The Jesus Tip

Jesus' Wood Not Attracting Enough Attention

2005-04-17T23:21:00.000-04:00

For those of you with a sense of humor. There's been two apparitions of Jesus, and this time it's on a bathroom door and on a wooden chair. Personally, if I were going to make fun of these people, I'd say they were crazy. But I'm not going to make fun of them.

~The Scribe

Photo credit: First Coast News, WTLV

Pope John Paul II Could Be GOD's Enemy

2005-04-17T23:00:00.000-04:00

I have nothing personal against the late Pope John Paul II. I did not know the man personally, but I'm vaguely familiar with a lot of his opinions and actions in the religious and secular world. I don't look to comment on any of that, however. What is really bothering me since his death, is the way these so called 'pilgrims' and 'the faithful,' as they are being called by the media, are treating him.

It irked me at first when I saw how crazy people were getting over this one man, who did do a lot for... the world? Catholicism? World hunger? Poverty? Communism? What?

But it's the last straw when people are calling for this man to become a saint. What's worse is how some people are practically making Karol Wojtyla out to be some kind of deity. He was not GOD, and I really wish people would stop comapring him to Jesus Christ. Pope John Paul II only worked for GOD and The Holy Son--I hope.

I read on CBSNews.com: 'Some said they had come not only to pray for John Paul, but also to pray to him. Many Roman Catholics believe John Paul, who died April 2 at age 84, was a saint.'

I don't know if it's a Catholic thing, or what, but to pray to someone other than GOD? That seems blasphemous to me. If it's a Catholic thing, that is praying to saints and whatnot, then I'm gonna bite my tongue so as not to offend any Catholics. I'll just say, Jesus had many disciples...previous and present. At no point did Jesus ever instruct anyone to pray to anyone other than THE HOLY FATHER, GOD. I'm not even sure if Jesus even instructed anyone to pray to him, The Holy Son. This is all so confusing.

Usually, I'd do some research before posting, but this one thing with the way people have been 'god-i-fying' the pope has just been grating on me. I will do some research, however, on Catholicism and the whole thing concerning praying to those who are not GOD. I will do a follow-up post. And I'm interested to hear anyone else's opinion on this and/ or reaction to my comments.

~The Scribe

Sidenote: I just caught the last 15 minutes of "Revelation," that new television series based on the Biblical book of the same name. I'm really into that whole apocalyptic stuff, so I was hoping this show would be decent. But from what I've seen so far, it's pretty bloody cheesy. And if anything, it's doing a bad PR job for the Creator. But I'm sure the writers and creators weren't putting GOD first in all of this. Anyone else seen it? --What do you think?

China & Russia Attack Taiwan, An Apparition of Satan, More!

2005-03-22T18:44:00.000-05:00

Interesting News Article:

"Genes may help determine how religious a person is, suggests a new study of US twins. And the effects of a religious upbringing may fade with time.

Until about 25 years ago, scientists assumed that religious behaviour was simply the product of a person's socialisation - or "nurture". But more recent studies, including those on adult twins who were raised apart, suggest genes contribute about 40% of the variability in a person's religiousness."

Whatever that means.

Read the rest of the story at Newscientist.com

-----------------------------------

This is to gratify the ‘End Timers,’ or ‘Revelationists’ as I call them.

By JIM YARDLEY (NY Times)

BEIJING, March 18 - Russia's military chief Yuri Baluyevsky this week outlined plans with Chinese officials for joint military exercises and sought to play down any concerns that the first-ever war games between the two countries could further aggravate rising regional tensions.

General Baluyevsky, in the midst of a four-day trip to China, said the military exercises reflected a shared desire by China and Russia to develop closer strategic military ties and are "not targeted at any third country," […such as Taiwan, as some media outlet are suggesting.]

Read the rest of the story

By Mohammed Assadi

JERICHO, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli forces began pulling back from Jericho on Wednesday, a move that may boost Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in his bid to commit militants to a ceasefire so he can talk peace with Israel.

Read the rest of the story

-----------------------------------

Well, it’s about time…

(AP)
MICHIGANTOWN, Ind. - Could it be... Satan? A central Indiana pet shop owner says a turtle that was the only animal to survive an October fire has developed an image of Satan's face on its shell.

Read the rest of the story

And in case you’re wondering, the owner says “he can see a goatee and a pair of pointy horns” on the turtle’s back. Score one for Lucifer! Still, I'm sure someone has seen an apparition of Jesus this morning, or is seeing one right now, or will see one tonight...

~ The Scribe.

The Church of Satan Is A Joke

2005-03-17T17:07:00.000-05:00

I came across this article at the Village Voice recently called 'Sympathy For The Devil.' It's an interesting article for various reasons, one of which is that a young man is claiming that his attackers chose him because he is a Satanist; therefore, it was a hate crime.

While reading this article, I learned a lot of things. First, 'Satanists do not believe in God or the devil; rather, Satan is a metaphor for personal empowerment and rebellion.' Second, ' "We are a real religion," says High Priest Gilmore. The Church of Satan has legal status as a "corporation sole" just like any other church. The United States military allows its members to inscribe "Church of Satan" on dog tags. And military chaplains' guidebooks feature a page on its beliefs. '

I was stunned by both items.

One I have found that may be true, while the other I cannot find evidence of. The one that seems verifiable is the one concerning the U.S. military. While searches on the internet don't result in any results specific to the United States military, there is an article from the U.K. Telegraph concerning a British Soldier. It's called 'The Devil and the deep blue sea.'

The one that seems to be an utter lie is 'Satanists do not believe in God or the devil.' That's a crock of shit that can't even be proven by their own Official Church of Satan Website.

If you read their Statements, it's quite clear that they look at Satan as a real person and not as some metaphor for a state of being (what a crock!). For example, one of their Statements reads 'Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years!' Another example is a re-telling of Lavey (the founder of the church) baptizing his daughter. This is also found on the official website. It starts the re-telling, 'LaVey recited an impressive invocation, later adapted for inclusion in The Satanic Rituals: "In the name of Satan, Lucifer..." '

If satanists don't believe in the devil or GOD as living beings, then why do they in their official literature call the devil by one of most common names after calling him satan? If they simply believe that satan is metaphorical for an attitude or a way of life, why add Lucifer? Hmm. Sounds like bull to me.

