Yes, I know it's been a while since I have posted anything but this is too important to pass up. I come out of blog retirement to announce a new favorite blog site:
http://badvestments.blogspot.com/
This site must be seen to be believed!!!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Some interesting articles offered without my usual pithy comments
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Vickie Gene Escapes "The Pretzel Hold"
When I was younger, I remember the joke about a wrestler who was undefeated because he used the "Pretzel Hold". Only one wrestler ever escaped from it and, if you want to know how, you can google it.
Vickie Gene Robinson, the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, recently came out with an interesting pronouncement. Apparently, when Saint Paul wrote of homosexual actions in Romans 1, the Apostle was referring to heterosexuals engaging in homosexual behavior. According to Bishop Robinson, Saint Paul had no way of knowing that there are people who are born with a genetic predisposition to same-sex attractions. So, therefore, there was no way that the Apostle could have known about homosexuality as we understand it today.
I'm not going to address Bishop Robinson's logic, there are others who will do that. What I do think is important is that we need to remember that Scripture is not bound or limited by its human authorship. There is a Divine author in every verse of Scripture. What this means is pretty straightforward: No matter what was in or not in Saint Paul's awareness, every word of Sacred Scripture can claim authorship from God.
Bishop Robinson can make whatever argument he likes regarding same-sex behavior. When he chooses a theological realm, he should be a little more careful about his understandings of inspiration and inerrancy.
Here's the link:
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/60952
Vickie Gene Robinson, the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, recently came out with an interesting pronouncement. Apparently, when Saint Paul wrote of homosexual actions in Romans 1, the Apostle was referring to heterosexuals engaging in homosexual behavior. According to Bishop Robinson, Saint Paul had no way of knowing that there are people who are born with a genetic predisposition to same-sex attractions. So, therefore, there was no way that the Apostle could have known about homosexuality as we understand it today.
I'm not going to address Bishop Robinson's logic, there are others who will do that. What I do think is important is that we need to remember that Scripture is not bound or limited by its human authorship. There is a Divine author in every verse of Scripture. What this means is pretty straightforward: No matter what was in or not in Saint Paul's awareness, every word of Sacred Scripture can claim authorship from God.
Bishop Robinson can make whatever argument he likes regarding same-sex behavior. When he chooses a theological realm, he should be a little more careful about his understandings of inspiration and inerrancy.
Here's the link:
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/60952
Saturday, January 30, 2010
They Say We Want an Evolution, We Just Want to Change the World...
Apologies to the late John Lennon for the title. Here's an article from The Remnant, a traditionalist Roman Catholic newspaper. You'll go ape over it!
http://www.remnantnewspaper.com/Archives/2010-01310-John-Campbell-Evolution.htm
http://www.remnantnewspaper.com/Archives/2010-01310-John-Campbell-Evolution.htm
Another great article from the American Spectator
http://spectator.org/archives/2010/01/26/obama-prepares-to-squander-ano
I've been struggling for a while to figure out why I find myself so irritated by the president. I know there are many reasons, but I was curious as to the root cause of my irritation. Leave it to Mr. Obama himself to assist me in finding the cause. He said in his ABC interview, "I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people about what their core values are and why we have to make sure those institutions are matching up with those values."
To my mind, this statement represents the full expression of the president's hubris. I find it insulting that Mr. Obama believes that it is his job to tell us, the American people, what our values are or should be. It is his job to listen to us about our values and to adjust his positions accordingly. The arrogance of the man, his administration, and the radical left from which they come, is nothing short of astounding. They should be removed from office as soon as the electorate has the opportunity.
I've been struggling for a while to figure out why I find myself so irritated by the president. I know there are many reasons, but I was curious as to the root cause of my irritation. Leave it to Mr. Obama himself to assist me in finding the cause. He said in his ABC interview, "I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people about what their core values are and why we have to make sure those institutions are matching up with those values."
To my mind, this statement represents the full expression of the president's hubris. I find it insulting that Mr. Obama believes that it is his job to tell us, the American people, what our values are or should be. It is his job to listen to us about our values and to adjust his positions accordingly. The arrogance of the man, his administration, and the radical left from which they come, is nothing short of astounding. They should be removed from office as soon as the electorate has the opportunity.
