65 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 9-19-12”

  3. Sometimes I do my best thinking in the middle of the night when I am trying to go back to sleep.
    Vengeance is Mine doth sayeth the Lord. I have tried to stick to this. I have said in the past that I will never do anything to seek revenge but I will wait and watch and when you eventually get a really bad haircut I will laugh at you and call that my revenge.

    “Revenge is a dish best served cold” is another trite but true saying. How many times have you been hurt and wanted the other party to “get what they deserve”.

    I have been extremely hurt a few times over my life. The past two times I have had enough information about the two people to cause them serious, serious damage. One I knew enough about his business practices to have a state governing commission step in and remove his license to do business. He has since straightened everything out, apologized to me for what he did and he and his wife are just good people.

    The other person really hurt me. He did damage to me emotionally that it took at least four years to get over. I knew enough about him to have his “skill” license revoked and the IRS get him for tax evasion. He is one of those extremely intelligent people that would be a force to reckon with if he would spend half as much time doing good as he does doing evil. I have mentioned him in the past as “He who shall not be named”. I also had another pet name for him, “The Lying, Cheating, Rat-*&^%$#@, and more symbols than I care to type out here.
    Not that I am a noble person. I truly am not, but I didn’t want anything else to do with him or his mother. I was afraid that if I reported him to the authorities there might be some sort of trial and I may have to face the two of them again. They are an evil that makes you feel slimy just having been around them. When I mentioned to people I used to date him I could see the shock on their faces. One even asked me “Kim! How in the WORLD did you ever become associated with those people?” I quit telling people who it was I had dated because I did not want my name associated with his.

    Just recently I heard that he married the woman he was cheating on me with. Better her than me. I am sure she knows that if they will cheat with you, they will cheat on you. He has lost his skilled license and had to file bankruptcy. He cannot find a job and picks up handyman jobs here and there.

    Revenge isn’t even a dish that is best served cold. It is a dish that is best not served at all. Four or so years ago I thought when this day came I would laugh and say, “Well, he got what he deserved. Serves him right. Couldn’t have happened to a better person.” and all the other things we say when something bad happens to those who deserve it. I really feel nothing. I learned a HUGE life lesson from my association with him, but beyond that he doesn’t exist in my world. I am just glad I avoided the train wreck that was him and his mother.

    Like

    Reply

  4. Good Morning Everyone. Lots to do today.

    Kim in reading your thoughts about your ex, I would encourage you to think on this passage of scripture. Matthew 6:14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” We have been forgiven a tremendous debt Kim. We have been forgiven of all our sins. We could never repay that debt we owe God. I would encourage you to forgive you ex and pray that God would draw him and his current wife to Himself, granting them both repentance and faith. He has wronged you. He hurt you deeply and betrayed a sacred trust of marriage, but far worse than that, he sinned against a thrice holy righteous God. Pray that he repents of his sin Kim and turns to the Savior before it is everlastingly too late.

    Like

    Reply

  5. Good morning all!

    Re the quote of the day: Oh, that we had no need of government at all. But no government is too large a problem for God, just as no sin is too big a problem. So have a blessed day in spite of it all. :–)

    Like

    Reply

  6. Oh Drivesguy that wasn’t my ex-husband. It was someone I was involved with after my divorce and I did forgive him. Not for his sake but for mine. The bitterness was eating me up and doing nothing to him. My post is that if you have to forgive the other person for yourself and you just let it go, but the time they “get what you think they deserved” it doesn’t matter. Perhaps I didn’t make that clear.
    I always refer to ex-husband as ex-husband or his given name. I never refer to him as Jerk or Tightwad or anything negative, although Baby Girl and I had an interesting conversation in front of Paul (who laughed) about her father.
    I was telling the story of George and me buying our first house. The toilet starting running, so I called my dad at work and asked him what I was supposed to do. He told me to call my husband. I called my husband who told me to call a plumber! After I paid the plumber’s bill I started calling my dad again. I told BG last night, “Let’s face it honey. Your daddy was real pretty to look at but he isn’t real handy”. ( Lest you think I am talking about him behind his back I have often told him that to his face. ) Then BG said he wasn’t even real pretty anymore because he had his hair cut so short it almost looks like he is bald. This from the man who used to say he didn’t care what color his hair turned as long as it didn’t turn loose.

