SF Memories

WTF?

2008-09-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know. SOme of these posts are over 11 years old. They've been sitting in my blogger account forever. That means they live on in Google's brain. I figured, what the heck. Let's let it all hang out: honesty about my mistakes is important. Be those mistakes on the left or on the right. So... here's the whole kit and kaboodle of the last 11 years of mood swings, policy changes and theological journeys. Enjoy.

Teaching... not my own

2003-02-22T23:27:00.000-08:00

Moved

Half a day at home...

2003-02-20T22:20:00.000-08:00

Moved

Many Passions...

2003-02-20T12:13:00.000-08:00

Moved

Faith thingies in politics...

2003-02-18T16:15:00.000-08:00

Moved

Orthodox Radio

2003-02-18T12:30:00.000-08:00

Moved

Well now...

2003-02-18T07:10:00.000-08:00

Moved

The Publican and the Pharisee

2003-02-17T23:04:00.000-08:00

Moved

By what Authority, pt II

2003-02-15T10:04:00.000-08:00

Moved

By what Authority?

2003-02-13T16:56:00.000-08:00

Moved

Keep Searching

2003-02-13T10:04:00.000-08:00

I'm amused to death by some of these... Yahoo: logos de skete Google: Dostoevsky Dimitri Karamazov abstract Yahoo: icons +melting snow Google: "paul moore" pornography Google: seabury bookstore Google: greek orthodox blog Google: Patricia Nelson Limerick "haunted America" Google: presiding bishop blog Google: "Freedom to sin" dostoevsky Google: blogging "spiritual discipline" Google: sfsu bookstore arrests Google: paper on haunted america by patricia limerick Google: raphael school raleigh discipline Google: webblog hosting Yahoo: spiritual confession Google: Raphael Individualism "Paul Moore" and P'graphy? Really. WHO the heck goes looking for the name of a retired Episcopal Bishop in that context?

prelent...

2003-02-12T23:10:00.000-08:00

moved

ANSWER is not about peace, folks. They're communists.

2003-02-12T20:32:00.000-08:00

Found in the Jerusalem Post Internet Edition...

US rabbi barred from San Francisco war protest, as too 'pro-Israel' By THE JERUSALEM POST INTERNET STAFF Rabbi Michael Lerner says today he has been barred from speaking at an anti-war protest planned for this Sunday in San Francisco, because he spoke out against the organizers' dissemination of anti-Israel propaganda. Lerner, the editor of Tikkun magazine and rabbi of Beyt Tikkun synagogue, writes of his being turned away at the rally on the op-ed page of Wednesday's Wall Street Journal. "We at Tikkun do not believe that this war--in which thousands of Iraqi civilians are likely to die--will bring democracy to the Middle East. Instead, it is bound to increase the threat of terrorism to American citizens and provoke more violence," Lerner writes. Yet "imagine my surprise," he says, at being banned from speaking at the rally, one of whose sponsors is a group called A.N.S.W.E.R., whose spokesman said this week they don't want a pro-Israel speaker at the rally. "My sin was publicly criticizing the way that A.N.S.W.E.R.,has used the antiwar demonstrations to put forward anti-Israel propaganda," Lerner says. "There is support on the left for self-determination for every group in the world except the Jewish people," he writes.

I confess that I have some theological difficulty with Rabbi Lerner. The one time I worshipped with his congregation, I wasn't... mmm. happy - although I was made to feel very welcomed. Having said this, to put my biases out in the open... Answer's website indicates that his calim is write: he was denied a place to speak because he criticized Answer. "When members of the Tikkun Community, who have actively participated in the organizing meetings for Feb. 16, suggested to Bay Area United for Peace and Justice, that it propose Michael Lerner as a speaker, it was explained by members of UFPJ that since he had publicly attacked A.N.S.W.E.R in both the New York Times and Tikkun community e-mail newsletters, his inclusion in the program would violate the agreement among the Feb. 16 organizing groups. " WTF was Lerner thinking? Should he be surprised? If it's not ANTI AMERICAN sentiment, ANSWER won't want to do it - and in this case, they're antiIsrael - the homeland of the Jewish People. ANSWER is not about peace. It's not about freedom. It's not about liberty. It's about revolution - and not the kind that birthed this country, but rather the kind of revolution that killed 50 Million Souls in Russia in the last century.

This story moved me... not clear on why...

2003-02-12T10:20:00.000-08:00

The Prague Post Online: Orthodox Church ordains Romany priest

The Rev. Jan Polansky was impressed by the 13-year-old who walked into the Orthodox church of St. Anna in Plzen (Pilsen) one Sunday morning in 1993. [snip] On Jan. 19, [David] Dudas, 22, became the first Rom [Gypsy] in the nation to be ordained in the Orthodox Church. He conducted his first service Feb. 9 inside his new church, the Trinity Church in Rokycany, west Bohemia, a town with a population of 14,619, including 800 Roma.

AXIOS! Many Years!

Forgiveness

2003-02-12T07:19:00.000-08:00

There is this prayer in the Orthodox tradition that asks God for forgiveness if one has "made fun of my brother's sin when my own faults are countless..." James Lileks' Bleat points out that we can all have a bad day. He has a story about the Dell Dude, quoted from Boys Life.

When the first tower collapsed, Ben rushed into the subway entrance nearby to escape the flying debris. Clouds of soot poured down into the tunnel. He took his shirt off and tied it around his face to breathe. A woman came down the stairs with a severe gash on her head. "At first I was completely freaked out," he said, "but then my Scout training came back to me." He used his shirt as a pressure bandage and helped the woman to safety. Still chuckling at his pot bust? Fine. But we all wonder how we would have reacted that day. He knows. He can live with himself. I wish him good luck.

We can all have good and bad days.

Memory Eternal

2003-02-11T23:06:00.000-08:00

I rather liked his work as it made wonderful sense - and was a nice balance to USAmerican POV. ArabNews: Arab News cartoonist Kahil dies in London

Arab News cartoonist Mahmoud Kahil died yesterday after undergoing surgery at a British hospital.

Comin' at everyone from all sides..

2003-02-11T23:01:00.000-08:00

This is what I love about this soon-to-be-war: Nobody's on nobody's side. Tape Ascribed to bin Laden Urges Muslims to Stand With Iraq
NY Times (registration required)

A recorded message apparently made by Osama bin Laden called on Muslims today to repulse any United States attempt to invade Iraq, urging them to apply the lessons learned by Al Qaeda, his terror network. The message stressed that no matter how distasteful it might be to believers, fighting on the same side of godless regimes like that of Saddam Hussein was justified by the greater good of battling the United States.

And... Middle East Newsline -

Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin called on Muslims to attack U.S. nationals and Westerners amid any U.S.-led attack on Iraq. In a letter to Muslims, Yassin urged them to attack Western interests the moment the regime of President Saddam Hussein is struck. "Muslims should threaten Western interests and strike them everywhere," Yassin said in the letter.

It is to be noted, however, despite what Mr Powell says, the tape in question ripped a new one for Saddam. If our war is against "not the Iraqi people, but against their dictator..." then we fight with Bin Laden. This one line puts a lie to any "connection" theory proffered by our Government - or else puts the lie to the idea that the tape is real (and not either American or Bin Laden propaganda). Bin Laden Labels Saddam an Infidel - Jazeera TV

While urging Muslims to support the Iraqi people and repel any attack on their country, the tape said Saddam's secular "socialist" government had lost credibility. "Socialists are infidels wherever they are," the statement said. But it added: "It does not hurt that in current circumstances, the interests of Muslims coincide with the interests of the socialists in the war against crusaders."

Personally, I'd like a T-shirt with that one. Socialists Are Infidels Wherever They Are
- O. Bin Laden

Classism at it again

2003-02-11T16:21:00.000-08:00

FOX Asks Rich Girls to Live 'Simple Life'

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - You can take the socialite out of Manhattan, but can you take Manhattan out of the socialite? That's the question FOX will attempt to answer this summer with a reality series called "Simple Life." The six-episode series is a latter-day twist on "Green Acres," taking two young women used to the posh big-city life and sending them to the heartland to live with a family on a farm.

When, oh when, will they stop making fun of poor people? Take some white folks and make them live in inner city projects? Not likely. Send some Jewish Kids to a Catholic boarding school. Not likely. Send some city folks to the country (or vice versa) and well... it's a laugh a minute because, hey, nothing funnier than watching someone milk a cow. *sigh*. There are days when I think the fundamentlists are right: I think modernism (and post-modernism) need to be stopped, but six feet under in an unmarked grave and leave the rest of us to fend against the demon-haunted world on our own. I'd rather be Amish. Then other days, I blog.

Odd Twists in the Reality Cable

2003-02-11T13:04:00.000-08:00

If you've not read the Left Behind, do so. Not because there is going to be a rapture and I want you to be saved. That's not the point. After the Rapture (in the first chapter of book one), the Antichrist shows up. He sets about a global satanic conspiracy to enslave the world. Remember, this book was written by a far-right radical looney. Read the first five books or so. You can do it in less than a month if you set your mind to it. When your done reading... Try not to think about how the Left's Anti-War hysteria and Oil Conspiracy Theories are exactly like the Author's Anti-left hysteria and Satanic Conspiracy Theories. Try not to notice that if you replace Nicolae Carpathia with George Bush and the Right with the Left, the story is exactly the same. This is not a "Bush is the Anti-Christ" theory. This is a "The Left is just as nuts as the Right" theory. I'm going to go eat some fried chicken and pray. The only way to respond to advancing apocalypse is prayer: not protests, nor conspiracy, nor anti-government radicalism, nor abusive patriotism. The only answer is prayer. Update example: "After Democracy" seems to be just a little too scary to actually worry about. I don't think any of the conspiracy theories need be wrong b/c they are soo odd or strident... any one (or heck, all of 'em) might be right. Just if the world is really like that, there's nothing to do for it any way.

Wars and Rumors of War

2003-02-10T22:00:00.000-08:00

During one of my random blog surgs around I found.... About the War (and How America Is Losing)

War Starts Sunday (According to Sources) My sources indicate the war will start on Sunday night. Here are the reasons. - The Bush Administration would probably raise the "terror color code" before the attack, based on some kind of pretext. They upped it to orange a couple of days ago based on "increased chatter," whatever that is. - Israel would probably close off the West Bank and Gaza right before the attack, to prevent Palistinean unrest. Israel just shut down the West Bank and Gaza today. - They will probably attack during the new moon, since it's darkest then. But the Iraqis know that, so they will probably attack before then to give the US some kind of advantage of surprise. Plus, the hardest fighting will then take place in the dark.

There's more there. Not much. And he doesn't note the source... Arglwydd, trugarha. Arglwydd, trugarha. Arglwydd, trugarha.

If ya can't trust the spooks...

