Bullshit and Heaven

There is an article in Newsweek. I will provide a link.

Scientists and Heaven

Now, I will not discuss why I believe in heaven, it does not matter. What intrigues me is why "scientists" or anyone feels a need to prove that it does not exist. It is the better question.

Scientists will say that nobody can prove there is a God or a heaven. I am willing to debate them; however, I am much more interested in their need to disprove it while claiming it cannot be proven. Do you see?

I have no problem with someone saying that God cannot be proven. Okay, I understand. I have a big problem with people trying to prove the opposite. If you have not died or experienced heaven, how can you disprove something non-material? It violates the premise of science. More importantly, why would you bother?

We live, we die, what is wrong with an afterlife if it occurs? What is terrible about the possibility, believed by many religions, that we continue to experience? Why must it be disproven, what does that achieve?

I think I ask a valid question. What is the consequence to us if we believe this is all there is? The result is that we only seek the cookies of this world and don't worry about the impact we have on others. That is the result. Why would anyone want such a result, the answer is simple. To train you to chase cookies and zone out.

It is about control. If you allow yourself the joy of justification, you are a fool.

Pensions

Well at least the morons are finally giving real numbers. It is still a game, one that ended long ago.

CalPers

Movies about the "Apocalypse"

I want to start by saying that even non-believers may find this post interesting. People talk about the "end times", "last days" and the apocalypse. Lets start by correcting some misconceptions. Apocalypse does NOT mean what people think it does. It means a REVELATION. Okay, the word has nothing to do with an end to anything.

Wiki - Apocalypse

Next, the word Armageddon does not mean the end of the world. It is a place surrounded by mountains in the Holy land where a battle is to take place at the end of the current age. Now, lets add a little to the conversation. The battle that takes place there is STOPPED by God. It is not a battle that takes out the world.

Wiki - Armageddon

Finally, the phases "End Times" and "Last Days" do NOT refer to the end of all people or the earth. They refer to the end of Satan's days as leader of this world. This is not something to be feared. In Revelations it says that after those times Jesus will rule on earth for 1,000 years.

One might ask why I have bothered writing the preceding. It is because of the misconceptions that are so prevelant. You have people claiming to be "Christians" that do not have the vaguest clue what the bible says because they never read it or read it without paying attention.

What brought it up was the movies that have been coming out about the end of the world. Horrible things, no basis in the bible while claiming to.

The Book of Eli

The movie is about a man who has the last surviving bible AFTER Armageddon. Huh? Didn't they even bother reading the book? Apparently not. In the movie it is his goal to save the book. Hey, if he finds himself in a world where the book has been disproven, why is he trying to save it?

Legion

This film, Legion, is about as backwards as it can be. Dumb is not the problem, it is pure evil. In the movie, God is the bad guy and Satan is the good guy. God wants to kill all people and Satan tries to save us. I don't hardly know where to start. Firstly, the philosophy is traditional gnostic. Secondly, it shows again a misunderstanding of "The End Days" as taught in Revelations. Revelations teaches that Armageddon is stopped and Jesus reigns on earth, not that God kills everyone in a great battle with evil.

Lets clarify something. We are taught that Armageddon is the final battle of good versus evil. That is not what the Bible says. Nowhere does it say God fights or even that good fights. The battle is of evil against evil. It says the spirit of demons enter the leaders of the world and they all gather at Armageddon to fight each other.

People seem to assume that Satan is powerful. It does not say that. He is deceitful. He can only exercise the power he is given by sinful people. God had little difficulty removing Satan from Heaven. Nowhere does it say that Satan is all powerful, all knowing or omnipresent. It just does not say that anywhere. It says he is deceitful.

Armageddon the movie

I liked the film. It has nothing to do with God, the Bible or the battle of Armageddon. It uses the name of the place to represent the end of the world. Again, a misuse of terms.

2012

Why bother say anything. 2012 is just silly. They base it on the Mayan calendar. Well, the Mayans did beleive in God and IF they thought the world ended in 2012, we don't know what they thought would happen next. Currently, there is a movement that says that in 2012 we will come into a new consciousness. In other words, the start of a new beginning not the end of the world. This is consistent with what the Hope believe.