    This was all brought about because BG doesn’t want her dad going somewhere with her because he will embarrass her. When I say this I mean that he will intentionally do something to embarrass her that the rest of us will think is funny and in about 20 years she will look back on and laugh about how goofy her father was. He often very loudly instructs her to go down the aisle at the grocery store and get him a new pack of Depends. Right now I can’t remember what all he has done recently. Many years ago before it became a real offensive thing to do he was somewhere with his mother and pretended to be retarded (back when that was the word you used) and when she ignored him she could hear people whispering about her and how she was ignoring that poor, poor little retarded boy.

    Like

    Reply

  8. Good morning everyone. Almost time to get the girls up for school.
    A dear childhood friend of mine has been staying with us for the last ten days, doing some interior decorating. He happens to be gay and an atheist. His parents were atheists as well. He has had very limited exposure to Christians and Christianity. We’ve known each other since fourth grade and I love him like a brother. Please pray for his salvation and that I would not be a stumbling block to him in any way. He is extremely kind and loving.

    Kim, I’m sorry you were hurt so deeply.

    I have a lot of faults and sin daily. I fail regularly. But I do find it very easy to forgive others, often forgetting why I was upset in the first place. I do not struggle with holding grudges. I guess I feel like I’ve been forgiven for so much, I have no right to withhold forgiveness from someone else. Before I was a believer, it was almost impossible for me to forgive others. God has been so very merciful to me, my heart is full of compassion for others.

    Like

    Reply

  9. My biggest issue isn’t so much forgiving others, although I do struggle with that at times. My big issue is forgiving myself for the bad I’ve done, and there’s a lot. I get that I’m forgiven by God after confession and repentance, and I’m thankful for it. But forgiving myself and moving on is not easy for me. But I’m working on it. I had a conversation with my brother Don about this while discussing a post I’m planning to do on him. He’s a big help to me, and I’m glad I can talk to him about it. We’ll see.

    Like

    Reply

  10. My tendency is to take and take and take from someone until I can’t stand it any longer. Usually I am quick to forgive, but when I have been deeply hurt I have a bitterness that just can’t be quickly done away with. By the time I reach that point I have forgiven and forgiven and forgiven. I have become a “door mat”. It all goes back to having nice, safe, healthy, boundaries. I have had to learn that “No, I can’t” is enough of an answer. I don’t have to explain myself any further.

    Oh, I could sit around and drum up issues and hurts from the past until I had myself in a good old blue funk, but to what purpose. It takes a lot for me to completely cut someone from my life. I think I am probably ok to get along with as evidenced by the fact that I am FB friend with College Boyfriend and his mother and father, I get regular emails from her and when she did something really off the wall recently I called him and told him his mother was acting strange and perhaps he should check on her. I also will sell his grandparents house when the time comes and have explained to his Uncle (the grandparents youngest child) that if Mr. and Mrs. B are going to jerk a real estate agent around I would prefer it be me since I love them and won’t be offended.

    I am better friends with my ex husband now than when I was married to him. We can actually talk and discuss things without him being the “adult” and telling me to grow up this is real life.

    I have a couple of things in my past that I had a real hard time forgiving myself over. I cried, I begged God, I apologized to most of the parties involved and still I felt no better. In September of 2010 I had a breakdown and started crying. I couldn’t stop and I couldn’t forgive myself. I found my former priest and confessed all to him. In the Episcopal Church there is a service for the reconsilliation of the sinner. He went through that service with me in his office. Even though I realize he is only a priest and really no better or worse than I am I felt he finally put my soul at rest and at peace about the situation. As a “man of God” he was able to give me something I wasn’t able to get for myself. He told me if I had confessed it to God and asked God for forgiveness that I was forgiven. He gave me some suggestions on how to pray. I believe that was a major turning point in my life.

    (I know some of you are former Catholics or another religion and do not believe in confession and absolution from the priest, but in this situation it was what I needed. I don’t think I have to confess my every day sins to a priest I can handle those just between God and me.)

