negative entropy

Google Is Your Friend Nightline

noreply@blogger.com (k1) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:08:00 +0000

ABC Primetime Nightline aired a program last night called “Psychic Power” which featured the JREF and Banachek. I was overall very pleased with the program, except for the very end when psychic Rebecca Rosen gave journalist David Wright a reading. Although he says he is “someone who’s naturally and professionally inclined to be skeptical,” he is anything but skeptical. Watching this reading she was spot on about a good deal of personal info, and according to David “these are details that don’t pop up on google.” Oh Really! Well let’s look at some of these details that couldn’t possible have been found on the internet.

Rebecca Rosen begins by saying she is getting an Ann or Anna, at which point David Wright feeds her that Deanna is his mother. Rebecca knows she has passed away and that David Wright is a father. She then goes onto to say there is a connection between his child and his mother. At this point David says over the video that he has a daughter named Deanna after his mom. Next she says she is supposed to talk about a four leaf clover. Surprise, David’s wife is Irish. She also talks about the name Victor, and David jumps in that his wife’s name is Victoria.

So is any of this stuff found on google? Why yes, yes it is. I found within 10 minutes of seach this New York Times article featuring David Wright's marriage to Victoria Brannigan. Almost everything is in this article. His mother’s name, his wife’s name, her being Irish. But how did she know about his children and a connection, well this article gives his first daughters name. I spent 15 minutes this morning searching and found all this information. So in conclusion, ABC feel free to hire me. It seems I can do basic google searches way better than your journalists. kthxbai!
You can see the episode here.
And in honor of the rainbow she mentioned that magically came true I wanted to add this video :)

The End is Near...Again!

noreply@blogger.com (j) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 22:28:00 +0000

A new billboard is gracing the space at the corner of Morse Road and Cleveland Avenue. For some reason, that corner is a favorite for evangelical advertisements. This one directs travelers to FamilyRadio.com, a Christian radio station run by Harold Camping. Camping, a former civil engineer-turned-self-described-biblical scholar, says he knows the exact date when Jesus is going to return and has undertaken a media campaign to warn the rest of us to be ready.

Hmmmmm. I'm experiencing a strange case of déjà vu...

On Sept. 6, 1994, dozens of Camping's believers gathered inside Alameda's Veterans Memorial Building to await the return of Christ, an event Camping had promised for two years. Followers dressed children in their Sunday best and held Bibles open-faced toward heaven.

September 6, 1994. That was just 16 years ago. He was wrong.

But the world did not end. Camping allowed that he may have made a mathematical error. He spent the next decade running new calculations, as well as overseeing a media company that has grown significantly in size and reach.

Well played, Harold Camping. He didn't lose any followers over his wrong prophecy either.

Employees at the Oakland office run printing presses that publish Camping's pamphlets and books, and some wear T-shirts that read, "May 21, 2011." They're happy to talk about the day they believe their souls will be retrieved by Christ.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Ted Solomon, 60, who started listening to Camping in 1997. He's worked at Family Radio since 2004, making sure international translators properly dictate Camping's sermons.

Do you see that? Mr. Solomon started listening to Camping 3 years after Camping's failed prediction, and he still believes that Camping is right this time. He's not the only one.

Rick LaCasse, who attended the September 1994 service in Alameda, said that 15 years later, his faith in Camping has only strengthened.

"Evidently, he was wrong," LaCasse allowed, "but this time it is going to happen. There was some doubt last time, but we didn't have any proofs. This time we do."

Are you kidding me?

Okay, J, don't be so cynical. Let's take a look at Camping's iron-clad mathematical proof before completely dismissing him.

The number 5, Camping concluded, equals "atonement." Ten is "completeness." Seventeen means "heaven." Camping patiently explained how he reached his conclusion for May 21, 2011.

"Christ hung on the cross April 1, 33 A.D.," he began. "Now go to April 1 of 2011 A.D., and that's 1,978 years."

Camping then multiplied 1,978 by 365.2422 days - the number of days in each solar year, not to be confused with a calendar year.

Next, Camping noted that April 1 to May 21 encompasses 51 days. Add 51 to the sum of previous multiplication total, and it equals 722,500.

Camping realized that (5 x 10 x 17) x (5 x 10 x 17) = 722,500.

Or put into words: (Atonement x Completeness x Heaven), squared.

"Five times 10 times 17 is telling you a story," Camping said. "It's the story from the time Christ made payment for your sins until you're completely saved.

"I tell ya, I just about fell off my chair when I realized that," Camping said.

I have...no words.

Well, surely Camping will lose followers when we all wake up on May 22nd and the world continues to turn. Right?

Would his opinion of Camping change if May 21, 2011, ended without incident?

"I can't even think like that," LaCasse said. "Everything is too positive right now. There's too little time to think like that."

Allow me to go on record and make two predictions of my own.

When absolutely nothing happens on May 21st, Camping will have two options: He will either say that he and his followers prayed to their God and that He decided in his infinite love and mercy to allow us all a little more time on Earth (to repent, of course), or he will say that he made another mathematical error and will spend the next decade crunching more numbers while his broadcasting network continues to grow. And that, my dear readers, is what end-of-the-world prophecies are really all about.

The countdown is on. ;)

Geektastic Christmas Gift

noreply@blogger.com (k1) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:25:00 +0000

You have all seen the various geeky Christmas gift round ups in the blogosphere this time of year, but I am pretty sure most of you haven't seen these awesomely geektastic candy molds that would make excellent gifts this holiday season...

Our very own k2.0 has made these, and other geeky candy molds, available for sale on her etsy store. Check her them out at http://www.etsy.com/shop/blackpixel and get 10% off if you enter the coupon code: negativentropy

An Afternoon with Three Luminary Astronauts

noreply@blogger.com (j) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 21:55:00 +0000

K1 and I attended The Future of Human Space Exploration, a panel discussion held at COSI on November 21st. The panel featured Senator John Glenn, Dr. Harrison Schmitt, and Dr. John Grunsfeld.

The three gentlemen talked about their training and the roles they each played in the Mercury, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs. They also talked about the need for better science education in this country. "If we're not number one in education and number one in research," said Senator Glenn, "we will fall behind the rest of the world." All three lamented NASA's lack of funding and the retirement of the space shuttle program. Senator Glenn pointed out that without a shuttle program, the United States will have no heavy-life vehicle available, and we will have to rely on Soyuz, the Russian spacecraft, to get equipment and astronauts to the International Space Station if we are keep an American presence in space.

"Humans go to places that we don't belong, and we thrive," said Grunsfeld. That was both mine and K1's favorite quote of the afternoon. The quest for knowledge. Pushing the limit. That is what space exploration is all about. We now have the International Space Station, which is the most unique natural laboratory available. With the ISS, Hubble, and in 2014, The James Webb Space Telescope, we are in a position to make some interesting discoveries that will directly benefit life on Earth and will also push our knowledge of the universe farther than ever before. As long as we have people like Senator Glenn, Dr. Schmitt, Dr. Grunsfeld, and the many, many astronauts and engineers at NASA who are invested in space exploration, we will continue to do just that, but only if they are given the funding and resources they need.

A Bit Of A Favor

noreply@blogger.com (k1) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 01:50:00 +0000

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry? Black Friday. I just wanted to ask that if you are shopping at Amazon or Thinkgeek to consider shopping through our blog, just click on the the links located to the right. We receive cash back on all purchases through our links, and that money helps us do more experiments and *hopefully* get us to Dragon*Con next year.