In Conclusion, if I ever have a conclusion. You either believe the Bible or you do not. If you believe the Bible then you should read it and understand that the "Last Days" are a time of triumph and tribulation. If you do not believe the Bible then it's symbology won't make any sense and is pointless to worry about.

I have always been annoyed, annoyed, by people who become Christians and rush to the end of the book and then want to talk about end times. My feeling is always the same, try getting down the basics. They are simple. Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. Focus on faith (belief that leads to action) and don't worry about breaking a rule along the way, you will break many. Worry more about redemption than sin. You cannot save anyone, only they can save themselves and beating them up will not help them. Say what you believe and live it. Admit you make mistakes.

As for "the end times", it is just a phase. Don't fear it. The Nazis, Stalin, Mao and all the despots throughout history managed to make things perfectly miserable for many, they did not need the end times. Nero was sufficiently good at throwing christians to the lions, he didn't need the end times. The black plague killed millions and did not need the end times. The world is not club med.

The bible says that if you are a believer it only gets harder. Read about the life of the apostles and you will begin to understand that they were not sent on vacation and were persecuted. Persecuted, not given mansions. It is said that Peter was crucified and asked to have the cross placed upside down because he did not feel worthy of dying as Christ did. He was not given a Ferrari, he walked.

If these are the last days of Satan's power on earth, good. Still, I got up this morning and if you are reading this then you did too. What did you do with the day, did you help someone? Do not misunderstand me, I am not happy to hear discussions about microchipping people, one currency, an international government, monitoring the population or a myriad of things going on and being discussed by government. I am not happy with it and I have written about such things.

As a Christian I cannot but help see that things are headed in the wrong direction. Perhaps we will repent, perhaps not. In either case I do know how the book ends and I believe things shall end as it says. I just can't get worried or concerned about it. I hear about Christians who run away to the hills or join militias or pray against the bad guys. Whatever. I came to play not hide. I don't believe in murder regardless of the reason and I will not pray against others only for them.

I have studied cults, satanists, luciferians, the illuminati, rosicrucians, vampires, werewolves (there wolves), witches, wiccans, pagans, mormons, masons, heck, just about all of them at some time. I always read the other guys books to see where they are coming from. Learned that from Patton. But, the most important thing is to know your own beliefs.

I think Prince (the singer) said it best. Tonight I'm going to party like it is 1999. Let us focus on what we do and not what is inevitable or may challenge us. I guarentee, we all get challenged. I wrote this because of a comment left by a follower. She mentioned that she liked it when I was positive. I wanted to explain my positive beliefs. I hope this has helped.

In sum. I believe we are born, we live, we die and go to a better place. I believe that while we are alive we can do as much good as we are capable of. It can be small things like taking in an abused dog. Or, it can be big things like moving onto an island of lepers to care for them. We are each called as we are, to do what we were designed to be capable of doing. Our hearts and minds together are our compass.

For Christians who believe these are the end times, my answer is still simple. It says that we will be required to take a mark, the mark of the beast. At a minimum your job is to not receive any mark. Simple. If you fear and believe these are the end times, do not be fearful, refust to take any mark and help your brothers and sisters.

During the beginning of the church, christians were subjected to being thrown to the lions, it did not stop them from practicing their faith nor did they involve themselves is civil disturbances. They formed no army, no militias and were firm in their faith. Do the same. Shame on you if you lift up arms, that is not what you were told to do.

I have no repsect for those who would kill abortion doctors. I have no respect for those doctors or abortion. I have no respect for murder. I have a lot of respect for redemption, forgiveness, grace and respect. If an abortion doctor asked me what I thought of what he did, I would tell him, not punch him in the face or yell at him. We are told to have an explanation for what we believe, that is all we can give the world, that and to try to help. Be well.

Hope you enjoyed the last post

I hope you also had a great Easter. Yesterday I felt like being poetic. I in fact am not tired, well, I am always a little tired. Too many hours on the road and at work. Too many years; but, not Chandler tired.

Sometimes it is nice just to write, to put thoughts out that are not thought out. LOL. That was a joke. What shall we discuss tonight, anything. Maybe not, maybe just type. I will ramble.

Today, I read a pamphlet by the Rosicrucian Order. It was interesting and predictable. They wrote what one should expect, if one knows what they believe. This is not a complaint, it is an understanding. The Rosicrucians, Masons, "Illuminati", Satanists, Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists... all have beliefs. If you know what they believe, you should not be surprised by what they say they believe. You may agree or disagree with their conclusions but should know their beliefs. Heck, you might agree.