    Like

    Reply

  11. Add me to the list of those who can’t seem to shed the guilt of the past. I love the lyrics of this song; I wish I could live them:

    It happened so long ago
    And I cried out for mercy back then
    I plead the blood of Jesus
    Begged him to forgive my sin
    But I still can’t forget it
    It just won’t go away
    So I wept again, “Lord wash my sin,”
    But this is all He’d say
    What sin, what sin?
    Well that’s as far away as the east is from the west
    What sin, what sin?
    It was gone the very minute you confessed
    Buried in the sea of forgetfulness.

    Like

    Reply

  12. I wish I could say I just let things roll off my back, forgiving others (and myself) easily, but it’s just not true. I stew about things too much, although not as long as I used to. I just think that at my age, I should be over all of that. It doesn’t do anyone any good. But I can thank God that the length of time I hang onto stuff I shouldn’t is lessening, and pray for patience as God works on me in His timing.

    Like

    Reply

  17. I have a question to ask those that follow my Bible Study Blog. Is the Bible Study helpful in your spiritual walk? I have attempted to make a bit like a devotion/study. You can be transparent. Trust me you will not hurt my feelings in this matter.

    Like

    Reply

  18. Joe B,

    I’ve been enjoying it. And yes, it does read much like a devotional. I also enjoy the thoughts for the day part you add at the end. So yes, I think it’s helpful. If you’d like to post some stuff here, or link to your blog, we could arrange that. But either way, I’ll continue to visit. Good stuff.

    Like

    Reply

  22. Today is cleaning my room day. It does not happen often as it is on the bottom of the to do list. But with only three children at home, it is an opportunity.

    Like

    Reply

  23. Thanks, Kim, for that beautiful song/voice which seems to sparkle inside my head and clear away cobwebs. Some voices are so heavenly.

    Drivesguy, I had forgotten I can click on your name to get to your Bible study. A link would be a good reminder daily that it is offered on this site.

    The Bible study seems to be thorough and I appreciate that the Scripture is contained within it for those who do not have a Bible handy when reading it. I do think, however, that it covers too much ground for those who are already doing other personal Bible reading and devotionals as most of the people on here are probably in the habit of doing. I really, really liked the questions at the end.

    I seem to have short times to check what’s been posted on the web throughout the day. A shorter posting on your site would be preferable from my point of view, but perhaps others have time for the lengthier post.

    Like

    Reply

  26. Because when something good comes along I have to share it. Cheryl, your thoughts since you wrote something about Narnia? Comments from others are welcome as well….

    Fr. Robert’s Peace

    Bedside Reading or “Rebirth”

    I have found myself hooked for the umpteenth time on the fantasy books ‘Chronicles of Narnia.’ This leisure reading is done at the end of the day as a way to unwind and quiet my busy mind. Most of my daytime reading is a compilation of scripture, commentaries, online articles and various other books that relate to my vocation, much like most of us. However at home, I will switch back and forth from the light to the more intense. Not always, but often, what I am reading at home is a balance of what is going on in my daily life. If I am particularly stretched with various things at work or in the community, I tend to ‘escape’ into my favorites, Tolkien or Lewis or even a simple western. I do vary at home with a good classic or even a best seller now and then. In truth I like to read a book a couple of times over; it takes me that many passes to get it. I like to say I am an audio learner rather than a visual one, but that might be stretching it a bit.

    Whatever the case may be, for now it is onto Narnia. Heck I might as well finish the whole series since I am already on number four, ‘Prince Caspian’. What got me thinking about this with all of you is last night I realized for the first time that book four is about rebirth. The old Narnia has seemingly died away or passed out of the memory of the new inhabitants of the land. Only the old sages and servants of the current rulers remember the ancient story and Aslan the Lion, the Christ figure. What struck me last night as I was reading was the process of rebirth. The ancient story was told, and embraced as true by a few. These new believers then began to discover that others believed and together they began an amazing journey of discovery. The more they journeyed, the more they ran into others who knew the story and were just waiting for someone to encourage or lead the rebirthing of hope and life as it could be and should be. In the midst of this there was conflict and resistance and in the midst of this conflict and resistance, Aslan appeared. Appeared not as Savior who died, he had done that already… he showed up as comforter, counselor and guide. The rest is history, new life, restored Narnia.