My Thoughts on “A Night at the Meadery” with CORI

noreply@blogger.com (k1) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 19:22:00 +0000

**Jason Smith is a friend of the blog and offered to write up a review of the latest CORI drinking skeptically. It was at Brothers Drake, a local meadery...mmmmm mead!**

First of all, let me say how deeply honored I am at having my first blog post (ever) featured on Negative Entropy. I greatly enjoy the writing style on this blog, and hope I don’t stink up the joint too badly with mine. But enough self-depreciation… On with the review!

I was one of the first two people there (‘cos, duh, there was alcohol involved) so I got to fully enjoy the splendor of the spread they laid out for us. Lots of food awaited us as we walked in the door. Chocolate, crackers, biscotti-type stuff, and some of the best Sharp Cheddar I’d ever had. We were greeted rather enthusiastically by Oron, Eric, and Sarah, and I could tell we were in for a fun evening.

We were informed that we would have the opportunity to sample six – count ‘em: 6! – meads for the wonderfully low price of $4, which pleased us right away. I will give my personal opinions on them at the end. I will say, overall, I was pleasantly surprised. I do not like honey very much at all, so I wasn’t sure a honey-based alcohol would be my thing. Yet, it was. The honey taste was not at all overwhelming, especially when mixed with other flavors. The result of it all was a wonderfully (but not overpoweringly) sweet alcoholic beverage.

The place filled up fast. I would estimate between 20-25 CORI members were in that cozy little space and – as always – the conversation and company were both fabulous. I saw a lot of faces I knew from past events, and got to meet some new people. A good time was had by all.

But that’s not where the evening ended, of course. As most people were winding up their samplings, we retired to their back room to get a lesson on mead – history, production, and other fun facts. There is nothing better on a Saturday night than sitting around with twenty other adults who are all eager to learn a little science. The talk by Eric was extremely informative, and – as to be expected from this crowd – the questions were excellent and probed even deeper into the science. Apart from how ridiculously simple mead production is – at the simplest, it is honey, water and yeast (but of course, other yummy flavors can be added) – the most fascinating part for me was the fact that mead actually ages in the bottle, unlike whiskey, which only ages before bottled. This means that a bottle of mead bottled ten years ago is going to be superior to mead bottled two months ago. This fact was proven to us later, when Oron graciously decided to crack open a magnificently aged bottle of Apple Pie mead from two years ago and let us sample that as well. The difference was amazing (the first one we sampled was two months old).

On a side note: look forward to Drinking Skeptically in May. Cary won the chance to actually make some mead while Eric explained the process. He promised to open it in six months at an event. I, personally, can not wait!

After the talk, there was some more chatting time (and eating time – and drinking time), and the crowd started to dwindle. Overall, thanks to the Brothers Drake Meadery, a fabulous time was had by all! And, more importantly, CORI treated them well, too. Not only was this little ragtag group of skeptics extremely polite and grateful, I saw many a bottle of mead walk out the door, purchased by members of the group.

The meads we sampled (and I am no connoisseur, so forgive me):

Testa Rossa (Dry Melomel): This one was near the top of my list. It has an extremely pleasant taste of red raspberries. By chance, I happened to eat a piece of chocolate before my last sip, and it was wonderful. I highly recommend the combination.

Pillow Talk (Semi-Sweet Metheglin): Infused with lavender and chamomile, this seemed to be one of the crowd favorites. Not my personal favorite (probably because I don’t really like lavender and I felt it was the main taste), but I liked it enough to finish it.

Bergamot Blue (Semi-Dry Spiced Melomel): This is their blueberry mead. I should have written this review sooner, because – quite honestly – this one doesn’t stick out in my mind. Once again, however, I liked it enough to finish it.

VO (Semi-Sweet Spiced Melomel): This one was a close second to the apple pie for me. A very nice blend of orange and vanilla flavoring. The best part is the slightest hint of a whiskey bite this one has, if you like that sort of thing.

Apple Pie (Sweet Spiced Cyser): My personal favorite! It tastes exactly like what the name implies. I detest overly sweet wines, so I was skeptical of this one, but I was won over from the first sip.

Southern Belle (Semi-Dry Show Varietal Traditional): Simply honey and water. A very nice palette cleanser to finish the sampling. This is a very nice, simple, traditional mead.

If I were you, I would definitely visit this amazing little hidden part of Columbus. You can visit them on the web at http://brothersdrake.com/ or look them up on facebook. You won’t be disappointed!
-Jason

CORICast Interview

noreply@blogger.com (k1) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:18:00 +0000

You are all listening to CORICast right? So you already know that yours truly was interviewed recently. I'm on the latest episode of CORICast talking about negative entropy and skepticism.

If you aren't already listening, give this podcast a try they do an excellent job discussing science and pseudoscience in a fun and entertaining way.

Find CORICast...

through their website: http://ohioskeptic.com/podcast/
on twitter: http://twitter.com/coricast
on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/CORICast/161271880566959
through iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/coricast/id389718364

A Celebration of Ignorance

noreply@blogger.com (j) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:16:00 +0000

K1, K2, and I took a trip to The Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY, back in April. Having grown up in a denomination that teaches the literal truth of every word of The Bible, I was very familiar with the viewpoint presented inside. I can't say that I was surprised by any of their arguments. I actually enjoyed my time there. The three of us had a lot of fun walking through the exhibits and giggling at their simplistic and childish explanations of the history of life on Earth.

All animals were vegetarian once upon a time, they told us. So why did T. rex have such sharp teeth, you may ask? For eating pineapples, of course! Isn't that adorable? There were no carnivores, and snakes had no venom. There weren't even any diseases back then. Adam, Eve, and all the animals lived in happiness and peace in an unaging universe until Eve tempted Adam with that damned apple. What a hussy!

This is literally what The Creation Museum and many conservative churches teach. Their only evidence for this version of history is the first few chapters of a book written by group of Bronze-Age nomads in the Middle East. The mind boggles.

As silly and benign as this worldview sounds, there was a particular set of posters toward the beginning of the exhibits that left me feeling disgusted.

You got that? Don't ask questions. Asking questions and thinking for oneself, they warn us, led to death and destruction in the distant past and is responsible for racism, genocide, and abortion in the recent past, present, and future. God apparently hates questions.

The fact that they tell us not to ask questions should serve as a huge red flag. This is what cult leaders and con artists say. "Don't question; just believe." If Young-Earth Creationists had any evidence at all, they would encourage museum patrons to ask questions and look at the evidence for themselves. Telling people what to think and threatening them if they come to a different conclusion is shameful.

On the other hand, these posters also make me optimistic. The museum is geared toward children, and children are natural explorers. They love to ask questions. I remember asking my parents questions and getting answers like, "Because we said so." Those responses made me more determined to figure out the real answers. I can only hope that kids will be challenged by the message on the posters and will see through their empty threats and tortured logic.

Feel free to browse through the 126 pictures we took at The Creation Museum by clicking here. We documented our visit to this monument to human inanity so that you don't have to waste your money. You're welcome. ;)

Science Saved My Soul...

noreply@blogger.com (k1) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 01:49:00 +0000

Just watch. Trust me, you won't regret it....

via http://parentingbeyondbelief.com/blog/

BTW I NEED to see the milky way like this. How do I do it? Is there a particular time of year? Please, people, give me details.

the economic argument

noreply@blogger.com (k2.0) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:25:00 +0000

this new brilliance from XKCD makes a great point. make sure to stick around their site for awhile, it's overflowing with great and hilarious comics!!!