Septuagesima Sunday - Third Sunday before Lent
Today we begin the season of Pre-Lent. Pre-Lent is an almost forgotten season in today’s Christian calendar. In modern Christianity’s attempt to return to a more “primitive” observance, scholars who study Christian liturgy felt that Lent was sufficient and there was no need for this short three-week season of preparation that we begin today. Of course, this modern liturgical change reminds me of the following joke: Do you know the difference between a liturgist and a terrorist? Answer: You can negotiate with a terrorist. Of course, modern day liturgy scholars miss the point, as they usually do, that while Lent is a time to prepare for Easter, the Pre-Lent season is the time where we take stock of ourselves and of our Christian observance. It is a time when we examine the state of our souls to determine what kind of disciplines and penances will give us spiritual benefit in the upcoming Lenten season.
Saint Paul understood the importance of spiritual preparation. In his first epistle to the Corinthians, he describes the Christian life as a race. Now this is a metaphor that would really resonate with the people of Corinth. Corinth was the home of the Isthmian Games, a series of games that were second only to the Olympics and were held in the years immeidately before and after the Olympic Games. The people of Corinth were proud of their games and were as devoted to them as Americans are to the Super Bowl, the World Series, and - in our case - Bulldog football.
So when Saint Paul said, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?”, he knew that he was striking a receptive chord within the Corinthian people and he was putting the Christian journey in perspective. The Christian lives his faith in the same way that an athlete runs a race, with one important difference.
In the same way that a Christian runs his race, he must first train for it. The athlete exercises and practices his sport until it becomes second nature to him. He works and works, repeating the same motions over and over again until they become burned into him. Fran Tarkenton was a great quarterback here at Georgia and he went on to become a member of the Hall of Fame for his outstanding pro career with the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants. He was asked once about how he became such a great passer. His reply was interesting. Tarkenton said, “When I was a kid, my father hung an old tire from a tree and set it swinging. I would stand fifteen yards away and throw the football at the swinging tire. I would do this for hours every single day, in season and out. I got so good at it that I began to try throwing the ball through the tire while it was swinging and I was running. It beat the boredom of standing in one place.” Hour by hour, day by day, Tarkenton practiced and mastered skills that would lead him to the pinnacle of athletic achievement. So it is with all of those who will stand in the glare of the winner’s circle.
Yet the heights of athletic achievement last only so long and, sooner or later, records are made to be broken and new stars come along. As the poet says, “Do not expect that you can ever collect for the hero you used to be.” Saint Paul says that the athlete competes for a “corruptible crown.” It’s an antiquated term and it refers to the olive laurel wreath that champions in the Isthmian Games would win. Paul reminds us that laurel wreaths will wither and die, silver trophies will tarnish, that glories will fade along with the memory of the champion. In the old days, when popes were crowned, three times during the coronation ceremony, a hooded friar would approach the pope and - in the midst of magnificent pageantry - he would light some flax, blow it out and wave the stinky material under the new pope’s nose. As the pope would recoil from the pungent smell of burnt flax, the friar would pronounce solemnly in Latin, “Holy Father, thus pass the glories of the world.” A stern reminder of what Saint Paul tells us, “Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” We train for a prize that does not tarnish. We prepare for an Easter joy by purifying ourselves throughout Lent.
In this season of Pre-Lent, we will take the time to prepare ourselves for our upcoming Lenten observance. We will look at our selves and see where we have fallen short of what God asks of us. We will determine with God’s help what it is we need to do to draw closer to him. And we will do so with good cheer, knowing that God is calling us to a prize that does not fade, to a peace that passes all understanding. We will enter Pre-Lent with good cheer, making our own the words of the hymn:
Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve,
And press with vigor on;
A heavenly race demands thy zeal,
And an immortal crown.
A cloud of witnesses around
Hold thee in full survey;
Forget the steps already trod,
And onward urge thy way.
’Tis God’s all animating voice
That calls thee from on high;
’Tis His own hand presents the prize
To thine aspiring eye.
Then wake, my soul, stretch every nerve,
And press with vigor on,
A heavenly race demands thy zeal,
And an immortal crown.
Saint Paul understood the importance of spiritual preparation. In his first epistle to the Corinthians, he describes the Christian life as a race. Now this is a metaphor that would really resonate with the people of Corinth. Corinth was the home of the Isthmian Games, a series of games that were second only to the Olympics and were held in the years immeidately before and after the Olympic Games. The people of Corinth were proud of their games and were as devoted to them as Americans are to the Super Bowl, the World Series, and - in our case - Bulldog football.
So when Saint Paul said, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?”, he knew that he was striking a receptive chord within the Corinthian people and he was putting the Christian journey in perspective. The Christian lives his faith in the same way that an athlete runs a race, with one important difference.