2003-02-10T16:54:00.000-08:00

It's all kinds of odd out there, huh? Independent.co.uk News

Britain and America's spies believe that they are being politicised: that the intelligence they provide is being selectively applied to lead to the opposite conclusion from the one they have drawn, which is that Iraq is much less of a threat than their political masters claim. Worse, when the intelligence agencies fail to do the job, the politicians will not stop at plagiarism to make their case, even "tweaking" the plagiarised material to ensure a better fit.

Thanks to post over at jakob's blog

Hubris and Freedom

2003-02-10T16:41:00.000-08:00

OK, the day started out with news that some utilities - with the backing of the G-Men - were looking into the possibility of using just regular old every day electrical wires to carry the internet. Yahoo! News - Broadband Over Power Lines? It's Possible You know, the simple wires that run everywhere - literally. They are running through every wall of your home and office and all the stores in which you shop and all the cafes in which you eat and all the churches in which your worship. In other words, the internet would be, literally, everywhere. But as I noted last night when I first heard this story, and again this AM in the blog, the only reason the Feds like this idea is because it would put the data gathering possibilities of the internet in every socket of your home - literally every thing plugged in in your house can be used against you. And then today comes this bit of heartening news from Declan McCullagh over at C|Net... Perspective: Ashcroft's worrisome spy plans.

The FBI and state police would be able to eavesdrop on what Web sites you visit, what you search for with Google and with whom you chat through e-mail and instant messaging--all without a court order for up to 48 hours. That's if you're suspected of what would become a new offense of "activities threatening the national security interest."

I'm sure I'm not the only one who sees how these items can fit together in the mind of a paranoid. So our American liberty is God's gift to humanity... It's amazing how many things are worthy of applause but yet are total lies. The Hubris of the President in making that statement is appalling - for as he says it, the country is sacrificing it on the the altar of "security". It is, however, even more horrifying. It is, nearly blasphemy - and even more so to hear persons who call themselves Christians applauding it, to stand up and cheer it and participate in the blasphemy. The only Liberty God has given the world is Liberty in Christ. The Truth will set you Free: and Only Jesus is that Truth. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed, but no merely human country is even a pale reflection of that Liberty. And no amount of human laws can restrict or contain that Liberty. To claim otherwise is to put oneself in the place of God: for if our American and Christ-less liberty is God's gift to the world, I'm going looking for another God. This may mean nothing or everything. Our civic freedom may be over, or it may not. It may be time for Christians to go to the Catacombs as we did under Stalin and Caesar. It may be time for us to got to camps as we did under Hitler. It may be time for us to sit at home and pray, quietly working out our Salvation in fear and trembling. Either way, now that the President as asserted the USAmerica as God's Gift to the world - and that without Christ - and now that his government is making a lie of his every mis-spoken promise - it may be time for Christians to WAKE UP. We need no longer allow this nation to claim alliance with our Faith nor need we claim alliance with her. As history shows, the Faith was never really a part of our founders vision - and the now-reality of their vision is horrifying: for when we are not being swallowed whole by our National "Security", we are sacrificing our children on the altars of "Choice", "Individualism" and "Consumerism". And really, it is only these three things that most of us are worried about: will National Security interfere with my personal freedom? Will I no longer be able to choose? Will I still be able to shop? We are now at the end of a complex logic problem that begins with the phrase "Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness" and ends with self-referential postmodernism and immorality. We have given up the Liberty granted to us in Christ in exchange for the freedom "under god" granted to us by government. And, once again, we act surprised when the humans heading that government act like humans. Personally, I think we'll be much better off if we just recognize that the civic religion's god (in whom "We Trust" and under whom we are "one nation") means Ba'al, Baphomet or Ashtoreth - that "god" has no resemblance at all to the Holy Trinity or to Christ, God with us. Christ's service is perfect Liberty - and that Liberty is nothing like we have imagined. It is the Liberty to be who we are, children of our Heavenly Father - and in this world of ours without authorities, where we deny them and hate them at every turn, children is the one thing we imagine ourselves not to be. Yet children is exactly how we are treated over and over again. It is ironic that in a nation committed to irresponsible adulthood and freedom, our government constantly takes away our freedom and spies on us in its fear. It is Ironic that rather than be treated as the Children of an all-loving God, we'd rather imagine ourselves as Adults under an all-allowing state - yet that State treats us like wayward children, whereas God only contiues to call us back to Himself. Praying for our leaders, as we are commanded to do: may Christ our God save them. I ask your prayers.

Ch.Ch.Ch.Ch.Changes

2003-02-10T12:23:00.000-08:00

Doxos will soon be moving to a new hosting service, DreamHost, and to a new blogging tool: movabletype.org. I'm looking forward to saving money hereby. I'm also looking forward to more features from the hosting service - such as subdomains. Currently on the block: a subdomain to host a blog dedicated to fast-friendly recipes. I'm also looking forward to using categories to help sort the posts on my blogs. The goal, just now, is to surf the learning curve on MT as quickly as possible. Please note: Any help from you MT types out there would be welcomed... and There is the possibility that during the DNS switch there will be some problems. I will stick with Blogger until I figure out what to do with MT so the blogging, per se, should not be interrupted.

Sounds cool, but, ummm...

2003-02-10T07:17:00.000-08:00

Broadband Over Power Lines? It's Possible

Coming to a home or office near you could be an electric Internet: high-speed Web access via ubiquitous power lines, of all things, making every electrical outlet an always-on Web connection. If it sounds shocking, consider this: St. Louis-based Ameren Corp. and other utilities already are testing the technology, and many consider it increasingly viable. This truly plug-and-play technology, if proven safe, has the blessings of federal regulators looking to bolster broadband competition, lower consumer prices and bridge the digital divide in rural areas. Because virtually every building has a power plug, it "could simply blow the doors off the provision of broadband," Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell said last month. For competition's sake, "absolutely, we would applaud it," says Edmond Thomas, chief of the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology. (Via Y! News)

MMM. If the G-Men (should one say "G-Persons"?) like it so much, there must be some thing up. But I mean, what? Oh, wait: every electrical socket in the world able to report what's plugged in, what's turned on... how long it was used (and for some things, what it was used for). Mmmm....

Another one gone...

2003-02-08T12:40:00.000-08:00

I found one of my favorite blogs gone this AM. Locust Eater

I'm not trying to give you a hard time -- a thorough scouring of the web will reveal that I too waste far too much time trying to convince other people of blah blah blah. I'd be much better off if I ignored them and spent that valuable time on what I think is important. All we're ever going to prove is that we're better read, better adjusted, and have sharper tongues... and for what?

I had a conversation with a commenter here, Evan, a while ago about something Church related. I'm Orthodox, Evan is Protestant. I told him point blank, I'm not here to debate: I can't represent the entire body of Orthodox Doctrine, and I'm certainly not going to be able to change her Doctrines - or even disagree with them. Orthodoxy requires that I take those doctrines and live them - not debate 'em. I've seen a lot of bloggers closing of late. And I wonder why. Doxos is my journal. Doxos is a record of cool things I've found. Doxos is a way to keep writing. Doxos is my sounding board, and doxos is a way for people (some who know me and some who don't) to keep up on my life. But I never really saw Doxos as a way to win arguments. I've developed e-relationships, sometimes even e-friendships with my readers. I've developed prayer relationships. And, as the scripture says, "Iron sharpens Iron..." But winning arguments? I can't even do that in person... I continue to ask for your prayers and to remember you all in mine. The relationships that we develope here are real - albeit netbased - and when any of us cut off the rest of is, it is a real absence.

Am Yisrael Chai!

2003-02-08T00:41:00.000-08:00

Why Israel must be (from ANDY'S CHEST)

The reason America is not, and could never be, a Jewish Homeland, is because Jews are a minority without autonomy and self-determination. The Jews in Spain flourished until the Inquisition. The Jews in Germany flourished until the Holocaust. There have been many countries where Jews have assimilated and thrived and contributed disproportionately to the common good until political tides shifted. America is no different.

Go read it all.

Makes the Heart Glad...

2003-02-07T15:03:00.000-08:00

Gen X Revert provides us with a refreshing take on the quest for truth. And despite the fact that it's based on a Boomer/Beat Anthem or Credo, it has no profanity in it and yet lots of Truth.

Catholic Howl with Apologies to Allen Ginsberg (and Lisa Simpson): I saw the best Catholics of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the streets at dawn looking for beautiful Liturgy

Go read more Makes me want to write the same sort of thing for Episcopalians.

Online Resource

2003-02-07T12:40:00.000-08:00

Mindful that I am new to all of this, it is to be noted that Orthodoxy, on war, is of two minds. There seems to be a pacifist tradition as well as a non-pacifist tradition. Both are held in the teachings of the Church, and in the writings of the Fathers and of the scriptures. The online book, For the Peace From Above, offers a number of resources for discussing such issues. Peace In The Fathers by Fr. Stanley S. Harakas Orthodox and Peace by Olivier Clement Canonical Reference Texts (an amazing collection including this:

Orthodox Russia, let this shame pass by you! Let this curse not touch upon you. May your hand not be reddened by blood, which cries out to heaven. Do not let the enemy of Christ, the devil, carry you away by the passion of vengeance and to besmirch the endeavour of your martyrdom from the hands of the violators and persecutors of Christ. Remember: pogroms are the victory of your enemies. Remember: pogroms are a dishonour for yourself, a dishonour to the Church! For the Christian, the ideal is Christ, who used no sword to defend Himself, who brought the sons of thunder to peace, having prayed for His enemies on the Cross. For the Christian, the guiding light is the command of the holy Apostle, who suffered much for his Saviour and who sealed his dedication to Him by his death: "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God: for it is written: 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' No, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; is he his thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.'" (Rom. 12:19-20). Should we, Christians, embark upon this way (of vengeance, ed.)? O, let this not be! Not even if our hearts would break from the grief and oppressions inflicted upon our religious feelings, our love of our native land or our temporary well-being, even if our feelings would infallibly tell us who and where our assailant is. No, let better bleeding wounds be inflicted upon us, than that we move to revenge, or worse even, to pogroms, against our enemies, or those, whom we take to be the source of our suffering. Follow Christ! Don't betray Him! Don't fall into temptation. Do not allow your own soul to perish in the blood of vengeance. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21). -- Pastoral letter to the faithful of the Orthodox Church of Russia, 8/21 July 1919, by St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow

(From the Orthodox Peace Fellowship of the Protectionof the Mother of God.)