And if you believe in the existence of one, that means you believe in the existence of the Other, in this case GOD. You cannot be pro something or someone unless you are opposing something or someone else. And satanists embrace the devil whom they call Lucifer and reject GOD whose name is infinite.

Though the tone of this article is very anti-satanism, I did originally approach the subject with an open mind, not bringing any of the things I had heard about to the table. I delved into that article with curiosity and it sparked my desire to learn more about the church of satan by their own words. And since they do indeed believe in and worship the devil whom they call Lucifer, I have to reject them completely. And if I had the energy, I could easily debunk the few scriptures and instances they pinpoint in the Holy Bible GOD's Word and twist to support their own claims. But it's really not that important. To live life as a satanist, you are living in ignorance and fear and consciously spitting in GOD's face--yes, all at the same time.

Revising The Bible

2005-03-16T20:04:00.000-05:00

This story was originally published on March 15, 2005:

For readers of the Bible confused by its archaic language, such as its use of the term "stoned" for a form of execution rather than the effects of smoking dope, help is at hand.

One of the world's most widely read Bibles, the New International Version, has been modernised by a team of 15 American and British scholars and is published today.

Read the rest...

I think it's great to want to make the Holy Bible easily comprehensible for all by putting it in plain language, but I wonder if they aren't ever tempted to add their own interpretations once in a while?

And one has to be wary of all this 'new translations' because some of them sometimes do tend to have different meanings or insinuations of the same thing. I can't remember a specific example that I encountered not too long ago. I'm not knocking the fact that there are now several different translations of the same Book, but it would be wise to always cross-reference whatever interpretation you're reading with the King James Version and at least one other translation.

Moral Issue - Boy Rapist Gets Life

2005-03-12T14:53:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting moral issue for you from a story at the UK Mirror:

"A BOY of 12 was locked up for life yesterday after becoming Britain's youngest convicted rapist.

The powerfully built youngster pounced on a petite 32-year-old special needs teacher during a one-to-one tuition session.

After attacking her he stole her car and sped at over 100mph down the A1 before being caught.

The boy had endured a lifetime of foul abuse from the age of three, Teesside crown court heard. He was taken into care when his alcoholic, heroin-smoking mother was jailed for rape and indecently assaulting two minors.

The woman's former boyfriend said: "There was something twisted and evil about the family." Police said: The boy was cool and showed no emotion." "

I found this story interesting because of the age and mental state of this kid--now the UK's youngest convicted criminal. The judge in this case didn't seem to have any kind of compassion for the kid. Though he may appear physically mature and is 'powerfully built' he is apparently a 'special needs' child and has a history of sexual abuse among other things. Shouldn't locking up a kid for life with these issues be illegal? He obviously needs help and some serious therapy. I'm not saying he shouldn't be held accountable, but punishing a special needs sexaully abused child for his entire life is morally (and should be legally) wrong. That's just me.

What do you say?

~The Scribe

Physicist Wins Spirituality Prize

2005-03-12T11:10:00.000-05:00

"(LA Times) Charles Townes, the UC Berkeley professor who shared the 1964 Nobel Prize in physics for his work in quantum electronics and then startled the scientific world by suggesting that religion and science were converging, was awarded the $1.5-million Templeton Prize on Wednesday for progress in spiritual knowledge."

Read the rest...

Vatican Releases Video of Pope Speaking

2005-03-12T11:06:00.000-05:00

You know, I think it's real sad when this is what's considered news. The headline might as well say, 'Pope Not Dead Yet'. I understand his position, but why can't they let the man rest? He should just retire and relax while he still can. While he's in a condition like this there's absolutely nothing useful that he can do. He's just wasting what little energy and life he may have left.

"VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican released a video Friday with Pope John Paul II speaking, the first time the pontiff has been heard publicly since a throat operation last month to help him breathe. The video was taken of a meeting Friday with Tanzanian prelates in the pope's hospital room. He says a few words in a husky voice, including "va bene," Italian for "OK." "

Read the rest...

Spanish Muslims Issue Fatwa Against Bin Laden

2005-03-12T10:53:00.000-05:00

"MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's leading Islamic body has issued a religious order declaring Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) to have forsaken Islam by backing attacks such as the Madrid train bombings a year ago.

The Islamic Commission of Spain timed its "fatwa" for Friday to coincide with the first anniversary of the attacks, which killed 191 people and were claimed in the name of al Qaeda in Europe."

Read the rest...

Ex-Korn Guitarist Brian "Head" Welch Baptized

2005-03-07T16:29:00.000-05:00

Wow, this guy is really serious about turning his life around. I guess he did have his spiritual awakening. Accordin to APNews:

'Former Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch was baptized Saturday in the Jordan River, just weeks after quitting his band, drug habits and rock-and-roll lifestyle for religion.'

'Welch said the ritual baptism had washed away his anger. "You know when you get angry and it builds up? I felt like hurting someone before, now I feel like hugging people," he said.'

Read the rest of the story here...

~The Scribe

Christians Are Nuts!

2005-03-05T22:22:00.000-05:00

...Or so it may seem to folks who aren't into religion or spirituality in any kind of way. You know Christians believe in the Holy Spirit and angels and all that. Well, Christians also accept the existence of demons and the devil himself. I have to admit that, even though I am of the faith and acknowledge the supernatural aspects of this faith, sometimes actually hearing (or in this case reading about) a Christian's account of supernatural experiences sometimes sounds crazy to me. I can only imagine how crazy we 'religious' nuts must sound to those outside the faith. Anyhoo, this posting was prompted by a story over at Christian International News concerning John Debney, the guy who scored Mel Gibson's 'Passion' movie. Anyway, in the interview Debney talks about the obstacles he faced while working on the film. One of those obstacles was satan as he says. For example, he said at one point: "I had never before subscribed to the idea that maybe Satan is a real person, but I can attest that he was in my room a lot and I know that he hit everyone on this production.” Not to be mean or anything, but doesn't that sound a little nuts to you? Anyway, you can read the rest of the story here...

~ The Scribe

Rap And Religion

2005-03-05T21:57:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to write something concerning music and religion for a while. I don't know how many of you have encountered this, but in the church I grew up in it was pretty common to hear preachers talking against hip hop music. They often said it was devil music or some crap like that. In my opinion, if the lyrics aren't builing up satan, then it's not explicitly devil music. There are songs of course, which do fall into that category, and I think there's even a genre of music that's completely pro-evil, or whatever you want to call it (death metal?).