I believe we are self aware beings, spiritual beings living in a material world for a time. That is the starting point. The question is what is the ending poing. It is a joke, eternity has no ending point. We seek perfecting in ourselves and others, then what? Perfection is death, it results is stasis.

I will put it another way. What is the goal of life if life is eternal? Ahhh, he is tricky one. The answer is: eternal growth. That means eternal change and never getting to the perfect. LOL.

What then is perfection? We consider perfection in Platonic (the man, not friendly) terms and we come to the conclusion that there is a thing to be achieved that when we achieve it, our work is done. I am Aristotilain in my beliefs, perfection is a process that is ever changing. Evolutionary if you will.

Perfection is the process by which eternal imperfection is improved and stasis is never reached. Complicated in it's simplicity to be sure. Still, the simplest question is what is perfection if there is eternity? We insist upon not asking these questions or attempting to give them importance. See, the Rosicrucians, if they followed their rules, would love me as an initiate; but, I am no initiate.

Tomorrow something bad will happen. Perhaps many bad things. At a minimum, we are locking all of our doors at work. It is because the leaders are afraid of the followers. What a strange situation. I am not afraid of my employees. Heck, hard to be afraid of much.

The world is getting weirder than me. That is sad.

I can't sleep

I can't sleep. Can't close my eyes or shut off my mind. Like some sort of statue I sit in front of my laptop. Sit, not think. Perhaps some wine would help; but, I sort of doubt it. Tried that too many times. After awhile nothing helps.

It is dark and cold and quiet. Very quiet, I play music less for the music and more to combat the quiet. The same songs again and again and again. It really doesn't matter, they have less impact than musac in some fricking elevator or on some stupid phone's wait period.

Funny thing about not being able to sleep, it doesn't mean you are not tired. For some, being tired is a way of life. Just what you do. Seems that when you try to do the right thing, everything is difficult, everything is tiring. After awhile, you don't think about trying to sleep. Instead, you drink to forget about being tired.

What I am the most tired about is the things I know and hear. I am tired of what I read. Do we ever rest or do we have to wait till this play is over? Either way, eventually we do sleep. It just may be longer than we expect. In the meantime we can be true to ourselves, you know, honest and committed to what we believe. Commitment means tired. I know tired.

THAT IS MY INTERPRETATION OF PHILLIP MARLOWE AS WRITTEN BY RAYMOND CHANDLER.

My favorite authors are Jane Austin and Raymond Chandler. I was reading an LA Times article on someone who tried to bring back Marlowe to television. The article. The writer is trying out how to make Marlowe relevant. How to bring him into the current times. He didn't understand what Marlowe was.

To understand Chandler and Austin is to understand charachter, morals, commitment. The story of Marlowe is the story of someone willing to lose to do the right thing. Except, he has been at it so long that he is tired. Watch the video of Robert Mitchum playing Marlowe and hear his words. Tired.

What made Marlowe so amazing was that he was older and tired than he should have been. He did not give up on right, just on people. Marlowe, against all evidence, could not give up on truth or justice. He did not fit in with his post World War II world. A world that gave up on itself.

When people read Raymond Chandler they are amazed by his use of metaphor. He was the master of imagery. That is whay made Marlowe. It was the charachter itself. To understand Marlowe you need to understand why he did what he did. Chandler once said he imagined Marlowe always doing some crappy job for some crappy client, looking for purpose.

I was 15 when I first saw Robert Mitchum in "Farewell my Lovely". He was looking for a girl, Velma, Velma Velento. When I saw the film, I knew I had to read the books. I read them all. Wow. Mitchum made another Marlowe film, it didn't work the same. Too much energy, not enough tired.

In Marlowe's Los Angeles, it was teaming with beauty and corruption. He saw it's beauty and he saw how it was a whore. He, even though disillusioned, still saw it's beauty. I connected with that. When you see a nine year old Mexican girl walking to school past crack whores, you get it. LA is a mix, all places are, some hide it better. LA does not hide it.

Nothing has changed in Los Angeles. No need to force a change in Marlowe to make him relevant. He would still see the innocent and the filthy. Nothing has changed. Chandler just understood staying clean in filth. Chandler was all about contrast and the choices we make. He was concerned with who we chose to be and what it led to, so was Jane Austin.

