"The Pen is mightier than the sword" Might have been better written as "The document is mighteir than the sword". You may not have noticed but we are living in a world made of paper. Particularly those of us living in a bureaucracy like the UNITED STATES. Paper runs our lives. It the flesh and blood of our system. Legal documents of all kinds are its flesh and Federal Reserve Notes, known as dollars, are the current of blood in its veins. The GOV itself is nothing but a peice of paper. The orders that come from that GOV are paper. We have special type and fancy seals to make paper look more impressive. We even have special paper that makes paper secure thus making us secure.
Have you ever stopped to think about how much people stress over PAPER? I need to get my diploma paper. I need to send in my registration paper. I forgot my ID paper at home in my wallet. I need more money paper. I can't wait until Friday when I get my check paper. The most important advice today is "get it in writing". The CITY that you live in is only called a 'CITY' because it is 'INCORPORATED'. CORPORATIONS are nothing but peices of PAPER that are filed in the STATE. The STATE is also a CORPORATION. The UNITED STATES is also INCORPORATED.
The paper is mightier than the sword, for with it a PERSON can conrtol nations of people.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Who has got their rights... right?
I have been thinking a lot about rights lately and the government versus true freedom.
First off Benjamin Franklin once said:
“A nation of well informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins."
After I had thought about this I realized I could not think of my rights or if I had been well informed about them. Why doesn’t the educational system inform us? Why is it that we don't read more of these important US historical people’s actual writings in school? Before you read on, ask yourself "what rights has God given me?" Or if you don’t believe in God ask yourself if you have any rights that are guaranteed to you.
After thinking about it a while I remembered what the Declaration of Independence states:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Ok there you go our rights. But WAIT. What makes them so self evident? Why is it self-evident that 1)We are all created equal and 2)We have guaranteed rights? Why? Ask yourself. Pause and think about it. Says who?
Well, I am going to go about this from a non-theistic view and without the Bible; although it ultimately has to come back to it.
First, we are created equal. This has to be a given because no one can prove otherwise. Sure I can say that I am better than everyone else but that is only my opinion. I can say that Bob Dole should rule over us because he is very good at holding things in his hand evidenced by how he holds the pen all the time and therefore he would do well at holding a king’s scepter. But again this is only my opinion. I could enforce my opinion by holding a gun to your head. But when it comes down to it: who is worthy enough to choose the criteria? Birth lineage? So what? That is your opinion. They fight well and kill fast. So what? Intelligence? Who says that intelligence is the measure of one's worth? Strength? I am stronger than you? Health? Size? Length? We are all born and we shall all die and we are all made out of the same stuff. Equal. No one's opinion is better than anyone elses because it is human vs. human. "I have gathered all the genetic information and have found out that only blond haired and blue eyed people have perfect DNA." SO WHAT? I say a better measure of a perfect person would be how many times one can throw a 7 in a craps game.
So this brings us to “Why do we have rights that no one can take from us?” Well if we are equal; why can anyone force their ideas on you? Why should I enforce my idea of “You shouldn’t live anymore” on you? Only someone more than equal to you can decide that for you not me. If we are equal no one should be able to tell you what to do as long as it does not mess with anyone else’s rights.
But why do we allow the government to do it? This government that is supposed to be “by the people and for the people.” This government of which the founding fathers wanted to be VERY limited because they knew that a powerful government could become a tyrant. Why do we allow it to tell us what to do and when not to do it?
Why do we pay taxes though we are not sure where they go and why? Because of FEAR. We want to be safe from the IRS.
Why do we stop at the red light for minutes when there is clearly no one around? Because of FEAR. We want to be safe from the police.
Benjamin Franklin also said:
“Those who would sacrifice a little freedom for temporal safety deserve neither to be safe or free.”
Do you deserve to be free?
The Declaration of Independence goes onto say:
“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
WOW!!! That sounds fanatical.
First off Benjamin Franklin once said:
“A nation of well informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins."
After I had thought about this I realized I could not think of my rights or if I had been well informed about them. Why doesn’t the educational system inform us? Why is it that we don't read more of these important US historical people’s actual writings in school? Before you read on, ask yourself "what rights has God given me?" Or if you don’t believe in God ask yourself if you have any rights that are guaranteed to you.
After thinking about it a while I remembered what the Declaration of Independence states:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Ok there you go our rights. But WAIT. What makes them so self evident? Why is it self-evident that 1)We are all created equal and 2)We have guaranteed rights? Why? Ask yourself. Pause and think about it. Says who?
Well, I am going to go about this from a non-theistic view and without the Bible; although it ultimately has to come back to it.
