Heaven and Hell
April 30, 2008
Heaven is a bribe and hell is a punishment. Be good and act a certain way and you will be granted admission to heaven and not be condemned to burn forever. Does it seem fair that entrance to heaven is determined by the location of a baby’s birth? If a baby was born into a God fearing Christian society then he would be rewarded with everlasting bliss. If he was unlucky enough to be born into an African tribe or an Asian village than immediately upon death he would head below to burn for an eternity. Believe like me or go to hell? It is beyond belief that some people actually believe this.
Heaven and hell seem to be based on fear. Fear controls people’s actions and makes them do things they would not normally do. Fear brings cruelty about. Organized religion and cruelty seem to go hand in hand. Although organized religion has many benefits, I feel that the absolute truth thinking that goes along with many forms of religion including Christianity is wrong.
Ministry Of Absence
April 29, 2008
I was meditating the other day and contemplating the thousands of folks in the cemeteries who lived and died without making any impression upon anybody. No one hated them and no one loved them. They are not missed because no one ever knew they existed. They touched no one’s life in any memorable way. How sad.
There is such a wondrous power in the gift of human kindness. New life emerges in hearts longing for tenderness, compassion and understanding. When you reach out and lovingly touch someone, you infuse something priceless of yourself into the very soul and essence of another. When we touch others in empathetic, kind, gentle ways, we may be incognizant of the lasting impressions we are imprinting upon their mind screen with each word, hug, or glance. Yet, the power of your kindness will be warmly remembered long after you have departed the scene. There is something subtle, magnetic, redemptive that mysteriously transmit to others in a positive, healthy and permanent way. It is the ministry of absence; the most lasting and meaningful kind of ministry. The influence you make on the lives you touch continues to minister even when you are no longer physically present.
The Different Styles of Inuit Sculptures
April 29, 2008
At first, all Inuit soapstone sculptures from the Arctic may look alike. However, there are variances in artistic styles among the different Inuit art producing communities. Although all communities produce Inuit sculptures featuring both animal and human subjects, some seem to do more animals while others do more people figures. Some communities make their subjects appear quite realistic with lots of high detail while in others, a more crude and primitive look is preferred. There are Inuit sculptures that have a highly polished finishes and some that are the complete opposite where they are left dull and unpolished.
Some areas specialize in producing small scale miniatures much like the artwork by their ancestors who first came into contact with white men. Inuit sculpture can range from quite conservative to bold or even wildly outrageous. Scenes can be playful like a piece depicting two Inuit children playing or with a sense of humor like a walrus waving. On the other end, transformation and shamanic pieces can look disturbing or even frightening to some. Hunting scenes can portray the gory realities of life and death in nature.
Breaking the Cycle
April 28, 2008
Breaking the cycle is a term we have all heard. Especially if we come from a family (and these days who doesn’t) that has a history of some type of violence and/or drug abuse whereas this phrase is told to us over and over. "Yes, you have had a bad hand in life. Life is not fair. But the best thing you can do is raise your head and break the cycle of violence in your life".
It seems to me that "break the cycle" has to do with some type of horrific traumatizing event that may have been re-occurring for many years (abuse of a spouse or child) or a one time unexpected event (a mugging or rape that leaves a life long scar).
What if there is another cycle that is not so "in your face" apparent, but rather a silent cycle that is not recognized anymore as it is a universal disease that no one really notices anymore. What if dying an uncelebrated life is a cycle all of its own?
As I have been trying to break my own cycle of work, home, sleep, work, home, sleep after countless years, which can lead to nothing but contempt, bitterness and anger, I am trying to break the cycle of teaching this very learned behavior to my son.
For Sale - God
April 27, 2008
A few days ago, I was watching TV, and I was surfing through the channels, and I came upon a very popular Christian teacher (I will call her Minister X for respect to her and her Ministry) Christian TV show. I am not a follower of Minister X teachings, yet I have heard her enough, to know two things about her. First she seems to be very solid in her bible teachings, as well as she seems to be very well respected in the Christian community.
The message she was teaching on was the "Power of your Words." Seeing that I too have several messages on that same subject on my website, I thought I would listen in on what she had to say on the subject. I was almost in a "wow" state, for what she was saying was exactly what I had preached and recorded for the website. I was really quite enjoying the message. Then it suddenly went off, and went to a scene where Minister X was setting at a table talking to the camera about what we just seen. At this time, I was not really paying much attention to what she was saying, for I was thinking that I had missed the whole message, and this was the end of the program, and this is where the Preacher usually sells the tape or asks for money, etc?
