My younger brother died just a little over a year ago. He left an awesome legacy in his children, all serious believers, and his grandchildren. The funeral was inspirational and the time with family was refreshing. This past weekend we had my sister-in-law down and continued the healing.
One of the topics that came up was the nature of eternal life and that opened the door to a lot of glorious attempts to understand the impossibilities. In the conversation she shared a thought that had never occurred to me. She equated the baby emerging from the womb with the resurrection. You can carry any analogy too far, and I am sure we did, but the parallels were inspiring.
Picture a baby in the womb. There is no light. The concept of light is incomprehensible. When the infant emerges his eyes are assaulted by a brightness and a variety that he has no way of understanding. Slowly, over time, things begin to make sense and a whole new dimension is embraced. I look forward to the visuals of heaven.
The newborn must deal with a greater clarity of sounds. I remember talking to our children before they were born. I know they could hear or sense the vibration of my voice. They may not know the words but the timber was familiar. Now they had to begin to figure out the words, melodies and sound effects. I expect there to be music in heaven that would put me in a trance if I heard it today, or it might burn out my ears.
There will be freedom of movement. In the womb the baby and kick, punch and squirm. He has no comprehension of crawling and the idea of walking would really be strange. What will our incorruptible bodies be able to do?
We can readily see parallels with what the resurrection will bring.
In between there is another required rite of passage. In John it is called being born again. Paul talks about three levels of spiritual condition at the end of I Corinthians 2 and into chapter 3: Natural, carnal and spiritual. The natural man has no comprehension of spiritual things and the carnal Christian is limited to the milk of the word. Only the spiritual man can begin to comprehend the great truths of God. That is why the Bible continues to speak to us all our lives.
We have come through a lot. What is to come will dwarf the past. Keep on the path for the final resurrection. The third time is the charm.
homo unius libri
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.
Opus 2026-274: Born Again…and Again
Opus 2025-281: Death Watch
I just lost my younger brother. I myself am pushing 80. At church I’m surrounded by a growing number of people experiencing what could very well be their last turn of the wheel. Death is very real. And yet it is a time of joy and celebration. As Christians, we are kind of odd balls in the game of life because we march to a tune the pagan world cannot wrap its arms around.
To us death is a door. It is a door that stands before all of us, but unlike the pagan world we know what’s on the other side and we know that as much as we enjoy life here and now, the other side of that door is going to be much better. That’s why I the questions from a certain passage of scripture highlight our awareness,
1 Corinthians 15:55 (KJV) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?Through the door for us is the resurrection. It will be a resurrection into new bodies new minds, new spirits, and a resurrection into life eternal.
So death comes to mind frequently in my days now. I’m not trying to hurry it along. I have grandchildren to contribute to and the church family to support. I have the daily joy of the Lord. At the same time it’s coming.
When I think of the sting of death, I think it is more in the sting of a tetanus shot as opposed to the sting of a wasp.
homo unius libri
Opus 2025-217: Be Careful with Your Excuses
We were holding Wednesday night service, the pastor was out of town, and the guy who leads our singing was in charge of the teaching portion. Early in what he had to say he presented this verse,
Genesis 2:17 (KJV) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.He then asked in passing, “Did Adam know what it meant to die?” And then he went on. I don’t know if he planned on the question or just threw it out. It just started me down a rabbit trail. I don’t know if this was a deep thought that he was still thinking about. I don’t know if it was just the Holy Spirit putting some words in his mouth to make me sit up and pay attention.
It’s a good question. Did Adam know what it meant to die? There’s no indication that he asked for any clarification. There was no sense of mystery or ignorance. God made a statement.
Chapter 3 repeats the statement and the serpent denies that it’s true. Again, there is no indication that they didn’t know what it meant. Living in the garden, I would assume that leaves my fall off and decompose, but I could be wrong. It could be that at that point there was no cycle going on of plants dying, decomposing, enriching the soil, coming back as new plants. But at the same time, there is no indication that there was any doubt that this dying business was serious.
I can forward to this week in River City. How often do we have people claim to not understand? I always like that phrase that I first saw in pro-life advertisements, which goes, “Which part of ‘no’ don’t you understand? The answer was rather obvious. The guy putting pressure on the young lady understood exactly what “no” meant. His purpose was not to understand, it was to be gratified.
