Amazing Grace Performed on the Blues Harmonica

Amazing Grace performed on the Harmonica in the blues music style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7e3JWnLEDY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crxqFzslD0Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EggMezlS04
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keWark492C0

This next link has nothing to do with the links above except that it shows one of the true blues masters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ny5ajCn0xw

ESCHATOLOGY SERIES, POST #2: ESCHATOLOGIES FROM VARIOUS CULTURES

Eschatology is theology concerned with the final events of history. The word is derived from the Greek words  ἐσχάτος  eschatos ("last") and λόγος logos ("word"). Eschatology is therefore the study of “last things.” The focus of eschatology is usually on reality as a whole rather than on the individual. The word eschatology first appeared in the English language about 1550. 

In most known cultures, including the most primitive, there has been a belief in some sort of existence of the individual after death. Some held that the afterlife would be a dull and dreary thing., others that only the good would survive into an afterlife.  Some felt that the afterlife would be largely an extension of this one, perhaps on a more exalted plane as reward for bravery or great skill.  Many held that the retribution for an evil life was annihilation.

The Babylonians and Assyrians felt that retribution for evil came largely in this life as did the divine rewards of long life, strength, prosperity, and many children. The ghost of the individual existed in the underworld with the other dead. Demons ran around in the underworld inflicting punishment for sins committed during life.

In the ancient Egyptian religion, the good individual could hope for unending life with Osiris, the sun god. The existence was in some ways physical and this is the reason for mummification of the body. In the afterlife the actions of the deceased during life are weighed and judged. The dead face several trials and are subject to a second death if they fail.

Ancient Persian (Persia, modern Iran) religion (Mazdaism, Zoroastrianism, Parseeism, etc) was dualistic with a conflict between equally powerful good (Ahura Mazda) and evil (Ahriman) deities. The two deities were co-creators of the universe. The evil deity will, in the end, be vanquished and a judgement of people based on their life's deeds will occur. Those with evil deeds will be purified by fire, Hell will be purged, and the earth will be renewed by a purifying fire.

The ancient Greeks believed that life on Earth was the highest good for man. After death, the soul survived in a dull attenuated existence with little emphasis on retributive justice for life's misdeeds. A few very evil individuals would receive eternal punishment in Tartarus and a few favorites of the gods
would exist in eternal bliss in the Elysian Fields.  

Recently, there was much popular discussion of "2012." This was based on Aztec mythology which predicted the end of our current cycle of time on 21 December 2012. The Aztec mythology describes several cycles ruled by deities who are destroyed at the end of each cycle along with all the humans living during that cycle. The sun is the deity of the current cycle.

The human sacrifices regularly performed by the ancient Aztecs had a specific purpose. The blood and the extracted human hearts were seen as the food or fuel which maintained the ability of the Sun god to function. The stability of the universe depended upon regular human sacrifices.

Norse (Scandinavian) eschatology is presented in the story of Ragnarok, the climactic battle of the  cyclical Old Norse mythology. Nearing the end of the cycle, people, and the Gods themselves, will become increasingly corrupt, not honorable, dissipated, apathetic, and nihilistic. The Frost Giants, led by the renegade god Loki, will come and the battle will begin, accompanied by natural disasters. Most of the Norse gods will be killed and the world will eventually be dead and silent, covered with water and in total silence. After a time, fertile land will emerge from the water and the few gods who survived the battle will gather. A new first couple of humans will repopulate the new clean earth and the gods will celebrate.

In some religious/philosophical systems, such as Baha’ism and Jainism, there is neither a beginning nor an end.  Baha’is believe that reality consists of a series of progressive revelations by prophets. The coming of each new prophet is the judgement of the previous religion., with the prophet Bahaullah having brought the ultimate revelation.

The most severe forms of Buddhism deny even this. Within each moment in time, both birth and death are present. As each moment is born, the previous moment dies. The only reality is the present moment. There is no reward or punishment and no God. Individual existence with its cravings and desires is the ultimate evil.  Salvation is the extinction of every type of desire, even the desire for existence.

Hinduism sees reality and time as a series of repeating cycles as Shiva destroys and regenerates the universe repeatedly. The individual is part of this cyclical nature and ultimately will come to realize that individuality is an illusion. The individual consciousness is in actuality part of the Ultimate Reality and its ultimate destiny is absorption back into the Whole. All reality will contract into a singularity which will then begin again to expand.

Islamic eschatology points toward a Day of Judgement in which each persons good deeds will be balanced against their evil deeds. The sayings of the Prophet Muhammad give many signs which will indicate the approach of the Day of Judgement.

Judaism is most concerned with life now, in the present time, and is more corporate than individual. The concept is that the important thing is observance of the Law in order to prepare ourselves and the world for the coming of God's kingdom on Earth. The religion is absolutely monotheistic and God is absolute in His control of the universe. Man is intended to live in friendship with God during this life. There is very little discussion of retributive justice in the afterlife. 