Another for the Religion of Peace

2003-02-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

From the Israel News : Jerusalem Post: Hamas spiritual leader: Muslims should attack Western interests if US strikes Iraq

Sheik Ahmed Yassin, spiritual leader of the militant Palestinian Hamas group, on Friday urged all Muslims on to attack Western interests the world over in the event of a US-led military campaign against Iraq. Media reports quoted an open letter by Yassin, in which he wrote that Muslims must "threaten and strike Western interests and hit them everywhere" if the US does indeed strike in Iraq. Hamas has carried out scores of terror attacks and suicide bombings against Israeli in the two years of violence between Israel and the Palestinians, also referred to as the Al Aksa Intifada.

A new voice for a new Pakistan.

2003-02-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

From the Pakistan Daily Times comes a report of a man killed for committing "blasphemy". He had be released on bail and was killed while on his way away from the Court. Then comes this odd paragraph:

Mozang Police Station Duty Officer Arif said the assailants were on foot and after killing Prof Zafar they blended into the crowd. Prof Zafar was the author of a book called "Noh-i-Lock" in which he had written objectionable statements. The book was written in Urdu and later translated into English. The book, after its publication, was banned in Pakistan and England. A case was registered against Mr Zafar and a few other people. Later, he got interim bail during the initial interrogation.

Wow. Hard to tell who our allies are in this "war for freedom and democracy," huh? Oddly, I can find no listing for the title of the book, or the author. Anyone know why it was banned in the UK?

Regarding Iraq

2003-02-07T07:39:00.000-08:00

From Orthodox Christians Regarding Iraq. The page includes articles, statements and reactions.... * A Plea for Peace from the Orthodox Peace Fellowship in North America * Make Peaceful the Nation in Times of War * Patriarch Bartolomeos warns of worldwide catastrophe over new Gulf War * On Iraq: statement issued by Metropolitan Philip, Primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America * Patriarch Alexis urges USA to cancel Iraq war plans * Orthodox Christians in Britain Urge Blair not to attack Iraq

My beloved children in the Lord, our nation stands at the brink of a precipice, contemplating a decision to launch a preemptive strike upon another nation for the first time in its history. At this time, as compelling evidence that Iraq poses an imminent threat to the world has yet to be uncovered, there does not appear to be a clear moral imperative for war. The rationalizations being offered for a hasty military solution fall short of just cause, and give the impression that we are rushing to attack another nation simply because we can, and because it serves our own narrowly defined economic and national interests.
+Metropolitan ANTHONY of San Francisco

An unprovoked attack on Iraq would bring shame on those countries who were a party to such an action. While Christ's teaching that 'all who draw the sword will die by the sword' can be understood in a variety of ways, clearly it is no blessing to those who would initiate war.
(From the Orthodox in Britain)

It is to be noted that Orthodoxy has no Pope: there is no one who can make a statement for the "entire church" for all of us, even I am of the Church and each Orthodox Christian is responsible for upholding the entire faith and teaching it and living it. A growing consensus, however, is a sign that the Spirit of Christ is speaking in the Church.

Ah... Sources...

2003-02-07T07:22:00.000-08:00

God's Own Dictionary

Without the English translations of the Bible hundreds of years ago, adolescents wouldn't go through puberty, we wouldn't be able to satisfy our appetites, and Keanu Reeves wouldn't have starred in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. According to Coined By God: Words and Phrases That First Appear in English Translations of the Bible (published this month by W.W. Norton), puberty, appetite, and excellent are among more than 100 English words, phrases, rhythms, and idioms coined in Bible translations.

Keep the ACLU away from this: they will have English outlawed. (Via Blogs4God)

Thought Crimes...

2003-02-05T21:46:00.000-08:00

This can not be good. BBC NEWS | England | Hate crime police raid 150 homes. Note to self: England has no constitution to protect its people from their government.

Police investigating allegations of racism, homophobia and domestic violence have raided about 150 addresses across London. At least 90 people have been arrested after officers from the Metropolitan Police's community safety unit took part in the dawn raids on Wednesday. Twenty-seven people have been charged, including one for rape but most have been arrested on suspicion of making racist threats and of homophobic harassment.

2 May 1943...

2003-02-05T21:42:00.000-08:00

Opinion article, Three Jewish Students Who Shook the World by Dr. Rafael Medoff as posted in Arutz 7

At a time when the prevailing assumption was that nobody cared and nothing could be done to save Jews from Hitler, three college students had helped mobilize Christian sympathy for Hitler's victims and had convinced a major Jewish organization to undertake a nationwide campaign to raise public consciousness about the Holocaust.

Holoscan?

2003-02-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

It seems commenting is broke for now... I've blocked the HTML for the feature until I find out what's what. It may be VERY much time to seriously look into porting this whole thing over to MT. Now it seems to be working... but it also seems that some posts have gone missing: please note: I didn't delete ya - Haloscan did!

Evil Imaginations

2003-02-05T07:34:00.000-08:00

moved

Chuck Colson, no less

2003-02-03T22:58:00.000-08:00

Commentary for December 18, 2002 - Breakpoint

It's well known that Tolkien rejected allegorical interpretations of Lord of the Rings - the notion, for example, that the ring represented the atom bomb. But Tolkien's Christian faith was a different matter. And it's no surprise that his faith found its way into the story. Tolkien wrote to a friend that Lord of the Rings is a "fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision." When, in both the book and the film, Gandalf calls himself a "servant of the Secret Fire," that fire, Tolkien told a friend, is the Holy Spirit. [snip] In some ways, Lord of the Rings, both the film and the book, is what the Church fathers called preparatio evangelica, preparation for the Gospel. It's a story where the characters, while not possessing the fullness of Christian revelation, can nonetheless glimpse this truth. Understanding their world and their thoughts prepares us to understand the fullness of Christian revelation.

A major problem..

2003-02-03T16:19:00.000-08:00

In PC terminology this would be called "penis issues". I'll settle for Gung-Hosim and pray really hard that America gets over it. This is from a writer whom I greatly respect for his ability to make me laugh and think at the same time, often in way I hadn't thought before. But this one just doesn't do it for me. It typifies what I imagine when I hear people say "ugly American". It wouldn't be a stereotype unless some part of it were true... LILEKS (James) The Bleat

The rest of the day I listened to the radio. NPR had an interview with one of those people who think we should not send people into space, but rely entirely on robots. As I pulled into the parking lot at the mall he casually asked "what can a man do on Mars that a robot cannot?" PLANT A F*CKING FLAG ON THE PLANET, I shouted at the radio. Pardon my language. But. On a day when seven brave people died while fulfilling their brightest ambitions, this was the wrong day to suggest we all stay tethered to the dirt until the sun grows cold. Are we less than the men who left safe harbors and shouldered through cold oceans? After all, they sailed into the void; we can look up at the night sky and point at where we want to go. There: that bright white orb. We're going.

I'm not aware of any "higher good" served by "going just because it's there". It's simple human pride. It's all about eatting apples when we were told not to. Yes some good comes of it - and some evil, too - like all human actions. But why celebrate it or use my tax dollars to do it or expect me to be excited? Like Jesus Rock Singer, Larry Norman, said back in the early 70s... And your money says, "In God we trust", but it's against the law to pray in school You say we beat the Russians to the moon, and I say you starved your children to do it. The thing that just blew up cost human lives: more than seven though, for at its cost how many could have been fed? To give up what you want to do to care for others is, really, charity - agape. To put the care of others before one's own self is charity. In otherwords, it isn't charity - agape - to take what is left over at the end of the budget and toss that to the homeless shelter. Charity is selling your TV, the TiVO, or my Computer to give money to the poor. I'm not good at it either. Just making notes...

Quotes in my Parish News letter...

2003-02-03T07:27:00.000-08:00

This is eternally precious to us, because we too live ordinary lives, and the fact that the Lord lived such a life, sanctifies everything: from the difficulty, to waking in the morning, to the daily cares and labors of life. From now on, no one has the right to say that life is pointless because one has to cook, clean or wash. Such were the labors of the Mother of God; such was the daily work of her Divine Son. This means that there is nothing insignificant in our daily labors and chores. Fr. Alexander Men

After Thinking...

2003-02-03T07:23:00.000-08:00

Wonderful sermon from Father yesterday, in light of the recent tragedy: pretending to know the mind of God, and attributing human events to God's judgment and the selection of human sides by signs - as was claimed since Saturday by Muslims, Orthodox Jews, Americans (including, evidently, a good number of my fellow Bloggers) - is blasphemy. Father's point was that we all do it all the time.

real victory over evil...

2003-02-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

"Evil always slashes, plunges into human flesh or into the human soul. There is always a person-to-person relationship where there is suffering, hate, greed or cowardice. But the victory is decisive: evil falls into the hands of the good, so to speak, because the moment we become victims, we acquire a right that is properly divine, to forgive. And then, just as Christ said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,' so can we in our turn say, as one of our bishops did before his death in the course of the Stalinist purges: 'There will come a day when the martyr will be able to stand before the throne of God in defense of his persecutors and say, "Lord, I have forgiven in Thy Name and by Thy example: Thou hast no claim against them any more."'" Metropolitan ANTHONY of Sourozh God and man

Life in Higher Ed

2003-01-31T16:40:00.000-08:00

From an email at work today...

On behalf of AAC and U's Board of Directors, we share the following resolution with member campuses. RESOLUTION CONCERNING WAR WITH IRAQ: There are few better examples of democracy in action than an informed citizenry openly exploring and supporting or challenging the most important governmental policies and decisions that affect the nation. In this spirit, the AAC and U Board of Directors recommends that member institutions actively encourage and provide public forums for engaging students, faculty, staff and local community members in learning and debating about the issues and implications of war with Iraq. Approved by the AAC and U Board of Directors, in consultation with those attending the 89th annual meeting of AAC and U, January 2003. Association of American Colleges and Universities 1818 R Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 202.387.3760 www.aacu.org

learning and debating about the issues and implications of war with Iraq The Cynic in mean reads that to mean a bunch of one-sided teach ins. I hope y'all get a right proper multi-sided debate.

Sign of things to come?

2003-01-31T16:33:00.000-08:00

I don't know anything about this source. The headline got my attention - "crossing the Rubicon" is just a little over the heads of most American Media. It is a very different view. Bush's Rubicon: War on Iraq Risks Global Muslim Terrorism

The most experienced counter-terrorist investigator in the Western world is France's Jean-Louis Bruguiere. He is not campaigning against a U.S. regime change invasion of Iraq. But he is saying that Islamic militants are recruiting hundreds of jihadis to carry out terrorist attacks as soon as the war balloon goes up. He also sees the bulk of these threats emanating from groups in Chechnya. Many of these terrorists were trained in how to make chemical weapons in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and/or in the Soviet Red Army during the Cold War.

Asheville, Pt 3

2003-01-31T16:03:00.000-08:00

Moved

Kingdom... not of this world... etc.