I wonder how often I have played this game with God. Nothing jumps to mind, but it seems unlikely that I have never tried to play the game. I trust that as I go forward that if I don’t understand something I will look a little deeper. That comes whether it’s a point the pastor is making, the logical position in a book, a passage of scripture or something having to do with our civil society.
God does not accept excuses. Neither does the well gravity, or the second law of thermodynamics. Take that into consideration next time you feel like making an excuse.
homo unius libri
Opus 2024-088: Eternity
As I was contemplating how God communicates with us I noticed what seemed to be a pattern. The first communication was simply God, appearing walking in the garden and talking with Adam and Eve. The second appearance is to Cain. Again, we have a simple conversation. That seems to be his pattern until we get to Moses. With Moses, we start having things like burning bushes. Revealing the law on Mount Sinai was full of spectacular events. Those events were still explained in understandable terms.
God spoke to David and through David. There was a lot of figures of speech and poetic language, but, again, still clear communication.
When we get to Revelation, everything changes, and we have all of these strange images that make no sense to normal person. I tend to think of eternity in terms of the mystery of the unknown. I have been thinking that we would not be able to understand it. Maybe I have that all wrong.
Perhaps eternity will be understandable as God was understood by Abraham. Perhaps it’s just the clarity of our thinking that will be different. Maybe we will understand infinity. Maybe we will we will be able to get our arms around everlasting.
When you think about the description of creation, there are no terms or ideas that we cannot grasp. In fact, most people are quite content with that and don’t go behind it. It is possible that in eternity the basics that bring us joy and satisfaction and fulfillment will be within reach of all of our enlightened minds. For those who want to go deeper into subatomic structures and particle theory, and all of the physics involved, they will be able to do that. Also that will be the glory of eternity.
It is possible that with our glorified minds, God will be understandable.
We will have to wait and see how it works out. I am content to know that if I could understand it now it might not be worth understanding then.
homo unius libri
Opus 2024-046: Five to Go
I am at the age when the ranks are thinning.
I figure I have about five years left. I have no scientific basis for that but then science often has no scientific basis either. It is pure speculation arrived at in idle moments. I think I started thinking about it in my 50's. My grandfather died at 67. He was super-sedentary, shaped like a bowling ball, probably had diabetes and did nothing to take care of it. My father lived to 74, a seven year difference. He had polio as a child and worked hard all his life. He had diabetes but dealt with it.
Fast forward in the world of fantasy and “evidence based” research. I figure I will live to be 81. That is five years away. I would not say I am frisky but then I never was. I am doing well. I walk every day and so far, as much as I can remember, have always found my way home. I could live to be 100. I have an uncle who is 91 and counting.
However it works out I am convinced that God will call me home when He is ready, not when I have it scheduled. I can live with that. I can die with that. My only request is that it be quick.
homo unius libri
Opus 2023-291: In Praise of Snake Oil
Recently I had a friend from long ago die. I never heard the reason. He was the same age as I am. He is gone and I am still cooking. Was it fair? No. He was the kind of guy who was always lean and trim. In his sixties I would not have been surprised if he hiked the John Muir trail in his underwear, in winter. I, on the other hand, consider taking the stairs instead of the elevator to the second floor a feat deserving lavish praise.
Have you experience this kind of thing? Whenever I hear that someone has died out of sync, I want to ask THE question: Did they take the vaccine? Recently a guy older than me died. He had a double lung transplant five years ago. His kidneys were going bad. Even there I wanted to ask THE question because it was his heart that failed.
The covid foolishness has destroyed my confidence in the medical profession. If I as a layman could look at the available data and see that this “super virus” was no more dangerous than the seasonal flu, why didn’t the professionals who know how to read the research know this? I will give them the benefit of the doubt for the first two months but when the evidence of the two cruise ships quarantined in Tokyo harbor came in, it became obvious that they had abandoned their pledge to first, do no harm. They administered a vaccine that did little for those sick and caused unmeasured damage to the healthy. It seems like daily we hear of a tragedy involving infants having heart attacks and prime athletes collapsing. It is not natural. It is a genuine conspiracy.
I think back to the vaccines I took through my childhood. It was a small number compared to what is being pushed today, but seeing how the pharmaceutical industry has sold out the human race in the quest of obscene profits has made me think again. I have not had a shot since my new born was exposed to hepatitis. I have never understood why people flock to get flu shots every year. Still, I thought there was some reason for all this. Now I am not so sure.