    My fellow believers, we are in the midst of the great rebirth. The more the story is told the more those who believe will be drawn together. Yes, conflict and resistance, but Christ in the midst bringing about final restoration. Let us not lose heart. “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12.2

    Telling the story and on the journey
    R+

    Like

    Reply

  27. Joe B,

    If you scroll up a little toward the top on the right, you will see I’ve added your blog in the “Blogs I Follow” category in the side bar. That way anyone who wants can access it. I hope you don’t mind. If you should ever want it down for any reason, you just let me know.

    Allen

    Like

    Reply

  28. That is what I needed, thanks the real. I like to read Joe’s daily post but am way behind due to being gone for a week and trying to catch up on things at home. Having it right there to click on will help.

    Like

    Reply

  29. I appreciate it Allen. I love to share with others time in the Word or God. I believe it was Howard Hendricks who once said that often it is the teacher who is taught the most when preparing his Bible Study. I took his course on Living By the Book when we were still in Virginia. His method of Observation, Interpretation and Application coupled with Understanding the author’s intent has given me the most help in expository teaching.

    Like

    Reply

  34. Ree’s Herculean (is there a famale version of that word) efforts to “land me” as a convert last night (though she may cover her bets by saying Christ has to move my hard heart) made me think of Ernest Hemingway’s book The Old Man and the Sea. I read it a long time ago, and I have never been a deep sea fisherman. But I envision Ree (who is surely not an old woman) in a storm tossed sea trying to reel in a gigantic Random as sharks rip my body to shreds. Apparently, some people interpret this story (which sort of revived Hemingway’s career) as a Christian allegory, but but he must have gone astray somewhere, as suicide is a sin.

    Like

    Reply

  35. Today, I spent time with my Christian friends, doing good deeds. As we got back to the church we had the exciting experience of two resurrections. G is a retired minister (with experiences similar to mine (working in ghetto communities). He is older than I, in better conditon than I, and a better woodsman than I. He has been hiking the Pacific Crest Trail solo, but in sensible consideration of his age, he only hiked from the Oregon border to Washington (close to Canadian border), had regular food drops and meetups, and a cell phone that worked once in a while in the mountains. Although he was never overweight, when I saw him he had lost a lot of weight. (A condition that may have protected him from bears gnoshing on him.) He said next year, to be sensible, he may only hike the trail across one one state.

    We were all pleased to see L. L was working on his land with his litle (40-year-old) tractor clearing brush, and he got too close to a ledge. The tractor rolled on top of him. He managed to get out. He managed to get back to his house. His wife is a retired nurse. L decided he didn’t have any broken vertabrae so he decided not to go to the hospital.

    Although we were pleased to see him on his feet, he decided not to come to the wood hauling we did today. “I started working again yesterday, and it was a little too soon,” he said.

    Both the resurrections reminded me of the second favorite prosetylization tactic: Heads we win; tails you lose. If G had been eaten by a bear or broken a leg in the woods and died of an infection, the Christians would say, “God meant to take him; he died doing what he loved to do.” And if L had broken his neck or died in a gasoline fire when his tractor rolled . . . well, you know the drill. But God chose to spare them both for His purposes.

    Like

    Reply

  37. I have read that as we (humans) are omnivores, a varied diet is beneficial to us. Tomorrow, I will go to the north of our island and meet with my secular friends. Thus one day at church; another day with atheists; what could be a more varied spiritual diet?

    I have $3 in our “slush” fund from the little traveling farmers market I conduct for “offerings”; and with two dozen eggs donated by the chickens who worship my wife and I as gods (silly poultry) and perhaps some crab apples, a lemon cucumber, a few Pristine apples from our little orchard (good for apple crumble), I might get up to $10.

    I never expect anybody to show up, but people keep doing so. Perhaps we should have a regular place to meet? What do you call an “unchurch?” I noticed there are two closed food places across from the gym where I work out. One is a former tavern/pizza place. Perhaps we secularists could perchase it inexpensively and fix it up? I suggested to my meetup group by mail, “If someone has bartending experience and a liquor license, we could open it up again, and call it the Hellfire Tavern.

