Separation

I am a firm believer that Christians should clearly be "different" from other people. We are a separated, called-out, people, still citizens of our home countries but owing our ultimate allegiance to the Kingdom of God. Any conflict between the two should be easy to resolve: our duty is with the Kingdom.

Any activity which detracts from one's allegiance to the Kingdom should be modified or dropped altogether. This could include political associations, social activities, sports, or hobbies; none of which are, by themselves, wrong or forbidden.

The Bible recognizes the validity of the State and acknowledges that it has important functions. The State has been placed in power by God. The caveat is that the State also has its limitations. The State establish censuses, registrations, laws, fees, taxes, and even call for legitimate civil and military service. The State can not, however, demand unquestioningn obedience or the right to dictate belief. For the Christian there can be no ,"My country, right or wrong."

Another Light Bulb Joke

How many Hindus does it take to screw in a light bulb?

None, the light bulb will live again as a toaster.

What Is That in Your Hand?

"And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent: and Moses fled from before it." Exodus 4:2-3

Moses was carrying a rod used to lean on while walking, to steady oneself while climbing a hill, and to steer sheep in the way they should go. He used it in making his daily living but it was just a stick. God said to throw it down, basically meaning "give it to me." In God's hands it became a snake, made water come out of a rock, and cut a walking path for the Israelites through the Red Sea.

God wants us to give Him what we have and let Him use it. Moses' rod was basically his means of occupation. We can do the same with ours. The seventeenth century lay Carmelite brother, Brother Lawrence. was a cook and shoe repairer who attracted worldwide attention because of his insistence on living a Christ-filled life, cooking for Christ and repairing shoes for Christ. He turned his occupations into a witness.

We may be prevented by employer policy from "proselytizing" at work but we can provide a witness by our competence, honesty, diligence, and perseverance. Christians should stand out as different. We really are different.

The Tomb of Jesus in Japan

Jesus's direct lineal descendant, Sawaguchi Toyoji, doesn't believe any of it. He's a garlic farmer in a village where no one is a Christian but most adamantly believe is the burial place of Jesus. The burial mound and cross are located on Sawaguchi's property.

The legend has it that Jesus escaped crucifixion when his brother, Iskiri, was executed in his place. After a four year long journey, Jesus arrived in Japan where he settled in Aomori Prefecture at Herai (said to be a shortened form of "heburai," the Japanese word for "Hebrews."). There he married a Japanese woman and had three daughters whose descendants still live in the village which bills itself as "Kirisito no Sato" of "Home of Christ."

Film Comment: Ink

A hardworking competent businessman devotes so much of his time to his business that he badly neglects his family, in effect sacrificing them to his career. When his wife dies and her parents take Emma, his little daughter, he becomes even more bitter, becoming all business, and never seeing the girl. But like everyone else, he doesn't know what's really going on when Emma suddenly goes into a coma.

Beings from "somewhere else" swirl and battle all around them constantly, and one of them, Ink, a would be Incubus (the "Boogeyman"), has stolen Kate from her body, which has begun to wither away. Ink plans to offer Emma as a human sacrifice to impress the other incubi so he can be promoted to full status. Chasing and battling Ink in city streets, in people's houses, and in other dimensions are the Storytellers and a Pathfinder. Of course, their destructive battles leave no trace which we can see. The Storytellers come during the night to give people pleasant dreams and memories while the Incubi come to torment us with nightmares.

This film, which has become a runaway internet favorite, was rejected by every major studio. They probably didn't know what to do with it because of the strong religious undertones running through the film. The Incubi can be seen as demons (their true nature is hidden behind glass squares floating in front of their faces which present them as smiling benevolent beings), and the Storytellers can be seen as angels. The blind Pathfinder is the one who tells even the Storytellers how everything really does make sense.

What the Pathfinder tells the Storytellers is that every choice leads to the next choice and that once the chain reaction of choices is set in motion the final result is inevitable, unless somehow the chain is broken. The mission of the Storytellers is to break the chain and save the girl.

I could find almost no information on Jamin Winans, the director/writer/co-producer of this film, so I can't say exactly what his intentions were but he is clearly familiar with Christian traditions and philosophy. A few lines are taken directly from the Bible. The heavy use of profanity is not.

