Opus 2012-306, Tortoises, not Ostriches

As a believing and serious Christian I find the last election has the potential for causing depression.  On the moral issues evil took a big step forward.  I say moral issues instead of social issues because abortion and homosexuality are moral issues not social issues.  The killers of babies won.  The perverts won. 

On the social issues I lost also.  The Second Amendment has enemies in high places.  They are stronger than they were before the election.  This is a social issue.  It is a topic that people can disagree on.  It is a constitutional issue.  People who believe in the rule of law cannot disagree if the law they are sworn to uphold is the U.S. Constitution, but I accept that some people don’t believe that the Constitution is the best system available. 

On other issues from education to the economy I lost.  I felt it but I am recovering.  I have a reminder that is more powerful than hope and change.  I have a truly renewable source of energy.

(2 Corinthians 4:7-9 KJV)  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

What is the source of that renewal?  It is not my intelligence or strength.  It is bigger than that.  It is eternal.  Notice the next verse.

(2 Corinthians 4:10 KJV)  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

Christians lost but we are still optimistic and involved.  You see, we are always using situations like this to remind ourselves that politics is something we are involved in because of duty not because it is vital.  We rejoice in adversity because we have read the book and understand the principles of life.  In the race of life we are tortoises, not ostriches.  We live in perseverance, not denial.

That is a big difference and one that the pagans and “Kristians” don’t understand.  We are not happy fools, we are informed servants. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-305, Discernment Watch: Continued Religious Ignorance

Every time I read something in the Progressive Press that refers to Muslims I have a question that forms in my mind, “What kind of Muslim are we talking about?”  The press refuses to give the details that make a difference.  There are two distinct errors.

The biggest problem is that the media refuses to recognize the difference between Muslim and Black Muslim, between Islam and the Nation of Islam.  These are two totally different groups.  One is basically a racist religion, white is evil.  The other is a world wide religion that embraces people from all races and cultures.  It makes a difference which one you are talking about.  This difference may be coming to an end.  I didn’t mark the page, but in reading Michael Youssef’s book Blindsided, it seems that the two groups have temporarily patched up their condemnation of the other in order to pursue jihad.  That then makes them part of the second error of the media.

The second problem is the simplification that projects a monolithic Islam.  Islam is as divided as Christianity.  The two big divisions are the Sunni and Shia, just as Christianity has Protestant and Roman Catholic.  This is a historic, obvious difference that demonstrates the ignorance of the press.  They mention the existence of the two but don’t seem to understand how deep the divide is.  When you mix in the Wahabi and Sufi it gets even more confusing because they overlap. 

Most reporters and talking head have never read the Koran.  They know a few quotes provided by either true believers, deniers or haters.  None begins to shed light on what motivates these people.  Ignorance is dangerous.  Those who are paid to inform us come in two flavors.  One is ignorant from laziness.  The other is informed but wants to keep us ignorant.

So ask questions.  Are we talking about Islam or the Nation of Islam?  Mohammed or Farakan?  Are we talking about Sunni or Shia?  Are we talking Arab or Persian or Turk?

Read the Koran.  You can do it.  I urge you to read it and I am a Christian.  I will take the risk that it will convert you.  It isn’t that long.  Don’t take anyone’s word for what it says, even mine.

Youssef, Michael, Blindsided, No City:  Kobri, 2012.

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-304, New Terms: Moderate

In my Perpetual Proverbs post for November 23 I was discussing a reference to the problems of drinking and part of what I said was this,

“We must find a balance in life.  The Bible does this.  In alcohol the balance is in moderation.  Moderation is a range of use.  In the case of alcohol the range is from none to small amounts.  Abstaining is moderation on this issue because alcohol is not a need.”

I noticed later that I used a word that has become a part of our political discussions and like so many words used by the post-moderns, it is taking on a new meaning.  I refer to the term “moderate” or “moderation.”  According to my computers dictionary, “moderate” means “1) average in amount, intensity, or degree; 2) (of a political position) not radical or extreme.”  That is the way that the word, as an adjective, has been understood until the last ten years of so.

No longer.

Now “moderate” means that you agree with the Progressives (Socialists, Communists, elites, academia, Democrats) and their ideas.  Thus we have the left wing media labeling Republicans as moderate when their views are those of Democrats.  As an example of this thinking I remember a conversation with one of my fellow teachers who thought that the L.A. Times was a conservative news paper.  Really.  He said it and meant it.  Today I had a man quoting out local paper as if that meant anything.  I used to have a friend who wrote for that paper.  He was a left-wing, Berkeley radical from the 60's.  He fit right in.  Since he was older, taking baths and getting haircuts, he would be considered “moderate.”

So just as “love” has come to mean sex, “gay” has come to mean homosexual, “respect” has come to mean multi-cultural equality, and “tolerance” has come to mean approval, now “moderate” has come to mean the L.A. Times.

Understand that Orwell’s “new speak” is alive and well among us.

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-303, Ode to Old: Survival Instincts

P.J. O’Rourke wrote a book with the title Age and Guile Beat Youth, Innocence and a Bad Haircut.  There are certain things that age teaches.  Some are learned from experience and wisdom.  Since some people don’t learn from experience and others have no fear of the Lord, those two won’t work in every case.

For the rest there is pain, or another way of putting it, avoiding pain.  You could also call it necessity. 

I find that I have a lot more aches and pains than when I was younger and they last longer.  For example it hurts to lift my arm a certain way.  I still need to live life and that involves reaching that second shelf.  So I get creative and improvise.  I find that if I approach the shelf in a circular motion instead of head on, I can do it. 