Happy Vaccine Awareness Week!

noreply@blogger.com (k1) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 19:42:00 +0000

Happy “Vaccine Awareness Week”! Here is my quick contribution...

For those who don’t know there is a whooping cough outbreak in Columbus. According to the Columbus Dispatch 609 cases have been reported to Columbus Public Health already and 1/3 of those were reported in August and September. Since whooping cough usually seen in fall and winter the cases reported to CPH will probably continue to grow. As a comparison, in 2009 there were a total of 350 cases reported.

So what can you do? Get a booster! Adults should get the Tdap vaccine. You will be protected against Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis. Click here for a list of places that offer the vaccination.

Legend Of Mooney Mansion

noreply@blogger.com (k1) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:00:00 +0000

In the 1950’s, a family lived in a mansion on Walhalla Road in Clintonville. The father, Dr. Mooney, had a slow descent into madness and killed his wife and children with an axe in the attic. After their murder, he realized what he had just done and committed suicide by hanging himself from a bridge near his house. At night a blue light glows in the window of the attic where Dr. Mooney killed his family, and if you drive under the bridge you can catch a glimpse of Dr. Mooney’s ghost hanging above.

It’s October, and do you know what that means? Haunted houses! Mooney Mansion is one of Columbus’ most well-known haunted houses. It has been written about many times, and attracts the attention of locals seeking to have their own paranormal experiences.

There are many versions of the Mooney Mansion story. One takes place in 1929, where a destitute Dr. Mooney has lost all of his money in the stock market. He spins into a depression and kills himself and his family. In another version a Dr. Mooney kills his family and buries them under a statue in the backyard. Some say that the statue above the buried Mooney family cries blood on the date the family was killed. One gruesome version has him chopping off his wife’s head and kicking it down the hill into the Walhalla ravine. Yet another story involves Dr. Mooney hanging himself and family from the bridge. Given the tragedy that occurred at the mansion so many years ago, and the many paranormal experiences that have been reported, it must be haunted...right?

Mooney Mansion is a beautiful 100-year-old white house set atop a steep hill, obscured from view by trees. Although the house has a Walhalla Road address, it is not accessible from Walhalla and is set back from the road.

Walhalla Road is unusual--located in the heart of busy Clintonville, the road feels like an escape to an eerie winding country road. Walhalla ravine runs along the side of the road. There are beautiful old trees creating a tunnel that shrouds the road from the sun and blankets Walhalla Road in shade, which only adds to the creepy feeling. Near Mooney Mansion, the road passes under the Calumet Bridge.

Since the ghostly sightings have been reported to happen at night, we decided to visit the area after the sun went down to see if we could experience anything paranormal. We began by driving down Walhalla Road toward the Mooney Mansion and Calumet Bridge. We stopped the car down the street from Mooney Mansion and walked the rest of the way. The road is admittedly very spooky at night, and it was easy to let our imaginations take over. We arrived at the Calumet Bridge and the Mooney Mansion area and looked around. What we saw next might shock you: we saw nothing out of the ordinary--no ghost of Dr. Mooney hanging from the bridge, no blue lights glowing from the attic. We witnessed nothing paranormal in the area.

Is there any validity to this ghostly tale?

The truth is that there was indeed a Mooney family that lived in the house from 1920 until 1973. Charles M. Mooney, the father, was indeed a doctor; in fact, he was a pretty well-known ear, nose and throat doctor in the area. He lived at the mansion with his wife, Derrie S. Mooney, and their three children, Charles S., J. Malcolm, and Derry Jane. The family appears to have been wealthy and owned lots of property around their mansion. They seemed to be a loving family--Dr. Mooney and Derrie gave their son a house next door, and the deed states that he paid them “one dollar, love and affection” for the house.

Did anyone die in the house?

Why yes, but it isn’t a mysterious or tragic death that the stories would have you believe. Doctor Charles M. Mooney died in 1944 at the ripe old age (for the time) of 74 in his home, and according to his obituary, his death was due to an illness rather than murder or suicide. His wife continued to live in the mansion until it was sold in 1973. She died a few years later in 1975 at the age of 84. The children all went on to live their lives, were all married and had children of their own. Charles S. Mooney passed away at the age of 80 in 1995, J. Malcolm died in 1976 at 59, and Derry Jane died in 2002 at the age of 80.

This is a story of a normal, loving family that have been cast as part of a ghost story, yet there is absolutely no truth to it. In reality, no murder or tragedy took place at the Mooney Mansion. This is a case of an urban legend growing under the influence of an eerie setting. Any paranormal experiences can be attributed to imaginations run wild.

I See The Light

noreply@blogger.com (k1) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 01:01:00 +0000

**Negative Entropy attended the Universal Light Expo a few weeks ago, and wrote an entry about our experience. We have chosen to remove said album and post, so we would like to clarify a few things and explain why they were removed**

First we would like to make something perfectly clear. We were WELL within our rights to take and post pictures. This was a public event at a public venue, with NO signage or notice regarding photography and/or any related policy.

We appreciate the organizer and attendee concerns. And although there is no reason to expect privacy at an advertised public event, we first decided to blur faces in an attempt to ease their concern. However, their problem was apparently not only about attendee privacy, but that we took pictures of the vendor booths and products. In an effort to not let this issue escalate any further, we decided to remove all pictures. We quite frankly have neither the time nor energy to argue with these people.

We regret that the removal of these photographs was necessary at all, and wish there would have been an intellectual conversation about the topics and services at hand. Unfortunately what we were met with included false accusations and hostility regarding simple CENSORSHIP, and we refuse to foster this type of exchange.

We would like to thank all the people who brought their concerns to us in a civil and friendly manner. And to all our supporters, thank you too! :)

k1, k2.0 & j

The Westboro Baptist Church Visits OSU

noreply@blogger.com (j) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 21:50:00 +0000

Photo courtesy of Trish 'Skandyl' Gray

The Westboro Baptist Church stopped by OSU on October 4th as part of their “GodSmack Tour,” and K2.0 and I were there with hundreds of counter-protesters to show solidarity with everyone they claim their God hates and to have a little fun at their expense.

We arrived after the crowd of counter-protesters had already gathered in front of the four adults and two children representing The WBC. That’s right. They brought two children who looked to be around 8 or 9 years old, one of whom was wearing a “JewsKilledJesus.com” sweatshirt. They were holding their infamous signs and dancing while singing their own parodies of Lady Gaga and Queen songs. I saw no hatred, only ridiculousness. It’s very hard to take them seriously, which I think is a good thing.

We crossed High Street to join the crowd as The WBC’ers were already packing up. They didn’t stay long at all. The crowd chanted, “Hey hey…ho ho…these homophobes have got to go,” as they loaded their signs and flags into trunks, and we all cheered as they drove away. That was it. There was no violence and no anger. I saw only the smiling faces of hundreds of happy people, many holding very clever signs.

A tent was set up at The Ohio Union, and several gay-friendly groups were there collecting donations and handing out literature. I would call the entire event a complete success.

facebook? finally!

noreply@blogger.com (k2.0) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 17:08:00 +0000

Check us out, we got a facebook page!!!