I was on a flight once, years ago, decades ago. I was reading the inflight magazine. It had an article about how the most unlikely things was that someone would like Chandler and Austin. I laughed, my two favorite authors. He didn't understand either. He understood the plots; but, not the morals. The morals were the same. He didn't think in terms of morals. Be well.

Elton John, an asshole

Now, I like Elton John's music. Still, lets face it, he is one of the biggest assholes in the world. He fails to respect anyone's beliefs others than his own. He recently was quoted saying Jesus was gay. Now, I do not have a problem with gays. What I have a problem with is Mr. John's making things up to prove his point and disrespecing 2,000 years of religious belief. He does not care nor know the truth. Asshole.

Apparently, Mr. John is now disrespecting the Mayans. What a guy. Everyone, prior to Mr. John, respected the Mayan's request that people playing in their holy place of Chichen Itza, have the Mayan's do a morning blessing. He did not bother. Next is Paul McCartney to play in the same place. He has not made the arrangement either. Why not?

Mr. John expects Christians to respect his lifestyle, yet, he does not respect anyone elses. NOw, personally, I don't give a rats rearend what Mr. John thinks or does up till the point he disrespects others. He does not have the truth or guts to address them directly. That is disgustful.

I am not a fan of the Mayan culture. It is not that I do not like natives, I happen to really admire the Hopi. I intend to visit their land. I have asked their people for such permission. I also asked for some information regarding their culture, so that if I am allowed to view one of their ceremonies, I would not offend.

Paul, the one from the bible, said, "When in Rome, do as the Romans". What a simple thought. Do not offend others to prove a point. If we are to be with others, we must respect their ways. That does not mean agree with them, it means allow them to be them to the extent one can.

I ask myself, how can you be so disrespectful of this ancient people. I am stone cold Christian, not in words, in deeds, faith and belief. Do not misunderstand, I can be very hard. You need to understand what a Christian is. It is not the weak and pleasing types taught today. Jesus died on a cross, he said what he believed and suffered the consequences. So did many others. However, I have a "psychic vampire" pagan staying with me because he had nowhere else to go. I took him in.

I am no saint. Just a guy that hates to see a friend go homeless. When people come by and meet my friends, they are surprised that I have such an odd arrangement of friends. Too bad. He treats me with respect and tells me the truth. Better than I get from most "Christians" I know.

How can we show others God's love if we do not love others? I have gay friends, I have aethiest friends, I have pagan friends, I have friends who are "sex workers" (no, still only been with one woman), I have friends who have been in the intelligence game. I know more anomalous people than I should. More than I knew existed. I, on the other hand, am quite boring. Thankfully.

It is not up to me to force others to believe or live as I do. Not my job. It is my job to be me, to define myself. If I take such a privledge, how can I deny it to others? I will discuss the value of choices, the correctness with others; however, I will respect their choices. That does not mean that I will listen to their justifications without response. I respond better to the truth of their choices.

If I go to the house of a Muslim, I know they have differant beliefs. I would want to respect their beliefs. Paul said he was free to eat food that was blessed to other gods. He knew it was not true. There is only one God. But, he said he would not do so if it caused another to sin. Seems contradictory, it is not.

Paul was saying that he would not do things that would lead a Christian to fail at meeting their beliefs. He met with non-Christians. He attempted to discuss what he believed with non-Christians. He did not expect them to change just because they met him. He knew better, he was just spreading the word. It was called "The Great Commission". Not a fight, a life.

The Great Commission was to define ourselves and then live it. To show the impact of our beliefs. A competition, to be sure, one of proving what belief system had what result. That is how we grow. If we say we believe one thing and live another, we are not competing to find out what is the best way to live. It is deceit.

Men are not all rapists

I am going to start with a link to a newspaper article from England.

Why men cannot control themselves

When I was in college, I took a class in psychology. One day we had a hypothetical. We were to assume we were on a boat that sank. Afterwards we ended up on an island. We were asked what we would do. One of the women, an older woman, said she would sleep with the men so that she could be safe. She then said that she might as well give it up as the men would only force the sex anyways.