The more I learn about the people who are in charge of the nations health, the more I am willing to take my snake oil remedies, my daughter makes an elderberry elixir, and the simple hand of Providence. More and more I simply assume God will take me when He is ready and no doctor can keep alive if He decides my time has come.
I can live with that.
homo unius libri
Opus 2023-221: Another Shoe Drops
Today I am going to a funeral. I am expecting to possibly shed a few quiet tears over the death of a man I hardly knew. The tears will not be for him or for me. They will be for the empty spot beside his son on the pew next Sunday.
They will be tears of joy. If you don’t understand that then you need to get more serious about who Jesus is and the hope that we have in Him. I am at the age where the second shoe could drop and they will call for the cremation team. I hate to tell you, but so are you. It doesn’t matter how old you are. I hope to be taken by surprise.
I am ready. So was he. I find myself smiling.
homo unius libri
Opus 2023-193: We Need More Rock Piles
The Bible endorses and commands the death penalty. The places that it is commanded reflect the behaviors that are of greatest concern to God. You might not agree with the death penalty at all or with the hierarchy of infractions that lead up to it, but no one is really asking you, or me. It is simply what God declared.
The most common form of that death penalty was stoning to death.
(Exo 19:13 KJV) There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.There are frequent statements that a person will be put to death but don’t designate the method.
It seems today like a cruel and unusual punishment but that is not the message of stoning. The message is that it is an act of the community punishing the most heinous of crimes. No one is proposing stoning for leaving your trash can out on the street too long after pickup. It is for culture threatening actions. The community is so outraged at the outrage that they come together to administer the cure. It would be almost impossible for one person to stone a criminal without at least a lunch break.
The recidivism rate is very low, just like other forms of capital punishment. Occasionally there is a target that fools the stone throwers, the apostle Paul did it at least once, but it is fairly effective.
The citizens cannot pass on the duty to the state. You have to be serious and take responsibility. Most people would think twice about a verdict of guilty if they were required to throw the first stone.
The Bible is clear. There are some things that are so evil you should die for them. Got a problem with that? Tell God about it.
homo unius libri
Opus 2023-053: Dark Thoughts: Two Roads in the Woods...
Why do so many scientists refuse to believe in God? It is nothing new. You find the same issue coming up in the Garden of Eden. Satan throws the oldest excuse around, because it was the first,
(Gen 3:5 KJV) For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.The temptation to be a god is a big one. Modern scientists have swallowed the poison. It is a two edged sword found in evolution. First, they think they are the smartest product evolution has produced. They are the acme of natural selection. They are awesome. In spite of the awesome factor, they can’t figure out how evolution could work. Now for the other edge of the sword. God could not have created the universe since they are smarter than God and they can’t figure it out.
I am probably being unfair but truth is often that way.
The reason Christians and other scientist believe in God is because of the increasing complexity and integration of everything they investigate. They keep digging deeper and finding even more. They know they can’t comprehend it and it is too awesome to be accidental so there must be a God.
Both paths have the same information and come to different conclusions. We will either find out who is right or we won’t. If God exists then we will find out on Judgement Day. If God does not exist we will be snuffed out into the same nothingness that existed before the Big Bang. That is sad for the God deniers because they will never even find out that we were wrong. They won’t be able to say, “I told you so.”
Unfair.
homo unius libri
Opus 2022-255: Fertilizer of Fear
We need to be careful about living in fear. It is the goal of the disguised Marxists who want to become our overlords. One of their strongest weapons is fear. Fear will keep us silent. Fear will keep us sitting down. Fear will keep us at home. It works. All you need to do is look at how a small cadre of Bolsheviks were able to bring the entire Russian nation to its knees.
Take the fear of Covid and the fear of the jab. The first couple of weeks with the shrieking of the CDC and media it was natural to feel some genuine concern. The unknown is fertilizer for our fear.
In neither case was there any reason to panic or do more than take precautions. The most effective barrier against the virus was a healthy immune system based good genes and a reasonable life style. The second was simply washing your hands.
Then we have the chemicals being injected into people thinking they are real, researched and tested medications. Sorry to say none of that was the case. Politics and money played a bigger role than any research that might have been done. Just the speed of the production should tell you that the cure might be worse than the disease. My personal opinion is that the cures are more dangerous than the problem. I don’t base that on full scale research but neither did the drug companies. At least I observed and sought truth which puts me ahead of them in my insight.