The Bible tells us that spiritual beings are busy around us all the time, sometimes in plain sight, and that, in fact, we all have our own personal angels (and presumably our own personal demons). These beings strive constantly for our good, or for our damnation, and when just one of us is saved, there is wild rejoicing in Heaven. The choices made by mankind (individually and collectively) have set the world on a chain reaction which could only be broken by an intervention from outside the chain. We needed a Saviour to break the chain and He was provided in Jesus. He can save you no matter how far you have fallen.

Atheists Sue Catholic Bishop

In a strange coalition, a group of atheists and Catholic activists have sued Nicholas DiMarzio, the Bishop of Brooklyn; a politician, Assemblyman Vito Lopez; and the Brooklyn Catholic Diocese over their involvement in recorded phone messages by DiMarzio to voters in Lopez' district before a City Council election.

I hate to agree with the atheists but they are probably correct. A major tenet of non-profit status is non-involvement in elections. Churches have skirted around this issue for years with many stepping across the line. The church may, and should speak about issues, but must not support a particular candidate. The only legitimate political involvement for the church is non-partisan voter registration and encouragement of civic participation by voting.

Evangelicals have come dangerously close to stepping across the line with their increasing identification with the Republican Party. Our allegiance must be to Christ, not to organizations. We should be holding ourselves separate from their worldly pursuit of power and influence so they will not feel that they have any right to dictate or attempt to influence our policies, actions, or beliefs.

One of my "Common Sense Predictions for the Next Ten Years" (4 October 2009) was "Numerous churches will renounce their tax-exempt status in order to prevent governmental interference in their affairs."

The Tree and the Hill

In our restroom at work we have a dry-erase communication board on which someone drew a picture of a several wrapped presents under a Christmas tree. The multicolored drawing is actually quite good, not just "cute."

Adequate, but not great, artist that I am, I added behind the tree a hill topped with three wooden crosses. My addition lasted for several days before someone erased it, leaving the tree and presents. I'm sure they were offended; the gospel is offensive to the world.

Non-Christians (and many Christians) love Santa, the brightly decorated trees, the elves, the mistletoe, the sleigh, happy snowmen, and the spiked egg nog, especially the spiked egg nog. They have no idea what Christmas is about. Christmas was/is the preparation for Easter. From the Beginning of the World, Jesus was coming to die so that we might live. The Gospel, the "good message" or the "true message," is not that Jesus was born in Bethlehem but that He was murdered and rose from death, defeating death for us.

Christmas in Iraq

If your church received bomb threats that it would be destroyed if church services were held on Christmas, would you attend? If your church had to be protected by armed policemen in order for services to be held, would you attend? Would you feel safer if the men of your church surrounded the area with large dirt berms (hills) to impede the approach of suicide car bombers? Would you announce your identity if Christian men were being shot while walking down the street? Would you put up your Christmas tree and house lights?

All of these things are happening right now in Iraq. Although they may be becoming less public about it, the majority of Iraq's approximately 750,000 Christians continue to meet and worship. One Iraqi woman, Ann Benjamin (??), is quoted in The New York Times of 23 December, 2009 as saying,"I am not afraid of going to church - even if I die there. I will be happy to die in God's home."

The Manhattan Declaration

All Christians should read and consider signing The Manhattan Declaration. The Declaration was issued on 20 November 2009, signed by more than one-hundred fifty Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant Evangelical leaders. Fifteen days later, on 5 December 2009, it had been signed by over 250,000 people. When I first read it on 21 December 2009, the total number of signers was 306,402. Today the number totals 307,164.

What has so solidly united leaders and Christians of such divergent religious traditions? The perception that Christianity is increasingly under assault and put on the defensive. The repeated attempts to override conscience clauses allowing medical workers to refuse to participate in medical procedures they believe to be immoral. Christian clergy in Canada and Europe being prosecuted for hate crimes because they affirmed the Biblical denunciation of homosexuality. The fact that, in Scandinavia, one who adheres to the ideas stated in the Declaration is derisively called a "mprkemann" (man of darkness). Things like that.

On what could Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical leaders agree? Their three points, expanded in the Declaration, are: 1. "the sanctity of human life," 2. "the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife," and 3. "the rights of conscience and religious liberty."

Read the Declaration but don't just impulsively sign it. Think about it first because it is not just a statement. The document asks for a commitment also. When you sign, you agree to the following statements.

"We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence. It is our duty to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness, both in season and out of season."

