Extrabiblical Evidences of Biblical Persons and/or Events: The Mesha Stele

Those who doubt the historicity of the Bible are either ignorant of the archeological record or choose to ignore it.  There are multiple extrabiblical corroborations of biblical statements.  These confirm the accuracy of the Bible’s historical assertions.  The religious interpretation of the information, of course, cannot be “proven.”

Those of faith come to realize that there are other ways of “knowing.”  (I know how “mystical” this sounds, but if the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is true, this is so.)

One of the first extrabiblical eveidences is the Mesha Stele (also known as the Moabite Stone).  The stele was shown to F.A. Klein, a Prussian missionary in Dhiban (the ancient Dibon, Moab) in 1868 by Bedouins.    When the Prussian government tried to purchase it, so did France, and a bidding war erupted.  The locals decided to break the stone into pieces.

There are several modern explanations for breaking the stone.  1. The locals wanted to prevent its removal and they thought a broken stone would be useless.  2.  The locals thought there was a treasure inside since so many people wanted it.  And the most likely explanation, 3. Someone understood the Law of Supply and Demand.  The individual pieces might collectively be of more value than one piece.

A stele is a commemoration or memorial carved or sculpted into an upright pillar, stone, tablet, or slab, often of basalt or marble.  The Mesha Stele was erected 847 BC/BCE in what is now Jordan by Mesha, the king of Moab.  The stele describes how Omri, King of Israel  ( ruled ca 886-874 BC/BCE), and his son Ahab (ruled 873-851 BC/BCE) defeated Moab because the Moabite deity, Chemosh, was angry at his people.  On the stele, Mesha is celebrating his defeat of Ahaziah, on of Ahab’s two sons.

"As for Omri, king of Israel, he humbled Moab many years [lit. days], for Chemosh was angry with his land. And his son followed him and he also said 'I will humble Moab.' In my time he spoke [thus], but I have triumphed over him and over his house, while Israel hath perished forever" (cf. 2 Kings 1:1; 3:4–5)

Moabite is considered by many to have been a dialect of Hebrew and the name of the king, Mesha, may be equivalent to Moshe (“Moses”).

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=mesha+stele&gbv=2&gs_l=hp.3..0l3j0i30l7.2292.5796.0.6261.11.11.0.0.0.0.60.528.11.11.0...0.0.xyqc_p4Q9Nk&sa=X&oi=image_result_group

http://www.jordanjubilee.com/history/mesha.htm

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0014_0_13724.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesha_Stele

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Mesha_Stele

Is Obesity a Sin?, Part 2

In no particular order:

1.     Anything which more than momentarily distracts you from God should be stripped from your life.

2.     Your body is the Temple of God and be maintained with reverence, just as you would maintain your church sanctuary.

3.     If the first thing you think when you wake up each morning is food, you may have a problem.

4.     Food is often not the real problem.  Often food is the “medicine” used to dull the pain of some other issue.  The pain is only temporarily relieved and more food is needed.

5.     If you think something is a sin and still willfully engage in the activity, it is a sin for you.

6.     Increased weight can predispose a person to Type 2 Diabetes, stroke, heart attacks, sleep apnea, blindness, and neuropathies in the extremities leading to amputations.

Links with various viewpoints:

http://calorielab.com/news/2006/08/29/lard-have-mercy-the-christian-obesity-epidemic/

http://www.christianpost.com/news/firm-faith-fat-body-study-finds-high-rate-of-obesity-among-religious-49568/

http://www.christianity.com/christian%20living/features/11622588/ 

 

http://conservapedia.com/Overcoming_obesity_with_the_aid_of_Christian_faith

http://www.religiontoday.com/news/food-for-thought-on-america-s-obesity-problem.html

http://www.cherylcope.com/obesity-in-the-church

http://www.fatandproud.com/ 

Is Obesity a Sin?, Part 1

Last Saturday, I was at the amusement park, Six Flags Over Georgia (with my grandchildren, YEAH!).  The park hosts about 2,000,000 visitors a year and is spread out over 290 acres (117 hectares) which require a large amount of walking on some hilly terrain.  The temperature on Saturday was around 95 - 98 F (37C) with a heat index over 105F (41C).

I, like many Americans, am above my medically ideal weight, so all the walking was good for me.  What I noticed, though, were the many people two, three, four, or even five times their healthy weight.  It was beyond obvious that these people were suffering in the heat.

Many of the large people were huffing and puffing, with red faces.  They had wet towels wrapped around their necks, and were lurching and stumbling forward as they walked.  Many had resorted to walking with a cane or riding around in the little battery-powered carts normally reserved for persons who are unable to walk.  Surely this is not how God intended for them to live.

I know. “God made me this way,” and there really are rare persons with metabolic disorders who must be under medical care so that they will not continually gain weight.  The word to remember in this is “rare.”

Weight is one of the very “hot-button” issues.  Look at the internet chat rooms.   Any discussion of weight quickly degenerates into sarcasm, mean-spirited self-superiority by thin persons, excuses and rationalizations by overweight persons, name calling, someone knows a fat person who eats very little,  someone knows a skinny person who eats enough for an elephant,  someone knows a person who has turned their concern over weight into an unhealthy obsession, obesity is due to gluttony and gluttony is a sin,  obesity and gluttony are two different things,  some are defiantly fat, some say God is indifferent to your body size, spme say God wants you to stay at the size he gave you,  denial (I’m not fat, just pleasingly plump),  the reason I overeat is because I can’t drink or smoke.  The arguments and insults go round and round.

I believe that obesity CAN be a sin, but I am not sure exactly where the line is.  This is clearly not a black and white issue and the border one crosses into overt, willful sin may actually be different for each person. Romans 14:13-15, 22-23.

Tomorrow, in Part 2 of this post., I will list several facts and observations about the Christian and obesity.

Book Comment: Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came To Die

Pastor John Piper, in Fifty  Reasons Why Jesus Came To Die (2006), uses Biblical citations to show that “to die for our sins” is only one of the many reasons Jesus chose to die.  This is a point which Piper points out repeatedly; Jesus chose to die and God the Father was pleased.  The death of Jesus should not be blamed on a particular group of people;  Yes, the Jews killed Jesus,  and the Romans killed Jesus, but so did you and I.  Ultimately, God killed Jesus, and it was God’s idea.

The death of Jesus was planned from the instant of the Creation.  It did not surprise God or interfere with His Plan.  It was His Plan.  It should not surprise us that God  had multiple purposes with His plan.

Piper finds fifty reasons from scripture for the voluntary death of Jesus.  There are probably more.  Using the chapter titles from John  Piper’s book, here are a few which may surprise you:

To Abolish Circumcision and All Rituals as the Basis of Salvation:  Galatians 5:11,  6:12

To Give Marriage Its Deepest Meaning: Ephesians 5:25

To Destroy the Hostility Between Races: Ephesians 2: 14-16

So That He Would be Crowned With Glory and Honor: Hebrews 2:9,  Philippians 2: 7-9, Revelation 5:12

To Show That the Worst Evil Is Meant By God for Good: Acts 4:27-28

 

As smart as we pride ourselves on being, we are very limited in our intelligence.  Look at the doctrine of the Trinity, which is clearly taught in Scripture and which we clearly struggle to understand.  God thinks on a cosmic level not bounded by space or time.  Read the series of questions He put forth in the book of Job.  “My ways are not your ways.”  Isaiah 55:8

God Chooses Unlikely People to Accomplish His Purposes

Rahab , a Gentile prostitute in the city of Jericho (Ariha, West Bank), became an honored convert to the Jewish faith and was praised by the writer of Hebrews for her faith.  When the king of Jericho sent his soldiers to catch Israelite spies sent by Joshua, Rahab hid the spies in her house.  For her help, Rahab was promised protection for herself and her family when the Israelites overran the city.

Rahab later became the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth.  Through Ruth, Rahab became the great-grandmother of King David.  She is one of only four women mentioned in the genealogies of Jesus.

Joshua 2:1-20, 6:17

Ruth 4:18-21

Matthew 1:5

Hebrews 11:31

James 2:25

Baby Jumping

I have to admit that I do not understand this at all.  It is the festival of El Salto del Colacho (“the devil’s jump”) in Castrillo de Murcia , a village near Burgos, Spain.  The festival has been held annually since 1620 and is said to cleanse the babies of original sin and to guard them against illness and evil spirits.  The babies are all less than one year old.

Pope Benedict XVI has asked priests to distance themselves from the festival.

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What They Think of Us: Margaret Cho on Jesus

Margaret Cho (b. 1968, California (USA) is a comedian, singer, and writer who is an outspoken advocate for LGBT issues.  Here, she gives her views about Jesus.

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LGBT means lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual.

An Iranian Christian Worship Song

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Southern Baptists Elect First Black President

On 19 June 2012 the Southern Baptist Convention unanimously elected the extremely popular Pastor Fred Luter (b. 1956, Louisiana, USA) as its president.  This had national significance because Pastor Luter is black. 

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is the world’s largest Baptist group and is the largest Protestant body in the United States. The SBC is evangelical, congregational, and  insists on only believer’s baptism (they are anti-pedobaptists). The Convention was founded in 1845 in Augusta, Georgia (USA) during a dispute with Northern Baptists over slave ownership.  The Northerners refused to allow the appointment of slaveholders to positions of authority.

After the United States Civil War , most of the black Baptists in the American South withdrew to form their own organizations, culminating in 1895 with the National Baptist Convention.

Though the majority of Southern Baptists have long since left behind their embarrassing origins, it was not until 1995 that the group officially renounced and apologized for its racist origins.  By 2008, the SBC had over one million black members.

Sacred Harp Singing

On 14-16 June 2012, the 33^rd annual National Sacred Harp Convention was held at the Firdt Christian Church in Birmingham, Alabama (USA).  Sacred Harp singing (also known as shape-note singing or “fasola” singing) is several centuries old and is based on four notes represented as shapes on the musical staff (Fa, Sol, La, and Mi).  The singing is always acapella and is paced by a rhythmic chopping motion of the forearm.

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Here are two links if you wish to read more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Harp

http://fasola.org/introduction/short_history.html

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.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Mary of Clopas: This woman is possibly the same as Mary Salome, who was either the wife or daughter of Clopas.  She is mentioned in John 19:25.

Julia Anne Sweeney: (b. 1959, Washington, USA) Film, stage, and theater actress. She left the Catholic Church to become an atheist and is associated with the Freedom from Religion Foundation.

William Todd Aikin: (b. 1947, New York, USA) Engineer, United States Representative from Missouri, elected 2001.  He is an opponent of abortion and embryonic stem cell research.  Presbyterian.

Jeremiah Horrocks: (b. 1618, England –d. 1641) Astronomer, mathematician, mechanic. Considered to be the Father of British Astronomy.  He was the first person to demonstrate that the moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical pattern and was the only astronomer to predict the Transit of Venus which occurred in 1639.  Puritan.

Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba: (b. 1935, South Africa) President of Namibia, elected in 2004 and 2009. Anglican. 

Shocking Information About the Roman Empire

Here is one reason why the Jews and early Christians viewed the Roman Empire as hopelessly corrupt. This has nothing to do with the fact that the wheels of the Empire were greased with bribery.  It has nothing to do with the rampant ruthless ambition of many (possibly most) of the military and political leaders.  It has to do with the Roman attitude towards household sexuality.  A Warning: Do not read this if you are easily shocked.

http://www.roman-empire.net/society/soc-household.html

Christian Intellectuals

“The minute you get a religion you stop thinking.  Believe in one thing too much and you have no room for new ideas.”  Ray Bradbury (b. 1920, Illinois, USA – d. 2012)  Bradbury was a celebrated science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery writer.

I have to disagree with Ray.  Yes, there is a strong stream of anti-intellectualism loose in the world today and it has infected many within the Christian community, but faith does not equal empty-headedness.  Jesus Himself told us that it should not.

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

The Apostle Luke praised the Bereans  “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11

Without expressing approval or disapproval of what any of them have taught or said, here is a short list of modern persons who would qualify as Christian intellectuals: John Piper, N.T. Wright, Francis Schaeffer, Dietrich Boenhoffer, D.A. Carson, C.S. Lewis, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II, Ravi Zacharias, Dinesh D’Souza, Francis Collins, John Lennox, Karl Barth, etc.

One Minute Sermon

This sister talks very fast but she is speaking the truth.

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Christian Music on an Analog Synthesizer

Isao Tomita (b. 1932, Japan) is a composer and one of the earliest pioneers in the field  of arrangement and composition of totally computer generated music.  Here is his version of Bach's "Jesu, Joy of man's Desiring. "

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Wearing a Cross As Jewelry

“It would have been unthinkable in Jesus’ day to wear a cross as a piece of jewelry.  It would have been like wearing a miniature electric chair or lynching rope.” John Piper

The cross was used for only one purpose: execution.

Jesus called for us to take up our own cross and follow Him.   What is being executed?  Our self-centeredness, our insistence that we are in control, our self-justification that we are not “that bad.”

When we choose to follow Jesus and take up the cross, it can mean much more.  The world did not like Jesus and it will not like us, regardless of what it may say.  We may, in some countries, be guaranteed freedom of religious choice.  That will not prevent us from being considered odd or peculiar when we insist on choices other than those of the larger culture.  Social disapproval can be quite uncomfortable. (Hebrews 13:12-13)

AND, there is always the possibility, even in the most “enlightened” cultures, that we may be forced into a situation where we must choose between betraying the Lord or facing death.  At such a time, we are called to be witnesses.  Witness, μάρτυρας in Greek, from which we derive our English word “martyr.”

Typographical Errors

In my post yesterday on The Big Book of Church Jokes I made a typographical error, even though I check every post for spelling and grammar before I release it.  It is very easy to misspell a word, double your “ands” or your “thes, ” leave out “of,” or to  say something which seems logical when written but which really makes no sense.  In yesterday’s post, I spelled “silly” as “sily.”  I apparently totally missed the red underlining provided by my word processor’s Spell Checker program.

Knowing how easy it is to make a mistake when one writes, it makes it even more amazing to know that the first five books of the Bible (the Torah) have been preserved by the Jews at the LETTER level for thousands of years.

Each synagogue which can afford one owns as Sefer Torah, a handwritten copy of the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.  This is in the form of a scroll which is used in formal religious ceremonies.  When not in use, the scroll is stored in the holiest spot in the synagogue.

Each of the scrolls is produced under extremely restrictive conditions, on a particular type of parchment using a particular type of quill pen by one specially trained rabbi.  The entire scroll must be produced by that one sofer (scribe)..

The number of letters must total 304,805 with each letter in its proper position, each one perfectly formed, sized, and placed.  The ink of a random imperfect letter may be scraped off the parchment and replaced by a perfect one.  If any error of any sort involves the name of God, that page must be cut from the scroll and a new perfect page must be sewn into its place.  The removed page is buried with respect.

A Sefer Torah can take as long as a year and one half to produce and cost as much as $10,000.  Parchment is a perishable material; still, the oldest known surviving are over 700 years old.

The Jews have done us a great service by their historical insistence on preserving the purity of the scriptures.

Book Comment: The Big Book of Church Jokes

The Big Book of Church Jokes (2009) is full of one-liners, extremely corny puns, irony, funny stories, and cartoons,   The subjects include, among others, pastors, tithes, weddings, funerals, heaven, the end of the world, and missionaries.

This book is probably far too American to be funny elsewhere.  Many of the jokes are based on American cultural references and many hinge on silly word play.

A Gospel Song from Namibia

This is a gospel song from Namibia sung by Erica Tjiuongua.  She says that "we are created to worship God."  Sister Erica sings in the Otjivambo language.

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The Only Dream I Remember

I had a dream two nights ago and I remembered it.  This is remarkable because I have never remembered any of my dreams.  This is the only one …  ever.   I know this is not normal, but it is true.

