Not guilty’ of our sin.”
This is why Christians can joyfully sing that part of the song, “In Christ Alone,” which says: “No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me.” The resurrection is not just, “No fear in death.” That is great, of course. I thank God that I have no fear in death. I hope you have no fear of dying, too. When our bodies die our souls will live-on either in heaven or hell depending on what we have done with the resurrection.
But the resurrection is not
Just, “No fear in death.”
The resurrection is also,
“No guilt in life.”
When you and I sin as Christians, because of the resurrection, we can remember this truth, and we can say, “No guilt in life.”
The resurrection is a truth to remember. Secondly . . .
Verses 9 and 10 tells us, “Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things [they reported these things] to the eleven and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.” These women did not keep the Good News of the resurrection to themselves; they shared the good news with others.
This is our task as well and really it is not so much a task as it is a privilege. We have a life-saving message to share with everyone, from folks in our community across the seas to the continents around the world. We have Good News too good to keep to ourselves.
If I know of a good restaurant and I really enjoy eating there, what am I going to do? I am going to share that good news with others. If I know of a place where they serve good tea or coffee, I will be fired-up about that and I will share that good news with others. But the resurrection is more important than dinner and coffee. If I know you have an illness and I know it is a fatal illness, an illness that will lead to death if untreated. If I have had that same illness, but I have been healed, and I know you have the same illness and I do not share the medication with you, what am I? I am selfish, uncaring, mean, and criminal. The resurrection is a truth to report. It’s a truth to tell others.
Some need to share this truth with your family. Some need to share this truth with a friend at school. Some of you need to share the life-saving message of the resurrection with somebody because, “All have sinned and all fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We all have a fatal disease. We are all sinners. Unless we receive the antidote of the Gospel, we will remain dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1).
The resurrection: it is a truth to remember; it is a truth to report; and thirdly . . .
Every one of us must receive the truth of the resurrection. It is a truth that must become personal to us, not personal in the sense of private. Christianity is not a private religion. Christianity is personal, that is . . . It means something to us personally. It is not an abstract, it real and personal to us. The resurrection is a truth we must receive by faith.
This was not the case for the disciples at first. They had trouble grappling with the resurrection. After the disciples had heard the truth the women had reported, they were at first unwilling to receive it as truth. Verse 11 says, “And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.” It is interesting that Christ should choose to appear first to women. We have noted before that women were often treated as second-class or third-class citizens in the day of Jesus. Their testimony was not heard and believed in the same way a man’s testimony would be heard. It is just like Jesus, then, to turn the tables yet again.
Christ’s appearing first to women and their being the first eye-witnesses account is yet another thing that argues for the authenticity of the resurrection account. If you lived in the time of Jesus and you wanted to make up a story and present it as true and you wanted to write a story about someone rising from the dead, you would not choose women as the first people to see and report about it because nobody would believe women.
It is just like Jesus to appear to them first. This is not made up. It is just another demonstration of God’s ways not being the ways of man. In fact, the Bible says the disciples could not believe what they were hearing. Verse 11 says that all this talk about Jesus being alive “seemed to them like idle tales,” literally “nonsense,” and “they did not believe them.” Verse 12 even tells us Peter ran to the tomb; and stooping down, sees the evidence of the resurrection, but cannot seem to receive this truth. Now of course, later, the disciples will encounter the resurrected Christ Himself and they will believe. They will receive this truth of the resurrection and be saved.
But why do so many not receive the resurrection as truth today? I think, in part, it can be explained by what we read and studied in Luke 16. Remember the story Jesus told about the unbelieving rich man and the believing man named Lazarus? Both died; Lazarus went to heaven; the unbelieving rich man went to hell. Remember also how the rich man requested that Lazarus should be allowed to go and warn his brothers about death and the judgment to come? Is his request granted? No. The reply to the request is, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” In other words, they have the Bible. The Bible warns of death and the judgment to come. The Bible tells how we must be saved. But the unbelieving rich man cries out from hell, “No, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” But then comes the reply, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.” Luke may as well say here in chapter 24 what he recorded in chapter 16, “If we do not hear Moses and the prophets [if we do not know our Bibles and believe our Bibles], neither will we be persuaded though one rise from the dead.”
Is a fact of the Bible that
We must receive by faith.
We must believe it and receive its truth into our lives. If you are waiting for some supernatural special sign in the sky or for God to call you up on your mobile phone and speak audibly to you, you will remain dead in your trespasses and sins. But if you will receive this truth of the resurrection, you will be saved.
You must deal with the resurrection. If you do not do so today, you will answer for it at a future time. Most of us keep calendars and we make and keep appointments. There are two appointments in our calendars that we do not make ourselves; they are made for us by God. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27, “It is appointed unto man to die once and after this, the judgment.” Two appointments made for us by God: death and judgment. Are you prepared for those two appointments?
To prepare for them we must deal with the resurrection: a truth to remember, a truth to report, and a truth to receive.
This is Grace for your Journey …
Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”
Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Posted on September 12, 2022 August 31, 2022 by pastorterryjdavis
The evangelist Billy Sunday used to tell of a professing Christian who got a job in a lumber camp that had the reputation of being very ungodly. A friend, hearing that the man had been hired, said to him, “If those lumberjacks ever find out you’re a Christian, you’re going to be in for a hard time!” The man responded, “I know, but I need the job!” The next morning he left for camp. A year later, he came home for a visit. While in town, he met his friend who asked, “Well, how did it go? Did they give you a hard time because you’re a Christian?” “Oh no, not at all,” the man replied. “They didn’t give me a bit of trouble—they never even found out!” (“Our Daily Bread,” 11/83.)
While we may chuckle at that story, many of us may wince. It hits too close to home! Living in a world that is hostile to Christianity, it is easy just to blend in, to laugh at the dirty jokes, never to confront the gossip, and never to speak a word that would identify yourself as a Christian. Besides, it might cost your reputation or even your job! Sometimes even among Christian friends it is hard to hold to your convictions for fear of what they will think.
That is why you should be interested in the story of Joseph of Arimathea, the man who buried Jesus. No one knows where Arimathea was located, but the designation helps distinguish him from other Josephs. He was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, the body of 70 men who governed the religious and many of the civic matters in Israel. It was the Sanhedrin that had condemned Jesus to death, although Joseph had not consented to their plan and action. But probably he had not spoken out as vigorously as he should have. John 19:39 tells us that he was a secret disciple of Jesus, for fear of the Jews. His fear had caused Joseph not to take a bold stand for Christ, even though in his heart he knew that he should have done so.
But now, after Jesus was dead, when His followers had gone into hiding, Joseph gathered up his courage (Mark 15:43), went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus so that he could give Him a proper burial. If he had not done so, Jesus’ body probably would have been thrown on a garbage heap and burned, robbing us of some of the major proofs of the resurrection, as we will see. We can thank Joseph for honoring Jesus with a proper burial and for giving us many evidences for our faith.
Joseph seemingly had nothing to gain and everything to lose by identifying himself with Jesus at this point in time. Jesus was dead and no one was expecting His resurrection. It would have been much easier for Joseph to have thought, “Oh, well! Jesus was a good man and a prophet of God. It is too bad that these things happen. But, life must go on. I will have more influence if I do not rock the boat and keep my seat on the Sanhedrin. I had better not do anything to upset anyone and jeopardize my position of influence.” But in spite of the risks, Joseph came out of hiding and took a strong stand for Jesus by providing Him a proper burial. He gives us an example of what other Scriptures teach by precept:
The Lord wants us all to take
A stand for Him in this hostile world.
That sound great! But, how do we do it? Much could be said, but our text reveals at least three factors that will help . . .
I cannot say for certain what made Joseph come out of hiding. Perhaps it was the result of a long process . . .
He had heard Jesus’ teaching, especially that final week in the temple.
He had heard reports of His miracles, especially raising Lazarus from the dead.
Knowing the Scriptures, he realized that Jesus uniquely fulfilled the many messianic prophecies.
He also could see the jealousy and selfishness of his fellow members of the council.
Unlike the majority of them, Luke tells us that Joseph was “a good and righteous man,” “who was waiting for the kingdom of God” (23:50, 51; see 2:25).
As Joseph’s convictions about Jesus grew, he also grew more uncomfortable with the views of his fellow members on the Sanhedrin.
Finally, he could no longer keep it in.
But I think that the deciding factor
That pushed Joseph over the line
Was standing at the cross
He states that when the centurion saw the events at the cross, especially Jesus’ final cry, he broke forth in praise.
In the next verse, he reports that when the multitudes observed what had happened, they went home beating their breasts.
He also reports that Jesus’ acquaintances and the women who followed Him, “were standing at a distance, seeing these things” (23:48).
Immediately Luke adds, “And, behold” to grab our attention. Not only were His followers observing these things, but of all people, a member of the Council was seeing these things!
Seeing the sky darken, watching Jesus on the cross, hearing His final words, hearing the centurion’s praise, watching the multitude depart in mourning – all of this mounted up until Joseph said, “That’s enough! I cannot hide my convictions any longer. I do not care what it costs me, I am going to Pilate so that I can give this Man the decent burial He deserves!”
The cross is the center of the Christian faith. While we cannot stand and take in the events first-hand, as Joseph and the others did that day, we should come often to the foot of the cross and think about its implications. The Bible sums up the core of the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” The cross is central (see also Galatians 2:20; 6:14). If you go to the cross often, you will not be the same. It will strengthen you to take a stand for Christ. Note these particulars about going to the cross:
That may sound obvious, but it is an important fact to establish . . .
If Jesus did not actually die,
Then He did not die for our sins.
If He did not die, then He was not bodily resurrected, in which case, the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:17, “… your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” Jesus did not just “swoon” or go into a semi-comatose state, to be revived later, as some liberals have asserted.
The Gospels all make it clear that Jesus died physically. The soldiers regarded Jesus as dead so that they did not break His legs to hasten death, as they did with the other two men on the cross. Rather, one of the soldiers thrust his spear into Jesus’ side, so that blood and water gushed out (John 19:31-34). If He had not been dead before, that would have killed Him. Also, the Bible reports in Mark 15:44-45 that Pilate ascertained from the Roman centurion (who certainly knew a live prisoner from a dead one) that Jesus was dead before he released the body to Joseph. If we accept the eyewitness testimony of the Gospel writers, there is no question that Jesus died physically.
These seemingly incidental facts of Jesus’ death fulfilled specific Old Testament prophecies. The fact that they were fulfilled in such an obviously unintentional manner underscores God’s sovereignty and the careful accuracy of biblical prophecy. For example, the fact that the soldiers broke the legs of the two men on either side of Jesus, but did not break His legs, in spite of orders to do so, fulfilled the Scripture that none of the Passover lamb’s bones should be broken (Exodus 12:46; Psalm 34:20). The soldier’s piercing Jesus’ side was probably a whim on his part, but he fulfilled Zechariah 12:10, that Israel “will look on Me whom they have pierced.”
Jesus did not just die a common death, like that of the two thieves.
He offered Himself
As the Lamb of God,
The darkness at noon pictured the judgment that God poured out on Jesus. His cry, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” reveals His agony as He was made sin on our behalf. The torn veil in the temple shows that through His death, Jesus opened the way into the holy of holies. The cross satisfied God’s holy wrath against our sin, so that the Bible declares in Romans 3:26, He is free to be both “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” As we think often of what Christ did for us there, it will strengthen us to take a bold stand for Him who endured all of that out of love for us.
Why does Paul mention Jesus’ burial in his summary of the gospel?
Jesus’ burial is
Further evidence
Of His death.
If there had been a glimmer of life left in Him, surely Joseph and those who helped him take down the body and prepare it for the tomb would have noticed. As mentioned, the fact of His burial in the tomb, as opposed to being tossed on the dump in the valley of Gehenna, provides us with several proofs of His resurrection. We have the empty tomb. The disciples saw the grave clothes lying in the tomb. The heavy stone rolled against the entrance, sealed with the Roman seal, and guarded by the Roman guard, give us evidence that the tomb was secure from grave robbers.
Also, Jesus’ burial is further proof of His real humanity. In the early days of the church, a heresy called “Docetism” (from the Greek verb, “to seem”) arose that denied that Jesus was a real man. Rather, He only “seemed” to be so. At the root of this heresy was the view that matter is essentially evil, whereas spirit is good. This in turn led to all sorts of wrong ideas and behavior. It undermined the incarnation, the atonement, and the resurrection. If Jesus was not a real man who died for our sins and was bodily raised, then we have no salvation. Thus, it is important to affirm Jesus’ burial.
While Docetism may no longer be a problem, there are false teachers in every age that come along speaking of Jesus Christ.
But the key question
Are they talking about the Christ of the Bible or one of their own making? As James Stalker puts it in his book, The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ, “Only the Christ of the Scriptures could have brought us the salvation of the Scriptures.”
Also, the fact that Joseph buried Jesus in his own tomb, where no one had ever lain, is significant. The Bible tells us in Matthew 27:57 that Joseph was a rich man. Isaiah 53:9 predicted that Messiah’s “grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death.” Joseph’s burial specifically fulfilled this prophecy. The fact that it was a new tomb gives further evidence that Jesus’ body could not have been mixed up with another body from that tomb. His was the only body there and it was gone!
All of these facts about Jesus’ death and burial should strengthen our resolve to take a bold stand for Him because they give us solid evidence that He is who He claimed to be.
The Bible states in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 that, “Christ died for our sins…, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” We will examine the resurrection in our studies of Luke 24, and so I only mention it here in passing. As you know, the resurrection is the foundation of the entire Christian faith. It is God’s proof to all men that He will someday judge the world in righteousness through Jesus (Acts 17:31). If you struggle with taking a bold stand for Christ, go often to the foot of the cross and remember that Christ not only died for your sins, but also that He was raised from the dead and that He is coming again soon to judge the living and the dead.
Still it is not easy to take a definite stand for Christ. It is costly, and we can only do it if we prepare ourselves for the cost:
We are not told what happened to Joseph of Arimathea after the day that he buried Jesus, but it is not being speculative to say that he paid a heavy price. We may face the same costs.
A. We May Have To Sacrifice Our Reputation For Christ.
When the Sanhedrin heard that one of their own had buried this despised Galilean, they would have been shocked. The religious leaders had thrown out of the synagogue the man born blind, whom Jesus healed (John 9:22, 34). It is not hard to imagine that they voted Joseph out of the Council, excluded him from any position of religious or social influence, and did everything they could to ruin his reputation in Jerusalem. His wife and children may have been ostracized. His stand for Christ cut him off from all of his former associates.
Often it is not only your reputation in the world, but also your reputation in the religious world that takes a beating when you take a bold stand for Christ. The evangelical church in America has grown tolerant of just about anyone except the man who stands for biblical truth on unpopular issues. I’ve had people in Christian ministry call me a legalist because I preach that we must obey God and I preach against sin. I have been called divisive because I will not join in the unity movement with denominations that deny the Gospel. I have been called unloving because do not accept the tolerant view of psychology because it is soft on sin. But the crucial matter is not what people think or say about you. The crucial matter is what does God think? If you live to please Him, then you can let Him take care of your reputation.