"We recognize the duty to comply with laws whether we happen to like them or not, unless the laws are gravely unjust or require those subject to them to do something unjust or otherwise immoral. ... We will not comply ... nor will we bend. ... We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar's, but under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God's."

Unhindered

κηρύσσων τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ διδάσκων τὰ περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ πάσης παρρησίας ἀκωλύτως.
"Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." Acts 28:31
ἀκωλύτως actually means “without hindrance” or “unhindered.” Hence the name of my blog, Saints on the Loose!

Jesus Wept

"Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,
 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
 Jesus wept.
" John 11:32-35.

Jesus wept at the tomb of his personal friend, Lazarus, who had been dead and buried for four days. Talking to Sean Hannity, Christian evangelist Franklin Graham said, "I think He cried because He had to bring Lazarus back."

Bob Dylan's Christmas Album

Bob Dylan (b. 1941 as Robert Allen Zimmerman) was a 1979 convert to Christianity. Many of his fans thought he was nuts as he released albums containing overtly Christian lyrics. They got over it and realized he was still Bob Dylan.

Now, Dylan has released Christmas in the Heart, a collection of Christmas themed songs. The first single from the album, Must Be Santa, features a video of Dylan in a Santa hat at a boisterous Christmas party singing in his unmistakable gravelly, almost on key, voice. Critics immediately declared he had released the video as a spoof.

Dylan thought otherwise and didn't mind saying so. He said he was pushing his musical boundaries and that true fans of his music would understand. "Critics like that are on the outside looking in. They are definitely not fans or the audience that I play to. ... Even at this point they don't know what to make of me. These songs are part of my life ..." Looks like Bob Dylan is still Bob Dylan, a little cranky, very serious and cerebral, genuine, and aware of his place in music history. God bless him!

A Christian Sex Magazine from Africa

Intiem, an Afrikaans language magazine was begun in 2006 in Africa and, in 2009, has begun an English language version entitled Intimacy. The target audience is married Christian women from strict religious backgrounds which have often left the women with an unease about physical intimacy. The magazine insists that sex is a gift from God which married Christian women can rightly claim without guilt about not being "good girls."

The magazine endorses strict monogamy and is opposed to same sex marriage or relationships.

"We believe that if a sex act stays within a marriage, is shared by only husband and wife, and both of them are comfortable with and enthusiastic about doing whatever they are doing, it can only be beneficial to the marriage. And this is what God wants for us."

News: Religious Intimidation in Pakistan

The radical group, Ideological Supremacy to Uphold Islam in the World, has been linked by police to a bombing in Kas, Pakistan. The bombing on 23 November was aimed at a video/CD shop which sold Urdu and Pashto language Islamic and Christian religious films including the Jesus Film. The shop's owner, Muhammad Taos Khan, was warned that he was "disseminating vulgarity." Well, at least we know where we stand with radical Muslims.

Holy Cow! Jesus is in My Screen Door!

In early December of 2009, Moses, a half-Jersey half-Holstein calf was born on Brad Davis' farm in Sterling, Connecticut. What is special about Moses that made the international news is that on his forehead is a patch of white hair in the shape of a cross. Some have already started with the predictable "maybe God is sending us a message from above." No one is sure what message God might be sending on the forehead of a cow. It's the wrong place anyway. As one sarcastic blogger opined, "... religious icons should only appear in cheese ... you can find that in the Bible."

In the film, Screen Door Jesus (2003), it's not a cow's head but the front screen door of Old Mother Harper, an old black woman in a small Texas town. On the screen some, but not all, see the smiling face of Jesus. the entire population of the town and then the outside press show up in Mother Harper's front yard and start taking sides. So many people come, tramping her flowers and leaving trash, that Mother Harper gets righteously annoyed.

It seems that Jesus (or sometimes Mary) appears everywhere: on billboards, in pictures of spaghetti, in water stains, in the shape of a deformed Cheeto, etc. and that pathetic people desperate for a proof of what they want to believe rush to worship the holy item. Jesus told us that we don't need that.

"Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed:blessed are theythat have not seen, and yet have believed." John 20:29.

Rushing to fawn over a piece of cheese or a Jesus shaped mushroom brings ridicule to the Church. They already think we're crazy and then we prove it.

Another light bulb joke

How many Zen masters does it take to change a light bulb?

A lily pad floats on the surface above a goldfish below.