2003-01-31T08:21:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Josh for pointing this story out in his post Greedy Americans. Episcopalian leader lashes out at Bush for 'reprehensible' policy

The top bishop of the Episcopal Church, in a stinging rebuke of American foreign policy, said the United States is rightly "hated and loathed" around the world for its "reprehensible" rhetoric and blind eye toward poverty and suffering. "I'd like to be able to go somewhere in the world and not have to apologize for being from the United States," Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold 3rd said Friday in an interview with Religion News Service.

Some context... My former boss, the Presiding Bishop who served just before Griswold, was a close friend of President Bush the Elder right up until the first Iraqi War. Together they read the Gov't report of human rights abuses in Kuwait after Saddam came in. They agonized and prayed over it. I think they were really, honestly, brothers in Christ: I know the bishop felt, in a way, like the President's pastor. Then our chaplains were mobilized - and we at the Church Center in NYC knew that war was coming a few hours before the media. The Bishop called the President. The President took the phone and said, "What do you want? Talk to Barbara, she's the religious one." That was the end of the friendship, I fear, and not much to build upon followed. That was also the end of the Presiding Bishop's (more correctly, his staff's) drive for power and connections in DC. Through the 80s and early 90s, a few members of his staff constantly attempted to put the bishop on a world stage and all that ended with that phone call. I have seen no evidence that those connections have been renewed. I put Bishop Griswold's comments in that context. As the words from the phonecall were shared with our staff, I'm sure they were shared with other bishops. As the President no doubt told his wife, he no doubt told his son. And it is possible that that ripple in that one passing friendship still ruins things today. Does this justify statements which, had they been made in sweeping style about another country would rightly be called racist? I don't think so. But the context of a bad history here is important I think. However if this is important there may a need also to look at the "My Daddy" issues for President Bush the Younger as well. Politicians have short memories: families do not.

Asheville, Pt 2

2003-01-30T19:47:00.000-08:00

Moved

the PCistas of the world to the Dustbins of History

2003-01-30T13:14:00.000-08:00

Ireland's Pubs To Be Smoke Free ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Marketing the religion of peace...

2003-01-30T12:31:00.000-08:00

WWMS Jewlery? Bumper stickers? T-shirts? Veils?

not that I told you so... well...

2003-01-30T12:26:00.000-08:00

There goes the idea of "peaceful"... 200 renegades go on rampage in S.F.

A splinter group of more than 200 black-clad protesters broke off from Saturday's peaceful rally and went on a brief romp through the Financial District, smashing windows and news racks before melting away before the eyes of frustrated police. A police spokesman said officers made two arrests. The angry demonstration began about 4:40 p.m. when a group of demonstrators beating drums and waving black-and-red flags blocked traffic at Fifth and Mission streets.

I know it says "splinter group" but I'd like to hear any official from the organizers deny a connection between the main rally and these folks. When you have a rally organized by communists, eventually the real agenda comes out.

Religion And Science Collide In Texas

2003-01-30T11:51:00.000-08:00

Ah yes, I remember the saying of Jesus, "Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute and say all manner of evil things against you falsely for My sake, rejoice and be excedinlgy glad for you shall be able to take them to court and persecute them back..." Via the RSS feed at CBS News

A biology professor who refuses to write letters of recommendation for his students if they don't believe in evolution is being accused of religious discrimination, and federal officials are investigating, the school said. Dini, an associate professor who has been at Texas Tech for 10 years, said Wednesday he didn't know about a federal inquiry. He referred questions about his policy to a Web page that outlines it. [snip] The Web page advises students seeking a recommendation to be prepared to answer the question: "How do you think the human species originated?" "If you cannot truthfully and forthrightly affirm a scientific answer to this question, then you should not seek my recommendation for admittance to further education in the biomedical sciences," Dini writes. [snip] The legal complaint began with Texas Tech student Micah Spradling, who withdrew from Dini's class and the university in the fall and enrolled at Lubbock Christian University after learning about Dini's policy. Spradling, 22, wants to become a physician and said he needed a letter of recommendation from a biology professor but, as a creationist, he said he couldn't "sit there and truthfully say I believe in human evolution."

Asheville PT 1 ...

2003-01-30T07:53:00.000-08:00

Moved

A new Axis of Evil Candidate...?

2003-01-29T13:55:00.000-08:00

From the UK Independent

An unexpected new front in the "war on terrorism" has opened this week in Trinidad after an announcement by a local Islamic group that it is manufacturing chemical and biological weapons and might use them against British and American targets on the island. The announcement, made through two reporters for Trinidad's leading newspaper, who were blindfolded and taken to a plausibly alarming secret chemical laboratory, has caused ferment on the island, alarmed authorities in London and Washington and prompted at least one foreign company, the P&O shipping line, to keep tourists away. "With our weapons we are going to reach you," the group said in its statement. "We will reach you where you sleep, we will reach you where you take your baths, we will reach you where you take your meals and have your drinks, even a glass of water you hold in your hand to drink may not be safe." The group claimed it had been manufacturing and storing chemical and biological weapons for two years. It said it hoped not to have to use them, but was deadly serious about stopping Britain and the United States "persecuting Muslims worldwide".

not unlikely...

2003-01-28T12:45:00.000-08:00

Can any one verify the following report? I just found out at a staff meeting here that all the academic associations (that issue and validate school/college/university credentials) are changing their standards in reaction to the Clinton-now-Bush drive to set educational standards: all the associations (except the one in the Pacific Northwest) are switching from a model that looks like this:

We have standards, show us what you have done to meet them.

To this:

Tell us your goals and how you meet them and what you will do to better meet them in the future.

In short order, all the academic types among the cultural elite are doing away with standards in an attempt to defeat a policy change that was put in place by democratically elected officials. The argument seems to be academic freedom - but since when is it freedom to force me to give tax dollars for students to become unproductive? I want to note: this isn't unlikely, knowing what I know about life in Higher Ed. But does anyone else have contacts in the Credential community? Is it true that everyone except the Northwest have signed up for this Coup d'Écoles?

Home again, home again, jiggity jig...

2003-01-28T07:21:00.000-08:00

moved

Shift your perspective...

2003-01-23T17:01:00.000-08:00

Frederica Mathewes-Green on Abortion on National Review Online

To continue a pregnancy came to look like an insane choice, one that placed an unfair burden on others. Having a baby in less-than-perfect circumstances came to look like a crazy and even selfish whim. A woman in an unplanned pregnancy was not just permitted to have an abortion - she was expected to. And that has made all the difference.

Live views, Amazing

2003-01-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

Here is one cool site... HighCountryWebCams.com offers Western North Carolina Web Cameras, including shots of the only place I've ever been skiing. See where I almost killed myself on the MYF ski trip.

Traveling prayers...

2003-01-23T07:27:00.000-08:00

Moved

Say Peace... SAY IT!

2003-01-22T16:04:00.000-08:00

For when they are saying, "Peace and safety," then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. 1 Thes 3:5 I've always heard this verse preached in this wise: "The peace that the world pretends to offer is not really peace. When folks are standing around preaching the end of war, know that it can't happen unless there is Jesus..." But after this last weekend, I think I want to have a more literal take - a very literal take, in fact. The Greek word translated "saying" is "lego". It is the verb form of Logos, a title for Jesus. The definitions provided are 1. to say, to speak a. affirm over, maintain b. to teach c. to exhort, advise, to command, direct d. to point out with words, intend, mean, mean to say e. to call by name, to call, name f. to speak out, speak of, mention And it dawns on me today that all of them are true of so-called "peace movements", especially of the sort that we tend to have here in this country. All of them elevate peace to the level of Highest Good. The Peace Movements of the first and second World Wars both taught peace as more important than stopping German and Fascist aggression. They projected an "America for Americans" form of isolationism which sought to focus the national attention with our own borders, avoiding the problems of the rest of the world. During the Korean and Vietnam actions, a peace movement highly influenced by communist and other humanisms developed. The modern one (developed during and after the Gulf War under President Bush the Elder) is likewise heavily influenced by anti-capitalism and secular humanism, while also carrying marks of the know-nothingism and isolationism of the early part of the 20th Century. Likewise the wars fought in each successive period all seem to bear the same sort of marks: aggression in one form or another must be stopped, most often with unexamined or even covert questions about our own aggression included in the mix. Our peace movements "say peace" (meeting most, if not all of the offered definitions of "lego") over and over again and yet destruction comes... Peace is valued highly in Christianity, but it isn't this peace - which might be seen, in its most basic form, as the mere absence of war (although some safety and some prosperity are preferred). This world can not know peace - for it is unwilling to accept peace on the terms offered: Know Jesus, know peace. He is our reconciliation with God and with each other. So a real confusion arises when we see Christians participating in the peace movement. There seems to me a confusion, among those who are Christian, as to the value of peace "in our time" or a world at peace, and either without Jesus. While nothing happens without God's action, even peace concluded on Christian terms is left in the hands of human persons, and without the action of God's Kingdom, that peace too is destined to fail as, indeed, we see it happening over and over. In Christ, I am called to act in a Christ-like way towards you and everyone (even folks my government calls "enemies".) But beyond the acknowledgement of every Christian to do that... I can't carry this further. Christians have always been soldiers and sometimes we've even served in Armies. Each must make our own choice (as directed by Christ's teachings) but as to peace, I think it behoves us to avoid implicating ourselves in movements which lay claim to peace in the name of Humanism and other such destructive forces. We are left with calling "Know Jesus, Know Peace" just as surely as the answer to the quests for love, understanding, healing and justice are equally rooted in Christ and will only find their fullest manifestation in His Kingdom. Without offering the full truth of our words, we fail to offer any truth at all. There can be no real peace in the absence of the real Truth. One has to accept that Truth exists before one can find it. And our society has rejected even the concept of Truth. One is tempted to ask a peace demonstrator if he accepts the idea all truth is relative and that no one has any "real" truth - in fact no such item exists. If they say yes, they need to explain why they think peace is better than war and why they are insisting on "pushing their realities" on the rest of us. Doesn't that make them just as bad as the war mongers who want to inflict their reality on us? Such solipsism and sophistry aside, however, The peace of God "passeth all understanding" and keeps us through Christ. Christ is the Word (Logos) that needs saying (Lego) in more and more quadrants of our lives. To say "peace" without naming its source in the One Word spoken before anything came to be is to create a false idol of one of God's qualities. Peace is not something that we can do - but rather something that happens to us by God's reconciling actions in the world through Christ, the true Word.

The Sarcasm... the irony...

2003-01-22T07:20:00.000-08:00

Join the blogs4God.com Anti-Massacre Movement - blogs4God.com Postmodernism done right.

Update on the Baby...

2003-01-21T21:18:00.000-08:00

I just got a note from my mother -

Just a quick note - Doctor says the baby is fine and Anita said the dark spot did not show up this time. Prayer does wonderful things.

Thanks be to God! Many thanks to all of you for including my sister and her family on the prayers this past week. I am learning much about prayer! It does wonderful things, indeed.

Mono Hits...

2003-01-21T17:56:00.000-08:00

From the referrals... Here's an odd hit. "christ on a white horse" painting Google Search

In a war, who dies first?

2003-01-21T17:00:00.000-08:00

Not quite what I was tuaght, as recently as last year in school, by the PC folks... Front-line troops disproportionately white, not black

The American troops likeliest to fight and die in a war against Iraq are disproportionately white, not black, military statistics show - contradicting a belief widely held since the early days of the Vietnam War. In a little-publicized trend, black recruits have gravitated toward non-combat jobs that provide marketable skills for post-military careers, while white soldiers are over-represented in front-line combat forces. The tilt toward white combat troops is recognized by many senior commanders and a small group of scholars who study the military. "If anybody should be complaining about battlefield deaths, it is poor, rural whites," says Charles Moskos, a military sociologist at Northwestern University in Illinois.

Poor, rural whites... Poor rural white males. The PWT Male, the redneck... The one who gets shat on mostly. Seems like a good time to go back home and read Jim Goad's Redneck Manifesto.

one Creed... one God... one Church...

2003-01-21T15:14:00.000-08:00

Karl makes this amazing point, over at St. Stephen's Musings

As I have reflected before, I think it is very important to note that the Nicene Creed lists the Church as an article of faith equal to that of the three members of the Trinity. For Nicene Christians, to believe in God includes belief in the Church. They are organically all part of what it means to say, "I believe in one God..." Now, one can argue about how the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic church" manifests itself or what those 4 adjectives actually mean in terms of the visible nature and history of the ecclesia...but what the creed (and all of Christian history makes clear) is that to say one "believes in God" but doesn't believe in the Church is a total contradiction...if one wants to be a Christian in any historic sense of that word.

I stumble through the Creed when we sing it at Church - not because I can't say it, or because I don't accept any part of it, but rather because after 15+ years of using the Creed, I begin to realize what it is saying - the Church is placed on a level of requirement with God. The Physical Incarnation of God in Christ, through the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Theotokos are place on equal footing with His Death. The Action of the Holy Spirit through the Virgin is placed on Equal footing with the Prophets. The Church, Baptism and the final Resurrection of the body all stand right next to the Communion of the Saints. This is what defines us as Christians. The Roman Church offers a a prayer called an Act of Faith: O, my God, I believe that Thou art one God in Three Divine Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I believe that Thy Divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all of the truths which Thy Holy Catholic Church teaches, because Thou hast revealed them who can neither deceive nor be deceived. And therein lies the rub - "All of the Truths..." are revelations. One can accept them or reject them - yes - but they need to be accepted or rejected on that basis: are they a revelation or not? That is the real question. But if they are not a revelation - if the teachings of the church are just the teachings of men - then we must include in that the very Bible itself, whose content was selected by the Church in order to make certain points. Some books were included, other books were tossed according to how much they agreed or disagreed with the Church's teaching. If we reject the teachings of the Church as only the "traditions of men" then the Bible itself falls into that category. One can not have Christianity with out the Church - and that Church is the continued presence of God's Kingdom and of Jesus Christ here on earth. It will have no end.

I have a dream

2003-01-21T07:07:00.000-08:00

Than one day, all God's children will stop feeling that the Government (any Government) can grant any "right" that might be worth the value of the Liberty that comes in Christ. And that they'll stop asking the Government for same in the name of "faith".

Things fall apart... it's scientific

2003-01-19T23:03:00.000-08:00

First Harper Collins doesn't want reviewers calling Narnia a Chirstian country... now this (from The Spectator)

Philip Pullman is the man who may succeed in destroying a country that the liberal intelligentsia loathe even more than they despise Britain. That country is Narnia, discovered long ago by millions of English-speaking children, and still beloved by many of them. Narnia is a conservative sort of place - religious, undecimalised, unmetricated, patriotic and hierarchical. But Narnia cannot be corrected, modernised, devolved or forced to join the euro. As a country of the mind, it remains defiantly independent for as long as the books are sold and read and their stories remembered. [snip]... Pullman puts forward a complex theory of man's true destiny, and his stories are a powerful epic that everyone should read. But many who buy these books for children and grandchildren would be surprised, and even shocked, if they knew just how vehemently Pullman despises the Christian Church, and how much he loathes his dead rival, Lewis. He is, in fact, the Anti-Lewis. He has described the Narnia Chronicles as grotesque, disgusting, ugly, poisonous and nauseating. Yet, as Michael Ward, an expert on Lewis, has pointed out, Pullman's saga begins just as Lewis's does with a girl hiding in a wardrobe and finding more than she bargained for. It is almost as if he wants to turn Narnia upside-down and then jump on it. While Lewis portrays rationalist atheists as comically ghastly and joyless, Pullman depicts priests as evil and murderous, drunk and probably perverted, and the Church as a conspiracy against happiness and kindness.

I had no idea Pullman was so Anti-Christ... but then I stay away from most works of secular media these days. As they say about the computer, GI-GO, and the same is true of the human heart. Or as my Sunday School teacher said when she caught me reading up on UFOs and the Mothman Prophecies in 1980, "Spiritual junkfood will give you spiritual zits..." It may be time for a read into Narnia again.

First thoughts...

2003-01-19T07:07:00.000-08:00

Had a curious discussion last night over Bacon and Cheese Double Whoppers and fries. It was curious not in the topic, but one point stuck with me in a way that hasn't made sense before... And so, there we were, sitting in BK discussing our religious differences, one pagan and and one trying to be Orthodox. More to the point we were discussing my Family's religion (generic protestantism) and how I feel about it. My fellow BK eater, like many Americans, has no conception of a Christianity that isn't legalistic, western, boxy, fundamentalist and while being raised in that world he has rejected it (wisely) for his own path. It's hard to convey to him the differences between that religion in which he and I were both raised and Orthodoxy. And he was saying that whatever they do, so long as it's something, will be fine, don't worry, it's all ok... Orthodoxy - at least as I have been exposed to it in the last couple of years - offers an interesting two-part challenge: if a person is openly and honestly seeking Truth, God will reveal Himself to that person (for God will not hide Himself from one who seeks Him). The fullest expression of Truth (that is, Christ: God-with-us) is Orthodoxy. As long as one seeks Truth, God will lead one to Himself. Josh offers this CS Lewis quote (albeit, sans source as of this hour...)

One of the great difficulties is to keep before the audience's mind the question of Truth. They always think you are recommending Christianity not because it is true but because it is good. And in the discussion they will at every moment try to escape the issue 'True or False' into stuff about the Spanish Inquisition, or France, or Poland - or anything whatever. You have to keep forcing them back, to the real point. Only thus will you be able to undermine... their belief that a certain amount of 'religion' is desirable but one mustn't carry it too far. One must keep on pointing out that Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.

But what if a person's only real belief is that there is no black-and-white-Truth-with-a-capital-T out there? That is the problem, isn't it? Rather like voter apathy, if people stop participating in the Quest for Truth, who is going to find it at all?

1st hand report from my friend, Chia...

2003-01-18T15:04:00.000-08:00

I just walked over here from the demonstration at the Civic Center in San Francisco. The marchers, who began at the Embarcadero, were still pouring into the plaza and some were circling around the area and heading to the BART to go back home. Many marchers of all persuasions from many places. Buses of folks from LA, Sacramento, and other cities. Literature and information tables. Speakers from government, churches, other organizations all calling for PEACE not war. There were mass produced signs and home-made signs such as mine. I took a quote from Fr. John Dear in an interview about Philip Berrigan. "We have to have peace. If we don't have peace, we have nothing." There were babies, toddlers, children, youth, adults, raging grannies and senior citizens. Weather was cool and sunny. There was an electric car group from Grace Cathedral, which included a horse drawn, probably turn-of-the-century hearse. The casket was labeled bush and cheney. People were in a wonderful mood. Someone announced there were 200,000 at the gathering in Washington, DC. I hope they were keeping each other warm.

MANY THANKS to Chia... and in my own voice... As of now (3pm) there are no loud sounds in the 'hood... usually with large events I can hear the P.A. system and folks cheering. Traffic is bad... and the streets are filled with various sorts of people carrying signs.

Giving Peace a Chance...

2003-01-18T14:21:00.000-08:00

Returning from laundry, the sky is filled with heeeliochopers and the streets are filled with Traffic. A friend of mine who attended the march is on her way over, I will see if I can prevail upon her to make a guest posting to tell us what all went on out there today...

Neighborhood Watch - a Curious note...

2003-01-18T10:02:00.000-08:00

A fancy whitecar, immaculate both inside and out, pulls up in front of my building. Two gentlemen get out of the car and, drawing nigh to the trunk, remove blankets and old clothes and coffee and what not. Wrapping up like two homeless men, the two men amble off down the road. My immediate thought, as a friend and I watched from the stoop of my building, was that two police officers were going off to a stake-out. Later, however, the car was gone. So I hypothesized that the Federales were moving into the neighborhood in order to prepare for today's "Anti-War" demonstration. I put "Anti-War" in quotes because it's really just Anti-American Government: there are "ecoterrorists" marching from Grace Cathedral and persons with Anti-Racism issues, and Anti-Capitalist demonstrators... If the Anti-Israel sentiment in this city gets stronger there may be far right-wingers out there too. Then this morning, with the car still not here, comes the report of a lot of "homeless" folks standing in a big circle late at night and holding a confab. While such is normal... it's not normal for my very well lit block. The real homeless folks use the unlight alleyway half a block away. So, if ya see a homeless person taking pictures of ya, maybe you want to come over to SOMA after the demonstration and see if you can get any prints. Me? I'm gonna do my laundry.

religious and secular democracy...

2003-01-17T15:45:00.000-08:00

When the demos gets to vote on religion, guess what has to give up?... 1,000-year-old controversy

A female Greek EuroMP yesterday backed Wednesday's European Parliament resolution that sought an end to the ban on women entering the Mt Athos peninsula, home to an autonomous, all-male monastic community. But the government rejected the idea, arguing that the current status quo is legally unassailable. The ban, which includes all female animals, was only one of the human rights issues raised in the resolution drafted by Dutch EMP Joke Swiebel.

(via Nikolaos Karanikos over at Sphaera Ephemeris)

Sanctity of Life Sunday

2003-01-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

From the Archpastoral Message of His Beatitude, Metropolitan HERMAN on the occasion of Sanctity of Life Sunday...

In the years since abortion on demand was legalized by the United States Supreme Court, there have been many who have redefined life as anything but "precious," who brand the unborn as "potential human life" or, even less fitting, as the mere "product of conception." An entire generation has been raised to believe that, while life may indeed be precious in some cases, it can be "less precious," even downright worthless, in others. Despite amazing advances in scientific research and technology and information management, society's vision of life as something precious, much less sacred, seems to have regressed to a bygone era in which unwanted pregnancies were terminated by ingesting abortion-inducing potions and dissatisfied parents abandoned their unwanted newborns, leaving them as fodder for wolves and birds of prey.
...[snip]...

Today, we are once again being reminded of that dark moment in human history when abortion was legalized and given a "right" that its human victims were -- and continue to be -- denied. As Orthodox Christians, as the People of God, let us respond by renewing our commitment to declare, in every appropriate manner and venue, that all life, whether it be the life of an unborn child or that of an elderly hospice patient, is a precious and sacred gift from God. I invite you to join me in proclaiming that the ever-growing array of "life issues," unleashed as by-products of legalized abortion, are simply variations on a theme that seeks to remove the One Who is Life Itself from those to whom He has given life.

Brief Howdy

2003-01-17T12:05:00.000-08:00

moved

Copyright Protections

2003-01-15T14:10:00.000-08:00

Rather a lot, I expect, going on in the blogosphere this day about this ruling: Supreme Court Keeps Copyright Protections (from washingtonpost.com)

Justices said the copyright extension, named for the late Rep. Sonny Bono, R-Calif., was not unconstitutional. The Constitution "gives Congress wide leeway to prescribe 'limited times' for copyright protection and allows Congress to secure the same level and duration of protection for all copyright holders, present and future," Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said from the bench.

I don't like it, but I note that it is, by definition, exactly what congress is allowed to do in the constitution - and exactly what they did. The court ruled on the law - it is constitutional. The court ruled on congress - the congress has the power to act in such a manner. The court did not create new laws, didn't read into the "minds" of the Founding Fathers, nor did the court attempt to be an activist and, as Mr. Justice Stevens wrote, attempt "to protect the public interest in free access to the products of inventive and artistic genius." That is not the court's function. So while I dislike the deal given herein by the Bono Act... I think it is clear that this is the way the Gov't is supposed to work. A job well done. Now - as for remedy, what about an amendment stating the term of copyrights?

Of your charity...

2003-01-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

I ask your prayers for my sister, Anita, her husband, Lewis, and their unborn child. Two rounds of sonograms and tests have revealed a "cystic space" in the skull where their appears to be nothing... in other words the brain of the unborn, six month old boy seems to be not forming as it should. Needless to say my sister and her family are not in a good place - and won't be for the next 12 days or so while they run further tests. Please keep them, as well as my parents, Diane and Walter, in your prayers. Holy Martyr Panteleimon, pray for us! Thou didst faithfully follow the Merciful One and wast granted the grace of healing. O prize-winner and Martyr of Christ our God by thine intercessions heal the diseases of our souls and banish the snares of the enemy from those who cry with faith: Save us, O Lord.

Bibliolatry

2003-01-15T07:33:00.000-08:00

Karl, over at St. Stephen's Musings notes on of my pet peeves (also one of his)...

The Word of God is not the Bible!! The Word, the Logos of God is Jesus Christ!

The Church compiled the Bible. She made certain choices to make certain points. The Bible is the Church's book and it is to her we should turn to find the meaning... Conservative Protestant Fundamentalism misses the point when it thinks it can open the Bible and understand exactly what it "really" means, apart from the Holy Tradition of the Church. Liberal Protestant Fundamentalism misses the point when it thinks it can open the Bible and understand exactly what it "really" means, apart from the Holy Tradition of the Church. Both forms of fundamentalism rely on human brains to look at the text and discern the truth of it. Both assert that the human brain can discern the fullness of the truth in the book. Karl is discussing a post from our brother James noting that Orthodoxy is all the verses you didn't underline. The underlining is there, from conservative or liberal fundies. Both use color coding, both use footnotes to attach their doctrines to anchor texts - often out of context with the rest of the passage. Both require nothing of the Tradition and fail to submit their opinions to the wisdom of 2,000 years of Christian teaching. And that is where both fall.

From Arutz Sheva - Israel National News

2003-01-14T23:17:00.000-08:00

Converts To Christianity In Fear Of Death From P.A.

Two brothers, former residents of the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas who converted from Islam to Christianity, are now in Israel. They have thus found refuge from possible "death sentences" in the PA - but the question is for how long. WorldNetDaily.Com reports that one of the brothers, Nasser Salam, was an active member of Arafat's Fatah organization when he converted - leading to his imprisonment and torture. One of the brothers faces a death sentence, but somehow they escaped into areas under Israeli jurisdiction, which issued them 30-day permits.

While it is true that any Muslim who converts to Christianity in a Muslim country is risking death, it is interesting to read of such in a place that is seeking my help - all American's help - in it's battle against our foreign policy.

From the BBC

2003-01-14T22:19:00.000-08:00

The formula for happiness who needs that God fellow anyway? Well, according to science (mind you - science! who can refute that?) No one needs worry about it any more...

Happiness = P (5xE) (3xH)

Just to explain, P stands for Personal Characteristics, including outlook on life, adaptability and resilience. E stands for Existence and relates to health, financial stability and friendships. And H represents Higher Order needs, and covers self-esteem, expectations, ambitions and sense of humour.

Gag me with Kefthedes

2003-01-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

From the NY Daily News...

HOLLYWOOD - CBS is banking on "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" bringing in big fat ratings. The network will launch "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", a sitcom based on the hit movie, Feb. 24 at 9:30 p.m., when the film may still be in some theaters. The new series stars Nia Vardalos and most of the cast from the film, with the exception of John Corbett, who is committed to another series. CBS' timing for "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" couldn't be better. The movie won a People's Choice Award on Sunday and is likely to get nominated for other trophies during the next two months.

One is left to wonder if this will be the new Roseanne or if this will be more like Phyllis. Still, I'm happy not to have a TV...

the Gospel for 2003.XII.14

2003-01-13T23:00:00.000-08:00

But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and into prisons, and you will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. And it shall turn to you to bear testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts not to meditate beforehand what ye shall answer. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents and brethren and kinsfolk and friends, and some of you they shall cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated by all men for My name's sake. But there shall not a hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls. Luke 21:12-19 He who prays with understanding patiently accepts circumstances, whereas he who resents them has not yet attained pure prayer. St. Mark the Ascetic, "On the Spiritual Law" I ask your prayers for me, a sinner who has not yet attained any sort of prayer.

Throwing stones at delusions...

2003-01-13T16:45:00.000-08:00

Guardian Unlimited: Israeli Experts Examine Ancient Tablet

Muslim clerics insist, despite overwhelming archaeological evidence, that no Jewish shrine ever stood at the site. That claim was made by Palestinian officials in failed negotiations with Israel in 2000 over who would be sovereign there.

They make many such claims...

Values and Economic Freedom II (reply)

2003-01-13T15:15:00.000-08:00

Many thanks! Alan posts a well-balanced reply to my post (replying to his on Values and Economic Freedom) - Citing his last point first:

Worldliness-centered religious inconsistency tends to thrive where the "secular rational" mindset dominates.Huw suggests that the churches in the former Communist states would tend toward orthodoxy. If that is true, then in most of these countries they exist side-by-side with a vast nonreligious secular-rationalist majority - which wouldn't be a surprising sight to see after 70 years of Communist deprogramming (which seem to have affected Romania and Poland less than most other countries).

Alan is right here, and I was wrong: Russia is dealing (poorly) with a whole host of A La Cart religions, from American Protestant Missionaries to Newagey Spiritualism. The Orthodox and Catholic Churches, as well as the more mainline Protestant bodies are at a loss to explain this fascination. The Countries of the former soviet block are dealing with faith healing and crystals and astrology - all from a buffet of American-Style consumer-based religion. But it is exactly that sort of religion which is, I think, a prime symptom of what I am talking about: Alan begins:

Praise for prosperity should not be equated with praise for materialism.

He is very right and I'm sorry that I did so in any way. But at least in my head I'm seeing them as shades of the same color rather than has different things. One can be as green as Kermit or as green as a dollar bill, but both are still green. The continuation of Alan's opening paragraph seems to paint a questionable picture for me...

I am paid modestly, but I make more more money than I need for food, shelter, clothing, and transportation to work. That is the definition of prosperity: when one earns enough to have disposable income. Prosperity creates new industries, therefore creating new jobs - I'll bet that the personal computer industry is thriving more in Oslo than in all of North Africa.

I leep from these words to the assumption that "new industries, new jobs" etc, are "good" or else more desirable than the options. As he notes, "Prosperity also opens up the door to temptation toward materialism in its two forms: worshipping and taking for granted physical resources... Prosperity is good, but like any good it can be idolized or otherwise misused." I question the application of the word "good" here. I'd rather a description of a moral neutrality, neither good nor evil, in and of itself, which tends to one or the other as it is accessed by humans. There are certainly good folks who prosper, just as there are evil folks who prosper. And while Materialism is the temptation, I read this to mean that it starts out "good" but later gets corrupted. I would suggest it is corrupted from the get go. That isn't evil: corrupted means unable to live up to it's fullest good. That doesn't mean it can not be brought to be good, only that it can't be that by itself. I note that the same is going to be true of all human endeavors: they will be corrupted because we, too, are not fully what God intends of us. Alan makes major points about Government (and the actions of same on the Economy). From my point of view that is irrelevant: a nation that inspires in her people a quest for physical goods, even a moderate quest, has crossed a line, setting the values of that nation above the values of the Gospel - which do not require prosperity but rather generosity even at the cost of ruination and forgiveness at the cost of one's own life. Government and Economics/Prosperity thus fit into the same case, for me, as "Civil Liberties". The consistent question in Orthodox theology (in as much as I have learned, so far) is thus: "Is X salvific or not?" Does a given situation, a given marriage, a given job, a given project, a given society of friends, tend to lead one towards or away from the salvation of his soul? My answer is that prosperity fails in this test: it seems to me better to work hard and only have enough, passing out from sleep exhaustion - than it does to work ok, have more than enough and be able to take vacations to Yosemite every year. I write that from my own place - where I can barely pay the rent and utility bills, even though I earn more than my age. I do not have children, and I'm desperately working hard to clamp down on my spending and my constant falling prey to requests to "lubricate the economy" with my own cash. As in all situations, your mileage may vary. But I think my Grandmother, raising eight daughters during the depression and after the war, running a restaurant and keeping house for her husband, had a much more salvific time - for struggle is what it is about - than I do. "Where does tonights dinner come from" becaomse much more important the more-often it needs to be asked. And reliance on God's grace becomes easier the more often one has to seek it out as opposed to waiting for a bi-weekly paycheck thtat is more than the per-person income in some nations. The line that it is very hard for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of God holds especially true in then Anglosphere - where our poorest folks are, in most cases, amazingly well-off compared to folks in other parts of the world. Poverty is, in many ways, much more salvific than wealth. But God says that with Him, "All things are possible;" and equally, that "From him to whom much is given, much is required." All of our prosperity (here in the Anglosphere) is worth nothing if we do not give it all away - and that not for gain, but simply for the asking and for God's glory - to those who have none. I'm with Alan on the charts he displayed - they do show that liberty and prosperity go hand in hand. I think neither of them go, very well or easily, hand in hand with an active, martyrific faith. This last point is why the buffet of religions is tied to this in my head. As the former Soviet Union comes into the modern world, the choices are no longer (really) Eastern Orthodoxy or Communism. Now one can accept space aliens, or tarot cards, or glossolalia or shamanism with equal freedom and a secular, rationalist mind set has trained them all to look for the best value rather than Truth. The same is true in the USA, but from a different angle: our culture has trained us to shop around for the best value, resulting in a "all truth is equal" attitude. Our all-you-can-eat spirituality line has given us free reign to pick up only what "works for me" rather than to seek out Truth, no matter how hard it is to deal with. We get this, ultimately, from our Protestant forefathers who taught that a man alone with his Bible can make sense out it - as opposed to what the Church teaches: that she alone has the full understanding of that text. From rationalism to spiritual blindness or from prosperity to spiritual blindness, it seems the road is equally fast and just as sure: worldliness-centered religious inconsistency seems to be the final outcome. Indeed, that's where I'm going with my additions to the Tables Alan noted: I'm not really concerned with where I am on the prosperity axis, nor, indeed, with where you are on that axis, or on the axis of self-expression. Where I am is where I am, and God has placed me there. Ultimately these are not important. As much as they are valued, one's salvation suffers: for where one's treasure lies, there will that one's heart also be. I am a great sinner in this regard. My last paycheck was before Christmas and I have a house full of food - none of which seemed very likley appetizing by itself, so I rushed out and purchased more food with my last few quarters from my change pot,a dn though I know I ill get paid on the 15th, I blurted out, "I hate being this poor". My own selfish needs rushing in all around me, and soon I'm complaining without thought to those folks even a few feet from my front door who don't have a roof over their heads.

N.J. appeals court: Overtly religious people can be barred from juries

2003-01-13T11:54:00.000-08:00

From freedomforum.org

After the defense objected, the prosecutor told the trial judge that "people who tend to be demonstrative about their religions tend to favor defendants to a greater extent than do persons who are, shall we say, not as religious." "They may very well tend to be more accepting of a person's professions of innocence in the face of facts to the contrary," the prosecutor argued. That is permissible, said Appellate Judge Joseph F. Lisa, who wrote, "Individuals who are demonstrative about their religion do not share the same values, tenets or practices, and thus do not represent a cross-section of society."

Ooooooooooooh. Thank you. No, really. Thank you. "Individuals who are demonstrative about their religion do not share the same values, tenets or practices..." I want that on a T-Shirt.

'Mickey Mouse' degrees attack

2003-01-13T11:42:00.000-08:00

'Mickey Mouse' degrees attack

"Simply stacking up numbers on Mickey Mouse courses is not acceptable," [UK Higher Education Minister, Margaret Hodge] told the Institute for Public Policy Research. Asked to define a Mickey Mouse course she said: "It is one where the content is perhaps not as rigorous as one would expect and where the degree itself may not have huge relevance in the labour market."

Hmmmm. I think I should ask her to take a look at my BA in "Integral Studies".

a starting point

2003-01-13T11:23:00.000-08:00

Go to visit the Newly-Illumined Servant of God, Jeremy's Very Brief history of the Orthodox Church over at Radioblog. It makes very good "basics" reading.

The church you now sit in was founded approximately 2000 years ago (A.D. 30). Ten days after Christ's ascension into heaven the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and ushered in the apostolic age--the birth of the Christian Church (Acts 2). Of course, this physical building is not 2000 years old, but the church of which St. Paul's is an visible manifestation, is indeed that old.

America's real immigration problem

2003-01-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

moved

Because Life is God's Gift...

2003-01-11T15:33:00.000-08:00

The BBC reports that Gov George Ryan of Illinois (R) as commuted all the death sentences in the state. Governor clears Illinois death row Bravo to Gov. Ryan. He has a pro-life plank I can support. I was very moved by this Article on the BBC. The "being moved" has made me Pro-Life. Who are we to take away lives? At all? Babies, born or unborn, or Adults. Even if they have, in our most god-like judgement, given up the very life they have by virtue of the acts they have committed. In the middle ages, Christians pretended not to be able to do business at interest - instead they got non-Christians to do it, mostly Jews. Later this led to a lot of Antisemitism. In fact, making Jews committ our sins for us was just as bad as committing the sins ourselves.

"My son [William] is in the ground for 17 years and justice is not done," said Vern Fuling. William Fuling was murdered in 1985, and now his killer will serve life imprisonment, instead of facing execution. "This is like a mockery," said Mr Fuling.

So my question is, why should we be asking Christians (or anyone else) to kill for us? Or why should we be asking Christians (or anyone else) to pay for the killing? Why should we be asking soldiers to kill for us when we wont' do it ourselves? If Bush wants Saddam, let him take him out himself. If you want Osama, go find him. Note: Pro-life is a seamless garment, as the RCs taught. No abortion. No killing. No war. But how is that applied in Christian ways?

Open Invite

2003-01-10T21:54:00.000-08:00

Karl, over at St. Stephen's Musings talks about the participatory nature of Orthodox worship. Commenting on the standard Protestant American worship as "3 hymns, an offering, and a 45 minute monologue" he speaks of Orthodoxy's various ways of including the entire person. One of the things that drew me out of Christianity in the 80s - and over to various forms of newagey stuff - were experiences that affirmed all the parts of my being: the five sense, the physical body, the mind, the heart, etc. Listening to folks talk about Wicca and ceremonial magick back then, or Native American practice, or Russian Shamanism, I heard critiques of Christianity that made perfect sense. Indeed, it is 3 hymns, an offering, and a 45 minute monologue... or so I thought. I came to find out that that was only the West, only the Protestants. Karl goes on to invite folks to come on in for a trial run:

One of the things that attracts so many to the Orthodox Church is an experiential worship where all 5 senses are utilized in the liturgy. Whether it is the smelling of the incense, the tasting of the Eucharist, the hearing of the chanting, the seeing of the icons and the physical expressions of piety such as the sign of the cross, Orthodox liturgy is intensely participatory! (If you don't believe me, go to a Lenten service this spring--the prostrations alone will make your thighs hurt for days!)

If yer in or around San Francisco, join me this Saturday for Vigil - or Sunday for Liturgy. One year ago this month (on 2002.I.27) I attended my first Orthodox Liturgy. Come on in - the water's fine!

Freedom and Salvation

2003-01-10T16:58:00.000-08:00

Alan K. Henderson's Weblog notes, in a series of very interesting graphics and comments, the interesting place of the countries known as the "Anglo-Sphere" (including USAmerica) and our values. The main chart is divided between "Survival"/"Self-Expression" on the one hand and "Traditional"/"Secular Rationalist" values.

The survey defines "traditional values" as those of religion, family and country. Traditionalists say religion is important in their lives. They have a strong sense of national pride, think children should be taught to obey and that the first duty of a child is to make his or her parents proud. They say abortion, euthanasia, divorce and suicide are never justifiable. At the other end of this spectrum are "secular-rational" values: they emphasise the opposite qualities. The other category looks at "quality of life" attributes. At one end of this spectrum are the values people hold when the struggle for survival is uppermost: they say that economic and physical security are more important than self-expression. People who cannot take food or safety for granted tend to dislike foreigners, homosexuals and people with AIDS. They are wary of any form of political activity, even signing a petition. And they think men make better political leaders than women. "Self-expression" values are the opposite.

Alan himself adds a third axis of economically free/economically repressed, noting that The Anglosphere and wider, Protestant (as opposed to Roman or Orthodox) Europe scores more on the "economically free" axis. I would, however, go one further and add another axis of orthodox (note the lowercase "o") versus heterodox faith. The determining factor being that without regard to which religion you practice, how closely to you adhere to the stated dogmas of that faith. The options being "as close as possible (no one is perfect you know)" and "a la cart? do I have to use the cart?" I think the pattern would hold - although not in all cases. There would, I suspect, generally be a following of "more free" with the other "more free" quadrants - the US would be in the a la cart line, and other secular and self-expression oriented cultures would as well. The former communist block countries would, along with politically oppressed or ethically repressed countries, find themselves in the orthodox section. My point being that, given the choices which Alan and the study seem to find important, "traditional values" seem to take a serious back seat if they get in the way of making money or getting what one wants. Religion, any religion , pays a high price for asking some seriousness on the part of its followers. Historically, the Christian faith does much better when it is undergoing repression, if not outright persecution. Liberty makes Christians weak, able to rationalize, and unable to be martyrs. It seems that that allows them, in turn, to take financial advantage of their fellow man, live unjust lives and justify it all using their "blessings of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" as evidence of God's support for their side. God never promises His faithful anything other than persecution, oppression and martyrdom. The blessings America enjoys, in a much as she thanks some deity for them at every turn, are not the important ones.

The Anglosphere and Protestant Europe dominate the list of economically "free" nations, and not coincidentally they tend to have the highest "self-expression" values. Under free markets and thug-free governments, survival faces far fewer threats; this allows greater devotion of time and energy to other pursuits. Life is richest where liberty reigns.

Since these richest lands are historically Christian nations I'll ask this in terms that they would have understood at one time. What does it profit a man if he gain the entire world and lose his soul? Update

children...

2003-01-10T12:14:00.000-08:00

James, over at PARADOSIS makes an amazing post on parenting.

The fact of the matter is, I don't / didn't like kids because I was / am a self-centered, arrogant, and mean bastard. Much of my confessions to my spiritual father revolve around the handling of my kids: how I lose my temper; how I have so little patience; how I feel put-out by them; how I discipline them in order to appease my anger and NOT so much to correct bad behavior. Many times I find myself regretting how I have handled a particular situation with my kids - realizing that I have not loved them as I love myself... by a long shot. And if I cannot do that, then how can I do so for strangers? [snip] I am counseled by my priest to see my fatherhood as the fulfilling of a martyric life to which all Christians are called. In one way or another, we (meaning YOU and I as followers of Christ) MUST give up our lives. Having four human beings live with you who are also WHOLLY and I mean WHOLLY dependent on you for their lives - both physically and spiritually is one such path that is most difficult to follow. Too often I take shortcuts to ease the journey... but this is NOT the way of the martyr. The way of the martyr is to give your life as a ransom for many.