The Views of Karl Marx VS Max Weber
April 26, 2008
Compare and contrast the views of Karl Marx and Max Weber with regards as to what motivates people to work.
Karl Marx: [1] Exploitation
[2] Proletariat have to sell their labour-power
[3] The machines of the industrial revolution eliminate creativity require only the workers own labour, work is alienated, workers alienated.
Max Weber: [1] Regarded as one of the ‘founding fathers’ of sociology
[2] Wider analysis of capitalism then that of Marx
[3] Weber ignores labour exploitation as being a function of class
Compare: [1] Calvinism can be seen to have provided the initiating force for capitalism in as much as the effects of Calvinism that originated in theology reflect the spirit for capitalism (the drive for economic success).
[2] Ownership and control through capitalism
[3] Mark uses exploitation and oppression of the working classes (proletariat). as a means for exercising control by manipulation the situation.
[4] Weber uses bureaucratic organization as a means for exercising control by calculated acts of influence.
[5] Abolition of control and capitalists that cannot exist without wage-workers would create a Utopian Socialism where superstition, injustice, privilege, oppression, were to be superseded by equality
Evolution Simplified and Factual
April 25, 2008
The study of evolution puts into perspective our relative insignificant existence. People who deny evolution must have a hard time swallowing the fact that humans are just a teeny tiny portion of all that is in our 13.7 billion year old universe. We are a microscopic speck…if that big. Creationists seem to like the theory of human beings being at the center of things. Slightly egotistical? Literal interpretation of the story of creation from the beginning of the Bible goes right along with the “flat earth” mentality.
Whether it was the Big Bang or God snapping his fingers, the earth is a factual 4.5 billion years old. The entire universe is 13.7 billion years old. The earth being 4.5 billion years old is not determined by the age of few rocks, over the last thirty years or so, many laboratories throughout the world have come to the same conclusion.
Age is determined by combining absolute dating (calculating radioactive decay) and relative dating. Relative dating is determining age by observing what rock lies above and below. Strata are the specific layers of rock in a formation. Rocks are in certain layers and so are fossils. The deeper you dig, the more primitive the fossils are. Stratiography is the study of the layers of the earth’s surface. The study of stratiography is a way to understand the history of life on earth.
Inuit Drum Dancing Of The Arctic
April 24, 2008
Like many other aboriginal cultures around the world, the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic have made use of drums in some of their traditional music for centuries. Inuit drum dancing played a part in many special occasions such as births, marriages, an Inuit boy’s first hunt, changing of seasons, greetings for visitors or to honor someone who had passed away. News of these special events was spread by word of mouth and many Inuit traveled great distances to attend.
The Inuit drum called a qilaut was traditionally made from caribou skin with seal or walrus skin around the handle. Before, Inuit drum dancing was most commonly done by men but eventually both men and women performed it. There were various Inuit songs called ajaaja that were sung while drum dancing. In the past, many individuals had their own ajaaja songs that were unique to them and about their own personal life experiences. There were also many songs that were passed down through many generations of Inuit.
Having Fun with Life
April 24, 2008
It was just a few degrees shy of swimming weather a few weeks ago at the beach. I walked along the shore in my jeans and a red tankini top, the salt air refreshing against my skin but not quite cold. My two sisters and some friends and I were taking a brief hike down the beach. Up ahead, a small freshwater creek came out of the pine forest along the beach and cut across our path. The water of the creek was a ribbon of earthy red crossing the white sandy beach. As we approached, I said to my sister Audra, "let’s jump it!" It was a shallow creek, and only about seven feet wide, easily fordable. But something within me wanted to run, to leap, to risk splashing down in the cold water. Carefully wading across just wasn’t going to do it for me. I wanted to jump the creek ? for no reason other than the fun of it.
Obsessed with Armageddon
April 23, 2008
More and more today people are showing an obsession about things of the end times, especially Armageddon, the so-called end of times battle between God and the forces of evil. Not only has the Left Behind series sold 70 million copies, but now we also have the television mini-series on Revelation. These fictional accounts purport to be accurate depictions of the end, based on Scripture, particularly Revelation and Daniel. They include bloody battles, judgment on those who are not Christian (or even conservative Christians) and a host of characters who are demonic and totally evil. Some have claimed that these depictions have brought new people to the Christian faith, and have revived the art of Christian fiction. I would argue that they do more to subvert true faith. They do so in three ways.