525,600 minutes....

noreply@blogger.com (k2.0) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 02:18:00 +0000

HAPPY BIRTHDAY -S!!!
We officially have reached our 1 year :)

We have a few really really cool things beginning October 1, so wait anxiously for updates!!

Billboard Evangelism, Part Deux

noreply@blogger.com (j) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:01:00 +0000

Billboard Evangelism has put up yet another billboard on Morse Road, less than a block from their more threatening billboard which I wrote about previously.

Prepare to be converted...

Well, that's it! I'm a believer! I mean, look at that beautiful Earth! ...and it says right there in Genesis 1:1 that God did it! I'm completely convinced! /end snark

Alright, let's take a look a their website:

GENESIS 1:1 (KJV)
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

Did God really create the heaven and the earth? If He did, as He said He did, then He is God. If He did not, then He is obviously an imposter and a liar.

Are those the only two choices? There's an unstated major premise here, which is that the Christian God actually wrote Genesis 1:1. There is absolutely no evidence for this. The website just claims that God wrote it and, therefore, He's either telling the truth or He's not. Weak.

However, the Bible says that God's declarations are sure and stronger than the force of all men combined. One must embrace the truth of the creation, or altogether throw out the Bible and the God of the Bible.

I like that second option a lot.

What does man become without belief in a Creator God to whom he is accountable? He degenerates into moral depravity, violence, and lawlessness.

Citation needed.

Has the truth of creation and creation's God gripped your soul? Have you considered that if He really did begin it all, then He obviously holds the key to end it all? What then? Faith to believe is a beautiful thing. Do you possess it?

No, I possess a brain. All Billboard Evangelism has are logical fallacies, hand waving, and outright lies.

Let's take a look at the other Bible references they cite to prop up their assertion:

John 1:3: "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

Romans 1:20: "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse."

Hebrews 1:1-2: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;"

Hebrews 1:10-12: "And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail."

Hebrews 3:7: "Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,..."

Okay, Hebrews 3:7? What the hell? (Pun intended.) Why are they referencing Hebrews 3:7 to prove their case? They didn't expect anyone to look that one up, I'll bet'cha. ;)

The other verses only prove that the writers of those verses believed the Judeo-Christian God created the world. That tells us nothing. Weak, weak, weak.

One again, billboard evangelism fail.

charities & fortune cookies

noreply@blogger.com (k2.0) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 05:36:00 +0000

k2.0 here...

(shameless plug)

recently i took the big leap of getting rid of cable! that's right... no live TV whatsoever. i don't even own one anymore (sad, you can barely give away tube tvs... i tried!)
so this new entertainment situation has made me reliant on my netflix account, and also forced me watch about 1000 documentaries-- which i'm now going to pass a few on to you as "stuff to watch when you don't have live tv..."

Beyond Belief - the story of two 9/11 widows who decide to raise money and help widows in afghanistan.

A Life Without Pain - the story of 3 girls dealing with a crazy rare disorder, where they feel no pain- whatsoever, only pressure

Jesus Camp - evangelical christians and their jesus summer camp

i don't think i have distinct emotions about this one... fear? yes. frustration? yes. humor? yes. depression? yes. dislike? yes.

A State Of Mind - story follows 2 young girls preparing to dance in the 2003 mass games ceremonies in communist north korea.

fascinating... also a *bit* scary

World's Most Dangerous Gang - nat geo reporting on the mara salvatrucha, or ms-13, gang - Google Video

scary. as. hell. what continuing gang violence is/could be capable of. watching Crips and Bloods: Made in America and a few chats with people led me on this mini obsession. south central los angeles desperately needs more help than it's getting; what were local rug-swept issues before, now have created global problems.

so the other evening, after eating some chinese food and settling in to watch netflix some more, i got this 'fortune' in my cookie:

... and i agree. helping others is the right thing to do- plus i just watched all these documentaries (and more) about people who desperately need help- a lot more than me or anyone i know.

so to wind up this crazy post, here's the moral: i've decided to give a little more. follow a few charities/organizations, and donate when i can. we have it appallingly better than we see sometimes...

Kiva http://www.kiva.org
super-great and amazing concept! oh and by the way, atheists hold the lead in lending..... by $1million

A Better LA http://www.abetterla.org/
hell, here's a whole list

Beyond the 11th http://www.beyondthe11th.org/
the charity featured in Beyond Belief

night, folks :)

We're Going On A Huntin' Trip

noreply@blogger.com (k1) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:23:00 +0000

We’ve had a busy summer, and unfortunately the blog has suffered for it. Sorry. But don’t you worry, we have lots of fun experiments and debunkings in the works. Although we haven’t posted much this summer, we have still been getting together and doing things.

At the beginning of this summer j, k2.0 and I went on a fossil hunt followed by a trip to the Creation Museum. I bet you can guess which one was actually fun. J will be writing a review of of the “museum”, but right now I get to talk about the fun part.

The fossil hunt was at Caesar Creek State Park in Waynesville, Ohio. If you are in the area and looking for a place to look for fossils, this is your place. It is free and has more fossils than you can shake a stick at; just sign in at the Army Corps office and you’re off. There are definitely things we learned that might help those of you that decide to go.
Things we learned:
Bring a canvas bag to collect the fossils, plastics bags will break
No sandals
Bring sunscreen; there is no shade
Bring lots of water
No tools are allowed or needed
Bring a towel and change of shoes; it can be pretty muddy
Family Friendly--kids would love to fossil hunt, and there is a large playground down the street when they are finished fossil hunting.
Grab a pamphlet while you are at the Army Corps office to help identify the fossils you find

You can check out all of our pictures from the trip through webshots, link on the sidebar

Like a Thief in the Night

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 17:42:00 +0000

I grew up in a very religious family. I attended a Church of Christ church three times a week for the first 17 or so years of my life. Churches of Christ, for those of you who don’t know, believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible. Most are young-Earth creationists. There was actually one old-Earth creationist at the last Church of Christ I attended, but I will never reveal their name. They pled with me not to tell their secret because they were afraid they would be shunned by the other members.

Church of Christ members also believe that Jesus will literally come back to earth out of the clouds. The dead in Christ (a.k.a. Christians who believe in the Church of Christ theology) will rise from their graves and meet Jesus in the air. Then everyone will be whisked away to stand in judgment before God. God will open his Book of Life, and if your name is written in it, you will go to Heaven. If not, you earn an express trip down to Hell to burn in torment for all eternity. Are you Baptist? Sorry. You used musical instruments in church and believe in a different version of baptism. You’re going straight to Hell. Are you Catholic? Forget about it. Muslim? No way you’re going to Heaven. Anyone who doesn’t believe in the theology of the Church of Christ is going to burn for eternity.

When I was a young child, this theology terrified me. We were told over and over that Jesus could literally come back at any second. We were told to pray without ceasing and always ask for forgiveness of our sins. If we were good people but told a lie to a friend, for example, and Jesus came back before we had time to ask him for forgiveness, we would be damned. We were told in graphic detail what would happen on that day. Trumpets would sound, and Jesus would come back in an instant. Then it would be too late to be forgiven. I dreaded hearing those trumpets. Tornado sirens made me panic. If I saw an exceptionally black storm cloud, I would nervously search the sky for Jesus.