In the same way that a Christian runs his race, he must first train for it. The athlete exercises and practices his sport until it becomes second nature to him. He works and works, repeating the same motions over and over again until they become burned into him. Fran Tarkenton was a great quarterback here at Georgia and he went on to become a member of the Hall of Fame for his outstanding pro career with the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants. He was asked once about how he became such a great passer. His reply was interesting. Tarkenton said, “When I was a kid, my father hung an old tire from a tree and set it swinging. I would stand fifteen yards away and throw the football at the swinging tire. I would do this for hours every single day, in season and out. I got so good at it that I began to try throwing the ball through the tire while it was swinging and I was running. It beat the boredom of standing in one place.” Hour by hour, day by day, Tarkenton practiced and mastered skills that would lead him to the pinnacle of athletic achievement. So it is with all of those who will stand in the glare of the winner’s circle.
Yet the heights of athletic achievement last only so long and, sooner or later, records are made to be broken and new stars come along. As the poet says, “Do not expect that you can ever collect for the hero you used to be.” Saint Paul says that the athlete competes for a “corruptible crown.” It’s an antiquated term and it refers to the olive laurel wreath that champions in the Isthmian Games would win. Paul reminds us that laurel wreaths will wither and die, silver trophies will tarnish, that glories will fade along with the memory of the champion. In the old days, when popes were crowned, three times during the coronation ceremony, a hooded friar would approach the pope and - in the midst of magnificent pageantry - he would light some flax, blow it out and wave the stinky material under the new pope’s nose. As the pope would recoil from the pungent smell of burnt flax, the friar would pronounce solemnly in Latin, “Holy Father, thus pass the glories of the world.” A stern reminder of what Saint Paul tells us, “Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” We train for a prize that does not tarnish. We prepare for an Easter joy by purifying ourselves throughout Lent.
In this season of Pre-Lent, we will take the time to prepare ourselves for our upcoming Lenten observance. We will look at our selves and see where we have fallen short of what God asks of us. We will determine with God’s help what it is we need to do to draw closer to him. And we will do so with good cheer, knowing that God is calling us to a prize that does not fade, to a peace that passes all understanding. We will enter Pre-Lent with good cheer, making our own the words of the hymn:
Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve,
And press with vigor on;
A heavenly race demands thy zeal,
And an immortal crown.
A cloud of witnesses around
Hold thee in full survey;
Forget the steps already trod,
And onward urge thy way.
’Tis God’s all animating voice
That calls thee from on high;
’Tis His own hand presents the prize
To thine aspiring eye.
Then wake, my soul, stretch every nerve,
And press with vigor on,
A heavenly race demands thy zeal,
And an immortal crown.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Time to Affirm the Affirmation
Here's a neat blogsite created by Father John Roddy, Rector of St. Hilda of Whitby Anglican Catholic Church in Atlanta.
http://affirmationofstlouis.blogspot.com/
Here you will find the text of the Affirmation of St. Louis, the foundation document of continuing Anglicanism. Read it and, if you feel so moved, add your name and address to it. No comments on that blogsite, please.
http://affirmationofstlouis.blogspot.com/
Here you will find the text of the Affirmation of St. Louis, the foundation document of continuing Anglicanism. Read it and, if you feel so moved, add your name and address to it. No comments on that blogsite, please.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
OK, So Maybe It's Not All That Bad
My friend, Quin Hilyer, informs me that any bill coming out of conference committee could be filibustered in the Senate! So maybe hope will spring eternal!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Why Ben Nelson Is a Liar: How to Sell Out the Unborn by Claiming to be Pro-Life
This morning, Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) announced that he was going to support the Senate Health Care reform bill. This bill, which no one outside of the Senate Democrat caucus has even seen, had been protested by Senator Nelson because it provided federal funding for abortion, something that has been prohibited because of the Hyde Amendment.
In his press conference, Senator Nelson announced that he could now support the bill because the pro-life position was being protect and that his state would receive a certain amount of Medicaid relief. So the Senator signs on to the bill because abortions will remain unfunded.
Well, not exactly.
The Senate version that will now pass in that chamber will almost certainly have provisions to prohibit abortion funding. After that, though, the fun really starts in Conference Committee.