Jewish eschatology is based on the Nation of Israel as a whole, not on the individual. The promises of the Old Testament are to the nation, the people of the land Am ha'aretz (עם הארץ), not the individual. The hope is for the establishment of a theocratic Messianic kingdom, based in Jerusalem, which will rule the world with justice and peace. 

An introduction to Christian eschatology will be presented in the next post.

Dude With a Limp

Michael Jr. tells you that he is a stand-up comedian. His jokes and stories have people rolling in the aisles. Then, he pulls out the Sword of the Lord and thrusts. This is a man of God. This is an evangelist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX1_5DzWNxw

Film Comment: Left Behind

It says that something is lacking about this 2014 remake of the 2000 film, Left Behind: The Movie, that the most controversial thing about the film has been discussion about whether or not the film's actors were Christians or were just working for a paycheck. More specifically, this question arose about Nicholas Cage, who has appeared in some rather “rough” movies such as Drive Angry (2011) where he portrays a criminal who escapes from Hell to pursue and kill the members of a religious cult which killed his daughter after they chose his infant granddaughter to be their human sacrifice.  Here is the trailer for Drive Angry.

Nothing about the current Left Behind feels particularly Christian or even “religious.” It plays out more as a disaster film which is not particularly well acted. I personally found the film to be rather boring.

The film is based on a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church. This is one of the versions of Christian eschatology (the doctrine of “Last Things,”) and describes the period of time at the end of the world.  The Pre-Tribulation view is most commonly held by conservative evangelical Protestants.

In the Pre-Tribulation Rapture understanding of Christian eschatology, the Church, aka: the Bride of Christ, the ἐκκλησία, is suddenly removed from the world by Christ. Hundreds of millions of Christians are suddenly just gone from the Earth. This opens the way for the appearance of the Antichrist. Those who come to Christ during this period are the ones who have been "left beihind."

Some Christian traditions place little or no emphasis on eschatology so the entire premise of this Left Behind film may be confusing to them. In the next few weeks, I will try to explain the various understandings of Christian eschatology and to define some of the associated terminology; Antichrist, False Prophet, Rapture, Millenialism, Preterism, Amillenialism, Pre-Millenialism, and Post-Millenialism.

This is post #1 of the upcoming Eschatology Series.

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian. Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions. Some of those listed may surprise or even shock you. Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Dolores Hart: (b. 1938, Illinois, USA, aka: Dolores Hicks) Film actress, Benedictine prioress, author. As an actress, she worked with Elvis Presley, Stephen Boyd, Montgomery Clift, George Hamilton, and Robert Wagner. All proceeds from her books go to charity.

Mark Burnett: (b. 1960, England) Movie and television producer, husband of actress Roma Downey. His father was Roman Catholic and his mother was Presbyterian.

Roma Downey: (b. 1960, Northern Ireland) Actress, producer, author, singer. Wife of producer Mark Burnett. Roman Catholic.

Sun Yat-sen: (b.1866, China – d. 1925), Chinese revolutionary, physician, first president and founder of the Republic of China. Sun participated in the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty. Congregationalist.

James Naismith: (b.1861, Canada – d. 1938) Canadian sports coach; inventor of the sport of basketball; founder of the University of Kansas basketball program; Inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, the Ontario Sports Legends Hall of Fame, the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame, the McGill University Sports Hall of Fame, the Kansas State Sports Hall of Fame, and the FIBA Hall of Fame. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is named for him. Presbyterian.

Distractions

My wife and I were downtown at the courthouse to get a license plate for our new car when we saw a man trying to parallel park. He was not extremely successful to say the least. He backed up, then inched forward, and then moved out of the space to try again. It took several attempts before the driver had his car in place. When we finally were able to drive around him we saw the reason for his troubles. He was talking on his cell phone!

Put down distractions like a cell phone when you are driving or moving your vehicle around among other vehicles. Surely your telephone conversation is not more important than your own safety or the property of others.

We are all too distracted by life. How many of us do our Bible study or prayer with the television turned on?

Comic Book Bibles

I have not personally seen any of these books and do not know of their quality or of their fidelity to orthodox Christianity.  I found them during an internet search.

http://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/the-bible

http://www.amazon.com/The-Comic-Book-Bible-Suggs/dp/1602606854

http://theactionbible.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Comic-Book-Bible-Adaptations/lm/RP6HJFWU5YV9X

http://www.sph.as/products/bible-books/the-comic-book-bibles/

http://www.wordforwordbiblecomic.com/

http://staircasestudio.com/jonah/

http://goodandevilbook.com/

http://www.freeillustratedbible.com/free_bible_selections.html

http://www.theheroesofthefaith.com/

http://www.bipcomics.com/showcase/PictureStoriesFromTheBible/

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2011/12/spire-christian-comics.html