Yes, people died. Now the death rates are up as a result of the poison being pumped into people. In the midst of the concern keep in mind that the statistics are just statistics. A 300% increase in a certain cause of death is a genuine statement about the “vaccine” but in the scope of 350,000,000 Americans it is a blip that should not keep you from living free of fear.
The same goes for the IRS weaponizing. Yes, they will double their size but when you consider the quality of the recruits you might relax a little. If you are one of the targets it sucks to be you but the chances of your life being ruined are nothing to stay awake over.
Keep a perspective. Understand statistics. A 300% increase can be a description of 1 case becoming 4. It doesn’t mean you need to stay home and quiver. Consider the sudden deaths of athletes in top physical shape, the sudden announcement of a new condition called Sudden Adult Death Syndrom, an upsurge of doctors going to that great operating room in the sky. It would seem there is much to worry about.
But what do they all have in common? It is safe to say that most were vaccinated but why them and not millions of others? Did they all toke weed? Were they smokers or drinkers? Did they consume too much tofu or sushi? Did they pick their nose as a child? No one is asking.
Another way to avoid the fear is to have a genuine faith in Jesus. It may not keep you alive but it will remove the fear of the grave that seems to cripple so many non-believers and people who claim to be believers.
As my son said when he was in college and going in to have a brain tumor removed, “What is there to worry about? If I die I get to be with Jesus and I don’t have to take the final.”
homo unius libri
Opus 2021-252: Monday Pulpit: An Attitude
The pastor started off talking about the penalty paid on the cross and my mind went, “Shiny!”
Off on a tangent I went. I spent a moment on how life is ruined by sin and the death of Jesus on the cross paid the price to remove the rubble.
What we have as Christians is more. It is not just the penalty being paid by the blood shed on the cross but the hope offered by the resurrection of the dead. Most people look at physical death as the end, a closed door. Christians look at it as a gate that admits believers to an eternity of all the good words you can think of. It is only the beginning.
That makes a difference in how we view all this hysteria about a virus. We start knowing that God designed our immune system. We know that sin has messed up the world so sometimes the system does not function as designed. In that case we know it is time to be promoted to eternity.
Take the difference between being sent to the principals office and getting a gold star on your class work, multiply it by an infinite number and you are still short of the promise of hope.
homo unius libri
Opus 2021-237: ZZ Minus One
I have seen on multiple sites that Dusty Hill has passed away. Who is Dusty Hill you say? That is what I would have said except the headline comes with a video clip of a group called ZZ TOP. Who is ZZ TOP you say? I am encouraged by the fact that you don’t know. If you do know you might want to go back and take a class in music appreciation. ZZ TOP is a group of guys that look like they worked for the Duck Commander except I think they were on the charts before anyone heard of Duck Dynasty. I don’t know how you label their attempts at music but that is more my lack of interest than the lack of a title.
If you try to watch one of the video clips you will see what I mean. They have the same long face hair that the Robinson clan sports. I assume they were successful. My lack of appreciation does not mean that the general population who can’t carry a tune did not like their music. For their fans the death was a loss. Since all humans have worth in the eyes of God, it was a loss for everyone.
It is too bad that Duck Dynasty didn’t hire them to open their program.
homo unius libri
Opus 2020-245: A Matter of Perspective
Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died.
This is a good time to observe reactions and take notes. You will find three general categories of response.
One group will be the Passionate. These people will speak with great enthusiasm for or against. Their emotions will drown out anything of value that they might add except for their kindred spirits who want even more. She will be portrayed as either Joan of Arc or your ex-wife. Unless you agree with them and want a rush, don’t waste your time.
Another group will be the Courteous. Many of us were told that if we could not say something nice we should not say anything at all. These people will increase their chance of stroke or heart attack trying to restrain themselves. For those who are into Latin, nolite detrahere de mortuis. Wikipedia tells me that means “Don’t speak ill of the dead.” I thought President Trump gave a good example of that when the press blind-sided him with the news of her death. They will not praise her but they will also be polite.
The last group will be the Factual. In their hearts they are trying to speak clearly, control their passion maintain a level of decorum. They have opinions but they are backed up by documented evidence. A good example of this is found at American Thinker. Andrea Widburg says that she read Ginsburg’s opinions when doing legal research. She goes into detail but if you don’t have time to read her article I think this sums it up.
