September 11th

How many people still believe that we are at war?

How many people still believe that the war is worth fighting?

In how many minds has the events of September 11th, 2001, faded into the realm of policital propoganda?

Does anyone still believe there is evil in the world? And that it’s our duty to defend the helpless against it?

They are called extremists and freedom fighters, but how many still see them for what they are? Genocidists…Kamakazi’s..
.Murderers…

We, the United States of America, founded on such infamous statements as ‘…endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness…’ ‘…with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence…’.

Yes, we are the super world power of the age, and we have attained such status in less than 300 years. How is this possible? All of Europe has existed, empires have risen and fallen, for four times as many years, yet we have surpassed them all.

Morality, Truth, Justice, Unalienable Rights…The right to excel, to flourish, to practice your religion while acknowledging the religion that made such freedoms, nay, such Privileges, possible. The right to protect our homes, to protect our families, to protect our cities, to protect our country.

How many Americans still feel a sense of pride in their own country?

How many young people’s minds have been warped by the power-hungry, destitute, victory-in-defeat, 4-star general slandering, and ultimately inconsequential liberal mindset?

Wake up, O Sleeper! Our country is winning in the War on Terror. We do have the support of other countries (mostly Western Europe, who have felt the scurge of Communism on their own cities and towns). We do have the support of the Almighty God, perfect in Truth and Justice. Our country is the best that has ever been, just ask the customs office, who are constantly being pummeled by your foreigners, ‘your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!’

Easter: Bunnies and Blood

Easter Sunday is in four days. I read something in the latest VOM magazine that I thought was rather insightful:

“This month as we celebrate Easter, thousands of churches across the U.S. will focus on Christ’s resurrection from the dead, His great victory over sin and death. In restricted nations, Easter messages are often different. Our persecuted brothers and sisters sometimes focus more than we do on the first half of the story, the intense suffering our Lord went through at the hands of Roman soldiers while hanging on the cross.
The Apostle Paul desired to know Christ, not only His resurrection power, but also the intimate fellowship of suffering for Him. From prison, facing possible execution, he wrote of his desire to the Philippian church to, *”know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead”* (3:10-11).
It is sometimes easy to focus only on experiencing Christ’s power through the Holy Spirit as a kind of guarantee we will never have to share in His suffering. But, the two are inseparable. We cannot truly know the power of the risen Savior without being willing to walk all the way with Him. Our persecuted family members are witnesses that without the suffering and pain of Good Friday, there could have been no resurrection power on Easter Sunday morning.”

I have heard the exposition of Christ’s sufferings on Good Friday many times. Even the Passion of the Christ movie could not accurately portray the volume of blood, gore, and carnage borne by our Saviour. As I am only a lowly undergraduate student, here I defer to the knowledge and experience of Dr. Alex F. Metherell, MD, PhD.

http://www.reasons.org/resources/apologetics/other_papers/alex_metherell

Lightbulbs

National Geographic claims that the Egyptians might have had a primitive-type incandescent lightbulb while building the pyramids. They found a large glass bowl (large meaning several dozen feet across) with two brass rods inside. These rods were bridged by a piece of iron that was covered in vinegar residue, which conducts electricity. Interesting, to say the least, although if they ever end up confirming it, I wouldn’t be surprised. Humanity has continued to decline in knowledge and increase in stupidity ever since the Garden.

A thought I had though, is what would the world be like without…Captain Hook? Naw, just kidding. What would the world be like without the lightbulb? If we didn’t have the capability of lightbulbs, more people would get up at the crack of dawn, work hard all day, and go to bed with the sun. There would be nothing else to do. No late-night studying. No cram-sessions for tests the night before. No one would be lazy for long because the lack of light would make it imperative for them to accomplish their existence while the light of day was upon them. There would be no nightclubs, no midnight runs to WalMart. Everything would have to close at sundown. It seems like there would be more order and schedule to the present world. Perhaps this would make people more amiable towards one another as well. If you have to work all day, then how are you to shop for your sustenance if they too close at sundown? Longer lunch breaks. Maybe rename them “shopping breaks”. No one would be able to drive through the night, which might seem bad if there were ever an emergency, but, hey, with the added difficulties, may just come added unity amongst our fellow neighbors. Whatever happened to doctors braving the cold, wet, dark world to save a life? They’ve been pansied as well, but that is for another post.

If I have time to think of any more instances where the lack of a lightbulb would create an interesting scenario, I’ll be sure to publish it here.