    I mentioned it to my Christian neighbor, and he said, “A friend of mine looked inside it. It’s really a mess. Everything is filthy, moldy, rotting, and unsafe. If you really wanted to use it, you would probably have to tear the whole thing down.”

    I thought, Maybe we just leave it as it is and give people a taste of Hell right here. They could have a few drinks of rotgut liquor and stumble over to the church (which is probably no more than 100 yards away or so) and repent, while there is still time.

    Remember, the Lord moves in mysterious ways.

    Like

    Reply

  38. I see a guy was hiking the Pacific Crest and was six miles from the end when the ground gave out under him, he fell and broke his ankle. What a bummer after hiking 2500 miles.

    Like

    Reply

  39. Well Nosy Rosie was out in the back yard and an old man came shuffling down the sidewalk by my back fence. ( Remember that I live a block from the local hospital). He had on a hospital gown, socks, and a plastic wrist band and was carrying a plastic bag. I spoke to him and asked if he needed any help. He asked me to take him to his house. I came inside and called the hospital. They have no jurisdiction so they connected me to the police station. They sent a policeman to check on the situation. I talked to him a little and he asked me again to take him to his old house on the corner. Eventually the policeman got here and convinced the man to go with him. He seemed confused and it broke my heart. I hope he has some people somewhere. Now I will not know because of course the police cannot tell me what happened after they took him. So sad.

    Like

    Reply

  40. C, my Christian friend, is the sweetest, kindest, most helpful person in the world. Not to mention, devout. Which reminds me of that old question, “What is a ‘real’ Christian?”

    If my demented mind remembers correctly, I recall asking at the old worldmagblog (before it became ultra reformed or something), “Why did people who called themselves Christians sometimes keep slaves or give smallpox-infected blankets to Indians?”

    Again, if memory serves, I was told, “Those were not the ‘real’ Christians.”

    Now it’s less often the case that Christians (real or not-real) keep slaves or engage in viral/bacterial warfare, but we still have arguments about homosexual marriage. I don’t see many here willing to vote to approve laws to permit it. (And I admit my support of it has been a little inconsistent and much prejudiced by family bias, but what can you expect from an atheist?)

    As far as I can see, C is as devout as can be. He will vote for homosexual marriage in Washington state and he would delight in attending the mommie’s wedding if it came to be. Is he a “real” Christian or not?

    I know it pains him and his lovely wife, that I do not become a Christian or attend their church. But he takes a good-natured interest in my atheist church. (Rather like Chas in at least one respect, who suggested we join the Unitarian Church,) I think C just sort of collects churches, rather like collecting merit badges (which he did as a life-long Boy Scout). We drove by the local Unitarian Church one day and he said, “I’ve never gone to one of their services. They sound interesting to me.”

    So even though, my atheist unchurch must sort of horrify him in one respect, he also sort of encourages me. Perhaps he thinks at some point we may turn into a “real” church. Whatever that might be.

    Like

    Reply

  42. Actually, in old Europe slavery was mostly done away with through Christian effort by the end of the Medeival period. It revived during the modern period through labor for the southern European sugar plantations. It ended in England due mainly to the Evangelical, Wilberforce, and in America through northern Christians. There is zero evidence for any Christian approval of fighting Indians with germ laden blankets.

    If one wants to talk of serious evil, the atheistic Communists are estimated to have slaughtered some one hundred million people. In America in recent years tens of million pre natal infants have been killed in good part due to the carelessness of liberals including the atheistic ones.

    It is nihilistic atheism that was the ultimate factor behind the pleasantries of Nazism including the savaging of some six million of your brethren. One grows weary of your blithe promotion of foolish atheism that is responsible for great evil in the world.

    Like

    Reply

  43. Here we go again. 1. As someone has told me, evil has no meaning without God. How do we know God is good? Because God tells us that He is good. How do you define circular reasoning? Because you get dizzy.

    2. Some slave owners said they were Christians. But they weren’t the real Christians. Wilberforce was the real Christian.