First, we are created equal. This has to be a given because no one can prove otherwise. Sure I can say that I am better than everyone else but that is only my opinion. I can say that Bob Dole should rule over us because he is very good at holding things in his hand evidenced by how he holds the pen all the time and therefore he would do well at holding a king’s scepter. But again this is only my opinion. I could enforce my opinion by holding a gun to your head. But when it comes down to it: who is worthy enough to choose the criteria? Birth lineage? So what? That is your opinion. They fight well and kill fast. So what? Intelligence? Who says that intelligence is the measure of one's worth? Strength? I am stronger than you? Health? Size? Length? We are all born and we shall all die and we are all made out of the same stuff. Equal. No one's opinion is better than anyone elses because it is human vs. human. "I have gathered all the genetic information and have found out that only blond haired and blue eyed people have perfect DNA." SO WHAT? I say a better measure of a perfect person would be how many times one can throw a 7 in a craps game.
So this brings us to “Why do we have rights that no one can take from us?” Well if we are equal; why can anyone force their ideas on you? Why should I enforce my idea of “You shouldn’t live anymore” on you? Only someone more than equal to you can decide that for you not me. If we are equal no one should be able to tell you what to do as long as it does not mess with anyone else’s rights.
But why do we allow the government to do it? This government that is supposed to be “by the people and for the people.” This government of which the founding fathers wanted to be VERY limited because they knew that a powerful government could become a tyrant. Why do we allow it to tell us what to do and when not to do it?
Why do we pay taxes though we are not sure where they go and why? Because of FEAR. We want to be safe from the IRS.
Why do we stop at the red light for minutes when there is clearly no one around? Because of FEAR. We want to be safe from the police.
Benjamin Franklin also said:
“Those who would sacrifice a little freedom for temporal safety deserve neither to be safe or free.”
Do you deserve to be free?
The Declaration of Independence goes onto say:
“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
WOW!!! That sounds fanatical.
Friday, October 20, 2006
How to kill... your boredom
I was bored yesterday so I put on some gloves and a long coat and walked down to a nearby junk yard and inquired about a running vehicle. It did not have to be in top condition but enough to go and the faster the better. The ragged gentleman with poor eye site showed me a 1973 Chevrolet Caprice with busted windows. I asked him if I could take it for a spin. Sure enough he gave me the keys and said: "enjoy". Well, that is just what I was planning on doing. So I peeled out of the driveway and was on my way to kill my boredom.
My next stop was my friend's uncle's house. I knew he wasn't home and always kept the back door open. So I hopped out of the car, walked through the back gate and in through the back door. I was here to "borrow" a few of his guns; a pair of 9mm Berettas. I checked them to see if they were empty and then put them into my pants and left. My next stop was to the gun and ammo store where I bought blanks and a hunting outfit complete with face protection. I then went home to prepare to kill my boredom.
I put on my new outfit over my jeans and t-shirt. All except the face mask. I then loaded the 2 guns with blanks and put them into the pockets of my hunting outfit. For kicks I looked into my closet door mirror and uttered De Niro's "Are you looking at me?" I then put on my long concealing coat and walked out of my home and around the corner where I parked the Chevy. Before I got into my car I took my jacket off and put it into a bush. Got into the car and began my journey to kill my boredom.
I drove around like a mad man who didn't care about what happens to him in life. I had no respect for any 'law of the road'. I was free. I did all but put anyone's life endanger. I cautiously blew a few red lights and stop signs. I drove on side walks and did donuts in the middle of intersections. I caused quite a spectacle. However, I did not get pulled over for the longest time. This was my intention. I sped by the police station. This was exciting and caused my adrenaline to pump madly through my vain. But the police did not notice. After driving a while I became flustered and even pulled into the parking lot of the police station and did a burn-out right out of the drive-way. No response. I was asking for it. But I received nothing for my request. I could not kill my boredom.
Finally as I was beginning to lose interest in this whole thing I drove by a doughnut shop. Ironically enough, there were 3 cop cars parked in the parking lot with 5 policemen standing by their cars shooting the breeze while they sipped on their coffee. A grin sliced my face open as I pulled into the lot. I drove right up to them and yelled out the busted window with my face protection on: "Hey pigs! Want some donuts?" One of them spilt coffee all over him as I peeled-out and begun doing donuts in the parking lot. The cops stood there with their jaws dropped for what seemed like a hundred donuts. As soon as I saw them scramble to do something I peeled out of the drive way and down the road to kill my boredom.
The Chevy was going as fast as it could go down the highway. I was almost gone when the police started to pull out of the drive way with their lights on. I slowed a little for them to catch up just a little; just enough so they can keep me in view. The chase was on to kill my boredom.