At about age 10, I started worrying about being baptized. I knew that age 12 was the “age of accountability,” the age when children were old enough to know right from wrong and, therefore, be judged by God. This wasn’t a rule that was written down by the church, but kids who had not been baptized by age 12 were worried about by the congregation. I remember so clearly asking God to let me die by accident or disease before I reached age 12 because then I would be assured a place in Heaven. After age 12, I feared I might sin and be caught off guard when Jesus comes back. I decided to be baptized at age 11 just to be safe. I believed everything they taught me at that church until I read the Bible for myself at around age 14. Between the ages of 14 and 25, I read the entire sixty-six books four times. The more I read it, the less I believed it. I started to see that it was just a collection of books written by humans who were trying to make sense of the world in a pre-scientific age.

At my current age of 33, I look back at my childhood and feel sick. This horrible theology traumatized me, and I cannot believe that I’m the only one. My immediate family and most of my extended family still belong to the Church of Christ and claim to be very happy there. My sister is allowing her three children to be brought up in the same environment that we grew up in, and it breaks my heart. I remember late-night talks with her when we were kids, and I know she shared a lot of the same fears back then. I don’t understand why she continues to believe this oppressive theology. I’m not angry at my parents for the way we were brought up. I went through a time when I was very angry, but that anger has disappeared over time. I am angry with the church. I’m angry with the various preachers who told them week after week that Satan was real and was outside the church doors waiting to get us. I’m angry, and I need to do something to shine a light on these terrible ideas that are taught to both adults and children as the truth.

To be honest, it has been about eight years since I’ve been back to a Church of Christ. I thought I may have exaggerated or misinterpreted the lessons I learned there so many years ago, so I went to the website of the church my family now attends and saw that they have some recent sermons online. I listened to one this morning called, “Like a Thief in the Night,” which was recorded only two months ago, and I’m sorry to say that I wasn’t exaggerating or misinterpreting. Click here for a link to the audio to listen to it for yourself. It’s approximately twenty minutes long. The calmness of the preacher’s speaking voice is bizarre considering the subject matter. I transcribed the audio and placed it below the fold in case you don’t have the stomach to listen to it. The whole sermon is truly awful. Keep in mind that there are children in the audience listening to this insanity. You can hear an infant crying in the background.

[1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, New International version, read out loud by what sounds like a boy in his early-to-mid teens]:

“Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

Clay Brown, the preacher: “I think the first question we need to ask when taking a look at this passage is, how is the second coming of Christ like a thief coming in the night, and it may be a little bit obvious, but a little bit of an explanation there might be in order. Of course, Jesus is not going to come as a criminal. He’s not going to do anything illegal. He’s not going to do anything inappropriate. He’s not going to…well, a lot of people might feel like he’s invading their space (laughs) when he comes back a second time, but of course Christ is doing a godly, wonderful, amazing work when this happens, so it’s not in that way, and it’s not exactly the surprise that’s being talked about. That might be the obvious; in fact, the surprise is even mentioned in the text. It’s only like a thief in the night if we are not prepared. Correct? If we are prepared, and we are ready, then it’s not going to be like that because we are going to be anticipating. We’re going to be prepared. We’re going to be ready.

And so, I kind of looked at several passages that talked about readiness or being prepared, and there are a lot of these passages. I encourage you to look up passages having to do with that. Of course, we have some of the parables. The parable of the ten virgins is one that sticks in our minds about readiness because it also gives us the opposite side and shows us the ones who were not ready, not prepared [Matthew 25:1-13]. The young ladies who did not have the oil, and they wanted to rush around and go buy some and do this or that, and while they were off buying oil for their lamps, of course, the bridegroom came, and they were shut out. And with a lot of these passages that talk about being prepared, there’s a lot of talk about weeping and gnashing of teeth, so let me just immediately encourage you to be ready for the second coming of Christ because this weeping and gnashing of teeth, this concept of the darkness, is never looked at positively, obviously; it is a very negative, awful situation, and no one in this room and no one in this world, if one had full knowledge, would want to be involved in this darkness. No one would want to be involved in this weeping and--I can’t even imagine my teeth being gnashed, but anyway, we don’t want to have to experience that, and that’s a reality in the scripture over and over again, and at the end of a lot of these parables concerning the master coming back or concerning the bridegroom coming... We just don’t want to experience that. We want to be ready. We want to be prepared. We need to be ready, and we need to be prepared.

Well, you might recall…well, in the passage that was just read, some of the armor is talked about: The breastplate, in particular, and a helmet--we’ll get back to those in just a little bit--and readiness is talked about in Ephesians 6[:10-11], where we read about more of the spiritual armor that we need to have, so let’s take a look at that quickly here. The passage reads, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.”

Now, we know that Satan “roams around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” [I Peter 5:8] Satan--and I don’t know how many demons he has that he uses. I don’t know how it all works, of course, but what we do know is that Satan is at work, and here, he schemes. He’s a tricky guy, I guess, and he wants to get us, and it’s not anything pleasant, of course. Again, if we end up in communion--if we end up in fellowship--if we end up hand-in-hand with Satan, then we’re going to end up in the darkness. We’re going to end up where there’s weeping and gnashing of teeth. Again, not an acceptable outcome. Verse 12 explains that a little more: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood…,” and don’t we normally think it is? Don’t we normally think, oh, our struggle is against pornography; our struggle is against sports on TV; our struggle is against money; our struggle--whatever it may happen to be--we think of it as something physical, and those things are real temptations, and those things are real issues, but the real struggle is not flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms, so what we’re dealing with is something way more serious than a lot of times we give it credit. It’s something that we need to take very seriously in our lives; therefore, because this is all taking place--because we have this struggle, because we have spiritual forces at work against us--obviously sometimes we fight against ourselves, but because all of this is going on, “…put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground…” [Ephesians 6:13] Again, be prepared; be ready after you’ve done everything to stand. “Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” [Ephesians 6:14] Our readiness here comes from the good news itself. Our readiness in this passage comes from death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

I love the passage that was up there on one of the slides: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” You know, why are you looking for Christ here? Why, as Dave pointed out so well, the people closest to Christ--why are you looking here? Why aren’t you recognizing what’s going on? Sometimes I think we--we’re the ones closest to Christ, right? We’re the ones in Christ. We’re the ones who have Christ in us. We are the ones filled with the Holy Spirit. We miss some stuff sometimes. You could say that anytime we sin, we’ve missed something. We need to get locked in to an eternal perspective. We need to be locked in to what’s going on spiritually around us and in us, and we need to be prepared and ready to fight those things and ready ultimately for the second coming of Christ.

So, our feet must be “fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace,” [Ephesians 6:15], and, you know, Paul could have written “the gospel of love” or “the gospel of hope“; he could have written other things--he says “the gospel of peace,” and what better attribute to help us fight off Satan. To have a contentment, to have a comfort, to have a peace within us that just trusts totally in God and in Christ. The passage concludes this way: “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” [Ephesians 6:16-17] And, of course, if you’re familiar with this passage, you know the next verse talks about praying--praying in the spirit. No matter what the occasion, we must be in prayer to help these things take place.

