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Welcome to Varied Expressions of Worship

Welcome to Varied Expressions of Worship

This blog will be written from an orthodox Christian point of view. There may be some topic that is out of bounds, but at present I don't know what it will be. Politics is a part of life. Theology and philosophy are disciplines that we all participate in even if we don't think so. The Bible has a lot to say about economics. How about self defense? Is war ethical? Think of all the things that someone tells you we should not touch and let's give it a try. Everything that is a part of life should be an expression of worship.

Keep it courteous and be kind to those less blessed than you, but by all means don't worry about agreeing. We learn more when we get backed into a corner.

Saturday, January 23, 2021

Opus 2021-049: Deja Vu

Will conservatives eventually be forced to flee and hide?  Probably, and that goes double for genuine Christians.  They tend to be conservatives because liberal values are anathema to the Bible.  Today I came across something that reminds me this is nothing new.

Thursday I finished reading through the Bible with the book of Revelation.  Friday I started again in Genesis with a desire to not be hurried, to spend some time in contemplation and study.  I was looking into the fact that the Hebrew word for God, Elohim, is plural.  

(Gen 1:1 KJV) In the beginning God [Elohim] created the heaven and the earth.
Keep in mind that Judaism believes in only one God.  Christians believe in one God also but have the concept of the Trinity with deals with this seeming contradiction.

As I was reading about the implications for Christians and the doctrine of the Trinity Adam Clarke, an 18th century Bible scholar, quoted someone named Simeon ben Joachi (Yohai).  I may write about that quote some other time.  What struck me as I read a little bit was the predicament that Rabbi Joachi found himself in.
“In the Talmudic legend, Rabbi Simeon made some adverse remarks about the Roman occupation of Judaea and when this was reported to the government authorities he was obliged to flee for his life. Together with his son, Eleazar, he lived in a cave for thirteen years.”
This comes from a site called My Jewish Learning.  

I thought it was interesting that speaking out against the government had the same response in the second century from the Roman Empire that it is having today in the American Congress.

Watch your mouth and stay safe.  History may repeat itself but we can at least make it work for the privilege.

homo unius libri

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Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.