I took them for a wild goose chase which lasted 15 minutes but to me felt a long time. I then decided to return the car. I had at least a block in between the cops and I. I pulled into the driveway like the mad man I was and fired a couple blanks in the air out of the passenger side window at the police. The blind ragged junk yard owner fell over on the chair in his booth. I then parked the car where it had been sitting for a long time and got out with my face mask on and a 9mm in each hand. I got out of the car and fired several shots at the police as they pulled into the yard. I then ran for the back of the yard; occasionally turning to fire a shot at the pursuing police. I then hopped a tall brick wall and into an alley. I ran down that alley as fast as I could. By the time I was almost at the end of the alley the cops were just over the brick wall. I then jumped over another wall into a backyard. The house was my friend's uncle's house. It was time to return the guns. I ran in through the back door and put the guns back were I found them; leaving them empty like I had taken them. I then ripped off my hunting gear and mask and as I left the front door I could hear the police fumbling in through the rigity back door. I ran long and hard down this street and that street then into my friend's house to say hello and then goodbye as I threw my hunting gear and mask at him and told him to put it behind the couch. I then jumped his back fence, reached into a bush and pulled out my long coat and strolled slowly into my home and but some water in the kettle to boil.
I hung up my coat, made a cup of chamomile and watched Oprah. A few hours later my friend called me on my cell. "What do you want me to do with this hunting gear?" he asked. I told him to go and kill his boredom.
My next stop was my friend's uncle's house. I knew he wasn't home and always kept the back door open. So I hopped out of the car, walked through the back gate and in through the back door. I was here to "borrow" a few of his guns; a pair of 9mm Berettas. I checked them to see if they were empty and then put them into my pants and left. My next stop was to the gun and ammo store where I bought blanks and a hunting outfit complete with face protection. I then went home to prepare to kill my boredom.
I put on my new outfit over my jeans and t-shirt. All except the face mask. I then loaded the 2 guns with blanks and put them into the pockets of my hunting outfit. For kicks I looked into my closet door mirror and uttered De Niro's "Are you looking at me?" I then put on my long concealing coat and walked out of my home and around the corner where I parked the Chevy. Before I got into my car I took my jacket off and put it into a bush. Got into the car and began my journey to kill my boredom.
I drove around like a mad man who didn't care about what happens to him in life. I had no respect for any 'law of the road'. I was free. I did all but put anyone's life endanger. I cautiously blew a few red lights and stop signs. I drove on side walks and did donuts in the middle of intersections. I caused quite a spectacle. However, I did not get pulled over for the longest time. This was my intention. I sped by the police station. This was exciting and caused my adrenaline to pump madly through my vain. But the police did not notice. After driving a while I became flustered and even pulled into the parking lot of the police station and did a burn-out right out of the drive-way. No response. I was asking for it. But I received nothing for my request. I could not kill my boredom.
Finally as I was beginning to lose interest in this whole thing I drove by a doughnut shop. Ironically enough, there were 3 cop cars parked in the parking lot with 5 policemen standing by their cars shooting the breeze while they sipped on their coffee. A grin sliced my face open as I pulled into the lot. I drove right up to them and yelled out the busted window with my face protection on: "Hey pigs! Want some donuts?" One of them spilt coffee all over him as I peeled-out and begun doing donuts in the parking lot. The cops stood there with their jaws dropped for what seemed like a hundred donuts. As soon as I saw them scramble to do something I peeled out of the drive way and down the road to kill my boredom.
The Chevy was going as fast as it could go down the highway. I was almost gone when the police started to pull out of the drive way with their lights on. I slowed a little for them to catch up just a little; just enough so they can keep me in view. The chase was on to kill my boredom.
I took them for a wild goose chase which lasted 15 minutes but to me felt a long time. I then decided to return the car. I had at least a block in between the cops and I. I pulled into the driveway like the mad man I was and fired a couple blanks in the air out of the passenger side window at the police. The blind ragged junk yard owner fell over on the chair in his booth. I then parked the car where it had been sitting for a long time and got out with my face mask on and a 9mm in each hand. I got out of the car and fired several shots at the police as they pulled into the yard. I then ran for the back of the yard; occasionally turning to fire a shot at the pursuing police. I then hopped a tall brick wall and into an alley. I ran down that alley as fast as I could. By the time I was almost at the end of the alley the cops were just over the brick wall. I then jumped over another wall into a backyard. The house was my friend's uncle's house. It was time to return the guns. I ran in through the back door and put the guns back were I found them; leaving them empty like I had taken them. I then ripped off my hunting gear and mask and as I left the front door I could hear the police fumbling in through the rigity back door. I ran long and hard down this street and that street then into my friend's house to say hello and then goodbye as I threw my hunting gear and mask at him and told him to put it behind the couch. I then jumped his back fence, reached into a bush and pulled out my long coat and strolled slowly into my home and but some water in the kettle to boil.
I hung up my coat, made a cup of chamomile and watched Oprah. A few hours later my friend called me on my cell. "What do you want me to do with this hunting gear?" he asked. I told him to go and kill his boredom.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Why I am not a Christian
Bertrand Russell once wrote an essay or book titled "Why I am not a Christian". I have not read that book. But from what I gather he talks about why it is not reasonable to be a Christian. I on the other hand think that it is completely rational to become a Christian. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who was given to die for our sins. I believe that the Bible is a/the holy book . So here I do not wish to discuss facts in so much as they concern the existence of God, Jesus being the Christ/messiah, or if Jesus is the one and only way to heaven. I believe these things. However, here I would like to explain why I no longer call myself a Christian.
I believe that a Christian is one who tries to follow Jesus' teaching the best they can. I say 'to the best they can' because I am not sure that anyone can do so perfectly; I am not sure if anyone can't. I am just not certain. I am also hesitant to say that anyone else is because I am unable to see their "heart" although I know a few people who are outstanding individuals who come very close.
My Story
Ever since I thought that I became a Christian, I have been constantly faced with parts of the Bible that challenge my sincerity; scripture that forces me to ask myself if I am truly a Christian. Key passages have been: Matthew 19:16-24, 22:17-21, 10:9-10,28-31, 5:2-10, 6:25-34. These I summarize into that last verse I referenced:
Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
I have tried but always fall short. I have tried letting go and letting Jesus. Or maybe I have always fooled myself to think that I was trying but I still alway help on to something else.
Early in my "Christian days" I have had this crazy idea that I ought to go away from everything and trust only in God. In times it seemed that this would be the only may I could cause myself to completely rely on God. I always dismissed this idea as some kind of "escapist" mentality that I have. However, if seemed that the more I read the Bible the more this idea grew in me. "I would go away and leave everything behind and not plan on coming back and if it was God's plan for me to come back I would" This idea was always there. When I read the Bible people like Moses, Joseph, Jonah, Paul and even Jesus would be prominent in my mind as people who left (willing or not) their lives; at least for a portion of their lives.
A few years ago the "idea" became a constant thought in my mind. I could not escape it. I began to think of ways to realize it. However, I was still afraid. I wasn't sure if I could trust God. I did not think of it in these terms. To say 'I didn't trust God' was to commit heresy. I finally picked a date; I would give God an opportunity to completely invade my life. I decided that the least thing I could do was to go to the airport (pre-9/11) and just sit there and pray and meditate on whatever. This way if God wanted to He could provide a means to change my life: a ticket to somewhere or someone to talk to who would rattle my mind with a new way of life or simply nothing would happen and I could see if the idea would become a memory. I don't need to go into detail because the date came and went. That day was a sad day for me. It was that day that I realized that I did not Love God. I could say that I loved God. I could sing songs and look at a sunset and feel some kind of affection for my Creator. I was thankful that He provided a sacrifice for my sins. Nonetheless, the truth of the matter was that after years of reading the Bible and praying and other things I did not Love God enough to just simply go to the airport.
After this event I would slowly lose my "Christian-ness". For a while I called it Christian liberty. Things were not as clear as they are now. Things still are not as clear as I want them to be. There was denial, confusion, depression, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts, purposelessness, etc. Some that still occur. Then I came to a realization which I talk about in the next section and after this realization I decided to STOP calling myself a Christian.
A Christian's Love
Jesus when He was talking to His disciple the night before He was to be killed said:
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." Jhn 13:34
So we have here that Jesus is giving a New Command. The first most interesting thing about this is that this New Command is that it gets almost no attention in most churches these days. It was a big deal when God gave the ten commandments and here Jesus adds one and hardly anyone blinks an eye or adds it to the list of commandments or replaces the old commandments with the new one. Nonetheless, this is not 'why I am not a Christian' so lets move on. Jesus is telling His followers that their new commandment is to love one another as HE loves them. Jesus not only died for them but He lived for them as well. He never turned them away. Even Judas who would betray Him, and who is probably sitting right there, Jesus did not turn away, even when Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him. After Jesus says this he qualifies the statement with:
"By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Jhn 13:35
Jesus tells His followers that all people will know if they are true followers (aka Christians) by whether they follow this commandment or not. Unfortunately this commandment seems all but lost in the church these days.