Ten Principles of Conservatism

Ten Principles of Conservatism

by Terence P. Jeffrey
Posted Dec 20, 2006

As a very political year approaches an end, and a new presidential election cycle looms, it’s a good time for conservatives to step back from partisan politics and reflect on their cause.

What do conservatives believe? Here are 10 principles worth pondering.

1. God’s Law Governs Nations as Well as Men.

The Ten Commandments should not only be enshrined in our courthouses, they should be engraved in our hearts and minds as guides to all behavior, public and private. As the Founders acknowledged in the Declaration of Independence, laws and policies that violate the natural law are abuses of government power that must be resisted and reversed.

2. Life Is the First God-Given Right

It’s always wrong to deliberately take an innocent human life. When this principle is abridged, violence escalates. Thus we have aborted 47 million unborn babies in the past three decades, begun to accept euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide, and stand at the threshold of cloning human beings for the specific purpose of killing them.

3. Marriage and Family Come Before the State and Deserve Its Protection

The marriage of one man and one woman is the natural foundation of all human society, and the means by which children ought to be brought into the world and taught the basic values of our civilization. Government has a duty to recognize and protect the family and must not grant alternative relationships the same status and privileges.

4. Freedom of Conscience is the Soul of Liberty

Understanding that freedom of conscience is at the heart of liberty, the Framers protected freedom of religion and assembly in the 1st Amendment. Movements to force the Boy Scouts to accept homosexual scout masters, or to compel religious individuals or organizations to distribute birth control or abortion drugs against their beliefs, directly attack these freedoms.

5. Private Property is the Servant of Freedom

The more that individuals, families and businesses can acquire and control the goods necessary to sustain and advance themselves, the more autonomy they will have from the state and others who may wish to unjustly restrict their freedom. The free and responsible use of private property tends to create greater wealth and greater freedom for greater numbers of people.

6. Government Dependency is the Seed of Tyranny

The more that individuals, families and businesses are dependent on the state for the goods necessary to sustain and advance themselves, the less autonomy they will have from the state and others who may wish to unjustly restrict their freedom. This is why expanding the welfare state is bad, and Social Security personal retirement accounts, Health Savings Accounts and school choice are good.

7. The Constitution Means What It Says

Believing in the God-given rights of man and understanding the imperfect nature of human beings, the Framers crafted a Constitution designed to protect the former from the latter. Many of the problems in U.S. government would be resolved if the President, Congress and Courts limited themselves and each other to the authority the Constitution actually grants them.

8. Taxes Are Justified Only to Fund Necessary Government Spending

A massive and complex tax code has become a powerful weapon politicians can use to pressure citizens to behave as the politicians, or the interest groups that support the politicians, wish. The correct function of taxation is to equitably collect only that revenue needed to fund the legitimate activities of a constitutionally limited government.

9. National Defense Is Just That

The first duty of the federal government is to defend the American people against foreign enemies. While advancing freedom in the world is good in itself—and, where it prudently can be done, would advance the interests of the United States–ultimately, the mandate for our national leaders is to use whatever moral means they can to carve out that path in our relations with foreign powers that is most likely to lead to enhanced security, prosperity and freedom for this nation.

10. We Should Strive to Give Our Children a Better Country

America is more than just an expanse of territory or a set of laws. It is a culture, whose art, architecture, journalism, music, movies, television, schools and universities, should reflect and reinforce the traditional values that made this country great. We owe this to our children, who will build the America of tomorrow on the foundation of the America we teach them to love today.
Copyright © 2006 HUMAN EVENTS. All Rights Reserved.

Psychics and Elements (appended)

A Psychic on the radio today stated that (loosely quoting): “One lifetime, one set of experiences, is not enough to find god or get to know god.”

Why is one lifetime or one “set of experiences” the measure by which we account for “finding god or getting to know god”? Could it be that since this god would have to be timeless, all-powerful, and ultimate good (see C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity), would he not have the resources available to him to make himself “findable” within one human lifetime?

I dare to make a bold claim, but one that remains resoundingly true: Any person who truly seeks after The God in a manner that is of pure intentions, meaning actually looking for answers and not just trying to dismiss every theory that makes one uncomfortable, He will find them. That is a promise in the Word of This God: that all who seek Him will find Him.

On a personal note, I am not as “found” by my Creator as I should be. I get wrapped up in the trivial pursuits of life – work, school, family/friends, writing in blogs….I hope to explore some of these mental blocks of my attempted dedication to my spiritual and physical health.