I was fairly well offended and called her on it. I am not a frickin rapist and do not appreciate ALL men being blamed for the acts of some. I will admit that many of the women I know have told me horrifying stories; but, they don't say it about me. I have been with one woman in my life, intentionally. I believe in commitment not promiscuity FOR ME.

My ex cheated on me, does that mean that I should believe all women are whores? I don't believe it. It is the same thing. Men and boys are under attack. We are either all Tiger Woods and Jesse James or bad parents. Men are portrayed on television is the worst light. The media does not show good men, only bad ones, why?

The author of the book referenced in the link at the top says that testosterone is equivalent to alcohol. It is not. I am sorry, I have drank alcohol. It is not the same. The fact that men have tetosterone does not make us all crazy. Some men are just assholes. That is what makes them do bad things, not being a man.

I am sorry, there was a time when men were chivalrous. There was a time when women were modest. What has changed is what is the cause of the wholesale disregard for each other. All men are not rapists. Testosterone is not a drug or a poison. Justifying the bad actions of some men by saying they are inately incapable of self control is filth.

There was a comedian. Mort Saul, see I remembered. He told a joke in the 80s or 90s. He talked about how women were now smoking and being promiscuous. He said the women said they wanted to be like the men. He then said that in the 50s those were the type of men that real men looked down on. He said that women's liberation taught women to be second class men.

Once women were no longer setting a higher example, men stopped being the better men also. Women, historically, reminded men that we should be good to one another. They were caretakers of the family and the family morals. Men were expected to provide for their families and protect them. We see neither now.

Morals are not bad to have. It is important to see that some things are bad and some are good. It is not just a matter of opinion, it is a question of respect and responsibility. Freedom only works is we manage ourselves. Where are the examples of good men and good women.

The current images being sold to us of men are adulterers and corrupt buisnessmen and politicians. The current images being sold to us of women are "Cougars" and baby crazy wackos. Where are ladies and gentlemen, they used to exist. Love and commitment used to matter. Honor and integrity were things to be admired and sought. Liars were condemned not excused.

The world is in the state it is because we have given up such values and instead look for excuses to do as we wish. When people discover that I have been with one woman they are shocked. I think, why are you shocked? One of the women I dated thought that by the third date I would expect sex. I had to explain that I did not. How uncomfortable it was.

I had to explain that we would not have sex because I needed to know if we were going to be committed first. I had to explain that I found her very attractive, she was, because I did not want her to think that I did not find her attractive. I do not require this attitude in others, it is not my business what others do. Still, it is my belief and I am entitled to live by my belief and suffer the consequences.

We are slaves to our urges if we do not define ourselves with our morals. We are corrupt because we will do as we please without concern for others. We only worry about our immediate wants. That is corruption, corruption of our hearts. We can do better.

We must each individually arrive at our moral code. Our faith in what is right and wrong and then actually live by it. Some do. I met a missionary, she risked her life in Papua New Guinea with a tribe that had never seen a white woman. She lived there for decades to learn their language. She was the bravest person I have ever met. She gave up a life of liesure and family to give a written langauge to others.

I knew a man, one of my best friends, I miss him dearly. He took in foster children with special needs. He then adopted them which meant the state did not pay him a penny. He adopted them so they would know they were loved for themselves. He passed away. His wife told me that he loved me. I miss him so much, he was such a great friend and an example of what a man could be. My father was also, honest as the day is long and loving and a great provider.

My mother and father were honest, committed and industrious. They taught me morals, they taught me integrity. These things are not taught anymore. Today we teach that there is no right and wrong and that we should take care of ourselves, everyman for himself. What filth.

Recently, one woman, only one, put her child in a trashcan so she could play a video game where she cared for a virtual baby. Do you not see the irony, the filth, the corruption? In one day, three mothers attempted to kill their children in Los Angeles. Some succeeded. What are we looking at?

What type of world would you like to create? One where we do as we please and are monitored in case we go too far? Or, one in which we actually care about each other and work together? The second requires development of morals. The first is created by the justification of lies.

We are headed, unfortunately, to the worst we can be. We do not all have to go there. Some of us may choose to be our better selves. We can choose to live by laws or human hearts that see when the law is wrong. When we do what is morally right and take the consequences.

I thank the followers for listening to my wild and silly ramblings. What sort of person asks for morality from people, a crazy man. To actually ask people to live by morals, responsibility. No doubt I will be locked up, as it should be. Be well.