When two bills are passed on a similar topic, one in the House and one in the Senate, the Constitution provides that they need to be reconciled into one bill by a Conference Committee of members of the House and Senate. These members come from the Committees that originated the legislation. The Conference Committee then produces a single piece of legislation that is voted on by a simple majority in each house without further amendment. The Conference Committee is not bound by any of the provisions in either of the two originating pieces of legislation and can add or subtract portions to the new bill.
Would it surprise anyone if a conference committee produced a bill that added back into it funding for abortions, along with a public option, along with death panels?
The bill would then go back to the House where it could be voted on without any further amendment. Then it's off to the Senate where Senator Nelson and others of his spineless ilk could bewail this new bill and vow that they could never vote for a bill that included such anti-life language. Then, he might just vote against it. By then it won't matter. All that will be needed is 51 votes in the U.S. Senate. Nelson can sputter and fume and vote against it, but the bill will pass with the readded abortion funding and be signed into law by the most pro-abort President in our history.
Now, do you really think that Senator Nelson is so naive that he lacks awareness of the procedures of Conference Committees and the powers that those committees have to change the bills? Do you really think that he is that ignorant, or is this posturing on his part to portray himself as a staunch pro-lifer to conservative Nebraskans in 2012 when he runs for reelection?
I'm betting on this: Senator Nelson is nothing othdr than a cynical politician who, while claiming to champion the right to life of the unborn, sells those very helpless little souls down the river for the filthy lucre of Washington largesse.
Great work, Senator. I hope that you can sleep tonight with an untroubled conscience.
In his press conference, Senator Nelson announced that he could now support the bill because the pro-life position was being protect and that his state would receive a certain amount of Medicaid relief. So the Senator signs on to the bill because abortions will remain unfunded.
Well, not exactly.
The Senate version that will now pass in that chamber will almost certainly have provisions to prohibit abortion funding. After that, though, the fun really starts in Conference Committee.
When two bills are passed on a similar topic, one in the House and one in the Senate, the Constitution provides that they need to be reconciled into one bill by a Conference Committee of members of the House and Senate. These members come from the Committees that originated the legislation. The Conference Committee then produces a single piece of legislation that is voted on by a simple majority in each house without further amendment. The Conference Committee is not bound by any of the provisions in either of the two originating pieces of legislation and can add or subtract portions to the new bill.
Would it surprise anyone if a conference committee produced a bill that added back into it funding for abortions, along with a public option, along with death panels?
The bill would then go back to the House where it could be voted on without any further amendment. Then it's off to the Senate where Senator Nelson and others of his spineless ilk could bewail this new bill and vow that they could never vote for a bill that included such anti-life language. Then, he might just vote against it. By then it won't matter. All that will be needed is 51 votes in the U.S. Senate. Nelson can sputter and fume and vote against it, but the bill will pass with the readded abortion funding and be signed into law by the most pro-abort President in our history.
Now, do you really think that Senator Nelson is so naive that he lacks awareness of the procedures of Conference Committees and the powers that those committees have to change the bills? Do you really think that he is that ignorant, or is this posturing on his part to portray himself as a staunch pro-lifer to conservative Nebraskans in 2012 when he runs for reelection?
I'm betting on this: Senator Nelson is nothing othdr than a cynical politician who, while claiming to champion the right to life of the unborn, sells those very helpless little souls down the river for the filthy lucre of Washington largesse.
Great work, Senator. I hope that you can sleep tonight with an untroubled conscience.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Yet Another Attack on the Family in the Offing
Mimi and I just returned from a magnificent vacation in Europe. We spent 10 days crusing the Mediterranean visiting Barcelona, Marseilles, Monte Carlo, Florence, Rome, Amalfi, Sicily, Malta, Santorini, and Athens. Our cruise on the Insignia of Oceania Cruises could not have been more enjoyable.
So, we're back!! And guess what? The world is pretty much just as we left it. Here's the latest political nominee who is outspoken in their radical desire to dismantle the traditional family.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/10/obamas_eeoc_nominee_would_rede_1.html
This was just what I wanted to see after almost two weeks of rest and relaxation.
So, we're back!! And guess what? The world is pretty much just as we left it. Here's the latest political nominee who is outspoken in their radical desire to dismantle the traditional family.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/10/obamas_eeoc_nominee_would_rede_1.html
This was just what I wanted to see after almost two weeks of rest and relaxation.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Just what we've waited for: National Blasphemy Day!
See the following link. No comment from me is necessary.
http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/rnstext/next_week_blasphemy_gets_its_own_holiday1/
http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/rnstext/next_week_blasphemy_gets_its_own_holiday1/
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