After more discussion, including:
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." Jhn 14:21
Jesus talks about this commandment again, but before He does He brings this commandment to a whole new level:
"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love." Jhn 15:9
So Jesus loves them the same way that the Father loves Him... Remember that. Ok next:
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and [that] your joy might be full." Jhn 15:10-11
Ok now He gives again, the new commandment:
"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you." Jhn 15:12
So if we use the rules of deduction (if a=b and b=c then a=c) We can translate this to mean:
This is my commandment, that you love one another, as God the Father loves Jesus. If that is not deep enough to think about for a few days lets continue. Jesus goes onto say:
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Jhn 15:13
Jesus commands His followers not only to love each other as God loves Him but that they would love each other so much that they would die for them. He says there is no greater love than this. So I think I can reasonably conclude that living for them and helping them to any extent would fall below this and would also be part of the commandment. Which would go onto my next topic of humility and not considering yourself greater than your "brother". However we are not done here.
After Jesus is done with talking to His disciples, John gives us an intimate insight into the prayer life of Jesus and what He prays for is those who believe in Him and those who will believe in Him. And He says something that could probably be used as the biggest weapon against the current church and possibly to the authenticity of Jesus Himself:
"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:" Jhn 17:21-22
What I gather from this is that if those who claim to follow Jesus are one than this is a proof that Jesus has been sent by God into the world. I don't want to elaborate too much because this is not a reason 'why I am not a Christian' However, I do believe it is a valid complaint. My answer to such a complaint would be that those who do not have a unifying spirit are not truly Christian and I would refer you back to Jhn 13:35 where Jesus specifies that His true followers are those who keep the new commandment.
Jesus goes on to say something that is quite mind boggling; and considering it is not far from the new commandment just given, it is very interesting.
"I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." Jhn 17:23
If we take this to be: God loves us the same way He loves Jesus and if we consider that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" Jhn 3:16 Then we can take "This is my commandment, that you love one another, as God the Father loves Jesus", which I reasoned earlier and put in our new piece of information we could reasonably translate Jesus' new commandment to be : love one another, as God loves you that He would not even withhold His Son's life for your sins.
This is by all means a supernatural love and only a love that God could instill in someone. Would I give my Son's life for some one's sins? I look within myself and I do not think I can do such a thing. This is just being completely honest. And this is why I am not a Christian. We could have stopped at the first verse with Jesus giving us the new commandment of "love each other the way Jesus loves you; that He would die for you" and I don't know if I could meet up to that. And if a lot of other people who call themselves "Christian" would really ask them if they meet up to this criteria of being a Christian; I think that they too would no longer call themselves Christian.
Nonetheless, I hope that one day God would be so merciful to bless me with this kind of love.
To be continued?
I believe that a Christian is one who tries to follow Jesus' teaching the best they can. I say 'to the best they can' because I am not sure that anyone can do so perfectly; I am not sure if anyone can't. I am just not certain. I am also hesitant to say that anyone else is because I am unable to see their "heart" although I know a few people who are outstanding individuals who come very close.
My Story
Ever since I thought that I became a Christian, I have been constantly faced with parts of the Bible that challenge my sincerity; scripture that forces me to ask myself if I am truly a Christian. Key passages have been: Matthew 19:16-24, 22:17-21, 10:9-10,28-31, 5:2-10, 6:25-34. These I summarize into that last verse I referenced:
Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
I have tried but always fall short. I have tried letting go and letting Jesus. Or maybe I have always fooled myself to think that I was trying but I still alway help on to something else.
Early in my "Christian days" I have had this crazy idea that I ought to go away from everything and trust only in God. In times it seemed that this would be the only may I could cause myself to completely rely on God. I always dismissed this idea as some kind of "escapist" mentality that I have. However, if seemed that the more I read the Bible the more this idea grew in me. "I would go away and leave everything behind and not plan on coming back and if it was God's plan for me to come back I would" This idea was always there. When I read the Bible people like Moses, Joseph, Jonah, Paul and even Jesus would be prominent in my mind as people who left (willing or not) their lives; at least for a portion of their lives.
A few years ago the "idea" became a constant thought in my mind. I could not escape it. I began to think of ways to realize it. However, I was still afraid. I wasn't sure if I could trust God. I did not think of it in these terms. To say 'I didn't trust God' was to commit heresy. I finally picked a date; I would give God an opportunity to completely invade my life. I decided that the least thing I could do was to go to the airport (pre-9/11) and just sit there and pray and meditate on whatever. This way if God wanted to He could provide a means to change my life: a ticket to somewhere or someone to talk to who would rattle my mind with a new way of life or simply nothing would happen and I could see if the idea would become a memory. I don't need to go into detail because the date came and went. That day was a sad day for me. It was that day that I realized that I did not Love God. I could say that I loved God. I could sing songs and look at a sunset and feel some kind of affection for my Creator. I was thankful that He provided a sacrifice for my sins. Nonetheless, the truth of the matter was that after years of reading the Bible and praying and other things I did not Love God enough to just simply go to the airport.