So in old age we don’t give up, we get creative.  We approach through the back door.  We substitute.  What we don’t do is give up.

Believe me, you have a lot to look forward to.  I am already working on how I am going blog when I can’t see the keyboard any more.  Don’t worry that isn’t even starting to be a problem.  And since I can still see better than my kids I plan on driving for a few years, at least as long as I need to get to work. 

But I will find a way. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-302: Firsts: Quinoa

We have discovered something that has been a part of the Yuppie diet for a good time.  It is called quinoa.  It comes from the Andes Mountains of South America and is fits into the diet nitch of oatmeal or grits.  It looks like tiny seeds and cooks over a 15 to 20 minute time period.

While visiting my children, my son and I were in a store called Wegmans.  At its heart Wegmans is a grocery store but it is a bit schizophrenic.  It has an extensive deli, large cheese selection and a cafeteria style area full of ready to eat foods grouped by ethnic origin.  We were looking for original style grits and found them in at least three different areas of the store.  While we were looking we came across a section full of things we had never heard of, among them quinoa of several types. 

It was an adventure for us so we picked out something that we had never heard of and took it home to experiment.  Quinoa is a strange food.  While it is cooking it smells a bit like corn on the cob.  When it is ready to eat it sprouts a little tail on each grain.  It has a unique taste of its own.  We experimented.  You can eat it straight, with salt and pepper or with the sweetener of your choice.  We tried it many ways.  All were interesting.  None were disgusting.  All were expensive.

So if you are looking for an adventure breakfast or a dinner starch, give quinoa a try.  Don’t get too excited by all the stuff on the wrapper.  It is just food, not the answer to third world poverty.  It will never replace bacon, but then what would?

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-301: Victory of Reason: What About the Greeks?

In my reading over the years I have come across many writers who claim that Christianity was influenced by other schools of thought and religions.  Recently one of the college students at our church ran into this thinking in regard to Judaism.  The professor was advocating that the Hebrew idea of good and evil was borrowed from the Zoroastrians and other eastern religions.  It was confusing for the college student with little knowledge, but it wasn’t very difficult poking holes in the argument. 

Another idea that keeps coming up is the influence of the Greeks.  Stark makes this comment which I found interesting,

“Christian faith in reason was influenced by Greek philosophy.  But the more important fact is that Greek philosophy had little impact on Greek religions.” p. x

There is no reason to think that the writers of the Old Testament lived in a vacuum and had no knowledge of Greek  philosophy.  The Kingdom of Israel was located on the trade routes that linked the corners of the known world.  The New Testament and Christianity would be even more exposed to the thinking of the rest of the world.  In the book of Acts you have an account of the apostle Paul going to Mars Hill and debating with the thinkers of his day. 

But what was interesting in this comment was the second part.  The polytheistic, paganism of the Greeks was not influenced by the call to reason of the Greek philosophers.  My read is that the Greeks tended to keep their religion and reason in separate compartments.  They did not mix.  Thus these great philosophers and thinkers were able to pay allegiance to gods that moderns think are a bit silly and immature.  The gods did not influence their thinking and values.  It was two worlds in one community.

Although we have many pseudo-Christians and church-goers who also think that way, genuine Christianity does not accommodate that separation.  Our understanding of daily life and priorities are tied intimately with our view of eternity and moral values.  The two march together.  They stimulate and challenge each other.  We are not able to compartmentalize our lives.

Notice I am talking about those who are serious about their faith.  There are many who attend church or call themselves Christian who don’t really want it to interfere with their quest for gratification.  Don’t judge the Faith by the faithless and unfaithful.

In the development of the West you have had many of the great thinkers and scientists who were devote in their Christian faith.  Sure, you had those on the atheist and agnostic side but being on the cutting edge did not mean walking away from the Bible.  The same is true today.  Believing and thinking go very well together.  Thinking is necessary to reach the truth and believing is a requirement to accept it when you find it.

Stark, Rodney, The Victory of Reason.  New York:  Random House, 2005.

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-300: History Repeats Itself

In reading the Koran it became clear to me that Mohammed was only familiar with heretical forms of Christianity.  For instance I noticed that he quoted the gnostic Gospel of Thomas and seemed to believe it represented orthodox Christianity.  I recently came across something that verified my observation.

Michael Youssef, in his book Blindsided, was writing about why the Arabian Peninsula was resistant to Christianity before the preaching of Mohammed.  One of his points went like this,

“...Arabian Christianity in the seventh century was corrupted and distorted by Gnostic heresies and diversions over the nature of Christ.  Some of these heresies taught that Jesus was a mere human being who achieved divinity through mystical knowledge.  Though some Arab Christians revered the New Testament as God’s revealed Word, many embraced the Gnostic heresies, so that the ‘Christianity’ they practiced was weak and unbiblical.  So the Christianity of Arabia had little appeal to the pagans in that region.” page 49

It is nice to have my observations endorsed by someone who is much more familiar with the area than I am, but that is not what jumped out at me.

I saw a parallel between Arabia of the sixth century and America of the 21st century.  The Christianity that was being lived and taught he calls “weak and unbiblical.”  I think that same phrase could be used to describe what I see in the church of America today.

American churches are into being “user friendly” and not “Godly obedient.”  They are more concerned about offending the visiting pagan than the eternal God.  Paul said,

ROM 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

The modern church has dropped out the “do not” and made conformity a requirement.

If the church wants to impact the world, it will need to return to being the church.

Youssef, Michael.  Blindsided.  No City:  Kobri, 2012.

homo unius libri