“The worst thing about her decisions, though, was how she misused case authority to create new principles out of whole cloth. Nothing shows that more than in her determination to bypass our American Constitution and law and look to foreign constitutions, laws, and customs.”The “whole cloth” comment I would not be able to judge but the use of international law to trump the Constitution I was aware of in my non-legal reading.
As I opened I suggested taking notes. This is a good time to learn if you can rely on people’s opinions. One blogger that I have enjoyed reading had this to say,
“Though I disagreed with some of her decisions, she was passionate, honourable, articulate, and her legal decisions were well-thought.”I will continue to read what he has to say but will begin to question if he is of sound mind. There will be others. Most people writing are not emotionally involved. If I were reading a statement by a family member I would make allowances. Most people will be held to a higher standard in my world.
But who cares what I think?
homo unius libri
Opus 2020-159: The Lion in the Street
I have an addition to that for those of you claiming to be Christians: Fear God.
There is not only an eternity of difference, but a world of difference.
As a Christian I am aware that there are diseases out there that can get you. That has been true my entire life. I have had a few of them. I have walked past innumerable others unscathed. It is not a matter of luck it is a matter of something called Providence. God made me. He made you too, even if you don’t acknowledge it. When he designed me it was like the modern day Lexus or whatever car you think is uber reliable. He put in all the filters, warning lights, backups and overrides that were needed to guarantee almost flawless performance. What happens if I cut myself? “Got that,” God tells me. I later learn about clotting factors, antibodies and white blood cells. They were there all the time. When my body is invaded by nasty germs God says, “Got you covered.” And so forth. Do I worry about getting sick? I guess. Do I allow that to make me walk in fear. Hah!
As a generic pagan you have none of those assurances. So, yes, walk in fear. The virus is out to get you. So are the hundreds of other viruses out there. There is tetanus waiting and strep throat. Food poisoning is right behind you and toxins in your water are looking for a hole in your filter. In addition to that your government is full of people who would like nothing more than to control every aspect of your life. Fear.
Wash your hands. I do that. I could even document that in the Bible. There is nothing wrong with common sense but don’t worry about the unicorns. Maybe a better example is lions. I love this passage in Proverbs.
(Pro 26:13 KJV) The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.I am not accusing you of being a sloth; just reflecting on how fear can cripple.
homo unius libri
Opus 2020-077: A Blip
It is a good illustration of how we are all living in an information fog. Sometimes it is the fog of guesswork masquerading as data, sometimes simply incomplete information and sometimes outright manipulation.
Always keep your salt shaker handy so you can get a grain when you need it. The site I listed yesterday revised the numbers later. The numbers were still low enough to look good but not as dramatic as before. Okay. You give data as it comes in.
What makes me get out my salt shaker is that the website it always quoting from the Cuomo daily briefings and ignoring what the president has to say. That indicates a view of reality that is a bit biased.
I am still optimistic. A county near me with a city of one and a half million people had five deaths as of yesterday. Notice it wasn’t five death yesterday but “as of yesterday”. This is not something to panic over if you have a clean bill of health based on a history of clean living and wash your hands.
And don’t forget to watch for the unicorns spreading the virus.
homo unius libri
Opus 2019-003: Hats Off for the New Year
Eventually the wind died down and as the Psalmist directed, I lifted up my eyes. What a glorious day. It was cold, yes, but I had a heavy coat, a scarf, gloves and a warm home waiting for me. It was brisk and invigorating. I admired the clouds stretching across the sky and the sun shining through. And then I said to myself, “If it is this good now with my bad eyes and ringing in my ears, what will it be like in eternity.” I know that young people don’t think about it much but when you get to my age you start expecting the Great Transition, sometimes called death, at any time.
I am not expecting any big change and plan to make the best of the time I have here, but I am ready to go. If it is this marvelous now it will be truly awesome then. And I then am aware that I can’t even begin to comprehend the awesomeness of what is to come. If I could then it would not be something created by the God of the Bible.
I compare my expectations with what little I know of other religions. Since I am not a warrior and don’t plan to die with my sword in my hand, Valhalla is out of the question. The supernatural perversion of the afterlife that you find in video games makes no sense. The reincarnation of Buddhism and Hinduism leading to being absorbed by the Force seems depressing. Reclining under a palm tree with dates, wine and 72 virgins seems like it would get very boring, very fast.