Film Comment: Satan: Prince of Darkness

Satan: Prince of Darkness is a 1998 Arts and Entertainment Channel documentary which is ultimately unsatisfying because it attempts to be non-controversial. It rightly points out several modern understandings of the demonic; that the ancient fear of witches and the devil in part stemmed from a fear of women and sexuality; that the Salem witch trials were the result of rampant human fear and ignorance; that in the Eighteenth Century, Satan began to be seen as a rebel against authority and that in the Nineteenth Century he became an object of ridicule as science began to explain away God and Satan; and that, in the modern era Satan is seen as an interesting myth, the BOOGEYMAN.

The Bible clearly declares the Devil and his demons to be real, dangerous beings who seek to hinder or invalidate believers. Ephesians 2:1,2; 1 Thessalonians 2: 8, 3:5; Acts 5:3; 1 Corinthians 7:5; Revelation 2:10, 12:10; Matthew 13:38-3.

Book Comment: Profiles of Protestant Saints

In my 17 November 2009 comments on Butler's Lives of the Saints I briefly discussed the Protestant understanding of "saint." Cardinal Richard Cushing, the Catholic Archbishop of Boston, admitted in 1968 that the idea of Protestant saints may seem to be "novel." In his preface to Profiles of Protestant Saints, he acknowledged that Paul declared all believers to be saints and also that God raises up whomever He pleases to perform whatever tasks He wishes.

Profiles of protestant saints was written by a Roman Catholic for a Roman Catholic audience and details the stories of nineteen individuals who were raised up by God for service in times which called for that service. It was as if just the right person were placed in just the right situation at just the right time. Exactly.

Those profiled include Martin Luther (1483-1546), a disgruntled Roman Catholic priest; Adoniram Judson (1788-1850), who evangelized Burma; Alexander Campbell (1788-1866), the founder of the Disciples of Christ; Richard Allen (1760-1831), a highly educated Eighteenth Century African-American theologian and church founder; and Samuel Schereschewsky (1831-1906), a Lithuanian rabbinical student whose last words were, "I thank thee, Lord, for the scholarship, and for the time - and for the finger." You'll have to read the book.

Don't Be a Sausage

Silvanus (aka: Silas, fl. 1st century) was probably Peter's amanuensis (scribe) and, according to Roman Catholic tradition, went with Peter and John Mark to Rome in 42 AD/CE. He is also known to have been a companion of Paul. His most famous teaching is "Do not be a sausage which is full of useless things."

We are to devote all of our attention and resources to serving God (Deuteronomy 6:5; Romans 12:11-12; 1 Peter 2:12; Psalms 19:7, 10-11.), so what did Silvanus mean by "useless things"?

In the Christian context a useless thing could, of course, be mindless accumulation of things, but what Silvanus was probably talking about were personal distractions or hindrances to one's Christian witness and/or things about the believer which could cause distractions or hindrances to others.

Useless things to a Christian could be: pride, always having to prove that you are "right," gossip and judgementalism, hobbies which obsess you, failure to forgive (especially when they don't "deserve" it), and church "busyness." Useless things are things you would throw away to lighten yourself when the Devil was chasing you.

Film Comment: Vegas in Space

Vegas in Space (1991) is one of the weirdest movies you will ever see.

Three outer space soldiers take pills to transform themselves into women in order to go undercover (as showgirls!) to Vegas in Space, the capital city of an all-female planet. They're there trying to find out who stole Queen Veneer's jewels.

All but two of the parts are played by drag queens, two of whom died of AIDS the same year the film was released. There are unrelenting gowns, glitter, wigs, thick pancake makeup, 27 cent sets, and atrocious over-acting. This movie is up your nose with all it's garishness. I suspect that it is not really intended so much as a film but as an in your face "so what do I care what you think?" statement. It drips hostility to societal norms from every sequin.

What the film actually represents is the final level of moral relativism, where each person defines their own "truth." Each person lives as they choose unconstrained by any norms or common moral ground; "being themselves." Man has no higher judge and any moral rules are merely individual preferences. Many see this as ultimate freedom and personal valuation but, in truth, it declares that there is no real value to anything, including human life. Human life can be manipulated and even discarded, The door is open to the development of fascism.

good Ideas for a Christian Life

1. Plant a garden.

2. Study your Bible.

3. Become more involved with your spouse and children.

4. Don't be afraid to speak up.

5.  Have a healthy sex life.

6. Realize that your secular pursuits are for God as well.

7. Be surprised when you fail, not when you succeed.

8. Understand that the universe really is orderly.

9. Don't allow your career or hobby to become all-consuming.

10.  Know that we really are different and they really don't understand.

News: Chinese Christian Pastors Given Prison Time

In Linfen City, Shanxi Province, China, on 25 November 2009, Yang Rongli and four other house church pastors were sentenced to multiple years of prison time for "illegally occupying farming land" and "disturbing transportation order by gathering masses." Thier real crime was refusing to register their churches and accept governmental control of their worship services and other activities.