B. We May Have To Sacrifice Our Religion For Christ.
In order to bury Jesus, Joseph had to defile himself ceremonially by touching a dead body, right on the eve of the Jewish Passover (Numbers 9:6; 19:11-12). But both Joseph and Nicodemus (another member of the Council who joined him, John 19:39) felt that it was more important to give Jesus a proper burial than it was to remain ceremonially pure for Passover. Christ now was their true Passover lamb who had been slain. They let go of their rituals and laid hold of Jesus Christ.
To be a committed follower of Jesus, you have to let go of your religion, even if it goes under the label of “Christian.” By religion, I mean any attempt to be righteous before God or others by keeping certain rules or by outward behavior. Religious people take pride in what they do or do not do, but they do not judge sins of the heart. They put on a good front at church, but at home they are angry and difficult to live with.
But genuine Christianity is a matter of the heart. True Christians have been to the cross, where they not only trust in Christ as their righteousness; they are crucified with Him. They daily put to death the deeds of the flesh. They judge sins of thought, as well as word and deed. They live in daily repentance, humbling themselves before God and others, so that the life of Christ may shine through them.
C. We May Have To Sacrifice Our Riches For Christ.
Joseph gave up his personal tomb, an expensive thing to do. Remember, he was not expecting it to be vacated in three days! He could have bought a cheaper tomb for Jesus, out in the countryside somewhere, but he gave Jesus the best. He also bought linen wrappings and spices. He may have had to pay Pilate for the body. But he was willing to give generously because he believed in Jesus as his Lord and Messiah.
Jesus said Luke 14:33, “No one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” You say, “He does not mean that literally, does He?” No, He did not mean it any more literally than when He said that we must hate our families in order to follow Him (14:26). But before you say, “Whew!” and go on living just as you were, you need to do some hard thinking about His words.
You cannot buy off God by giving Him a tenth of your income. In fact, for most of us, if you do not give more than a tenth, you are robbing God. Most of us could easily give far more than a tenth to the Lord’s work if we really believed the Great Commission and if we were more careful stewards. We could live much more simply and give far more generously if, like Joseph, we were really “waiting for the kingdom of God.” If you give your money to God’s kingdom, your heart will follow (Matthew 6:21). You will find yourself being much more committed to Christ if you give radically. If you give what is safe and convenient, you will be safe and convenient when it comes to taking a bold stand for Christ.
To take a bold stand for Christ, go often to the cross; be prepared to pay the price; snf finally . . .
Here I am focusing on the women who followed Jesus out of Galilee and now follow to see where and how His body was laid. They went back to prepare more spices and perfumes, intending to return after the Sabbath and further anoint His body. Matthew Henry points out that their actions sprang more from love than from faith, since they did not yet understand or believe that He would be raised from the dead. But at least they showed up. Why weren’t the eleven there with them, helping with the burial? They had gone into hiding out of fear of the Jews (John 20:19). But because the women were there and because they went back on that resurrection morning, they had the privilege of being the first witnesses of the risen Savior.
Norval Geldenhuys observes in his Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, “In the hours of crisis, it is often the Peters who have sworn loyalty to Jesus with big gestures and fullness of self-confidence, that disappoint, and it is the secret and quiet followers of the Master (like Joseph, Nicodemus and the women) that do not hesitate to serve Him in love – at whatever cost.”
Maybe you cannot be an articulate verbal witness for Christ in front of a group. But you can still take a stand by your behavior, your attitude, and your quiet resolve not to compromise. Just “show up” in the sense of siding with Jesus, even if you are not clear about how to defend the faith. Show your commitment and love for the Savior, and He will use you as He used Joseph and these faithful women.
Martin Luther, who certainly modeled taking a stand for Christ, wrote, “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the word of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that point attacking, I am not confessing Christ however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is tested and to be steady in all the battlefields besides is mere flight and disgrace if the soldier flinches at that one point.” If there is a point where you know you are compromising your stand for Christ, where you are blending in with the world but you know that you need to take a stand, learn from Joseph of Arimathea. Go to the foot of the cross and think about the Savior’s death on your behalf. Be prepared to count the cost. And, the next opportunity you get, show up and do whatever you can to let others know that you are on Jesus’ side. Even if you formerly were a secret disciple, God will use you as He used Joseph of Arimathea, to be a bold witness and to render valuable service for the Savior.
This is Grace for your Journey …
Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”
Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Posted on September 5, 2022 August 30, 2022 by pastorterryjdavis
We are continuing our series of studies in the Gospel of Luke entitled, “Certainty in Uncertain Times.” Luke has attempted to write an orderly account of the life and death of Jesus so that his readers may be certain of the things they have heard. We are slowly inching towards the end of Luke’s account. Now we are at the pinnacle of the life of Jesus – His crucifixion. As we reflect upon our study of Luke thus far, we will recall the repeated declaration of Jesus’ innocence.
Luke 23:4 – “Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ‘I find no guilt in this man.’”
Luke 23:14-15 – “And [Pilate] said to them, ‘You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him.’”
Luke 23:22 – “And he said to them the third time, ‘Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.’”
Despite the fact that Jesus was never declared guilty of anything, the Jewish leaders persuaded Pilate and the people to crucify Jesus.
Even when Pilate presented an opportunity to have Jesus released, the Jewish leaders called for a convicted criminal to be released instead. We read in Luke 23:18-23, “But they cried out all together, saying, ‘Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!’ (He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, but they kept on calling out, saying, ‘Crucify, crucify Him!’ And he said to them the third time, ‘Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.’ But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail.” At the command of Pilate, they led Jesus to Golgotha to be crucified along with two criminals.
While Jesus is on the cross one criminal asked Jesus to remember him, while the other questioned why Jesus does not save Himself.
This leads us to our text this morning. Throughout the book of Luke, and particularly in the last two chapters we have studied, Luke has sought to show the innocence of Jesus. Our passage this morning is the crowning moment of Luke’s emphasis on Jesus’ innocence.
In addition to the clear theme of the innocence of Jesus, we also see explicit evidence of God’s controlling hand at this moment. We are taking our time throughout the end of Luke. This morning we are studying the crucifixion and death of Jesus. We will look at three reactions that came from the crucifixion and death of Jesus, the Innocent One.
We see right away in verses 44 and 45 that this event is marked by a striking sign – darkness over all the earth, “Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.” In case you are curious what time that would have been, according to the Jewish time keeping system it would have been 12 PM to 3 PM.
There was darkness over the land for three solid hours. That is a big deal. Obviously, it is not normally dark in our state from 12 to 3 PM. It would not have been normal for Jerusalem either. Some have attempted to explain this darkness as a solar eclipse. That attempt is silly. Remember, this is happening during the Jewish Passover. The Passover took place during the full moon phase. I am told that an eclipse during the full moon phase is impossible.
Instead, we can explain this darkness as evidence that God is fully aware of what is happening. In Scripture when darkness covers the earth it is usually a sign of an eschatological event or the judgment of God. In any case, we can be sure that this darkness is not a good thing. Rather, it is a sign that God is not pleased with the events taking place.
God is still absolutely 100% in control at this time, and He shows it by His creation crying out through darkness covering the Earth.
Next, in the latter part of verse 45, we are told that the temple veil, or curtain, is torn in two. This does not mean that someone tore the veil as if one of Jesus’ followers were there tearing the temple veil. Rather, it means that God Himself tore the veil. Most biblical scholars agree that this veil or curtain was the one that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place. The Holy Place would have been the place where only the high priest was allowed to go and intercede with God on behalf of the people.
Of this veil is no small matter.
This would have been a catastrophic event for devout Jewish worshipers. For centuries they worshipped God in this matter. They were never allowed to be in His presence. This is in effect breaking down the barrier between God and man. We will look more into this truth toward the end of our study.
Finally, we see Jesus exercise dominion over God’s creation and human life itself by willingly yielding His life at His appointed time. Verse 46 tells us, “And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, ‘Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last.” Jesus was not blind-sided by His death. He was in control. He laid down His life under His own control. This statement not only shows Jesus giving Himself to God, but it shows Jesus’ humble obedience to the Father. Some of the other Gospels give a more detailed account of the horrific nature of the crucifixion. Luke, however, focuses on Jesus’ innocence and His obedience to the will of God.
Normally crucifixion was a slow death. However, Jesus simply gave His life up willingly to the Father. The phrase “Into your hands I commit my spirit” is a quote from Psalm 31:5. This moment was foretold long ago. Jesus was in control. He willingly gave His life on the cross. Not only did creation respond to the death of Jesus, but the people did also. In verses 47-49 we see that the people are moved by the death of the Innocent One, “So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, ‘Certainly this was a righteous Man!’ And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned. But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.”
We see three different perspectives to the death of Jesus in these verses . . .
A centurion was a Roman officer with leadership over 100 soldiers. He probably would have witnessed most of the events leading up to this point. At the least, we know that he witnessed Jesus’ interaction with His enemies, His interaction with the two criminals, His brutal crucifixion, His prayer to the Father, the darkness over the earth, and the death of the Son of God.
The centurion says, “Certainly this was a righteous man.” Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospel report the centurion saying, “Certainly this man was the Son of God.” Luke, however, uses “righteous” or “innocent.” This fits with his theme of showing the innocence of Jesus. This is certainly not a problem or contradiction between the Gospels. Rather these are complimentary accounts that lead us to the same point . . .
That Jesus is who
He claimed to be,
If there was any doubt left that Jesus was innocent, the Roman centurion lays that to rest in verse 47.
Luke tells his readers that those in the crowd “beat their breasts.” There are a few verses in the Bible that speak about people beating their breasts.
In Nahum 2:7 and Isaiah 32:12-13 we are told this was a sign of grief or pain.
In Luke 18:13 the tax collector beat his breast while praying to God which was a sign of contrition or repentance.
The reason for the crowd beating their chests was probably some of both. They were probably feeling grief, guilt, contrition, humiliation, and confusion. They were probably absolutely overwhelmed with emotion as they witnessed the death of the Righteous One.
Remember, just hours before, the crowd was responding in quite a different way toward Jesus.
Luke 23:35 tells us that the rulers sneered at Him.
Luke 23:36 tells us that the soldiers mocked Him.
Luke 22, Mark 15, and John 19 tell us that they struck Him.
Mark and John add that they also mockingly bowed down and worshipped Him.
Luke 23:21 tells us that when Pilate asked what he should do with Jesus, the entire crowd shouted, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!”
There is no reason for us to think that all of these people automatically accepted Jesus as the Son of God and the one Savior of the Universe. However, something changed in their minds that day about Jesus. They were horrified at what they had done to this Innocent Man.
We also see that that Jesus’ acquaintances and the women who followed Him stood at a distance watching these things. Luke doesn’t tell us exactly what Jesus’ followers are thinking or feeling. We can be sure that they were horrified, confused, heart-broken, and scared. This is not what they expected of their coming Messiah.
This would have caused His followers to take a long hard look at the life and death of Jesus and try to make sense of it all. They expected a conquering Messiah. One who would bring power to the Jewish people, establish justice and truth, and bring God’s kingdom to earth. As Jesus neared the end of His life, He repeatedly showed that this was not the kind of Messiah that He was to be. However, no one expected it to end like this. I am sure His followers were absolutely devastated.
So, here we are. Everything that Jesus had lived for, His 33 years of life, His three years of ministry, His miracles, His sparring with the religious elite, His brilliant answers to His objectors, His innocent perfection comes down to this moment; and, His death on a cross.
The death of the Innocent One not only caused creation to mourn, it not only moved the people that were there, but . . .
We see in verses 47-49 that humanity is changed by the death of the Innocent One. Not only were the people that were present at the crucifixion changed, but everything about human civilization is now changed.
The door that leads to a
Relationship with God
Will soon be wide open.
The tearing of the veil in the temple was a clear sign that now mankind is able to approach the throne of God.
When that veil tore, it signified that Jesus’ death was the perfect sacrifice, and that He was the Perfect High Priest. Hebrews 9:11-14 describes it for us, “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, bit with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once and for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to god, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
These verses tell us that Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered Himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.
In Hebrews 10:19-22 the Bible tells us, “Therefore, brethren, having boldeness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the vail, that is His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
These verses tell us that we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By His death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. Since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him and what He did upon the cross and the empty tomb. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
Listen to the lyrics of one of my favorite modern worship songs:
I have a strong and perfect plea:
A great High Priest, whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart;
I know that while in heaven He stands
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me
The great unchangeable I am,
The King of glory and of grace!
One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God
With Christ, my Savior and my God1
The death of Jesus Christ changes everything. It is part of the key moment in the history of human civilization. Ever since the creation of our planet, God was pointing mankind to this moment. Since the death of Jesus, people have looked back to that moment as a sign of God’s grace to the world.
No event in the history of mankind
I am so glad that there is more to the story! Jesus did not stay dead, but He conquered death and rose from the grave. He appeared to over 500 people. He promised that He would return one day. Finally, He ascended into Heaven and sent us the Holy Spirit.
Jesus offers us the opportunity to be saved from the punishment that we deserve for our sins because He paid a punishment that He did not deserve. We are guilty, He is innocent.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:18a, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.” Just as the blood of animals was shed by the high priest in the most holy place in the temple, so also Jesus shed His blood for the atonement, or payment, of our sins. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 9:22b, “For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.”
Creation mourned the death of the Innocent One, the people were moved by the death of the Innocent One, and humanity was changed forever by the death of the Innocent One.
I challenge you to take a look at the death of Jesus. What do you make of it? Is this simply a myth? Is it a terrible tragedy? Or, is it part of God’s plan to bring redemption to a world of sinners who desperately need it?
Robert Stein, a biblical scholar, says, “What was taking place was not simply the death of an innocent Jew by crucifixion. It was not just the death of a righteous prophet. It was far, far more. This was the death of God’s Son by which He is able today to be the Savior of the world.”
I mentioned earlier that Jesus’ followers did not know what was going on at the death of Jesus. We, however, are blessed with the ability to look back knowing the significance of Jesus’ death. God has revealed to us through His Word that there is only one way for us to be made right with Him, and that is through Jesus Christ. If you have not taken a hard look at Jesus, I urge you to do so now.
The Bible says in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
This is Grace for your Journey …
Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”
Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Posted on August 29, 2022 August 25, 2022 by pastorterryjdavis
We have been studying through the Gospel of Luke and we find ourselves nearing the end of this Gospel and that means, of course, we find ourselves nearing the end of the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus has been sentenced to death. He has been led away to be crucified on a Roman cross at a place called “Calvary,” or “Golgotha,” the place of the skull. He is hanging on a cross between two criminals. Last week we studied His prayer in verse 34 where Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” The Jewish rulers and the Roman soldiers had said, “If you are the Christ, save yourself.” But as we studied last time, Jesus does not save Himself so that He may save others. To paraphrase the popular song, “When He was on the cross you and I were on His mind.”
This morning we read about a conversation Jesus has with one of the criminals, a life-changing, and life-saving conversation. Here is a remarkable passage about the last-minute salvation of a dying thief. In the very last moments of his life, the dying thief trusts Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
Dr. Vance Havner used to tell a story about this passage of Scripture. He described how many so-called professing Christians have tried to use the account of the dying thief to defend their lack of commitment. Havner told about a minister who was talking to one of these so-called Christians. The minister asked the man if he was active in a local church. The man responded, “No, but the dying thief on the cross wasn’t active in any local church and yet he was saved.” The minister then asked whether the man had been baptized. The guy said, “No, but then the dying thief on the cross was never baptized and he made it into heaven.” The minister then asked the man if he had ever partaken of the Lord’ Supper, or whether he tithed or supported missional work. The fella said, “No, but the dying thief never did any of those things and he was still saved and went to heaven.” Finally, the minister said, “You know what? The only difference between you and the thief on the cross is that he was a dying thief and you are a living one.”
We are right to point out that if this dying thief had the opportunity to come down off the cross and live his new life in Christ, he surely would have been baptized, become active in a church, give to missions, and so forth. But he did not get that opportunity. He was a dying thief and yet he died saved. In the words of the hymn:
That fountain (of forgiveness) in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.
Let’s take a closer look at these five verses and then I want to share with you a few principles that surface from our study of this text. First, look again at verse 39, “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”
This is now the third time Luke has told us about those who are taunting Christ. We read last time how this is one of the fulfilled prophecies from Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. Both Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 prophesy of Christ’s being taunted by his enemies. Luke records the fulfillment of that prophecy as we read about the Jewish rulers taunting Christ, the Roman soldiers taunting Christ, and now one of the condemned criminals taunting Christ: “If you are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”
Verse 40 tells us, “But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?’” This second criminal sees something in Jesus that the first criminal does not see. The second criminal sees the innocence of Jesus. He says here in verse 40, “Do you not even fear God?” That is, he is saying, “How can you blaspheme God here in these final moments of your life?!” We, too, have been sentenced to death” . . . “And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong” (Verse 41).
The criminal says, “We deserve what we are receiving, but not this Man. This Man has done nothing wrong.” We have previously noted that . . .
In reporting the crucifixion is
Luke recorded three times that Pilate had found Jesus innocent in verses 4, 14, and 22. Luke reported Herod’s finding Jesus innocent in verse 15. Now this criminal sees that same innocence as will also a Roman centurion see this innocence of Jesus when we eventually get to verse 47.
Then, the Bible records the request of the condemned thief in verse 42, “Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’” Here is the second thief accepting the justice of his own condemnation and recognizing the innocence of Christ, recognizing also who Jesus is: the Messiah, Savior, Christ, King, Lord.
Note the response of Jesus in verse 43, “And Jesus said to him, “Verily, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’” That word “paradise” is a beautiful synonym for heaven. It is used only two other times in the New Testament. Paul uses the word “paradise” in 2 Corinthians 12:3-4 when referring to his being “caught up into Paradise” in some sort of vision or experience from God. John also uses the term “paradise” to describe heaven when writing to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:7 where Jesus says, “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”
This dying thief is saved in the last moment of his life, having seen Christ for who He is and turning to Him to be saved. Now, I want to share with you a few truths about salvation that are taught here in this passage. This small passage of Scripture is tightly packed with three truths about salvation . . . Three things salvation involves . . .
I. Salvation Involves Mystery.
There is a mysterious element involved in salvation that is difficult to understand. Jesus was talking about that mystery in the conversation He had with Nicodemus in John 3. He said, “Nicodemus, you must be born again,” and Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus was talking about. He said, “Are you talking about my entering my mother’s womb a second time?! How can a person be born again?” Jesus answered in John 3:8, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” In other words, “You can’t put your finger on the precise moment at which a person’s eyes are opened and they see Christ for who He really is.” It is a mystery. Some see and some do not see.
John Newton described receiving God’s saving grace that way when he wrote, “I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.” Can you explain salvation fully? No, but like the man who had been born blind said in John 9:25, “One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”
The other Gospel writers tell us that both criminals had railed against Jesus. Both of them initially blasphemed and taunted Christ (Matthew 27:44; Mark 15:32). But then something happened in this second criminal’s heart. Something changed. Something changed so that the second thief began to see Jesus for who He really is.
Many have speculated and conjectured as to what they think it was that changed the second criminal’s view of Christ. We might add to their speculation by remembering that this crucifixion lasted for six (6) long and grueling hours. A lot can happen in 6 hours. Maybe this second criminal was recalling what he had overheard, hearing Jesus talk with Pilate about a kingdom not of this world. Maybe the criminal had looked over at Jesus and heard his prayer back in verse 34, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do,” and he gazed upon the title that hanged above Jesus’ head and read the words, “King of the Jews.”
Something happened. Something changed his mind.
That something
Is Someone.
I can hear Jesus saying, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).
Jesus teaches plainly in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” God draws us to saving faith by the work of His Holy Spirit. Both criminals had witnessed the same things . . .
They had both seen and heard everything that transpired on that day.
They had both heard about Jesus.
They had both heard His prayer from the cross.
They both had been exposed to the truth about Jesus.
Yet only one believed.
The only explanation is the gift of God’s amazing grace to open the heart of one of those criminals to see what he previously was blind to. God by His grace through the man’s faith, in Christ alone, saved this man from sin.
But what a mystery! The hymn-writer records this very mystery in the hymn, “I know whom I have believed.” He writes:
I know not how the Spirit moves,
Convincing men of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
God moves by way of the Holy Spirit, convincing men of their sin and creating faith in Him. God does that. Salvation is a mysterious gift of His grace.
JC Ryle concludes that this fact should teach us humility. He writes, “How is it that under precisely the same circumstances one man is converted and another remains dead in sins, why the very same sermon is heard by one man with perfect indifference and sends another home to pray and seek Christ, why the same Gospel is hid to one and revealed to another. We only know that it is so, and that is useless to deny it.”
Salvation involves mystery. I was once dead in my trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1), but God made me alive, He created my faith in Him and opened my eyes to see Christ for Who He is. Salvation involves mystery.
Secondly . . .
II. Salvation Involves Humility.
This second thief humbled Himself before the Lord Jesus Christ, confessing his sin, and acknowledging Christ as Lord and Savior. He says to the other thief in verses 40 and 41, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?” . . . “And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds.”
He does not sound like the average criminal today, does he?! The joke about jails and prisons is that everyone there thinks they are innocent. But not this fella, he knows he is guilty. So in humility, he says, “We receive the due reward of our deeds.” That is like saying, “God, I know I am a sinner. I admit I am guilty.”
If we ever hope to be saved
From the penalty and punishment
Humble ourselves before the Lord
And admit the errors of our ways.
We must – in humility – come to the Lord confessing our sin and repenting (turning) from our sin.
This passage illustrates that we
Are not saved by what we do.
Our good deeds and acts
This thief had nothing to offer Christ, he had not kept the sacraments or ordinances of the church, he had nothing to offer Christ – nothing. We do not come to Jesus clutching a spiritual resumé of all the religious things we have done. Jesus said, ““Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). We come poor in spirit, we come like the thief–naked, poor, destitute, humbly. As Augustus Toplady puts it . . .
Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
This second thief rebukes the first thief for failing to see the contrast between their just suffering and guilt with the unjust suffering and innocence of Jesus. The first criminal had only cried, “Save Yourself and us!” The second criminal cries, “Lord, save me!”
One thief made a demand for
What he believed he deserved.
The other thief made a request for
What he knew he did not deserve
Salvation involves mystery, salvation involves humility.
Thirdly . . .
III. Salvation Involves Eternity.
Jesus answers the second thief’s request that he should be remembered in Christ’s kingdom by replying in verse 43, “Verily, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Which is to say a couple of things: 1) Jesus may have just as well said to the thief, “My Kingdom is not some faraway place in some faraway future. My Kingdom is a present reality that may be enjoyed right now. When you trust in Me you enter into that Kingdom.”
But note also, 2) The immediacy of the Christian’s entrance into heaven at the point of death. Jesus says in verse 43, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Today. The thief will not enter into some kind of ‘soul sleep,’ nor will you go to some kind of purgatory to be further purged from sin. By the way, if the thief needed no purgatory, who in the world does?!
Jesus says that the thief will be with Him in Paradise “Today!” The Bible is consistent in this teaching. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:8, “We are confident, yea, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to the Christians at Philippi that he was not sure if he would remain alive and continue ministering to the believers there or whether he would, “depart and be with Christ, which (he said) is far better” (Philippians 1:23). To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
At death, the non-Christian’s soul goes to hell and the Christian’s soul goes to heaven. The body is buried, the soul goes to heaven. What does that soul look like? I do not know, but we will be able to recognize one another there. There is biblical precedent for that as well as just common sense. If we are going to a more perfect place, then we will possess a more perfect knowledge and awareness of one another.
And while our bodies may be buried in the ground, one day the Lord will come again, He will return, and He will raise up our mortal bodies and change them into immortal bodies, glorious body like His own (1 Corinthians 15:42-55). Then our souls will inhabit that new body and we will live forever this way with the Lord.
What a tremendous comfort to those of us who have had Christian loved ones die! Our mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters who died in the Lord are present right now with Him. They are there right now in a beautiful place called heaven, a place Jesus refers to here as Paradise. What a comfort to those of us who have lost our Christian loved ones.
These words may comfort us as we contemplate our own condition before God. Some think, “Well it is just too late. I am too great a sinner to be forgiven.” Let me ask you, “Are you any greater a sinner than this thief?” It is not too late to turn to Christ. It only becomes too late at death. But it is not too late right now.
One preacher (Samuel Johnson) is remembered for frequently using a short verse of poetry to illustrate the last-minute act of this thief in turning to the Lord. It describes the wonder of the thief’s redemption at the very last minute. The poem is just two short lines about a man who had been thrown from his horse and what he does just before hitting the ground . . .
“Between the stirrup and the ground,
I mercy asked and mercy found.”
This thief in the last moment of his life asked for mercy and, what a wonderful thing, mercy he found!
On the cross hang three men, two guilty men and one innocent Man: The first thief, the second thief, and Jesus Christ.
One man died in sin.
One man died to sin.
One Man died for sin.
The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away.
This is Grace for your Journey …
Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”
Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.“
Posted on August 22, 2022 August 15, 2022 by pastorterryjdavis
Jesus is making His way along the road of suffering, the Via Dolorosa; making His way to Calvary where He will be crucified, killed on a cross. We pick up where we left off at verse 31 from last time and pick up the events now in verse 32. One of the reasons we are slowing down a bit to focus on the crucifixion of Christ is because . . .
Subsequent resurrection,
Is the pivotal event of Christianity.
A Christianity with no cross is no Christianity, at all. Some wish to have merely Christian teachings and Christian principles, but no suffering Messiah bleeding on a cross; no substitutionary death, no vicarious atonement. But a Christianity like that – a Christianity with no cross – is a religion with no life. Without a cross, we have very little and we have very little to offer. Without the cross and resurrection, we have nothing to offer when people scratch their heads in wonder, when they struggle with inexplicable real problems, and when they hurt deeply, all we have to offer them are hollow words, tired cliches, and empty platitudes – forms of godliness void of power.
It is hard to make sense of tragic events. Who pretends to fully understand what motivates an individual to randomly kill people. This is precisely why a Christianity with no cross is of absolutely no lasting help here. If Jesus were merely a good man, merely a moral man, merely a good teacher and nothing more, then we have nothing to offer the victims of such tragedies. We have no real hope to offer those who mourn, no answers for those with questions, no light for those sitting in darkness.
But Jesus Christ goes to the cross for these tragedies. He dies to provide hope for fallen people living a fallen world. The cross means we may have life beyond the often senseless tragedies that are the byproduct a post-Eden world. And the cross also means that God cares deeply about justice. He is a God who will judge the wicked for their wicked deeds.
Our focus this morning is on the cross. We have only 7 verses here and I want to give a simple descriptive outline of these verses and then I want to share with you the significance of this passage and what we are to make of this text; three things we note about Christ in this passage . . . :
In verse 32 Luke tells us that Jesus is not alone as He is led away to be crucified, “There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.” We do not know who these two other guys are. Luke calls them criminals. You will remember that the rebel rioter named Barabbas had been released and it could well be that these two other guys were revolutionaries along with Barabbas, but we do not know for sure. Luke simply tells us that they were criminals and that they were led away with Christ to be put to death.
Verse 33 tells us, “And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.” That word “Calvary” is the Latin rendering of a word meaning “skull.” In Aramaic it is “Golgotha,” which is how it is rendered by the other Gospel writers. It was probably called “skull” because the place looked like a skull. It was there “they crucified Him.” They nailed His hands and feet to a cross where He would suffer a slow and agonizing death. Mark tells us Jesus was on the cross for six hours, from the 3rd hour to the 9th hour or from 9 AM to 3 PM. The pain He suffered was “excruciating,” the very word meaning, “of the cross,” (“ex-cruciare,” “ex “ – “from,” or “out of,” cruciare, “the cross.” We use that word today to denote extreme pain and suffering.
Luke’s use of the phrase, “There they crucified Him,” suggests we should avoid embellishing Christ’s death by adding extraneous details of His pain and suffering. Luke does not paint a huge, vivid picture here and neither do the other Gospel writers; just three words in Greek translated into four words in English, “There they crucified Him.” You see . . .
The Gospel writers, along with the writers of the epistles,
Do not wish for us to focus upon the suffering
Of the Savior, but on the reason for His suffering.
We spoke of this last time when we talked about an over-focus upon the passion of the Christ in movies, plays, and Christian art that merely evokes our sympathies and tugs at our heartstrings, but does nothing to tell us why He suffered.
If we become merely emotional
At the scene of the crucifixion,
But know nothing of the purpose
For which Christ came,
Then we will remain only emotional.
Jesus wants from us more than emotion.
Remember that He had said to the women back in verse 28, “Weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves.”
As God in the flesh,
Jesus needs nothing.
He does not
He wants our souls.
The focus of the Gospel writers in reporting the crucifixion is . . .
A focus not so much
Upon the wounds of Christ,
But on the work of Christ.
Luke does not wish for us
To think so much about
The pain of the cross
As he does
The purpose of the cross.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.”
This is why He suffers crucifixion.
Secondly . . .
Verse 34 says, “Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’” From the cross Jesus intercedes for others. To intercede is, “To intervene on behalf of another,” usually through prayer. Jesus prays, asking the Heavenly Father to forgive what these people are doing to Him. He practices what He had preached. Do you remember the Sermon on the Plain back in Luke 6:27-28? Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.” This was the way of Stephen prayed in Acts 7:60. He had been persecuted for his faith and was being stoned. Before he died this verse tells us, “Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.”
Some of us may have forgotten that this is what our Lord requires of us, to “Love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who spitefully use us.” Jesus says, “Forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Now that is not quite right, is it? They knew what they were doing, did they not?
Didn’t this crowd know what they were doing?
Didn’t Pilate and the Roman soldiers know what they were doing?
Didn’t the Jews know what they were doing?
Of course, everyone knew what they were doing: they were crucifying Jesus of Nazareth. Why, then, this statement?
They knew what they were doing,
But they did not understand
The significance of what they were doing.
They were blind to the sovereign will of God in giving His Son to die for their sins. This is the essence of Peter’s message later in the Book of Acts. Peter is preaching in Jerusalem to the Jews and he says in Acts 3:17, “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers.”
Paul says the same to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 2:7-8, “But we speak…the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages…which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
This is why Jesus prays as He does. This is why He intercedes for the people. He knows that they fail to understand the significance of His death. And we have changed little in 2,000 years. We stated the case a moment ago, didn’t we?
Many today are merely taken
With the passion of the cross,
Failing to understand
The purpose of the cross.
The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.”
He suffers crucifixion . . . He makes intercession . . . thirdly . . .
III. He Receives Condemnation: Verses 35-38.
The second part of verse 34, “They divided His garments and cast lots.” There were usually 5 Roman soldiers charged with the task of overseeing a crucifixion and one of the perks of the job was getting the garments of the condemned person. Like throwing dice, they determined who would get what. They divided His garments.
It is easy to read that statement and fail to consider fully the implications of it. If they divided His garments, then they must have taken His garments off of Him, which suggests He was perhaps entirely naked as He hung on the cross. We can hardly imagine a more shameful and humiliating scene than the scene of Roman crucifixion.
Verse 35 tells us, “And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, ‘He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.’” The “rulers” are the Jewish leaders, the Sanhedrin Council. They taunted Jesus. They “sneered, saying, ‘He saved others; let Him save Himself.” Do not miss the irony of their statement. They could not deny that Jesus had, “saved others.”
He had saved a sinful woman in the home of a Pharisee (Luke 7:50).
He had saved a demon-possessed man (Luke 8:36).
He had saved a woman from bleeding to death (Luke 8:38).
He saved a little girl from death by bringing her back to life (Luke 8:50).
He had saved 10 lepers from leprosy (Luke 17:19).
He saved a blind man near Jericho who had sat by the road begging (Luke 18:42).
He had saved others.
They couldn’t deny that truth. More condemnation in verse 36, “The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine.” Sour wine or wine vinegar was the kind of wine the Roman officers drank. They were probably offering Christ this wine to prolong His agony, prolonging His suffering by quenching His thirst. They join the rulers in taunting Christ, as verses 37-38 tell us, “And saying, ‘If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.’ And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” It was customary to have one’s crime stated in a title or placard above the condemned. As far as Rome was concerned Jesus was crucified on political grounds, guilty of proclaiming to be King of the Jews.
This passage demands from us at least two actions.
What we are reading in these 7 verses is the fulfillment of ancient prophecy concerning the coming Messiah. The Old Testament Scriptures predicted that the coming Christ would . . .
Die among criminals (Isaiah53:12; Luke 22:37,
That His garments would be divided among others (Psalm 22:18).
That He would be offered vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21).
That He would be taunted (Psalm 22:7-8).
That He would make intercession for others (Isaiah 53:12).
Consider Psalm 22:7-8, written 1,000 years before Christ, “All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”
Consider Psalm22:16-18, “For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.”
Consider Isaiah 53:3-7, 12, written 700 years before Christ, “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. And He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Scripture’s fulfillment is in Christ. It is nothing short of a miracle of God that these Scriptures written about a thousand years before the events are fulfilled precisely and perfectly in Jesus Christ! Christ’s death on the cross was not an accident. Christ’s death on the cross was the fulfillment of a plan. In God’s providence, because of God’s love, He gave His Son to die. He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
This truth takes us to the second action. First, Realize Scripture’s fulfillment in Christ. Secondly . . .
Why does Jesus not save Himself? Why does He not come down from the cross?
He does not save Himself
So that He may save others.
He does not save Himself
That He may save others.
Jesus had prayed in verse 34, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
His prayer for their forgiveness
Is answered by His death,
Which brings them
He died for you and me!
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”
That is why He didn’t save Himself, that He might save you. He died for you.
So, Christ does not save Himself so that He may save others. He had prayed, “Father, forgive them . . .” That is, “Do not impute their trespasses to them.” The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthian 5:19, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them.”
God does not count our sins against us,
Because He counts our sins against Him.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Christ does not save Himself so that He may save others.
“He saved others,” Has He saved you?
This is Grace for your Journey …
Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”
Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Posted on August 15, 2022 August 15, 2022 by pastorterryjdavis
We are in chapter 23 of Luke’s Gospel. In these later chapters we are studying the events surrounding the betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. We have noted before how these events fulfill a very specific prophecy by the Prophet Isaiah who prophesied some 700 years before the events of Christ. Especially in Isaiah chapter 53, we note these specific prophecies about the coming Christ, that He would someone “despised and rejected” … “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,” the One, “Smitten by God and afflicted” … “wounded for our transgressions” … “bruised for our iniquities.”
It is a great prophecy 700 years before the events and we will be seeing in coming weeks the fulfillment of Christ’s being “numbered with the transgressors,” “bearing the sins of many, and Jesus’ being, “led as a lamb to the slaughter.” We will be studying about that this morning as we pick up in verse 26, where it says that Jesus was “led away” to His crucifixion, led away as a lamb to the slaughter.
It’s only a few hundred yards from where Jesus was sentenced by Pilate to Calvary’s Hill. If one were just casually walking along this path it would really only take a few minutes, but it will take Jesus much longer. It will take much longer because He has been subjected to cruel trials and beatings. It is very probable that He has been awake for the past 24 hours. He has just been severely beaten by way of Roman scourging, an intense beating that sometimes resulted in death itself, so a man condemned to crucifixion might die before he is ever crucified, dying by the Roman scourging. So, Jesus has just been scourged and He is now making His way to the cross.
There is a strange and morbid curiosity within man that causes him to slow down and gaze upon events of death and destruction. We see it on the highway, a several-car-pile-up causes traffic to slow down as passersby by crane their necks, trying to catch a glimpse of what happened.
There would have been some of that going on as Jesus made this journey along the street in Old Jerusalem, the path from His Roman scourging to Mount Calvary, a path in Latin called the Via Dolorosa, meaning, “the way of suffering.” He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. Crowds of people had come out to watch the slaughter, to watch Jesus, along with two criminals, making their journey to Calvary’s Hill.
Luke records for us in these few verses a couple of images that burn into our memories. There are two encounters here in the text that Luke takes time to tell us about, one is a man named Simon who is forced to carry the cross of Jesus. The other is a small group of women who are weeping for Him.
Let’s take a closer look at these few verses and these two encounters and then I want to share a couple of necessary responses to what we have studied.
Verse 26 tells us, “Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.” Despite the teachings of the Roman Catholic church and the movie industry, the Bible never once records Jesus’s stumbling as He carries the cross. He may well have, but the Bible do not tell us so. They simply record that Jesus is led away and that on His way to His crucifixion, a certain man named Simon is forced to carry the cross of Christ. In fact, the phrase in verse 26, “they laid hold of a certain man,” is probably better understood as, “They seized a certain man.” The idea is that they grabbed this guy who was minding his own business, making his way into the city. They grabbed him and said to him something like, “You there! Pick up his cross and carry it!” It was not a request, it was a demand. Roman soldiers could do that kind of thing.
Now we do not know Simon was forced to carry the entire cross, a cross we think of in traditional terms, a cross with two pieces, or whether he was forced to carry only the crosspiece, the heavy crosspiece that weighed as much as 100 pounds. It was probably the crosspiece that Simon carried, but the point is that the Romans grabbed Simon and, apparently in an effort to expedite things, ordered him to pick up the cross of Christ and follow behind Jesus as they all made their way to the hill.
The Bible tells us in verse 26 that Simon was, “coming from the country,” which suggests he was coming into the city for Passover, most likely a Jew from a place called Cyrene. Cyrene is modern-day Libya in Northern Africa. There is this Jewish community in Cyrene and Simon has left there and has come into the city, or at least he is trying to come into the city, when he is told to pick up and carry the cross of Jesus.
Now that is all we read about this brief encounter here, but Mark’s Gospel tells us a little more about Simon. Mark tells us in Mark15:21 that Simon is, “the father of Alexander and Rufus.” Think about that for a moment. Mark, in his Gospel, is writing primarily to a Roman audience. He is writing to Christians in Rome. He mentions Simon in the passage and then he says, in essence, “You know Simon. He is the father of Alexander and Rufus.” Why would Mark identify Simon this way if he did not expect his audience to know who Alexander and Rufus were?
It is almost certain that Simon came to know Christ personally either the day he carried Jesus’ cross or sometime afterwards because he is mentioned in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And Mark takes time to tell his readers exactly which Simon he is talking about. Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit some years later in his letter to the Romans, closes out his letter with a number of greetings to the Christians in Rome and he says, “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and greet his mother too because she has been like a mother to me.” (Romans 16:13).
Following Christ is a decision that impacts your entire family. We are not certain how all this played out for Simon but at some time he receives Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. His wife comes to know Christ and his two boys, Alexander and Rufus, come to know Christ and become leaders in the church at Rome. Following Christ is a decision that impacts your entire family. Men, you follow Christ and your family will almost certainly follow Him, too.
Simon is on his way into the city, no doubt stirred emotionally by the scene unfolding before him, a dark scene of cruelty and horror. Surely he is shocked and taken aback by this harsh command from a Roman soldier. Simon is grabbed and thrown toward the cross and told to pick it up and carry it. Yet, through these dark events, God is working out a perfect plan in the life of Simon and in the life of Simon’s family. Through what at first appears to be a senseless tragedy, God is at work in Simon’s life, working out a plan for Simon’s salvation and the salvation of his family. To quote William Cowper, author of the hymn, “God Moves in a Mysterious Way,” he writes,
God is in control . . . He loves Simon . . . He knows what He is doing.
Think about that application in your life! There are so many things that at first seem senseless to us. “Why did this happen, God? Why did You permit this darkness, this evil, this pain, this health condition, this job loss, this breakdown of a friendship, of a relationship? Why, God?” All we can see is “a frowning providence.” Yet, hang in there. Joy comes in the morning. God is there. He loves you and He knows what He is doing.
Verse 27 says, “And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.” There is a small group of women there who are weeping for Him and what does Jesus do? Verse 28 tells us, “But Jesus, turning to them, said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.’” Jesus addresses these women as, “Daughters of Jerusalem.” That is an Old Testament way of referring to the nation of Israel (cf. Zechariah 9:9; Micah 4:8; and Zephaniah 3:14).
Why does Jesus tell these women to weep for themselves and their children? Verse 29 gives us some insight. Jesus says, “For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’” That must have sounded strange. But within 40 years the siege of Jerusalem would begin under Roman Military Commander Titus, who would eventually become the Roman Emperor. The Romans would lay siege to the city of Jerusalem and years of famine and disease would follow. Hardest hit by the siege would be women, especially women who had small children. It would be such a terrible time, says Jesus, that people would not celebrate the birth of a baby, but rather celebrate the fact that a person had no children at all, thereby being spared the horror of an early death.
Jesus had wept before for the city of Jerusalem. You will remember this back in Luke 19:41-44 where He first spoke of the coming destruction of the city of Jerusalem. He mentions it again in Luke 21:23, where He said, “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.” This will be a horrible time when death will be preferable to life.
That is the point behind the phrase there in verse 30, “Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’” This Old Testament imagery from Hosea 10:8 illustrates what that day will be like when Jerusalem falls in AD 70. People will prefer a quick death to years of suffering. It is much like what will take place during the Great Tribulation in the end times. You can read about that in Revelation 6:16-17, another time when people will cry out to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” So, Jesus says, “Don’t weep for Me, weep for yourselves. Within 40 years you will be facing a time of terrible judgment at the hand of the Romans. It will be so bad many will cry out to the mountains, ‘Fall on us and kill us, take us away from this suffering!’”
Then verse 31, Jesus says, “For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?” This is one of those verses you come across in your daily Bible reading and you are like, “Whatever does that mean?!” and then you move on. But you know what it means intuitively, right? You know this is not a good thing. Jesus has just been talking about judgment and the Roman destruction of the city of Jerusalem and He says, “For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?” In other words, “You ladies are crying for Me, but think about it: if the Romans are doing this now to Me, what will be done to you, what will be done to the city of Jerusalem?” Put another way, “If this is how they burn green wood, just think how much greater will be the burning of that which is dry?” If you have ever picked up sticks to burn in a campfire, you look for dry sticks because the green ones do not burn so well. So, Jesus is saying, “If this is what the Romans do to the green wood, wood that is not ripe for judgment, think of how they will treat dry wood, wood that is absolutely ripe for judgment.” If God has not spared His innocent Son from such tribulation (by permitting His crucifixion), how much worse will it be for a sinful nation when God unleashes His righteous wrath upon it (by permitting the Romans to destroy Jerusalem).
We come now to these two necessary responses.
In light of what we have just read . . .
Judgment awaited the city of Jerusalem. God will judge the city of Jerusalem for their refusal to repent and to trust God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Judgment awaits all who reject God’s Son. We must turn from our sin, which means to repent.
We must turn from our sin
And turn to our Savior,
I find it striking that these women are weeping, and Jesus says, “Don’t weep for Me. Weep for yourselves.” Feeling sympathy for Jesus does not alone save. We can cry and cry and have and show great emotion and still lack repentance. We must look to Him as Lord and Savior. We must see that Jesus died in our place, bore our transgressions, and died for our iniquities. Jesus says, “Don’t weep for Me, weep for yourselves. Judgment is coming. Don’t reject Me. Turn to Me.”
This is why feeling a certain way as we look at religious art does not alone save. Watching a film or a play about the passion of Christ does not alone save. Even if we feel great sympathy for Jesus we are not responding properly to the Gospel if all we do is weep for Him. If all we do is say, “What a terrible thing happened to Jesus when He was crucified,” and we fail to see that it is we who hammered the nails into His hands and feet, if we fail to see ourselves there at Calvary then we are weeping only for Jesus, feeling only sympathy for One who needs no sympathy, at all! He is God. He does not need our sympathy.
He does not
He wants our souls.
Jesus is say “Do not weep for Me, Jerusalem . . . Do not weep for Me, whoever you are . . . Weep for yourselves. Weep for your lost family members. Weep for your lost co-workers. Weep for the lost people in your community and across the world to the unreached people groups of the nations. Weep for your sin, cry over your sins and come to Me and trust Me and receive Me and My righteousness.”
The Jews in Jesus’ day did not trust in the righteousness of Christ, but they trusted in their own righteousness. They thought they could be morally acceptable in God’s sight by keeping the Law. That is how some of you think. “I can be a good person. If I am good enough, God will accept me.” But that is not true! Weep for yourselves, repent, and come to Christ. The Bible says in Philippians 3:9, “… not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”
That is how we are saved from our sins and from the wrath to come. Judgment awaits all who reject God’s Son. I must die to my sin. I must admit, confess, and agree with God, that I am a sinner deserving nothing but judgment and the wrath to come. I come to a point where . . .
I understand Jesus died for my sin,
Took the punishment I deserved
And I am weeping for myself,
Feeling conviction for my sin,
And turning to Christ as my Savior.
And when you die to your sin and trust Christ as Savior, you are saved forever. You are accepted by God forever. Just like the chorus to the song, “Wash in me in Your cleaning flow, now all I know, Your forgiveness and embrace.” He embraces us and because you did not deserve your salvation, you can do nothing to “un-deserve” it. Your salvation is, “by grace through faith in Christ alone.” Paul asks in Romans 8:35. “What shall separate us from the love of God?” Paul answers affirmatively in Romans 8:39, “I am convinced that nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We must die to our Sin. Secondly . . .
I think one of the reasons Luke tells us about Simon in verse 26 is because of the power of this imagery. Here is Simon picking up the cross of Jesus and carrying it. This is a powerful emblem of what it means to follow Christ! We must die to our self. Picking up the cross of Christ and carrying it daily is a picture of the Christian life.
Jesus had said in Luke 9:23-24, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”
We must die to our self. Jesus asks in Luke 9:25, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” He said in Luke 14:27, “Whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” Bearing the cross of Christ and following Him means we love Him more than anyone or anything else, more than we love even our own lives.
Vividly what is true in the spiritual realm.
We must pick up our cross and “bear it after Jesus.” We must die to our self. That is what the cross means. We die. We die to our self. We die to our self-interests, our self-centeredness, and our self-assuredness.
This is why the symbol of Christianity is a cross, because Christianity requires that we die.
The symbol of Christianity is not a bumper sticker, or a style of dress, or a particular Bible translation, or a particular church we attend.
We are not Christians because we have a fish on the bumpers of our cars or because we listen to K-LOVE on the radio.
We are not Christians because we read books and download Christian podcasts.
We are not Christians because we post words of Christ on Twitter or Facebook.
We are Christians when we take up and carry the cross, “the emblem of suffering and shame.” We “cling to that old rugged cross” more than we cling to anyone or anything.
Judgment awaits all who reject God’s Son. The Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8, “… When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Grant us wisdom in these moments to die to our sins, die to ourselves, and accept the death of Jesus Christ as payment for our sins.
This is Grace for your Journey …
Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”
Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
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Ages 2 – 4: Child must have turned 2 years old and be under 5 years of age on the contest date to qualify.
Ages 5 – 8: Child must have turned 5 years old and be under 9 years of age on the contest date to qualify.
If your child won the Pumpkin Princess title last year they will not be eligible to compete in this years pageant.
Pumpkin Princess winner from both age groups must be able to attend the Costume Contest and Trunk or Treat Event on Sunday, October 30, 2022 from 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm for an appearance.
Awards & Prizes:
There will be a winner, 1st runner up, 2nd runner up and a 3rd runner up for both age groups.
The pumpkin princess will receive a special gift basket, the pumpkin court will also get a special gift and all participants will be given a prize bag.
Events:
Both age groups will participate in a best dressed event.
Each contestant will be called and introduced with the information on the registration application. The contestant will walk across the stage, stand briefly in front of the judges and walk off the stage. Ages 5 – 8 will also be asked a simple question on stage. The questions will be given to you at the dress rehearsal.
For ages 2 – 4, if your child cannot walk unassisted a parent will be allowed to assist her on stage.
Judging will be based on appearance, personality and communication skills - both verbal and non-verbal
Dress code:
Dress must be pumpkin themed and include orange. We are looking for fancy, princess-like dresses!
Age-appropriate dresses only.
Registration is $25 and will be open to the first 30 girls entered and paid for each age group.
The deadline to sign up is October 7th or when we receive 30 paid registrations for each age group. **Due to Hurricane Ian - we are extending the deadline to October 14th!
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Nearly 200 people filtered in and out of Frost Library on Wednesday, Nov. 28 for “Student Voices from the Frontlines of Climate Change,” an event hosted by Students for Climate Action (SCA) and sponsored by the Association of Amherst Students (AAS). The event, which comprised of student speakers sharing how climate change has impacted their home communities, is part of a push for the Board of Trustees to pass the Climate Action Plan in January 2019.
SCA began as a subcommittee of the Direct Action Coordinating Committee (DACC) but recently became its own separate entity. SCA began organizing a campaign to pass the Climate Action Plan — a proposal for the college to transition to all renewable energy by 2035 — in Spring 2018.
President Biddy Martin, Chief of Student Affairs Hikaru Kozuma, Dean of Faculty Catherine Epstein, Director of Sustainability Laura Draucker and Chief of Amherst College Police John Carter all attended Wednesday’s event, which was intended to increase public attention to the Climate Action Plan campaign.
AAS President Silvia Sotolongo ’19 and Allison Tennant ’19, both of whom are members of SCA, opened the event on Wednesday by thanking the audience for coming out.
“When we’re faced with such an overwhelming crisis as climate change, it’s more important than ever to be here and come together building community,” Tennant said. “The latest UN intergovernmental panel on climate change report said that we have until 2030, which is only 12 years, to reduce our emissions by 50 percent if we want to avoid global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius … In addition, our natural gas fossil fuel infrastructure here at Amherst largely affects our lower-income, immigrant and people of color Massachusetts neighbors.”
“Amherst has the opportunity to take a step towards mitigating the contribution to climate change by adopting the Climate Action Plan and committing to carbon neutrality,” Tennant added. “By being here tonight, we show that climate change is an important issue to our campus.”
She then invited Chief of Campus Operations Jim Brassord to provide background on the Climate Action Plan, a “roadmap, a strategy — a technical strategy, financial strategy” created by a climate action task force comprised of students, faculty and staff after the Board of Trustees committed the college to carbon neutrality in 2015. A carbon neutral status means the college would have a net zero carbon footprint.
The task force concluded that the college would need to pivot to exclusive use of renewable energies use, deep energy conservation and “infrastructure transformation,” which would convert an “inherently dependent fossil fuel approach” to electric-based infrastructure, Brassord said. The plan developed out of the task force committed the college to achieving a carbon-neutral campus by 2035.
After Brassord spoke, 10 students took turns sharing personal accounts at the event.
Gabriel Echarte ’22 described the impact of rising tides in Miami, Florida. “Every single place in Miami is saturated with memories and meaning — it has become sacred for me,” he said. “In my time growing up there, I’ve watched as climate change has grown to slowly consume more and more the place I love, through seawater rise.”
Rising sea levels and the increased severity of storms were also evident effects of climate change on Stephanie Masotti’s ’22 hometown in Long Island, New York. When Hurricane Sandy hit the coast in 2012, “a large amount of infrastructure built without the assumption that these storms would frequently occur were destroyed,” she said.
At a nearby town, she said, “people were collecting food, clothes, toiletries and anything else people were willing to donate since many people lost everything. Some people even lost their lives. I remember feeling so fortunate to have only lost power.”
Past storms had never been so damaging, Masotti added.
Multiple students shared similar stories of severe damage caused by weather irregularities in their hometowns. Shivani Patel ’21 also talked about carbon emissions in her hometown of Bangalore, India, which have caused a “harmful, flowy froth” of foam to float up and spill over into surrounding areas.
“Bangalore … used to be known as the garden city, but that couldn’t be further from the truth today,” Patel said. “Multiple reports state that the city will be uninhabitable by 2020, which is part of why I came to college in the U.S.”
All of the students urged the college community to take immediate action to combat the perilous impacts of climate change.
“The impact, the consequences and the disaster effects are not into the future,” Daniyal Ahmad Khan ’22 said to applause from the audience. “They’re not going to happen by 2035; they’re not going to happen for the children to see — they’re happening and they’re happening right now.”
SCA intends to focus on education and funding for climate change problems, according to Tennant. Committee members, she said, think that the current timeline for the Climate Action Plan is “pretty conservative” and hope to push for greater change within a shorter range of time.
As of press time, SCA had collected about 600 signatures for its petition to the Board of Trustees as well as about 100 alumni emails after tabling at Homecoming. The group, Tennant said, will ask alums to write letters of support and request funding pledges directed specifically to the Climate Action Plan.
“There’s very broad support from students,” Tennant said. “The administration needs to recognize it’s a priority for our future.”
In a statement to The Student, Martin called the student speakers’ presentations “impressive and powerful in their combination of personal stories, analysis and calls to action.”
“I was very glad I could attend the event,” she added. “I hope it inspires more sharing of stories and more exchange about major challenges.”
Sotolongo also hopes to help make sustainability more institutionalized at the college.
“I got to hear snippets of people’s stories beforehand, so I knew what people were going to talk about, but hearing their actual, fleshed-out speeches and seeing photos and seeing people’s reactions was really powerful for me,” she said. She is exploring the possibility of a separate faculty committee dedicated to issues of sustainability and climate policy on campus.
Katie Siegel ’20, who attended the event, said she was excited that there was an opportunity to “come together as a community and address these problematic issues.”
“When I read about these things happening, it’s never really people who are that close to me or in my community,” she said about environmental disasters. “Hearing students talking about going home and having these issues — I really think it put it into perspective.” She hopes the Climate Action Plan will be passed and that it will create a ripple effect at other colleges.
SCA will present to the Board of Trustees in January, after which a vote will be made on whether or not to pass the Climate Action Plan.
Read next
Lianbi Ji is an English and mathematics double major who wrote theses in both subjects. Her English thesis focused on the writings of the Chinese writer Lu Xun, and her math thesis studied elliptic curves. She also has a passion for education — having volunteered to teach in China, India and
The college hosted President of Moderna Stephen Hoge ’98 on Friday, April 23 as a part of the virtual Stories in STEM event series. The Cambridge-based biotechnology company has experienced tremendous growth since the pandemic began, as it has developed one of the world’s most effective vaccines against Covid-19.
The college will require all students to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before returning to campus for the Fall 2021 semester, the President’s Office announced on Friday, April 23. In the letter addressed to students, faculty and staff, President Biddy Martin relayed that more information will follow concerning how
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Elon Musk has given up his plan to purchase Twitter. ( https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/08/elon-musk-notifies-twitter-he-is-terminating-deal.html)
His idea was to purchase Twitter and end the ban on Donald whatshisface using it as his sounding board, in the sacred name of “free speech”-for a Putin wannabe who sent a raving riotous mob to nullify the votes of the American people. Musk and Twitter will go back and forth about who is to blame for the failure of the deal, just two corporate giants at each other.
The current crop of tech moguls, like Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos, cannot be credited for their companies’ successes; they have been due to the labor of educated technicians and engineers, all the way down to the workers in Amazon’s warehouses and trucks, and Tesla’s assembly lines. All these guys did was hire them, makes billions from their efforts, and fire them if they’re useless to them.
And with their profits, instead of reinvesting in their workers or upgrading their facilities, or donating to great charities (like the Robber Barons of the late 19th Century did with the money they wrung out of their workers), they carry out such vanity projects as their own private space programs-Musk with SpaceX, and Bezos with Blue Origin-and they purchase other firms, such as Bezos swallowing up Whole Foods, the Washington Post, and MGM Studios.
Let’s stop idolizing these corporate overlords; without their workers doing the mental and physical labor for their companies, the bosses would only be talking to themselves. The workers are the real heroes of the American economy.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg by John Oliver Mason. Bookmark the permalink.
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Help and advice from Suzie Hayman, Woman magazine's agony aunt and presenter of the BBC's "Stepfamilies".
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Big problems with my family
Posted on March 7, 2007 by Suzie
Dear Suzie, I am 13 years old and live in the UK, Cardiff. I am having big problems with my family. I don’t know were to start. Today my brother wanted a drink and there wasan’t any left in the house and he was screaming his head of and my mum was getting annoyed. I went to get him another drink and then my mum went mad with me and kicked me on my back. I just said to my brother thanks a lot and when upstairs for a bit and then my brother started screaming and stuff and I got in so much trouble and hit and stuff. With my brother even if I say a little thing he starts going to my mum. And sometimes I pretend to hit him but I don’t really I just touch him and some how he just starts crying. He’s really annoying and bossy. I love my Mum and I know she cares about me but sometimes she goes mentle. I dont know what to do, I just feel like going somewhere and sitting down by myself but I dont have that because of my brother.
Thx so much for reading
It sounds as if you’re having a really tough time and you have my sympathy. In fact, it sounds as if all of you are having a tough time! Let’s see if I can make some suggestions that could help.
I wonder why everyone in your family is on edge at the moment. Sometimes it helps to work it what is happening and why. People often get touchy when they’re feeling sad or angry or upset and can’t talk it over. Sometimes, we don’t even realise we are tense. You mention your Mum and your brother – but no mention of a Dad. Is he living with you? Or do you only see him sometimes …or not at all?
Dads being absent full time, or not exactly pulling their weight when they are around, can make a big difference to a family. It means your mum has all the work and the responsibility of looking after you, with no-one to back her up or support her or give her a break, or simply make her feel good. It could mean that underneath it all she feels rejected and abandoned and maybe even a failure.
It means both you and your brother can also feel rejected and abandoned. It means your brother can find it hard not having a Dad around to look up to – boys whose fathers don’t spend a lot of time with them can often get the idea that ‘being a man’ means being demanding and selfish and aggressive.
And not having a dad as a 13 year old girl is also really painful – just at the time you’re growing up and need a man around to tell you you’re pretty and matter, you’re on your own.
OK – maybe I’ve got the wrong end of the stick. But you didn’t mention him and that’s significant. And even if I’m wrong, it points you to the sort of things you might want to consider. What’s happened in your family to make everyone feel upset and angry? We usually ‘sweat the small stuff’ and kick off about little things like drinks when really there’s a big thing that’s making us feel bad and we don’t feel able to talk about it.
So – what to do? You need someone to talk to, for a start. Do you have a family member, a family friend, a teacher, a youth worker – some adult you know and trust and can talk to? Someone who will listen if you say “I’m not trying to diss my Mum but I’m miserable and I wish things could be different”?
You could try your doctor – some doctors are really sympathetic and trained to listen, or can refer you to a counsellor in their own surgery.
I’d also have a quiet word with your mum when things are going well. Say you know she has a tough time and you’re sure she hates the shouts and fights as much as you do. She could get some excellent help and support from Parentline Plus or on Parentline, their 24/7 freephone helpline, on 0808 800 2222.
I do hope you can get some help – you deserve it, and so does you family. Try some of those avenues of help and let me know how you get on. Good luck!
This entry was posted in All Advice, Family, Relationships, Self-Esteem. Bookmark the permalink.
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Who is Suzie?
I’m a Relate-trained counsellor, an accredited parenting educator, an agony aunt with over 15 years experience of working on UK national magazines (including eight years as agony aunt of Women’s Own), newspapers, television, radio and online and the author of 26 books – the two most recent being Teach Yourself Step-parenting and Teach Yourself Single Parenting. I was the counsellor in ‘Stepfamilies’, a major BBC1 series, helping people sort their way through the difficulties of bringing new families together.
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I’ve been thinking a lot about technology in education over the past several years prompted, in part, by [Oliver]’s experiences as a public school student, and, in part, by my work on behalf of the PEI Home and School Federation on the technology file. I have become convinced that, despite having smart, imaginative people throughout the system, we are missing tremendous opportunities to leverage education technology, not only in the practical application of hardware and software tools, but as an overarching educational philosophy that sees Prince Edward Island as a member of a global community.
I was fortunate to encounter JP Rangaswami at reboot several years ago, and since then his thinking on privacy, technology and education has been a great influence on me. A recent post of his, Singin’ In The Rain, struck a chord with me, and summed up my own feelings about what he calls the “digital revolution” more succinctly than I could myself:
The ability to observe. The ability to imitate. The ability to try it out for yourself. The ability to get quick feedback. Four critical requirements for learning.
We’re in the midst of a digital revolution. Everything that happens can be observed by more people than has ever been possible before. The internet is a copy machine, the ability to share and to imitate has never been cheaper. Tools continue to be invented to make it possible for all of us to be able to try more things for ourselves than we could ever do before.
This digital revolution is a learning revolution. As long as we don’t waste it. Waste happens when we constrain the ability to observe, to imitate, to try out, to get feedback. Particularly when we have the opportunity to make it all affordable, ubiquitous.
Education drives the solution to so many of our perceived problems. Education is so incredibly accelerated, assisted, augmented by digital infrastructure. If we let it.
We who are here on earth today can make a difference to that earth by ensuring that we don’t waste this incredible opportunity, of using digital infrastructure to enfranchise everyone, to provide the opportunity for all to learn.
Since becoming a digital citizen — and I’ve been one for more of my life than almost anyone — I’ve been as much a skeptic and contrarian about the societal ramifications of digital technology, but when I think about the trajectory of my own life, and what digital technology has allowed me to be, to do, to express, to participate, to engage, I can’t help but agreeing with JP.
I’ve come to believe that the challenges standing in the way of this transformation are not money nor resources, for, with motiviation and creativity, these are easily obtained or obviated: what’s standing in our way is fear and ignorance.
Those with the power to unleash the digital revolution, to take the chains off and allow us to truly explore its potential and its boundaries, are not themselves digital citizens, and so they tend to regard education technology, at worst, as an extension of typing class, and, at best, as a non-essential supplement to the outdated core education metaphors.
I go to meetings of bureaucrats and educators, well-meaning, smart people all, and come away flummoxed by how discussions get consumed with bureaucratic minutiae, with trying to keep the Internet genie in the bottle, and with a benign resignation toward lack of funding and license on a political level.
I truly believe, in my heart of hearts, that marginal jurisdictions like Prince Edward Island have the chance to most leverage the positive potential a digital revolution can beget. We have the raw materials — people, technologies, connections to networks. What we lack is determination, leadership, and the imagination and courage to look beyond our own fears of change and power rebalancing to the positive outcome that lies ahead.
Like JP says, If we let it.
Education
Written January 24, 2013 at 10:17 a.m. by Peter Rukavina
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Comments
Heather M on January 26, 2013 - 19:33
I agree, as my eyes are just being opened as to the limits within the School system. Count me on board for change.
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Joshua Biggley on January 27, 2013 - 00:36
When I moved to PEI almost 5 years ago, I did so with the hopes that the Island would offer exactly the sort of microcosm of change that you are describing. Instead, I found the same general malaise that I left in Ontario, albeit without the population base to aid in dilution. It’s not that the Island is different from any other jurisdiction, but that our social fabric is so interconnected that any infection, whether positive or negative, quickly sweeps through the majority of the Island and determines “the way things are” for the majority.
This argument you make for a digital revolution is one that I have been making since shortly after arriving in 2008. I was dismayed that the IT industry (that catch-all description of our industry) was not mentioned in the State of the Province address last week. More than any other movement, the digital revolution offers the greatest opportunity to change every other industry in PEI and enable us to use our low cost of entry as an Island to our advantage. Knowledge is the only resource the Island has to offer that can be consumed without risk of depletion in the future. An economy built on knowledge supports the resiliency of every other industry.
I’d love to sit and chat for a while to discuss where we are, where we need to be and how we could get there. I truly believe that this issue is not a lack of passion or desire, but that we have yet to figure out that we are not alone in longing for the revolution to begin and that we can unite in a common cause for real change in learning in PEI. (Note that I see education as a single node in the complex web of learning, one to be connected to other opportunities that naturally exist.)
Now that fate connected us in the Homburg tunnel, we have only to overcome scheduling challenges to begin.
Count me in.
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The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
I am Peter Rukavina and this is my blog. I am a writer, printer and developer.
To learn more about me, read my /now, look at my bio, read presentations and speeches I’ve written, listen to audio I’ve produced, see the places I’ve been, or get in touch (peter@rukavina.net is the quickest way).
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Therapists experience challenges in relationships and friendships too. True, we go through a good amount of training on communication. And we might have quite a few tools up our sleeves for managing anxiety, stress, and overwhelm. But we also struggle with the frustrations and disappointments that come up in friendships.
I recently came to a crossroads in a friendship where it was clear it was no longer serving me. Not that friends are there for us only. But I was finding myself walking away from every interaction exhausted, drained and sad. The reciprocal piece that can provide fun, support, and trust just wasn’t there.
As a therapist, I am comfortable sitting in hard spaces. But having tough conversations in friendships still brings up plenty of stress and anxiety. So while ghosting would have been an easy out in some ways, I committed to providing some closure to this relationship (even if ony over text!) This friend was asking for an answer and deserved one. Anxiety hit the minute I received the text -
“ Did I do something? "
Four simple words (but not THE make or break words!) that I would have preferred to ignore. But grounding in the work that I’ve done on myself and strategies I practice and teach for decreasing anxiety, I decided to adult. This friend deserved a response. Her question was clear and we have enough history that it would have left things confusing and stressful to try and just fade away.
I tried to gently explain how I had been feeling. I stated that I had been distancing because I was overwhelmed and it often felt like our friendship only revolves around her. Which is sometimes what friends are exactly for but I worried that it was not reciprocal. I shared my disappointment that she didn’t ask how I was doing or how my child was doing after I had recently told her how sick he was. I tried to be vulnerable in sharing hurt and disappointment and also needing support in friendship.
Then I waited. I cringed. I pulled up all those therapist strategies I’m supposed to be good at. I practiced sitting in all my feelings and riding the waves of anxiety and discomfort.
And it was fine. The first line of her response said sorry. The next 20 lines justified her actions and choices. She explained away my concerns. And told me it was up to me to share if I wanted to.
This led me to think about what I wanted in a friendship. What I was hoping for and what would have felt supportive. Less like counseling and therapy and more like connection and friendship. Was it really my fault that I didn’t reach out to her over and over to share updates about my sick child? Sure. But is that what I was looking for in a friendship? Would I have really felt like she was being pushy if she had checked in on me? My conclusion was a very definitive no.
It really came down to 4 simple words that were missing in our friendship. 4 short words that maybe would have taken 20 seconds to text. They would not have felt pushy and would have strengthened our connection. They would have decreased my overwhelm and stress even if just for a minute. Knowing someone was thinking of me and genuinely wanted to know the answer was what I craved. The words that were missing in all of our interactions that left me drained and sad were:
“ Hey how are you? "
When I look back at our friendship these 4 words are where things went wrong. I was missing a short statement checking in on me. And while it should not have been all about me either, I found myself too often on the giving side of the checking in and support. Relationships and friendships have so many layers. It’s not always this simple. But sometimes it can be.
As I move forward in seeking out, building, and maintaining awesome friendships that are reciprocal, I am keeping this in mind too. How can I offer support to others? How can I let them know I am thinking of them? Am I checking in?
I would love to hear your thoughts!
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There were SO many books I did not pick up in 2016, TONS of great ones that most of you guys recommend me from time to time. And whilst I wasn’t able to pick them up last year, it’s going to change this year! Here are some of the books I’m excited to (finally) read this year!
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their difference, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper – despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess.
But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfill his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.
Thoughts:
I see this book floating around in Bookstagram and after reading the synopsis, I just knew I had to have the book in my hands! When it comes to books under the tag ‘Mythology’, Percy Jackson comes to mind, and while I’m not a fan of the PJO series, I’m REALLY excited to give this one a try!
Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava—in all other ways a normal girl—is born with the wings of a bird.
In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naïve to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the Summer Solstice celebration.
That night, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air, and Ava’s quest and her family’s saga build to a devastating crescendo.
Thoughts:
I really want to try to get into magical realism as much as I can this year. I picked up this book on a whim because of its gorgeous cover and dreamy synopsis, but that was two years ago, and since then on, i’ve not picked it up. Shame, I know. But I want to read it this year! I just have to!
Six of Crows (Duology) by Leigh Bardugo
Synopsis (Six of Crows):
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…
A convict with a thirst for revenge
A runaway with a privileged past
A spy known as the Wraith
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes
Kaz’s crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.
Thoughts:
I’m not sure why I put these books off for so long. It’s literally everywhere, and I’ve not heard a bad review anywhere. People have been raving about them ever since the first book came out. Why haven’t I read it yet? Lord knows. I’ve not even read Leigh Bardugo’s first series yet, but this duology sounds particularly interesting, so I might want to start on these first before going into her Grisha series.
Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.
Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.
Thoughts:
I’m not quite sure if this is a retelling of some urban legend/myth about Jack the Ripper but it sounds amazing?! I’m a sucker for Historical fiction and I’ve not ever come across a Gothic/Horror YA clash before. Bottomline, I’m ecstatic to pick this up soon!
Okay so i’m in the middle of going through my ‘to-read’ books in Goodreads and I’m emotional over the fact that I pretty much want to read them all in physical copies but am unable to that sooo.. *weeps in a corner*
The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
Andie had it all planned out. When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future. Important internship? Check. Amazing friends? Check. Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks).
But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life. Because here’s the thing—if everything’s planned out, you can never find the unexpected. And where’s the fun in that?
Thoughts:
Can we just take a moment and appreciate the cover? Ugh, it screams cutesy contemporary. Love it. The dogs and the ice cream truck go together so well. I actually have this book but I haven’t had the time to read it yet sooo definitely going to bump this up on my TBR list!
Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow
Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At seventeen she’s already lost more than most people lose in a lifetime. But she’s learned how to forget. The broken glass washes away the sorrow until there is nothing but calm. You don’t have to think about your father and the river. Your best friend, who is gone forever. Or your mother, who has nothing left to give you.
Every new scar hardens Charlie’s heart just a little more, yet it still hurts so much. It hurts enough to not care anymore, which is sometimes what has to happen before you can find your way back from the edge.
Thoughts:
Again, I have this book sent to me by the publisher themselves and despite reading a few chapters of this book, I’ve not had the time (nor the motive) to pick it up BUT I was talking to a friend the other day and she basically gushed over how amazing this book is, so I HAVE to finish it!
Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin
There would be blood. Blood for blood. Blood to pay. An entire world of it.
For the resistance in the Third Reich, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun. Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against Hitler’s army, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.
But in the midst of the chaos, Yael’s past and future collide when she comes face to face with a ghost from her past, and a spark with a fellow rider begins to grow into something more. Dark secrets reveal dark truths and one question hangs over them all—how far can you go for the ones you love?
Thoughts:
I’ve read and LOVED Wolf by Wolf, but I’m just waiting to get my hands on the hardback of Blood for Blood XD I’ve been anticipating its release but I never got the chance to grab a copy for myself… yet. I’ll be sure to nab it once its price go down.. hopefully :’)
You by Caroline Kepnes
When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.
There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.
As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.
Thoughts:
I saw this book in Target, read the first chapter about a girl in a bookstore being stalked by a guy and knew instantly I had to get it. Don’t know why it appealed to me so much, but I was so engrossed with the first chapter that my sister literally had to drag me out of the store. I need it.
The Sun is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon
Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon was one of my favorite reads of 2015, so when I heard that she had a new book coming out I knew I had to get it. And did I? Nope XD I will, though! I love that her books always include some kind of diversity concept, akes me appreciate the author and her books that much more
Have you guys read any of these books? Do let me know if you see any that you like, and tell me why you love it!
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blood for bloodbooks to readcrooked kingdomgirl in piecesmorgan matsonsix of crowsstalking jack the ripperthe song of achillesthe strange and beautiful sorrows of ava lavenderthe sun is also a starthe unexpected everythingyou
Julia on 8 January 2017 at 12:07 am
Wolf by Wolf blew me away! I can’t wait to read Blood for Blood!
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bookishsmaug on 8 January 2017 at 1:03 am
me too! i cannot wait to finally read Blood for Blood!
quireads on 8 January 2017 at 3:56 am
I really liked YOU and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts when you get around to reading it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
bookishsmaug on 8 January 2017 at 10:15 am
I can’t wait!! I’ve heard so many great things about it
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tales of a Biblio on 8 January 2017 at 9:12 am
Great list! Hope you’ll have a great reading year
LikeLiked by 1 person
bookishsmaug on 8 January 2017 at 10:15 am
LikeLiked by 1 person
readandseeksa on 9 January 2017 at 9:47 pm
I am reading The Song of Achilles for like two and a half years – I am really struggling with it but I refuse to DNF it.
I absolutely ADORED Ava Lavender though. Leslye Walton’s writing is breathtaking. I’ll go so far as saying that it’s one of the most beautifully written books that I ever read. It’s also incredibly sad. Just all through the book you are constantly aware of the heavy atmosphere and I think that’s brilliant writing.
Girl in Pieces is on my list of books to read this year too. I’ve heard mixed things about it but the premise really intrigues me and I feel like it’s a genuinely important story. Hopefully we’ll get around to picking it up soon
LikeLiked by 1 person
bookishsmaug on 10 January 2017 at 4:45 pm
Ava Lavender has been on my TBR list for the longest time! And yes, we should! We can buddy read it together
LikeLiked by 1 person
readandseeksa on 10 January 2017 at 9:28 pm
Yay! That would be awesome I need to get my copy asap then
emnemilysbooks on 13 January 2017 at 6:22 am
Girl In Pieces was really good, but definitely read The Unexpected Everything and The Sun is Also a Star ASAP! They are literally so good, and my two favorite reads of 2016!
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Today let us remember that rain is a blessing from God. This means that God is blessing us abundantly! Today let us do a simple exercise before we start our devotional time. Let us sit and be quiet 🤐 in the presence of God as we listen to the rain coming down. Just as God has blessed us take some time to bless Him.
Today let us worship to the song Good Grace by Hillsong.
Bible reading for today
Philemon was a well known roman who met Paul on one of His missionary visits to Ephesus. (Paul wrote this letter while in prison). In Philemon 1 vs 19 we see Philemon gets saved and becomes a Christian leader in one of the church plants. Philemon owned slaves and one of his slaves, Onesimus, wronged him in some way and there was a huge conflict between the two. Onesimus ran away and went to Paul who was in prison and he received salvation.
Paul then wrote to Philemon to try and resolve the conflict. He asked Philemon to welcome Onesimus back not just as a slave but as a brother in Christ. 🤝 We are not told exactly what Onesimus did to Philemon but He is asked to forgive him. Forgiveness can be difficult even at the best of times. But forgiveness sets us free from bitterness and anger and it allows us to love others more unconditionally as God loves us.
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As an artist I have a special interest in shape and color. Standing in the field of abstraction, although with some little license in figuration, I seek to work around those forms that escape every category - forms between forms - that are born from the experience of doing and whose entity is based on the question: How do you name what is not known?
Starting from figure-ground, positive-negative relationships developed from the color generated by various layers in the body of the work, I seek to investigate the infinite possibilities of form. From the drawing of random figures, I build a universe of solids and holes that alternate their roles within the scene. In the search for a certain shape, unexpected figures appear in the intermediate spaces, in the voids, in the excess rest. The leading form is suspected and yields its dominance to a new form that appears; a game of tensions, associations and struggles then opens up that fragilely materialize, momentarily, in the final image.
On the other hand, it is essential for me to move in different directions and techniques, considering crucial for my way of expressing myself, the simple act of doing, through which I discover new ways to approach the behavior of forms and their possibilities in the visual universe. I work mainly with bright colors and contrasting palettes to enhance the differences, tensions and associations that arise between them.
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Juan Sesé was born in Zárate, Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1984. He has a degree in Social Communication from the University of Buenos Aires and works as a photographer and self-taught artist.
He participated in the Open Workshop given by the artist Hernán Paganini and since 2014 he attended the Scalabrini …
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The next exciting entry in the The Modern Library Reading Challenge, concerning itself with boorish protagonists, authors who sue themselves in court, and the interior monologue!
(This is the second entry in the The Modern Library Reading Challenge, an ambitious project to read the entire Modern Library from #100 to #1. Previous entry: The Magnificent Ambersons)
I feel morally obliged to point out that I am hardly the only person attempting to read all of the Modern Library titles. When I first considered this project, I was completely unaware of Lydia Kiesling’s Modern Library Revue — despite being a fairly regular reader of The Millions (and trivial contributor). I was also pleasantly surprised to discover a blog called The Modern Library List of Books run by a mysterious Canadian woman named Devon S., who now lives in New York City (after a stint in Paris). Devon is also reading the Modern Library from #100 to #1, and is now at #87 after a little more than a year. I’d also be remiss to dismiss Rachael Reads. Rachael, like Lydia, is reading the Modern Library titles out of order. I smiled a long while over the Connecticut Museum Quest’s slower but very noble efforts to read three Modern Library books a year — which, by my math, works out to about 40 years for the 121 books. This seems to me a very sensible long-term commitment. Still, if you can’t read them all, you can always just take on the authors more reflective of 21st century enlightenment.
The Modern Library list has only been around for thirteen years. Yet already people are happy to share their reading adventures and their unanticipated epiphanies. Evelyn Waugh becomes a “bi-curious hipster boyfriend.” (I hope to respond to that intriguing proposition when I eventually hit #80, assuming hipsters — and Michael Cera’s career — still exist by the time I get to Brideshead.) Midnight’s Children reminds another of “the many Englishes in the world.”
For my own part, Sebastian Dangerfield, the wonderfully monstrous protagonist of J.P. Donleavy’s The Ginger Man, recalled Johnny (Donleavy’s first name) in Mike Leigh’s Naked. In fact, in Leigh’s film, the sadistic landlord Jeremy G. Smart identifies himself as “Sebastian Hawk.” Apparently, I wasn’t alone in making this association. An interviewer named Gineen Cooper, writing for a literary magazine called The Pannus Index, even asked Donleavy if he had seen Leigh’s movie. (Donleavy hadn’t.) I don’t know if I buy Ms. Cooper’s theory of the “anarchic Dionysian rhetoric which underlines both characters’ personalities” — in part because ideology is the wrong method with which to consider both Johnny and Dangerfield. Also, in Dangerfield’s case, we are dealing with a character bifurcated on the page. (More on this in a bit.) For both characters, surely the behavior here is fascinating enough. But when Donleavy’s Sebastian said to his mate, “I’m twenty-seven years old and I feel like I’m sixty,” I couldn’t help thinking of Mike Leigh’s Johnny being misidentified as forty while stating his age as twenty-seven.
Irrespective of these parallels, The Ginger Man turned out to be a grand hoot — very aggressive and funny, certainly more interesting and stylistically daring than The Magnificent Ambersons in its exploration of youthful hubris. (And what is it with the Modern Library books and prickish protagonists so far? I certainly hope that the behavioral spectrum expands in the next several books!) The Ginger Man is the kind of novel you give to a finger-shaking dogmatist who insists that some modest behavioral infraction on your part, talked out through apologia and attentive listening, instantly transforms you into an asshole. Sebastian Dangerfield, like Humbert Humbert, is one of the great assholes of 20th century literature: he is charismatic, he somehow talks women into bed (but not all of them), he is tolerated by many despite his boorishness, and he is more than a bit sociopathic. Dangerfield carries the redolent stench of entitlement. Here is a young man purportedly studying law at Trinity College, one who has great responsibilities to his wife Marion and his kid. Yet he thinks nothing of plundering the last stash of cash and blowing it all on stout, much less taking up an affair with the very woman who sublets the room. And if that isn’t degenerate enough for you, Dangerfield leeches off his friends, even after his friends have become paupers:
I have discovered one of the great ailments of Ireland, 67% of the population have never been completely naked in their lives. Now don’t you, as a man of broad classical experience, find this a little strange and perhaps even a bit unhygienic. I think it is certainly both of those things. I am bound to say that this must cause a good deal of the passive agony one sees in the streets. There are other things wrong with this country but I must leave them wait for they are just developing in my mind.
That’s a portion from Dangerfield’s letter in response to his friend Kenneth O’Keefe, who has written to Dangerfield a few chapters earlier of his dire straits in France. O’Keefe is hungry “enough to eat dog,” rationing himself twelve peas for every meal, claiming impotence, and, most importantly, counting upon the money that Dangerfield promised he would pay him back. But Dangerfield would rather offer a foolish philosophy than own up to his responsibilities as both friend and debtor.
His truly unpardonable behavior even gets him into the newspapers (“His eyes were given as very wild,” reports the broadsheet, suggesting a descriptive shortsightedness from the witnesses, the reporter, the police, all of Ireland herself!), and yet this Ginger Man is strangely capable of getting away with much — defying the Irish Guard, flouting the drinking curfews, terrifying bartenders and train passengers, and even stringing naive young girls along and persuading them to spend their hard-earned cash on him.
Donleavy is quite clever in the way he invites the reader to figure out why Dangerfield is so loutish. Dangerfield never quite tells us what he wants. (In the letter I quoted above, we see the way that Dangerfield tries comparing his troubles to those of Ireland. First-class narcissism. But even this still doesn’t entirely answer the question of why he behaves this way.) When Dangerfield talks with a sketchy man named Percy Clocklan, Dangerfield asks him, “What would you like out of life, Percy?” Is the aimless Dangerfield merely passing the time? Is he tolerated because of this apparent flattery?
On the other hand, the book is working from a highly stylized interior monologue. Donleavy swaps between first-person and third-person — often in the same paragraph and very frequently in clipped sentences (the latter is almost a neutral mediator, a voice somewhere between Dangerfield and narrator):
Sebastian crawled naked through the morning room into the kitchen. Turned the key and scrabbling back to the morning room, waiting under the table. Through the mirror on the opposite wall he saw he saw the cap of the mailman pass by. I’ve got to see the postman. Get a blanket off Mrs. Frost’s bed.
That passage comes later in the book, when Dangerfield’s house (rented from a landlord named Egbert Skully) has fallen into slovenly disrepair and funds aren’t coming anytime soon. Which means, of course, that Dangerfield is on the run. His strategy is to carry on being a shit. The mirror imagery, omitting the reflection of our narcissistic hero, may suggest that one of Dangerfield’s main problems is a profound inability to see what he does. This self-delusion is further suggested by the way in which Dangerfield’s first-person interventions begins to take up a greater portion of the story as both the book (and Dangerfield’s life) carries on.
Yet for long stretches of the book, this ignoble beast evades nearly every punitive fate. How does a guy like Dangerfield get away with this crassitude? Another clue be found in Donleavy’s excellent dialogue (it’s hardly an accident that Donleavy had the chops to adapt this novel into a play), suggesting that our hero’s primary skill is the right combination of witty quips and backhanded compliments:
“My dear Chris, you do have a lovely pair of legs. Strong. You hide them.”
“My dear Sebastian, I do thank you. I’m not hiding them. Does that make men follow one?”
“It’s the hair that does that.”
“Not the legs?”
“The hair and the eyes.”
Dangerfield does get some form of comeuppance near the end (he lives for his inheritance, but he learns that his inheritance has been planned around the way he lives), yet within the safety of the novel, this titular Ginger Man, running from Dublin to London, can’t be caught. “You’re a terrible man, Sebastian,” says one character late in the novel. “Merry fraud,” replies Dangerfield, in a bit of wordplay directed to two serious victims (Marion, his wife; Mary, a girl he runs off with).
It’s worth pointing out that this was pretty hot stuff back in 1955, skirting the line between literary comedy and perceived obscenity. After The Ginger Man was rejected by nearly every major publisher, Maurice Girodias of The Olympia Press agreed to publish it. Unfortunately for Donleavy, Girodias published The Ginger Man as part of its Traveller’s Companion Series, listing it as a “special volume” with such titles as Richardson’s The Sexual Life of Robinson Crusoe, Lengel’s White Thighs, Van Heller’s Rape, and Jones’s The Enormous Bed. The Ginger Man was published as pornography. This may seem tame in 2011, but in the mid-20th century, writers, often going by pen names, could be blacklisted or even arrested for such associations. It didn’t help that Girodias had expressly violated the terms that he and Donleavy had agreed to. As The Ginger Man garnered global renown, there were years of litigation and disputes over the rights. Eventually Girodias went bankrupt, giving Donleavy a chance to buy up the Olympia Press rights He found himself in a courtroom suing himself.
Donleavy, it turns out, is still alive. Last August, the Independent tracked him down — under the proviso that the newspaper would host a picnic and provide all the food and drink. He didn’t say much. In The History of The Ginger Man, Donleavy wrote about what his friend, the bestselling (and now largely forgotten) novelist Ernest Gebler, told him about what authors do when they get rich:
“Mike, they buy binoculars, shotguns, sports cars and fishing rods, and a big estate to use them on. And then outfitted in their new life, along with new bathrooms, wallpaper and brands of soap, they make a fatal mistake and change their women. To schemingly get toasted and roasted on glowing hot emotional coals, and subjected to a whole new set of tricks and treacheries. Which leaves that author spiritually disillusioned and minus his favorite household implements.”
Donleavy, who has seen 45 million copies of The Ginger Man sold (the book has never gone out of print), still lives cheaply despite his success. He seems to have followed Gebler’s advice.
Reddit
The Magnificent Ambersons (Modern Library #100) January 31, 2011 at 12:45 am
The Modern Library Reading Challenge January 31, 2011 at 12:46 am
[…] Booth Tarkington, The Magnificent Ambersons (January 17, 2011) 99. J.P. Donleavy, The Ginger Man (January 31, 2011) 98. James M. Cain, The Postman Always Rings Twice 97. Paul Bowles, The […]
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for Klein ISD Trustee Position 6
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iVoter Guide Released Candidate Ratings!
Kristin Cobb Attends the First TEA-Approved Training for School Board Members to Compete with the Texas Association of School Boards!
Kristin Cobb Supports Safe Schools
School Board members must take time to read the House Committee Report on the Uvalde tragedy. Klein ISD passed bonds in May to address security in the district. According to this report, several mistakes were made by the district and district police that could have given precious minutes for first responders to reach the children. We can avoid the mistakes made at Robb Elementary School to assure this never occurs in Klein ISD.
The committee states, "...with hindsight, we can say that Robb Elementary did not adequately prepare for the risk of an
Kristin has a strong emergency response background. She holds a degree in Organizational Leadership focused on Emergency Management. She also maintains current FEMA disaster preparedness certifications and actively volunteers in this field. Kristin Cobb is the best choice for safe schools in Klein.
Klein ISD School Board Candidate Forum Q and A
This is the Q and A portion of last week's Klein forum. I was shocked by the lack of knowledge (of their role) that the incumbents have! At best they were ignorant of the facts, at worst they were lying. We must have leaders who are willing to put in the work on the board, and not asleep at the wheel.
Conservative moms back Kristin Cobb for Klein ISD School Board race
A coalition of conservative Christian moms express deep concerns over Klein ISD's unanimous support to adopt its equity resolution and funding of teaching leadership training that recommends several race focused books including, "White Fragility." Amid mounting pressure for institutional mandates, parents call for women of faith from their community to run for the school board to support our children and traditional family values.
Incredibly Race-Focused Klein Training! We Need a Conservative Board Member to say No!
Klein ISD school board continues to tell the community that they have outlawed critical race theory in the district. Yet they unanimously supported Kleins Equity Resolution and provided this training to Klein leadership. Why is this race-focused training given in Klein? Take a look at the recommended reading! It's time to vote in a conservative voice that stands for our traditional family values.
UPDATE: Klein ISD Bond News and Tax Rate!!!
At September's school board meeting, Klein ISD voted on the tax rate and we got duped on the bonds!
Remember during the Klein ISD bond election, the district said no new bonds were envisioned to be sold before 2023, with payments expected to begin in 2024? Not anymore!
***Between the May 7 election and the June 13 Board meeting, the district decided to disregard these schedules.***
Instead, the district issued $150 million in bonds in August, leading to an increase in the debt service for 2023 over what was published in the district's Truth in Taxation documents. Taxpayers in the District were expecting to benefit this year from falling debt service of $0.09 per $100 valuation. Klein ISD managed to take back every bit of that savings from us! Moreover, by ignoring the schedules, the predicted tax rate impact from the bond sales portrayed by Klein ISD to provoke “Yes” votes is now moot.
The district published four Voter Information Documents in advance of the May 7 Bond Election. Only Propositions A and B passed. The Documents lay out a schedule of bond sales and payments for each of the propositions. The Notice of Public Meeting to Discuss Budget and Proposed Tax Rate, published in concert with the June Board meeting, already incorporated additional debt service spending.
“There was some comic relief last evening watching the Trustees stumble over the required wording of the tax rate motion. It was like poison in their mouths. And immediately after they expressed the required language, they made all sorts of comments to try and undermine it.” -J
Just in case you didn’t already figure this out, Klein ISD voted to approve the highest tax rate allowed by law (again) at the board meeting which will result in a 6.38% increase on your property taxes. The key wording that the board struggled to say was that they are RAISING our taxes. Regarding this property tax raise, you’ll hear this Klein spin, “Klein ISD unanimously passed the lowest tax rate in 30 years!”
“With each year Morath’s A-F rating system has been in place, he has moved the goalposts and changed the game.”
Listen to Kristin Cobb discussing her censored announcement post on The Amigos
Censored Post: I am running for Klein ISD School Board!
