Opus 2012-81, Koran Klarifications: Road to Peace

I was listening to a pod-cast dealing with Islam and the speaker suggested if we want to know if Islam can be regarded as a religion of peace we should read the ninth Sura.  I am in the process of doing so. 

I came across this as I read:

“Make war upon such of those to whom the Scriptures have been given as believe not in God, or in the last day, and who forbid not that which God and His Apostle have forbidden, and who profess not the profession of the truth, until they pay tribute out of hand, and they be humbled.”  Sura 9, “Immunity,” verse 29.

This is a command to make war on certain classes of people.  First, Muslims are to make war on people who know about the demands of the Koran and do not convert.  Second, make war in the end times struggles.  Third, make war on anyone who will not follow the laws and standards set down in the Koran.  The last category is the widest:  Make war on anyone who is not a Muslim.

Look those over again.  Do you see yourself fitting in there anywhere?  If you are not a Muslim, you fit in all categories.  Even if you call yourself a Muslim this justifies being attacked if you don’t meet up to another Muslims standards.

Notice there is a way to reach a non-war relationship:  Pay tribute and be humbled. 

So, mellow believer in reason; so, singer of “All we are saying, is give peace a chance;” are you ready to start paying tribute on a level that makes the IRS seem benign?  Are you willing to join the Muslim women and walk behind Muslim men?  Are you ready to join the Jews of Nazi Germany and begin wearing outward garb that labels you as a fair target of discrimination?

Peace with Islam is possible.  The question is “What price peace?”  Wake up and smell the dhimmi.

All Koran quotes are from the translation by Rev. J.M. Rodwell, M.A. provided by the Gutenberg Project.

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-80, The Importance of Cause and Effect

One of the frustrations of teaching is getting the students to turn on their brains and use the abilities they have.  They refuse to engage.  Let me share with you a recent example.

The first question to be answered was,

“What organization did Martin Luther challenge?”

One of the students said she could not find the answer.  I asked her to read me the question and then asked her to read me the first sentence on the page in the book.  It reads,

“In 1517 a young monk named Martin Luther challenged the Roman Catholic Church.”

She read it and gave me a blank look.  I told her to read me the question again and had her read me the sentence again.  Another blank look.  We repeated this many times.  Finally she said, “Oh,” and answered the question. 

What suddenly happened?  She had no trouble reading me the question or the answer.  She is not a special education student.  She is a pleasant young lady with a good personality and fine social skills.  What she was not willing to do was engage her brain.

As I am reading through Augustine’s Confessions I see that he testifies to a similar problem.

“Next I was put to school to get learning, in which I (poor wretch) knew not what use there was;...”  Kindle Highlight Loc. 211 from Gutenberg Project Text

Until students see a reason to turn on their ability they will continue to coast along being socially promoted, ignorant and unskilled.  Some will wake up in time and pull out.  Others will be helpless in a complex society because they were allowed to face no consequences in life.

This young lady was not unusual.  I had time to convince her that she would be reading that cycle of words until she answered it.  She finally gave up and took the path of least resistance.  I don’t always have that amount of time.  Some people think everything can be made fun.  It can't.  Some people think the teacher is supposed to find a way to trick them into wanting to learn.  Life won't do that for them.  The student needs to accept that they are responsible for their own lives.

There are answers to the problems in education but they are inconvenient.  One of the big answers is the lesson of cause and effect.  Children need to learn that their decisions and actions have consequences.

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-79, Should-a-Beens: The Flu That Flew

Here is another headlines I would like to see

“Scientists admit the swine flu was a hoax.”

I won’t be holding my breath.  At least I won’t unless I am around someone who has the symptoms of this terrible scourge of humanity. 

Have you forgotten already?  We were brought to the edge of lining up at government centers to have our vaccinations.  Some were thinking it would need to be at gun point.  The scientists knew what was best for us.  If we did not get vaccinated then we would die. 

Of course if you went beyond the screaming headlines you saw that the statistics showed no such impending disaster.  A few people died but they tended to be people who had one foot in the grave anyway.  The numbers of actual infection were lower than the normal, annual number of flu sufferers. 

Some day they will be right.  It has happened before and with modern transportation it could very well happen again.  The reason headlines like this are so dangerous is that next time we will be less likely to believe them.

I would still like to see a retraction.

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-78, Links: Feeding the Homeless

I was surprised when a Well Meaning Gentleman said that New York had made it illegal to feed homeless people.  I Googled it and the first listing said “Another U.S. City...”  It seems to be a trend.

The above mentioned article says they were concerned with large groups in the park.  Bloomberg is concerned about the quality of nutrition of donated food.

What a world.  If I were hungry I really wouldn’t worry too much about the fat content of the cookie someone gave me.  I would be concerned that it increased level of government control.

Another reason to vote the suckers out.

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-77, When Did Spring Break?

I am off school this week for “spring break.”  By coincidence it is also Holy Week.  In case you don’t remember, the original reason for the week off school was to celebrate the week running from Palm Sunday to Easter.  It was a religious observation.  The parts of the week that I have celebrated over the years are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and of course the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

If you remove the spiritual dimension, why are students getting a week off in spring?  There is no real reason for it.  The week could be put to better use for education or the beginning and ending of school could be adjusted.  Why should teachers get the week off when no other profession enjoys that benefit?

Maybe we need to begin a campaign to do away with the holiday.  If it is for us, it is religious, and thus violates the fantasy of separation of church and state.  If it is for them it is a pagan celebration and should be done away with for the same reasons.

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-76, I Missed April Fools Day

I totally missed it.  I was in church in the morning and with visiting with my son the rest of the day.  I spent little time on the internet.  I guess I wasn’t around fools much.

Usually I am around middle school children and learn very quickly that I don’t have something on my shirt and that there is no bug on my head.  I don’t feel like I missed anything.

Maybe next year. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-75, On the Street: Sinful Driving

Often the drive to work is a spiritual experience.  On occasion the sun is coming up in such a way that 

(Psalms 19:1 KJV)  The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

I love those mornings. 

Other mornings, like today, I develop a special understanding of Original Sin.  Freeway driving gives you a lot of opportunity to observe, interact and reflect.  It is a constant flow of decisions, yours and others.  It is a daily miracle that anyone gets to work unscathed. 

I see depravity in the other drivers.  I am surrounded by a flood of self-centered neanderthals on wheels.  I watch them maneuver in ways that are unsafe, irrational, illegal and defiantly sinful.  I see them tailgating, cutting people off, speeding and anything else that will get them ahead.  The entire world comes down to them getting one car length ahead and the rest of the universe can become a pile of rubble in the process.  It doesn’t matter as long as they are granted their instant gratification. 

I recognize sin in myself.  I find myself hoping that they will meet a railing that does not get out of there way.  I find myself wishing I had a heavier car and no sense of responsibility because I would definitely like to ram at times.  I find myself wanting to join the rush to me-first-ism. 

I experience the work of the Spirit of God.  He is not willing to let me go with this.  I am reminded of some words quite often when I want to see them get a ticket.

(1 Corinthians 13:5-6 KJV)  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Or the OT version,

(Proverbs 24:17 KJV)  Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:

So even in rush hour traffic I am reminded of what it is to be a servant of God.  I need the lessons, I will admit but I think I would prefer to retire, get out of the rush and get my lessons another way.

homo unius libri