Anyway, my point is, one musician who really rehased this subject is Kanye West. He's primarily known (when it comes to this subject), for his song 'Jesus Walks.' He received a lot of praise and criticism for this track. A lot of people called him a hypocrite because they claim his lifestyle doesn't reflect the trappings of a true Christian.

I found two articles of inerest that deal with this subject well:
1. At the Washington Post - 'Rap Gets Religious'
2. At MTV - Finding My Religion

Check 'em out and tell me what you think.

Peace.
~ The Scribe.

Why Jesus Died, Part 3

2005-03-04T17:49:00.000-05:00

God's Love 4 U / Why Jesus Died

Part 3

Cardinal Verse: Matthew 26:39

So in the first installment, we covered the problematic condition of humans, God's reaction to us, and the solution that He came up with, which was sending Jesus to live among us for some hands-on instruction, if you will. In the second installment, we discussed the crux of Jesus' teachings, and the people's reaction to them. In this final installment, I suppose we should touch on whether Jesus' existence among us really had an impact, and if so, what kind. That is, was God's plan and Jesus' mission successful?

I'm assuming that many take the fact that Jesus was eventually crucified to be a mark of failure on his part. Like, if he was the Son of God, why did let himself pretty much be murdered like that? It's okay--there are no stupid questions...

First off, it was known from the get-go that Jesus' death was a part of the entire plan. Remember, Jesus was around to set the supreme example of a being dedicated to God. He was also the sacrificial lamb, remember. He pretty much paid the price for our crimes against God, and at the same time played the role model / teacher. While he was alive, he performed many miracles, bestowed a crap load of wisdom, and just a made a generally interesting impression on many minds. Here's where it gets tricky, though.

He came back to life. You know the story, he was crucified on a Friday, and came rose from the dead on Sunday (I think it was Sunday anyway).

"And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again." - Mark 10:34

I know this part takes a serious leap of faith, because there are many of us who just generally believe that there is nothing after death. Some of us also agree that when people die they stay dead. I say some of us because throughout life many people experience certain "phenomenons" let's say. But, unfortunately, folks, this is the true test of your faith concerning God. And it's pretty much a "you do" or "you don't" kind of thing. But we'll cover that in-depth another time.

So Jesus comes back from the dead, returns to his disciples and apostles and re-assures them of the righteousness of the path he has laid out for them. Most of us know that his apostles remained true, their faith being boosted by experiencing such an event. They travelled, wrote, and taught everyone they could about the Gospel, or Good News, as Jesus' life & teachings came to be donned.

Did Jesus' teachings catch on? Now that's a stupid question. Here are some simple statistics to kind of drive my point home.

1. Christianity is the most adhered to religion on the planet, with 2 billion followers according to the BBC

2. The Bible is the most published and purchased book on the planet, and has been translated into over 2,000 languages. Source

3. The human timeline of history evolves around two time periods--both of which are rooted in Jesus' existence. We use the term "A.D." which is the "Abbreviation for the Latin phrase "Anno Domini," which means "in the year of our Lord." Used to refer to dates starting with the year 1 (i.e., this is the year A.D. 2000). We use this, of course, when discussing events which occur after Jesus Christ's birth. We use "B.C." which means "Before Christ" when discussing events which occurred before Jesus' birth. Interesting, considering we still argue about his actual existence.

I think these three facts, which are pivotal to how we conduct things on this planet, are excellent examples of just how much Jesus Christ affected humanity, and just how well he succeeded in his mission.

What's Your Definition of Religion?

2005-03-01T18:52:00.000-05:00

Here are some interesting definitions of the term 'religion' as offered by Google.com: 1. a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality"

2. institution to express belief in a divine power; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him"

As for me, when I often hear the term 'religion' used it usually brings to mind a type of static, generic definition. Saying something like, 'He was raised in the Baptist religion' is like saying 'He's a Democrat' or 'He's a teacher.' Know what I mean? I feel like true religion or faith, as I prefer to call it, has been so warped and diluted with all the rigid, narrow-minded and often hateful crap churches, preachers, etc. have put into it.

Anyway, that's me. What's your definition?

~ The Scribe

Why Jesus Died, Part 2

2005-02-27T13:05:00.000-05:00

God's Love 4 U / Why Jesus Died

Part 2

Cardinal verses: Matthew 5:17 & 21-30

So Jesus was born (in Bethlehem), raised and became a man in Nazareth / Galilee. His basic vocation was carpentry like his father Joseph, but when the time came, he began his ministry. He began by gathering some students and companions, 12 of which (we are told) would become his main apostles.

But before all of that, Jesus, supposedly at age 33 or 34, kind of put the seal on his relationship with God by getting baptized by his cousin John (the Baptist, duh). It is chronicled in Matthew 3:15-17. It says:

"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightaway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

This act between God and Jesus, I interpret as them putting an official seal on the agreement. Because, once Jesus is baptized, he may begin to go about his Father's work. God sees this act as Jesus signing his name on the dotted line, and thus He openly acknowledges him in agreement and acceptance. That's my spin anyway.

But before Jesus gets to recruiting his team, he has to go through a test. The test is to be tempted by the devil in the middle of the dessert with absolutely no food or nothing for 40 days and 40 nights. That's over a month of no food or drink wandering around an extremely hot and humid desert with Satan (the liar, the snake, who's against everything God stands for) whispering nothing but bullcrap in your ear! You'd be dang near nuts by the time the 40th day rolled around, if not sooner. But Jesus, withstood all of this and moved forward.

So Jesus moves forward, starts assembling a team and starts, to the best of his ability to express why he is on Earth and what we are to learn from him. Unfortunately, the folks hanging around are a little stubborn, ignorant, and fearful of the new and unknown (such as the Pharisees & the Sadducees who felt Jesus' teachings threatened their own).

You see, Jesus came not to re-iterate or encourage the old or formulaic laws (of Moses), but to extrapolate on them. It is not enough to go through the motions, like many of us do in our lives. We get up every Sunday, or Saturday, or everyday, if you're so fortunate, and go to church, the temple, the mosque, etc. You say the verses (or what have you), do the prayers, etc. But you don't really mean it. Unfortunately, some people think this is sufficient. That this behavior is enough to express to God our intentions, appreciation, love, etc. Sorry, but no go.

Jesus was saying going through the motions is meaningless if you don't do it sincerely. If you don't really love someone, don't tell them you do or pretend that you do. That is vanity, as my friend Ecclesiastes (the Preacher) would say. Here are some verses that lay it out (Matthew 5:27-28):

"You have heard that it was said by them of old time (Old Testament laws), Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

That example may seem a little extreme, but it shows the flip-side of "going through the motions," when the mind and body are out of synch. So you have your boy/girlfriend, but you're constantly thinking about getting with someone else. Though you may not act on it physically, committing so much time to it in your thoughts is just as bad, according to Jesus.

So that was one of the primary lessons Jesus aimed to teach us--the mind and body must act as one. The next greatest thing that Jesus wanted to drive home was the act of forgiveness and love. Matthew 22: 36-40 gives the example:

"Jesus said to him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind."

This also reiterates that state of being completely in synch

"This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

That's tough, I know. To love that jerk from work who's always jocking you for something or the other. But, it isn't really, when you think about it. You don't have to like someone or his/her behavior, but you have to value them as a human being like yourself. After all, everyone has some flaw or another that makes us a bit difficult to swallow with everyone. So hate the horrible or stupid things people say and do, but don't hate them. Forgive them as many times as you would like God to forgive you...with all the stupid and horrible things you've done throughout your life. You must show compassion to receive compassion. You must show love to receive love.

How did the current teachers and upholders of the Law who heard Jesus teaching all of this feel? I mean, here's some dude who's saying, following the Laws and rituals are not enough. And that the "eye for an eye" and "tooth for a tooth" dogma is wrong. Of course, Jesus was a threat, especially with all these people really listening to him and considering his teachings. Jesus put it best as to how these Pharisees and Sadducees saw him. This is what Jesus said about himself in Matthew 10:34-35:

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword (strife). For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law."

This is how the religious community of Jesus' time saw him. They saw him as some radical bringing nothing but strife and confusion to Israel. Everyone and everything was somewhat relatively quiet and peaceful, but here comes some son of a carpenter thinking he knows the true interpretation of the laws and prophets, confusing everything. But read what Jesus says concerning their fear of him and his work:

"Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them."

Jesus was indeed a radical, he knew that the path people were walking--which were paved by the hypocritical and ignorant religious leaders of that time--was only leading to hell and more heartache. He loved the people of Jerusalem so much, that he as willing to look like a clown or a crazy person to get their attention. He knew the truth--he was the truth--and could not keep it to himself. No matter what would happen to him, he had to make sure that everyone could hear the truth. Even if they weren't listening, it still had to be proclaimed. After all, it was the purpose of his creation.

~ The Scribe

Why Jesus Died, Part 1

2005-02-23T20:12:00.000-05:00

This is originally something I wrote for another (very similar) blog, but I thought I'd share it here on 'The Jesus Tip.' There are two more parts to follow.

God's Love 4 U / Why Jesus Died

Part One

Cardinal verses: John 3:16; 1 John 4:10

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." - 1 John 4: 10

So we all know the story from the Old Testament. In the beginning, the Earth was without form or purpose. God took notice and decided to give it life. He therefore created nature, man, animals, etc. (don't quote me on this). He gave everything a name and purpose and let the Earth be populated. Over time--because of whatever influence--humans became corrupt and attempted to do whatever we could conceive of (as we still do). God got fed up and decided to wipe the canvas clean, if you will. This is where Noah and his family came in, being the ancestors of everyone living on the Earth today (just ask the Evolutionists :] ).

So eventually via Moses, God established a covenant with us, and we were real wishy-washy about keeping up our end of the bargain, so God tried not giving a what. He let us do whatever we wanted even if our actions got us into deep doo-doo, like being occupied and oppressed by foreigners, stuff like that.

When you step away from the grace / light of God, anything can happen

So things seemed so out of hand--like the human race was bent on going to hell in a hand basket (as the saying goes), and God decided something needed to be done. No flood this time, that was a one-time moment of intense anger / severe disappointment thing.

No this time, something super constructive and symbolic needed to happen. Cause, no matter how many re-starts, it was evident humans would just repeat their actions (we're good at that). This time, God would send something directly to us, to live among us, and set the supreme example. A teacher to walk amongst us and literally instruct us about ourselves . He just needed a volunteer (Revelation 5).

That's where Jesus (his name before human birth, I don't know) came in. I don't know what he may have been thinking. I mean, he was a heavenly member doing whatever it is they do in heaven. He never knew physical pain, never got hungry or horny, or anything. His everlasting existence was pure bliss.

But he heard God's call, what was needed and what was promised in return. To be the eternal Son of God--imagine that, being the Number One's number one. The mission, however, promised to be cruel, painful, grueling and would eventually lead to death. But why?

I love these people. These foolish, stubborn people. They have completley gone astray and shall be lost forever if we don't directly intervene. They are in desperate need of a model, an example, a teacher. Who will go to them?

To walk among man? The fowl, cruel and stubborn people who've constantly turned their backs on You? Who could care less aobut Your laws and the order of the Universe?

Yes. I love them. My children are apart of Me. Apart of you. Who will do it?

And I shall return to glory?

Better off than you are now because the of the magnitude of your sacrifice.

I will do it.

Why?

Because You love them and I love You. What you see in them must be there, so I will find it too, and come to love them. And, hey, the Supreme Son of God--it has to be worth it.

Very well then. I thank you and find you worthy.

Abba, it is I who thank You. This is my purpose, the center of my creation.

Brian 'Head' Welch Leaves Korn To Find Jesus

2005-02-23T19:58:00.000-05:00

Interesting story from MTV.com:

Guitarist Brian "Head" Welch, a founding member of Korn, has left the band and has rededicated his life to Christianity, according to the group's management.

"Korn has parted ways with guitarist Brian 'Head' Welch, who has chosen Jesus Christas his savior, and will be dedicating his musical pursuits to that end," a statement from the band reads. "Korn respects Brian's wishes, and hopes he finds the happiness he's searching for."

To read the rest of the story...

Suggest A Subject/ Start A Debate...

2005-02-21T22:12:00.000-05:00

I'm always trying to think of a new subject or topic of interest to address, but good ideas are hard to find. If you have any ideas, please share. Or if you simply would like to debate some relevant stuff, step up. I'm down for tackling whatever. We can debate sexuality, music, politics, spirituality vs. religion, etc. Anything you can think of that's related to the focus of this blog is cool. However, please back up your stance with some Bible lit.

~The Scribe.

Constantine

2005-02-21T21:49:00.000-05:00

I saw 'Constantine' over the weekend, and though it's not the best film I've ever seen (in no way shape or form), I was intrigued by the concept. I just might check out the comic book, which I'm sure is much better than the film. And Keanu Reeves is such a wooden actor; there's never any emotion conveyed on his face or inflicted in his voice. Yet he keeps getting these roles... weird. Anyhoo, this is the plot description as found at IMDB.com:

"Based on the DC/Vertigo comic book Hellblazer and written by Kevin Brodbin, Mark Bomback and Frank Capello, Constantine tells the story of irreverent supernatural detective John Constantine (Keanu Reeves), who has literally been to hell and back. When Constantine teams up with skeptical policewoman Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister (also played by Weisz), their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists just beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles. Caught in a catastrophic series of otherworldy events, the two become inextricably involved and seek to find their own peace at whatever cost."

Simply, it's all about heaven and hell, GOD and the devil and the fight for the human soul. I liked this movie only because it dealt with this subject. And, believe it or not, I found it all kind of believable. I totally believe these good and bad forces exist and that there is some kind of fight for our souls.

If you're into his type of supernatural, Bible-based stuff, check out the matinee or something. Or maybe he graphic novel. Anyway, if you've seen this movie or you're familiar with the story, share your thoughts. Peace.

~The Scribe.

The Plight of Poor Judas Iscariot

2005-02-17T18:54:00.000-05:00

One thing about the Gospels and the accounts of Jesus' ministry that has always concerned me is the role of Judas Iscariot, the infamous betrayer of Christ.

Infamous betrayer, Judas Iscariot.

Let me begin by saying I firmly believe that GOD the Creator is Lord of all and everything. I believe He is omnipotent and omnipresent. As Creator of the Universe and all that it holds, I believe GOD is well aware of everything that happens everywhere all the time, before we are even aware of it. He knows the length, breadth and width of absolutely everything.

Saying that, many issues come to mind. Most of these are common questions that I'm sure even you might have wondered about at some point. First off, if GOD is so all-powerful and all-knowing, why does he allow bad things to happen? Secondly, if people are bound to do certain things (fate), how does free will really work? Lastly, in cases such as Judas Iscariot (a man who was apparently bound, or doomed really, to aid in the betrayal of Jesus, who is to blame, if anyone? And what happens to such a person upon death?

So, to answer my own questions:

1. I addressed this one in a previous entry, which will open in a new window for you by clicking here.

2. Fate vs. Free Will. This is a difficult one. Though there are certain things in one's life that will absolutely happen no matter, there is more than one way for them to happen, is how I see it. [Reminder, I do not offer gospel, these are my own opinions and philosophical, and Biblical interpretive offerings; aka, my humble opinion.] Using the Bible, let's see if I can illustrate my points.

In Isaiah 46: 9 "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: 11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it."

These verses primarily illustrate GOD's omnipotent nature, and as being the Grand Orchestrator, if you will, of the world's 'history'.

In Romans 8: 28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."

This passage shows that GOD does/ did predestinate situations and occurrences. Interestingly enough, these verses specifically point out that Almighty GOD has already called whom He knows will believe in His precious Son Jesus. We don't believe because we are called; we are called because we do believe. Or, even more confusingly, many are called, but few are chosen (many are invited, but few actually come).

Deuteronomy 30: 19 "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live..."

This is what GOD said to Moses at one point during the Israelites (self-inflicted) aimless journey in the desert. Obviously humans do have free will, as GOD offered Moses a choice as to what path he could follow. Albeit, the choices are so far apart that one would be pretty much an idiot to not choose life, yet that is what many of us decide to do on a daily basis. Jesus Christ is Life, anything outside of that is surely death (and I don't necessarily mean physical).

3. As for poor Judas Iscariot--and yes, I do sympathize with the man for he later hanged himself--was he to blame? Here are some verses about Judas' behavior concerning Christ.

John 13:2 "And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him..."

So the devil put it into Judas' heart to betray Jesus?

Matthew 27: 3 "Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself."

But Judas was very aware of his actions and felt truly remorseful for turning Jesus in to the 'religious' Jews who wanted him dead. Judas was so aware of having condemned himself via his actions, that he went ahead and literally hanged himself. To be honest, no matter how repentant (remorseful) Judas was for betraying Jesus, I find it kind of doubtful that GOD would have forgiven him. Is that a harsh thing to say? Perhaps. The next verse explains why I feel this way.

Acts 1:16 "Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus."

So Judas was predestinated to guide Jesus' killers to him. It was pre-ordained. There was no ifs, ands or buts about it. Now, here's some more of my opinion concerning this poor fellow Iscariot. I think Judas already had it in his heart to do what he did. Based on Scripture, he obviously didn't have any intention or foreknowledge of Jesus being hurt, much less killed. He probably didn't even think Jesus would have allowed himself to be hurt or killed. After all, he was the Messiah, which Judas believed. The Messiah who was foretold to be the one to save the Jews from Roman persecution. Judas had traveled, lived, slept, ate, etc. with Jesus for the entire duration of his Ministry. Judas had seen Jesus give the blind sight, make the lame walk, heal the sick and numerous other works. Judas thought Jesus was IT. Judas just was too hopeful in what he wanted Jesus to do that he was blind to reasoning. If he had really been listening to Jesus' teachings, he would have realized that Jesus wasn't going to fight back or supernaturally escape the clutches of his killers.

So, Judas Iscariot was destined to betray Jesus because that was something he had already made up his mind to do. Make any sense?

~ The Scribe.

Jesus Without The Junk

2005-02-14T20:17:00.000-05:00

I think some of the reasons stopping people from exploring GOD and what He has to offer is all the junk that modern-day theologians want to toss onto the Jesus plate. It's not enough that they give you Jesus alone (i.e., his messages of love, forgiveness, humility, etc.), no they gotta add offerings, a string of rules and commandments. They also want to tell you how to dress, how to wear your hair, what kind of music to listen to, what movies to watch, books to read, etc. Why isn't enough it alone to say 'come as you are'?

I think once a person starts to get to know Jesus as Savior, that person starts to develop a concience of a sort. Because of the enlightenment they are experiencing on the inside, the outside will soon start to reflect this. They don't need pastor so-and-so to advise them on those things. Teachers of the Word (as they should be called instead of preachers) do serve a very integral purpose. Teachers of the Word should provide good guidance, using the Bible as backbone for their advice to believers.

It's when preachers take the Bible's word and use it to serve their own purpose and to further their own predujices, fears and opions that things fall apart and people become alienated. Jesus called all kinds of people to come and follow him. And once they started walking with him, he only tried to teach them, enlighten them. He didn't try to change them, because he knew once they learned and understood what he was teaching, they would change all by themselves.

Good teachers are very hard to find. But, as I've recommended before, Joel Osteen is a pretty good teacher based on what I've read of his book and the sermons of his that I've heard. But I guess the ultimate and best teacher is Jesus Christ himself. He who has ears, let him hear...

~The Scribe.

Jehovah Witnesses Say There's No Hell

2005-02-13T11:57:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid I had this next door neighbor who was a Jehovah Witness. Sometimes she invited my family to church, and a couple times we actually went. My family has always been Church of GOD Christians (Pentecostal), by the way. The only thing I remember really caring about was the literature that the Jehovah Witnesses would hand out. They were always beautifully illustrated, which is why I liked them. As I got older, I often re-read the literature that I had managed to hang on to. Once my mother and I got into a discussion about the Jehovah Witnesses and she revealed to me that one of her main problems with the sect is the fact that Jehovah Witnesses don't believe in hell.

That concept struck me as odd, since I've learned over the years, and still firmly believe, that there is a balance to everything. For example, some balanced relationships are: sun/ moon (day/ night); male/ female; life/ death; etc. Though I am not 100% sure of this last one, I find it sensible that if that there must be a heaven, then there must be a hell. The Jehovah Witnesses seem to believe that only heaven exists. The alternative to heaven, in their explanation, is eternal death. They cast eternal death as being simply a state of nothingness, no feelings, no thoughts, etc. Most of us believe, I think, that human beings have some kind of spirit, a soul, or what have you. Based on the Jehovah Witness website, the spirit keeps the human body alive, and once that body dies the spirit goes with it.

You see, they don't think of the spirit as some separate entity; Jehovah Witnesses consider the term 'spirit' to be synonymous with 'life force'. I believe, as many others do, that the body and soul are separate. I see the body as a shell and I believe, through the words of Jesus Christ, that the spirit gives the body life. The Bible says that GOD made mankind in His image (Genesis 1:26 - And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...). And the Bible also says that GOD is Spirit, and must be worshipped in spirit (John 4:24 - God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth). I don't know about you, but 'spirit' sounds like not only an actual person, but also possibly a state of being.

Let's look at the Holy Bible (available for viewing in any translation at Bible On The Web).

This is what Jehovah Witnesses say:

1. "When a person dies, his impersonal spirit does not go on existing in another realm as a spirit creature. It "returns to the true God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:7) This means that any hope of future life for that person now rests entirely with God."

2. "Yes, man himself is a soul. When a person dies, that soul dies.—Ezekiel 18:4"

3. "Since the dead have no conscious existence, hell cannot be a fiery place of torment where the wicked suffer after death"

4. "The Bible hell, then, is the common grave of mankind where good people as well as bad ones go."

This is what the Bible says:

1. Matthew 10:28 - "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Jesus says that the soul and body are two separate entities.

2. Matthew 22:37 - "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."

3. Luke 16: 20-24) - "And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame." Jesus also gave the impression with this story that hell is a literal place that isn't very pleasant.

Acts 2:27 - "Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Revelation 1:18 - I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Hell and death are two distinct things, and hell is a place in which an entity can exist.

Now this exercise wasn't to prove that there is a hell. I did all this to show that you and I, human beings, are not just all flesh and tangible. We are more than just skin and bones, and other tangible things. The Creator, Lord GOD Almighty, the Eternal Spirit, gave each and everyone of us a soul. It is through our spirit that we commune with GOD. I'm sure you're familiar with the phrase 'do it from the heart'. That's like saying 'do it from the spirit'. When we say that, we mean 'do it from the center, the utmost part of your being'. We are referring to something intangible and incorruptible.

Therefore, if each and everyone of us is a spirit as well as flesh, when the flesh passes away in death, according to Yeshua (Jesus in Hebrew), the spirit remains and is still has all the senses. Now, I can't tell you what happens to the spirit, whether it goes to heaven or hell or wherever. According to popular belief, some spirits just hang around (haunt, wander) doing whatever. All I know is that hell is either a literal place or perhaps a state of being. Whatever the case, hell is not where you want your spirit to be, because your spirit will be in torment.

~ The Scribe.

They Say GOD Hates Fags.

2005-02-10T19:32:00.000-05:00

And I hate their website. I'm talking about the disgustingly hateful and blatant mockery of the True Word found at GodHatesFags.com, otherwise known as Westboro Baptist Church. I can't rememer the last time I've encountered anything so damn bitter and childish as the hate this 'church' website spews. What's worse is that they 'interpret' or twist the Bible's words in all kinds of ways to support and suit their propaganda. I have to address some of the ridiculous shit they say. And just to let you know, they don't just focus on homosexuality (they seem to hate Jews and Sept. 11 victims too), but it is the main focus of their website.

From their FAQ page:
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Why do you use the word "fag"?

We use the word "fag" as a contraction of the word "faggot" or "fagot." A "fag" is a firebrand. A "fag" is used for kindling - it fuels fire. "Fag" is a metaphor used in the Bible, for example, in Amos 4:11 (where it is translated "firebrand" in the KJV). Just as a "fag" fuels the fires of nature, so does a sodomite fuel the fires of God's wrath. We do not use the word "fag" in order to engage in childish name-calling. Rather, we use it because it is a metaphor chosen by the Holy Ghost to describe a group of people who BURN in their lust one toward another, and who FUEL God's wrath.
-----------------------

Their excuse for using the term 'fag' is so lame. Yes, 'fag' is short for faggot aka kindling, as anyone who can read a dictionary will tell you. But to say it's a metaphor chosen by the Holy Ghost is just wrong. Nowhere in the Bible is there a correlation between the kindling 'fag' with the "childish name-calling" 'fag' used to degrade a homosexual... and also punk people in general.

Here's another one from their site:
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Didn't Jesus die for everyone?

