Christianity
Becoming Jewish, Part 5 (Sacrifices)
When I was a boy, growing up in the Southern Bible Belt, it was common to come across Jack Chick tracts. He’s about as legalistic as they come with condemnation, hellfire and a gratis of little devils coming after anyone who has a good time, and even acts of kindness are chalked off as excuses [...]
Becoming Jewish, Part 4 (On Holiday)
The store owner smiled as she spoke, “You need to get a Seder plate now, you understand why?” “No,” I replied. “You have four children. … It’s like Christmas when you bring out the decorations.” That made sense. Our holidays, if not defined by symbols, are marked by them. My wife trusted my ability to [...]
Becoming Jewish, Part 3 (The Commandments)
I find the justification of modern-day Christian leaders to sequester the fourth of the ten commandments invalid and obscene. If leaders taught obedience to the rules outlined in Acts 21:25 or the seven laws of Noah, which it strongly overlaps, then it would make sense to not follow the Sabbath. Most of the pastors who [...]
Becoming Jewish, Part 2 (The Ritual Of Righteous Living)
My anthropologist professor informed the class that every amassing ritual has a fail-break to stop it. Her example was the point in the wedding ceremony where the congregation is asked that if anyone knows of a reason why the couple shouldn’t wed to “Speak now or forever hold your peace.” Other times rituals fail because [...]
Becoming Jewish, Part 1 (Half Born)
The doctor hadn’t arrived and the contractions were getting more frequent. “Don’t push!” the nurse cried out, then flushed white and ran out of the room in a panic.
It was her first day in the maternity ward and knew only what she was trained for. Contractions were two minutes apart, lasting more than a minute [...]
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse – The Red Horse
Apparently, I’m in good company when it comes to conspiracy theories colliding with Judaeo-Christian beliefs. Former president Hoover mentioned in a 1954 Time interview that he figured the Red Horseman to represent pestilence. Specifically, a revolution. Today the largest political threats also ironically don the red color. Are we in for a communist take-over soon?
Despite [...]
It Takes Too Long
An Inguinal Hernia is a medical condition where the intestines seep through a natural between the lower lateral abdominal muscles called the inguinal canal. This can happen naturally, as in from birth, and can happen through sedentary lifestyle, where the muscles aren’t being properly exercised. See gratuitous medical gross-out images if you’d like.
I’m an impatient [...]
The Disciple
Another creative venue is photography. There are some amazingly brilliant works on Flickr and I’ve long enjoyed it, but the 200 picture limit on free accounts caused me to pull back almost entirely. I shelled out the $25 and am going in deep.
I thought about going into portrait photography, but my skills there are [...]
Biblical evidence against “Stone Tape Theory”
I recently read a good article that questions the assumptions most paranormal investigators make about “stone tape theory.” Other than that, I recently came across a Bible verse in psalms that dispels the core logic of stone tape theory.
Stone tape theory, also known as residual hauntings, is the idea that a ghost repeats itself. Usually [...]
Sigh
I’ll get back to the habit post later, but something struck me that I really want to share and remember.
Why do people sigh? If others are like me, they sigh when they’re about to face an event or person that brings a sense of trouble or frustration during a time when they are already tired [...]