One more passage I want to share with you here from Revelation [chapter 19]--just three verses: 6, 7, and 8: “Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)” So, the assumption here in Revelation is that we are ready. Are we ready? We are the bride. We collectively are the bride of Jesus Christ. He is the bridegroom, and when the groom comes, the bride needs to be ready, and we are the bride. The church--Christians, saints, we’re told here--all of us together are the bride of Jesus Christ, and we have made ourselves ready, so this verse says, because we are wearing fine linen, bright and clean, which was given to us to wear. The works God has given us--prepared in advance for us to do [Ephesians 2:10]--fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints. So, part of our readiness, of course, is the gospel of peace, but part of our readiness is to be doing stuff, and we’re not saved by that stuff. There’s no delusions, I think, in any of our minds that we can save ourselves. I don’t think any of us think that our works are going to earn us salvation, but our readiness is dependent on some works. Our readiness involves these righteous acts. Those five virgins--if they would’ve done a little work--if they would’ve done a little bit of preparation, they wouldn’t have had to run off and try to find oil. They would’ve been ready like the other five, and they wouldn’t have been shut off in the darkness where there’s weeping and gnashing of teeth.

So, what exactly is going to take place? I’m going to ask you a few questions first, and then we’ll take a look at a few details, and then we will dismiss this morning. Does the reality of Christ’s return encourage or threaten you, and how so? These are things for you to think about. If this was slightly less formal, which we’re not very formal, I don’t think, but if slightly less, then I’d take some answers, but it’s not really a class time, but… Does this encourage you or threaten you? In I Thessalonians, the very last verse of chapter 4 says, “…encourage each other with these words.” Verse 11 of chapter 5 says, encourage each other with these words and thoughts [5:11 actually says, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”] It’s interesting; I think Tim read part of this passage during our singing night on Friday night. Robin read--I can’t remember if it was the chapter 4 part or the chapter 5 part--the last time he had the Wednesday devo, so it’s on people’s minds, and does it encourage you, or does it threaten you? Is it scary, or does it give you hope? And how? Of course, it should be an encouragement.

How can you be better prepared for the second coming of Jesus Christ? We will answer that a little bit more in just a second. Since we belong to the day, we must be self-controlled, and in the Thessalonians passage--the one that Tyler read for us--the faith and love--I don’t want to say it wrong--The faith and love are the breastplate and the hope of salvation is the helmet, so we must be self-controlled. That is part of our readiness and preparation, and faith, hope, and love, of course, are always stellar, amazing attributes of the Christian life.

So, what exactly will take place? We need to back up to the previous verses, right before what was read for us. In I Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul says, “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.” These first two verses are just a statement of faith--a statement of reality. “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” We believe it, and I think all of us in here believe these statements of faith in verses 13 and 14. So, “According to the Lord’s own word…,” apparently Christ talked about these things, “According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” So, when Christ comes back again, what’s the first thing we’re going to do? Probably fall to our knees, right? I mean, it will be absolutely amazing. Everyone will confess, and every knee will bow, whether someone is in Christ or out of Christ, no matter what. We’re told in Philippians 2 [verses 10 and 11] that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. There will be no doubts when Christ comes back again, so maybe that’ll be the very first thing, but the dead in Christ will rise. If we happen to be alive when Christ comes back again, they will go first, and then we will rise to meet Christ and them in the air, so the dead will get to proceed first, and he explains that a little bit more. [Verses 17 and 18:] “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.”

You know, this is…this is so important to me. This concept of the second coming of Christ--this reality, this knowledge, this hope, this assurance--is really what spurs on the joy in my life, the peace that passes understanding [Philippians 4:7], the contentment… For me, this is a huge motivating force. We all have our different things that get us going spiritually. We all have the things that help us to be more like Christ, but this for me is the ultimate. This is just amazing stuff to think about. A lot of great lessons come from these things: One, of course--you’ve heard me say many times, but it moves me--most of our existence will be after death. By far. Most of our time, most of our existence, it’ll be after death. And it’s not even close. There’s no comparing the time before death with the time after death because the time after death is eternity, so there’s no comparison. If this life is an eighth of an inch on some kind of scale, after death is tens and hundreds of thousands of miles…tens of hundreds of thousands of light-years…I mean, it just…it doesn’t compare, so shouldn’t we be prepared for that? Shouldn’t we be ready for that? And, of course, I think the obvious answer is yes. We’d better be prepared for that. We’d better be ready.

So, what do we need to do? The readiness ultimately is faithfulness. The readiness ultimately is being in Christ, but in Christ, there’s more. There’s a realization--and I’m not saying more to be saved, I’m just saying there’s so much more that we as Christians can experience with this. So much more joy, so much more peace, so much more ready. We can have a prepared life. We can live day by day and minute by minute ready for the second coming of Christ. Will it be a shock when it happens? Yes, just like if someone broke into your house, that would be shocking if you heard the glass break. No doubt about it, but the difference will be, “Oh wow; it’s time,” but there won’t be an unexpected feeling. There will be a peace because we’re ready. We’re prepared. We’re in Jesus Christ. We are faithful. We are living a life of faith, hope, and love. We have fitted our feet with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. We’re ready. We’re prepared. We’ve done the righteous acts of the saints. We’ve done the things that are necessary. Time is fleeting. Another passage that I have--well, I will go ahead and read it. I was about to say I’m not going to read it, but I will: From 1 Thessalonians 15--how can we not read it? We can read it. It further explains what’s going to happen when Christ comes back again. When the dead in Christ rise, according to 1 Thessalonians 15 [he actually means 1 Corinthians 15], they will be changed. They will be changed, and we’ll read this in a second. They will be changed from mortal to immortal. They will be changed from perishable to imperishable, and that transformation will take place for us as well, if we happen to be alive when this takes place.

It’s further explained in verses 42-44 in 1 Corinthians 15, we’re told that what is sown--what is buried in the ground--and, by the way, a lot of people have been asking about cremation lately. Cremation--and I’m not going to give some big exposé on it or anything like that, but throughout history, it has been an honorable, appropriate way to deal with a body, so if someone in your past has been cremated or if you want to be cremated or maybe one of your kids has said, “I want to be cremated,” you know, I don’t know. It’s okay, in my opinion. The Bible doesn’t really… well, anyway. That would be my opinion, but it seems to be a common opinion, and it seems to be the common opinion throughout history that it’s just fine. Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, and it’s fine. That body, no matter what level of decomposition has taken place, God can resurrect that body. We don’t need to worry about it. If someone is buried at sea, if someone gets buried in space--who knows what will take place in the future--cremation, what we consider traditional burials, God can handle it. He got Jesus out of that tomb where it was protected. Make it as secure as you possibly can, and the Romans knew what to do, but like Dave said, what could they do to stop God. Right? What could they do to stop Christ? Nothing. God can take care of it, so we don’t need to worry about that, but we’re told in verses 42-44 of 1 Corinthians 15 that what is sown or planted-what is buried--is buried in dishonor but will be raised in glory. It’s buried in weakness but raised in power. Buried perishable, raised imperishable. The ultimate one, though, the one that we can’t understand is that the body is sown physical and raised spiritual, so hey. I believe we will be recognizable. I believe we will still have our identities. I believe that ten thousand years from now if I run into George, George is still going to be George, I’m still going to be Clay, and we will be able to interact, and I don’t know how I’ll recognize him--I don’t know how that will all work, but I believe that we will not lose our identities.