I prefer the eternity that is created by the God who created the world I can see. I can’t understand it but then I couldn’t understand BLT’s when I was born either. Maybe eternity is long enough for me to like sushi. Because I accept the meaning of Christmas and Easter, that God became man in Jesus and died to pay the price for my sin, I am looking forward to finding out what is to come. As one wise person put it, if I am wrong I have nothing to lose.
I guess this is my way of saying Happy New Year and hoping for a glorious eternity.
homo unius libri
Opus 2017-060: The Not-So-Grim Reaper
Fear of death? My first reaction is, “Why?” For Christians the Grim Reaper is not so grim. For Christians death means that we go on to the destiny we were created for. This morning in the car as I listened to Alistair Begg he quoted a verse that every Christian is familiar with.
(Philippians 1:21 KJV) For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.This verse reminds me of two bedrock truths for the Christian. Life has a purpose and death is going to be even better.
Does that mean I am to commit suicide to be with Jesus? Of course not. It just means that although I am not allowed to cheat the IRS, I can cheat the grave.
So death can be a happy thought, a happy thought indeed.
I am sorry if you don’t understand.
homo unius libri
Opus 2016-284: Halloween Harvest
Part of our reasoning was that because we had spiritual issues with Halloween we wanted to substitute something so the kids would not feel left out. Our motives were pure even if our thinking was not clear. Why?
The Christian response to fall is Thanksgiving Day, not Halloween. Halloween is our version of what the Mexican culture calls the Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. Our school is decorated with skeletons and skulls. One year we had a cultural awareness assembly in which they demonstrated children offering up sacrifices at an altar to their dead ancestors. It seemed very similar to what I would think of as ancestor worship in Japan. Any way you slice it, it is a pagan holiday. You might ask yourself what is being harvested at your Harvest Party.
I can understand people who think it is just an innocent day of fun. I don’t agree but I understand. To me it is still living in denial. It is part of the way in which the Christian church has been watering down the standards of the Bible and morphing them into culturally acceptable clones. We want to enjoy pagan culture without being a part of it. I don’t know where the line is but relabeling Halloween as a Harvest Party may not be the best route.
Smiling skeletons are still skeletons.
homo unius libri
Opus 2016-166: Eternal Prospects in Temporal Clothes
If that is true I am developing my eternal personality. What I am now I will carry beyond the grave. It may be cleaned up but it will be eternal. I will no longer have the limitations of a physical, temporal body so there will be potentials that I can’t dream of now.
I was thinking in terms of eternal life in God’s presence, heaven Then I thought that I would take the same personality to hell if that were my choice. What is the difference? Would there be a difference. I think so. In hell I will be isolated by myself with no hope of improvement. When I got tired of myself I would face the despair of knowing I would only get more frustrated.
In heaven I will be part of the body of Christ in eternal fellowship with the living God. Growth will continue. I will have an ever changing, ever improving personality.
Something to think about.
homo unius libri
Opus 2016-149: More Than Nazis
“The many tens of millions of murders of the Stalinist era, the Third Reich, communist China, and the killing fields of Cambodia, to name only a few are blatant testimonials to godless chaos and cruelty.” pp. 32-33These are just the ones we are aware of if we have done any reading or thinking. These are just in the last hundred years. These are just the ones that made the news.
How many deaths does it take to rate as a holocaust? We have other words for them today: Ethnic cleansing, genocide, abortion. Does the destruction of the welfare system or drugs qualify? Do we run the danger of desensitizing people by calling too many things holocausts?
It is important to note the anniversaries for the Jewish and Armenian holocausts. It isn’t because these groups are any more important than the Ukrainians or Cambodians. It is because they are more familiar. It is because they remind us of the evil that is perpetuated by certain regimes. It is to make us aware of what is going on today in the Middle East and in parts of Africa. Maybe we need to have special days to mark more of these atrocities.
I expect to see it again. I won’t be surprised if devout Christians are rounded up someday in America. There is a saying about eternal vigilance being the price of liberty.
Here’s to vigilance.
Schlessinger, Dr. Laura and Vogel, Rabbi Stewart. The Ten Commandments.
New York: Cliff Street Books, 1998.
homo unius libri
-
Today in the parking lot I was getting ready to pull into an empty spot but just before I started in I noticed that there was one of those s...
-
Today I saw a bumper sticker that said, “Actually, guns do kill people.” I had nothing to write on so I was not able to respond. I wanted t...
-
At various times in my life I have found myself quoting these verses, (1Ch 16:22 KJV) Saying , Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets...