A Flower Vase on a Grave

As my wife and I drove away from a recent visit to her parent’s graves, I saw, in the corner of my eye, another couple standing by a grave.  The man looked around to see if he was being watched and then walked over to another grave.  From that grave, the man took a flower vase and placed it on the grave his wife was viewing.

Besides being petty theft, this was an insult to the person from whose grave the vase was removed. I also believe that it was an insult to the person on whose grave the stolen vase was placed. It was as if the man thought so little of them that he would rather use a stolen vase and flowers rather than purchase some of his own.  

I am sure that this man thought this was a negligible act, not worthy of a thought.  This was an intentional act, but even unintentional sins are still sins and the wages of sin is death.  How wonderful it is that Jesus has washed His people clean.

“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10

“And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.” Leviticus 5:17

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

Predictive Text Technology Threatens Chinese Ideography

An recent article in the USA Today newspaper talks about how the use of cell phones and computers with predictive text technology is causing a degradation in the ability of Chinese users to write the traditional Chinese language ideographic symbols. Many say that the technology causes the user to become fast but inaccurate.

Modern cell phones and word processors use predictive text technology in which one key or button represents many letters or characters. When the user enters a key or button, the program chooses the most likely next letter or character (a “prediction”). The next entry results in a smaller set of possible letters or characters based on the first two entries. As more keys or buttons are entered, the predicted text becomes increasingly likely. (Google and other search engines use predictive algorithms of words instead of letters to hone in on your desired search subject as you type in your request).

Predictive text technology as applied to the Chinese language makes use of the pinyin writing system. Written Chinese is an ideographic system rather than an alphabetic system. Alphabetic writing systems  represent sounds by using a set of distinct letter symbols. Ideographic writing systems use symbols to represent ideas or concepts. Alphabetic writing systems are much more compact and flexible than ideographic systems and are able to incorporate foreign or “loan” words much more easily.

Alphabetic writing systems (and the number of letters used by each) include English (26), German (26), French (26), Italian (21), Arabic (28), Urdu (38), Korean (24), Spanish (29), Russian (33), Greek (24), Vietnamese (30), and Hindi (46). In contrast, knowledge of 4000 characters is necessary to achieve functional literacy in written Chinese.

Chinese predictive text programs used in cell phones and word processors make use of the pinyin system which they “translate” into Chinese characters. Pinyin is the official phonetic system for transcribing the sound of Chinese characters into Latin script in China, Taiwan, and Singapore. An example: 北京 is represented in pinyin as Běijīng, which, in English is rendered as Beijing. In the older Wade-Giles system this was presented as Peking.

Some Chinese have become concerned that as the digital predictive text technology proliferates, traditional Chinese calligraphic script will fade away. That process has probably already begun with pinyin eventually being the victor. This is a sad phenomenon because written Chinese is visually beautiful, but it is probably inevitable at some time in the future

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/november/chinese-typewriter-historian-112812.html

http://www.lastwordonnothing.com/2013/01/04/5218/

To demonstrate the beauty and the complexity of the written Chinese, see the following quotation from Acts 28:31, the verse from which this blog takes its theme.

“Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.”

In the Greek, the final word of this verse is ἀκωλύτως, “unhindered,” hence, “Saints On the Loose!”

Acts 28:31 in the Simplified Chinese characters:

宣布神的国度，并教导有关主耶稣基督 - 所有的他勇气和！不受阻碍

Acts 28:31 in the Traditional Chinese characters:

他宣布神的國度，並教導有關主耶穌基督 - 所有的勇氣和不受阻礙

Acts 28:31 in Pinyin transliteration:

fang4dan3 chuan2/zhuan4 jiang3 shen2 guo2 de* dao4 , jiang1/4/qiang1 ye1su1 ji1du1 de* shi4 jiao4dao3 ren2 , bing1/4 mei2you3 ren2 jin4zhi3

Why I Sometimes Post Shocking Things on This Blog

Some web pages and sources referenced on this blog may shock you. Some may contain profanity, hostile attitudes, offensive images, and other disturbing elements. As Christians, we need to know about these things.  It is short-sighted to be like the proverbial ostrich and “hide our heads in the sand.” (See the note at the end of this post.)

 

I never edit sources which I quote here because I believe we are all big boys and girls.  Jesus said, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16)

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Ostriches do not actually bury their heads in the sand. http://www.ostriches.org/factor.html#head

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

Rene Joseph Letourneau: (b. 1929, Massachusetts, USA – d. 2013) Korean War veteran. Alabama Bowlers Hall of Fame. Roman Catholic.

John Brown: (b. 1763, Ireland – d. 1842) Presbyterian minister.  President of the University of Georgia (USA) from 18111-1816.

Johann Valentin Andreae: (b. 1586, Germany - d. 1654: aka: Johannes Valentinus Andeaea)  Author of Christianopolis (1619), a novel about a democratic utopian society governed by scholars and artisans.  He became interested in esoterics and the occult and was involved in the foundation of Rosicrucianism.

Zewditu I: (b. 1876, Ethiopia –d. 1930; aka: Askala Maryam; Queen of Kings) Daughter of Meneiik II of Ethiopia, Empress of Ethiopia 1916-1930.  She was known to be intensely devout. Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo.

Angela Dorothea Kasner Merkel: (b. 1954, West Germany)  Chancellor of Germany 1994-1998.  Lutheran.

What They Think of Us: Curt Cobain and Nirvana

Shortly before he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head, Kurt Cobain (1967-1994) and his band Nirvana, performed this song, Lake of Fire.  Nirvana was an extremely popular band and sold over 75 million record albums worldwide.

Lake of Fire Lyrics:

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/nirvana/lakeoffire.html

Lake of Fire was originally released by a band called The Meat Puppets.  The most common definition for a meat puppet is someone who is controlled by someone else, having no will of their own.

There have been various attempts to explain the meaning of Lake of Fire.  Obviously, the possibility exists that the song has no meaning at all, but that is not likely. Some say that it is political (anti-military), or that Cobain was thinking about his own death, or that he was having stirrings of religious feelings, or that the song is a reference to drug use.  My personal opinion is that of drug use since one obscure meaning of “fry” is to be under the influence of drugs.  After his suicide, Cobain’s body was found to contain the following drugs: marijuana, LSD, heroin, alcolhol, rohypnol, and diazepam.

Cobain clearly expressed his feelings toward Christianity when he performed Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam, a song written by the Scottish rock band, The Vaselines.  The band has no connection to the Vaseline product. Vaseline is a petroleum jelly product used as a lubricant and a moisture insulator for skin conditions such as rashes, cuts, and burns.

Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam Lyrics:

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Jesus-Doesn't-want-Me-for-a-Sunbeam-lyrics-Nirvana/69C03466661F04E24825682D0003753F

Film Comment: The Phantom of the Paradise

At the grocery store I recently heard a little ten year old girl tell a woman, “When I’m twenty, I’m going to be rich.  I’m going to be an actress and a model.”  The child was quite serious, not realizing the near impossibility of her goal.  She certainly was unaware of the many compromises that people are willing to make to reach such a goal.

The Phantom of the Paradise (1974) is a highly exaggerated and stylized expression of the quest for success at any price.  The film incorporates influences, to name a few, from Faust, The Phantom of the Opera, The Cabinet of Dr, Caligari, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Psycho.

The film concerns a music producer who has sold his soul to the devil, a drug-addled mindless rock star who is complicit in the evil contract, and a mutilated and vengeful music composer.  The film is violent and bloody and all about success at any price. “He sold his soul for rock n’ roll.”

How much are you willing to sacrifice for your goals?  Are your goals worthy goals?

A Milestone

This blog has just gone over 100,000 page views.