So anyway, I don’t want to leave you--because all of you were hanging, right? I don’t want to leave you hanging because I could not remember--there are four things in verses 42-44--oh, I got it right: Perishable to imperishable was the other one which I was not thinking it was. Alright, let’s look at the passage. This is how 1 Corinthians 15 ends: [verse 51:] “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep…” [Check this out--The preacher actually hits on something big here, but he doesn't follow it through to its logical conclusion: Paul was wrong.] I think all of these people thought that Christ was going to come back pretty quick. I mean, don’t you get that impression from all the passages in the New Testament? These writers like Paul here… I think he thought, “You know what? We’ll not all sleep.” You know, I think he really thought that some of them would still be alive when Christ came back again, but God has his time, right? It’s been 2000 years, and Christ hasn’t come back yet. [Picking back up at the end of verse 51] "…but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.” It’s going to happen (snaps fingers) like that. “For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.” And when these things have taken place--when those transformations have taken place, [verse 54] “…then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” It’s all possible because of Christ, and we’re told that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, the same power that brought him out of that tomb is the power that will raise us from the dead. The same power. So, [verse 58], “Therefore, my dear brothers…,” be ready, right? “…Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Notice that we just--the religious world just wants to shy away from work--wants to shy away from labor--the works and labor and righteous acts of the saints--they’re everywhere. Real faith is evidenced by these things, and so we work. The rest is in the next life. We work right now. We stand firm; we get prepared; we stay ready, and we work for the Lord. We know that that work, that labor, is not in vain.

Well, we don’t know when it will be. The passage started off by saying about dates and times, you know; I don’t have to tell you because you know that the Lord will come like a thief in the night. He will. When I was young, I used to want Christ to wait until I had experienced certain things in life. As a teenaged guy, I wanted to be able to get married. Right? So…but anyway, I wanted Christ to let me at least get married--let me at least experience all of that, but you know what? We don’t know when he’s going to come, and as mature Christians, we don’t want him to wait. It would be cool to see Jared graduate from high school next year, but you know what? It would be a lot cooler to see Christ come back in five minutes. I’ll tell you that. So, as much as we might want certain things in this life, be encouraged. Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be scared when you think about the second coming of Jesus Christ. If you’re not ready for it, if you haven’t taken that first step to be prepared by giving your life to Jesus Christ, then you have an opportunity right now and at any time. We have people here who would at any point at any time of the night would meet you and baptize you into Christ if that’s what you would like, but right now you have that opportunity. If you believe that Jesus Christ is God’s son and you’re willing to confess that and repent of your sins then you can be added to that church. You can be added to that body of Christ. You can become one of the saints and be ready when the bridegroom comes. If that’s your desire, please come forward as together we stand and sing."

They actually believe this. They are looking forward to it with great anticipation. They don’t value this life at all except as a conduit to the next life. They pick out individual verses scattered over a collection of 2,000-year-old letters written mostly by a guy named Paul, a man with a history of persecuting Christians until he allegedly had some kind of vision of another man whom he interpreted to be Jesus, and they believe every word in those verses…except for the verses they skip over. For instance, the preacher quoted Ephesians 6:10-18 in great detail, but if you look up just a little bit to verses 5-9, you’ll see that Paul is telling masters how to treat their slaves. You’ll never hear that from the pulpit, though. That inconvenient passage is not essential to their message of “salvation”.

Church of Christ members all appear to be the most kind, generous, and loving people on the outside, but what they are teaching inside their churches is harmful to adults and especially traumatic to kids. I think the best way to deal with this insanity is to expose it for what it is.

"Toxins" in Shampoo

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:24:00 +0000

A co-worker of mine recently mentioned that she is getting rid of a lot of her shampoos, lotions, and cosmetics that have "toxins" and, specifically, parabens in them. I picked up a bottle of shampoo, and sure enough, methylparaben was listed in the ingredients. Methylparaben is an anti-fungal agent added to many products to prevent fungal growth. Call me crazy, but I think anti-fungals are a good thing. In any case, I hadn't heard this particular "toxins" claim, so I made a note to myself to look into it and write about it. Well, I waited too long. Orac has beaten me to it. Click here for his excellent take-down of this superficially frightening claim.

The Book of Daniel

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:39:00 +0000

Daniel is much more fun for me to read as a skeptic and nonbeliever than it ever was as a believer. The stories in the first six chapters include astrologers, magicians, sorcerers, and dream interpretations for kings. The last six chapters focus on Daniel's interpretations of his own dreams and contain a lot of the imagery that the author of Revelation later used in his letters to the Christian churches in Asia. This is going to be a long post, but the stories flow together and are more hilarious if you read the first six chapters in one sitting. You'll see. ;)

Chapter 1:

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.

3 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, 4 young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. 5 And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. 6 Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.

8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. 9 Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. 10 And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.”

Look! Daniel's proposing a testable hypothesis!

11 So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” 14 So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days.

15 And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. 16 Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

17 As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

So remember, kids, to always eat your vegetables.

18 Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. 20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. 21 Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus.

Ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers. *grins*

Chapter 2:

1 Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. 2 Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 3 And the king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream.”

4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”

5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap. 6 However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.”

7 They answered again and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give its interpretation.”

8 The king answered and said, “I know for certain that you would gain time, because you see that my decision is firm: 9 if you do not make known the dream to me, there is only one decree for you! For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the time has changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation.”

10 The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, “There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. 11 It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

12 For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.

14 Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; 15 he answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel.

16 So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation. 17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

20 Daniel answered and said: “ Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. 21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding. 22 He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him. 23 “I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, And have now made known to me what we asked of You, For You have made known to us the king’s demand.”

24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.”

25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, “I have found a man of the captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation.”

26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?”

27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these: 29 As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be. 30 But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.

31 “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. 32 This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs[c] of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.[d] 34 You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

36 “This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. 37 You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; 38 and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold. 39 But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. 41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. 47 The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.” 48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Also Daniel petitioned the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.

So, the king sees for himself that the Daniel's diety is the God of gods, right? Wrong. Keep reading.

Chapter 3:

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

2 And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; 6 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”

7 So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. 9 They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image; 11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.”

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”

See that? The king has already forgotten what he said in 2:46-49! Those kings. They never learn.

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”
They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”

25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. 27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.

28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! 29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.

Verse 29 cracks me up. Okay, so now the king has finally learned his lesson. Right? Let's see...

Chapter 4:

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king, To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you.

2 I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me. 3 How great are His signs, And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation.

4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. 5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. 6 Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation. 8 But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: 9 “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.

10 “These were the visions of my head while on my bed:

I was looking, and behold, A tree in the midst of the earth, And its height was great. 11 The tree grew and became strong; Its height reached to the heavens, And it could be seen to the ends of all the earth. 12 Its leaves were lovely, Its fruit abundant, And in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, And all flesh was fed from it.

13 “I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. 14 He cried aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, And the birds from its branches. 15 Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, Bound with a band of iron and bronze, In the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven, And let him graze with the beasts On the grass of the earth. 16 Let his heart be changed from that of a man, Let him be given the heart of a beast, And let seven times pass over him. 17 ‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.’

18 “This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.”

19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. So the king spoke, and said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you.”

Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation concern your enemies!

20 “The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth, 21 whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home— 22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth.

23 “And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him’; 24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: 25 They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.

26 “And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. 30 The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”

31 While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! 32 And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”

33 That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.

Yikes!

34 And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever:

For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation. 35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, “What have You done?”

36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.

Well, King Nebuchadnezzar finally learned that Daniel's God was the most powerful of all the gods. After all the proof he has seen, surely he has taught his son, King Belshazzar, not to mess with Daniel's God. I mean, that would just make sense. Right? Can you see the writing on the wall? ;)

Chapter 5:

1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

5 In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6 Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other. 7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Now all the king’s wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished.

10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. 12 Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas[a] were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”

Hmmmmm. I'm starting to see a pattern here....