In the dream, I was eating barbecue sandwiches with three people, an older man and two women, none of whom I knew, but who clearly knew and loved me.  They expressed their pleasure with me, told me I was on the right track, and that I should continue what I was doing.  The older man noticed that I had barbecue sauce on my cheek and reached over to wipe it off with his napkin.  For this to be the only dream I have ever remembered was puzzling.

I am definitely not a believer in occultism or “the science of dream interpretation.”  It is said that dreams speak in the language of symbols and that they may be an avenue for us to work out problems in our lives which we cannot address on a conscious level.  Many non-Christians see dreams as a place where they receive “guidance” from “somebody.”  Others see dreams as a series of archetypal human images produced when our minds are in neutral gear.   Still others feel that dreams have no meaning whatsoever.

In the Bible, God often used dreams to speak to his people (Matthew 1:20-24;  Acts 10: 1-48) and, sometimes, to those who were not His. (Genesis 40:8-19)  I have no idea if my dream was from God or not, but nothing in it is contradictory to a Christian understanding.

The archetypal symbols present in my dream are, to me, quite obvious.  While I place absolutely no credence in the “science of dream interpretation,” I thought it would be interesting to see what a dream interpretation dictionary would have to say about this dream.  I was not surprised at what I found.

The most obvious element of the dream is the presence of three people.  Three is the number of the Trinity, the number of divine perfection.

The older man is a symbol of wisdom, kindness, and forgiveness; the women, of nurturance and love.  Eating with others is taken to symbolize harmony and intimacy.  Eating or cooking meat is seen as getting to the heart of a matter.

Hello, Armenia!

Բարեւ, Հայաստան Բարի գալուստ խմբի ընթերցողների համար հարյուր տասներեք այլ երկրների, ով նաեւ այս օրագիրը. Հուսով եմ ձեզ գտնել որոշ գրառումների օգտակար եւ բովանդակալից: The "Թարգմանել this page" գործիքը անմիջապես վերեւում ժամանակ ընդհանուրի էջի դիտման ծրագիրը »Counter ունի ունակությունը թարգմանում անգլերեն տեքստը Այս օրագրում անմիջապես բազմաթիվ այլ լեզուներով, այդ թվում` հայերեն ... Հարյուր տասնչորս երկրներ. Ալբանիա, Ալժիր, Արգենտինա, Հայաստան, Արուբա, Ավստրալիա, Ավստրիա, Բահրեյն, Բանգլադեշ, Բելառուսը, Բելգիան, Բելիզ, Բրազիլիա, Բուլղարիա, Կանադա, Կայմանյան կղզիներ, Չիլի, Չինաստան, Չեխիա, Կոլումբիա, Կոնգոյի Կոստա Րիկա, Խորվաթիա, Կիպրոս, Չեխիայի Հանրապետություն, Դանիա, Դոմինիկյան Հանրապետություն, Էկվադոր, Եգիպտոս, El Salvador, Էստոնիա, Եթովպիան, Ֆինլանդիա, Ֆրանսիա, Վրաստան, Գերմանիա, Գաբոն, Գանա, Հունաստան, Հոնգկոնգ, Հունգարիա, Իսլանդիա, Հնդկաստան, Ինդոնեզիա , Իրանը, Իրաքը, Իռլանդիան, Իսրայելը, Իտալիան, Փղոսկրի Ափ, Ջամայկա, Ճապոնիան, Հորդանանը, Kampuchea, Քենիա, Քուվեյթը, Լաոս, Լատվիա, Լիբանան, Լեսոտո, Լիտվա, Լյուքսեմբուրգ, Մակեդոնիա, Մալայզիա, Մալի, Մալթան, Մեքսիկա, Մոլդովա, Մարոկկո, Մյանմար, Նամիբիա, Նիդերլանդներ, Նոր Կալեդոնիա Նոր Զելանդիա, Նիգերիա, Նորվեգիա, Պակիստան, Պանամա, Պարագվայ, Պերու, Ֆիլիպիններ, Լեհաստան, Պորտուգալիա, Կատար, Ռումինիա, Ռուսաստան, Սենտ Կիտս եւ Նեւիս, Սաուդյան Արաբիա, Սենեգալ, Սերբիա, Սինգապուր, Սլովակիա, Սլովենիա, Հարավային Աֆրիկա, Հարավային Կորեան, Իսպանիա, Շրի Լանկա, Սուդան, Սուրինամ, Շվեդիան, Շվեյցարիան, Թայվան, Տանզանիա, Թայլանդ, Տրինիդադ եւ Տոբագո, Թունիսը, Թուրքիա, Ուգանդա, Ուկրաինա, Միացյալ Արաբական Էմիրությունները, Միացյալ Թագավորություն, Միացյալ Նահանգները, Վենեսուելան, Վիետնամ, Եմեն, Զիմբաբվե:

Hello, Namibia!

Hello, Namibia!  Welcome to the group of readers from one hundred and twelve other countries who also visit this blog.  I hope you find some of the posts useful or meaningful.

The “Translate This Page” gadget directly above the “Total Pageviews” Counter has the capability of translating the English text of this blog directly into numerous other languages.

One hundred and thirteen countries: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France,  Georgia, Germany, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kampuchea, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg,  Macedonia, Malaysia, Mali, Malta,  Mexico,  Moldova,  Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan,  Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Vietnam,  Yemen, Zimbabwe.

What They Think Of Us: Thomas Paine

"My own mind is my own church." Thomas Paine (1737-1809)  This quotation is a foreshadowing of the  post-modernist philosophy which states that there is no objective reality, no absolute truth.  Truth is whatever each observer decides that it is and there may be multiple truths, all equally valid.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation Advertisement

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) placed a $26.690 full-page advertisement in the 1 June 2012 edition of the USA Today newspaper.  The advertisement calls for Catholics to “join those of us who put humanity above dogma.”  The issue which has stirred up the FFRF is the Catholic Church’s opposition to being forced to pay for contraception, sterilization, and abortion coverage in its employee insurance plans.  The FFRF calls this “irrational opposition,” and “incense-fogged ritual.”

I believe that there is a hidden, hate-based agenda.  What the FFRF seems to be really calling for is for Catholics to abandon Christianity, not just the Catholic Church.  And their 18,000 members are willing to spend $26,000 to further their agenda.

Read about this here and here.   

The Lord's Prayer in Greek

Here is The Lord's Prayer, read in modern Greek pronunciation with a literal English translation below the Greek text.  The Koine (Common) Greek pronunciation would, of course, not be exactly the same as modern Greek.

Dr. James Blanton at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky (USA) demonstrated that the Koine was pronounced more similarly to modern Greek than to the Erasmian pronunciation which many academics use.  Dr. Blanton based this demonstration on misspellings in hand-copied Greek texts from the first few Christian centuries.

Since the texts were copied by men transcribing what was being read aloud from a master text, misspellings of words showed how many of the vowels had similar sounds and could be mistaken for one another by inexperienced scribes.  Since the pronunciation of some words was known for certain, the pronunciations of other words could be deduced.

The Lord's Prayer in Arabic

أبانا

أَبَانَا الذِي فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ، لِيُقَدَّسَ اسْمُكَ. لِيَأْتِ مَلَكُوتُكَ، لِتَكُنْ مَشِيئَتُكَ فِي الأَرْضِ كَمَا السَّمَاءِ. ارْزُقْنَا خُبْزَنَا كَفَافَ يَوْمِنَا، وَ اعْفُ عَنْ خَطَايَانَا، فَإِنَّنَا نَعْفُو عَمَّنْ يُخْطِئُونَ بِحَقِّنَا. لاَ تُعَرِّضْنَا لِلغِوَايَةِ، بَلْ نَجِّنَا مِنَ الشِّرِيرِ. فَ

Religious Place Names

Many place names have religious origins.  Here are a few of them.

Madras, India: from Arabic word “madrasa,” an Islamic religious school

Peshkopi, Albania: from the Greek word “episkope,”  “the eat of a bjshop”

Kilimanjaro (volcano), Tanzania: from the Swahili word “njaro,” meaning “god of gold.”

Omkareshwar, India: “om” is the Sanskrit word for the “holy sound.”

Saytan Sofrasi, Turkey:  This rock formation is named for Satan. 

Freedom of Religious Association

At his Religion Law Blog , British attorney Neil Addsion discusses the legal case, Fernandez-Martinez c. Espagne .  This is a case before the European s in which a Roman Catholic Religious Education teacher (Jose Antonio Fernandez Martinez) at a State school brought a lawsuit against a Roman Catholic bishop for his refusal to renew the teacher’s contract because the teacher was an advocate of “pro-optional celibacy.”

This is an interesting legal case which concerns the issues of freedom of religion and freedom of association for religious groups.  Similar issues are currently being hotly discussed in the United States over the issue of whether or not religious groups can be forced to provide for their employees insurance coverage for contraception and/or abortion.  A secondary issue in the United States is whether or not church-sponsored schools, health clinics, food ministries, etc. which are not directly “religious” in nature are also “church;” whether or not these institutions are also covered by the same freedoms and guarantees as are literal churches.

Laws from one nation are not directly applicable to another since each country or group of countries is autonomous, but rulings in one country can establish a precedent which can be taken into consideration in deliberations in another.

“ … the teacher was submitted to an increased obligation of loyalty because of the special nature of his position. …  The judgment is undoubtedly important in the sphere of Human Rights jurisprudence and could strengthen the position of Faith Schools in the UK in relation to ensuring that the conduct of teachers conforms to the beliefs of their religion.”  Neil Addison

Without approving or disapproving of the action of the bishop in this case or any other, it is clear that the real underlying issues are far more fundamental than they, at first, seem to be.

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.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

James Harrington: (b. 1847, England – d. 1885)  Anglican Bishop martyred in Buganda (Uganda) 1885 at the orders of King Mwanga II.

Mwanga II: (b. 1868, Buganda –d. 1903, Seychelles; aka: Danieri Bassammula-Ekkere Mwanga II Mukasa) Mwanga, the 31^st Kabaka of Buganda, ordered the assassination of Anglican Bishop James Harrington in 1885.  After a troubled rule, he was deposed in exile in 1897.  In 1899, he became a convert to the Anglican Church.

Frank Miller: (b. 1957, Maryland, USA)  Comic book writer and artist (300; The Dark Knight; Sin City), actor, film director, screenwriter. Roman Catholic.

Oz Fox: (b. 1961, California, USA; aka: Richard Alfonso Martinez) Vocalist and guitarist for the Christian hard-rock music group Stryper.

Karl Kmetko: Roman Catholic Bishop of Nitra, Slovakia in 1942. Kmetko favored the expulsion of Jews from Slovakia and their extermination by the Germans unless they converted to Christianity. 

Music Review: There Will Be a Light

I have said before that I am not really a follower of Gospel and Contemporary Christian music.  I am not familiar with the artists involved.

Recently a friend gave me a copy of the CD, “There Will Be a Light ,” by Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama .  The Blind Boys are a near-legendary gospel music group formed during the days of racial segregation in 1939 in Talladega, Alabama (USA) at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind.

For many years, the band performed in relative obscurity in local churches and auditoriums, growing in respect within the Black Gospel Music community.  Unlike many in the Christian music industry, the Blind Boys were willing to perform in venues not always explicitly Christian and to collaborate with other performers who were not all Christians.

Over the years the band has performed with Lou Reed, Timothy B. Schmidt, Randy Travis, Bonnie Raitt, Jars of Clay, Tom Petty, Peter Gabriel, Prince,  On the “There Will be Light” CD, they perform with the guitarist/singer Ben harper and his band, The Innocent Criminals.  The CD is clearly Gospel Music though Ben Harper is not a Christian.

It is, of course, naïve to think that everyone involved with the Christian music industry is a Christian.

There are eleven songs on the CD.  The music is a blues/country gospel mixture with many of the songs featuring Ben Harper’s slide guitar.  Jimmy Carter, one of the group’s founders (yes,  seventy-three years ago!) is still active with the group and performs the lead solo on “Satisfied Mind.”  “Mother Pray” will rip at your emotions, it certainly seems to be difficult for the lead singer.  My personal favorite is “Church House Steps.”

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