I am pained by his words - I am a right selfish bastard. Even in my comments to him I made note of others' actions as if to say "If I had kids, I'd be a better parent than all that..." But I know it's not true. Sure, most nights I may be in bed by midnight, but why not stay out tonight for a while? Why should I go home just now when friends want to go see a midnight movie and then hang out BSing until four? What would I do if a child misbehaved? Could I be like so many couples my age who seem to have kids exactly because they may never get another chance - not because they want them, but because they are a status symbol - persons nearly 40 with good jobs should have children. Better jobs should be more children - maybe 2. What sort of parent would I be when the child acted out of terrible twoness? Or that interesting moment of puberty when someone else moves in and my beloved child leaves? Why be normal? Why not have a large family? Why not raise the kids on pinto beans and clothing form Goodwill? What would the neighbors say if the kids were found outside dressed like that? How ever did my mother manage? Heck, how does she manage - for if children bring salvation to their parents, my mother must have gotten several helpings. Parenting Haiku open give empty bend forget self life pour out Love fill up repeat Update @ 21:34 I edited this haiku because I miscounted on the second line.... hate that :-) Thanks to Karl for showing me the problem! I see that parenting is just a more intense marriage, a deeper commitment, a stronger salvific force.

I remember freedom...

2003-01-10T11:18:00.000-08:00

Along with the UK's recent fascistic leanings, we now find that Virginia is taking to worrying about drinking... in bars... before trouble even starts... (Via Terry, over at Fenian Ramblings.) Bar Raids Irritate Owners, Drinkers (washingtonpost.com)

As the designated driver in her dinner party, Pat Habib was careful to consume no more than one alcoholic drink and follow it up with two sodas. So she was shocked when a police officer singled her out of the crowd at Jimmy's Old Town Tavern in Herndon and asked her to step outside to prove her sobriety. After she ran through the alphabet without pause, the Fairfax County police officer let her go and explained police had received a complaint about an unruly blond woman matching her description. Then she watched as police tested other women looking nothing like her. "I could see it if they wanted to prevent you from getting into a car, but they didn't even ask me if I was driving," Habib said. Habib was among restaurant and bar patrons swept up last month in a joint operation of the Fairfax County police and the Virginia Department of Alcohol Beverage Control. During the holiday period, undercover agents went to 20 bars in Reston and Herndon looking for examples of bartenders "overserving" customers. Police ultimately raided three bars and arrested nine patrons who failed sobriety tests. They were charged with public drunkenness and spent the night in jail. [snip] Police said the holiday raids, first reported in the Reston Times, were born of a community policing goal of discouraging crime before it occurs. Bennett said police had been called repeatedly to the three bars in response to fights and disorderly conduct.

This sounds exactly like the UK police who say....

Our crackdown on airguns is part of the government's wider commitment to tackle the anti social behaviour which blights some of our most vulnerable communities and breeds a fear of crime.

There is a pattern here. It may not yet be clear, but it is scary. Stopping crime by thinking, "hey you might do something scary in the future" is exactly what the war on terror is all about. So when did everyone in America become a terrorist? Mind you: I've just been waiting for a crackdown. It is always bound to happen sooner or later and so there should be no surprise. After a while, we'll not be able to go to church (ie publicly assemble) without permission. Just remember - prayer for the Government is what is commanded - not because the gov't is good or evil, or because it playing any part in the "divine plan" but most importantly because the persons in Gov't are just that: Persons in the image of God and as such, even if they say they are our enemies, they are, really, our brothers. Yes, I do think that sooner or later the Church will suffer in this whole thing - look, even now, the Patriarch of Jerusalem is not accepted by the Israeli Gov't. These are the times that try men's souls - use them to become well-tempered and hard as steel; be firm in your faith which depends not on government rights or police support for its roots. Even is this time is millennia away from "the last age", today is always the Apocalypse. Live that.

is next... plasma printers... very nice.

2003-01-10T09:54:00.000-08:00

WOAH! Hella Cool... From New Scientist

The idea of printing a light bulb may seem bizarre, but US engineers are now developing an ink-jet printing technology to do just that. The research at the University of California in Berkeley will allow fully assembled electric and electronic gadgets to be printed in one go. ... The trick is to print layer upon layer of conducting and semiconducting polymers in such a way that the circuitry the device requires is built up as part of the bodywork.

Now... can ya make a cup of "Tea: Earl Grey; Hot" (via Biz Stone, Genius)

It's like de ja vu all over again

2003-01-10T09:38:00.000-08:00

In the "There's nothing new under the sun" department... Via BizReport

Backed by Silicon Valley veteran executives and $33 million in funding, a California start-up on Wednesday unveiled a test version of what it hopes will become a thriving online world where users interact through custom-tailored, digital stand-ins. Menlo Park, California-based There Inc., which has been developing its online community in secret for four years, said it had secured $33 million in funding and opened a free public beta test of the site.

OK, I'll say "it may work anyway" first... and then note: this is exactly the sort of thing, tried many times before, that seemed to fail in the first phase of the DotCommerdamerung.

For its part, There aims to create a virtual world, where members have "avatars," digital characters whose appearance they can modify to suit their tastes. Conversations are represented as thought bubbles, and group conversations can take the form of events like a gathering around a campfire. The avatars can display a full range of physical gestures, including smiles and yawns.

What was it called? The Palace? Been there, chatted that. (Yes, I'll look.)

Keep Searching...

2003-01-09T15:48:00.000-08:00

OK, this is getting freaky. Google Search: npr cornbread recipe How does one beat out NPR on an NPR-related search? Yes, I know most guys race cars or find a way to rewire their lawnmowers. But anyway...

Not quite...

2003-01-09T13:36:00.000-08:00

Odd what passes for news these days... (emphasis added) News Network International [N.N.I]

Americans are all out to ambush Pakistanis since Sep.11 attacks. A large number of Pakistanis were arrested by FBI, hundreds of them deported back to Pakistan. A senior world bank official told NNI that INS in a meeting with the world bank revealed that Americans wants America Muslim free country and is planning on laws that could bar Muslims to reside in US. The new INS registration law is proof of American desire.

Via Pravda.

2003-01-09T10:32:00.000-08:00

Things sure have changed. Pravda.RU Church built for Russian polar explorers working in Antarctica

Gorno-Altaisk, a town in Western Siberia, has built a church for Russian polar explorers working in Antarctica. In the next few months, the details of the church will be transported to the ice continent and erected at Bellinshausen station. The idea to construct a temple for polar explorers was advanced by a resident of Gorno-Altaisk. Russian explorers asked that the church be named after St. Nicholas the Wonder-Worker, the saint known in Russian Orthodox tradition as the protector of all travelers. Constructed to admit 25-30 people at a time, the church was built of Siberian cedar, a wood species known for its durability and frost-proof qualities. The iconostasis is being painted by artists from Palekh, a Central Russian village famous for its lacquered miniatures. The bells were ordered by descendants of the famous Russian Decembrist Muravyov-Apostol, who reside in Switzerland. In December 1825, the Decembrists organized an uprising against the tsar. The majority of the plotters were later exiled to Siberia.

Thank God, Gospodi, pomilui.

and to the west...

2003-01-08T15:16:00.000-08:00

Moved

Memory Eternal!

2003-01-08T14:31:00.000-08:00

Moved

New controls on replica guns

2003-01-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

I'm not an NRA sort of person, I'm sure that doesn't surprise you.But I think this article on BBC: New controls on replica guns indicates that the police state is advancing by leaps and bounds under the New World Order.

"If someone is waving a cigarette lighter shaped like a firearm at police officers then that is very different from it being used to light a cigarette in a pub. "It's about people causing difficulties for police officers and that's obviously different from a child in the street playing cowboys and indians." Having a replica gun for use in historical re-enactments or plays will be considered a reasonable excuse.

Yet, despite having some serious gun control laws in the past (even the police can't carry them normally) the UK has a huge rash of gun crimes. Why? Because when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have them. This comes from me, who has never owned a gun nor fired one (other than a bb shooter).

Our crackdown on airguns is part of the government's wider commitment to tackle the anti social behaviour which blights some of our most vulnerable communities and breeds a fear of crime.

I fear any use of the word "antisocial" in the context of laws - even today in Virginia, you can get arrested in a bar for appearing drunk. I know some on the left who think "homophobia" is antisocial behavior. The Bolsheviks thought Orthodox Christianity was "antisocial" in American Acedemia, this is still true). The Nazis had a specific place in the camps and a special color arm patch for "antisocial" types. Danger. Kyrie Eleison.

Making a beautiful city even moreso

2003-01-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

England | In pictures: Snow in the capital

There was a rare sight in London on Wednesday as it disappeared under a blanket of snow.

Wonderful. A collection of beauty. Although one caption "Big Ben almost disappeared in the white-out across London" is hyperbole. :-)

SF Memories

WTF?

Teaching... not my own

Half a day at home...

Many Passions...

Faith thingies in politics...

Orthodox Radio

Well now...

The Publican and the Pharisee

By what Authority, pt II

By what Authority?

Keep Searching

prelent...

ANSWER is not about peace, folks. They're communists.

This story moved me... not clear on why...

Forgiveness

Memory Eternal

Comin' at everyone from all sides..

Classism at it again

Odd Twists in the Reality Cable

Wars and Rumors of War

If ya can't trust the spooks...

Hubris and Freedom

Ch.Ch.Ch.Ch.Changes

Sounds cool, but, ummm...

Another one gone...

Am Yisrael Chai!

Makes the Heart Glad...

Online Resource

Another for the Religion of Peace

A new voice for a new Pakistan.

Regarding Iraq

Ah... Sources...

Thought Crimes...

2 May 1943...

Holoscan?

Evil Imaginations

Chuck Colson, no less

A major problem..

Quotes in my Parish News letter...

After Thinking...

real victory over evil...

Life in Higher Ed

Sign of things to come?

Asheville, Pt 3

Kingdom... not of this world... etc.

Asheville, Pt 2

the PCistas of the world to the Dustbins of History

Marketing the religion of peace...

not that I told you so... well...

Religion And Science Collide In Texas

Asheville PT 1 ...

A new Axis of Evil Candidate...?

not unlikely...

Home again, home again, jiggity jig...

Shift your perspective...

Live views, Amazing

Traveling prayers...

Say Peace... SAY IT!

The Sarcasm... the irony...

Update on the Baby...

Mono Hits...

In a war, who dies first?

one Creed... one God... one Church...

I have a dream

More on my Truth question...

Things fall apart... it's scientific

First thoughts...

1st hand report from my friend, Chia...

Giving Peace a Chance...

Neighborhood Watch - a Curious note...

religious and secular democracy...

Sanctity of Life Sunday

Brief Howdy

Copyright Protections

Of your charity...

Bibliolatry

From Arutz Sheva - Israel National News

From the BBC

Gag me with Kefthedes