And I need your help. Over the past years, the Klein ISD School Board has portrayed itself to be conservative, supporting our freedoms, standing for Biblical truth in their actions, claiming that they are against the tenets of Critical Race Theory and were protecting our children. Last year we found out this wasn’t true.
After eight long months, we finally received an update on what has been done about the book situation in Klein. We were told that “less than can be counted on one hand” of the books we questioned were removed but that Klein keeps no records of those they have reviewed and removed! I provided a list, with quotes of about 20 extremely explicit books found in Klein libraries back in December of last year along with the list provided by Representative Matt Krause of which Klein holds 477 of the 844 books on his list. Parents even submitted a petition to the board to remove these books from our schools. Clearly, the board does not intend to address explicit sexual content in Klein libraries, will continue to ignore parents, and outright hide information from us.
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD made news this week! The school board voted to ban Critical Race Theory, require the use of biologically based pronouns, prohibit boys from using the girls’ restroom, and implement a review process for the age-appropriateness of library books. Sadly, Klein ISD has not taken the lead in these areas. I took a deep dive into the voting history of the Klein ISD school board and found that for years EVERY board vote has been unanimous! Where is the conservative holding the line for our children on these issues? We need an advocate on the Klein ISD school board that is willing to vote for family values.
As school districts across Texas are taking action on these damaging practices, we need an advocate on the Klein ISD School Board. Without an advocate for our values on the Klein ISD School Board, we will continue to see the board pushing toxic agendas, our taxes will continue to skyrocket, and conservative teachers will continue to feel pressured to remain silent.
I have been speaking up for you at school board meetings about the decline in education, inappropriate books in the libraries, against the increase in our taxes done last year by the board who set our tax rate to the highest rate allowed by law in a district with 50% of its student body economically disadvantaged and against the questionable spending of our tax dollars on woke teacher trainings. I have been filing public information requests that are largely ignored or circumvented. It’s clear that we need someone on the Klein board who is willing to ask the hard questions and advocate for the taxpayers and teachers who live and work in Klein ISD.
I need your support! Together we can make a difference.
Please watch Kleins Equity Resolution below, adopted with unanimous support by each board member. The resolution has not been withdrawn. This is from last school year when parents started to realize that Klein was moving the needle away from our traditional family values. Why did Klein suddenly begin to focus on race? Since then, much more has come to light in this district.
Kristin Cobb invited to discuss her run for Klein ISD with Impact America
Listen to Kristin Cobb discuss her run for Klein ISD on the 45 North podcast
Kristin Cobb speaks at the Recover America Klein ISD Candidate Forum, introduction by Rick Scarborough.
God's Not Dead and Neither Are We the People
Our campaign was recently featured in the Katy Christian Magazine where we held a meet and greet at the Willowbrook AMC theaters movie screening of "God's Not Dead."
Click Here to Read the Article!
Kristin Cobb speaks to Faith Votes at Grace Church
What's Next Houston CW39 on Kristin Cobb for Klein ISD
Klein school ratings found to be more important than student safety
A child was bullied severely in Wunderlich Intermediate and KFHS. After repeated attempts to stop the bullying, and even after he was stabbed with an X-Acto knife by another student, the board and the superintendent would not allow us to change schools within the district even though his parents were able to drive him! They were told that was not an option. That absolutely was an option. Unfortunately for this student, he wasn't performing well academically so no one in charge wanted to move him. He happened to be in the lowest academically performing school at the time. Why hurt the ratings of other schools in the district?
If elected, I will advocate for student safety. People over policy.
Klein school ratings play a major role in district student failure
My husband and I got custody of one of my stepsons when he was in 7th grade. He had missed over a year of school and was extremely behind in all subjects. At the end of his senior year, he had not passed STAAR and was either barely passing or failing his courses. Passing these tests are reported to be a requirement. As we were preparing for another year of high school, we received notice that the "school board" voted in a closed session to allow him to graduate anyway. At Klein Forest High School there were several adult students. He was just 17 when he “graduated.”
As an adult, he is still struggling. College seems out of reach. He would have to take several remedial courses to reach grade level. The education of our children was decimated during the 2020 school shutdowns. The school board needs to focus on catching these kids back up and making sure they do not repeat this same failure.
As a mom with 2 daughters in Klein ISD, this is very concerning. We need new leadership that will take responsibility for educating all children. This includes underachieving kids. Our children are not just numbers. I'm running against a board member that was part of voting not to take responsibility for my child's education.
Klein ISD 2021 recommended reading for teaching leadership
It pains me to see this as the Klein ISDs recommended reading list for our teaching and leadership teams. We need stop focusing on what makes us different and focus on providing quality education to all students regardless of socioeconomic or racial background. This shows the disconnect between the district and what students really need. Our teachers should be equipped to provide our students the essentials like reading and math.
Percentage of goals met at Klein ISD (from txschools.gov on Klein ISDs 2020-21 school year).
Teacher at Klein ISD assigns students banned book about systemic racism in police departments, another assigns a book on gender confusion
A mom in Klein ISD is married to a police officer. They have a child in a Klein ISD school who was assigned a book by his teacher with an anti-police theme, alcohol, drug usage, and profanity titled, "All American Boys" that taught about systemic racism in police departments. This book is the third most banned book of 2020, yet it is being assigned to our children in Klein. Check it out in the link below. Is this what we should be teaching our children?
Gracefully Grayson was the title of a book given to a 6th grade student. "Grayson has been holding onto a secret for what seems like forever: “he” is a girl on the inside, stuck in the wrong gender’s body."
If elected, I will focus on advocating for the necessary community and parental involvement needed so these situations can be caught earlier and mitigated more effectively.
No place for lobbyist groups in Klein ISD
Klein supports the ADL for its anti-bullying program. The Anti-Defamation League. This is a lobbyist group that supports legislation that is pro-abortion, and specifically supports CRT in all levels of education. Check them out for yourself!
The ADL has no place in Klein ISD. If elected I will advocate for its removal and replace it with a program that supports all children, without an underlying agenda.
An important role of school board members is to engage parents and the community in school affairs
Do you follow the Klein ISD website meticulously?
If not, you might have missed your opportunity to speak at this months school board meeting. The meeting time was changed to 5 PM instead of the usual time, 6 PM.
An important aspect of a school board members role is community outreach and parent involvement. One easy fix here is to send out email or text notifications for school board meetings so that parents can have a voice in district decisions!
If elected, I will advocate for this change.
Klein won National District of the Year! https://txschools.gov/districts/101915/student-achievement This isn't pretty, but ignoring this issue will not solve it.
Massive unchecked use of Klein ISD taxpayer dollars
The Klein ISD check registers are difficult to sort through. There are over 50,000 charges. They are disorganized with no meaningful descriptions. Unless technically educated or experienced in financial auditing within Klein ISD they are almost indecipherable.
A main duty of school board members is to be good stewards of district funds. The current structure allows for massive unnecessary use of taxpayer dollars. These unchecked expenditures continue be passed through. There seems to be no financial oversight from the current board.
If elected, I will advocate for a community driven committee of 10-20 community members and parents. The committee role will be to sort through and investigate the organizations and expenses the district financially supports. This will assure expenditures are in line with district values and goals. Together we can achieve transparency in the way our tax dollars are spent in Klein ISD!
Klein ISD board misleading public on the tax rate?
1: to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive.
Property values went up an average of 6.60% according to the Harris County Appraisal District. The Klein ISD board knows this. They dropped our taxes by 2.8%. 6.60-2.8%= 3.8%. We all just got a 3.8% tax increase! That's nothing to brag about. Yes, you are going to pay substantially more for your taxes. In fact, the current rate is the highest amount Klein can set without a Tax Ratification Election, which they lost in 2018.
Klein ISD, award-winning district?
We keep hearing from the board Klein ISD "is thriving." We’re winning awards and our kids are doing so well! Let’s look how well we’re really doing in Klein ISD. Can some one help me find a passing statistic for Klein please? Why aren't we talking about this?
Percentage of goals met at Klein ISD
College, Career, and Military Ready - 61%
Percentage of students that meet grade level - 47%
Justice, the missing piece of the equity puzzle
In Klein you dont have to look far to see a focus on equity. The missing piece of the puzzle... The goal should be Justice. We don't need to give more to some students because then others slip through the cracks, like Kristin Cobb's son. Regardless of race, gender, or affiliation, we should focus on removing barriers to support all students.
Here is an example: My daughter was pulled for dyslexia help in elementary during her ELA (English) class. She struggled the most with reading. Already, that seemed non-productive.
When she was pulled for these classes, they taught two things. The first was cursive. Think about how children with dyslexia transpose their "d" and "b" letters. Cursive almost entirely solves this issue. At this time cursive was being debated as being taught at all.
The second thing she was taught in these classes was phonics. This was because common core and sight words had come into vogue at the time. Phonics was not being taught at that time but was deemed valuable.
Justice: In this situation, teaching phonics and cursive to the entire student body would allow students who struggle, to participate in class without losing critical time with their teachers in subjects they need the most help. This is an example of the illustration below. This would be Justice.
Note: Klein ISDs website has the first two drawings as their goal.
Klein ISDs 9th grade assignments... nothing to CRT here
Take a look at Klein ISD assignments in a 9th grade ELA class.
Still here and looking for more?
Klein ISD teacher and her husband started a tell-all blog about problems with the current school board
The new website, Friends of Klein ISD Taxpayers, takes an in-depth look at the problems in Klein ISD, the Holdsworth Center, and the tax rate. Check it out at the link below! Prepare to be scandalized (if you're not already in shock). https://sites.google.com/view/friends-of-klein-taxpayers/home
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I could hear the ticket collector’s loud voice and his laughter.. He seems to be finding great joy in his work, for many, a very monotonous job. What is he doing, I have a problem here with my seat and at this rate he will not reach me tonight. I walked up to him and said ‘I have a problem….’, before I could complete he guffawed, ha ha… don’t call it a prablem saar, only aappartunities..’ I said, you can call it what you want, there is a lady sleeping in the berth allotted to me, number 60 and I am travelling to Bangalore. Everybody around laughed and my anxiety simply melted away.
He came to my seat, bend down and exchanged some whispers with the lady, turned towards me and said ‘Saar, you are young and strong, you can easily occupy the upper berth, the lady is not well’. I was holding a senior citizen concessional ticket and with joint pains and a boosted spirit, I went up with silent oohs, aahs and ouches.
This joally man converted a problematic (my perspective) situation to an opportunity to serve a lady who needed help.
Give it a thought, what is a so called problem ? As long as life is there, there is a solution to every situation, quite often many. Once there is a solution, it is no more a problem. The end situation in life is death. Once we die, there goes the problem, what ever.
A manager walked into my room. “Sir, I have problem with my mother in law’. By the way, the manager is a female.
“please sit and what is the problem?”
“she gets very angry when I return home, late”
“I stay back in the office, an extra hour or two, to meet our schedule”
“Why cant you complete the job in time, after all you are the one who is scheduling it”
“Have you told your mother in law the reason for the late coming”
“yes, she says she does not care, be home early”
“Are you ok to stop working”
“why”
“ I need the money, after all I have my husband’s mother, father and college going sister at home and single member salary will not suffice”
“Tell your mother in law, you will have to give up the job”
“She says you can leave the job, no coming late, she cannot tolerate me coming home late”
“In that case you leave the job and please your mother in law”
“No. sir”
“Go home and tell your MIL that I have asked you to stop coming to office from next week, that is from the first and you stay back home tomorrow and tell her you have decided to leave with immediate effect. Buy something nice for her and gift it from me and tell her I lectured you about the importance of giving priority to look after old people.”
The mother in law was touched by the gift and my concern for her, what worked was her non acceptance of being bracketed into the old age group. She came to the office the next day with her daughter in law and I said ‘wow, she is your mother in law, she looks younger than you”.
The daughter in law continues to work till date, while I have moved out.
The treatment will vary from mother in law to mother in law.
There are no problems, only situations to deal with. Accept the reality as it is, stop whinnng, do not resist. All our stresses are the result of resistance to reality. Respond, not react to a situation, take action. You cannot undo anything in life, you can only redo.
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Grateful for the love and respect received so far. Inspire, motivate and enable anybody to achieve their limitless limits-that is my goal for the rest of my life. Worked in MECON, Mphasis, Cofounder KelpHR, kelphr.com View all posts by rajmenon
September 14, 2014 at 8:54 pm
very true. most of the time, we imagine too much into any situation.; finally turns out to be “no problem”
September 14, 2014 at 8:55 pm
very true. for every so called ‘problem’ , there are more solutions. so lets look at solutions.
September 16, 2014 at 9:33 am
September 16, 2014 at 11:24 am
Some MILs can be the other way around. When my wife wanted to study law after she got married my mother was the first to encourage her. She told her go ahead and study, I will do the work at home. Later on when she started her practice she used to leave home at 7-8am and back at 9pm some times and never faced any problems.
September 20, 2014 at 6:18 pm
You are Right Narendra ji. My wife always says her mother in law is better than mine. You and your wife are an admirable couple living a service oriented life. Only good people will be in your life, hence the wonderful mother in law in your wife’s life.
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Reveal your worth and get on the radar of potential purchasers. What you are promoting should not be a secret. It is time to STOP hiding! If you happen to do not let folks know your exist, who will?Getting your self on the market and being seen and heard by your target market is the way you reveal your trade experience and construct your credibility as a profession professional whereas constructing your model.Placing your self on the market additionally provides you the chance to actually join along with your very best purchasers, giving them an opportunity to get to know, like, and belief (KLT) you.Individuals really feel extra comfy doing enterprise with folks they know and corporations they really feel they’ll belief. Constructing that KLT issue with them, you are placing your self in a greater place of them reaching out to you after they’re able to work with a profession coach or resume author.Content material advertising and marketing or sharing info along with your target market may be finished in several methods. A couple of of the simplest methods is doing weblog posts and writing articles regularly.One other manner is doing video content material advertising and marketing, which is big and in accordance with Forbes, VIDEO is projected to assert greater than 80% of all net visitors by 2019! So that you may wish to take into consideration incorporating video into your advertising and marketing combine someplace down the road as nicely.So the following factor is what do you write about? I feel developing with subjects to put in writing about or “writer’s block syndrome” is what makes many individuals hesitant beginning a weblog or writing articles, which is why I am glad you are watching my video as a result of I may help you provide you with concepts immediately!Simply take into consideration the questions you get requested again and again by job seekers. These FAQs are subject concepts you possibly can write about! Additionally, take into consideration the commonest issues job seekers come to you with. These too may be subjects you possibly can write about. Listed below are a couple of examples of the questions I bought on a regular basis after I labored with job seekers:
How lengthy ought to my resume be?
How far again ought to my resume go?
Do you actually suppose a LinkedIn profile will assist me?
What does private branding imply?
Take Motion:Brainstorm a listing of 20-25 subjects you possibly can write about, block out a while in your calendar to work on them and begin advertising and marketing your content material as weblog posts, profession articles, or do a video to share your info. I does not matter which manner you do it as long as you are placing your self on the market in entrance of your viewers.
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