13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. 16 And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

17 Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. 19 And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. 20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. 21 Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.

22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 23 And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. 24 Then the fingers[c] of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.

5 “And this is the inscription that was written:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL,UPHARSIN.

26 This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27 TEKEK: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28 PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. 31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

Poor Belshazzar. Cut down in his prime because he and his wives and concubines drank out of some stolen cups. That seems completely fair. Belshazzar should have known not to mess with Daniel's God. He's ruthless! Let's see if the next king, King Darius, remembers this important lesson...

Chapter 6:

1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom; 2 and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. 4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

6 So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: “King Darius, live forever! 7 All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.

10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.

11 Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. 12 And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king’s decree: “Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?”
The king answered and said, “The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.”

13 So they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”

14 And the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him. 15 Then these men approached the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”

At least King Darius is sorry for signing the decree, but it's the law now. He has to kill Daniel and his buddies. It's not like he's the king and could change the law or anything. *looks puzzled*

16 So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” 17 Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.

18 Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him. 19 Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”

23 Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.

Yay! Daniel and his friends have been saved! Good finally triumphs! ...but what's this in the next verse?

24 And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.

What did the women and children do to deserve that? Absolutely nothing.

25 Then King Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you.

26 I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end. 27 He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.

28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Yeah. He delievers and rescues... unless you are a women or child...or a king who drinks from cups that were stolen not by you but by your father. Biblical morality baffles me.

iSatiristas! Comedians, Contrarians, Raconteurs & Vulgarians

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:40:00 +0000

Comedians tend to be skeptics, so it's no surprise that Paul Provenza and many of the comedians he interviews in iSatiristas! have become a part of the skeptical community. Penn Jillette, Lewis Black, Patton Oswalt, Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Lily Tomlin, and George Carlin are just some of my favorites included in the book. The exchanges between Paul and each comedian are intimate and insightful, and most actually take on a more serious tone than you'd expect. A common theme tying each conversation together is the importance of satire in a free society, and religion (or the lack thereof) and politics are frequently on the minds of the satirists profiled.

Interviews with Tim Minchin, John Oliver, Mo Rocca, the staff of The Onion, and Troy Conrad, among others, were unfortunately left out of the book due to space and production issues; however, they will be released periodically via Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and RSS, according to the website, so keep an eye out for that. In the meantime, pick up iSatiristas! at your nearest library, or click the Amazon link to the right to buy your own copy and support Negative Entropy in the process. (I know. I'm shameless. ...but we need more money for science experiments!) If you've already read the book, let's talk about it!

Billboard Evangelism

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 02:50:00 +0000

My fellow Columbus residents, if you've driven through the intersection of Morse Road and Cleveland Avenue recently, you've seen this ominous billboard. It's been up for months. I pass it every time I go grocery shopping, and it always makes me think, but not in the way Billboard Evangelism intended.

This simple message encapsulates the main reason religion continues to persist: Fear of death. You're going to die one day, the sign says to me, so you'd better get right with our version of God. The proof they give for this assertion is Revelation 1:7, which says, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen." Well, there it is in black and white. Can't argue with that, right? Riiiiiiight.

Let's look at the entire first chapter and get some perspective, shall we?

1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

2Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

3Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Do you see that? Right from the beginning, we're told that the following will happen soon. Soon! May I remind you that this book was written close to 1900 years ago. Also note that verses 1 and 10 say this book was written after the author apparently had some kind of dream or vision which he interpreted to be a message given to him by an angel. Yeah. Let that sink in for a minute.

As we continue on to verse 4, we see that this letter was written specifically to seven churches around the area. How this is interpreted by religious groups to be a message to all humanity in the 21st century is a mystery to me.

4John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

5And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

6And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

7Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

8I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

9I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

10I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

11Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

12And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

13And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

14His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

15And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

16And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

18I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

19Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

20The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

...and thus ends chapter 1 of Revelation. Now don't get me wrong; The Book of Revelation is the most fascinating book of the New Testament, in my opinion. It's very creatively written and contains vivid imagery. I would encourage you to read the whole book if you haven't yet. At the time the book was written, both Christians and Jews were being persecuted by the Roman Emperor. The book is a message of encouragement to the Christian churches in Asia. The author believed they would win eventually and that the Emperor would be defeated. It's historically and literarily interesting, but that's it. Any thinking, reasoning person can see that the verse the billboard cites has nothing to do with their threatening message. It's only meant to scare the gullible. Evangelism fail.

How about this for a billboard idea: The Iliad and The Odyssey are much, much older than any of the books of the Bible, and the quality of the writing is superior. They're epic stories with excellent plots and legendary characters. Picture big fluffy clouds and a baby-blue sky for the background. The text would read, "Nothing can be revoked or said in vain, nor unfulfilled if I should nod my head." -Zeus. Then below the quote, I'd put "The Iliad, Book 1," as a reference. You can't argue with that. I mean, there it is in black and white. You can read it for yourself. I'll even find the page number for you. The book plainly says that Zeus spoke those words, so it must be true. Right?

;)

Get The Lead Out!

noreply@blogger.com (k1) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:26:00 +0000

The mommy blogosphere is all abuzz lately with a new report stating that many popular children’s drinks and baby foods have unsafe levels of lead.

Quick, start throwing away your poisonous juice and hey, tell your kid to spit out that apple juice--it will kill him!

Phew! Now that we got that out of our system let’s look closer at this finding, shall we?

The findings were through an environmental group based in California, the Environmental Law Foundation. ELF sent out a press release on June 10, claiming that they tested 146 different children’s drinks and baby foods. Some had higher levels of lead in a single serving than is allowed according to California’s Proposition 65, which is 0.5 mg/day.

So let’s begin with Prop 65. Prop 65 is a California based law that requires a warning on products that contain chemicals deemed by the state of California to cause cancer or reproductive harm. There is a lot of criticism of Prop 65. One critique I found says:

Prop 65 requires businesses to provide warnings on all consumer products that might expose state residents to traces of chemicals presumed to cause cancer or birth defects. The law lists more than 750 "dangerous" chemicals that, at huge doses, might cause cancer in lab rats. Human health or economic benefits are deemed irrelevant, as is research that indicates that a chemical in fact poses no human health risk.

Prop 65 simply ignores the reality that we live in a sea of chemicals-toxins, radioactive elements, and the like, the vast majority of them naturally occurring. And, as observed by eminent UC Berkeley toxicologists Bruce Ames and Lois Gold, "no human diet can be free of naturally occurring chemicals that are rodent carcinogens."

So according to Prop 65 a product that contains over 0.5 micrograms of lead needs to carry a warning label. Failure to do so can result in fines, lots of fines. So how does this number compare to the standards set by the FDA? From the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry:

FDA has set a number of action levels (enforceable) and levels of concern for lead in various food items. These levels are based on FDA calculations of the amount of lead a person can consume without ill affect.

For example, FDA has set an action level of 0.5 µg/mL for lead in products intended for use by infants and children and has banned the use of lead-soldered food cans. (FDA 1994 and FDA 1995 as cited in ATSDR 1999)

Yep, 0.5 micrograms per day versus 0.5 micrograms per milliliter. That is a huge difference. Regardless, the food and juices tested may be over limits set forth by California, but they are probably well within the FDA standards. I say probably because ELF did not publish the actual lead measurements of each of the tested products.

So grab some Apple Juice and drink up, you’ll be fine. Probably :)