    3. Some Puritans hanged Quakers. But not many. So it’s a matter of numbers? At one time some Christians engaged in the inquisition. At one time, some Christians in England engaged in witch burnings and other forms of torture. As many as who did not engage in such (mostly Protestant) nastiness? Probably not. Are you keeping exact score?

    4. I recommend you read Blood and Soil: A World History of Genocide. It has detailed histories of evil actions by Catholics such as Columbus and Cortez, Protestants who engaged in genocidal actions in Australia, Canada, and US, and other fun activities such as kidnapping aboriginal children and putting them in Christian boarding schools, as well as plenty of Communist atrocities by Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot.

    People of all religious beliefs and political persuasions are sometimes very good and sometimes very bad.

    You have missed a couple of keys on your song. You have to tell me that Hitler wasn’t a Christian (of course, he wasn’t — what’s your point?). He was a chaismatic sociopath. As were Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot. Also you have to tell me that Darwin was an evil devil and that Darwin led to Naziism.

    We are animals with big brains. Our evolution (it’s not called “Darwinism” btw) and our cultural development has led us to evil action and good altruism. These are subjective labels. There is no God.

    Like

    Reply

  45. In our prayer meeting/Bible study this evening, we started a series of studies on “End Times Prophesies”. Some claim not to be interested in the subject. However, they had to put additional chairs in chapel. It should be an interesting study.
    It’s real messy in the Middle East.
    The Temple Mount is the most important single piece of real estate in the world.
    Israel is a bone in the throat of the surrounding nations.
    The irony of all this is that there are a total of 13.3 million Jews in the world.

    Like

    Reply

  46. Another thing about you Modesty [That’s a laugh] is that you are a rude character on a distinctly Christian blog site essentially insulting the Christian religion. Some on this blog regard you as clever and funny. I find you to be rather a bore.

    Like

    Reply

  49. Cheryl and Donna,

    Love the kitties.

    🙂

    Especially #9. The Fur Pile.

    Hi Michelle!

    Sails,

    If I wasn’t such a tough guy I’d tell you I loved that link. I’d even tell you it made me a little misty eyed.

    But I’m a tough guy, so…..

    I must just have something in my eye.

    Like

    Reply

  50. When We Left Earth on The Military Channel is very good. In the late 60s astronauts read Genesis and explored the moon. Today our nation rejects the Bible and we can’t build an oil pipeline that our ancestors could have built 100 years ago.

    Like

    Reply

  51. Chas, whenever our church as done classes on eschatology/end times they’re also among the best attended. I think there’s a lively interest in making sense of the world (and the times in which we live) in biblical terms.

    Like

    Reply

  52. Random,

    C’mon man. You have to know you’re pushing it. Tone it down abit. You know how folks here take parting shots like your last one. It’s unnecessary and you know the rules. If you have questions and what not that’s fine, as are you making statements disagreeing with us. But you sometimes push the line to the point of mocking. That is not permitted. Please. Dial it down. I don’t want to block you, but I will if you make me. I’ve neither the time, nor the patience, to send your comments to moderation first and approve every one before posting. So I won’t, blocking is simply easier. Police your comments so I don’t have to please.

    Thanks
    Allen

    Like

    Reply

  53. It is interesting, Chas. Israel has over 5 million Jews as does the US. There are less than 3 million Jews in the rest of the world. Do you think that the US may have been to modern Israel as Egypt was to ancient Israel in the days of the Babylonians. Perhaps as the US declines and/or abandons Israel, modern Israel will turn to God.

    Like

    Reply

  54. Donna, I enjoyed the pictures of Annie along with your captions. I decided to check out the video of Rocket Dog. Please tell me, what is that breed combo? He is the oddest looking dog I have ever seen!

    Like

    Reply

  56. Some of you seem to be able to reply to a specific comment. Is that true? If so, how? And, if not, it sure shows up that way on my computer. Weird. 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  58. Janice, Rocket is a Blue Tick Hound dog. He and his owner live a few blocks away from me so I can hear the dog whenever they’re out for a walk. Trash trucks make him especially crazy. And LOUD.

    Like

    Reply

  59. I guess it is getting close to my “End Times.”

    I don’t believe in God. As far as I can tell, most people who read and post here do.