After this event I would slowly lose my "Christian-ness". For a while I called it Christian liberty. Things were not as clear as they are now. Things still are not as clear as I want them to be. There was denial, confusion, depression, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts, purposelessness, etc. Some that still occur. Then I came to a realization which I talk about in the next section and after this realization I decided to STOP calling myself a Christian.
A Christian's Love
Jesus when He was talking to His disciple the night before He was to be killed said:
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." Jhn 13:34
So we have here that Jesus is giving a New Command. The first most interesting thing about this is that this New Command is that it gets almost no attention in most churches these days. It was a big deal when God gave the ten commandments and here Jesus adds one and hardly anyone blinks an eye or adds it to the list of commandments or replaces the old commandments with the new one. Nonetheless, this is not 'why I am not a Christian' so lets move on. Jesus is telling His followers that their new commandment is to love one another as HE loves them. Jesus not only died for them but He lived for them as well. He never turned them away. Even Judas who would betray Him, and who is probably sitting right there, Jesus did not turn away, even when Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him. After Jesus says this he qualifies the statement with:
"By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Jhn 13:35
Jesus tells His followers that all people will know if they are true followers (aka Christians) by whether they follow this commandment or not. Unfortunately this commandment seems all but lost in the church these days.
After more discussion, including:
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." Jhn 14:21
Jesus talks about this commandment again, but before He does He brings this commandment to a whole new level:
"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love." Jhn 15:9
So Jesus loves them the same way that the Father loves Him... Remember that. Ok next:
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and [that] your joy might be full." Jhn 15:10-11
Ok now He gives again, the new commandment:
"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you." Jhn 15:12
So if we use the rules of deduction (if a=b and b=c then a=c) We can translate this to mean:
This is my commandment, that you love one another, as God the Father loves Jesus. If that is not deep enough to think about for a few days lets continue. Jesus goes onto say:
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Jhn 15:13
Jesus commands His followers not only to love each other as God loves Him but that they would love each other so much that they would die for them. He says there is no greater love than this. So I think I can reasonably conclude that living for them and helping them to any extent would fall below this and would also be part of the commandment. Which would go onto my next topic of humility and not considering yourself greater than your "brother". However we are not done here.
After Jesus is done with talking to His disciples, John gives us an intimate insight into the prayer life of Jesus and what He prays for is those who believe in Him and those who will believe in Him. And He says something that could probably be used as the biggest weapon against the current church and possibly to the authenticity of Jesus Himself:
"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:" Jhn 17:21-22
What I gather from this is that if those who claim to follow Jesus are one than this is a proof that Jesus has been sent by God into the world. I don't want to elaborate too much because this is not a reason 'why I am not a Christian' However, I do believe it is a valid complaint. My answer to such a complaint would be that those who do not have a unifying spirit are not truly Christian and I would refer you back to Jhn 13:35 where Jesus specifies that His true followers are those who keep the new commandment.
Jesus goes on to say something that is quite mind boggling; and considering it is not far from the new commandment just given, it is very interesting.
"I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." Jhn 17:23
If we take this to be: God loves us the same way He loves Jesus and if we consider that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" Jhn 3:16 Then we can take "This is my commandment, that you love one another, as God the Father loves Jesus", which I reasoned earlier and put in our new piece of information we could reasonably translate Jesus' new commandment to be : love one another, as God loves you that He would not even withhold His Son's life for your sins.
This is by all means a supernatural love and only a love that God could instill in someone. Would I give my Son's life for some one's sins? I look within myself and I do not think I can do such a thing. This is just being completely honest. And this is why I am not a Christian. We could have stopped at the first verse with Jesus giving us the new commandment of "love each other the way Jesus loves you; that He would die for you" and I don't know if I could meet up to that. And if a lot of other people who call themselves "Christian" would really ask them if they meet up to this criteria of being a Christian; I think that they too would no longer call themselves Christian.
Nonetheless, I hope that one day God would be so merciful to bless me with this kind of love.
To be continued?
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Right to Remain Silent
If you didn't know it, most of what you say when a "police officer" pulls you over is what gets you in to trouble. I am highly considering the "Right to Remain Silent" as an act of getting away from citations and other things. If I were to sincerely follow my conscience and not allow my fear to take over I would present a card, similar to the one displayed here, the next time I am pulled over along with the phone number to a friend who has read the book "The Right to Travel" maybe a member of the yahoo group "No-Drivers-License" and is some what familiar with the concept of inalienable rights. This way a friend who is not
as effected by the situation and is more calm being removed from the situation can tell the officer everything that you want to say. And if they screw up you can always deny what they said as binding for you.Or I think the next time I have the bright flashing lights on me I may react the same way I would react to any person with a gun I perceive to be unsafe. According to the supreme court you have the right to protect your personal liberty the same way you would protect your life because 'your life is not worth living if you don't have liberty'. And anytime you are being pulled over you are being forced to give up your liberty of travel, in most cases without a justified cause. I think calling 911 would be a good option and at least get a Sergeant out to you and then stop at a gas station where you have lights, cameras and spectators all for your safety (in case by this point they want to beat you) and for witnesses. Then I would also pull the "Right to Remain Silent". This way they have to do everything by the book with their superior there. If I were asked to step out of the vehicle I might ignore that or reply with "I am sorry I am not sure if I understand what you are asking nor do I feel competent to obey since I am not very familiar with what you mean by the legal term vehicle; nor am I sure that I am in a vehicle being that I travel in a vessel." By this point if they don't have a warrant and have not confirmed that you have waived your rights via the "Driver's License", they have to have you do everything voluntarily, and if you don't want to volunteer your money or your time or effort; I predict they would let you go if you haven't done anything to serious because they rather not waste their time. In addition I would hope to have some kind of audio recorder so I can record everything for evidence later. Hopefully I would also have a witness with me.
DRIVE SAFELY... whatever that means :)
"Right to Travel" a book on why you don't need to register your car or get a license backed by supreme court decisions can be found at the Law Research Group's web page at http://www.lawresearchgroup.com/cart/product.php?productid=77&cat=1&page=5
The No Drivers License group on yahoo discusses issues concerning this very thing. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/No-Drivers-License/
Friday, September 22, 2006
My Fake World
Look around you. Count the things around you that are not manufactured. I can count one thing and that is my hands. Everything else around me was manufactured for profit. Most of it probably made by a corporation. Some of it made by cheap labor in some 3rd world country. Have you ever stopped and wondered how much of the world around you is manufactured? Even driving down the street, or walking, much of what you see is made for profit. Even the trees that are growing, most of them grown and planted for profit... engineered. Even our food these days are altered. We are in a type of Matrix (reference to the idea in the movie). Mostly dominated by corporations who only care about profits, not actual people. Our world is fake. At least in the United States. Am I wrong? What is real?
Saturday, September 16, 2006
THE UNITED STATE
state - a politically organized body of people under a single government
The way this country was intended to be was that the national gov't would have very little effect in the people's lives. The individual states would decide by themselves how to govern the people; which in turn was decided by the people.
However, in case you haven't noticed. The National Gov't is very much in our lives. I wonder how much longer we will be the United States of America. I wonder how long it will be until this country will be called The United State of America.
It is interesting to read books like 1984, Animal Farm, and Farenheit 451. To see movies like V for Vendetta and the Matrix. How long until our people are so dumbed down and lazy that they can't do anything about their gov't.
Look at obesity in america. Do you think we can stand up to the gov't? Did you know that obesity contributes to a sleeping disorder called sleep apnea? This disorder limits air to the brain and cause people to not get enough sleep even though they are in bed more than 8 hours. This contributes to poor brain function and memory problems
Funny how we see the dumbing down of the schools. Combine this with the obesity problem among kids. Then add the sleep apnea from the obesity. Next we have kids who hate to read or do any type of intellectual activity. Most kids rather watch TV or play video games. Not that these activities are bad in and of themselves; but it is the type of programing that the youth is into. The next generation will not care about how the gov't is run.
The youth isn't the only problem. Look at the media. Oh man! Are there only 2 veiws to everything? Right and left?
Why was "UNITED WE STAND" such a big slogan. No one remembered the rest of that slogan; "DIVIDED WE FALL". Union is very important and so is diversity; but not division. If we are so opposed to each other that we can't accept each other we get no where.
So what am I getting at? Keep our liberty! As long as you don't kill anyone, take away anyone's rights and do not steal from them I don't care what you do. Get the gov't out of my face and keep your grubby hands out of my pockets and away from my rights.
Rights are not given by a peice of paper. The Constitution is there to protect our rights... not give them to you. We are born with rights. Not given rights.
The way this country was intended to be was that the national gov't would have very little effect in the people's lives. The individual states would decide by themselves how to govern the people; which in turn was decided by the people.
However, in case you haven't noticed. The National Gov't is very much in our lives. I wonder how much longer we will be the United States of America. I wonder how long it will be until this country will be called The United State of America.
It is interesting to read books like 1984, Animal Farm, and Farenheit 451. To see movies like V for Vendetta and the Matrix. How long until our people are so dumbed down and lazy that they can't do anything about their gov't.
Look at obesity in america. Do you think we can stand up to the gov't? Did you know that obesity contributes to a sleeping disorder called sleep apnea? This disorder limits air to the brain and cause people to not get enough sleep even though they are in bed more than 8 hours. This contributes to poor brain function and memory problems
Funny how we see the dumbing down of the schools. Combine this with the obesity problem among kids. Then add the sleep apnea from the obesity. Next we have kids who hate to read or do any type of intellectual activity. Most kids rather watch TV or play video games. Not that these activities are bad in and of themselves; but it is the type of programing that the youth is into. The next generation will not care about how the gov't is run.
The youth isn't the only problem. Look at the media. Oh man! Are there only 2 veiws to everything? Right and left?
Why was "UNITED WE STAND" such a big slogan. No one remembered the rest of that slogan; "DIVIDED WE FALL". Union is very important and so is diversity; but not division. If we are so opposed to each other that we can't accept each other we get no where.
So what am I getting at? Keep our liberty! As long as you don't kill anyone, take away anyone's rights and do not steal from them I don't care what you do. Get the gov't out of my face and keep your grubby hands out of my pockets and away from my rights.
Rights are not given by a peice of paper. The Constitution is there to protect our rights... not give them to you. We are born with rights. Not given rights.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Look in the sky its a bomber... a suicide bomber?
Lately I have a new found sympathy for suicide bombers. Just like any one who is suicidal I think these people are just REALLY desperate. Of course I can't know for sure. But one thing I think is that if they were happy they probably wouldn't kill themselves for anything. I think that these people are really upset and they probably have good reasons to be upset. I was watching a video on the middle east the other day... Specifically it was about the Palestinian Israeli conflict. And after seeing the condition that many of the Palestinians are being forced to live in; I became sympathetic. If someone were to bull-doze my house and then every day I could not freely travel to work then have some close family members killed or maybe a child of mine or my spouse. Hmmmm hell yeah give me some C4 because I may feel I have nothing else to live for and if I become one of many bombers these jerks actually my leave my people alone when they realize that this problem is not going to go away by their opprestion. You have seen the news. These people throw rocks because they don't have descent weapons.
Don't get me wrong. I think that murder in all cases is probably wrong. But I can see how some one can get to this point. Its not like they can join what we think of as a conventional military jump in a jet and hash it out that way. Let alone suicide bombing a military base. Although, that would be quite interesting. Load a few of these guys in a crop duster and have them leap out onto the base. Maybe they would not get the bad press if they tried this route.
Don't get me wrong. I think that murder in all cases is probably wrong. But I can see how some one can get to this point. Its not like they can join what we think of as a conventional military jump in a jet and hash it out that way. Let alone suicide bombing a military base. Although, that would be quite interesting. Load a few of these guys in a crop duster and have them leap out onto the base. Maybe they would not get the bad press if they tried this route.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
yahooshua.com
Appearantly if you downlod the blogger extension for Firefox you can find all kinds of posts about different websites. And add comments about different websites. So here is my comment about my site.Enjoy my website. I will try to make it interesting some how.
Read more at www.yahooshua.com/
Read more at yahooshua.googlepages.com
First blog?
What to write for my first blog? It seems odd to me to write to much detail about me personally here. It seems that if I did then it would be a voluntary waiver of my right to privacy. Anyway, just thought.
So just a disclaimer here in case anyone were to ever try and use anything I write here against me in anyway. Those "legal" people know what I am talking about.
So just a disclaimer here in case anyone were to ever try and use anything I write here against me in anyway. Those "legal" people know what I am talking about.
***Disclaimer***
The views expressed here may not necessarily be the views of the author. The author may be writing fiction or counter positions just as means of "thought exercise". If a "Government official" were ever to bring anything I write here as evidence against me in court it will be recognized as fiction and nothing more. With that being said GO SHOOT SOME ONE and tell them I sent you. (example of fiction. I don't actually condone murder or shooting people... in most instances anyway... or do I?)
So I have decided to be more active with my blogging. I have heard that it helps to make you more intellectual. Or its good thought exercise or something. Not that it is necessary to blog about important things. But to just write your thoughts is supposed to be healthy. Even if it is non-sense. So here begins my non-sense and maybe some things that make sense. Hopefully something else that will make cents. hehe. UMMMMM so with this I start my blog. I think my next I will write a fiction as a suicide bomber.
The views expressed here may not necessarily be the views of the author. The author may be writing fiction or counter positions just as means of "thought exercise". If a "Government official" were ever to bring anything I write here as evidence against me in court it will be recognized as fiction and nothing more. With that being said GO SHOOT SOME ONE and tell them I sent you. (example of fiction. I don't actually condone murder or shooting people... in most instances anyway... or do I?)
So I have decided to be more active with my blogging. I have heard that it helps to make you more intellectual. Or its good thought exercise or something. Not that it is necessary to blog about important things. But to just write your thoughts is supposed to be healthy. Even if it is non-sense. So here begins my non-sense and maybe some things that make sense. Hopefully something else that will make cents. hehe. UMMMMM so with this I start my blog. I think my next I will write a fiction as a suicide bomber.
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