Book Comment: My Little Bible

My Little Bible is a children's book of 20 Old Testament and 22 New Testament one page illustrated stories which give a good overview of the main historical events and Biblical concepts at a level accessible to an elementary school child. Unlike some Christian books for children it doesn't shy away from the death of Jesus. It is also quick to report His resurrection.

Hollingsworth, Mary, My Little Bible (Nashville: Tommy Nelson, 1991)

Something to Think About: Robotic Humans

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: Robotic Humans
This is a recurrent segment in this blog and is dedicated to questions not yet being asked by most people, but which, inevitably, will come up. If you think about them now, you won’t be caught unaware when they arrive.
____________________________________________________
In Rome in 2008, Pierpaolo Petruzziello moved his arm and hand and felt sensations even though he no longer had an arm and even though the arm and hand which he was moving were attached to his body by electrodes inserted into the stump of what was left of his arm. Other than the wires placed into the stump, the mechanism was not attached to the patient. The hand was entirely mechanical and was controlled entirely by Petruziello's thoughts. Presumably, the mechanism could be controlled from a distance by remote control.

The science fiction dream of brains kept alive in robotic bodies will eventually be realized. Will paraplegics be able to live and experience normal lives within mechanical bodies? Will the resultant persons still be human? Will they be able to remain alive for centuries by switching to new robotic bodies as the old ones wear out? Will living tissue one day replace the robotic mechanisms? Will it be ethical to discard the living bodies for new ones?

Will someone realize another science fiction concept and produce long-distance soldiers such as the beings seen in the 2009 film, Avatar? Mechanisms (robotic or living tissue) controlled like today's military drone airplanes by someone safely miles or even continents away from the deadly action? What will this mean for the value of human life? Will remaining human in one's original body be seen as a liability? Will cybernetic implants enhance their recipients?

Who Owns Church Property?

The members of St. Luke’s of the Mountains Church in La Crescenta, California have received an eviction notice from the Episcopal Church and the local Episcopal diocese. Their offense was to vote to leave the Episcopal Church over its recent liberal moves such as the ordination of openly practicing homosexual and lesbian bishops. The church members contended that they paid for and owned the church property while the national denomination also claimed ownership. The civil courts sided with the denomination.

Property disputes of this type (in a hierarchical structure) will be handled differently by the courts than would be those arising in the congregational denominations because of the differences in traditional church governance.

The real issue here is whether or not the dispute should have gone before the civil authorities at all. Traditionalists would say that 1 Corinthians 6:1-7 says no. Some would go so far as to say that Christians are required to not defend themselves at all in civil or church courts.

A review of the relevant scriptures shows that Paul, in Acts, defended himself in court and insisted on his legal rights. Jesus defended Himself before the civil authorities, “according to the Law.” (Exodus 23:1, Deuteronomy 1:16, 17:6, 19:15, John 5:51, 18:33-37.}

A balanced interpretation of the issue recognizes that the civil authorities are ordained by God to handle legal matters and civic issues (Romans 13:1-4) and that we are to respect and honor them (1 Peter 2:14).

Doctrinal issues and personal matters between believers should not be judged by unbelievers but by faithful church leaders as defined in each church tradition.

Another consideration: if pursuing the issue will produce negative effects on the church, Christians can choose not to assert their legal rights. (1 Corinthians 6:7).

Jesus Christ, Juror

On 30 November 2009, Jesus Christ was struck from the jury pool in a criminal case in Jefferson County, Alabama. It was her real legal name. She used to be Dorothy Lola Killingworth. No explanation was given for the name change.

Jesus was struck from the jury for being disruptive; asking incessant questions instead of listening to instructions. Several other members of the jury pool were seen to be continually laughing.

Obviously, Dorothy ... excuse me ... Jesus, may be a little on the eccentric side, but the real Jesus was certainly, and intentionally, disruptive. He provoked distrust and hostility everywhere he went. He presented a problem for the political and religious maintainers of the status quo. The world system did not like him at all.