    There is no empirical evidence (in my opinion) for religious belief, Christian or any other religious belief. I am not sure if anyone here claims there is any empirical evidence for religious belief.

    I think I exist. I think you exist. I think the empirical world exists. I am not sure I can “prove” any of those assertions.

    I think there is no external or objective basis for the words “good” and “evil.” I believe in them, though my belief is subjective. I consider murder evil. I would not like to be murdered. A relative of mine was murdered. I have never (as far as I know) ever killed a human being. If I murdered a person for no compelling reason I should probably considered evil. On the other hand, if I killed a human being out of self defense or to protect a person in danger, my action would probably be justified.

    I have helped people in trouble and need. I may have prevented a person from committing suicide. These probably qualify as “good” deeds. I don’t believe in God. I didn’t do these good deeds because I thought I would be rewarded in some way by God. I believe the theory of evolution is true. I believe that what we consider “evil” and what we consider “good” are products of our physical and cultural evolution.

    This is purely an opinion, with no empirical belief, but I think most human beings would prefer to proselytize than be proselytized by a ratio of perhaps 15 to 1.

    I suspect that most or all of the Christians participating here do not want non-Christians to participate. I suspect that most of all of the Christians participating here want me to stop participating. If you want me to stop participating, I request that you come right out and say so. If you think I have violated some policy, please explain precisely.

    “But you sometimes push the line to the point of mocking . . . But you sometimes push the line to the point of mocking. That is not permitted.”

    With all due respect, AJ, I find those statements subjective and confusing. I don’t burn Korans. I don’t burn Bibles. I don’t burn anybody’s religious books. I don’t know of any of my relatives who were killed in the Holocaust. (Some might have been.) I do remember my Ukrainian grandparents speaking of persecution by Cossacks.

    As far as I know, most Cossacks (Oxford Scholarship Online) were orthodox Christians. I don’t regard this as a condemnation of all Christians, or all Cossacks.

    Again, I suspect you (singular and plural) don’t want somebody participating at this web site who disagrees with conservative Christianity in both an empirical and philosophical manner.

    Like

    Reply

  61. Anyone watching the PBS program Death and the Civil War? I read the book and am steeling myself for the program–which I can watch on line since we no longer have cable.

    I’d be interested on your thoughts.

    Like

    Reply

  62. Random, if it were true that most or all of us didn’t want you here, we wouldn’t have made a point of suggesting that you be invited to Wandering Views, which you can see several people did if you look at the first few days’ threads. It’s certainly true of some of us. But you should know by now that even though most of us share a common Christian perspective, our opinions, likes, and dislikes are hardly monolithic.

    Speaking for myself, you have a great wit and a lot of interesting stories that I like to read. I’ve enjoyed some offline email correspondence with you about your island a few years back, and more recently comparing notes on Reseda in the ’60s. I missed you when you were kicked out of WMB. (I wasn’t around at the time and don’t know exactly what led to that.) I’d miss you if you weren’t here.

    But the last few days you seem to be devolving. You’ve posted several mostly long posts today, each with some element of mocking or sarcasm about Christians, full of red herrings about things like smallpox-infected blankets. It really is tiresome.

    I hope you stop campaigning to be banned, because you eventually would succeed and I would miss you.

    Like

    Reply

  63. P.S. It’s not that we don’t want someone here who disagrees with conservative Christianity. If that were true there are a few others who’d be out of here.

    You on the other hand don’t just disagree, you insist on arguing endlessly about it.

    Like

    Reply

  64. Random,

    If everyone here was a Christian, I’d probably lose interest, so I’m one who’s glad you’re here. And sometimes you’re clever and funny and interesting. But even though you can be interesting, even I sometimes find your posts boring and annoying when you keep striking the same note. But I hope you don’t leave.

    Like

    Reply

  65. Kevin and Ree, thank you for your comments. I thought of several variations on the theme of essential nature. There is the cartoon character Popeye, who said, “I yam what I yam.” There is an Aesop’s Fable about a frog and a scorpion, and the frog’s unfortunat generosity in carrying the scorpion across a stream.

    There is another example of “I am what I am” which of course does not apply to me.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a reply to drivesguy Cancel reply