No. Jesus died only for His sheep (John 10). His church (Ephesians 5:25). His elect (I Peter 1:2). If He died for everyone, everyone would go to heaven. All sins of all people would be forgiven. But obviously, all sins aren't forgiven, because people are burning in hell.
----------------------

In the Bible it says, in John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." And Jesus said himself several times in Luke 5:32 - "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

If Jesus died only for His sheep as the authors of the website claim, why does he say "I have not come to call the righteous"? It also says that GOD loved the world, which is why He wanted a Divine Example to enter the world, so that all may know the True Way and have the opportunity to be reconciled with the Creator. To support their website's claim, however, all who eventually learn of and accept the True Way are considered Jesus' elect. But there would be no elect if Jesus didn't make that self-sacrifice and final resurrection, would there? That was the whole point behind His birth, His ministry, His death and His resurrection.

Jesus says of himself in Matthew 5:15 - "Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house." Jesus, the Divine Light, did not come to expose himself to an elect few, he came to shine His light on everyone. It also says in John 1:9 - "The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world." It says later in John 1:12 "But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God;" You hear that, Westboro Baptist Church? Jesus died for everyone to have an opportunity to reconcile with GOD.

And here's the final one I want to waste my time on from their website:
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Where does the Bible say that homosexuality is a sin? Where did Jesus say anything about homosexuality?

Every time the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin, Jesus is saying that homosexuality is a sin. God inspired the Scriptures, and Jesus is God. When He was on earth, Jesus taught us what the only acceptable union between two people is: one man, one woman, for one lifetime. "Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, for this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?" Matthew 19:4,5. Fags can't be one flesh; fags can only be strange flesh (Jude 7).
----------------------------

This is a tough one to tackle, so I'll just give it to you straight. In the Old Testament it does say explicitly in various instances, (Leviticus 18:22) - "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. " There's no getting around that, so I won't try to. I'll give you some Bible passages instead.

1. Matthew 36-41 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" ³⁷ And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."

If you abide by these two greatest commandments, you don't go around calling people derogatory names and taking the will of GOD upon yourself to judge and condemn (not to mention harrass with those damn pickettings) people.

2. Matthew 10:3-7 - "The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst ⁴ they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such. What do you say about her?" ⁶ This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. ⁷ And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her."

3. Matthew 10:35 - "For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;"

If you read the Gospels of Jesus' works and teachings, you'll see that he never once advocated stoning or killing another person or rushing to judge others. He says let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Last time I checked, absolutely none of us were faultless, so let GOD the Perfect One do the judging. But as the previous verse indicates, not everyone agrees with Jesus' teaching (the truth), so we are all divided. But it's not about who is wrong or who is right. It's about identifying the tree by its fruit. And Westboro Baptist Church has got some stank fruit.

The folks at Wesboro Church and all who advocate hate against anyone for any reason needs to read this: Matthew 6:43-48 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸ You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

And to you, misguided folks at Westboro Baptist Church, I have this to say: Matthew 23:13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in."

Let the church say: Amen.

~The Scribe.

How GOD and Suffering Can Coexist

2005-02-09T22:10:00.000-05:00

One of the primary complaints or item of 'proof' that most people seem to point to when voicing their reasons for not believing in GOD is the fact that there is so much suffering in the world. If GOD, by the Christian definition, is so powerful and all-knowing, then why does so much suffering exist in the world? Even those who profess belief in and acceptance of Him often go through trials and tribulations. That is all very true, and though GOD is merciful and perfect in His wisdom, simply put, shit happens. Take my story.

My mother whom I love very dearly had a mental breakdown several years ago, before I was even a teenager. It was quite rough understanding her situation, and that moment in my life was kinda rough in general seeing that my parents also divorced not long after. From that point on, my mother has been a person living with mental illness. She has had perhaps three or four breaks since that first time, and to be quite honest, I am prepared for at least one more. The most severe of her breaks happened less than two years ago. This was the worst I had ever seen my mother and the situation really tested me. Her illness went even further downhill to the point of her attempting to jump out of a window of our two-story home, and she almost succeeded.

I was upset, confused, frustrated and unsure of everything...except for one thing, which I'll mention in a minute. I was tempted to question why my mother, a woman so devoted and in love with GOD, would have to suffer such a thing? She has to be on medication for the rest of her life, and since that last break, my mother never really returned to the person she was before. That also has taken some getting used to. However, like my mother, I firmly believe in the goodness of GOD. I don't blame Him for her situation. I don't blame Him for my grandfather having cancer. Those things, I have come to accept, are apart of life. I admit I don't understand everything, because, well, GOD is GOD and who am I?

I thank GOD for sparing her life, because, quite honestly, she could have made it out of that window. I respect GOD. I love GOD. I acknowledge that I may never understand his will. It is not my place to, and to be quite honest, I don't feel I need to. There is nothing about my life that is perfect, and I have many faults like everyone else, and I've been in some dire situations like many, many people. I don't expect GOD to do special things for me all the time. In fact, I try to remember to thank Him for giving me another day when I wake up in the morning, because, well, my body could have simply given out at some point during sleep as often happens with people.

Do you know why I don't expect GOD to make everything perfect in my life, or even one thing perfect? Because if He did that for me, He would have to do it for everyone else. If absolutely everyone's life was perfect, this would be a perfect world. GOD didn't create war, or famine or the AIDS virus. Man is responsible for those things, and most things that cause human suffering. I haven't forgotten about natural disasters like the tsunami that recently wrecked Asia and parts of Africa. How do I explain those? I can't. Since GOD created the heavens and the earth and all of that, he must have also created the things that compose what we call nature, natural occurrences and disasters. So not only did GOD know about the floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters that were to take place, He did nothing to prevent them. I would even go so far as to wonder if He in fact caused them to happen. He is the orchestrator and Creator of it all, no?

So how can I believe that and still accept His existence, and even embrace Him? Because, though I don't get absolutely everything that He may be about, I get the gist of it, and that's knowing that He loves me and cares about my well-being. However, if I were to suddenly put an end to my theism and became an atheist, would GOD still love me? Yeah, I think so. He'd be mighty disappointed, but He wouldn't cast me aside and stop caring about me. What I do know is that once we cast GOD aside and stop caring about Him, we distance ourselves tremendously from His infinite love, peace, and compassion. Those are some things we human needs to kind of have to survive in this crazy world. We know this for a fact because there are so many examples of what good love, peace and compassion can cause.