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 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. And a man's foes [shall be] they of his own household.
 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Matthew 10:34-38.

New Blogs to Watch

I have added the following blogs to the list of blogs I watch:

The Male Domain
http://themaledomain.blogspot.com/

Three Rivers Episcopal
http://3riversepiscopal.blogspot.com/

Zach Thinks Deep
http://zachthinksdeep.blogspot.com/

Film Comment: It's the End of the World

     We're not talking here about easy stuff like an alien invasion, or rampaging hordes of flesh-eating zombies, or dystopian post-civilization films like Last Man on Earth (1964), No Blade of Grass (1970), Glen and Randa (1971), Idaho Transfer (1973), A Boy and His Dog (1975), Death Race 2000 (1975), Mad Max (1979),  Rollerblade (1986), The Time of the Wolf (2003), and I Am Legend (2007).  Those are just inconveniences.

     We're talking about end of the world, nothing left, world gone bye-bye films. There are many more than you might imagine.

     1931: La fin du monde. As a giant comet hurtles toward Earth, two brothers think the event may end all war as mankind unites against the threat. Some pray, some have orgies.

     1951: When Worlds Collide.  A wandering planet is on a collision course with the Earth.  A group of scientists/survivalists must pick who to save, fight off the rest, and make sure the survivors safely leave.

     1964: Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Considered by many to be the ultimate American film, or at least the ultimate American comedy.  A rogue military commander flips out and sends his planes to deliver nuclear warheads in an attack against Russia.  Comic mayhem ensues.  

     1988: Miracle Mile.  A young man answers a ringing pay phone.  It's a wrong number, but he learns that all-out nuclear war has begun and the missiles will arrive in little more than an hour.

     1998: Last Night.  It's the last night before the Earth is destroyed, with six hours left.  The reason is never explained but everyone is aware of it.  Some are trying to get home, some are having wild parties, some are reaching out for God, and others are just reaching out for someone.

This is described as a comedy/drama, but the comedy is of the classical tragedy type.

     2008: The Happening: Director M. Night Shyamalan's misfire starts with the disappearance of all the world's bees.  The mass suicides begin.  Earth has begun rejecting an irritant, us.

     2009: 2012.  The last day of the world according to the ancient Mayan calendar is 21 Dec. 2012.

This is a big-budget special effects spectacular.  One man may hold the key to stopping it.

     2009: Knowing.  A teacher comes to believe that a number-filled sheet from a time capsule unearthed at his son's school contains codes pointing to disasters with accurate dates and death totals.  As he checks, everything lines up, 100%.  Then he finds dates for three disasters which have haven't happened yet, including one extraordinarily special event.

     John Cusack, talking about his role in 2012, said "the movie is a big action film , but it's also about emotions.  It made me think that, if you just had this finite time left on earth, then what would you do with it?"

     The truth is that we all already have "just this finite time left on Earth" and we don't know how long that finite time period is.  Right now is the only time we have for sure.  We ...you might be dead tomorrow, or later tonight, or two minutes from now.  The end of the world comes for each of us.

Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.²But of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.  Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.  [For the Son of man is] as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.  Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:  Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.  Mark 13: 31-36. 

     

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, their religious beliefs, or their actions.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Noel Alexandre: (b. 1639, France – d. 1724) Church historian, Dominican theologian

John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton: (b. 1834, Italy – d. 1902) 1^st Baron Acton.  Acton was a historian educated at Paris and Munich.  A politically liberal Roman Catholic, he opposed the doctrine of Papal Infallibility.

Ivan Mikheevich Pervushin (b. 1827, Russia – d. 1900) Russian priest, meteorologist, mathematician, and statistician.   He contributed to the development of number theory and developed numerous mathematical proofs.

Harold Guy Hunt (b. 1933, Alabama – d. 2009)  Farmer, preacher, Governor of Alabama 1987-1993. In 1993 he became the first Alabama governor removed from office for a felony ethics conviction.

Sandra Kay Yow: (b. 1942, North Carolina - d. 2008) Naismith Hall of Fame Inductee (2002) who led the Elon College and the North Carolina State University women’s basketball teams to over 700 wins.  She led the United States Olympic team to a gold medal in 1988.

Another light bulb joke

How many Druids does it take to change a light bulb?

501, one to change the light bulb and 500 to align the stone