So there are so many things I could complain about, but there are even more that I can be thankful for. I have my family, my health, a good job, food to eat and a place to rest my head at night. That may seem like a given for some of you, but it is indeed a luxury for many others. And I don't take any of those things for granted because they are not due me; they are a blessing, right from my family down to my home. Anyone of those things could be missing tomorrow morning. And you know what, I'm glad that life isn't perfect and that GOD doesn't intervene (explicitly anyway) in every little thing, or big thing for that matter. The shit we go through often fortifies us, and if I have to suffer some to be better individual at the end of it, then GOD give me what I can bare.

And that's that.

~ The Scribe

Star Kicked Out Of Milky Way

2005-02-09T16:26:00.000-05:00

The Bible freak in me could not pass over this one from a press release submitted by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics:

"Astronomers at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory have discovered the first star flung out of the Milky Way, speeding away at over 1.5 million miles per hour. This tremendous speed likely resulted from a close encounter with the massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. The so-called outcast star is shown in this artist's depiction in its current location as it travels through the distant outskirts of the Milky Way."

This event is so awesome and, if you've ever read 'The Book of Enoch,' spine-tingling. I firmly believe that GOD created the heavens and earth and the Universe as we know it is apart of His creations. According to 'The Book of Enoch' all the celestial bodies have duties they are to perform and therefore have an order to themselves. For example, the sun has specific times in which it moves (around the planet, according to the book) as does the moon. So even though the press release approaches the event like the star was forcibly propelled from a black hole supposedly near the Milky Way, I don't mind the idea of the star just voluntarily moving away from this area. That's just me.

Another spin is that, if using the term 'star' to refer to heavenly beings like angels, is that perhaps this star is a fallen angel. It could even be the devil himself, the great fallen angel who dragged down 1/3 of the angels with him.

It reads in Revelation 12:7-9 "And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. (8)But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. (9)The great dragon was hurled down that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him." [New International Version]

Yes, I could be stretching it a bit...much I know. But I'm not done.

In the Gospel of St. Luke, Jesus refers to satan falling like lightning from heaven.

Okay, I'm done. Also, for those of you tempted to bring 'Lucifer' into this (commonly referred to as the morning star) check out this page which gives a good break down on why that correlation would be off.

You can check out the original CfA Press Release and additional photos here.

What's Really Good With Pope John Paul II?

2005-02-08T19:35:00.000-05:00

Anyway, in case you've been living with your head between your legs that past few weeks, Pope John Paul II is really ill. He had a breathing 'episode' last week, and according to some sources he just may be on the brink of death. Or at least a resignation. The dude is 84-years old and has been pontiff for 26 years. He's been suffering from Parkinson's for the longest as well as knee and hip ailments. It just may be time for him to hang up his...ah, frock.

I can't help but let my paranoid, Book of Revelation bug out, so here it goes. Okay, so according to the bible (you can check it out in various translations at Bible.com) life on planet earth will eventually come to a kind of end, and then a new beginning. Before we get to the new beginning, a lot of hardcore stuff will go down, according to the Book of Revelation. But what I'm getting at is the mention of a one-world government, one-world religion, etc. I always figured the pope would have a hand in that seeing how he is the leading religious figure across the globe (I think). So since he's dying, or at least resigning, is there a great possibility that the next pope who replaces him will have a serious hand in End Time events, as they call it? Hmm. Can't help but wonder.

Thanks for baring with me.

Those of you End Time freaks out there, please comment. And you skeptics, please comment too. I love you all.

~The Scribe
In the words of Funk Master Flex, don't get it gassed!

Joel Osteen's 'Your Best Life Now'

2005-02-08T19:14:00.000-05:00

[This one might only be appreciated by the Jesus believers]

Before you roll your eyes and take off, just give me a minute. 'Your Best Life Now' by Joel Osteen isn't necessarily another self-help book because Joel Osteen doesn't write like a self-help guru... Though he would make a great life counselor, which I guess is something that all good pastors should be able to say.

My mom, (yes, who is very religious) had been nagging me for a while to pick up a copy of 'Your Best Life Now' so I finally did. While on a (2 hour) bus ride to visit the family, I decided to take a look at the book. You see, I had already written it off too as some more self-help, Christian inspiration crap. Little did I know, that I would find it so inspiring and just so real and truthful that I'd be practically half way through the book by the time my bus pulled into bus station.

It really is a great book, and I'm not just saying that. And Joel Osteen is a great teacher, if you will, and he's kind of funny too. Osteen is a bit of a motivator and self-help type, but what he emphasizes is behaving according to your beliefs. And, yes, he uses the Holy Bible as his primary source to get his points across. And there's no agenda really because the stuff he talks about are things that are so very true, and should be obvious to us all, but some of us do need it spelled out. That's where Osteen comes in, and he's not preachy or judgmental, and always tries to use his own situations and experiences to illustrate his point. If anything 'Your Best Life Now' will help you start appreciating yourself and your life a lot more.

If you don't feel like reading it, Amazon offers an audio download for $10, which is probably what I'm gonna do since I haven't finished the book yet (it's at my mother's house). I do wish Osteen's website offered easy, free audio downloads/ streaming of his messages.

Peace.
~The Scribe

Various Apparitions

2005-02-08T18:27:00.000-05:00

photo credit: TheOmahaChannel.com

Let me begin with admitting that I would like to believe in the story of Veronica's Veil, but I don't. That doesn't add to or negate the possibility of this story being true. It very well may be. The thing that gets me though, is the amount of people today (usually Catholic?) who are constantly seeing Jesus' face (or apparition) all over the place in things like their grill cheese sandwiches, a frying pan or a brick wall. One of the latest (reported) apparitions is the frying pan incident. You can read about it here if you haven't heard about it yet.

I'm trying my best to abide by the Golden Rule of being respectful, but I really do think this story is a crock of doo-doo. There are just so many questions that pop into my mind concerning this supposed apparition. For one, if Jesus was going to reveal himself to someone, why would he put his face on a frying pan? Secondly, what would causing his image to appear on said frying pan accomplish?

Another thing that bugs me is the whole image worshiping aspect of some denominations. I'm thinking Catholic specifically, and no, I have nothing against folks of that particular persuasion. I'm just saying. Two things may happen with this frying pan. One is that the guy may sell it for a decent price. Two is that folks might start visiting his house and making a damn shrine out of his kitchen.

What is it with people and these apparitions? And, Jesus, my homeboy, if and when you do appear for my eyes to see, please don't do it via an appliance. I wouldn't know what to do... though I sure as hell wouldn't tell it to the world.

Anyone want to weigh in on this one?

~The Scribe